Mentioned in Ballard’s The Crystal World and strongly hinted at in Nabokov’s Despair, I’ve always loved Arnold Böcklin’s The Isle of the Dead.

Here’s the Basil version…

And now I have the jumper. I am the Isle of the Dead – a veritable picture of goth in mohair-blend by Coach. I’ve not loved an item of clothing as much as this since my Hi-Tec Nationals, circa 1985. Listen to some Rachmaninov and stare at the fine mohair blend – of death…