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| Classic Light by SoulStealer |
Throughout the years a fashion lover or alt person tries out lots of different styles. There are those I know that partake in several at once, swapping between them! This has never been something I could do. I like to have all of my wardrobe in rotation (I think this is part of why I dislike summer so much). That has never mixed with my love/hate relationship with some sub-sets of Goth. Call me what you will in my style, but these just aren’t one of them.
Cyber-Goth
Okay, so I know I have bagged on Cyber-Goth a little. But there was a point in my life when I wanted nothing more than to shave my eyebrows off and when I learned how to make synthetic dreads. I’m a total hypocrite, right? You’ll get used to it. The reason that I never got too deep into the style wasn’t because I suddenly stopped liking it and started hating it. It was because it was so freakin’ expensive. I have to congratulate any cybergoths reading this because you must be very dedicated!
Lolita
This isn’t exactly a sub-style of the Goth subculture. I’ll include it here anyway. Lolita is a style that I still love, but I don’t feel completely comfortable wearing. When I do wear it I spend most of my time jumping up and down in the mirror, watching my petticoat become a kick-ass balloon (I bet you never expected that sentence). Innocent and ‘younger’ styles have always looked best on me, but I just don’t have the confidence to wear it often.
Victorian Goth
I’m a lazy person and this is not a lazy style!
I have to commend any of you that follow these styles because I just couldn’t do it. Do you have any styles you just couldn’t muster? Why?
The Walrus Room 
Ack, I know what you mean about laziness. My style is a direct result of it. 😉
I don't usually restrict my wardrobe to clothing that only fits one style; when I get a penchant for punk/neo-Victorian/space suits I want to wear it, and for that reason I keep those very specific pieces in my wardrobe (which also allows for some mix and matching). My wardrobe seems to be relatively streamlined, however, compared to a lot of other fashion bloggers, so I have no idea how that works. Maybe it's because other than the occasional very specific piece I rely on quite basic items?
I don't feel like I take anything specific sub-style and get sick of it, but I have definitely experimented with different things that would be considered elements in certain styles. I think it's naturally to want to experiment, but (to me) it doesn't have to be all or nothing. 🙂 Taking things and mashing them up is fun too! NO RULES! Hehehe!
For instance I love the Victorian Era and my style reflects that in subtle ways, but less than perhaps it did a few years ago. 🙂
I'm not big on the deathrocker-esque style, nor Victorian . . . but I'm a hyper sort of fellow, so I Victorian especially doesn't suit me, with the aesthetics. C:
I did have a thing for Lolita, in all it forms, though. ^^
You've choosen exatly two of the styles I would have choosen too – the Gothic Lolita is style is not for me – it's too playful, to girlish and to flouncy for me, and the Cyber Goth – no, I don't like the goth interpretation of rave neither. I like it the Modern Goth way, the classy way or mixed up with punk elements – that's how I roll 🙂
I like a combo of corp-punk-mod-rocker-classic-flapper goth 🙂
haha synthetic dreads aren't expensive to make at all…$1.99 cheapo hair extensions and a blow dryer are all you need. I'm pretty over it myself though…it's too costumey. And lolita for the same reason. I can't do the vintage/rockabilly thing. I don't have the body type for it, I think. For some reason I always look like Spanish Harlem when I wear those styles
I will never understand Cyber Goth. It has always looked tacky to me, and even when it is pulled off well, I still don't find it all that pleasing … but to each their own! I don't really like Gothic Lolita either, although I adore the Mori Fei (“woodland style”) fashion. I kind of dress casually at the moment as a student in high school but I've accumulated more fancy clothing and would love to delve more into an Aristocrat sort of wardrobe (similar to Lolita but with lots of masculine/unisex garments).
*Kei, not Fei
I have a few “casual” frilly pieces I wear very often – a black Marks & Spencer floor-length skirt with layers of lace and other fabrics as trim around it, a black satin-effect ruffled shirt my other half bought for me a while back, a few other ruffled shirts, my “everyday” lace gloves, black brocade trousers, etc. which keep me feeling elegant and anachronistic when I don't have time to layer up as much or do up granny-boots and corsetry, but at weekends, and when I have time off work and am therefore not just getting changed into “me” clothes after work, then I go all out with the Victoriana and other anachronisms.
I love Gothic Lolita too, but as long as it is done in a more classic way – I tend to go for A-line rather than bell skirts, for long-sleeve shirts, and am not too keen on prints. Since getting into Lolita, I've fallen in love with wearing wigs and the instant hairstyle changes I can have, and now wear wigs with my other fancy Goth outfits, too. I feel that if I can walk around town in a corset and bustle skirt, then I can walk around town in a wig and a petticoat. Most people outside of alternative culture can't even tell an Emo from a Metalhead from a Goth, let alone one kind of frilly black-clad person from another. It took a while getting used to the extra width, though!
Cybergoth is really expensive, even secondhand – I have ONE Cybergoth outfit (it's neon green and black) and it takes forever to get my makeup sleek and inhuman enough to go with all the PVC. I simply can't afford to invest money into outfits I will rarely have the opportunity to wear, as the local 'Goth' clubs rarely play EBM, a small amount of Industrial and a distinct lack of other stuff to stomp to. They do however play lots of Sisters and Bauhaus and other stuff I can sweep around the dance-floor in a long skirt to!
I do love the Victorian Goth look but my personal aesthetic that I like is a little more rugged and less refined. I do have a few Victorian Goth pieces that I pair with my wardrobe but only when I feel like being fancy. I despise the look of granny boots! I just want big combat boots. The Gothic Lolita look I like but could never wear. Too many frills. *shudders* I like certain aspect of Cyber Goth but would never shell out 200 bucks for any item of clothing. Just because if I am only going to wear it once…what is the point?
I agree totally with Victorian Goth. I absolutely love seeing Victorian outfits that other people put together, but it's pretty high maintenance, and very expensive to boot.
I'm sure this will change drastically when I'm older, but for now, a lot of my style is based on how easy it'll be to modify or repair my clothes, how much they cost, and whether or not I can just bung them in a washing machine (because who has time to handwash delicate fabrics?).
You inspired me to do my own version of this on my blog. Give it a look if you got time!
I'm more like those people who swaps between styles very often, or simply mixes them all into…something that either looks really good or really bad. But I'm simply unable to keep up with a certain style. I used to dress very medieval – goth combined with some lolita elements, but I've never had the wardrobe to go all out fantasy or the patience to wear lolita. In fact, as a rather tall and cutvy girl, I feel out of placewhile wearing lolita.
I absolutely adore Victorian goth, but just like you, I'm too lazy to…bah. I'm actually trying to tone it down to wearable, but still, it's such a trouble to look somewhat authentic…
Cyber goth, I'll never get…sorry, not my thing. I tried to mix synthetic dreads into my style, I made two sets, a solid black one and a pink – black and white one, but it absolutely didn't work out for me…shaving my eyebrows? You kidding me?! And it all looks so unnatural…yeah, I know, that that's exactly the point of cybergoth, but…it looks like those guys are wearing costumes and not just outfits…whatever. 🙂
I was experimenting with pin – up and rockabilly / psychobilly for a while too and while it's fun, it's too much of a claptrap for me.