New Book ‘How to Be a Goth: Notes on Undead Style’ Traces the History of the Aesthetic in Fashion and Culture
LONDON — Brat summer is over — here comes goth fall.
A goth revival is taking place with the release of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “The World of Tim Burton” at the Design Museum, and a lineup of dark runway looks at the spring 2025 shows.
More from WWD
Chalhoub Group Names Mo White CEO of Social Retail Platform Threads Styling
Iris Ventures, an Investor in Allyson Felix's Brand, Wants to Empower Athletes With New Program
British writer Tish Weinstock, a tall, waiflike woman with Morticia Addams-esque hair, porcelain skin and full lips has become synonymous with the goth look in London circles. Now, she’s written a book about it.
“How to Be a Goth: Notes on Undead Style” (Radar) is Weinstock’s debut book, and traces the history of the goth aesthetic in literature, art and fashion.
It follows a similar template to Susan Sontag’s “Notes on ‘Camp,’” but takes a deeper dive. Some of the 16 chapters have witty titles such as “Coming of Age as a Goth: Notes on Style,” “How to Live Like a Goth” or “Undead Men: Goths to Get Out of the Grave For.”
There are cute-yet-quirky illustrations, but no pictures. Weinstock wants her readers to do some of the work. “The book is for people to go on their own research journey. We’re so spoonfed nowadays, it’s nice to fall down a rabbit hole without any instructions,” she said in an interview.
Her book comes as a reaction to the turmoil taking place in current affairs. “We are surrounded by so much darkness in the world — in terms of climate change, housing crisis and the politics of the world. It’s a really dark time, and it’s comedown from COVID-19,” she said.
“People are responding to the times by making darker films, art and music. We need to get real — life is not great, life’s really f–king scary. We need a culture that reflects that back to us and acknowledges it,” Weinstock added.
She wrote the book while pregnant last summer, and said it took her back to her days at school and at Oxford University, where she studied art history.
In the book, Weinstock touches on the crumbling house in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” followed by the decaying character of Miss Havisham in “Great Expectations” and the lore surrounding Edith Sitwell, who would lie in an open coffin before starting her day.
She’s also invited modern day goths including Dilara Fındıkoğlu, Katy England, Kembra Pfahler, Kristen McMenamy, Susie Cave and Michèle Lamy to sum up what it means to be a goth.
“There is a great beauty to darkness…mystery…magic. Goth is…punk, eclectic, junkie, skinny, excess, youth,” writes Lamy.
Meanwhile, England wonders how goth emerges in a person. She poses the question, “Does our aesthetic seep into each cell through generations past, or did it emerge when I first opened my eyes and saw my pale-skinned, black-haired, dark-eyed mother and father?”
In chapter eight, Weinstock looks at gothic heroines who have rejected the title of goth. She calls them goth-coded. The list includes Serbian conceptual artist Marina Abramović, French American artist Louise Bourgeois and Italian socialite Luisa Casati.
“There’s an energy of gothicism that they illustrate. I called it ‘goth-coded’ because I don’t want to misidentify [anyone],” she said.
Weinstock believes that goth is a human instinct that transcends time, place and culture, she said.
“Human beings are always going to be drawn to the darkness, because there’s so much dark matter in the world. When the world is self-destructing, there’s something quite soothing in a culture that celebrates darkness,” she said.
Weinstock said that it’s been a lifelong journey to accept herself as goth. “At school, the things that I was drawn to were naturally on the darker side, and the idea of goth was met with derision,” she said.
As the years passed, she embraced her natural instincts.
She married her stylist husband Tom Guinness in 2022 during Halloween weekend. The venue was Belvoir Castle, which dates to the 11th century, and has goth in its DNA. It was there that the Witches of Belvoir, a mother and two daughters, were accused of murdering the two sons of Francis Manners, the 6th Earl of Rutland.
Best of WWD
Young Ethel Kennedy Through Today: Remembering the American Advocate [PHOTOS]
Eva Longoria's Red Carpet Style Through the Years: Suited Looks, Dramatic Gowns & More [PHOTOS]
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Models & Runway Moments Through the Years, From the Archives [PHOTOS]
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
