Okay, so I wanted to find the perfect gothic semi-formal dress. I’ve got this event coming up, and the dress code is kinda vague, but I really wanted to lean into the gothic aesthetic without going full-on costume-y.
First, I started by just browsing online. I typed in “gothic semi-formal dresses” into a search engine, just to see what would pop up. I figured that would give me a good starting point, some visual ideas, you know?
I found some initial results, I saw lots of different styles. Some were way too over-the-top, like something out of a vampire movie. Others were just…black dresses. Not really gothic at all.
- Too much lace!
- Way too many ruffles!
- Some were just plain black dresses.
So I refined my search. I added terms like “Victorian,” “velvet,” and “lace,” trying to narrow things down. This helped a bit. I started to see dresses with more of the subtle details I was looking for – a bit of lace trim, a velvet bodice, maybe a slightly higher neckline.
Digging Deeper
Then I started looking at images and focused on the specific elements I liked. I noticed I was drawn to dresses with a certain silhouette – not too tight, but not a giant ballgown either. A-line seemed to be the sweet spot. I also realized I preferred darker colors, obviously, but not just plain black. Deep reds, purples, even a dark forest green seemed cool.
I spent a good few hours just browsing, saving pictures, making notes. It was kind of a mess, honestly. I had all these different styles and ideas swirling around in my head. It helped to create a sort of mood board with my preferences to help keep me on track.
Finally, I started to put some of the dresses and styles I saw together to create my * felt like a * It looks amazing!
