Women's Gothic Clothing Punk Rave

What is emo fashion?

The emo subculture takes a large portion of its fashion sense from the gothic and punk subcultures. It's fairly safe to consider emo to be a mesh of the two subcultures with a sprinkle of sensitivity. And Punk Rave is just the brand that delivers this fashion style. Though the mixture of the two subcultures is more apparent in females, you can also see subtle hints in the way that emo males dress. So, if you are a fan of the Punk Rave collections, then you are also an emo fashion fan.

Emo is a style of music that originated in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s and is a combination of pop-punk and indie rock. The name "emo" is short for "emotional hardcore." More than just music, emo is used to describe a particular fashion style popular with the emo subculture — typically teenagers. Emo fashion usually includes tight T-shirts, hoodies, skinny jeans, sneakers, punk accessories, and specific hair and makeup styles.

Most emo outfits include a band T-shirt that is often worn tightly. The band has to be considered "cool," which means it should be an emo band or a band that emo fashion followers think is ironic, such as Journey. The T-shirts are usually short-sleeved and paired with hoodies, another name for sweatshirt jackets. The hoodie should have the name of an emo band, skulls, or stars on it or be in a plain, dark color. In emo fashion, hoodies are acceptable year-round, no matter the climate.

One of the most important aspects of emo fashion is skinny jeans. These are the type of jeans that are tight from the hips to the ankles, and males can wear girls' jeans. The goal is that jeans should look painted to the legs, and they can be dark indigo, black, or even bright colors, but never the color of regular blue jeans. Black Converse sneakers or skate shoes, such as Vans, are the common shoe choice in emo fashion. Females can wear black buckle shoes, but the main key is to wear simple, flat shoes.

Emo fashion includes many fashion accessories, such as fingerless gloves, studded bracelets, studded leather belts, and backpacks or totes with emo band logos. Many people add pins to them. Males and females often wear thin, long, and striped scarves to complete any outfit. Multiple ear piercings are part of the trend, and many males wear thick black horn-rimmed glasses, as well.

So, what makes the emo fashion lovers part of the gothic fashion style?

Emo fashion fans wear a lot of blacks. This was more apparent when the style first began to emerge several years ago. Although some emo fashion fans still stick to the more original apparel, the style has evolved to include a wider color variety. Another notable gothic trend that was carried over into the emo subculture is dying the hair black. When the emo trend first emerged, this was another style that was closely followed. Both males and females liked it. It is still popular among many emos, and it has certainly evolved. Especially if you take into consideration the hairstyles that have taken on more of a punk look. The last notable trend taken from the gothic subculture is heavy dark eye makeup. Eyeliner on males is one of the most notable emo trademarks.

From a punk side point of view, there has been a comeback of animal prints. This was particularly seen through the female emo population. Old punk bands have also reemerged as an emo favorite choice of music. An evolved hairstyle went from a primarily black color to multi-dyed hair, though black is still usually the base color. So is emo more gothic or more punk? Aside from the musical aspect, I'd say that emo originally took its fashion sense from the gothic subculture. In later years, punk began to play a larger part. Either way, the marriage of these two subcultures created a pretty attractive baby.

With all of the above mentioned, it is safe to say that emo fashion has changed over the years. And there are two parts that best describe this change. It refers to the emo fashion of the past and emo fashion of the present. While there might be some basic generalizations across the board, the emo fashion style has changed a lot and it is today the main inspiration for the Punk Rave brand. The evolution can be seen from a pretty tight dress code to a much more relaxed style that combines a variety of different elements.

Emo Fashion of the Past

In the beginning, most emo fashion fans were conformed to a fairly strict fashion statement, which was part of claiming that their style was unique. The irony with it and with being unique was that the more people that became part of that, the less unique a style becomes. Emo fashion fans shared the idea of a standardized fashion, and in their attempt to be different, created just that.

The emo males started wearing girl's jeans. In the beginning, this created much controversy. However, it later died down when retailers caught on to the trend and brought back skinny jeans. Tight clothing, in general, was and still is a fashion standard for emos.

In the beginning, the fashion style was very vintage-looking. Many emos went to thrift stores to shop for printed t-shirts and flannels. Thick framed glasses, sweatbands, and messenger bags also became a pretty big thing at that time.

Emo Fashion of Today

For emo fashion, many things have changed, but a lot has also stayed the same. It is safe to say that it is still very much demanded fashion style today. For example, a popular trend among emos is to flat iron their hair as straight as humanly possible, which contributes to the entire outfit.

Tight clothing is still very much in style with the emo culture, although much of it has taken a more modern and fresh look. Stripes are popular as well as stars, hearts, skulls, nautical stars, and sparrows. Emo females typically wear more trendy fashion as opposed to the original vintage style.

These are also some pointers that show that emo fashion is very dominant today but as a part of the gothic fashion style. Unlike many other fashion styles, the stability of emo culture changes as time passes, being more and more influenced by the goth subculture.

What defines the Punk Rave fashion collection?

Colors

The number one color for dressing is black. Other dark colors, such as navy blue, dark gray, and dark jewel tones will also create the needed look. No matter what articles of clothing you choose and 

what accessories you pair them with, always make sure to keep the colors dark. Sometimes, black and white will do if the predominant color is black. A black shirt with thin white stripes can look very Punk Rave.

Pants

Punk Rave guys and girls tend to wear dark pants in a few different styles. The jeans are usually dark blue, black, or a very deep gray. The pants are generally straight-leg style rather than flared or tapered. Sometimes these jeans are called skinny jeans. A choice can also fall on dark brown or black corduroy pants.

Tops

The tops are often either track jackets or vintage-style t-shirts. Many people who dress in fashion style actually do find vintage t-shirts in thrift stores or in vintage clothing stores, but vintage-style shirts that are pre-faded are now readily available online and in many clothing stores. The vintage t-shirt may be worn under a vintage tracksuit or an unbuttoned button-up shirt in a dark color. Whatever type of top you choose, make sure it fits tightly. A loose-fitting t-shirt does not fit into the emo style.

New t-shirts that are not vintage style can also fit into the emo look. The t-shirts should have some type of printing on them, from nonsensical words to popular sayings to pictures of animals. Some emo dressers like checkered shirts or striped shirts, but those are usually are worn over a t-shirt with printing on it.

Belts

In keeping with the dark color scheme, must-have addition to the outfit wear is a belt with metal studs on it. The girls sometimes wear a white belt for a contrasting color, though guys usually wear a black one.

Socks and Shoes

Argyle socks are pretty much favored, and they can be in any color at all. Even white socks with light-colored patterns on them are ok. If you want to keep everything dark, look for black argyle socks with deep red or green patterns on them. Also, consider black and white striped or checkered socks instead of argyles.

Shoes are usually tennis shoes. These are shoes with a simple construction with a lot of different patterns available. Shoes that tie are preferable to any other kind. Dark-colored tennis shoes with dark-colored laces are the best choice when dressing emo. You may need to replace your white laces with black ones to achieve this look, but it does add to the overall somber appearance.

Punk Rave Boys

Punk Rave boys usually wear a hairstyle that is shaggy, much like the girls cover their eyes with bangs. Guys seem too careless for dying their hair black or dark colors. Boys often wear very tight t-shirts and very tight pants. Some even wear girls' pants. While many just sew their own pants tighter. Especially in the legging area. Dark colors belts, usually black, with studs, are very fashionable for boys.

Punk Rave Girls

Punk Rave girls have a very interesting fashion sense when it comes to clothes. Her clothes are bold and they show off her rebellious nature. Though most of them have a vintage look to them and are inspired by a punk rock of the 80s, they can be inclined towards the cute side as well. Straight-lined jersey dresses and denim short skirts are a huge hit in the fashion world of emo. You can wear leggings with stripes, fishnet stockings, pantyhose, and knee-length socks under them. Wear cap-sleeved or short-sleeved tees carrying bold statements on them. You can also wear lots of hoodies. You are allowed to wear jeans as well, provided they are bold enough to carry off the emo look. So you can go for cropped, ripped, or faded jeans. Skull motif, bold colored stripes, and polka dots are very popular designs among Punk Rave girls.