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).

The Angels Carrying Savage Weapons site has some of the most wonderful corsets imaginable, with beautiful designs, sumptuous materials and can cater for a phenomenal range of sizes from A to G cups and waists from 20″ through to a wonderfully voluptuous 50″!

Handmade in Nottinghamshire (rather than imported from the far east), all of their corsets are steel boned and made to your measurements, which is essential for a flattering fit. You can always tell when someone has crammed (literally) themselves into an off-the-shelf corset, so treat yourself!

All of the corsets are true minimising (reduction) corsets, built to draw in your waist by between 2″-4″, to give you that hourglass figure that your admirers will drool over and your enemies will be sick with envy about.

Our favourites include the Bridal Corsets (though the pictures don’t quite do them justice), with fully tailored skirts and accessories, as well as the wonderful Lingerie Collection designed to complement the corsets.

As with much of the work we tend to gravitate towards, their work isn’t out and out goth, with black lace, drippy velvet and cheap patterns everywhere, but we feel it sits perfectly with the grown up individuality and drippingly dark sensuality that we are drawn to.

Objects of desire indeed.

(As always, we hope that Angels Carrying Savage Weapons don’t mind us pinching their pictures, if you do then please contact us guys: theapprentice@theseamstress.co.uk.)

Though not strictly Goth,  Kathryn Rolfe’s Lingerie is a shop every woman needs to visit at least once in her life. No matter what size or shape you are, Kathryn will make you feel special. Set aside a couple of hours and make the trip. Her full fitting service is an experience not to be missed! The lingerie is sourced from some of the best in europe, it fits and lasts accordingly. The care and attention you will recieve is surpassed by none. Treat yourself, you won’t be sorry.

Partners - do not panic, this is one shopping experience you will enjoy too. You get to sit on the sofa with a drink (”tea, coffee, or something a little stronger?”) and relax. A record of your lady’s favorite items and their size is kept, so for special occasions you can choose a present, comfortable in the knowledge that she’ll love it and it will fit. Talk about bonus points!

A very personal recommendation; I won’t shop anywhere else. I travel half way across the country for bras that fit my 32GG curves (depending on the day and the bra - something every woman will appreciate, and which Kathryn understands as the expert she is), and have been welcomed back every time since my first visit one day, hoping to escape the pain of my ill fitting scaffolding.

If you are anything like us, then you can spend hours wandering around the darkest recesses of fabric shops, searching for that perfect cloth for your project.

Well now you can do it from your sofa, with a coffee.

MacCulloch & Wallis Fabrics and Equipment is just astonishing. They supply some of the finest period costumiers in the country and have such a huge range of fabric that I have yet to scratch the surface and I already want to sing their praises.

Embroidered Silks, Brocades and Lace to make you weep. They also supply everything you need from thread to corsetry supplies (including the all too rare steel boning, in a huge variety of sizes and thicknesses!).

Just go and lose yourself for an hour or so. But beware the temptation……!