There are certain styles that never die and goth is one of them. It seems that the high school rebel with blood-drained skin and midnight locks continues to haunt artists thirsty for creativity. Ever since the goth subculture emerged in the UK during the 1980’s, its clothing, inspired by death, mourning, and the macabre, keeps coming back to life. Over the years, gothic couture has had several transformations that range from weeping veils to glossy vinyl pants, and is still resurrected on the runways by some of fashion’s most acclaimed designers. Today, ghoulish garbs are displayed at Gothic: Dark Glamour, the first exhibition of its kind at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City.

“This is an exhibition that I’ve been working on for the past two years,” proudly remarks Valerie Steele, PH.D, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at FIT. Dr. Steele, who has created more than 20 exhibitions, including The Corset: Fashioning the Body and China Chic: East Meets West, first began noticing in the late ’90s that many designers were debuting pieces inspired by gothic imagery. Dr. Steele believes that the trend is growing at a dramatic pace. “This is an extremely gothic period in fashion right now,” she says. “There are many designers attracted to the iconography of horror, as well as the idea of ruin and decay.” With black being the rage in the current collections of Yves Saint Laurent and Zac Posen, as well as the highly anticipated vampiric-themed Twilight movie that will be premiering on the silver screen next month, we are ready to embrace the darkness.

As you step through the giant glass doors of FIT and into a seemingly bright hall, you bump into students that are dressed in everything from ripped jeans to knee-length military jackets. Inside a large, death-cold hall, an opal moon lights up the shadowy exhibition where faceless mannequins are dressed in black ruffles, ebony lace, and hooded suits.

“The first room, which is structured like a labyrinth, has sources of gothic style, like Victorian mourning dresses and vampire costumes,” Dr. Steele explains. “There’s one platform called ‘Night,’ which is about how black is associated with everything from the devil to the dandy. There are other sections, like the ‘Batcave’ that contain rocker outfits, and some McQueens are displayed in what appears to be a crumbling castle.” If you think flesh-colouted latex walls and cemeteries sound scary, you haven’t seen anything yet.

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