About two hundred years since their genesis, the Gothic Revival has had a longstanding and widespread influence on the arts. The dark, hunting, Middle Ages-inspired atmospheres and iconography that emerged from Gothic literature span from the imagery of fantasy literature to the themes of horror movies.
It was also, and still is, a cornerstone of the aesthetic and subject matter of Goth rock, the genre around which the Goth subculture developed in the late 1970s. The fashion world hasn’t been immune to its charm, and even in recent years, we have seen several fashion collections from prominent and indie designers who skillfully reimagined this captivating imagery for contemporary audiences, bringing the gloom and splendor of Neo-Gothic art to the runway.
The feminine darkness of Fetico Fall-winter 2024/2025
Founded in 2020 by the “Tokyo Fashion Award”- winning designer Emi Funayama, Fetico is all about feminine silhouettes, contrasting visual elements, and a focus on Japanese textile craftsmanship. The Fetico Fall-Winter 2024/2025 collection presented in Tokyo perfectly embodies the brand’s concept, with a style that is both dark and alluring.
It features an array of beautiful contrasts and unexpected elements: a structured choker on a see-through lace gown, bralettes as outerwear, and Canadian tuxedos next to lingerie-like looks. One of the most captivating outfits from this show features a short knit jumpsuit with cross-shaped cutouts across the torso, a sheer ruffled blouse, patterned tights, and a pair of boots reminiscent of early nineteenth-century styles, all in black.
The Gothic fairies of Rodarte Fall 2023 Ready-To-Wear
Set in an otherworldly banquet bathed in silver, the Rodarte Fall 2023 Ready-To-Wear by the American creative directors Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy, paid plenty of homage to the imagery of the fantasy genre and the styles of the Goth subculture, with ingenious nods to historical fashions and pop culture.
This collection, consisting of grand evening gowns, is characterized by a clever mix of delicate, ethereal fabrics such as lace, tulle, and ruffles with the visual heaviness of velvet and sequins. It features plenty of bizzarro elements like massive calla lily bouquets, Victorian-inspired ruffled bonnets, Elvira-style gowns, and a top hat, along with dark touches like heavy black eyeliner and lipstick, translucent bat wings, and veils.
The most emblematic look from this show, straight out of a fairytale, is the number 14. The model, whose makeup borrows heavily from the popular makeup style in the Black Metal and Goth scenes called “corpse paint”, is clad in a two-piece look: a black velvet long-sleeve blouse with leg-of-mutton sleeves and white lace trim, and a flowy black silk skirt.
A dark time travel adventure of Anna Sui Fall 1993 Ready-To-Wear
This collection by the American designer Anna Sui is the perfect example of the “Soft Goth” trend of the 1990s. For this collection, Sui employed the richness of velvet and the playfulness of florals, floral appliques, and embroidery in black, jewel tones, and delicate pinks and blues to create a series of looks fit for the set of a time travel adventure film with reinterpretations of the Spencer jacket, popular between the late 18th and early 19th century and of 1930s day dresses.
A stunning look from this collection consists of an embossed chiffon black dress with an empire-line silhouette, which became all the rage in the 1810s, lace trimmings, an elaborate choker, and matching elbow-length evening gloves.
The architectural inspiration behind Guo Pei Couture Fall 2018
Hardly any designer has taken such clear inspiration from Gothic architecture as the Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei for her Couture Fall collection of 2018. For this collection, she created a set of looks that incarnate the soaring verticality and elegance of Gothic churches.
To do this, Pei created structured garments of satin filled with boning to mimic the slightness of Gothic churches’ pointed arches, rib vaults, and flying buttresses. Look 12 from this collection is emblematic of the inspiration behind it. It consists of a corseted dress in pale ivory with a heart-shaped neckline and a rounded, reinforced skirt featuring a fantastical reimagination of a Gothic Church in black, with a matching pair of earrings and headwear.
