Gothic Fashion
I asked my grandmother what she thought of gothic fashion, and the expression on her
face was comical. 
It was exactly as you’d expect your typical granny to react, really.
And it’s not just my granny or grannies in general—a lot of the world feels the same
way. What comes to mind when you think of gothic fashions? If you haven’t had a lot of
exposure, you’re probably going to think of teenagers with black hair, black lipstick,
and all black clothes. Right? And sometimes, yeah, that is true. There are lots of
stupid teenagers that dress, well, badly.
But it’s also more than that. Gothic culture is about recognizing the darker aspects of human life including hate, jealously, eroticism, and horror; it’s about embracing things you would otherwise repress (or at least, that’s what it’s about for me.) The fashion is much the same: hauntingly beautiful.
What It lookes Like
Darkness and mysticism are common themes. As a result, gothic fashion is famous for it's black--every goth out there more than likely has several outfits that are almost all black. Elements of horror, including blood. are depicted in art, but not so much paitned on a person except on halloween. If it's dark, it's probably gothic. Beyond, there are certain types of goth, including...
Romantic Goth: Also called Victorian Goth, since most of the clothing is inspiried by the Edwardian, Victorian, and Renaissance periods. The more ruffles and frills, the better.
Fetish Goth: Fishenet, leather, PVC, chains, corsets, and huuuuge platformed boots and heels dominate this genre. Needles to say, this genre views their fashion in a sexual way, though it wouldn't surprise me if some followers just think it's 'pretty'. But make no mistake--not even most fetish goths are 'slutty,' as is a common misunderstanding. Several members of the fetish goth scene are engaged in an exclusive relationship or even happily married. Nothing wrong with dressing sexy in either case.
Cyber Goth: Goths of thbe raving sort with a thing for things that glow. Has it's own section on my site--check out the 'Cyber' tab for more.
Industrial Goth: More of a gothic sister to Cyber and Regular Goth than a type of. Distinct similarities exist, but Industiral kids (rivetheads) also have their own subculture apart from the goths.
'Gothic;' The Term Itself
In the third and forth centuries a tribe known as the Goths (Germanic barbarians related to the Vandals) devastated Rome. The Germanic Goth culture was described rude and unrefined--the scum of the Earth.
Centuries later, 12th Century France saw the construction of a new style of
architecture featuring 
high points and dramatic
arches. Churches were the favorite target for the new style--but universities, castles,
town halls, and even private property saw the new style as well. Since it originated in
France, the gothic architecture was known as 'French Style' until the Renaissance
period, where various writers chose the term 'Gothic' (a hated culture) to describe the
'French Style,' which by then had been phased out. The style remained out of favor
until 18th century England .
Further on down the line it came to describe the dark and the misunderstood, and often as a result—hated. This was often inaccurate as some of these paintings, writings, etcetera, are beautiful as they come.
Fast forward again into the modern era where people, mostly young adults and teenagers, dress in dark clothing, frequently behave in strange ways, and are often thought of as outcasts; the term is coined again: gothic.
Notes on Gothic Subculture
With the advent of the internet and the idiot teenagers running around in today's world, true gothic subculture is increadibly difficult to pinpoint. There are clear infuences on the fashion, such as the UK magazine Alt Fashion and America's Gothic Beauty
Some insist that all you need is an open mind. Lots of people are drawn to the goth scene because regular society rejected something about them--either their religion wasn't 'normal', their sexuality didn't fit in with their previous crowd, or perhaps a goth joins simply because s/he posess an inheirt fucked-up-ness that no one quite understood. This makes the lack of pejudice in gothland a good candidate for the misunderstood.
This is one of the reasons the gothic culture is rampant with gays and bisexuals, transgenders, pegans, wicans, and other deviants from the 'norm'.
Other members argue that the point of a gothic life style is simply to delve into anythig dark: jealousy, hatred, forbidden love, fetishism... name it.
Still others are drawn to the goth scene simply because the clubs are fun or their friends are goths.
A little much for you? Don't worry. Dressing goth doesn't make you goth--you're more welcome to only admire the fashion. (Just beware that 'real' goths are going to flaunt their goth points constantly, and possibly make fun of your normal hair color. ;D)
Judging;
So you think you’re ready to try out an alternative style? Hold on, jack. Something a lot of people don’t realize is that the world will judge you based on your appearance. People will look at you and think you’re a drug-user, or a partier, or a delinquent, or a loser, even if none of those are anywhere near the truth. Get it through your head: MOST OF THE WORLD IS VERY CLOSED-MINDED.
If you’re going to dress differently, you’ll need to be prepared to accept the consequences. If the closed-minded thoughts of other’s isn’t a force that will weigh heavily on your mind, perhaps this is: job interviews. Some places probably won’t mind if you come in with half your head shaved and four or five facial piercings. Hot Topic, Spencer’s, and tattooing parlors are good examples of businesses that would hire you no matter what you look like. Unfortunately, the majority of businesses will take one look at you and kick you right out: something to think about when you’re considering making a permanent change to your face or hair.
Examples of Gothic Clothing;
Check out some examples of straight up goth style.