Expression in Fashion

Most people think of the jilted bride gone mad (Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations), the brides of Dracula in their ghostly white gowns, the bride of Frankenstein, ice queens and those white aristocratic blouses worn by the vampires in Interview with the Vampire. This look can consist of white lace, veils, pearls accented with blood red, ice blue or dark eye makeup. But the white look can work with any of the other Goth fashions such as a futuristic Cyber Goth look with white dreads and translucent tubing. White is the colour of innocence, purity and brides in Western culture but in Asian countries white symbolizes death, mourning and bad luck and is traditionally worn at funerals.

Pastel Goth aka “Creepy Cute” is all about mixing cute and innocent with very disturbing. This look features pastels, glitter, decay, blood, tears and bandages. 80s pastel T-shirts, Japanese manga, kids jewellery and striking eye contacts are often worn.

Emily the Strange came to life in the early 1990’s and quickly became a beloved counterculture icon all around the world. In her earliest years, she was a quiet but sharpwitted stranger, slinging philosophy and cultural observations in a series of hand-screened t-shirts and

stickers. Emily’s own story began to emerge in a series of gift books, then comic-books and graphic novels, and now a novel series for young adults. Today, Emily continues to be a voice for individualism and self-awareness, and her appeal is especially strong among alternativeminded young women and girls who identify with her signature singularity. Her presence in the worlds of art, pop culture, literature, and fashion celebrates non-conformist and reminds us all to cultivate that which makes us unique.