Summer Goth Fashion Guide | Must Have Accessories

How to Dress Goth in Summer

With summers getting hotter each year, you may be wondering how to dress goth or alternative in warm weather. Do temperatures in the 80's, 90's, and above mean you must pack away the black in favor of bright colors and cheery florals?

We think not! You can make your style weather effient in the following ways:

• Reduce layers - Skip the jackets and full pants, opting instead for mesh layers and fishnets.
• Shorten hems - Trade jeans for shorts and sleeves for sleeveless.
• Lightweight, breathable fabrics - Cotton, linen, and bamboo are best for warm weather

The above tips will make you comfortable, but your outfit isn’t complete yet. Just because you can’t layer to your heart’s content doesn’t mean you can’t still inject a ton of creativity into your outfit. Our list of must have summer goth accessories is here to help you transition your witchy wardrobe for warm weather. 

The Best Accessories for Summer Goth Style

1. Docs Platform Sandals

If your Dr. Marten Jadon boots are your favorite shoes, you will love these. Dr. Martens has released a whole line of bold platform sandals. They're chunky, cool, and come in a variety of colors. I adore my Voss sandals. They're sturdy and well made, like Doc's boots. 

These are so versatile. They add a casual, summery look when worn with a mini dress, shorts and tee, or maxi skirt, without sacrificing style.

2. Gothic Parasol

Sun protection is so important! Not only will it keep your skin healthy, but it will keep your tattoos, if you have them, looking fresh.

A great way to incorporate suncare into your style is with a beautiful, vintage inspired umbrella. Unique vintage carries a wide variety of beautiful styles, such as the one pictured above. If you want to go authentic and incorporate some history into your style, I highly recommend perusing Etsy for mourning parasols.

3. Vintage Hand Fans

A stylish way to keep cool in the summer heat is with a hand fan. These beautiful accessories add a lot of charm to an outfit. Etsy is another great place to look for fans. I’m also more than a little obsessed with these ones I found on Wolf & Badger.

4. Gothic Print Button Down Shirt

Great for the pool or over a crop top, our gothic toile printed button down offers sun protection for your shoulders, the most common place to get sunburned. It’s a light color, so it reflects the sun’s rays better than solid black, but its eerie Victorian Gothic print is anything but sunny.

5. Gothic Swimsuit

Our friends at Forest Ink produce a whole line of incredible goth bikinis. They’ve got buckles, frills, mesh, corset tops, and everything else to suit your fancy. They are also size inclusive, ranging from XS - 4XL.

Pictured above is the stunning Captain Mew in Forest Ink's "Dracula's Daughter" one piece. 

6. Cat Eye Sunglasses

A great pair of sunglasses is essential for a summer goth outfit. I love a cat eye shape in particular because of its vintage flair, although round sunglasses may suit you better if you enjoy a more Victorian gothic style. 

Sunglasses are an item that, every time I’ve invested in a cheap option, I’ve come to regret it. Consider treating yourself to a high quality pair.

7. Spiderweb Handbag

Your gothic summer outfit is not complete without a purse. We carry our Spiderweb Clasp Purse in three colors, so you can stick to black if that’s what you like best, or try a brighter color like bone white to bring summery vibes into your outfit. 

This purse is also great because it comes with two different length chains, so you can use it as a handbag or go hand-free and convert it to a shoulder bag.

8. Mesh Cover Up

Mesh is always popular for alternative fashion and goth styles. It’s also highly conducive to summertime heat! I wear a lot of mesh everything this time of the year. If you want to wear layers and feel more covered up, a mesh t shirt with short or long sleeves is a great way to go. Throw it over a bra for a cool outfit. 

I’ve also been loving all of the mesh dresses as pool cover ups that I’ve been seeing. Pair one of these with some of the other accessories in this listicle and you’ve got yourself a great outfit!

9. Summer Goth Enamel Pins

I love designing enamel pins that contrast gothic imagery with warm, summery vibes. Sometimes that means putting a skull with tropical birds of paradise flowers. Or illustrating a witchy moth in tones of gold and pink. 

These summer themed pins keep it creepy all year. While you probably won’t be wearing a jacket, you can show off your pin collection on a beach tote, backpack, sun hat, vest, and more.

10. Goat Float

A fellow designer we admire a lot, Pickety Witch, is coming out with these incredible Black Philip Goat Floats! Not only are they clever and cute, but they are a fun way to bring your personal style to the pool. 

11. Gothic Nail Stickers

Just because it’s summer does not mean you have to give up your gothic manicure! Our witchy nail stickers are durable, easy to apply, and upgrade your manicure for cheap! 

12. Killstar Coffin Beach Towel

Kill Star’s Heavy and Doomed Beach Towel is so metal. I am obsessed! Imagine getting all dressed up in your goth swimsuit, cat eye sunglasses, and Doc sandals, then laying on a pretty, pink beach towel. That would really kill your vibe! I suggest investing in this or one of the many cool gothic beach towels on the market now.

13. Black Sun Hat

I have this enormous black Shady Character Sunhat from Free People that makes me feel like a witchy queen whenever I wear it. It’s not exactly practical - something smaller might suit you better - but boy does it make a statement!

14. Black Mary Jane Flats

Sorry to plug another Free People product, but these Mystic Mary Jane Flats have become a summer staple for me. Made with leather, studs, and a cool buckle that clinks when you walk, they are so metal.

Some More Summer Goth Fashion Tips: 

Makeup

No matter how light you have to dress, you can still add some oomph to your outfits with creative makeup styles. In the summer, I switch to waterproof mascara to prevent smudging and set my makeup with this setting spray. If you’re doing heavy eye shadow, a good eyeshadow base like this one helps prevent it from setting into your eye creases throughout the day. 

Most Important Accessories

We’ve just listed a huge amount of accessories for you to choose from and turn your outfits from basic to batty, but don’t feel pressured to buy them all, or even any of them. Overconsumption is a problem, so feel proud if you instead choose to thrift shop or make use of accessories already in your closet. My recommendation for buying new things is to only buy what you really love. The accessories that make the biggest impact on an outfit are shoes, jewelry, and then a statement purse. 

Can I Wear All Black?

Of course! You can and should wear whatever makes you happy and whatever you feel most comfortable in. If you’re worried about being too hot in all black, make sure to bring a sun hat and fan. I do believe that great alternative fashion outfits can come in all colors, though. I love wearing white with black accents. Pastel goth is also fun during the summer. And, for witchy vibes, black outfits with bright pops of color are beautiful in the summer. 

Three Super Easy Summer Goth Outfits

Don’t know what to wear? Here are three ideas! A black or white frilly mini dress with platform Doc sandals. Black high waist shorts with your fav band tee. An oversized t shirt with a thin mesh long sleeve shirt and combat boots. 

What’s Next?

We hope this list of summer goth accessories was helpful to you! If you enjoyed this, keep and eye out for our list of summer goth outfit inspo, coming soon! Sign up to our newsletter so you are the first to hear about it.

This post contains a couple of affiliate links. This means that I make a little bit of money if you purchase and item through the link, at no cost to you. 

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