❤: Every babybat had this experience at least once: they googled the word "Goth", searching for inspo, and they stumbled upon the Germanic tribe that almost by itself gave a crumbling Roman Empire its final coup. However, the Germans and the Goth subculture have nothing to do with each other. We've all seen TED Talk's "A History of Goth". Their common name was a derogatory term used in architecture to describe a "barbaric" influence in style (if you took History of Art in high school, you are definitely one Giorgio Vasari hater). As for the rest, they are completely unrelated, but what if they were?
My idea was to explore how the Germanic tribe known as Goths looked in order to find some fresh, quirky inspiration. I dived deep into the history of fashion and collected pictures from my visual board, usually borrowing them from museum's open file. It saddened me to learn that there is not much on the topic, but Goths are creative, so we will work with what we have!
DISCLAIMER: In a way, is some of my personal interpretations could be considered modernising. This article was motivated by entertainment and it has no scientific aspirations! Comparing ancient populations with modernity can result in anacronism. My work was a fun trip into the fashion uniqueness of the Goths ranging from 300 A.D. to their coming in contact with Romans. What I found were concepts, ideas, and maybe some similarities with what the culture is doing today.
THE ORIGINS
Many historians believe Goths originated North of the Danube, which means they were familiar with extreme cold. They later split into two groups, the Ostrogoths ( meaning "Goths of the East") and the Visigoths (meaning "Goths of the West"). Reconstructing their style means taking their nomadic habits but also their unparalleled conquering into account. Since the Goths spread across Europe and reached Spain and Turkey, they definitely left their heavy mantles behind at one point. But what else was there?
THE BASICS
In his work De Origine et Situ Germanorum, Ancient Roman historian Tacitus provides the most detailed description of Germanic clothing. Women and men were not significantly differentiated. The most common item was a mantle fastened with a clasp. The practice of securing the mantle with two brooches instead of one appears to be distinctly Germanic (long coats with pins and studs, here we come!). The Goths must have made quite an impression on the Romans since their mantles resembled those worn by Roman soldiers. To the Roman eye, they must have always looked ready to fight. Tacitus also notes their tendency to adapt their style to that of the populations they encountered. According to him, Goths living near the Roman border began to adopt their style, though he doesn't say which one.
We know that Tacitus never actually visited Germany. His account is a blend of various sources, including reports from individuals who had been at the borders. Moreover, it is a written account, leaving room for interpretation. Fortunately, we have tangible evidence of what the Goths were wearing. Numerous burial sites were discovered across Europe, dated to the period we are analysing. They contain remains of fabrics and metal objects. From these, we learn that Goths wore shirts and undergarments made of sheep's wool, primarily dyed yellow, red, or blue (time to ditch that black!), and forged metal jewellery.
LEATHER PANTS?
Goths reportedly wore skins, especially sheepskin. It is recorded that they brought this fashion to Constantinople. Skins looked coarse and contrasted with the softer-looking toga. Naturally, this was highly opposed by conservators. Tacitus reports that every German tribe had their own way of wearing leather, sometimes loose-fitting and sometimes tight. We also know the main difference between Roman and Germanic fashion was the bracae, or pants, which were unknown to the Romans.
ACCESSORIZING LIKE A TRUE GOTH
Gothic jewellery is what we know most about. Like other Germani, Goths crafted gold accessories and decorated them in polychrome style, with gems or colourful glass bits. Thanks to their becoming merchants, they came in contact with different techniques to transform metal. We can safely say both their accessorising and DIY game have improved a lot. Before a significant boost in trades, they wore rather simple necklaces made of iron and amber beads. Afterwards, they started crafting pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and jewellery clasps, some of which were found intact in tombs across Europe. We are able to estimate the prevalence of gold. One adornment that serves as evidence of Goths being gold girls is the Ostrogoth eagle-shaped fibula. Women wore chunky, square-shaped gold belts, which were a sign of status. We also have a sort of "trend" documented: around 70-170 A. D, Goths started wearing belts with amber or glass bead pendants (sounds like something unique and fun, will definitely try it out!). One peculiar case is that of the Ring of Pietroassa. This stiff-neck ring with inscriptions in the Gothic language- almost like a Kidult bracelet but quirkier- is now lost and only seen through drawings. The mystery surrounding it made this piece of jewellery an emblem of the Goths. The reason could be that the ring perfectly sums up early Germanic history: mostly unknown, lost forever and only seen through the eyes of others, leaving us to fill the gaps for ourselves. No wonder the Romantics loved them!
A special mention goes to my favourite pieces, the Visigothic belt buckle and the Ostrogothic pendant. Both show bright, contrasting colours enclosed in perfectly shaped gold that creates both bold and soft geometric patterns. They look like something Siouxie Sioux would be delighted to get for her birthday!
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| The ring of Pietroassa |
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| bracelets of the Wielbark culture, associated with Goths |
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| Visigothic earring with bead |
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| Visigothic buckle |
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| Ostrogothic pendant |
BONUS: SHAPES, COLOURS AND SYMBOLS
Diving deep into the museum's online galleries (yes, they are a thing!) I came to realise how shapes, colours and symbols influence fashion on a different, sometimes unconscious level. Shapes, in particular, can subtly define a type. It's exactly what happens with "white goth": we are able to identify it as such because of the hair, liner, lace clothing and so on. Without knowing it, we're identifying shapes. On the other hand, we sometimes identify all-black clothing as "Goth", and that's identifying colours. So I found the most recurrent in both Ostrogothic and Visigothic ornaments. Noble women wore bright colours, from lapis lazuli and amethysts, which I think would look beautiful as eyeshadows or liners. Slender spearheads, shaped like elongated leaves, served as base weaponry. As Tacitus writes, Germanic people carried short swords and round shields with them at all times. Now, this is a terrible idea unless you want to cosplay a Goth, but what about interpreting it as a jewel inspo? Tired of your old pentagrams and rosaries? Try archeo-jewellery instead!
GOTHS AGAINST FASCISM
Tracing one's fashion inspo back to such noble origins is unique, but is that all the Goths can offer?
As I am writing, I witness the rise of a loosely Roman-inspired Fascism in my country. Somehow, this raised my interest in Germanic tribes. Even if their part in the fall of the Roman Empire is discussed among historians, the Germani have been a real pain for the Romans. To me, this proves how futile idealising the past can be, as the Romans were not invincible nor the strongest of their time. I like to think about it in these terms: let's remind them how they fell!
Jokes aside, history has proved more complex than this game of good vs evil. Goths were conquerors as well; they stretched their dominions remarkably far, reaching Crimea, Italy, and even Greece and Africa. As they achieved that goal, they changed their habits, fashion being the most tangible evidence of it. Their burial sites, found all across Europe from Spain to Poland, bore witness to their constant changing and evolving, which to me is the most precious lesson to be learned.
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