Goth fashion is nothing new, but with vampires becoming popular again thanks to the successful 2022 film adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel, fashions associated with the vampire scene are making a comeback. interview with vampire, and the Castlevania series is being revived as a Netflix series. Vampires have once again entered the mainstream and, coupled with an interest in historical fashion and what this timeless creature has come to represent, have exposed themselves to a whole new generation. Sometime in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was cleaning out my wardrobe, I decided to wear something that would be perfect for Koji Igarashi’s work. Castlevania Dracula game.
We’ll be spending the week digging deep into the stories behind our favorite vampires. Who said Halloween is the only time you can celebrate vampires?
A vampire’s appearance is ageless, but difficult to define. It exists somewhere between Victorian fashion and the Goth subculture, and has morphed into various subsets and micro-trends over the past few decades. It could be a black dress, a 1994 Tom Cruise ruffled shirt or a brocade vest. interview with vampire. It could be her one of Ayami Kojima’s gorgeous oil painting illustrations depicting Alucard and various members of the Belmont family from the Castlevania series.
My interest in the fashion and various subcultures of the time led me to dress like the vampire from Castlevania for a year. (Also, I have disposable income as an adult.) Would I have dressed like this when I was a teenager? probably. Modern vampires are often associated with androgyny, and that’s something I’ve personally always been drawn to. Naturally, there are also some subsets of this. There’s a more industrial goth, sometimes mixed with mid-’80s aesthetics and extreme makeup, and there’s a “romantic” goth, associated with ruffled shirts, corsets, and modified Victorian-era clothing. there is.
There are so many different interpretations associated with the vampire that it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly defines it, other than fangs, strangely colored eyes, and a preference for the night. (I ended up not ordering fangs. I’m a little self-conscious about my teeth. But other people I know wear fangs almost religiously.)
Photo provided by: Kazuma Hashimoto
Photo provided by: Kazuma Hashimoto
Image: Konami
I searched the internet for a seller that offered exactly what I was looking for. Ruffled linen shirts, cinched corsets, leather pants, and knee-high boots were all associated with the gorgeous gothic designs that Kojima incorporated into the art of characters like Alucard. and Matthias Cronqvist creates one-off illustrations featuring these ephemeral creatures. I stuffed the velvet cape from Dark in Love in my closet and scoured thrift stores for antique Victorian-era brooches and the silk ribbons that tied shoulder-length hair back in the day. I did. To solidify the vampire image, I ordered a matte black lipstick to use only on my upper lip and paired it with a full coverage foundation to get that perfect flawless face that has been dubbed “vampire skin.” Ta. Trends that will gain momentum in 2022. Naturally, I added colored contacts and thick eyeliner to further accentuate the look.
I found it so much fun to put together these costumes, spend time practicing and getting my makeup perfect, and walk around in clothes that felt super comfortable. Sometimes I was stopped by passersby, but Germany has a long history, so A thriving goth subculture and scene, I have never received any derogatory remarks. It was all a compliment. This has given me even more confidence to walk around in my best outfit, inspired by my favorite artists and game series.
Many others are drawn to the way the vampire aesthetic blends self-expression and a variety of interests. “When I was a teenager, I fell in love with small subcultures like Victorian fashion, architecture, and even Visual Kei, which kind of inspired me to start vampire fashion,” says Fang Community (Vampire Fashion). said Storm, a former member of the community (slang for the community). (in some cases even clans) when asked about the appeal of subcultures. “When I discovered this game, my interest in fashion and subcultures merged with my geekiness. Vampire: The Masquerade”
Photo provided by: Kazuma Hashimoto
Photo provided by: Kazuma Hashimoto
Image: Konami
“Human Vampire” Don Henley was a popular internet personality in the early 2000s who was featured on a National Geographic show and appeared on a SyFy show. Mad Mad House. He was one of the first to get a glimpse of what the bridge between the vampire lifestyle and fashion movements of the time was like. There was also (moderate) success cursed queen, van helsingand underworld Around the same time. His website VampireFreaks started in 1999 and served as a MySpace for goths. Today, it continues to exist as an online shop selling goth apparel and goods.
This style of fashion has also created a community. “I became part of the online community in the early 2000s. Vampire: The Masquerade clan. In fact, this was how many ‘vampire clans’ in the physical world were formed,” Storm said. He is one of the most popular “vampire clans”. buzzfeed 2018, host Sae-rom received her own vampire fangs. Vampire fangs definitely make a fashion statement. Now that they’re more readily available through sellers like Kaos Kustom Fangs, I know several people who wear them without joining a clan. But for clan members, it’s more or less a lifestyle they subscribe to. I’ve never been a part of a Klan myself and only learned about the inner workings of the Klan through friends who have participated in the culture, but living in a big city definitely means dressing outside of the norm. It turns out I wasn’t the only one. I was friends with ex-Cybergoths, and although they had toned down their look a bit, they still wore mostly all-black clothing, with voluminous black dresses and heeled boots. .
Having circled those circles and now witnessing the resurgence of vampire media, this scene feels like it’s in the midst of an upswing. Will he dress like a “vampire” again? The answer is probably mainly because where I live now doesn’t handle it all that well. (Wearing black velvet in the sweltering summer heat doesn’t bode well for anyone.) But it’s definitely one of my favorite times of the year for personal fashion, and for self- It was a time of great expression. So I guess I’ll just put it all together in a club for one night. Anyway, it’s great to see that part of this goth subculture is still alive and well.