His name was Adam. He stalked our high-school hallways wearing a leather trench coat, chipped dark polish and a moody expression. His hair was silky black, and mascara flecks dusted his pale skin. He was Edward Cullen before Robert Pattinson had adult teeth, and I loved him from afar with a fervour that only shy teenagers can muster.
That was in the ’90s, when darkness cast a stylish shadow over music, film and fashion: Nine Inch Nails ruled the airwaves, Marilyn Manson starred in David Lynch’s Lost Highway and Rei Kawakubo designed “seven shades of black” for Comme des Garçons.
Now, more than a decade later, pop culture is in the throes of another gothic crush. Vampires and their ghoulish relations dominate TV hits like The Vampire Diaries and Game of Thrones, as Edgar Allan Poe, played by John Cusack, prepares for his Hollywood close-up in The Raven. On the fashion front, jewellery designer Delfina Delettrez’s skeleton bracelets and spider-web rings add a sexy twist to horror chic, while shoppers snap up Daphne Guinness’ goth-tinged collection for M.A.C. The style icon’s beauty inspiration? Pigeon blood.
