W Magazine Goth Spread
W Magazine Goth Spread, originally uploaded by Coilhouse.
Something about mainstream magazine depictions of goth never looks quite right to me, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. Are the girls too beautiful? No, that’s not it; the scene has plenty of model-esque types, and their visibility has only increased the past few years with the rise of the “internet model”. Are the clothes lacking something? Not in this case, at least – although personally I think our best designers do it better. Is it the makeup? Nah – here, the makeup artists’ carefully-researched, Siouxsie-inspired flourishes pretty much nail it. I think I just realized what it is; whenever high-fashion people try to capture goth, everyone is just so damn serious about it. Anyone in the scene today with the balls and style needed to pull off this look would be grinning from ear to ear about it.
Originally posted by my friend Kat – see her entry for larger pics of the above.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
This article was very inspiring to me. I’ve decided to run a ‘High Goth Challenge’ for my friends as a result. To prove that one need not have a ton of money and John Galliano in their pocket to look this good, I’ve challenged my friends to either make from scratch or create from thrift store finds a ‘High Goth’ ensemble. Bring it back to the good ole days when we really had to work hard on our fashion and we all scoured the thrift stores instead of ordering complete ensembles from Hot Topic (not that my friends order complete ensembles from Hot Topic, but you get what I mean).
I’m hoping this will inspire others and bring back glamour and creativity to our goth clubs.
August 31st, 2007 at 12:59 pm
“The Mediated Face of Goth’
I keep getting reminded of what William Gibson said about subcultures being rapidly harvested and assimulated into the mainstream and being extinguished in the process.
Here, the aesthetics are being mythologised by the art director and the models are depicted as hyperbolic icons of the Goth modus vivendi. I can’t say I really have a problem with that aspect of things. It looks quite impressive,really.
While I appreciate the above images as an extravagant excercise in imaginative fantasy, I agree that in general, what’s been painfully lacking in this type of presentation, is the wit, vitality and self-styled creativity I’ve encountered in the most devoted, sartorially excessed individuals in the scene over the years.
Perhaps the general public, regardless, prefers the image of the aloof, dogmatically grim replicants with perfectly immaculate excretory systems engendered by mainstream.
Conversely I imagine that there may be a generation of larval Goths who will know of nothing else.
-P
August 31st, 2007 at 3:27 pm
The white makeup and most certainly the hair of the individual on the far right in the second image have quite a bit to do with it! When was the last time you saw anyone venture out to a goth club with a black styrofoam mushroom on their head? mm?
August 31st, 2007 at 3:57 pm
We’ve officially crossed over into Butt-Rocker territory with THAT one.
Yikes!
October 12th, 2007 at 2:38 am
Too serious indeed, also I feel the hair dye needs to be way cheaper. Oh, and the image could be shot after cosuming a bit of alcohol (models and photographer).
October 12th, 2007 at 9:57 am
D, you are dead-on about the hair dye! I think we have new slogan: “Real Goths Do It With Kool-Aid.”
September 20th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
umm this was NOT featured in W magazine. This was featured in Vogue 2007/2008