Leaving Work While It's Still Light

I sense a tiny turn towards springtime -- when I've left the office at 5:30pm this week, it's not totally dark outside. The earth is slowly inching away from winter. I'm sure those of you trudging through snow-covered streets don't believe me, but it's true! We're on the upswing now. Groundhog Day is coming up, & the spring equinox is a month & a half after that.

Of course, we'll see a few more storms first (meaning rain & wind here in California). But at least there's light. However, if you can't wait for proper spring, try a Happy Light, recommended by Professor Z, only $30 to help beat seasonal-affective disorder!

What I'm wearing:
Black & grey knit dress, Macy's | Black wool ruffled bolero swearter, Kohl's | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black kitten-heel pumps with buckles, Payless Shoe Source | Black & gold earrings, random accessory store

These Boots Are Made for Walking

It may not be apparent from the photo, but these boots have a 2" heel, a rather narrow one too. Yet it was no problem to walk the four or five blocks to and from lunch today with coworkers. My feet didn't suffer, I felt no pain, I'm not crippled.

Also, I wore shoes with a high heel because I like them, I find the look attractive on me and to me and not because I'm seeking approval from men or society. Wearing a high heel, loving it, and encouraging others to do so doesn't make me or any other woman less of a feminist. Obviously, shoe choice is a personal choice, but like most people, I tend to recommend what I personally enjoy. Just like I recommend wearing velvet and lace or suggest that you can turn a summer dress into winter-appropriate clothing. Shock & horror -- I blog about fashion & have opinions about what people wear! *eyeroll*


I feel like pointing this out because I've gotten nasty comments recently related to posts where I apparently 'tell people what to wear,' & I'm thus part of some cabal trying to quash people's liberties. Um, wow. Sorry, no, this is not fashion policing. It's called 'one person having an opinion on the Interwebs.' Hello, that's what a blog is for. Anyone can do it, they're free.

For that matter, anyone who confuses This Is CorpGoth with the glossy fashion mags at the supermarket checkout stand must have reading comprehension problems, imnsho. Notice the lack of latest trends sported by identically sized models & actresses under age 25, for starters. The rather monotonous background of every photo might also clue those complainers in, if the preponderance of bats, skulls, dark lipstick, & dyed-black hair wasn't a giveaway that this isn't exactly a flag bearer for the fashion mainstream.

But some people prefer to complain. Whatever. I'm gonna keep strutting my stuff in whatever damn shoes I want to.

What I'm wearing:
Burgundy peplum sweater, Anthropolgie via Sarah
Black knit top, NY & Company
Black & white stripe skirt, White House Black Market
Burgundy faux suede heeled boots, DSW
Silver pendant necklace with pearl drop, vintage
Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store

Corp Costume

No new CorpGoth outfits, but I've been creating & planning a lot of costumes recently. I write about these on my costume blog, so I thought I'd cross-pollinate some of my recent adventures in fancy dress...

Last weekend, one of my best friends had a birthday party at a winery in a castle. OK, a reproduction castle, but it looks incredibly authentic! So we all dressed up in historical clothing, because that's what we do. While I have a ton of costumes in my closet already, I decided to make a new gown -- the weekend before. Yeah, a new dress in about 2 days, kinda crazy, but luckily my new sewing machine made it easy.

Photo by Sandra Linehan

Read more about how I made the dress, see more pix, & hear about the party on my costume blog.

Now I'm planning a ton more sewing for the year, & it's all 18th-century costumes, all the time. This is in preparation for a trip to France that my husband & I are taking with some friends. We're all renting an 18th-century chateau for two weeks, & every other day will be a costume event. This has been a long time in the works, lots of planning, lots of saving up. Hmmm, maybe I should have started sewing sooner? Well, at least two of the outfits are half-started things... Unlike this grand robe a la francaise that I want to make:

1781 fashion plate

Take a look at all my 18th-c. costume plans, including a new suit for my husband, over on my costume site.

Maybe *this* weekend I'll get to work on some of this stuff!

Black & White Cats With Red

One of the things I miss in my work-from-home wardrobe compared to my office wardrobe is scarves. I just don't wear them at home -- they're for fashion, & even when they're not, I don't think of wearing a scarf at home where a cat would snag & tangle it when he gets in my lap at the computer. And a cat snagging a cat scarf would truly be tragic.

Really, most of my scarves are decorative, like this one that was an Xmas gift from my hubbi. Glad I could finally wear it!

What I'm wearing:
Red turtleneck sweater, unknown brand | Black skirt with trim added by me, Banana Republic, thrifted | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Red heeled ankle boots, Aerosoles | Black & cream cat-print scarf, Etsy | Silver medallion earrings, Claire's

Long Weekend

This is a holiday weekend (for some) in the U.S., plus it was the birthday of one of my best friends, & she had a little shin-dig in California's Wine Country. So my honey & I headed out to visit some old fave wineries before joining the group for a couple days of delightful company, plus tons of food &, of course, wine.

What I'm wearing:
Black knit dress, Target | Multiple shades of grey cardigan, Macy's | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black & grey striped leggings, Torrid | Black buckled ankle boots, Aldo | Silver bat necklace, Plastickland, gift from my husband | Silver filigree earrings, Target

Wednesday Reads & Pins

A roundup of nifty things I found online recently...

Offbeat Home & Life has a great column about how do you mix tattoos and careers. Lots of useful advice in the comments.

Being a word nerd, I loved Fresh Air's piece on the origins of the phrase "the whole nine yards."

Juliet's Lace is taking a three-month shopping ban with specific guidelines. I've done this kind of thing before, & it can be a great way to refocus your priorities (and, of course, save a little money). Have you tried it?

Here's a photo of a 5 megabyte hard drive from 1956 -- considering my iPhone has 32 gigabytes, well, we've come a long way!

A favorite pin from my Pinterest boards -- a silver watch with a skull-shaped case from 1660. Click thru to the British Museum website for larger pix.

Source: britishmuseum.org via Trystan L. on Pinterest

Back to Work in Velvet

Silicon Valley is experiencing a cold snap -- OK, cold for here! Mornings are quite frosty, which is unusual. Not like there's snow (that's only happened once in my lifetime), but it *has* been almost freezing overnight.

So velvet was perfectly appropriate, & this jacket even more so because it has pockets to hold my tissues, since my cold still lingers on. But I had a slew of meetings today, so into the office I went. (And for some reason, my full-length photos all sucked, oh well!)

What I'm wearing:
Plum velvet jacket, Newport News via Lisa
Black long-sleeve knit top, Old Navy
Black skirt, NY & Company
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Burgundy suede pumps, Soffit
Pewter & hematite fish necklace, Ann D'Aboise
Jet & pearl dangly earrings, random accessory store

Placeholder Post

I've had a horrible headcold for the past week (totally congested, coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose, ick), so I didn't go into the office & just attempted to work from home (even that was hard because I couldn't concentrate & I was so tired). Thus, no office outfits to post.

Also, I've been feeling a little off my game with this blog since I started the new job. I mostly telecommute now & only dress up to go into work twice a week. I *have* been working on a big post about what to wear when working from home, but that's just one. I've tried to take photos of what I wear at home, but it's pretty boring -- some of the clothes are nice, but I don't tend to do my hair or makeup so the look isn't very polished (and I admit, I'm a smidge too vain to post *those* pix online!).

So what's happening with my blog then? Is CorpGoth still "Corp" enough? I don't know. Which is why Alison's post on Blogger Burnout: How to Get Re-inspired for the New Year is quite timely. A lot of her tips are essentially "write for yourself, write about what's going on in your life." Now, I get this, but it also goes against part of my goal with this blog. I wanted to really focus on one thing here -- what goths could wear to the office -- & not go into my personal life. I have other places for that. But I could do more of what I call 'thinky' posts about the intersection of fashion & work & suchlike.  And really, I should just post. Outfit or no. Just post, get back in the habit. So consider this a public reminder to myself!

Stripes Underneath

I was really happy to get this striped tee at an after-Xmas sale. Actually, I bought three like it: one black & white, one pink & black, & this purple & black. Plus a black & white damask print of the same style. All are by Ralph Lauren Petites, sold at Macy's. Further proof that you can find perfectly goth-able garments with most any label.

I'm always on the lookout for basics with flair, like these print tops. I have tons of solid black tops & solid purple tops, but adding stripes, damask, plaid, & dots in livens up my wardrobe.

What I'm wearing:
Black knit military jacket, Macy's | Purple & black knit long-sleeve top, Ralph Lauren | Black corduroy skirt, H&M | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black flats, Aerosoles | Silver & crystal earrings, random accessory store | Purple flower hair pin, random accessory store

Do you like to wear prints & patterns?

New Year, New Hair

Not totally new hair, but at least a hair cut, which for me is pretty shocking. I *hate* to get my hair cut -- I've always preferred long hair, even tho' it starts to look scraggly & stringy, but then, I was raised by hippies, so that feels natural to me. I just live in fear of hair stylists who always want to cut my hair super-short, & I have never, ever had a good short hair style. I end up looking like Paul McCartney, no lie.

Anyway, my hair was so long, it was at the horribly messy point where I tended to just pile it on top of my head, so why not get a cut? One of my excuses for keeping it long is always that I do historical reenactments, & long hair is more historically accurate. However, for most every historical hairstyle I do, I wear hairpieces & wigs & only style a little bit of my own hair, so I really don't need my hair to be any longer than shoulder length. So off it went

The haircut isn't dramatic -- about 4" off & hardly different in shape. But it feels lovely, lighter, & healthier. I also dyed my roots (read: greys) for an added bonus.

What I'm wearing:
Black & grey knit dress, Coldwater Creek
Black long-sleeve knit top, Old Navy
Black velveteen jacket, Black House White Market
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black high-heel granny boots, Aerosoles
Silver bead choker, Target
Silver teardrop earrings, Claire's
Jet & gunmetal cocktail ring, Icing

How often do you get your hair cut? What's your favorite style?