Tentacles & Pentacles
I've been reading everywhere "the 90's are back!", but for some of us, certain styles never went anywhere. The 90s were an interesting time, defined by all sorts of mixes and hybrids of styles. Just like every generation, the 90's was a time of self-expression, and the greatest way to do that is through fashion.
Fashion is the skin we choose to travel in. It's the comfort in the way a certain fabric feels, and the empowerment we bestow upon ourselves through what we decorate and celebrate our bodies, mind and spirit with.
The 90's were wrought with mysticism and music. It took all of the darkly romantic and deeply artistic aspects of our character and fitted it into band shirts, plaids and chunky shoes. It packed everything that gave it peace of mind into a backpack or a big tote, and then went off into the forest.
It was grunge, it was Goth, it was black metal. It wanted you to know that life was to be experienced and it screamed at those that dared entrap it and set it on fire...and it was fucking amazing.
The 90's were the last time that many of us remember being "normal". It was before the "big scare" fell over society post 9/11, before the black cloud of isolations set in and before smart phones took over the world. Granted, we were still waist deep in Satanic panic, but we laughed in the face of it, gathered our friends and community around us, found our strengths, knocked down walls, pushed through barriers and then danced with skeletons of the past while we looked wide-eyed and hopeful towards for the future.
For me, 90's Goth and grunge style isn't and wasn't about some trend. We didn't do it because it was popular. The styles oozed out the authentic and passionate within us, wrapped itself around us and became a poetic sort of armor.
"NecroWytch" Unisex T-shirt summons and stirs the old ones from beyond the veils of time, while "Haunted Plaid" skirt resonates of ghosts and T.V. static.
The "Haunted Plaid" also comes in the form of leggins.
"Plain Black" leggins is a staple. Under skirts, and big oversized sweaters, they go with everything.
"Occultish" boots twist all manner of esoterica and paints it over every step.
Our "Tentacles & Pentacles" Tote bag comes in one size - LARGE. It has to fit books, and sketch pads and pencils and totems and bags of this and that and still fit a ouija board inside of it.
...and of course, the "Necronomicon" inspired journal. I wanted it to look like it had seen it's share of dusty trunks and salt-water. It's a durable and fun way to journal the days events, keep notes for class or to write down your poetry, favorite recipes, craft ideas or newly found spells.
Sometimes, nostalgia kills. It can make us go back in time where we face the bitter truth of our own mortality. It longs for a time long ago and sometimes, mourns its passing in tears and in depression and anxiety, BUT that's only if you try to remain there.
Nostalgia is the things we hold dear. It is the darlings we refuse to kill. It is because we were, ever creative, ever inspired and ever moving forward towards an uncertain future.
Right now, the world is in a transition, and it seems that there are some great battles being waged over the minds and spirits of everyone. Some want us to forget the past, some beg us to enter fully into alien technology and others want us to wear the uniforms of dogma and conformity while censoring the very things that make us beautifully human...and with all of the flashing imagery of hate and fear and disease that have been set out before us, we still must find our own inner strength and not lose ourselves in all of their bullshit.
Resist. Engage. Celebrate. - This is the spirit of the 90's. Embrace it. Once again, let it ooze from out of the cracks. Turn the radio up, lace up your boots, and then go outside and create your world.