alt.gothic.fashion.faq [part 1/12]
Trystan L. Bass
Newsgroups:alt.gothic.fashion,alt.gothic
Subject: alt.gothic.fashion.faq [part 1/12]
Followup-To: poster
From: tr...@toreadors.com
Summary: This posting attempts to answer some of the frequently
asked questions in the newsgroup alt.gothic.fashion,
particularly about stores and mail-order resources.
Archive-name: gothic-fashion-faq/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last Modified: December 7, 1997
Version: 4.0
URL: http://www.toreadors.com/gothfash/
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alt.gothic.fashion
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
version 4.0, december 7, 1997
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This is the latest version of the FAQ, and it is
crossposted semi-monthly to alt.gothic.fashion and
alt.gothic. It is also available on the world wide web
at http://www.toreadors.com/gothfash/
The alt.gothic.fashion.faq is written and maintained by
Trystan L. Bass (tr...@toreadors.com).
I'm just a fool for faqs.
Please direct any
questions/comments/corrections/additions to me. I will
add your changes in the next revision. Revisions occur
quarterly, at best, so please be patient.
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table.of.contents
0.0 about.alt.gothic.fashion
1.0 clothing.and.accessories
1.1 what are some retail stores for gothic clothing?
1.1a what are some retail stores for gothic shoes
and boots, especially pointy-toed ones?
1.1b what are some non-gothic retail/mail-order
stores that sell stuff for goths?
1.2 what are some retail stores for vintage clothing?
1.2a vintage clothing retail store lists online
1.3 i live in the-middle-of-nowhere. what are some
mail-order resources for gothic clothing
and jewelry?
1.3a i live in the-middle-of-nowhere. what are some
mail-order resources for leather and fetish clothes?
1.3b i live in the-middle-of-nowhere. what are
some mail-order resources for makeup and
hair dye?
1.4 i want historical style clothing. where can i find
it (retail/mail-order)?
1.4a i want a corset. where can i find it?
1.4b i want a cape. where can i find it
(retail/mail-order)?
1.4c i want a poet/pirate shirt. where can i find it
(retail/mail-order)?
1.4d i want chainmail and jewelry. where can i find
it (retail/mail-order)?
1.5 i want to sew/create my own gothic clothing.
how do i start?
1.5a some helpful hints for frightening fabrics from
an experienced sewing-goth
1.5b i want to make a corset. how do i do it?
1.5c i want to make a cape/cloak. how do i do it?
1.5d i want to make a poet shirt. how do i do it?
1.5e i want to make chainmail. how do i do it?
1.6 i don't have a lot of money. what can a
budget-goth do to dress up inexpensively?
1.7 where can i buy stuff to make my house/room
more gothic?
1.7a how can i make stuff so my house/room looks
more gothic?
1.8 i'm visiting city x soon. are there any goth
stores there?
2.0 hair
2.1 how can i dye my hair an unnatural color like
purple, green, blue, etc.?
2.2 how can i dye my dark hair white?
3.0 makeup
3.1 what are some pale powder and foundation
makeup brands?
3.2 what are some dark eyeliner brands?
3.3 what are some dark lipstick brands?
3.4 what are some dark nail polish brands?
4.0 other.resources
4.1 what other gothic fashion resources exist on the
world wide web?
5.0 credits and disclaimer
6.0 alt.gothic.fashion advertising guidelines
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0.0 about alt.gothic.fashion
Alt.gothic.fashion is a splinter group of alt.gothic
and has caused much consternation because of it.
Some people on alt.gothic do not want to read
fashion-related posts and were happy to shunt such
threads in the direction of a.g.f. However, with the
explosion of the alt* hierarchy, some systems have
stopped adding new alt* groups, so the access to
a.g.f is far from universal. Thus, some fashion
topics wander over to alt.gothic by mistake, but it
can't be helped.
So for those who can find it, alt.gothic.fashion is
here for you to discuss all aspects of gothic fashions
and styles. General gothic discussions also happen
here. We have no set rules, not too much flaming,
and a good beat so you can dance to it.
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1.1 what are some retail stores for gothic clothing?
[note: these stores do not do mail-order unless noted]
Alias: Underground
915 East Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO, US
(303) 839-1408
Gothic clothing.
The Alley
858 West Belmont
Chicago, IL, US
(312) 883-1800
Stocks tons of boots (Docs and others),
velvet/vinyl/leather clothes, t-shirts, and jewelry.
They even have a hearse parked outside
advertising the store... and, they're open 365
days a year! [dejavu]
The Black Rose
Kensington Market
49-53 High St.
Kensington, London, England, UK
http://www.blackrose.co.uk/
Catalog £5 UK, £6 Europe, or £10 US/Canada
Women's and men's gothic clothing including
poet shirts (£30/$48), corsets/bustiers
(£30-£50/$55-$88), capes (£110/$176), skirts,
dresses, tops, trousers, leggings, jewelry,
cosmetics, and hair-dye. Does mail-order (print
catalog and online catalog show same items;
retail store has even larger selection).
Cary comments: I just got in several jackets and
a shirt that I ordered from Black Rose, and I
would recommend them highly to just about
anyone searching for gothic clothing. The fabrics
are sumptuous, the designs wonderful, and the
prices are fairly inexpensive for mail-order.
AND, I got my order less than two weeks after I
placed it, which is practically a miracle with
mail-order stuff. Highly recommended!
Buck's Bazaar
29 East Fifth St.
Chillicothe, OH, US
(614) 775-7378
A friend of mine, Bonnie Buck recently opened a
boutique. She has a lot of used and vintage
clothing and she DOES SEWING!!! She even
plans on getting some vintage clothing patterns.
Bonnie does velvet, too. The majority of her
stock is female garb, but don't let *that* stop
anyone... I've spoken with her, and she would be
interested and amenable to helping out the gothic
community. [M. V. Weber]
The Crypt
131 Broadway
Denver, CO, US
(303) 733-3112
Fetish clothing in PVC, latex, and leather.
Daljeets
1744 Haight St., San Francisco, CA, US, (415)
752-5610
541 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA, US, (415)
431-9100
Lots of witchy shoes and boots, Docs of all types,
and plenty of creepers. Sometimes has sales. Also
has plenty of standard goth clothing, accessories,
and jewelry ($10-$300). [Trystan L. Bass]
Danse Macabre
263 & 1/2 Lafayette St. (between Prince &
Spring)
New York, NY 10012, US
Phone: (212) 219-3907
Fax: (212) 448-0602
http://www.dansemacabre.com/
mac...@mail.idt.net
Jewelry, statuary, picture frames, boxes, goblets,
t-shirts, and artwork with gothic and macabre
themes ($10-$185). Does mail-order.
Dark Delicacies
3725 West Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505, US
(818) 556-6660
Gothic/vampire clothing, art, videos, books,
posters, including Blackened Angels
merchandise.
Daughters of Darkness
Shop 4, Basement
39 Swanston Street Walk
Melbourne 3000, Australia
Medieval, leather, bondage, and gothic clothing
for women and men.
The Doll Factory
2551 Berlin Turnpike
Newington, CT 06111, US
(860) 666-6162
http://www.doll-factory.com/
aa...@dtg.net
Gothic clothing, including capes, poet shirts, and
corsets, plus vintage clothing, halloween
costumes, wigs, makeup, accesories, body
piercing supplies, etc.
The Dragon's Leyr
Rutland Mall
Woodstock Ave.
Rutland, VT 05701, US
(802) 775-0610
Sterling silver jewelry, gaming supplies, and
statues of dragons, vampires, werewolves, etc.
Dress to Distress
Unit 254, Oasis, Priory Square
Birmingham, W. Mids, England, UK
121-2334488 ext. 254
siz...@cableinet.co.uk
Free catalog with SAE
Gothic clothing for women and men, plus body
piercing. Does some custom designs and
alterations. Does mail-order.
Earth Sea Gothic Clothing and Artifacts
315 East Ninth St.
New York, NY, US
(212) 529-5353
it is a GREAT store. small but really nice
clothes. relatively good prices. friendly owners.
it's kinda hard to spot but it's there. [jenni]
The Emporium of Design
2028 East Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO, US
(303) 333-4870
Gothic/fetish clothing.
Fallen Angel
817 North Milwaukee
Chicago, IL, US
Phone: (312) 850-4876
Fax: (312) 850-4877
MSOCI...@aol.com
Gothic/romantic clothing for women and men,
plus chainmail, weaponry, jewelry, corsetry, and
home decorations. Does custom work.
Fantasy
9823 Jefferson Ave.
Newport News, VA 23605, US
Phone: (757) 595-1259 or (800) 482-1518
Fax: (757) 596-2720
http://members.aol.com/fantasyva/
Fant...@aol.com
Over 5,000 t-shirts, plus celtic jewelry, leather
accessories, Manic Panic hair dye and makeup,
stickers, incense, tarot cards, posters, candles,
black-lights, statuary, music, and videos.
Fashion Crimes
450 Queen St. West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dark romantic fashions.
Grave Attire
115 Enmore Rd.
Enmore, Sydney NSW 2042
Australia
557-8630
Gothic/medieval clothing and jewelry, mostly
women's.
Ground Control
29-33 Cockburn Street
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Gothic t-shirts, jewelry, leather and bondage
gear.
Hot Topic
http://www.hottopic.com/
in shopping malls across the US
If you're desperate for goth clothing, these stores
are marginally better than shelling out the big
bucks for fancy stuff by mail-order. But barely.
They do have ruffled shirts, gothy dresses, and
velvet capes, but the materials and workmanship
are often of low quality, esp. for the prices
($40-$200). If you must buy clothes from this
place, inspect them carefully and make sure the
seams are straight and strong. The best thing I
can say about these stores is that you can easily
find a Cure or vampire t-shirt, some funky
sunglasses, and cute things like coffin-shaped
jewelry boxes. Does mail order (online catalog
only). [Trystan L. Bass]
House of Ill Repute
Retail Store: 471 Queen St. West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mail-Order: 55 Shaw St.
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2A9, Canada
(416) 504-3644
http://www.globalserve.net/~djtodd/illrepute/
vam...@passport.ca
Free catalog with SASE
Gothic clothing and accessories in velvet, lace,
and PVC for women and men ($7-$325),
including corsets ($75-$289). Also has chainmail,
jewelry, stationary, coffin purses, etc. The
designer, Gwyn Strang, has created costumes for
movies and TV. Does mail-order (recommends
online catalog since paper version is only a
printout of what's online).
In the Shadow of the Gargoyle
1324 Haight St. (between Central and Masonic)
San Francisco, CA 94117, US
(415) 552-7393
Just added a clothing room in the back of the
store. Lots of velvet vintage stuff and some new
stuff too. [Velvtnoir]
Inkubus Haberdashery
3199 Commodore Plaza
Coconut Grove, FL 33133, US
(305) 638-4684
Phone: (305) 638-GOTH
Fax: (305) 531-GOTH
Gothic clothing and jewelry, including Blackened
Angels merchandise.
Ipso Facto/Fall From Grace
517 North Harbor Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92632, US
(714) 525-7865
http://home.earthlink.net/~ipsofacto/
ipso...@earthlink.net
Catalog $1.50
They stock loads of cool boots ($90-$130)! I've
ordered two pairs so far, and they're a great
company. Also has clothing, (ruffled shirts $70,
capes $143), jewelry, bondage gear, leather
accessories, makeup, t-shirts, etc. [Jillian Sutter]
Kaos
177 Wollaton St., First Floor
Nottingham, UK
The place that makes *those* velvet corsets,
bodices, and other incredibly pretty things (at
their last stall they had skirts w/black lace over
colored satin, feathered fans, chokers). Example
item: red velvet boned corset with black ribbons
and trimmings, 18 quid. I don't know if they
have a mail-order list or whether it's just a case
of writing and begging... but very worth it. If
you get in touch, mention you heard of them on
the Internet. :) [Jane Shaw]
Leather Masters
969 Park Ave.
San Jose, CA 95126, US
(408) 293-7660
http://www.leathermasters.com/
Pretty much the only decent leather/fetish wear
store in the South Bay. Luckily, it's a great store
with a good variety of leather lingerie, clothing,
and accessories for women and men ($10-$400).
Also does body piercing and sells jewelry, books,
sex toys, and videos. Online catalog does not
show all merchandise. Does mail-order. [Trystan
L. Bass]
Lucretia's Loot
(415) 365-0848
This woman (in the San Francisco, Calif., bay
area) does custom gowns and specializes in large
sizes. Pricey, but gorgeous... I bought a black
brocade gown from her and get many, many
compliments on it... very witchy, it is. [Lacrima]
Morgana Alternative Clothing
11 Cheapside
Wakefield, West Yorkshire
WF1 2SD, United Kingdom
01924-291069
http://www.psinet.co.uk/morgana/
Catalog £2 UK or $10 US or 5 International
Reply Coupons
Gothic, punk, PVC, and rubber clothing,
accessories, footwear. Does custom work and
mail-order. Online catalog does not show all
merchandise.
Jane Shaw comments: Highly recommended --
Bea, who runs it, is very friendly, and didn't
mind a large group of us turning up to try on
almost everything in the shop one afternoon --
also the prices are extremely good compared to
many other shops, and she has some beautiful
one-off items in there.
Morticia's
Royal Arcade
Burke St. Mall
Melbourne, Victoria
Australia
Gothic clothing and jewelry, mostly women's.
Noir Leather
415 South Main St.
Royal Oak, MI 48067, US
(810) 541-6655
Catalog $7
In the all but non-existent Detroit goth scene,
there's one really good store, Noir Leather, and
it carries a *ton* of boots, fetish and sex gear
(collars, crops, cats, weights, et. al.), lots of
leather (duh!), PVC, rubber, latex, pleather, and
jewelry (ranging from $2 to $300). Does
mail-order. [Christopher Anderson]
Osiris
on the Great Western Rd.
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
also a smaller branch just off Argyll St.
Get the tube and get off at Kelvinbridge and start
walking uphill towards Starry Starry Night (off
Byers Rd., also worth a visit for old theatre type
clothing). If the last time I was there is anything
to go by, they had velvet corsets, waspies, and
full length to the floor velvet tailcoats, all in
black (surprise surprise) and a nice deep wine
red, dark green, and purple. Corsets are about
£45-£55, waspies £30, and tailcoats £85 (pricey
but the stuff is gorgeous). [joolz]
Platypus Clothing Company
702 Lucerne Ave.
Lake Worth, FL 33460, US
(407) 588-9945
plat...@magg.net
Catalog $2.50 (refundable with first order)
Named best alternative store in Palm Beach
County. Carries vintage clothing and accessories,
custom-made clothing, jewelry, body jewelry,
band t-shirts, etc. [platypus]
Raw Culture
Retail Store: Santa Maria Town Center #242
Santa Maria, CA, US
Mail-Order: P.O. Box 503
Pismo Beach, CA 93448, US
(800) 254-1160
http://www.rawculture.com/
Gothic jewelry, watches, chainmail, and
accessories ($10-$560). Does mail-order online
(paper catalog coming soon).
Retail Slut
7308 Melrose Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90046, US
Retail Store: (213) 934-1339
Mail-Order: (213) 964-8547
Fax: (213) 934-3293
http://www.hallucinet.com/retailslut/
retai...@earthlink.net
Gothic and fetish fashions. Includes everything
from punk styles like studs (10 for $1) and
bondage pants ($88) to romantic styles like
ruffled shirts ($48-$78) and velvet capes ($250),
plus makeup, hair dye, and accessories. Lots of
pictures in the web catalog, but the store has even
more stuff (and the sales people are pretty nice
;-). Does mail-order (online catalog only).
[Trystan L. Bass]
The Sinister Store
1748 North Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027, US
(213) 666-5100
Gothic clothing and accessories.
Siren
463 Queen St. West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada, MSV-2A9
Retail Store: (416) 504-9288
Mail-Order: (416) 504-8242
si...@interlog.com
Catalog $10 (includes $10 coupon towards first
purchase of $100+)
Bank or money orders only for catalog, no
personal checks
One of the largest selections of gothic clothing
and accessories around, and a bigger mail-order
catalog than anyone I've seen yet. The clothing
looks very lovely, and they carry all the standard
gothic styles -- about a dozen drapey bell-sleeved
dresses ($79-$225), several frock/tail coats
($179-$250), six different ruffly poet shirts
($85-$100), a velvet cape ($275), and a couple of
corsets ($150-$170). They also sell several styles
of pointy-toed boots ($140-$180; and they claim
that these are "no longer the cheapo boots of the
80s"), plus top hats, walking sticks, purses,
Manic Panic hair dye and makeup, Urban Decay
makeup, gloves, tights, sterling silver jewelry,
books, t-shirts, and gothic home decor such as
pewter candlestick holders and coffin-shaped
jewelry boxes . In general, Siren has a good
selection for women *and* men, which is rare in
goth catalogs -- goth gents who are having a hard
time finding pretty garments might want to give
Siren a shot. Unfortunately, the prices seem
pretty high to me, both for the catalog itself and
for the merchandise and even for shipping (even
for teeny little makeup, it's $5 shipping for the
first item, and $1 for each additional item!). I
wonder if the prices at the retail store are more
reasonable... [Trystan L. Bass]
Sticky Fingers
802 South Broadway
Baltimore, MD, US
(410) 675-7588
Gothic/punk/retro clothing.
Stormy Leather
1158 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA 94103, US
(415) 626-1672
http://www.stormyleather.com/
A fetish fashion store that makes fantastic corsets
in satin, PVC, and leather, handmade, about half
the price as Dark Garden, even with custom
work. They have about 6-7 different styles if I'm
not mistaken and I myself am a devoted fan of
their work (owning two different styles with a
third on the way!). The company is small, owned
and operated by a woman, and a pleasure to do
business with. Stormy Leather merchandise is
also available in many retail stores in the US,
Japan, Finland (check website for complete list).
[Jenn]
Subterranea
608 West Fourth Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99510, US
Gothic/punk/alternative hats, t-shirts, gargoyles,
candles, jewelry, music, and some clothing.
Trash and Vaudeville
188 Culver Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07305, US
Gothic/alternative clothing and accessories,
including Underground Shoes.
Uzi
508 East Colfax
Denver, CO, US
(303) 832-4870
Catalog $3
Latex, PVC, and rubber clothing and shoes. Does
custom work and mail-order.
The Vault
#8, 10650-101 St.
Edmonton, Alberta T5H 2S1
Canada
thev...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
Gothic clothing, jewelry, music, magazines, etc.
Victoriana
2431B West Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904, US
(719) 520-9968
viclo...@aol.com
Catalog $2
Historically inspired gothic clothing for women
and men, including capes ($110-$300), poet
shirts ($55-$95), skirts, dresses, leggings, tops,
makeup, etc. ($22-$445). These garments are all
of very ornate, lush designs, and many include
beautiful details like beading, antiqued lace, and
Victorian reproduction buttons. My absolute
favourite thing the catalog is the Katrina
Cape-Coat (a long, wool coat with a hood and a
sweeping, cape-like train) -- I've never seen
anything like it! All of these items are dramatic
and offer a bit more than the typical
goth-clothing clichés. And with their reputation
for quality, these garments seem like excellent
investment pieces that could really last. Does
mail-order. [Trystan L. Bass]
Jillian Sutter comments: If you are thinking of
ordering any gothy type clothing from a
mail-order catalog, then give your money to
Victoriana. I just received in the mail my
full-length, deep burgundy/blood red velvet
cloak lined in black satin. It's wonderful. It is
one of =if not the most= beautiful piece of
clothing I own, and was worth every penny.
Their craftsmanship is impeccable, they are
*VERY* nice on the phone, and I want to spend
all of my money on their clothes.
Vinyl Fetish
7305 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA, US
(213) 935-1300
Gothic clothing and shoes, including Blackened
Angels merchandise.
VOODOO
1936 South Broadway
Denver, CO, US
(303) 722-3168
It's not exactly a gothic clothing store, but it does
piecings, carries some clothing (more to come as
soon), currently has t-shirts... small selection of
leather, but also carries other nifty stuff like
candles, incense, and everything else a goth could
need. Great jewelry selection! [otherguy]
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