Modern goth: how to style the grunge trend resurgence

The clean girl is gone, she's dead. In her place? Introducing the modern goth.

The popularisation of what we understand to be "gothic" came as a splinter of the post-punk movement in the 70s and into the 80s. Gothic Rock quickly evolved into definable culture with a dress code, cultural tastes and icons like Robert Smith and Alice Cooper.

Since that time, goth culture has continued to evolve, incorporating elements of Victorian dress, favouring niche Northern European music, embracing media like The Addams Family and The Corpse Bride – and generally championing the macabre. Why? Because goth at its core is about counter-culture.

Now, it seems almost fitting that we witness a return to black. After all, the first iteration of Y2K fashion birthed the goth offshoot subcultures, Emo and Scene. It would make sense that the resurgence of bubblegum, rah-rah fashion should spawn an opposing and darker counterpart – the modern goth.

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But the modern goth is not your classic ripped-skirt-and spiky-necklace figure? The modern goth is tailored, she's minimal and she's ever so slightly more polished than her traditional goth counterpart. Don't get it twisted, her liner is still bold and smudged, her belts are still chunky, her tattoos are still there and her smile is still sardonic. She's chic but a little scary. Think Gabbriette Bechtel, Amelia Gray, Jenna Ortega and sometimes even Charli XCX.

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If you're anything like us, and feeling a nostalgic for black or intrigued by a new wave of morbid grunge, below we've found the chic pieces that will help you channel elements of the modern goth into your wardrobe.