‘Wednesday’ ushers in the return of goth

Even if you haven’t watched the Addams Family riff “Wednesday” yet, you’ve probably seen the “Wednesday dance.” It’s the show’s most memorable and re-watchable scene: actor Jenna Ortega takes the floor at her school’s “Rave’n dance” to perform a lovably odd, lightly possessed sequence of stomping, thrashing and arm waving — all while maintaining that signature unmoving gaze.

The dance has been viewed over 20 million times on YouTube and hailed as a clarion call to “get weird” by the New York Times. But what’s not being talked about enough is what our titular heroine was wearing to do it: a billowy, ruffled black sheer and lace Alaia dress that’s helped catapult goth fashion into sudden mainstream popularity.

Few esthetics evoke such an immediate and clear image as the goth. The all-black everything, the sun-avoidant complexion and the sense of haunted dishevelment. It’s such a singular, enduring trend that it needs no “-core” at the end of it, unlike many of today’s fleeting and fractured trends. Goth fashion’s origins lie in Victorian mourning attire — with mortality rates high, ladies signalled grief via their dress. Women were expected to don black for two years after the loss of a loved one. (Men? Just a few weeks.)

Fast-forward to the late 1970s, and the rise of rebellious punk rock and melancholy sounds from the likes of The Cure, Joy Division and Siouxie and the Banshees required an equally expressive uniform of edgy meets sad clothing. The impact was enduring: Ortega cited Siouxie Sioux as inspiration for her character’s cerebral dance sequence.

Many goth icons are pop-culture fixtures, like Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz in 1988’s “Beetlejuice” with her spiky black bangs and witchy ensembles. She came straight from the imagination of goth master Tim Burton, the creator of “Wednesday,” whose dark yet whimsical universe of misunderstood leading characters also includes Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Victoria Everglot of “Corpse Bride” (2005). Now, he’s bringing his goth obsession to a new generation with “Wednesday,” and a lot of them: It’s Netflix’s second-most-watched English language series of all time and has been nominated for two Golden Globes: best musical/comedy series and Ortega’s nom for best television actress in a musical or comedy.

Although Wednesday Addams is technically 80 years old — the character first appeared in a New Yorker comic in 1938 — her most recent iteration is firmly a member of Gen Z. The show’s costume designer, Colleen Atwood (a frequent Burton collaborator), has remixed Wednesday’s familiar uniform of tight pigtails and Peter-pan-collared dress to feel more lived-in and vulnerable. Her braids are softer; in one scene she even dons a slouchy zip-up hoodie.

This approach speaks to the current interpretation of goth style. It pulls in other references and blends classic goth staples with everything from Y2K tackiness to early 2000s boho and preppy dark academia. (Wednesday’s Nevermore Academy uniform of striped separates could not be a more perfect embodiment of this.) Then there’s the rising trend of “whimsigoth,” which mixes the severity of classic goth with softer touches of paisley prints, lush velvets and playful ruffles. On Pinterest, searches for “Berlin Rave outfits” are rising, and anyone who’s attempted to get inside the Berlin nightclub Berghain knows that smudged black eyeliner and a dead-inside look is a surefire way to get past the discerning doorman.

The fall 2022 runways are aligned with this esthetic move toward the dark side. At Givenchy, designer Matthew Williams paired skinny leather trousers with oversized heavy metal tees. Rick Owens dialed up the spooky factor by having models carry smoke machines like handbags. Even Valentino, so well known for a signature shade of hot pink, introduced a lineup of all-black looks in romantic retro cuts paired with stomp-y black platform boots.

Throughout its history, goth dressing has been the uniform of the misfits, the misunderstood. It lurked at the edges, outside mainstream popularity. So there is something ironic about a trend born from non-conformity achieving mass adoption. But why not? Goth dressing signals dissatisfaction, an opting out of faux cheeriness. Maybe it’s a rejection of the cult of toxic positivity, the pendulum swinging away from the early exuberance of post-pandemic dressing or the pastoral innocence of cottagecore towards a more defiant kind of self-expression.

There’s power in that. Especially if you wear it while dancing.

Shop the goth look

Aldo shoes, $110, aldoshoes.com SHOP HERE

With their darkly romantic vibe, Mary Janes are a goth staple.

Dynamite necklace, $40, dynamiteclothing.com SHOP HERE

The delicate, irregular pearl juxtaposed against tough silver links is a modern alternative to the expected cross necklace.

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist lipstick in Cheerful Burgundy, $31, sephora.ca SHOP HERE

A dark-souled red to pop against a powdered-pale goth complexion.

Copova Lowena bag, $580, ssense.com SHOP HERE

This fleece bag is Wednesday Addams to a tee, with its roses, quirky characters and occultish symbols.

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