When you think of when you think of goth? My personal style faves might be Jade from Victorious (it’s on Netflix as of the time I’m writing this article, so blame that and my crush on her for that), and then there’s vampire version of Candace from that one episode of Phineas and Ferb when she walks into “Danville’s one goth store”.
Oh yeah, and Tim Burton.
Like, all of Tim Burton.
But, put all that aside, every little inkling you’ve had of what goth fashion’s supposed to be. Lounging dramatically in graveyards, reading Edgar Allan Poe and sipping dark coffee and staring into thoughts of one’s own existence. Blood-red lips and maybe blood-red eyes and…
A vampire. You’re basically thinking of a vampire, right?
Now… add the adjective “pastel” to goth. What do you get?
Rainbow wonderland on Fright Night realness.
Pastel goth is a style that’s taking over Instagram feeds. Sure, you’ve heard of #SoftSeason and #SoftGrunge or #SoftPunk. But what is Pastel Goth, and what business do bright colors have in goth aesthetics, anyways?
It’s a little like if you combine Harajuku fashion from Japan with Billie Eilish’s aesthetic and then some hair dye and Tim Burton got really into using a non-monochrome color palette. That’s Pastel Goth mixed with a whole lot of young Millennial / older Gen Z vibes.
The style borrows a lot from its goth namesake with fangs, crosses (like the e-bois aesthetic), leather, chokers, chunky combat boots, lace and dramatic makeup.
The Hex Girls from Scooby Doo are shaking.
In conclusion, if pastel and vamps excite you, this might be your next style evolution.