The Trend: Rebel With A Cause
The Inspiration: Gothic and punk subcultures, Addams Family, Jenna Ortega, vampire romanticism
As seen at: Avavav, Diesel, Max Mara, Antonio Marras, Jordanluca
It seems the return of Netflix’s Wednesday Season 2 has reignited our love for makeup of the punk and gothic variety. From sooty, smudged-up eyes, gloss-drenched dark lips to punk-inspired hair, there’s a quiet resurgence of dark romanticism on the runways that gives a nod to punk but is now artfully mixed with a modern version of gothic for an elevated take. Now, before you think goth and punk are the same thing, think again. Both these subcultures, originating in the UK and US, are rooted in rebellion and non-conformity, and have their distinct differences. Punk, which originated in the mid-1970s, was all about challenging the status quo through punk rock music, leather, denim, plaid, Band tees and DIY, utilitarian clothing (hello safety pins).
Goth came about in the late 1970s, part of the post-punk, new wave music era, and takes its inspiration from the Victorian Romantic era. It's all about a darker, melancholic, elegant aesthetic by way of corsets, lace, velvet and dramatic mystery. With shows like Wednesday and movies like Nosferatu, the runways are leaning towards the gothic and punk subcultures for inspiration and rewriting subversive beauty for today. At Avavav, Diesel, Max Mara, Antonio Marras and Jordanluca, beauty flowed between gothic and punk as models were sent out with modern takes of eyes overloaded with black eyeshadow, vinyl dark lips, Wednesday-inspired braids, vampiric pale skin and street punk Liberty spikes.
4 WAYS TO WEAR IT
1. GOTHIC GAZE
At Avavav, models were sent out with textbook gothic makeup, complete with opaque black lips with feathered edges and a light layer of gloss that would make the entire Addams Family weep. Set against pale, matte skin, eyes were dark and smoky with the blackest eyeshadow smudged along the entire lid and waterline. However, the eyes were given a slight softness with a warm brown eyeshadow used along the crease, lower lash line and outer corners to diffuse the black.
2. REBEL LINER
The inner eye corner is slowly becoming prime real estate as the runways skip a fully-lined eye in favour of a suggestion of colour, as seen at Dhruv Kapoor. Models sported eyes that were left almost completely naked, except for a slither of black eyeliner hugging the inner corner. At Antonio Marras, liner made more of a statement, giving a nod to liner worn by rock band Kiss. Eyes were completely lined with black liquid eyeliner, forming a chunky cat-eye wing that spanned the lids, lashlines, waterline and inner corner.
3. VINYL OXBLOOD
This season, lips are doing a solo act as the mood calls for bold, sultry lipstick application — paired with nothing else. From oxblood, burgundy to black cherry shades, darkened lips are going into the world unaccompanied, without mascara, eyeshadow or even blush. As seen at Max Mara, models were sent out with pared back, fresh skin, no mascara and a gothic makeup staple — deep oxblood lips with sharp, meticulously lined edges that were generously coated with high-shine clear gloss.
4. VAMP VISION
Don’t freak out … Diesel served up what gothic dreams are made of with the coolest Sci-Fi, vampire inspired look. Mixing artistry and SFX makeup, models were sent out with eerie, vampiric stares by way of coloured contact lenses, ranging from white, red, blue, orange to neon yellow, which were complemented by matching eyeliner placed in the waterline and outer corners.
MICRO-TREND: GOTH LOCKS
From diehard goth, punk or just dabbling in the subcultures; these hair trends are a masterclass in merging the aesthetics
HOW TO WEAR IT
1. WEDNESDAY BRAIDS
At Antonio Marras, hair took inspiration from Wednesday Addams’ signature hairstyle but elevated it for the runways. Keeping with Addams’ middle-parted long, braided pigtails on half the head, the rest of model’s hair was left loose to the back. The braids were wrapped around the neck and the loose hair, securing it in place like a low ponytail, and the hair was teased at the ends to create volume and dual-textured visual interest.
2. PUNK SPIKED
Nothing says “punk” quite like hair spikes or liberty spikes as seen at Jordanluca, which was an ode to the rebellious style commonly achieved with loads of hair wax or gel. Taken from British street punk and named after their resemblance to the Statue of Liberty’s crown, models wore variations of sky-high liberty spikes from spiked mohawks with shaved sides to spiked fauxhawks with hair gelled down on the sides to give the same effect.
3. GOTHIC SCRUNCH TWIST
If you find yourself stuck between Frida Kahlo-lover and Wednesday Addams-core, try adding a gothic twist to the scrunchie trend by going for embellished styles made in dark satin, lace or velvet fabrications. Paired with a bun or low ponytail, a gothic-coded scrunchie adds the perfect touch of dark romance.
4. METALLICA
From metallic bow clips to metal clasps added to long braided ponytails, traditionally coquette accessories got a modern refresh fashioned into metallic hardware finishes. As seen at Jordanluca, models sported dainty metal bows that exuded an element of strength and looked like armour interwoven into wet-look locks.
THE KIT
- Byredo 5 Colours Eyeshadow in Fêtes Noires R1,500
- MAC Lip Pencil in Vino R385
- WBeauty Matte Lipstick in Stepping Out R139
- Fenty Beauty Shadow Stix Matte in Cuz I’m Black R575
- Hair Clip R129 Tessa Design superbalist.com
- Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Lip Luminizer in Glass Slipper R475
