Fashion Tips Fashion Tips

Taeden

Location:
Canada

I think maintaining your "dark side" in the office can be treacherous. It's a fine line between acceptable and not in a formal or professional work environment.

A lot of Gothic clothing on the market gears more towards the concept of "weekend" Goth dress-up, where people only live the culture at clubs or out on the town when they arent working.
Then there are the rest of us who want to be who we are whether it's called "Goth" or not.

For them there are solutions such as keeping to your all black wardrobe- but invest in some classic professional pieces. A well fitting velvet blazer is sexy enough to toss on over a corset friday night but can be worn with a lace trimmed undershirt for daytime at work.
Never underestimate the power of accessories, detailled necklaces in jet or silver can add that Gothic flair to a simple top and trousers.

One of my favorites is to wear a long overcoat, like knee length, with trousers and a nice top to work. It's dramatic enough to remain Gothy without frightening clients.

Cuz dammit you cant live in a club forever and once you grow up bills have to be paid somehow.

Entry No: 42 | Posted: Wed Feb 27 2008, 2:46pm

**Rudy**

Location:
United States

My way of getting around it all
I always stick with basic black. (All be it when I joined my company it was required that I do so. So now that the "Color Ban" has been lifted I stick to my "I had to go and buy a whole new wardrobe" line and I get away...)

My Coats are embroyderd or brocade. Black and red. Black on black or Black and gold. (Being in catering the plush Victorian look goes a long way)

Long black slacks or a full length skirt. Boots are always a must. And just black button downs, tees and sweaters.

(Tip** NY & Co. is an undercover Goths dream.)

Entry No: 41 | Posted: Fri Feb 15 2008, 11:34pm

Madame Circe

Location:
United States

I am lucky to live in Seattle and work for a gigantic insurance company that believes in "diversity". I consider myself one of the original goths but we didn't call ourselves that then. I am 46 and have always been in the legal or corporate monkey settings. My signature attire is one of my many full length corsetted black skirts that you can get from Newport-News. It is form fitting and goes to the floor. It goes with my white poet shirts or my Siousie tshirts on the weekend. I can wear my Docs or I can wear high heels or my Mary Jane's. I am one of the goths who now have blonde hair but go with the Marilyn Monroe as opposed to Manson hair dye look Of course my roots are always dark....I have softened at work a bit and go with my less heavy dark lipsticks. I still use Garnet red polish on my long nails and my jewelery is indeed gothic with lots of dark under and overtones. The uninitiated have no clue what you're wearing and they tend to make a wide birth in the hall if you're too outlandish. I am going to start company for Business Goth Clothing and will hope to post on this site. If the idiots can come to work in what they are wearing now, who says we can't wear what we wear which is so much more classical and sexy without being out there in your face. I also wear corset belts by a company named romatasy and they are also on of the BEST waist training and corset making company I've ever know. Not cheap. Well Met!

Entry No: 40 | Posted: Tue Jan 29 2008, 1:54am

Jojo

Location:
United States

Although you can get very specific while trying to rule out what you can wear and what you can't, why not just stick to goth but change the style of goth?

Like, Lolita or Victorian as opposed to PVC Fetish stuff.

Skirts with petticoats and corset vests over blouses tend to pass as sophisticated and artsy as oppossed to scary, while remaining gothy.

Goth has been made intimidating by angsty teens and by the time you get out of college it might be time to back off of the punk elements a bit so people will take you seriously.

You all remember the girl who reminded you of Barbie in high school. Very difficult to take her seriously, right? Unfortunatly, it's a Barbie world and we just live in it.....

Entry No: 39 | Posted: Tue Jan 22 2008, 8:41am

Soren

Location:
Belgium

For men:
A black or pinstriped suit with mathing dress shirt, necktie and black dress shoes is just ideal. And you can add some silver jewelery as you wish.
The suit is just ideal to ave a 'blacklook' without looking to 'rebellion'.

And you can make your outfit even more gothic, by adding striped or skulled socks, a small skullbelt, and even cufflinks with skulls on (Yes, in Europe we have it... ;))

Just skulls on your tie you better don't... Unless you work as a producer of heavy metal music or such thing. :p
Black and white striped tie, with mathing socks are a better idea and will look even Italian. ;)

Entry No: 38 | Posted: Sat Feb 23 2008, 2:26am

Tom

Location:
Germany

I work in investment banking / finance which is one of the most conservative industries around. Luckily I have my own company which gives me a lot more freedom. However, I have found that an elegant yet creative outfit actually works very well with most of my clients, it shows creativity and I have gotten quite a lot of compliments on the way I dress.
These are my ways of combining a cool looking outfit still appropriate for my job:
a. I always wear my 14 hole steel toed shellys ranger boots. They actually look quite elegant yet still wild when you have the boots below your jeans or pants. My boots are a must for any outfit.
b. I usually wear black or dark blue Diesel jeans, they look classy.
c. I often wear a nice black dress shirt A nice blue dress shirt with cufflinks works as well
d. I usually wear a black jacket or blazer, I have one from Diesel and one from Armani Exchange which is cool and still classy.
e. I always wear my metal belt; if itis hidden below the jacket, it is fine. The same holds true for my metal wristband, which is below my shirtsleeve.

Even in investment banking, such an outfit works out well! And I have received a lot of compliments, especially for the boots

Entry No: 37 | Posted: Mon Jan 14 2008, 12:47am

Phantom

Location:
France

I'm an assistant teacher in a primary school (though not for much longer, gods willing), and I've found that as long as I leave The Hardware at home, I can wear pretty much anything I want at work: usually jeans or black combat fatigues, Vans or my trusty old steel-toed DMs, and an ever-varying combination of black t-shirts, shirts, sweaters, hoodies and stylish leather coats. I'm a very sober kinda goth. Piercings, tattoos, makeup and wild hair are non-factors, so I get by all right.

I usually get complimented on what little jewelry I do wear ar work (mainly Celtic silver), and mercilessly teased about having a wardrobe full of nothing but black and comfy (if only they knew... *giggle*)

Entry No: 36 | Posted: Fri Jan 4 2008, 6:12pm

Onlytheatreofpayne

Location:
Australia

I am lucky that in my job I guess I already have established myself and people respect me for who I am. Given that, however, I would not wear shirts with slogans which may be offensive (eg. Chrisitian Death). I don't wear anything fettishy (not that I would anyway) but I always have my pentagram necklace, celtic cross and long black hair. I tend to dress everything up a bit wearing blue or dark blue shirts with black velvet vest, black (usually lightly pin-stiped) pants and my Shimmer Docs. This look is not offensive to people who don't "get" me and I could never be considered underdressed. It is all about balance at work I find.

Entry No: 35 | Posted: Wed Nov 28 2007, 6:10am

Pamcakes

Location:
Australia

I actually wrote something of an essay on the issue, not long ago. Here are my rules for successful and professional-looking Goth Corp dressing:

* Note when buying Goth Corp clothing; a balance of style and work acceptability is important. PVC skirts are acceptable, as are leather, however they must have a minimum length of to the knee. PVC or leather shirts are never acceptable in the workplace, although a stylish poplin shirt with subtle PVC or leather details (e.g. edging on the cuffs and collar, or discreet buckles at the cuffs and collar) are passable, if worn well.

* Full-length, snug-fit PVC skirts are acceptable, but only if they don't have a keyhole back which shows the base of your spine. No, you can't get around that with a longer shirt - they don't make women's work shirts that long anymore. No, I don't care how cool it looks, don't do it. And as for PVC or leather pants, just don't.

* Midriff tops are never okay in the corporate workplace, no matter how mock-formal the design is.

* On shoes: sky-high heels are fine, if you can stand them, but five-inch Spice Girl platforms are not. The maximum platform under the ball of your foot should not exceed one and a half inches, in the workplace, ever.

* Tight black jeans are okay, depending on the workplace, so long as they're dark and formal-looking, and tucked into high-heeled boots, rather than worn with flats or sneakers. Wear with a very corporate shirt.

* Corsets CAN occasionally be appropriate, but only in black or black pinstripe, with a blouse underneath and a skirt in the same fabric (as the corset).

* Miniskirts, paired with cool hosiery, can look stylish, flattering and professional, but if the hemline's riding high, don't ever go barelegged, no matter how good yours are.

* Nothing with holes in it as part of the design element should ever make it into the workplace except for, perhaps, fishnet stockings with a below-the-knee skirt.

* One lesson, five words: the schoolgirl look - never appropriate.

* Torn stockings - likewise.

* If you're at work, no-one wants to know that you're 'Cute but Psycho' or that you like Mudvayne. Avoid anything with a slogan or a band-name. Anything with writing on it, really.

* Avoid anything made of lace without a lining, or anything with slashes in it.

* Fake fur in funky fun colours - leave it at home.

* Tight satin skirts - exercise caution. If there are visible lines where it fits across your hips, tummy and thighs, it's too snug for satin to be a good idea.

* Visible hip and tummy between where your shirt ends and your pants begin = bad idea, regardless of shape and size. Fishnet shirts with cool-looking bras underneath - just.....no.

* The average Goth Corp wardrobe requires (as in necessity, not desire) no more than three pairs of shoes: one pair of sexy, high-heeled pumps/courts, one pair of funky Oxfords, and one pair of neat, knee-high boots. These shoes can and may exhibit zips and laces as functional securing/adjusting devices to ensure the shoe is on correctly and comfortably and remains so throughout the day, but chain and spike details will not only limit their versatility of wear, but also their appropriacy to the workplace.

Hope that helps.
Namaste.

P.

Entry No: 34 | Posted: Thu Nov 22 2007, 3:22am

Shannon

Location:
Australia

Like Ryan A, i'm still in high school but they arent all that fond of the goth subculture either. the dress code is whites and navy blues, which sucks. i can get away with loads of black, because my teachers think black is close enough to navy, with some white for contrast. not much, dont want to over do it. as long as no (or at least, not much) inappropriate skin is shown, its all good.
A tip for any desparate fashionistas: if youre desparate enough, you can hitch up long skirts and wear them as strapless dresses, within reason. I have gotten compliments on my wardrobes flexibility and diversity.

A word of warning: dont over do the black ALL the time. I discovered this to my cost. I wore a little pink shirt with a butterfly on (a momentary lapse of judjement) and actually made one of my friends collapse. Whoops.

Entry No: 33 | Posted: Sun Nov 4 2007, 8:25am