PARIS, Jan 12 — In contrast to the bold aesthetic — bursting with colours and patterns — that arose during the pandemic, another style that could transform your wardrobe is emerging this year.
The darker, gothic, or gothcore trend is coming back to the forefront. This inevitably spells lashings of black, as well as lace, fishnet and combat boots, all matched with a sexier touch, translating the dark emotions of a generation marked by a global crisis.
While the goth aesthetic never really went away, it had certainly become rarer in recent years, being associated with a niche, without establishing itself as a dominant style in fashion.
This could be set to change in 2022, as evidenced by the infatuation of people around the world with some of the elements that go hand in hand with this dark yet electrifying aesthetic.
For some time now, we’ve been seeing strong interest in bright colours, patterns and extravagant pieces — basically since the onset of the pandemic — as people look to embrace optimism and boldness in these uncertain times.
Now, however, it seems that fashion is starting to reflect darker emotions, albeit combined with a sensual, if not sexy, touch that gives the gothic style a whole new spin.
Combat boots, fishnet and head-to-toe black
From September 2021, early indicators started putting the gothic look back in the spotlight, with a growing interest in fishnet tights, combat boots and studded belts.
This was a trend observed by the fashion search engine Stylight, which, at the time, reported a significant increase in clicks for each of these three categories in the space of a few weeks.
This aesthetic — part way between punk and gothic — has been gaining ground over the past few months, and has grown into a key trend at the beginning of this year.
Black, in particular, has made a comeback. Although it never totally disappeared, it had for a time been outshone by more vibrant and daring colours.
From the little black dress — seen on the hottest red carpets — to dark corsets inspired by the hit show, Bridgerton, through choker necklaces, and a craze for black wedding dresses, this colour — which isn’t a colour — is once again riding high as a go-to shade.
Indeed, the global platform Lyst reports an increase of more than 150 per cent in searches for black items.
The world of makeup is also getting into the gothic aesthetic, as we reported in December, with the emergence of the black lipstick trend. Although it isn’t very common, black lipstick is becoming more and more popular around the world, despite the persistence of face masks.
Stylight observed a jump in clicks of more than 1,000 per cent for Clinique’s Almost Lipstick product in the Black Honey shade. And it’s the same story on TikTok, with several tens of millions of views for the #blacklipstick hashtag.
Gothcore on the red carpet
This craze for the gothic aesthetic knows no boundaries, it seems, and is even making its way onto the red carpet. Take, for example, Kourtney Kardashian’s fully laced leather dress at the last MTV Video Music Awards. With bare shoulders and towering heels, Kim K.’s big sister totally reinvented the goth look, bringing a sexy and modern touch to the aesthetic. This was expertly echoed by her partner, Travis Barker, wearing a suit with a necklace adorned with studs.
Note that leather is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic materials of this aesthetic. As such, Kanye West — aka Ye — has been seen stepping out in suits matched with a long (very long) leather coat. It’s enough to make you wonder whether he too has been bitten by the gothic bug. Either way, if one thing is sure, it’s that the style is one of the major inspirations of early 2022. — ETX Studio
