How do I dress late-Seventies proto-goth?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So I’ve been invited to this Seventies theme dinner party on Saturday night, and not being much of a disco bird type and being unable to grow a pornographer’s moustache even if I take my multivitamins, I’ve decided to do late-Seventies punk-shading-to-Goth.

Ideally I’d like to be Siouxsie Sioux, and wouldn’t we all, but I can’t pull it off exactly; she’s all “sexy raptor hatchet” and I have the friendly sort of face that psychologically nonstandard strangers like to talk to on the bus. “Fan of Siouxsie circa '79” is probably the best we’ll get. So, I need advice!

Is the following along the right lines?

One, keep everything plain and skinny - black sleeveless t shirt, narrow black trousers (I know flares are anathema, but can I wear jeans if they’re slim and dark? Do Goths do jeans? Probably not. I know “everyone” was in Westwood bondage pants at the time but I’m trying to do this on a budget!)

Two, accessories! Lots of bracelets? Spikes? Chains? Belts? Are fingerless gloves more Eighties? Are those armwarmer things purely a Nineties non-Goth contrivance?

Three, makeup. I think if I can replicate the Sioux eyeliner / spiky lips / massive eyebrows it’ll be obvious where I’m aiming - any tips on pulling this off? What was your average Goth manicure? I know the obvious answer is black, black, black as my bitter heart, but could you really get black polish In The Olden Days? And how do I do strong blusher without looking like an unfortunate hair metal casualty?

Four, I’m going to go round the charity shops tomorrow and see if I can find either a big mohair jumper, an old man jacket or something in mistreated leather. I’d go full-Sioux with a dinner jacket and a frontless basque but I don’t think it’s that sort of party.

Five, hair. Hair is not a problem. I’ll wax it, sleep on it, Aqua-net it like a mother and we’re good to go.

Six, shoes. I’ve never dabbled in Goth myself, but I’ve heard a lot of them bitch about their foot problems so I’ve deduced thus: Goths wear pointy shoes, right? Were there pointy shoes in the Seventies or was everyone still in Doc Martens?

So, any tips? Were you there? Do you have photos? Have you been to any rad fancy dress events yourself (Seventies or not, I’m open to sharing - for example I won a childhood fancy dress competition dressed as a clock and we can talk about that if you like). Would you just like to reminisce? Please divulge!

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Yes, black or red plaid with black belts, preferably studded- one wide one holds up your low-slung pants, and several more skinny ones draped around.

Bracelets- black leather, spikes, chains- all good. No gloves or armwarmers. Please. :slight_smile:

Heavy dark eyes, I used black lipliner with very red lipstick, striking blush. I have also used reds on my eyes instead of regular shadow. They may not have had black nail polish back in the day, but they had sharpies… black is the way to go. I think I also may have used white-out occasionally to mix things up a bit.

Can’t help you there- I always wore some fucked-up t-shirt and a leather jacket with spikes and band patches on it. Looked pretty insane with the red plaid schoolgirl mini and the ripped fishnets…

Sounds great!

Docs would be best, but any combat-looking boot might be okay too. My personal favorite were a pair of low-heeled black leather ankle boots with a really long pointy toe, laces up the front, and then buckled across the laces with 6 skull & crossed bones buckles. You could also get away with ripped-up Chuck Taylors (take a file to 'em and run 'em over with your car- they should start out black or red, probably).

This is making me want to get all decked out! I still have everything I mentioned in this post, and I am an old married mommy now! :cool:

Let us know what you come up with! Oh, and if you have time, rent Sid & Nancy- it’s a very good starting point.

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You realize we’re going to need pictures, right? :smiley:

4

More like 80’s goth, but…ya know…
Far right.
Again to the right.
Odd, seems to be a pattern.
Broke the pattern.
Yay, new pattern!
And oh such a goth alone.
Hope those help.

5

How will you be able to tell it is 70’s goth vs. 80’s, 90’s, 00’s goth? :smiley:

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IIRC, Punk and goth had not really split up. You might tear your t-shirt and close the tear with a packet of safety pins. And maybe get hold of a rosary.

I would put a lot of effort into tousling your hair, badly.

7

Siouxsie used to hang out with the Pistols in the mid-seventies, there was still a strong connection to punk at that point. Stay on the post-punk side and you’ll be in the right decade. Black jeans are about right if they are tattered. I don’t think the Goth movement started getting fancy until 81/82…

Goth went to the dark side, while Johnny Rotten ended up going to the bright side. He wore a flourescent lime oversized suit coat when I saw PIL at Lollapalooza '91.

8

Wear a Nazi topless cabaret outfit, like Siouxsie did. You can do the Googling. NSFW, obviously.