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

How To Goth Up An Outfit With Accessories

Imagine you have an very plain black outfit - it could be a dress or a skirt and top but essentially it's just black, not particularly gothic. Here's where you can go to town. Accessorising gothic style couldn't be easier and really needn't cost a lot of money. It's a great way of seeing if the gothic look suits you're unsure. You may be considering embracing the whole gothic thing or it might be for just one night out. So - probably the first thing to think about is an item of jewellery, in particular necklaces and chokers. It's not just all about crosses, there is some beautiful gothic themed jewellery around which can be very dramatic or quite subtle and it won't break the bank. A single piece of statement jewellery on a plain black canvas can really lift the whole outfit. This may be all you need.

However, if this isn't enough, let's think about other accessories. If you're wearing a short sleeved or sleeveless dress or top, how about gloves? Gothic gloves come in a wide range of designs from the classic fishnet to satin, lace or netting and in different lengths from wrist gloves to elbow gloves to full arms. Sometimes just simply slipping on a pair of gloves can instantly goth up an outfit and they do make you feel very ladylike!

Still not enough? How about a gothic bag? The choice of gothic and alternative bags is huge and range from casual everyday bags to sophisticated evening bags. And as we all know, a girl can never have too many bags!

A gothic parasol is always a good way of accessorising an outfit, especially if your style tends to be leaning more towards the Victorian goth look. A lot of our Whitby going customers buy parasols from us here at The Gothic Catwalk. Not only does a parasol complete an outfit but it's also very useful for shading your pale skin from the sun.

A belt, particularly a wide underbust style belt, is always a good way to goth up an outfit and it's so easy to do. It can break up a plain block of colour and draws the eye to and accentuates the waist.

Finally, don't forget to accessorise your hair. Again, this is a very easy and affordable way to gothify those lovely locks.

Never under-estimate the effectiveness of accessorising any outfit, gothic or otherwise. It's extremely unlikely that anyone else will team together exactly the same accessories as you so you can rest assured that your look will be unique and individual.

Guest bloggers welcome. Email us at thegothiccatwalk@gmail.com

Gothic Style - The Romantic Goth

The Romantic Goth (or Romantigoth) is probably our favourite gothic style. It's soft, feminine and dreamy and really easy to achieve the look. The look is very much inspired by the Victorian era and often epitomises a tragic novel heroine of the time. A long floaty skirt is a must to begin with, teamed with a flattering sweetheart neckline bodice top showing a little bit of decollete, perfect for framing some beautiful romantic gothic jewellery. Accessorising is the key to achieving this look with roses and lace being obvious choices.
Take a look at some of the items available at The Gothic Catwalk, who specialise in the Romantic Victorian Goth look. Simple touches like pretty lace gloves, gothic hair accessories, an elegant parasol and of course, statement jewellery can really complete the look.

Hair can have gentle curls or waves but straight "curtains" can also look amazing if your hair is in great condition. A half up half down style really suits this look and a gothic hairclip is perfect for keeping it in place. Make-up should be soft with the skin kept quite pale and all the emphasis on the eyes. Smokey, smudged eyeliner and eyeshadow looks fabulous on the Romantic Goth as it serves to create a slightly misty, mysterious look. It's probably best not to go for black lipstick, instead choose soft pinks, pale purples or deep red.

The Romantic Goth look is ideally suited for gothic brides.

Items available from The Gothic Catwalk

Please feel free to comment if you'd like to share your own tips for achieving the Romantic Gothic look.

Guest bloggers welcome
Please email thegothiccatwalk@gmail.com