Monday, May 2, 2011

The original goths

Been doing alot of reading on queen victoria lately, and learning some interesting tidbits on the way.
After the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria went into deep mourning, increasing the public's demand for formal mourning attire. For women during the Victorian period, mourning attire included every conceivable article of clothing as well as hair accessories, stationery, umbrellas, fans, and purses. Funerals became more elaborate, and due to the high mortality rate at the time, mourning was commonplace. Around the same time, Gothic fiction (Dracula, wuthering heights, phantom of the opera, etc) became popular, and a fascination with morbidity was almost fashionable.

"four crying women" 1878.
(wearing traditional Victorian mourning dress)
Which brings us to neo-victorian gothic. My favourite fashion niche. And the wonderful work of Gallery Serpentine Love love love.