Elder Goths / Lifestylers….

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

I’m curious to know how many of us are still going, as I career through my 50s, freak flag in back pocket and fan and parasol to hand 😹

Intended to be a lighthearted style oriented thread, somewhat inspired by another thread about dressing up choices that might lead to negative reactions…

So my style is pretty much Stevie Nicks meets Helena Bonham Carter these days, as PVC and fishnets tend to make look as though I’ve been stuffed into a string back ready to display in a delicatessen.

Give me velvet, lace, chiffon and silver accessories….. hats, lots of hats…. Extravagant footwear like New Rocks (virtually orthopaedic so they’re a win). Love fringing, even if I do end up tied to door handles and furniture on occasion….

While I’m now fortunate to have been able to forge a career around it all, even when I worked mainstream jobs I was “corporate Goth” and never had any issues around my - ahem - eccentricity.

So if you’re lurking in the shadows, shall we compare notes?

And just for fun - voting:

YABU - You’re far too old for such nonsense.

YANBU - The dark side is fun - we have cookies 😈

Look up Andy and Michelle Dolan who are based in Whitby and organise and host the Whitby Steampunk weekend.

Michelle is the epitome of beauty, style and class whilst dressing wonderfully. She is known as Lady Drinkmore Gin!

Greebo was always a smelly crunky punk in the early 90s - a bit like a crusty but without the hippy vibes. They wouldn’t be seen dead in fairy wings 😂😂😂

I was always more baggy skater/grunge and so happy to see that’s all back in fashion again.

Im NW too! Definitely heard mosher more than greebo. I had hippy yelled at me a lot too 🙄. My mums mates would always say I was one of them 'gothics' 😂.

Comfy goth is the way, I get my basic stuff, leggings dresses etc from places like asos, yours, boohoo etc and then dress it up with accessories from alchemy gothic, killstar etc. my current bag is a gorgeous rubber bat shaped one from killstar, I spent far too much money on it but I love it so much and use it every day. I am a big fan of a statement bag. I have some pvc stuff lingering in the wardrobe that I'm not ready to let go of. One day it may fit I may wear them again!

Im currently watching my go to stores for their Halloween ranges to come out, I've got my trigger finger at the ready for homeware and hopefully some clothes... I need some jumpers for winter...

Sigh. I’d love to be a middle aged goth. Well done all you ladies still rocking it. I try to channel Moira Rose but the matronly tits and fat baggy Seasalty look has firmly taken hold. 😞

I bet you would absolutely rock it!

I do understand though.

I saw a woman in the supermarket the other day, she must have been late 50s and she dressed how you described yourself OP. She looked FABULOUS, tattoos, piercings the lot. She inspired me to get another tattoo actually as I was worried I was getting too old for all that but I want to look like her when I'm that age.

Once a goth, always a goth in my experience ♠My style has evolved as life, kids and job have taken up more of my headspace, so I'm now more practical in what I wear and lean towards comfort gothique😎

posted too soon... My DC's hardly recognise me if I show them photos from Le Phono, but I still buy mostly vintage and dress in victoriana. Although I'm almost disappointed in the amount of colour I've got in my wardrobe now

Another goth here! Was and am still a bit of a hippy goth but more goth than hippy. Have to tone down for work but its creeping back in where possible.

Lapsed goth here. Practically lived in Le Phono at one point. Loved whitby. The only goth aspect to my wardrobe these days is a penchant for snakeskin/animal print strides. Always happy to see feral goths of all ages still rocking it.

Another goth here - I was considered one of the 'elder Goths' even way back in late 1980s Birmingham, so.....

I generally do not present as goth on the daily, mainly due to rarely wearing makeup nowadays. But I wear very bright hippyish clothing, so I'm fairly clearly not mainstream - I always was a very colourful goth.

But when I go out I tend to look a bit elderly 'dark' goth/punk - ripped leggings, zombie type clothes, band T-shirts etc - and all the make-up/hair. But I don't do white face any more. I also have some Disturbia dresses for more formal things.

I have a whole wardrobe of gorgeous goth dresses/corsets/velvet jackets etc, but too fat to wear them this last year or so! Nor can I walk in my abundant collection of high heels since lockdown :-( . Strictly DMs now....

But on the plus side, I have been using extensions since 2010 - I FINALLY recreated that Patricia Morrison hair (but red). I always had Strawberry Switchblade hair - before they did, I swear!

I've often been compared to Stevie Nicks. Not recently though, alas. And I def had a Helena BC/Miss Haversham phase in the mid 2000s.

I really believe that if you were ever goth in your soul, you stay goth in your soul - and it cannot help but leak out, even in a physio uniform.

I'm a 50 year old still wearing new rock boots with mini skirts - still having the odd piercing here and there, covered in tattoos and could never ever let go of my alt fashion style . I don't see why we need to really . It's just comfy for me and who I am I suppose! Wear whatever you like regardless of age . Life is too short for concerns about others opinions of how you appear

I wonder if I was your English teacher @MustBeThursday .

I'm Stevie Nicks-y boho in the summer (can't wear black when the sun's out...) but as winter creeps in, out come the long coats, velvet, jewel colours etc. Was 'glam goth', as a PP described herself, would go out at night dressed like a bar girl in a western movie - corsets, net underskirts etc. But bats on the jewellery! Can't do chunky platforms so always wore delicate kitten-heeled lace up ankle boots.

Very jealous of the Strawberry Switchblade hair @ChristmasFluff . I aspired to that but couldn't figure out how to achieve it.

If you were teaching in the midlands in the early to mid 00s then maybe you were @ZittiEBuoni

I think we may have had the same kind of style. I loved dressing up, loved Patricia Morrison but my fave ever female artist was Danielle Dax and used to base my look on her at times.

I used to sew lines of sequins up black leggings, wear peaked caps and army / navy jackets ( my military era). I had metal toe caps on my leather thigh length boots bought from Oasis in Brum.

Danielle Dax was a style icon of mine too @peanutbutt . Big Hollow Man was such an excellent track. I went to Oasis once and bought a purple ruched dress with mountains of lace frothing all over. Loved that dress so much (I think I may still have it...). I took dd2 to Oasis last year and it had gone badly to seed .

Almost got excited then @MustBeThursday but I'd moved away from the East Mids by those dates.

I would love to carry on wearing this style of clothing but it’s so expensive now days

Rock on

I'm 46. I grew out of Goth to a point. I still pretty much wear all black, but more of a "rock chick" if you had to put a label on my "style".

I've still got my double nose piercing and lower lip piercing.

My day to day is usually skinny jeans, band tee, black blazer, skull rings on one hand, a black tribly and either killer heels, DMs, Converse boots, or brothel creepers.

I guess the way I dress isn't particularly outrageous, or everyone's cup of tea. But I occasionally get random compliments from complete strangers about my "style", which is a real boost.

I also still get people who don't believe my age, and I sometines get ID'd. So maybe the dress sense gives off a younger vibe. 🤷🏼‍♀️

If I dress up for a wedding, I go for a full skirt 50s dress with a big crinoline underskirt.

I'm massively into metal, so I'm sure that influences what I like to wear. But I'm not really one to follow fashion.

Enjoy your older goth years! It's a night mate trying to find a certain item of clothing when everything you own is black though. 😆

PS: My dad lives in sheltered accommodation with other old folk. He's an ex-biker. He's got tattoos and also beard like the guys in ZZ Top, he wears a black leather biker jacket, and he pimped up his motability scooter to look like a Harley! He's recently taken to driving about on his scooter in a top hat with steampunk goggles. He cracks me up.

Mid 50s Goth here & just trying to make my Bauhaus Bela Lugosi t-shirt into a vest top as it's too small now. I dress in black pretty much always, but these days it's usually very simple black Japanese linen dresses and silver jewellery but no skulls or purple, think I overdid it a bit in the 80s. Can't wear very my much loved winklepicker boots anymore, but there are alternatives. Oh for the days of backcombed hair and white foundation and stocking tops 🦇⚰♥︎

I used to want everything from this shop!

Oh @twilighteaser , that picture of the Phaze ad has brought back so many happy memories! The excitement of that catalogue when I lived in a small town with no access to shops like that. I tried to explain the process of sending off a postal order to buy something from Phaze to DC, who was pretty baffled.
@IchWill your Dad sounds ace, he's definitely still got it ♠Nice to get compliments on your style too. I'll always remember when I was a baby goth & a woman much older complimented me on my style, meant so much to me as otherwise I'd often get heckled, she must have had a bit of the goth in her soul too

@DeadButDelicious I also love a bit of Killstar. Especially their Japanese goth styled stuff (got a lovely men's bondage hoodie which I wear with tie dye leggings)

Oh that advert brings back memories! I used to get the attitude clothing catalogue in the 90's and would spend hours pouring over it and begging my mum to let me send off for something!

When I was a wee baby bat my mum and dad would take me to Cobwebs in Stockport to pick an outfit, I remember my very first one! It was a white frilly shirt, black velvet high low skirt with lace frills and a pair of purple and black stripy tights. I thought I was the bees knees! Man I wish I still had that skirt! I am slowly building up my stripy tights collection again though thanks to Snag 😂. I loved Bats in the coliseum in Manchester (later Afflecks) and bought all my make up from there, it was shit makeup to be honest and I was bad at it but it sparked a life long love of doing my face and I like to think I'm better at it now!

I'm not quite Goth, but I was an early era Manics glitter kid - leopard print, feather boas, fishnets, way too much eyeliner and obviously a ridiculous amount of glitter 😁😁

My eldest DS loves looking at pics of me from that time, he thinks I looked amazing!

I was and now a more grown up rock chic/skate kid. I wear all black always. Leggings, wet look, corset tops/body suits, high necklines or v necks, knee boots, chunky Chelsea boots, lace up heeled boots, converse, 90s jeans and beat up cardigans inspired by Kurt Cobain. I still adore a hoodie. Probably far too much leather for my age. I made it a tad more high end and grown up by carefully choosing my pieces from the usual brands but buying black and teaming it with a dark romantic aspect.

I often get called a goth, I'm not and never was but how do you explain it to someone who doesn't it? This is usually from the younger ppl I work with. I am lucky that I am in the fashion industry and can get away with wearing nearly anything to work. If I want to look more corporate it'll be a pencil skirt, high neck blouse or corset style body with a blazer and heels.my make up has always been pretty minimal but is definitely heavy on the eyeliner and I love busting out a red lip or dark Berry purple for nights out. Jewellery also very minimal few earrings, might throw on choker but that it.

And music wise all the best hair bands, alternative 90s bands, grunge, metal and hard rock.

All I can find on them is a news article with no photos and a Google search result where it's captured a statement about them being harassed - then you click on it and it's a broken facebook page?

I was a wholehearted Goth as a teen after growing up a very morbid child. I was a classic leather and lace, all black, SoS loving rebel. As I have grown up i've retained the image but expanded the music taste, dropped the network of terrible gatekeepers a la "you aren't a REAL goth unless you XY" and truly allowed myself to grow with the style, adjusting with my age so I don't look like I am trying to desperately hold on to my teen years.

Nowadays I am very Stevie Nicks. Drapey dresses, lace and sheer, boots and low heels with a touch of class and deep red/pink, wildly curly but styled hair. Think posh goth but the real roots haven't been lost.

Even at work I go full Corporate goth. The piercings come out, hair is straight and neat but I keep it to my style. My go to outfit is a pinafore dress with short puff sleeve black shirt, high neckline tied with a neat pussy-bow. Other days I wear a knee length circle skirt with a dogtooth shirt in the same style(I have many in a range of dark colours), pussy bow and all. Distinctive yet professional.

Despite keeping it alternative at work there is a huge distinction between work me and casual me, enough that colleagues have done a double take!