A Goth Halloween in Gotham

As fashion expert Lynn Yaeger reported in the November 1, 1994, issue of the Voice, “The greatest city in the world has decided that October 31 is an adult holiday.” (Indeed, for those who wanted to cut to the chase, the Dressing for Pleasure ad on page 42 exhorted, “Bring fetish to your fingertips!”) Yaeger hit the streets, where the folks at Abracadabra costumers informed her that Flintstones characters were a big seller that year, including Dino — “Well, he’s just a mask, really.”

The Allan Rental Service countered that, in its shop, historical figures were popular: Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, Lawrence of Arabia. When asked if contemporary politicians made the cut, the proprietor replied, “Oh, people hate politicians. For them you need a full overhead mask, and it’s really hot and uncomfortable.” Imagine what it would be like now, with that yellow cotton candy swirl on your noggin. 

That Halloween issue’s cover model was Voice senior associate editor Julia Kent, who once wore a white blouse to the office in place of her usual, very unbasic black ensembles — much to the bewildered consternation of the rest of the staff. Even at the Voice, some traditions die hard. (Kent has since gone on to greater things.) As Yaeger noted in her examination of the Goth aesthetic, “Color coordination is never a problem.”