The Seamstress - Gothic Clothing & Tailoring.

Kiss Me Deadly have certainly got the name right for a gothic underwear company and it seems that they have the designs and the style to carry the name off with aplomb! From fantasy themes, through some bold colours (yes - we said colours - there’s no law against them, even for goths!) to wonderfully dark renditions of retro styles like our favourite, the Van Mimi:

Started because of a lack of good suspender belts - they’ve really got an outstanding range of sussies and girdles to make you feel like you’re just a touch more special than your rival. Give your enemies a smile - they’ll see the glint in your eye and crumble!

As always, we hope that Kiss Me Deadly don’t mind us pinching pics - if you do guys - contact me: theapprentice@theseamstress.co.uk

Even goths have to wear underwear (sometimes!) and we need to make sure it fits with the whole feel of the thing - you can hardly prowl a darkened club in full garb knowing that you’ve got a greying pair of M&S knickers on underneath the yards of black satin, lace and velvet.

In steps What Katie Did, with their stunning 1940’s inspired lingerie, ranging from the phenomenal Bullet Bra to their authentic Seamed Nylons. You could either mix and match, or you could go for the full ensemble, like our favourite, the fabulous “Lily” set:

What better than knowing that everything from your toenails to your hair fits how you feel!

Started by a corset-maker who couldn’t get hold of decent stockings (necessity is so often the mother of invention), What Katie Did are still run by the founder and a couple of close associates and all of their products are made in a factory in India (we wish it was the UK, but how much do you want to pay for your undies?) which Katie herself visits regularly.

As always, we hope that What Katie Did don’t mind us pinching the pics - if you do guys, just contact me: theapprentice@theseamstress.co.uk

There’s a whole host of new designers working with lingerie which fits with the goth aesthetic, from the stockings, waist cinchers and girdles in retro 1940’s styles from What Katie Did, to the vampy and erotic suspender belts and bras from Kiss Me Deadly.

And how could we mention underwear without suggesting some of the corsets made by Angelic Weapons, Velda Lauder or Maya Hansen?

As always, we hope the guys don’t mind us pinching their pictures (but if you do - contact us: theapprentice@theseamstress.co.uk).

There has been a serious rennaissance in gothic influence on couture designers at catwalk shows across the world recently, with some outstandingly dark collections from Yohji Yamamoto, Alexander McQueen, Gaultier, Paul Smith and of course Vivienne Westwood.

Probably the ones which made the most impact on me was the Yamamoto womenswear collection, with phenomenal tailored styles which any corporate goth could hold their head up high in, and the gents collection from Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label - fantastic pin-stripes, 3 piece suits and sharp lines without a polo shirt in sight thank heavens!

However, what we wondered was who is influencing who? There has been an explosion in the US goth clothing market recently, with designers such as Kambriel and Taeden Hall of Gloomth producing primarily gothic clothing which seems to sit above the catwalk and drip down their sanguine influence on those below.

And the best thing is that these cult designers are producing their own clothing in their own countries, often running the sewing machines themselves. These guys are making fantastic clothing without the fantasy pricetags - check out our favourite Gothic Designers.

the apprentice.