Are you ready to celebrate World Goth Day 2023 in style? Well, it doesn't have to be a daunting task! Your fiends at Kreepsville are here with some tips to make this May 22nd a marvelously macabre Monday. Whether you're an OG (yes we mean original goth) 80s tradgoth or just getting into the goth scene, these tips will help you get the most out of your World Goth Day (WGD) celebrations this year. And curious to know which kind of goth you are? Check out the styles of some of our Kreepsville fiends, fans, and friends.
World Goth Day History
Didn't know it's a thing? Here's a wee bit of goth history for you: it started in the UK in 2009... when you were just a baby bat. World Goth Day celebrates goth culture and is a day to encourage our community to support charities that combat bullying, prejudice, and intolerance like the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Stomp Out Bullying.
It's a Day for Gothic Fashion
Get dressed up – Put on your favorite black clothing and accessorize with some statement goth jewelry, a corset, platform boots, and your favorite hat. "I dress this way just to keep them at bay 'cause Halloween is every day, hey." No matter what style of goth you are, we know how cathartic it is to get dolled up. Especially when it involves using your entire black lipstick, eyeliner, and eyeshadow collection. (And yes, we agree, it is important to have black, dark black, darker black, midnight, dawn, and dusk shades to choose from. And that's not even going into all the glitter and matte variants.)
Put on Some Spooky Tunes
Curate an atmospheric goth music playlist or make some gothic music yourself – Goth music is a great way to get into the spirit of the day. Put together a playlist of your favorite goth tunes and make sure everyone gets their fill of darkwave, EBM, witchhouse, post punk, gothabilly, death rock, gothic rock, and industrial sounds. (And don't forget to throw in some graver tracks to make your perkygoth friends happy, I promise we'll thank you by giving you a superbig hug yay omg.) And the best part is that your WGD playlist can encompass so many music subcultures.
Bring Out Yer Bats
Hang with your best fiends – Gather up your closest goth friends for a night out on the town in the goth scene. Visit your local bat cave, sinister bar, bank, slimey-light, tee-gee, bunker, sexy cell, or vampy ball. Oh, you know what we mean. And if you prefer a night in, it's probably time to rewatch The Hunger, Nosferatu, The Craft, The Crow, Ghostwatch, Underworld, Blade (just put the blood rave scene on repeat), NMB4 Xmas, Labyrinth, and all your other favorites. Twin Peaks marathon anyone?
Paint it Black, Put a Bat on It
Get creepy, crafty, and creative – Take time to work on those cute crafts you put aside many moons ago. Did you know there's a black paint that makes 3D objects look 2D because it's so dark? That's a project we really need to get back to, but trust us, it looks amazing. Let your creativity run wild and see what you can come up with to celebrate our goth subculture by adding to your haunted home! (And if it's anything like our creepy crypts, there's probably not that much room left between objects d'arts, monster toys, plushy spiders, pink skulls, taxidermy tableaus, and Victorian cat loungers—so maybe make small crafts.)
What Kind of Goth Are You?
World Goth Day celebrates all kinds of goths, so why not figure out which kind of goth you are by taking a look at what some of our Kreepsville friends (and fiends) have to say about gothic culture:
Victoria Venin @victoriavenin
How do you describe your style?
Glamour Ghoulfriend
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
Elvira & Vampira the mistresses of horror
What is your favorite kreepsville item to add to your look?
Definitely the belts! Perfect accessory to any spooky cute look!
Count Porl
How do you describe your style?
Hmmm, my own really, an evil-ution of influences over the years I suppose... Is there such a thing as Ming the Merciless goth? If not, let's start it!
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
Johnny Slut from the band Specimen got me on the road to ruin style-wise back in the early eighties!
What is your favorite Kreepsville item to add to your look?
Got to be the spooktastic skeleton jeans!
@anetv88 (IG) @ghoulbehindthelens (TikTok)
How do you describe your style?
Glamour ghoul / dark pin up / gothabilly
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
Vampira
What is your favorite Kreepsville item to add to your look?
The elastic waist belt bat, it honestly goes with everything.
Justine Gorgeous @justine_goregeous
How do you describe your style?
I guess I would have to call it Glam Goth if I had to pick a title… I have always been really inspired by death rock, glam rock, and punk… I really hate a dress code, and I personally feel like limiting fashion into a uniform is very much the opposite of what I love about subculture fashion as a movement.
I generally do not like wearing all black. I like to mix things up. I love and adore the juxtaposition of wearing colors you may not think of traditionally goth. At my core, I am actually a teenage 90’s goth. I was there… I lived it… so I for sure have a lot of those same style moments and sometimes… even still those clothes. I have a pair of black shredded tights that I still have and wear on occasion that are almost 30 years old.
While my style is ever evolving, and not solely goth in nature, you can take the girl out of the 90’s goth club, but you can’t take the 90’s goth club out of the girl. Djarum Blacks and Aqua Net forever.
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
I would say the icon who most impacted my personal style is for sure Nina Hagen. She is a trail blazer! I feel like she has always evolved, never sticking to one look, and always felt very authentically herself.
Having said that of course Patricia Morrison, Elvira, Vampira, Siouxsie, Dinah Cancer, Debbie Harry, Lady Miss Kier, Kembra Pfahler, Gitane Demone, Diamanda Galas, Grace Jones, Angelyne, L7, Cher, Madonna, Joan Jett, Nico, Cyndi Lauper, & Kat Bjelland are all women (to name a few) who played a role in my personal style whether ‘Goth’ or not. I always really have favored androgyny though, so David Bowie of course has influenced everything I do. Since so much of Goth fashion was androgynous, I feel like Specimen, Bauhaus, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Christian Death, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, The Cramps, The Damned, Wasp, Motley Crue, and Alien Sex Fiend all had a lot to do with my personal style aesthetic. I love the dark and macabre to the core of my rotten, dead inside, blackened heart
What is your favorite Kreepsville item to add to your look?
So, the Kreepsville white classic skeleton dress has been in my wardrobe for at least a decade at this point and had gotten worn more than most things I own It’s a fantastic layer piece and be worn so many different ways! Also, I love white dresses and I think they make any goth lewk fresh. Speaking of that, I have 3 different versions of the white sleeveless 80’s Elvira top. I also have it in black to make a 4th… so I guess I REALLY love that shirt!
Overall though, I’m an accessories girl and Kreepsville is the go to place for belts, purses, hair accessories, hats, and jewelry. It’s pretty rare you’ll catch me out nightclubbing and not see me adorned with a Kreepsville 666 purse! I’m not even sure I could pick one favorite bag… because they have all been well loved and well used over the last decade or so I have been Kreepsvilling.
Formaldehyde Princess @Formaldehyde_princess
How do you describe your style?
I would describe my style as eclectic. I like to bring in a lot of influences, color and prints with a gothic flair to keep it different day to day!
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
I’d say my goth influences range from black and white horror movie icons like Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price to Elvira to rock icons such as Joan Jett all the way to comics such as Sandman and The Crow. My all time favorite has and always will be Winona Ryder.
What is your favorite Kreepsville item to add to your look?
My favorite Kreepsville accessory addition has to be the waist belts! I love to add a waist belt over a corset to give even more of a dramatic look.
Lilith Fury @lilith.fury
How do you describe your style?
I’ve always been a mixture of goth, and punk since I was a kid in the 80’s. I think it’s cuz my mother was an OG goth, sister was a punk, and brother was a metal head, so it’s been with me since day one. I’ve always felt most comfortable in black, but I also don’t feel that I have to be confined to one specific aesthetic, cuz style much like those who wear it, are multi faceted. We all have so many aspects to us. Why only show one side? Plus, anytime I’m told not look a certain way, I feel compelled to do it even more, and slay in the process. Which is why so many of my clothes are form fitting.
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
Elvira. She’s as beautiful on the outside, as she is within. Not only is she absolutely gorgeous, but she is unapologetically herself, and knows her worth. She doesn’t waste time on petty grievances, or tearing down others to lift herself up. While she embraced the darkness, and is a total goth icon, just look at Gonk. Punk. Look at her eye makeup. Goth and punk fusion. Her attitude is pure punk. She’s everything, and I adore her. She knows who she is, and doesn’t have to fake it.
What is your favorite Kreepsville item to add to your look?
The belts. Because of my unique shape, clothes don’t always sit on me the way I’d like. So I fix that with one of the many belts I got from kreepsville. They make every outfit look better.
Horror Hailey @horrorhailey
How do you describe your style?
My style is ever changing! I am constantly switching up/combining different alternative and goth subcultures styles. It keeps things fun and fresh because i get bored very easily!
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
I would say that Elvira probably had the biggest influence on my style because she was someone that I looked up to and loved when I was very young, she had the looks and personality that I absolutely fell in love with!
What is your favorite Kreepsville item to add to your look?
My favorite Kreepsville item to add to my looks are the bat hair clips! I have them in black and purple to match my half and half hair! (and they can go with ANY look)
Before the Coffin beforethecoffin.com
How do you describe your style?
I would describe my style as Goth - although it takes many forms when I’m travel blogging and in different environments.
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
My goth fashion icon would be Chris Corner from IAMX, always inspired by him.
What is your favorite Kreepsville item to add to your look?
The spiderweb skirt forever! Such a simple and classic piece.
Pizza Queen Sam @pizzaqueensam
How do you describe your style?
Spooky-Cute Halloween Core
Who is your favorite goth icon that influenced your style?
Elvira has always been a huge inspiration to me, (I even have her portrait tattooed on me!), and even if my style differs a lot from her, she's always been the person who inspired me to have fun and be myself with fashion!
What is your favorite kreepsville item to add to your look?
Hands down my bat elastic waist belt! Every time I feel like an outfit is missing something, I add it to the look and it completes it!
Happy World Goth Day!
No matter how you choose to celebrate World Goth Day 2023, we wish you a very happy Goth Day! May your dark heart be filled with joy and may you experience the beauty of goth culture in all its macabre glory. And if nothing else, just listen to the wise words of Siouxsie, Robert, Ronan, or Andrew and remember:
"Nothing or no-one will ever make me let you down." Awwww, we love you too Siouxsie Sioux.
"We slip through the streets while everyone sleeps, getting bigger and sleeker and wider and brighter." Did we just get Love Cats stuck in your head? You're welcome.
"Eyes betray the soul and bear its thinking. Beyond words they say so many things to me. A stranger here reborn it seems awaking wonders deep in me. If nothing's ventured nothing's gained so I must seize the day." So warm and fuzzy, so VNV.
"And the devil in black dress watches over, my guardian angel walks away, life is short and love is always over in the morning, black wind come carry me far away." Thanks Andrew, I like your outfit too.
