Boots & Sweater Weather

If you're in the northern hemisphere, it's probably cold outside. You may have been experiencing autumn for some time now. Halloween is past, Thanksgiving is on its way in the U.S., and Christmas / Hanukkah / Solstice / New Years are practically right around the corner.

But here in northern California, fall is a tricksy thing. It comes in fits and starts. A foggy morning here, a crisp evening there, punctuated by bright sunny days where half the people you see are wearing shorts and flip-flops. It's only gotten more like this in the past decade, as the effects of global warming become more and more apparent. We've experienced the hottest summers on record every year, and the warm temperatures last from April to October. November is just the start of the "slightly cool" season.

Even when I was a kid, Halloween trick-or-treating was a crapshoot as to whether or not you'd wear a coat with your costume (moms would always beg us to, and nobody wanted to, of course). Christmas morning is more and more likely to be sunny and bright.

It's terrible for the crops and plants, and it means I don't get to wear sweaters and boots as often as I'd like either.

What I'm wearing: Dark grey sweater dress, Macy's | Grey tights, Calvin Klein | Tall black boots, Clark's | Silver-grey beaded necklace, gift from Lisa | Silver hoop earring, random accessory store

Friday Five - Nom Nom Nom

1. Do you or someone you live with cook your own meals at home or tend to buy frozen dinners/eat out?
Hah. If you look inside my fridge, you'd think that my husband & I live like two male, possibly gay, bachelors -- we have beer, old condiments, Lean Cuisines, & an air of desperation in there. We eat too much takeout food, punctuated by the aforementioned frozen food. When I remember to, I'll make a meal like pasta or chicken.

2. What is your favorite dish to cook? Or if you don't cook, what do you wish you could cook?
When I bother, I make a pretty lovely wine reduction sauce with chicken & pair it roast veggies. I *wish* I could make one of the delightful 3- or 4-course meals my BFF's sig.other treats us to whenever I'm at their place.

3. The best experience you've ever had at a restaurant?
Hard to say - the best experiences tend to be more about who I'm with & the restaurant being a good backdrop. There aren't any pure food experiences that stand out (hence, I'm no foodie). My very favorite foods are all homemade, usually by mom or her side of the family.

4. The worst experience you've ever had at a restaurant?
Gah, so many. I attract bad service or things like the restaurant being out of whatever it is I've ordered (esp. if I had my heart set on it). But the classically worst would be the restaurant at the SCA 12th Night 2009 hotel out in the middle of nowhere where they would.not.serve anyone. OMG.

5. If you had to give up one of your favorite foods for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?
UGH. That was chemo. At one point, I couldn't drink coffee because it hurt my stomach, & that made me cry. I already couldn't drink alcohol because it made me feel icky. Thank goodness the only thing that *did* taste OK during chemo was chocolate -- I ate pounds of it. If I couldn't have had that as well, geez, I'd have given up.

Questions culled from The Friday Five on LiveJournal.

What I'm wearing: Black knit dress, Target | Black & white stripe knit jacket, Neiman-Marcus | Black leggings, American Apparel | Black socks, unknown brand | Black & white cat-print wedge sneakers, PlasticLand | Black glass bead necklace with Murano glass heart medallion, made by me | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store

Recent Reads

In the dearth of outfit posts during my lack of a decent camera, I thought I'd share some cool things I've read around the blogosphere recently...

LoL!

Offbeat Bride regularly has shoe posts that are pretty fabulous. This one about black shoes with bows is especially awesome, & I would wear over half of the listed shoes! Coincidentally, I already had that first pair of shoes pinned on my This Is CorpGoth Pinterest board several times...

Already Pretty addresses a reader question about comfy bras & loungewear. This got me thinking -- see, my work-from-home clothes have gotten very loungey & down-right sloppy recently. It started during chemo because I wasn't working, but the habit has continued. I'm embarrassed to admit that I spend a lot of time in yoga pants & T-shirts (another reason for fewer posts, ugh). I kind of want to clean out my wardrobe in an effort to force myself to stop wearing boring crap.

Wardrobe Oxygen had a great guest post about drugstore makeup faves. I'll have to try some of these. Do you prefer drugstore or department store makeup in general, or do you mix it up & wear some of each?

Night Out With Bonus Crazy Nails

I wore this simple little sweater dress out to dinner with my husband & his mother recently. It was cozy yet a little dressy, thus well suited to a winter evening. But hidden in the outfit are some wacky nails. I used Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Nail Strips -- I've used them a couple times before & quite like them. They're basically plastic stickers that look like nail polish, except they're available in all kinds of crazy patterns. Of course, I had to get these with skulls.

What I'm wearing:
Grey sweater dress, Macy's
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black flats, Aerosoles
Silver bat necklace, Plasticland
Gunmetal hoop earrings, random accessory store

Stripes & Crosses

Got out of the house for the evening with some friends, & took the opportunity to dress up a bit. Felt great to see people & be social!

Each round of chemo has been a little different in terms of side effects, but all have been exhausting, so I stay inside a lot. Friends & family do visit, but it's always lovely to see something other than my own home's walls.

While chemo is now over, & I'm still recovering & haven't gotten my energy back. I'd really like to feel "normal" again. And next week, I have my first appointment with the radiation doctor, which is my next course of treatment. So I'm not done with this thing yet...

What I'm wearing:
Black & grey sleeveless dress, Coldwater Creek | Black elastic belt, NY & Company | Grey & white stripe hooded sweater, Forever 21 | Black leggings with tiny cross print, Torrid | Black & grey stripe socks, unknown brand | Black flats, Aerosoles |  Pink scissor skull & crossbones necklace, gift from Elisa | Gunmetal skull earrings, Walgreens | Pink skull & crossbones earrings, random accessory store | Pewter bat bobby pin, random accessory store

Flying to China

Finally able to eat & taste properly, so I was thrilled to go to my favorite meal, dim sum, with my family. And that gave me a chance to wear these silly winged flats & spice up a casual outfit. Stuffed myself with dumplings & char shu bau & enjoyed a great time with my parents & old fiends.

What I'm Wearing:

Purple shawl sweater, bought at Camden Markets in London | Black knit tunic, American Apparel | Black glittery leggings, Torrid | Black socks, unknown brand | Black winged flats, PlasticLand | Silver book locket necklace, random accessory store | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store | Purple lipstick, Sephora house brand

CorpGoth Plans for Chemo

2009, my last short haircut

When the pathology report came in for my breast cancer, it became pretty clear that chemotherapy would be part of my treatment. This was not a huge surprise -- my oncologist discussed all the possible treatments & suggested that chemotherapy might be recommended due to the initial biopsy report, plus since I'm younger (44 years old), it's often better to be more aggressive with treatment to prevent recurrence. Also, younger patients are better able to withstand the side effects of chemo. Another factor is that I'm happily childfree & not concerned with any effect chemo might have on my fertility (the drugs can trigger early menopause, sometimes temporary, sometimes not).

Thus, I'm now scheduled to start chemo at the end of August. There will be four treatments, three weeks apart. Many of the side effects can be managed with additional medications -- as my doctor said, 'the days of people vomiting constantly from chemo should be over.' But I can expect to feel a bit icky for a few days each cycle.

1988, sides shaved,
plus a head tie & lots of AquaNet

The side effect I really want to talk about here, tho', is hair loss. There's no effective way to prevent that, & most every chemo treatment (including mine) does cause it. I can expect to start losing hair from my head & elsewhere perhaps the 12th through 16th day after the first treatment, & that will continue until treatments are over. Hair won't start growing back until after chemo is done.

At first I figured, no big deal, I love wigs! For that matter, in college, I used to shave parts of my head, not quite a mowhawk, but the sides up to my ears & under the back. And one of my college roommates did have a buzzcut. So I know how to use an electric clipper.

2013, my most "natural" wig
with a tiara at Costume College

But then I realized, dang, it takes a long time for hair to grow. When I've had my hair cut into a bob, it'd take a few months to grow out to shoulder length. So I imagine it'd take a year or more to grow from nothing to around shoulder length. That means that if I've lost all of my hair by November of this year, I won't have anything faintly resembling my current hair back until Christmas of next year, if not far after!

Geez. A whole year of wigs & hats & short hair. That's a lot less fun. I've always tended to have longer hair -- I'm a hippie at heart, & I don't get too many short haircuts. I had to hunt around to find the one I used for this post (& notice how all my usual blog posts show long hair). Oh well.

wig I want on eBay!

Instead of wailing & gnashing my teeth, I'm still going to make the best of it. First up: Buy cool wigs! Now's the time to go for colors I can't easily get with my naturally almost-black hair. Purple, burgundy, pink! I already have one black wig that could pass for my normal hair if I need to tone it down for a work meeting. But otherwise, I'm gonna rock the gothic-punk hair while I can.

Next, fun hats! Everywhere I've read about chemo, people say they get tired of wearing wigs (plus, the scalp can be tender at first) & enjoy either going bald sometimes or wearing soft caps.

kitty cap I want on Etsy!

Since I'll be bald during winter, I'll get cold & need hats. So I'll need soft caps for during & right after treatment & more variety of hats later. I like making hats, so maybe I'll design something spiffy for myself too. I posted a bunch of ideas on my costume website with free sewing patterns -- if anyone wants to help sew one for me, let me know :).

Another fun upside: I won't have to go get my brows plucked & waxed (I'm terrible at beating those fuzzy caterpillars into submission), & I'll finally be able to draw them in with cool goth styles.

wig on Etsy I want!

Making lemonade out of lemons. What else can I do?

Gothic Maxi

I love maxi dresses, when I can find ones that work for me. First, of course, they have to be black or in dark colors. And second, they have to be the right length. I'm only 5'2", & many maxi dresses drag on the ground on me. I have to hunt around for petite-length maxis, which are rare & even more rare in plus size.

Thus, I only have a couple maxis & was happy to add this elegant one for this summer.

What I'm wearing:
Black knit maxi dress, Macy's | Black crochet duster, Coldwater Creek | Black embellished flip-flops, DSW | Burgundy & black flower hair pins, random accessory store | Black & white beaded bracelet, bought in Kauai | Black & white stripe bead earrings, random accessory store

Purple + Skulls

The perfect dress for a slow morning and a day filled with meetings at the office. Add a splashy skull scarf, and I'm good. This is why I'm always on the lookout for more knit dresses. They're comfortable and easy to make into presentable outfits when I just don't have the time or energy to bother much in the mornings.

What I'm wearing:
Purple knit dress, Land's End | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black & white skull-print scarf, Amazon | Purple cross-strap pumps, Aldo | Gunmetal hoop earrings, random accessory store

Casual Purple

Just kickin' it in something comfy! I need a million dresses like this (even tho' I already have a dozen).

What I'm wearing:
Purple knit dress, Old Navy | Black long-sleeve knit top, Old Navy | Black leggings, Newport News | Black boots, Clarks | Black & silver skull necklace, DisneyLand | Gunmetal hoop earrings, random accessory store | Purple flower hair pin, random accessory store | Purple lipstick, Sephora house brand

Hidden Bat Week: Sick Day

It started as a work-from-home day. With just a bit of a sore throat. But that increased throughout the day beyond pain when swallowing to constant pain & the realization that I should probably go to the doctor tomorrow. Symptoms are consistent with strep throat, which is more of an inconvenience than anything.

Particularly for Hidden Bat Week because I don't want to go into the office when I'm contagious & there go all my cool outfits! Ah well, I'll figure out something...

What I'm wearing:
Black knit tunic top, American Apparel | Black cardigan sweater, April Cornell via Lisa | Black bat-print leggings, Target | Black socks, Target | Black velvet slippers, Amazon.com

Yes, I've blogged these bats before, but only because I love them :)

A few more Hidden Bat Week Status Reports I've seen around:
The Curious Professor Z, day 2
The Mutant Stomp Friends

Share your posts in the comments!

CorpGoth Works From Home

CorpGoth sans makeup!

My current job allows me to work from home even more than before -- tho' let's get real, I can write & edit from just about anywhere in the world, I don't need to physically be in the same office with my coworkers. Also, so often, I'm working with people who are spread out around the U.S., if not the world, so it doesn't matter where I'm sitting. That's life in the Internet Age. For years, I've had a few work-from-home days, now they're just more frequent than not.

Which creates a bit of a sartorial challenge: What do I wear when I don't have to go into an office?

I've often been lazy & worn an assortment of black yoga pants, big black T-shirts, & black hoodies or baggy black sweaters, along with flip-flops or slippers, depending on the weather. Well, I want to up my game when three or more days of the week will be spent working at home. I don't want my entire wardrobe to be *that* sloppy! Besides, I occasionally converse with coworkers over Skype, so turning on the video conferencing means I should look presentable (at least from the waist up!).

So I've been strategizing about how to dress, both incorporating what I already own & judiciously adding things that fit better into my home office routine. Here's what I've realized so far...

1. Comfort counts -- OK, I said I'm not going to work in yoga pants (or PJs) every single day, but I still want comfort because, unlike at the office, I may be throwing in a load of laundry between edits or I might have a cat in my lap while on a conference call. Structured skirts, fitted jackets, & high heels just aren't appropriate in this situation. Knit dresses, leggings, long sweaters, tunics, ponte pants, city shorts in warm weather, & layers are all great.

2. Think color & pattern, instead of accessories -- For the office, I love scarves, statement necklaces, lipstick, & other splashes of color & texture. But not at home. To make outfits more interesting, I need to incorporate more colors (all black gets mighty dull) & more prints (stripes, plaids, florals). Can also use more texture, like ruffles & pleats, as long as it's not in an overly fussy garment (see #1).

3. Re-asses my current wardrobe, weed through, add selectively -- Based on the first two points & knowing my new schedule, I realize I may not need quite as much of the structured, fitted clothes that I have owned. And frankly, my closet & dressers are jammed full! It's tempting to buy a ton of new stuff (& I have bought more leggings & tunics, heh), but first, I went through what I have. Things I don't love are gone, along with anything that didn't fit perfectly. Now I can look for wardrobe holes & fill them accurately.

4. Do my hair -- I'll never be someone who wears makeup around the house, but since Skype video conferencing is a part of my home-office mix now, I should make a point of doing something with my hair. I used to pile it up on the top of my head while at home, which I can still do, but in a tidy & smoother fashion. And especially since I trimmed my hair, I might try sleeker styles.

5. Go a little more goth, but not all punked out -- Since I don't have clients or meetings (other than from the neck up re: Skype), I can dress a little more edgy than I might at the office. Little touches, such as batty T-shirts & Halloween socks. But I still want to look like an adult & a professional writer, not a kid shopping at Hot Topic.

Examples of clothing that feels right for my home-office wardrobe:

• Downtown Topper from Soft Surroundings -- Black & grey striped swingy sweater, adds some pattern & movement to a cozy coverup.
• Empire-Waist Knitted Dress from ASOS Curve -- Comes in black, red, or navy. Nice dress to pair with leggings.
• Grey & Black Lace-Print Leggings from Torrid -- Cool pattern, would be lovely peeking out of a black tunic or dress.
• V-Neck Sweater Dress from Old Navy -- Especially cute in black & white stripe & worn with leggings.

Do you work from home? If so, what do you wear? Share in the comments!


Related Links:
Nine Ways Not to Look Like a Slob Even if You Don't Dress for the Office These Days - Lisa at Privileged has some excellent tips for looking elegant yet casual (remember, sloppy clothes cost the same as neat, so why not go for neat?).

What to Wear When Working From Home - Allie at Wardrobe Oxygen shares her buying guide (& what to avoid) for wfh wardrobe workhorses, which I pretty much agree with completely.

What Do You Wear When You Work From Home? - Interesting thread at Offbeat Home in response to the question, lots of great opinions.

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

Black on Black Weekend

Here's another of my typical weekend looks -- basic black. Ok, with a touch of bats. And a little bit of craftiness. But this is what I like to wear when I run errands or hang out with friends on weekends (the rare ones I'm not doing costume events, of course!). All knits for comfort, but sleek shapes for a bit of style.

What I'm wearing:
Black boyfriend cardigan, Chadwicks | Black knit tunic, American Apparel | Black bat-print leggings, Target | Black buckle ankle boots, Aldo | Long silver & copper necklace, made by me | Silver filigree earrings, Target

What kind of outfits do you tend to wear on weekends?

Last Gasp of Summer

This week, we experienced a bit of a heatwave -- weather in the high-90s day after day, harkening back to August, not exactly early fall. So I'm dressing pretty casual in sandals & tank tops, just throwing on a cardigan for indoor AC. Luckily, the temps are supposed to drop soon & maybe I can wear boots, tights, & velvet...

What I'm wearing:
Pink print cardigan, Chadwicks | Black embellished tank top, Old Navy | Black jeans, Calvin Klein | Black jeweled flip-flops, unknown brand | Silver skull choker, random accessory store | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store | Pink flower hair pin, random accessory store

Maxi for Work

I've had this maxi skirt for months & have been wearing the heck out of it on weekends. It's insanely comfortable & rather stylish. The length is just barely right for me -- it's a high-low hem so the the front is just right on 5'2" me but the back brushes the ground when I wear flats. That doesn't bother me for casual wear, but I knew I'd need to wear a bit of a heel to make it feel less casual, random, & more office-appropriate.  And, as always, a structured jacket makes the outfit OK for work.

What I'm wearing:
Black jacket with piping, Speigel | Black T-shirt, Old Navy | Black & grey pinstripe knit maxi skirt, Nordstrom | Black velvet ankle-strap wedges, Payless Shoe Source |  Pewter cross necklace, bought at Mont St. Michele, France | Pewter key earrings, made by me

Side note: I am *SO* jealous of all the bloggers who have someone else (a sig.other, a friend, whoever) to take their outfit photos! And likewise, all the bloggers who have a well-lit studio & backdrop to take outfit photos in!

I have about 5 minutes in the morning before work to get these pictures done. While I have a decent camera (a Canon G9), I have to use a tripod, &, as you can tell, I'm taking photos in my backyard to get some light (because the interior of my house is batcave dark).

But I'm dependent on whatever sun & shadow mix is available, & it's very tricky. If I had more time, I could probably adjust the camera settings more, but the light changes every day & with the seasons, & as I said, I only have about 5 minutes each morning. I have a few more minutes in the evening to tweak the pix in Photoshop, so I try to do what I can there.

It's just frustrating because I'll have what I think is a great outfit, but then I can't get decent photos of it. Ah well.

I see a ship in the harbor

Yeah, "Blue Tuesday" doesn't quite work, does it? Well I had yet another migraine yesterday thus didn't go into the office (luckily I'd queued up the Prof's homework post!). But I'm getting good mileage out of this blue dress, despite having misgivings about it upon first purchasing it. The knit & style is incredibly comfortable & versatile, & blue works wonderfully against black. There won't be many (or probably any) blue additions to my wardrobe, but this one is a winner. Tell me now how does it feel?

What I'm wearing:
Blue knit dress, Ruche | Black knit camisole, Old Navy | Black & white floral print cardigan, Black House White Market | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Purple cross-strap pumps, Aldo | Silver bead choker, Target | Silver medallion earrings, random accessory store

Trying to Stay Calm

While life goes crazy all around. This is a very easy outfit -- soft knits, comfy sweater, laid-back accessories, simple hairdo, almost-flat shoes. Doesn't require much effort but still looks decent for the office.

Which is good because my work schedule has been insane due to the Olympics (I'm editing anything Olympics-related for the duration), plus I'm trying to squeeze in a trip to my beloved annual costume conference, where I'll be teaching a hands-on class, meanwhile our house is being painted & a window's being repaired & these relatively minor disturbances have set off our older cat into a fury of messy protestations.

Oh, & while you'd think this stuff would end after August 12, nope, I'm sewing some (simple) garments for the incoming Queen of the West in the SCA, which she needs mid-August, & helping plan a huge theme party for the end of August. And then it's on to September & October's mayhem of several renfaires for the Venetian courtesan group I've started performing with, so that requires mucho practice & some refinement of my costume (especially the hair). Finally, in early November, I'm running a huge educational conference for the SCA which includes a historical feast with performances. And new costumes for myself & my husband. Whew.

Yeah, no rest for the wicked, that's my motto ;-)

What I'm wearing:
Black knit dress, Target
Black & white striped sweater, Chadwicks
Black with grey skulls scarf, gift from my husband
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black kitten-heel shoes with tiny buckles, Aldo
Black & white striped dangle earrings, Kohl's

Sew a Repeat

I don't normally blog repeat outfits, but what the heck. I do love this dress. And this necklace. Both were made by friends -- the dress was sewn for me by Donna, the necklace made for me by Lisa, two of my wonderful alt.gothic.fashion cohorts. I specifically chose these pieces because after work I planned to go buy a new sewing machine. I wanted to not only wear something comfortable for a longer day, but I wanted totems of creativity to give me luck.

What I'm wearing:
Black, grey, & white dress, made by Donna | Black camisole, Target | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black round-toe pumps, Target | Purple & black scissors medallion necklace, made by Lisa | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store

Take a look at my costume blog for the full story of what I used to sew with & what I finally bought today. Also, check out my new CafePress store with silly sewing-related T-shirts & more! I plan to add some CorpGoth themed items in the future.

Just Another Casual Look

Some spring weekend, running errands or maybe meeting friends. Just a casual, everyday look for this CorpGoth. I wear this type of outfit most any day off from the office!

What I'm wearing:
Black knit long-sleeve top, Old Navy | Black linen skirt, H&M | Black bat-print leggings, Target | Black buckled ankle boots, Aldo | Black newsboy-style hat, Target | Black & white skull-print scarf, gift from my husband | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store