As a lot of you know I am a total post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre fangirl. I’ve been into the genre since the early 80’s and I have always loved the way that the characters in such films look. For example, the baddies in The Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max 2) have always fascinated me. Where did they get all of the cool black gear from, and how the hell did they put their mohawks up in a desert wasteland with no beauty supply shops nearby? Also, where did the find the brightly coloured hair-dye at?
As I slowly discovered the joys of goth and punk music there was something in the back of my brain telling me that I should combine the two as to how I looked. There were some years I looked more goth and some years in which I looked more punk. I was never successful at combining the two together seamlessly into a cohesive look.
I got diagnosed with MS about 3 1/2 years ago and within a short time I couldn’t work any longer. So, I decided that I was going to start dressing how I really wanted to, and do whatever the hell I liked with my hair. I was going to start dressing in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian style by golly! As I searched Etsy for items, and ideas, I noticed that the clothes and accessories came in two different varieties; costumes for festivals and actual wearable items. The costume items are really over the top, such as heavily stained clothing, colourful gasmasks, home-made shoulder pads and jewellery . I’m not dissing those items because they are often very creative. However, you do not want to wear all of these kind of items together while shopping or walking about because it’ll look like you are just wearing a costume rather than wearing actual everyday clothing.
A lot of the wearable items that I have seen on Etsy are made in small batches and can be very expensive. If you have the skill and patience to do so it is cheaper, and more original, to customize your own items. So far I have painted my post-apocalyptic pleather jacket and have stencilled with a bleach pen symbols onto some leggings. I plan on distressing a few knit items that I own and sewing some patches onto a black denim jacket and a plain black canvas messenger bag that I have purchased. I have bought quite a few pieces of jewellery because I don’t feel confident making such things myself. With some broken jewellery and wire I plan on decorating some of my items. Also, I have found some very fab bottle-cap keyrings on Etsy that I plan on making into zip pulls and decorations.
The balance between costume and clothing in this style is all about limiting costume pieces to maybe only one item in an outfit. Have a ripped up skirt? Wear it with a top that isn’t as damaged. Have an over the top choker? Pair it with an outfit that isn’t as decorative. I stay away from goggles, gas masks, and shoulder-pads because they all scream costume, and I don’t want to be mistaken for a cybergoth. I also stay away from tons of bright colours, so I will wear only one brightly object at a time if I wear any at all.
I hope this post inspires you to come up with your own individual style because it’s a very fun journey to take.
