What Is an Alt Girl: From the 1982 Batcave to Your Black Turtleneck

Dear Friends, on 21 July 1982 a club night called the Batcave opened at the Gargoyle Club, 69 Dean Street, in Soho, London. Olli Wisdom of the band Specimen ran it, and it is now considered the birthplace of the Southern English goth subculture. Nick Cave, Robert Smith of the Cure and Siouxsie Sioux were regulars. One journalist argued the Batcave did more to set goth fashion than goth music, which tells you how much of this story is about getting dressed.

 

So, what is an alt girl. Alt stands for alternative, and today it works as a loose umbrella that gathers grunge, goth, emo, punk and scene under one name. Teen Vogue points out that alternative aesthetics are often treated as more of a lifestyle than a personal style, and that they never really went away. What can we take from that (besides a lot of black). Mostly a way of dressing that opts out of polish and repeats a few strong pieces with confidence. Below are modern-day options to bring that idea into your own closet, starting at the neck.

 

The black turtleneck is the base layer of the whole look. The Joe's Jeans Tony and the AG Chels are the slim, close ones, and the Chels has a ribbed, polished neckline that sits well under a blazer. The Edikted Saskia and the FRAME rib knit are the same idea with a softer hand. For October I would reach for the GRLFRND merino, a fine-gauge knit that slides under a coat without bulk. The Vince funnel neck is the relaxed one, and the Enza Costa has thumb slits, which makes it a good first layer for a cold platform at 8am.

 

A practical tip: pull the neck up to your chin and check that it holds its shape without gaping or rolling. A good black knit should stay close all day.

Black is the easy part of this look, and the shape of the pant is where it gets sharper. Slim and ankle-skimming does most of the work, so I would start there.

 

The Favorite Daughter Favorite pant and the SANS FAFF tuxedo pant both have that straight, ankle-skimming line, and the SANS FAFF adds a satin-trimmed waist for evenings. The Theory Treeca is the clean, tailored full-length option. The ALLSAINTS Atlas Krys tapers and has a contrast side seam, which gives a plain black trouser a small edge (my favorite kind of detail).

 

Then the plaid mini, which is where the punk part of alt style lives. The MORE TO COME Davina is black and white plaid, slim and short. The Barbour Carville is a dark pleated tartan with a small D-ring at the waist. The Guest in Residence is red and black tartan in a wool-cashmere blend, and the FRENCH CONNECTION Leonie is a gray tartan with a slim, straight cut. In my fashion dreams it is a Sunday in October and she is walking into a record shop in a tartan mini, a black turtleneck and thick tights.

 

Fitting-room test: sit down and lift your knee. The skirt hem should stay put, and the pant should still skim the ankle bone. What I would skip: a busy tartan over a textured knit. Let one thing be loud.

Dr. Martens made the 1460 on 1 April 1960, an eight-eyelet boot in smooth leather, and the yellow stitching and air-cushioned sole were part of the package. By the late 1970s punks and new-wave musicians had adopted it. When Marc Jacobs showed his grunge collection for Perry Ellis on 19 November 1992, Dr. Martens were on that runway too.

 

So the combat boot is the family heirloom here. The Dr. Martens 1460 is the classic black version with yellow welt stitching, and the Jadon puts the same smooth leather on a platform sole. The Steve Madden Yukon has a cap toe and a low block heel, so it is a little less severe. I would wear any of them with a tartan mini and thick socks.

 

For softer days there are loafers and Mary Janes. The Seychelles Ambitious is a penny loafer on a thick platform, the Vagabond Kenova has a chunky lugged sole, and the CamperLab Vamonos is a penny loafer on thick rubber. The Sam Edelman Michaela is a black Mary Jane with a buckled ankle strap and a rounded toe, and the Coach Sculpted C is the soft patent version.

 

Test it at home: walk across a hard floor, then up a flight of stairs. A platform that feels heavy at the heel on stairs will feel worse by lunch. What I would skip: a stiff lace-up boot for a long city day before it is broken in. Wear the pair around the house for an evening first, with the socks you plan to wear.

Tights are the quickest way to turn a plain black outfit into something with a point of view. The Wolford Infinite Rose Net is a good example: it has a tonal rose pattern that reads as plain black from a distance and as detail up close.

 

The fishnets come first. The Natori Double Weave is a plain, graphic net, and the Natori Dragon puts a motif up the leg. Natori itself began in 1977, when Josie Natori left banking to import crafts and clothes from the Philippines, and a buyer's suggestion to lengthen a blouse into a nightshirt got the first order going (one thousand nightshirts). The Commando Very Fine Fishnet is the quiet one, close to a sheer. Under a tartan mini, any of them makes a schoolgirl pleat a little sharper.

 

For lace and pattern, the Stems Margaux Rose is a sheer with a woven rose. The Swedish Stockings Rosa and the High Heel Jungle Lace Spell are black lace, floral and mystic respectively, and the Falke Dot is a sheer with scattered dots. I would wear them with the Mary Janes or loafers from above.

 

Buying test: hold the tights up to the light and stretch a small patch across your hand. The pattern should stay even, not pull open. What I would skip: a large, open fishnet under a pleated skirt in a cold room. Let a finer net do the work.

Alt jewelry runs silver, chunky and a little hardware-heavy, which is about as far from a dainty gold chain as you can get. Jenny Bird is a good place to look. Its founder began with leather handbags, learning the casting process and using unique hardware, then switched to jewelry, and the hardware habit shows.

 

For chains, the Amber Sceats Large Chain Layered has a large oval link pendant, and the 8 Other Reasons Sterling is a short curb chain. The Jenny Bird Rome is a chunky link in a platinum tone, and the petit moments Stronger layers its chains with a padlock charm. I would wear one with a turtleneck and never two thick ones at once.

 

The chokers sit higher. The self-portrait Double Crystal Bow has two rows of crystal and trailing chain fringe, and the Amber Sceats Choker is smooth, sculptural and knotted at the front. Over a high neck a choker sits on the knit, so check the length first. The Ettika Smooth Cuff is wide and polished, and the Jenny Bird Sees Ring is a sculptural wrap in platinum tone.

 

A simple test: fasten each piece, turn your head both ways, then raise your arms. It should not catch or dig. What I would skip: a choker and a thick chain over the same funnel neck. Choose the louder piece and let the knit do the rest.

I would go in this order. Buy the turtleneck first, add a slim black pant or a tartan mini, then boots or loafers. Tights and silver come last, one piece at a time, so the black stays the point and nothing fights for attention. If a look starts to feel like a costume, take one thing off.

 

That is what the Batcave crowd knew in 1982: a few dark pieces, worn on purpose, are a whole wardrobe. Start at the neck, finish at the shoes, and keep it yours. With love, and black tights,