wave-gotik treffen in deutschland

...a participant of the annual wave-gotik treffen festival in leipzig, eastern germany...

As a reader of this blog you may be bored to be told - yet again - about goth style in past and present posts (goth patches, did I say goth?, dark glamour, black, blythe rocks). Then again, this may be why you are reading this blog... in any case: Of course I have got more goth for you! This time from Leipzig, Eastern Germany. Check out this participant at the annual Wave-Gotik Treffen. More than 20'000 fans of gothic art, metal music enjoy concert, theater, cinema, exhibitions, readings and parties.

gothic patches

Obviously there is a lot of Gothic inspiration going on as of late, not only am I including prints of goth artists in music, but I have recently been doing some embroidery too.

Here are a couple examples to been seen patched on Fashion Rocks clothing soon...

did i say goth?

Well, yes. I said it was all around me, did I not? Here we go with some Nordic goth from Scandinavia which is happening right now:

Ingmar Bergman may be dead, but his spirit lives on in Sweden. After a couple of decades of the Swedes trying to be upbeat, morose has become chic again. In particular, a group of young women are promoting a sexy new gothic vibe that seems inspired by horror movies and long dark winter nights.

...hanna liden’s images exude a raw and primal sense of threat and fear...

Hanna Liden (above)
The Sweedish-born New York-based art photographer (and Whitney Biennial alumna) Hanna Liden works with ominous imagery of strange figures in stark and barren landscapes that exude a raw and primal sense of threat and fear. She is also preparing to direct her first horror movie.



Helena Horstedt
The fledging designer Helena Horstedt creates extremely elaborate, all-black clothes for women that look as if they’re costumes for a sexed-up remake of “The Seventh Seal.” Her collections have names like Broken Shadow and the Black Whole and are made-to-measure in her Stockholm studio.


Hanna Hedman
The jewelry artist Hanna Hedman’s debut collection of floor-length oxidized metal necklaces and synthetic twig brooches is called Enough Tears to Cry for Two and is based on feelings of loss and grief and artifacts of mourning, including condolence letters and decaying flowers.

Karin Dreijer
Formerly the Knife, the electronic musician Karin Dreijer just released an album as Fever Ray. It’s a dark and moody record in which a voice transmitter makes her voice sound male and ghoulish. The video for the single “If I Had a Heart” shows children floating on a dark river and wandering through an abandoned castle.

dark glamour

...the book...

...ruben toledo "dark angel" illustration...

Gothic is an epithet with a strange history, evoking images of death, destruction, and decay. It is not just a word that describes something (such as a Gothic cathedral); it is almost inevitably a term of abuse, implying that something is gloomy, barbarous, and macabre. Ironically, its negative connotations have made it, in some respects, ideal as a symbol of rebellion. Hence its significance for youth subcultures. Today the words "goth" and "gothic" are popularly associated with black-clad teenagers and mascara'd rock musicians. But the gothic has many layers of meaning.


The imagery of death and decay, the power of horror, and the erotic macabre are perversely attractive to many designers. John Galliano, for example, has described the "Gothic girl" as "edgy and cool, vampy and mysterious." Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto, and Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy have also created what could be described as gothic fashion. Ann Demeulemeester may reject the gothic label, associating it with the ubiquitous skull accessory, but Owens proudly recalls that he once was a goth, just as Vivienne Westwood was a punk.

I got wind of the exhibit: "Gothic, Dark Glamour" at FIT and I took a moment, a deep breath. Wewh! It gets really rarely amazing like that.

Sure, If you look at me now or have during the past decade, you may be like: "What the heck is she talking about!?" But I swear I was goth in my 20's. There are not many pictures to proof it but if you go back to my home town St. Gallen and talk to some of the regulars of the local scene, they will confirm it.

idil vice with model, both wearing idil vice fashion in 1994

They remember the days when I was working at the boutique Soho, where I was ultimately inspired to become goth. I think it was a girl with the name Andrea (Pipilotti Rist's sister) on whom I first saw the style: B. L. A. C. K. There were plenty of clothes to choose from right there at the shop and I started tapping into the world of Goth in St. Gallen.

model wearing an idil vice scull print top on the runway in 1997

There was a whole scene, a club, bands, people. It is all a bit sketchy now in my memory, but I remember jumping on it.

I don't believe I was ever caught up in the macabre side and philosophy of goth. I mostly, quiet bluntly and simply, just explored the fashionable side of the movement and probably the music. I used goth as a way to rebel. I was never esoteric nor particularly dark in my mind and character, in the contrary, I always kept a positive spirit and once I was over the period, I indulged freely in color with a vengeance.

But there is this strange fascination with goth that has always remained. Even today I sometimes still look a tad goth, depending on the mood of the day.

...picture taken by carl posey of idil vice, yesterday at the gallery...

I am not alone and goth is as alive as ever, everywhere I look:

etsy treasury labeled "goth"


mcqueen fall '09

By the time I entered the cold, humid hall at FIT museum I was completely taken in:

...a mugler dress and the original dress from the movie dracula...


...rodarte '08...

...mourning dresses...

Just 2 shots of the extraordinary jewelery displayed:


Needless to say the whole gamut of goth style on attendees at the opening night was there:


...and yes, I just survived another incredibly unique night out in NYC...