With her distinctive black, goth-inspired looks that complement her broody character, Wednesday Addams from the classic The Addams Family
films made an explosive comeback into mainstream popular culture with the first season of Wednesday quickly becoming one of Netflix’s most-watched shows. With the teen returning to Nevermore Academy and our screens for the second season recently, here’s how you can recreate Wednesday-inspired looks incorporating elements of gothic fashion.
Getting Started
Having emerged as a music-based subculture in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, goths try to find beauty in what most people consider dark, like Victorian era aesthetics, black and white colour palettes and gothic literature. People active in the city’s goth scene, like Sasha, consider Wednesday heavily inspired by goth fashion. “You can say it is a highly stylised form of gothic fashion, I’d call ‘goth-chic’. The look is Victorian-inspired, the fashion, makeup and accessories are black and white. Wednesday’s essence is reflected through her wardrobe, incorporating dark aesthetics,” she says.
Nikita Nain, proprietor of Goth Meets Bling Store, suggests starting with an all black outfit and accessorising. “You can style black outfits with a basic grommet belt, chokers or black lace elements. Black boots, rings and chains with Viking or Nordic themes like skulls, tigers or dragons, and Victorian elements like corsets with a plain black dress are also popular.” She adds, “Black and red roses can be paired with black chokers or wrist bands.”
Men can incorporate many of the same elements, as Nain says, “They usually wear black leather pants, belts with chains, black or silver jewellery, and black shirts. They also tend to wear eyeliner with hair styled in spikes.”
Slay It With DIY
Wednesday’s glam goth look and iconic dance at the season 1’s Rave’N ball kicked off a viral trend of recreations on social media. For those looking to recreate something similar, Anima Kandir, founder of Rabit Hole, a goth small business that recently held a pop-up in Bengaluru, suggests, “You could wear a tank top or a cap sleeve black top over a high collared shirt, and layer a skirt and belt.” As for Wednesday’s everyday look, Sasha suggests, “You can create it using staples like a black dress or skirt, with a white collared shirt, black blazer, long socks, and black boots.” Other things that are easy to DIY are chokers and custom painted jackets, according to Kandir.
Hairy Twist
While Wednesday is mostly seen with her jet black hair in bangs and neat braids, that’s not your only option. Kumaran suggests taking a leaf out of Morticia’s book. “Indians are blessed to have jet black hair, which is very gothic. Morticia’s super straight hair is a classic look and will suit any haircut or length.”
Kandir, on the other hand, suggests giving a local touch as she did with a ‘daayan ki choti’ (witch’s braid) hairstyle. “Goth hairstyles are about incorporating individuality. Since I have very long hair, I took inspiration from Indian culture and tried a daayan hairstyle by adding extensions, making a braid that went to my knees and adding black lace and spikes – fusing an Indian concept with goth, which is very western.”
‘Bloodless’ Makeup
Ghostly pale, matte makeup is a go-to goth look. To adapt it to Indian skin tones, Prthika Kumaran, creative director of Cocomiiiu Makeup Studio, says choosing the right foundation is key. “Begin with colour correcting your skin with a concealer closest to your skin tone, then go in with a foundation that’s one shade lighter with a pink or blue undertone, not a yellow undertone. Setting should be done with loose powder not a compact or press powder. The idea is to make your face look bloodless,” she says.
With lips, there’s nothing more striking than the black or dark red that Morticia Addams often sports. “Since most Indians’ lips are pigmented, they can also go for a medium to dark brown in the centre of the lips and dab it around. With eyes, keep it simple with a smoky makeup,” says Kumaran.