FASHION ADVICE WANTED: need a new coat/jacket/trench (am I too old buy something gothy?)

[Batou667]

Rule 1: You are your own person, do what the f**k you like and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Rule 2: Whenever an anonymous talking head on the internet gives you advice, take it with a pinch of salt.

Having said those two, maybe consider not being "the coat guy" sometimes. I'm sure most people can remember a time when somebody in their social group pretty much went out of their way to stereotype themselves with some kind of clothing gimmick, and justified it by saying "it's my style". I remember when the first Matrix film came out, everybody and their damn dog was wearing long leather coats with shades. There's always some annoying guy who has a hat constantly glued to his head, even indoors. Even I'm guilty of it - when I was at college I started growing my hair out, and to keep it out of my eyes I decided that wearing a bandana would be just the ticket. It was only years after when I started, you know, combing my hair instead that my friends told me that I'd looked like a bit of an idiot all along (thanks, assholes).

So, I suppose what I'm saying is, remember you're a real-life person, not some sitcom character who needs a trademark item to be recognised. Trying out some new styles might be beneficial.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Understand that mindset, but I want it to be provocative to a certain extent so what other people think does sorta influence my decision.

Have you tried drawing a giant penis on the back of a previous jacket? A nice thick black marker might work well on the denim.

If I'm going to wear a penis on the back of my jacket I'd want it to be the most badass penis-art ever, not a mere sharpie marker doodle I drew.

Actually in all seriousness, that wouldn't be a bad idea to have an anthropomorphized penis duing Kungfu to anthropomorphized ninja-vaginas.

Tag line? I'M A DICK, AND I FUCK PUSSY'S UP!!!

 

[Geekiest]

So, there are tricks to pulling of the Goth look no matter age or demographic. They are as follows:

-Learn to match blacks. There's nothing worse than a green-black shirt and purple-black jacket. It's a small thing that doesn't get noticed much in dim lighting, but anything resembling normal light or god forbid black light will turn the small mismatch into an unsightly pairing. A grey-black is ideal, it goes with almost any other color. Avoid green-black at all costs for a jacket.
-Get your Hair in gear. Having the hairstyle to match your style is key in pulling off a look in any subculture, but goth especially. You don't have to go full color streaks or all black if that's not your natural color, but you want to pick a style that fits into the scene. They tend to go for sharply layered looks, asymmetry and choppy or slanted bangs. If you have a day-job that does not approve of this sort of thing look in the direction of sleek geek icons like David Tenant of Benedict Cumberpatch for hair that passes as normal but accents a style with elegance.
-Stomp into some Boots. Don't for the love of god wear pastel running shoes with goth gear. You want black-and-white or black-and-red or white-and-red with the possible exceptions of some tie-in colors. Or boots, which are really the preference for the look but can be less comfortable at first.
-Detergent. Keep an eye on what kind of detergent you use to make sure you keep your blacks black. When it comes to black jeans and heavier jackets? The trick it to turn them inside out and then wash them to keep the outer color from wearing away as fast. And if your clothes do wear down a bit do not despair! There are plenty of tricks for returning them up to snuff.

Now, any other tips I'd give you would depend entirely on the *kind* of goth you want to go for. Wearing otherwise normal clothes under a goth coat is not necessarily a scene-clasher, but that depends on how heavy you go on the chains and studs.

 

[Galletea]

My main suggestion is that you don't go for something because you like a specific look. I like double breasted military style short jackets, but I'd look like a complete idiot in one.

I would suggest you go to a store and you try on a load of different coats and see which style looks best on you, pick a range of things, take someone with you who will give you an honest answer. It doesn't matter about the colour at this stage, if you have an idea of what suits you, then you can look up colours and prices elsewhere. If you really want something trench coat like, then check out army surplus, and get something decent. There is a lot of cheap shit about now that the alternative is the mainstream, you have to hunt a bit harder for that bargain.

It's a small amount of research to do for something that is going to be costly. Cheap coats don't usually last very long, so it's worth paying that bit extra for it. Everyone is a different shape, so it's worth trying stuff on. A long trench coat that doesn't cost the earth is not likely to look all that great on you. I've seen them, and they don't look particularly great on anyone.


And it's just a thought, but you don't have to wear a coat all the time, mix it up. You don't really want to be defined by one piece of clothing. Get some nice shirts, and don't go super baggy all the time, it can exaggerate your size if you're not careful.