Beyond boots, goth shoes come in three main shapes: the platform shoe, the Mary Jane and the creeper. A platform shoe raises you on a deep sole, usually with a taller heel behind it. A Mary Jane is a closed, low-cut shoe held on by a strap across the instep. A creeper sits on a thick crepe rubber sole, a style that began in post-war Britain. The choice between them comes down to how each one holds on to your foot.
That is a question boots never raise, because a boot is held on by its shaft. A goth shoe has no shaft and usually stands on a sole too stiff to flex where your foot does, so on every step your heel lifts while the sole stays flat. Whatever keeps the two together, a strap, laces, an ankle wrap or the stiffened cup at the back of the heel, is doing a shaft's job, and it is the first thing to look for on any listing.
Key Takeaways
- Beyond boots, the goth shoe shapes are the platform, the Mary Jane and the creeper, and each holds on to the foot differently.
- Take the platform height away from the heel height. The difference is the drop your foot stands on, and it has more to do with comfort than either number does on its own.
- A stiff platform sole cannot flex, so a pair with no strap, laces or ankle wrap is likely to slip at the heel.
- On a platform Mary Jane the strap is structural. Check where it crosses the foot and how far the buckle adjusts.
- We sell platform heels, platform sandals, wedges and a laced platform shoe. Nothing on our rail is listed as a Mary Jane, and we do not sell creepers.
What makes a shoe goth, and where boots take over
A goth shoe announces itself from the side. The sole is deep, whether that depth is a platform, a wedge or a slab of crepe, and the hardware is meant to be seen: buckles, O-rings, studs, chains, the odd pair of bat wings. Finish carries meaning too. Matte black sits quietly under a long hem, while patent catches every candle in a dark room.
If what you want is a shaft around the ankle, something for wet pavements in January or a tall platform boot, you want a boot, and our goth boots guide covers them, with the pairs we carry in the goth boots collection. Everything below stays under the ankle bone.
Goth platform shoes: read the heel and the platform together
A platform shoe lifts the whole foot on a thick sole, and most add a heel at the back. Heel height is usually taken at the back of the shoe and platform height under the ball of the foot, so subtract one from the other and you have the drop your foot is held at. That figure has more to do with how long you can stand in a pair than either number does, and it is why a very tall shoe on a deep platform can feel easier than a modest heel on a thin sole.
Our Black Goth Strap Shoes list a 13 cm heel above a 5 cm platform, a drop of 8 cm. The Gothic Chain-Studded Black Shoes list a 6.5 cm heel over a 3 cm platform, which leaves 3.5 cm, less than half that drop, in patent or matte faux leather on a rubber outsole, sizes 4.5 to 11.
Platform heels and sandals
On a platform heel the fastening matters as much as the numbers. The Black Goth Strap Shoes are a strapped platform in PU faux leather, sizes 4.5 to 10. The Black Rivet Faux Leather Platform has an open toe, an ankle wrap and a zip closure, with a 7.5 cm heel over a 3.5 cm platform (a 4 cm drop), sizes 4.5 to 8.5. An ankle wrap holds the shoe at the narrowest point of the leg, so it stays put on a heavy sole where a strap over the toes alone would leave the heel swinging.
For a taller heel than the Rivet, the Gothic Black Platform Shoes list a heel of 8 cm and up on a 3 to 5 cm platform, with a PU upper, sizes 35 to 40.
Wedges
A wedge fills the space under the arch, so the sole meets the ground along its whole length and spreads your weight, which makes a tall wedge steadier than a block heel of the same height. The Black Gothic Platform Buckle Shoes have buckles, a 5 to 8 cm wedge and a 3 to 5 cm platform with a PU upper, in matte black, sizes 35 to 43.
Goth Mary Janes: the strap does the work
A Mary Jane is a closed, low-cut shoe with one or more straps across the instep, the arched top of the foot. The name comes from a character in the Buster Brown comic strip, and the classic version is a child's shoe with one thin strap and a low heel. Set on a deep platform with oversized buckles or grommets, it became a punk, psychobilly and goth shoe in the late 1990s, especially in the United States, often worn with dark striped knee socks.
On a platform the strap stops being decoration. With no laces and no shaft, it is the main thing holding a heavy sole to your foot, so look closely at how it is built.
- Where it crosses. A strap over the instep pulls your foot back into the heel of the shoe. Set too far towards the toes, it lets the heel lift. One that goes round the ankle holds from a different point, and strictly speaking makes it an ankle-strap shoe.
- How far it adjusts. Count the buckle holes in the photographs. A single hole means the strap either suits your instep or it does not.
- Whether there is a T-bar. A second strap running up the centre of the foot stops the crossing strap sliding towards the toes as you walk.
A high instep is the fit problem this shoe has and the others mostly avoid. If the strap on your usual size will not reach its buckle, look for more holes or an elasticated strap before a bigger size, because a longer shoe slips at the heel.
None of our listings is a Mary Jane by name. For a strap crossing the foot on a tall platform, the nearest we list is the Gothic Black Chunky Shoes: a round toe with buckles crossing the faux leather upper, a zip to get in, a 5 to 7 cm platform and a square heel of 8 cm or more, sizes 4.5 to 8.
For shoes sold under the name, KOI Footwear keeps a Goth Mary Janes collection, and T.U.K. sells Mary Janes with a separate vegan range. A Mary Jane platform is also one of the shoes in our Wednesday Addams outfit guide, and our dark academia style guide sets it beside the Oxford as the softer choice.
Goth creepers: the post-war sole the subculture kept
A creeper is a shoe on a thick crepe rubber sole, often with a suede upper. George Cox Limited of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, first made them commercially in 1949, and the company still sells them as the original creeper. The Teddy Boys wore them with drainpipe trousers and their socks on show, and punks, psychobilly fans and goths later took them up.
What sets a creeper apart from a platform shoe is the angle. The sole is deep but close to level, so the height comes with almost no drop, which usually makes it the easier choice over a platform heel for a long day.
We do not sell creepers. George Cox still does, Demonia has a creepers collection of its own, and T.U.K. carries women's creepers alongside a vegan range. If what draws you is a laced shoe on a deeper sole, our nearest is the Goth Bat Wings Black Shoes: laced, on a wedge with a platform of up to 3 cm, with bat wing details, in matte or glossy black, sizes 35 to 40. It is not a creeper, and it is the closest we come to that low, laced shape.
Getting the fit right without a shaft
Most shoe fitting advice assumes the shoe bends with your foot. A platform sole does not, which changes what to check first.
- Buy your true size. Extra length is extra room for the heel to lift, and a stiff sole is already lifting it.
- Find what holds the heel. Without laces, a strap or an ankle wrap, the cup at the back of the heel does the work alone, and a self-adhesive heel grip is the cheap fix when it cannot.
- Check the size system. Some of our shoes are sized in US numbers and some in European ones, so read the size selector before you choose.
- Allow for PU. Every shoe in this guide lists a PU or faux leather upper, which holds the shape it was made in, so judge comfort on arrival and do not count on it softening.
Width matters as much as length on a closed shoe. Our Black Faux Leather Buckle Shoes, a round-toe shoe with a metal buckle on a 3 to 5 cm platform, publish both. The listing sells sizes 35 to 44, and its chart covers 35 to 43:
| Size | Heel to toe | Foot width |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 22.5 cm | 8.6 cm |
| 36 | 23 cm | 8.8 cm |
| 37 | 23.5 cm | 9.0 cm |
| 38 | 24 cm | 9.2 cm |
| 39 | 24.5 cm | 9.4 cm |
| 40 | 25 cm | 9.6 cm |
| 41 | 25.5 cm | 9.8 cm |
| 42 | 26 cm | 10 cm |
| 43 | 26.5 cm | 10.2 cm |
If your calves are why you are looking at shoes instead of boots, read our guide to gothic boots for wide calves first: an ankle boot takes calf width out of the calculation.
Wearing goth shoes: the ankle is on show
A shoe shows the ankle, so whatever is on your legs becomes part of it. Opaque black tights run the leg straight into a black platform. Striped knee socks are the Mary Jane's old companion and still the quickest way to make one look intended, and creepers still look right with a sock on show under narrow trousers.
Hem length decides how much shoe anyone sees: a maxi hides all but the toe, a midi shows the shoe and its strap, and a mini makes the depth of the sole the loudest thing in the outfit. Our guide to goth skirt lengths sets out where each one falls.
FAQ
What shoes do goths wear besides boots?
Mostly platforms, Mary Janes and creepers, plus platform sandals and wedges. The common thread is a heavy sole with buckles, rings, studs or chains on show. Pick between them by how they fasten, because with no shaft the fastening is what keeps a heavy shoe on.
Are Mary Janes goth?
They started as a children's shoe. Raised on a thick platform with big buckles, the Mary Jane was taken up by goths, punks and psychobilly fans in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Worn with striped knee socks or black tights, it reads as goth at once.
What is the difference between creepers and platform shoes?
The angle. A creeper's crepe sole is thick but almost flat, so you gain height and stand level. A platform shoe usually adds a taller heel behind its raised front, which tips your weight forward. Creepers came out of post-war Britain, while platform shoes cover heels, sandals and wedges.
How do I stop platform shoes slipping at the heel?
Stay in your normal size and choose a fastening that pins the foot back, such as an instep strap, laces or an ankle wrap. A rigid sole will not bend as you step, so the heel rises each time. For a pair that still slips, stick a heel grip inside the back.
Does The Cursed Closet sell creepers or Mary Janes?
Not under those names. We have no creepers, and no listing is called a Mary Jane. What we carry is strapped platform heels and sandals, a buckled wedge and a laced one, and the Gothic Black Chunky Shoes, buckled across a round-toed upper, are the closest thing to a Mary Jane.
Are platform shoes hard to walk in?
Less than they look, if the drop is small. Work it out as heel minus platform: 13 cm on a 5 cm platform is an 8 cm drop, and 7.5 cm on 3.5 cm is 4 cm. Expect a rolling step while you get used to a sole that does not bend, and practise on a hard floor at home.
Start with what holds it on
Read a goth shoe listing in order. Find what keeps it on your foot, then subtract the platform from the heel to see how steep it stands, and only then choose the finish and hardware for the room you will wear it in.
