Goth Fashion On A Budget

Let's be real. Being goth is not cheap. If you want more intricate, fancy items you'll usually need to shell out quite a bit of cash. Great if you're getting good quality clothing/accessories but not so great for your bank account. Sigh.

Then again, who cares if your black vest is from Primark or Killstar? Psst: If someone tells you they do, ditch them, they're not worth your time. Being gothic's not about how much you can spend after all.

But hey, I get it. You still want to express yourself with your appearance. You'd just rather not go completely bankrupt. Fear not friend, for I have tips on how to do the goth thing on a budget.

Let's start with online shopping.

Blue Banana  frequently have sales on big gothic brands like Banned, Jawbreaker, Cupcake Cult and most recently Killstar. Check out their 'sales' page frequently as the offers go from 30% off all the way to 70%.

Check out the clearance sections of Killstar , Emp and Attitude Clothing too. These sites frequently have sales on special holidays and throughout seasons (end of season items can be bought super cheap if you get in there quickly).

How is this possible? Only online alternative or actual alternative stores will carry gothic styles, surely? The high street is a pretty great place to buy affordable goth clothes, actually.

Basic pieces such as t shirts, leggings, fishnet/regular tights, vests and shorts can all be found at stores like Primark and H&M. These are great staples to have as you can dress them up or down. You can also find lots of 'regular' black clothes that will pair up nicely with gothic pieces.

This black and white striped skirt I'm wearing in this photo? Under £20 from Dorothy Perkins. And it goes so well with my Killstar Goth Doll crop top that yes, I got on sale. Woo!



DON'T be afraid to wait it out for items to go on sale. It's worth taking a step back and having the patience sometimes, believe me!

This one's pretty great because it means nobody else has an item like yours so it feels much more personal and sentimental. I've DIY'd a ton of items in the past including fingerless gloves made from black knee socks and hair bows (I simply glued a crocodile clip to the back of a bow that came off a hairband). The black lace bow you see above was one of my DIY projects and I absolutely ADORE that bow.

Grab a black belt from a charity shop and some rivet studs off e-bay or craft store. Boom, you've got yourself a cheap studded belt. Hell, if you don't want the fuss off attaching rivets get crafty with gems/beads and superglue. You can bulk buy a ton of these on e-bay for under £2!

Buy plain rings or necklace chains and attach a custom stone/pendant which you can also bulk buy on sites like ebay for extremely cheap.

Fabric trims from home or craft stores make great chokers. Especially intricate lace ones. Attach a little pendant with a jump ring and away you go. (Get some little studs/buttons/beads and glue them on if you don't want the fuss of jump rings!) You can do the same thing to make bracelets or wrist bands too.

There's a million endless ways to create your own items. Use Pinterest and Youtube for tutorials and inspiration.

There's plentiful selection of spooky accessories in stores around Halloween which can be purchased for cheap once Halloween's over and worn throughout the year. I do this all the time.

I got skeleton bone and spiderweb style lace gloves from Claire's in their sales right after Halloween as well as rings, necklaces, bracelets and even earrings.  Even if you can't wear the item as is you can always use pieces from it or modify it for something else.

This is THE best time to shop (it's my favourite time to shop in general but especially if you're looking for some bargain goodies!) to find lovely spooky things to wear.

Browser add ons generate coupon or voucher codes that will land you discounts on your online purchases (get your pointy party hats ready!).

I personally like Honey a lot! I had some issues with it slowing down Firefox so I only tend to activate it when I'm shopping but it is a fantastic little add on that will more often than not offer you multiple codes to get the best deal.

There's also Pouch which will give you discounts on thousands of sites.

Good luck my fellow Goth babes on a budget! Share your favourite ways to get discounts in the comments to help each other out!

*This post was not sponsored.