It’s that time of year again…Halloween….when things go bump in the night, pumpkins light the way, kids fill their pockets with treats, shopkeepers hide the eggs and flour from the shelves…and out of the shadows emerges the seductive gothic vamp….

There’s something uniquely sexy about the vintage goth vamp/temptress…. gothic literature written in the 18th and 19th centuries talk of hauntingly beautiful ladies, whose white ghostly skins contrasted spectacularly with the colours of their dresses…in black,purple,forest green and deep red. Their hair tumbled down onto their shoulders, dark or blonde makes no difference, but they all had pearly white teeth and voluptuous ruby red lips. Although in the novels, such as Bram Stoker’s 1897 bestseller Dracula, only the facial features and the colours were described in detail of the three vampire temptresses …. the style of clothing worn was left to the imagination of designers when vampire films hit the screens in the 20th century.

In 2014, alongside the traditional goth colours of black, purple and red … we have the sumptuous midnight blue making a comeback … check out the deadly gorgeous lace tops, dresses and skirts …and team with black fishnets ..

This week I’m interviewing one of the internet’s fab gothic online boutiques that showcase the very best of gothic fashions and footwear that not only grace the wardrobes of goths but also the wardrobes of many other ladies who appreciate the uniqueness, style, material and  quality that the gothic fashion designers provide. I am a big fan so, a big warm welcome to John of Gothic Angel Clothing:

Hi, my name is John co owner of Gothic Angel Clothing

What inspired you start up Gothic Angel Clothing?

Two main reasons.
1) I hate working for other people and have always wanted to start something for myself and my partner.
2) I love fashion although I’m not a Goth or a girl, the Gothic scene has a lot more character to it than mainstream fashion. My partner persuaded me to sell women’s clothing.

When choosing stock/styles/colours of shoes, bags and accessories etc for your website,do you go by popular styles, customer requests, fashion trends, your own personal taste, their uniqueness or bits of all those?

All of the above with the exception of my own personal taste. If I chose items based on what I thought would sell I’m not sure we would be very successful. Trends are important because if you don’t stock what people want then they will go elsewhere. In terms of the precise items I leave that to the guys we have working for us who know the scene much better than I do. As we get bigger I would love to start stocking smaller more individual designs that you might find on etsy.

The brands you stock include established gothic brands such as New Rock, Demonia, Spin Doctor, Hell Bunny and Iron Fist; as well as new up-and-coming gothic designers. What brand has been most popular amongst your customers this season?

We mainly stock boots and shoes. The most successful brand by far is Demonia.

You do a fab range of boots, and I’m a real boot girl- I love the “New Rock” range of boots, although with my skinny jeans/trousers the Demonia Gravel boots are my constant companions! On my Facebook group (Boots, Shoes et Al), Iron Fist shoes are a definite favourite amongst members. What footwear has been the most popular this season?

We don’t stock the full range of Iron Fist footwear currently but when we do put them on the website they tend to sell fast. Because of our range in store, Demonia have always been our biggest sellers.

Apart from selling very swanky shoes – I love your range of dresses especially the Zebra Print Wiggle Dress and if I was a lot younger, the Iron Fist Manslayer Slash Back Dress would’ve definitely had a place in my wardrobe! What dresses or tops have proved popular so far?

We are better known for footwear and we don’t get many visitors looking for clothing at the moment. Therefore we dont stock too many items of clothing. However Hell Bunny dresses go quick and I think the biggest seller of all time was the Hell Bunny Tartan Dress (sorry sold out I’m afraid!)

You love finding up and coming gothic brands – have you plans to introduce any new brands to your website in 2015? What brand should we be looking out for this season?

We are approached everyday by new designers and well known brands but we simply dont have time to decide what to buy and list all items on the site. We don’t have plans to expand the brands just yet but of course as we get bigger there are many brands on our radar such as Spin Doctor and Lip Service.

I love the fact that UK goths don’t just wear black – I’m thinking of the Iron Fist range of clothes and footwear with snatches of red and purple, for example. What colour, apart from black, seem to be popular with your customers?

Bright colours and patterns are very popular. Iron fist leggings are normally very artistic in their design which are usually a success.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

I’m afraid I would be considered very boring compared to most of our customer base. I am mostly found in pyjamas (I mostly work at home) but if I do happen to be going out I am partial to some skinny jeans.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

Yes. Although they are competitors, I love Blue Banana.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

Same as my christmas list – pyjamas! 🙂

Boots or Shoes?

Boots….eeer ….and shoes. Help!  I can’t decide –  they are both important to me 🙂

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc so that readers can find out more about Gothic Angel Clothing.

Our Store – http://www.gothicangelclothing.co.uk/
Our Blog – http://www.blog.gothicangelclothing.co.uk/
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gothic-Angel-Clothing/122747081138167

Thanks John!  So lovely ladies (and gentlemen) have I persuaded you to let out the inner goth in you?!  With the party season fast approaching the “gothic” look is certainly a style that shouldn’t be dismissed.  I’d love to know what secret “goth” buys you’ve made this year…

Linda x

 

 

All photos have been published with kind permission from Gothic Angel Clothing Ltd.