origins of the goths and there fashions

[archhippy]

Hello this going to be a big favour if you can help out i am triying to research for my a level contextual study into fashion and i have chosen to look at gothic fashions and the origins of the movement and the difernt branches that they have diversified into. our college computers dont like us looking up goth on the internet they filter it imediatly.

[tartanwiz]

Goth grew out of Punk in the late 70s. Bands like Souxie and the Banshees and The Damned set the transition with their 'Gothic horror movie' costumes and hairstyles. By the mid 80s Goth had become a subculture in its own right and by the end of the 80s had spread from Britain to Europe and America. Like the Punk it branched off from, Goth is a rejection of mainstream standards of beauty, popularity and amusement, celebrating the dark side of life but, unlike punk, not necessarily the grotesque. Goth fashion is necessarily blackest black, another aspect adopted from punk but, whereas Punk fashion used elements of bondage and garbage clothing, Goth is more stylish and glamorous. Goth clothing material includes leather and crushed velvet, hair is dyed black and faces kept or made pale. Much silver jewellery is worn, usually suggesting mysticism or occult magic. The music is characterised by a droning or intense blend of guitar, drums and base and the lyrics are usually apocalyptic or mystical.

[andy hughes]

The origin of the term 'goth' or gothic' as applied to music and fashion are unsurprisingly vague. Some reviews of The Doors refered to their sound as 'gothic' back in the 1960's, but the term, and fashion, took off as my colleague advises, with bands like The Damned, who'se singer Dave Vanian did (and indeed still does) favour velvet frock coats, cravats, and white gloves, which combined with his widow's peak hair gives semblence to an 18th century vampire. This image in The Damned has been heightened by the addition of Dave's wife Patricia Morrison on bass, who is an acretypal lady goth in both looks and dress, having been at the forefront of the movement as half of The Sisters Of Mercy. Former Zig Zag editor Mick Mercer has written a couple of definitive books on the styles and music of goth, both unfortunately out of print, but a specialist bookshop may track them down for you,

[darth vader]

OK you're going to hate me for pointing this out but you're not the first to ask us to do your A level paper for you - you're supposed to research this yourself and you fall at the first hurdle cos of internet filters? How about: a) ask college staff to remove "goth" from the filter cos it's a legitimate term required for your studies. (sorry but i find it hard to believe that "goth" itself is blacklisted) b) go to an internet cafe/ a mate with a computer and look up goth. c) go to a library (large municipal building found in most small towns and certainly in every city, containing a plethora of information on just about everything you've ever required - and it's free too!) and research the subject for yourself just like 99% of all other students who want to further their education. I said you wouldn't like the answer but then what's the point in us writing the A level paper for you we might as well sit the subject and collect the certificate ourselves. I'll get off my high horse now.

[archhippy]

Oi! i just asked for opinions and as it happens my brother is a goth so i do have a whole field of the weird and the roamantic to look at through him. so please i was only asking opinions and am grateful for your help that is Tartan wiz whos allways a grate source of knowledge and andy hughes not Darth Vader. Thanks guys i shall leave the question open for now so dont be so rude and abrassive i only wanted opinions so there

[tartanwiz]

doodle - just one bit of advice. If you go to do a net search on 'Goths' or 'Goth culture', you might get pages of links to do with the Northern European tribes who invaded the Roman Empire and sacked the city of Rome. It might be best to type in 'goth rock' or 'goth youth culture' or something like that. Just a thought. (The Goth youth scene takes its name from Gothic horror, i.e. horor set in old 18th or 19th Century Northern Europe such as Dracula, Frankenstein, etc).

[darth vader]

I said you wouldn't like the answer. We get many young students who simply can't be bothered to research a subject for their homework so post a "tell me all about the battle of trafalgar" question hoping we'll write a big enough response to cut and paste into their project. If you're not of this group then please accept my apologies and may the force be with you

[darth vader]

I'm still surprised the college comps. filter it out - you should tell them about this (they may not know that "goth" is being blocked) or tell them i will come and sort it out (for �250/day plus expenses, obviously)

[Miss Zippy]

Look up 'pyscho-vikings' too, a name given to followers of Fields of the Nephilim (now called The Nefilim) who used to wear long duster coats coated with flour. By the way Darth, does �250 include some light-sabre action? :0)

[darth vader]

for �250 a day i will sweep your floor, naked, with a daffodill up me bum

[archhippy]

ewe thats sick!!! guys i asked about goths not S&m!!!!!

[Miss Zippy]

If you'll clean my windows too DV, then we've got a deal. Doodle, talking of s&m, the goth and fetish folks are into similar fashions, such as black pvc and leather, so there is a relationship. There is definitely a 'fetish' arm of the goth movement - ask your brother about the Carnival of Souls events (I'm told they still go on although it's been a good 12 years since I ditched the pvc and hung up my black wig).

[tartanwiz]

Another thing that differs goths from punk is that goths are less 'political'. True, they are a social phenomenon, but their rebellion is essentially against mainstream fashion and fun rather than against authority and capitalism, as were the punks. Punk politics was radical and left-wing, most of them describing themselves as anarchists. Some punk bands, such as The Clash, even did gigs at political rallies.

[willprentice]

as indepth as most of the explainations have been i cant help but feel that the purest reason for the gothic movement has been completely missed. the portugese have a word that underlies the gothic state of mind. the word (perhaps mis-spelled) is saldaji...go look it up! The clothes were (to me) only an expression of a much 'darker' thing than rebellion against the mainstream. In my opinion (and i think i will be the only one to ever hold it!) the gothic movement had its lonely birth when Plato's androgenous soul divided :o)