One of my favorite parts of Wave Gotik Treffen was basking in fashion inspiration. Everywhere you looked, there were dark, intricate, flamboyant outfits.

I enlisted pro photographers Seventh Sin to shoot the best outfits of WGT 2012.

Love for Gothic Lolitas and deathrock princesses.

Among the most head-turning: long aristocratic dresses, and evil queen collars.

There’s a lot of deathrock style in Europe. I’m inspired to play with this look more.

Medieval and Renaissance lords and ladies.

Mohawks and masks.

Goths, goths everywhere!

Let’s not forget the bands. Clan of Xymox performed at WGT this year.

More photos of Wave Gotik Treffen bands and fashion on Seventh Sin. Also check out their WGT 2011 photos on my blog.

Where do the festival attendees stay? Many camp out, but we believe in modern comforts. (It’s worth it, if you’ve come all this way).

Yukiro and I were hosted by the ultra-modern Pentahotel Leipzig. They won our hearts with free breakfast and cupcakes!

The check-in counter doubles as a bar… and sits beneath disco balls. Win, win, win.

The hip lobby is ideal for evil photoshoots.

Billiards and a fireplace. Spacious, brand new rooms.

Hats off to the Pentahotel Leipzig – we’d stay here again!

Pirate hat: gifted by Caribbean Rose (more photos and review)
Long sleeve vampire jacket: gifted by Lip Service
Goth jumpsuit: gifted by Lip Service

Yukiro made the witch hat himself.

Flower and metal fascinator: provided by Angelica Brigade. Love the elegant design.

A funny outtake… you can see how we dress up and take photos of ourselves.

An evil witch salute to Go With Oh, the European apartment rental company that made our trip possible! Soon, we’ll show you videos of WGT, as well as Berlin and Prague’s underground scene.

Which Wave Gotik Treffen outfits did you like most? What are your favorite alt fashion styles (lolita, deathrock, steampunk, cyber?)

Arr, me dream has become reality! European apartment rental gurus, Go With Oh, sent La Carmina to Wave Gotik Treffen, the world’s largest Goth music, fashion and culture festival.

Day 1. We arrived at Arthotel Leipzig, and immediately got dolled up. I put on Sugarpill fake eyelashes, defined my eyes with Sugarpill black eyeshadow, and dotted my lips with glitter.

Pirate hat: gifted by Caribbean Rose (more photos and review)
Silver chain necklace: provided by Angelica Brigade
Pirate jacket: Alice and the Pirates, from Closet Child Tokyo
Ruffle pirate skirt: gifted by Wheels and Dollbaby (more photos and review)
Spiky boots: Tripp NYC, from Trash and Vaudeville NYC (see store photos)

In an ocean of black clothes, Yukiro stood out with his Hatsune Miku cosplay. Love the X-eyed contacts.

Wave Gotik Treffen takes place every year in Leipzig, for 3 days. The festival is overwhelming: at any moment, dozens of performances and events are happening.

To get to Agra (the main site of WGT festival), we took a train from Leipzig central station. The ride takes 30 minutes — be sure to budget the time — and was crammed with dark souls.

We met spooky new friends on the ride. Her neck ornament is made from liquid latex and gems, and took an hour to create!

Somehow, we managed to meet up with our friends from Japan.

Can you believe… 20,000 Goths came to WGT, from all over the world!

The festival buzzed with dark energy and inspiration. In the next posts, I’ll share professional photos of Wave Gotik Treffen fashion.

Lots of lengthy colorful dreads, steampunk couture, and glam deathrockers.

The main site has areas for shopping, food, concerts.

“Pall Mall” is a rest area, to take a break from the madness.

We missed Grendel’s performance, but saw Aesthetic Perfection and Combichrist (above) — brilliant shows, full of depth and drama. With a WGT wristband, you get access to all concerts and parties.

Then we headed to “When we were young,” an old school Gothic / deathrock party at Werk II.

Things got heated. Blood may or may not have been spilled…

Hungry for more Spooky Europe coverage? This is only the start — I have 3 videos and 200 photos to come! You can add Go With Oh on Facebook for updates on my journey.

PS: thanks to Giglio for the Meet the Fashion Bloggers: La Carmina interview and feature.

Have you been to Wave Gotik Treffen? What was the experience like for you? Got any travel tips for festival-goers? (I say… drink lots of water and absinthe.)