Gothic Style - Black Velvet

Black velvet is undoubtedly a mainstay of the gothic wardrobe and can be layered with lots of other wonderful fabrics like lace, satin and fishnet. Velvet is a woven fabric with a plush pile and an irresistibly touchy-feely quality. Today's modern velvets can be made from cotton, rayon, silk, viscose, polyester and even wool and linen and all can be dry-cleaned.

The sheen that's created by the light hitting the velvet pile can really illuminate and flatter the skin if worn as a top or a jacket. Velvet has a sumptuous quality and is a fabric that historically was very expensive to produce as it was mostly made from pure silk. This made it highly sought-after and was almost exclusively only affordable by royalty and the nobility in times past. Thankfully modern production methods and man-made fibres have enabled velvet to be within the reach of everyone today.

The Gothic Catwalk has a wide range of velvet clothing on offer including the items below.

Purple & Black Velvet Cobweb Lace Gothic Bodice Top
Black Velvet Gothic Ribbon Corset Dress
Black Velvet & Purple Roses Gothic Fairytale Dress
Long Black Velvet Sleeveless Waistcoat Jacket
Black Velvet Gothic Bolero Shrug with Lace Sleeves
Black Velvet Frilled Gothic Dress
Black Velvet Gothic Top with Sleeve Straps
Gothic Steampunk Black Velvet & Satin Collar
Black Velvet & Lace Gothic Corset Dress
Black Velvet Gothic Victorian Fitted Corset Jacket
Bordello Black Velvet Gothic Burlesque Peep Toe Shoes

Bats in Gothic Fashion

Bats....those mysterious little creatures you never really see! What do we know about bats? We know that they're nocturnal. We know that they're blind. We know that they can instill fear in some people. What we may not know about bats is that they are the only mammal capable of true flight, that there are over 1000 species of bat and that they can live for up to 20 years.

It's not difficult to see how bats have been embraced by gothic fashion. The unmistakable bat silhouette is so distinctive and no doubt dramatic which is often what goth is all about. Add the fact that you are only ever likely to see a bat fleetingly at twilight and the gothic scene is set.

Here are some of the bat items we have at The Gothic Catwalk.

Gothic Bat Choker
Flying Bats Necklace
Flying Bats Belt
Batwing Coat
Crystal Bat Necklace
Bat Mirror
Bat Metal Necklace

More bat items at The Gothic Catwalk

Gothic Style - Spiders and Cobwebs

There's no doubt that spiders are intrinsically associated with the gothic scene. The reason for this is clear - they lurk in dark places, appear out of nowhere and scare the hell out of a lot of people! Apparently, if you fear spiders, it's due to a primeval survival instinct going back to such times when all spiders were poisonous. If you ran away from them, you would survive, whereas if you stopped and played with one, it would bite you and you'd die! Although we've evolved hugely since then, that survival instinct leading to fear is still deeply embedded in our DNA, no matter how irrational it may seem today.

Gothic fashion celebrates the spider and the beautifully intricate webs they weave by using cobweb lace. Here are just a few examples.

Gothic Cobweb Lace Top
Gothic Cobweb Lace Dress
Gothic Cobweb Zip Bag
Gothic Cobweb Spider Purse
Gothic Spider Necklace
Gothic Cobweb Stockings

So whether you love spiders or hate them, hopefully you can see how beautiful and mysterious they can be when used in gothic clothing and jewellery. Feel the fear and wear it anyway!

Gothic Style - The Scarlet Woman

There are very few people who don't look good in red. Of course, there are many different shades of red so it's important to choose the tone that suits your skin and hair colour. Needless to say, pale skinned, dark haired goths will look stunning wearing red and black together. Red is the colour of love, passion and warmth and can really lift a plain black outfit to great dramatic effect. Red and black seems to be a popular choice for the gothic bride, especially if it's a winter wedding. Here is just a small selection of our many red items at The Gothic Catwalk.

Red Roses Corset
Red Organza Skirt
Red Corset Gloves
Heart Ring
Rose Lace Choker
Striped Parasol
Skull Brooch

So if you're ready to be a scarlet woman, we hope this has inspired you!

Gothic Style - Glorious in Green

Deep forest green is a relatively new gothic colour which works incredibly well with black. There's an earth goddess, woodland nymph quality about this rich colour which also lends itself to pagan, Wiccan and medieval styles. Green makes a refreshing change from the more trad red and purple accent colours found in gothic fashion so if you're looking to enliven your wardrobe with a new colour to go with black, go green!

Green is the most predominant colour on earth and in colour therapy, it's said to be a rejuvenating, calming, soothing colour which balances our energies. So there could even be a psychological benefit to wearing green!

Clockwise from top left:

Green chiffon skirt
Green ouija board necklace
Green silk choker
Green lace and silk dress
Long sleeved top
Green tie front cardigan
Absinthe fairy necklace
Long green silky skirt
Frankenstein earrings

We have lots more gothic green items so please take a look around The Gothic Catwalk website for more ideas.

The Elegant Goth

Gothic elegance is an easy look to achieve. The starting point should be a long gothic skirt which immediately gives an elongated line from which to build the rest of the outfit. To team with the skirt, you can choose a top, a blouse or a corset, maybe worn with a floaty shrug. It's probably best to choose a fitted top to keep the illusion of a lengthened silhouette.

Then it's time to accessorise! This is where you can really go to town. A hat always adds elegance to any outfit and what could be more beautiful than the beaded hat shown in the photo. It's made from stiffened satin and decorated with black roses and finished off with drop beads and a black feather. Gloves are always timelessly elegant and can really make the difference to an outfit.

Finally, jewellery. There is such a vast choice of gothic jewellery around and nothing says elegance better than a classy choker. Jewellery is such an affordable way to create a defined look and is often noticed before the rest of the outfit!

So here are just a few ideas to help you on your way to gothic elegance.

Below are the links where you can buy the items shown in the photo:

Long black lace skirt
Beaded hat
Gloves
Necklace
Ring

Goth Food - Amazing Gothic Cakes

On our travels around the internet, we've come across some of the most extraordinary gothic cakes you're ever likely to see. The creativity and work involved is absolutely incredible and these cakes are really stunning works of sculptural art in their own right. As you might expect, lots of these cakes feature skulls in either 2D or 3D form and for a goth themed wedding, they are often partnered with roses resulting in a very romantic centrepiece.

Tim Burton seems to inspire many a gothic wedding cake, which, given the wonderful imagery in his films, is no surprise. The Corpse Bride is obviously a favourite and if you look at the pictures below, you can see some really good examples of this. However, one of the cakes has managed to combine Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland and The Nightmare Before Christmas with Jack Skellington all in one! Amazing.

As you can imagine, to commission one of these cakes is extremely expensive. But if you can bake and you have a vision, it's possible to create your own. If it's for a very special occasion like a wedding, it's probably best to practice lots before the big day and your initial idea may very well change along the way as is the case with lots of art. And this, after all, is what it is, a masterpiece of edible art.

Tim Burton Inspired Cakes

Skull Cakes

We hope this post has inspired you and please feel free to comment.
Images courtesy of Pinterest