Can the ‘soft goth’ look be flattering in midlife? I tested the trend

By the pricking of my thumbs… there’s something distinctly gothic in the air fashion-wise for autumn. On the Venice red carpet, the triumvirate of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice lead actresses – Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega – made dressing on the spooky side look very, very glamorous again (and let’s not forget Monica Bellucci, resplendent in jet-black, corseted Vivienne Westwood).

Later this year, the much anticipated Nosferatu remake (starring Lily Rose Depp, Emma Corrin, Aaron Taylor Johnson and Willem Defoe) promises to intensify our collective longing for a dark Victoriana sartorial aesthetic as will The Design Museum’s forthcoming The World of Tim Burton exhibition, which opens on 25 October. On the high street, the rails are already heaving with black lace. Tish Weinstock, the Vogue Beauty editor, whose book How To be A Goth: Notes On Undead Style is published later this month, has already declared it, “the season of the witch”. 

All said, injecting a little goth into your wardrobe is not so straightforward. As subcultures go, Goth (founded some time in the mists of the late 1970s) is a pretty broad church. Cyber-punks, maudlin Victoriana types, those with a penchant for a PVC kink are all welcomed in. On the high fashion front, Simone Rocha is a reliable source of upscale gothic fairytale pieces, with her black taffeta capes and gauzy dresses. Turkish-English newcomer Dilara Findikoglu gives a spikier take, specialising in corsets and a fierce, punky attitude.

On social media, the hashtag ‘Soft Goth’ (denoting style inspo that errs on the romantically crepuscular, rather than full-on Sisters of Mercy shriek wear) is a helpful starting point. But the question remains: can a midlifer like me actually wear the trend, without looking like I’ve lost my way to a Halloween costume party?

“I think it can be as simple as going heavy on the dark, smokey eyeliner and mascara; and if you are wearing all black doing that magic combination of textures, say, a velvet jacket with a fantastic silk pussybow blouse and a jean, maybe add a fishnet,” Catherine Hayward, the stylist and consultant, tells me. “You can wear that to cocktails, or even to work…bar the fishnets. It’s all about a nod. Expensive-looking textures, and smudgier eye make-up. That’s the sexy, modern way to do it, without looking like you are in Beetlejuice costume.”

With Catherine’s words in mind, I take to the studio to figure out three different grown-up ‘soft goth’ looks that could work in real life.

The extravagant blouse

For the first outfit, we decide that a gorgeous gossamer blouse by new label Vespertine (founded by former Raey designer Katy Close and model Lili Sumner, inspired by things that bloom in the evening – so goth!) should be the starting point. An extravagant cuffed silk blouse from their collection delivers just the right amount of Byronic drama.

It’s easy to imagine it worn with dark jeans and a spiky boot, however, we decided to pair it with a tulle skirt from Anthropologie and a simply fabulous cape jacket from another discovery Laines Couture (it’s beautifully made and a fun alternative to a tuxedo for evening). Tona, The Telegraph’s Style Director, advises a sharp, clean-lined shoe from Jigsaw, to save the whole ensemble from looking too Victorian urchin. Good call. All in all, the outfit feels fun and dramatic to wear, comprising of pieces that could easily be worn separately, and dressed up or down.

Silk georgette blouse, £320, Vespertine; Embellished cape, £329, Laines Couture; Polyester Ruffled Tulle Midi Skirt, £130, Anthropologie; Leather kitten heel shoes, £175, Jigsaw 

The goth frock

Look two: A ‘soft goth’ dress, which – shocker – does not have to be black. After all, the definitive dress that Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder’s character) wears in the first Beetlejuice movie is in fact a distressed gauzy red affair – which has been reinterpreted by Simone Rocha over the years. And as Taylor Swift’s tartan, fetishy, corseted Dior number as worn to the MTV Music Awards reminds us – gothic punk styling has often embraced the Scottish cloth.

Leopard, interestingly, is also an acceptable fabric in the gothic sartorial vocabulary, particularly for those on the rockabilly (or gothabilly) side of the spooky spectrum.

For our shoot, Tona suggests I try a Sister Jane floor-sweeping leopard dress that gives distinctly Daphne Du Maurier Rebecca vibes. Again, we err on toned down accessories with flattish velvet Mary Janes (as opposed to stilettos or boots) to keep the look modern and elegant, not trashy.

Recycled polyester printed dress, £92, Sister Jane; Velvet mary jane shoes, £215, Penelope Chilvers; Gold plated earrings, £170, Polene

Diva chic

With the third look, we want to try something less whimsical, more inspired by the Le Smoking-clad diva archetype that regularly haunts the Anthony Vacarello runway for YSL. The hero of this outfit is a to-die-for silk shirt by new brand The Irish Twin (its Beligan founder Jill Bauwens worked with Olivier Theyskens for years, now there’s a soft goth designer).

The shirt is admittedly expensive, but if there’s a garment that can make you feel taller, slinkier and more like you could actually be Tilda Swinton in your next life, well I’d like to meet it. Taking on board Catherine’s advice for sophisticated texture play, we pair the shirt with velvet trousers by Aspiga that fall beautifully. And with sleeves like these… no jacket required. I’ve not craved this kind of dramatic evening wear for years, but it suddenly feels right.

Silk blouse, £620, Irish Twin; Velvet trousers, £160, Aspiga; Leather heeled mule, £150, Jigsaw; Gold plated earrings, £170, Polene

It’s not just movie star style that is driving the soft goth trend, there’s also a broader pop cultural context at play. Sarra Manning – a former teenage goth, now novelist and Literary Editor of Red magazine – explains that soft goth book trends like ‘Romantasy’ (think: the Sarah J. Maas series A Court of Thorns and Roses), “are so big now, they’ve crossed over. They are not just a Gen Z phenomenon, they are also widely read by midlifers”.

She also points to the popularity of subscription book company Illumicrate, which curates aesthetically pleasing boxes of romantic books with sprayed edges and beautiful covers. “It’s very ‘booktok’, very ‘bookstagram’,” she continues. “Also autumn is a very soft goth time of year. Everyone wants to get cosy, read a book and get sort of slightly spooked, but not so spooked you are going to have nightmares.”

Of course for some, Goth is not just a seasonal fashion trend to dip a pointy toe into, it’s a way of life. On November 1st, the Whitby Gothic Weekend will see thousands of devotees swathed in suitably macabre attire descend for a three day festival of eldritch goings-on; and for those in the know there’s a busy calendar of goth happenings throughout the country.

I speak to one modern goth Madelaine Macabre, 32, from Nazeby, Waltham Abbey, who among other things sews stitch-perfect replica outfits from her favourite films (we met at an exhibition of Poor Things costumes, when she was dressed as Bella Baxter). Why does she think there has been a resurgence of interest in all things goth? “I guess in a way, history repeats itself. The subculture was born in a time of political turbulence and a similar thing is happening today. I think people enjoy looking to the darker side of things and romanticising it. It’s like watching a horror movie, you can experience something scary in a safe way.”

So has she seen the new Beetlejuice movie? “Not yet, but I plan to and I’ve already made a stripy outfit!” Light in the darkness indeed. Here’s to enjoying the season of the goth… even if you are a softie, like me.