**Disclaimer: while I include elements of "goth" in my wardrobe, I can't say I am or was a full on goth, so this is a post I welcome and encourage y'all to chime in more so than usual!
Goth at 40 and beyond!
How do you keep the spirit and look of goth alive without appearing frozen in time, out of it, unfashionable, or distracting at work?
To me, goth is not just "all black" although that's part of the whole look. A black ribbed tee, black skinny jeans, and black Converse low tops is not "goth" per se. Add in some skull jewelry, traditional sailor's tattoos, a black velvet headband, and black lipstick...we're getting there.
I think the way to make goth looks work for 40 and above is in a couple ways:
Elevate the individual elements as much as your budget allows. There is a big difference in quality from Hot Topic to Vivienne Westwood. Go for real velvet, silk, wools, estate jewels, Pat McGrath makeup rather than NYX Halloween collection, and mid-range or even outright designer pieces. Seek out high end vintage boutiques with a curated look---many 50's black dresses play as goth with the right accessories.
Accessories---vintage, estate, designer, and indie. No more Hot Topic, Claires, or other mall stores. Make your pieces museum-quality creepy and spooky.
Think The Night Carnival, not Halloween. Black cats, pumpkins, skeletons, Day of the Day Sugar Skulls, etc---I'd say limit those to October otherwise you might stray into "Miss Havisham" territory. And this includes Jack from The Nightmare before Christmas black and white horizontally striped items or Beetlegeuse esque vertical stripes---it's a highly costume-y look that feels...less than fresh. As in, I wore Hot Topic horizontal striped tights for my late 90's senior pictures, and feel that is exactly where they most belong: the legs of an 18 year old suburban rebel :P
Check out how celebs of a certain age are doing it. Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Daphne Guinness. One thing I see in all those celebs is a play with volume and impeccable fit, interesting interpretations of classic items, and an overall daring with fashion while being controlled, sleek, and severe.
Personally I think that while anyone can do "twee goth" or a more bookish, fandom inspired goth, it's...hard to pull off after a certain age and have that high powered job or that client-facing position. I think the goth needs to evolve to the more severe, Victorian/Edwardian or techno style as one gets a little older.
Curate and make the outfits intentional. I think a sharp 60's mod dress, black lace tights, and granny boots with black cat's-eye glasses, velvety crushed-berry lips, and black nails, is a look that will take you almost anywhere---presentation, meeting friends, art opening, etc. You can always dial up or down elements of the style---letting your hair be looser, going for a softer lip, switching to sheer black hose and black flats, etc, as needed.
For casual wear, my personal take is...
Romance, drama, and intention rather than shock, awe, and confusion. :) I think a long black button through dress with lace up granny boots and a shimmering velvet shawl, plus dramatic makeup and sleek-as-a-cat hair, or a sleek pair of pegged black lace trousers with a matching vintage lace blouse, done in black with gray accents and diamonds everywhere, beats out a ripped band tee and electrical tape pasties for sophisticated, 40 and more goth. The idea is to find the romance and drama of a bygone age rather than shock and piss off the "olds" around you with "I do what the voices in my head tell me!" tee shirts and crackly vinyl pants with huge moon boots. (And if you're already wearing that, more power and you probably don't need advice!)
Resources:
How to Dress your Gothic Self in a Casual Workplace
How and when to show personality in the office
Is Vintage appropriate for the workplace *great for business formal or heritage/stuff jobs, corporette is a blog that focuses mostly on business-formal law, banking, finance and other old-school jobs
My overall darker pin style board
One of my fave boards ever: Goth Nancy Myers
The Fashionable Bureaucrat hasn't been updated in a few years (sob) but her style is approachable and very replicable. Not goth per se, but funky, artsy, dark, and interesting.
Submitted October 06, 2019 at 04:15AM by Chazzyphant https://ift.tt/2oUqucn
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