Bad Shoe Luck

I've been having bad luck with shoes recently. It seems like when I put a pair of shoes on, one wants to fall apart -- but not until I get to work!

I get dressed at home, walk around the house, go outside to take these blog photos, go back in the house & gather my things for the day, get in the car, my husband drives me to work (or even a few times, I walk a couple blocks to the bus stop, take the bus, & walk another couple blocks from that bus stop to the office building), walk into the office, walk up one flight of stairs to my cubicle, & then when I'm starting up my computer or maybe when I walk back downstairs to get coffee, only then does one of my shoes start to fall apart!

Today, the back of the wedge on my right shoe started to rip off. Last week, one of the straps on my bat-buckle boots started to tear thru. One of the soles of my fuchsia velvet boots is coming off at the toe. The same problem is happening to my tall purple lace-up boots too.

The soles I can probably repair myself with barge cement, but the strap will require a trip to the cobbler. I just wish they would fall apart at home so I don't spend the workday limping around.

What I'm wearing:
Black & grey dress, Macy's
Black & white stripe cardigan, Chadwicks
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black buckled wedges, Kohl's
Black beaded bib necklace, Torrid
Gunmetal hoop earrings, random accessory store
Black cocktail ring, Icing
Revlon "Raisin Rage" lipstick

Speaking of shoes, here's a related yet unrelated shameless advert -- American Duchess now has reproduction 18th-century latchet buckles with rhinestones! What that means is that, if you're a historical costumer who wants period-correct 18th-century shoes, you can finally get fancy yet also historically accurate buckles for them. All the other places that make buckles produce them in plain ol' silver or brass, even tho' many extant versions were covered in gems. This is a small thing, but it makes my magpie heart go pitter-pat. Sorry for the intrusion into CorpGoth Land!

Hidden Bat Week - Trenchcoat & Bat Boots

Killing two birds with one stone here! Another bat, plus Sophistique Noir's monthly theme, which is "outerwear" for December, appropriately enough. I've worn my lovely brown paisley wool princess-seamed coat several times on this blog & just once I've shown my black suede swing coat, but those are honestly not the coats I wear most often.

My workhorse is this black trenchcoat, which I bought in 2005 when my husband & I went to Germany & central Europe in November (easily the coldest trip we've gone on, worse than Antarctica!). This coat is impervious to rain & snow, plus it's just roomy enough to layer over sweaters, so it's perfect for really bundling up.

And it seems indestructible. I can roll it up to use as a pillow on an airplane, spread it out to become a blanket, wad it up & shove it in a bag, etc. Best of all, this is a classic coat style that goes with anything, from jeans to dresses. Everyone needs a good black trenchcoat, imnsho.

And for the bats, well, I've worn these old-school boots to work before. But I had a bunch of meetings, so I really wanted them to be subtle. Just peeking out from a pair of simple black trousers.

What I'm wearing today:
Black boyfriend cardigan, Chadwicks | Black & grey pinstripe long-sleeve knit top, Old Navy | Black trousers, Target | Black bat-buckle pointy-toe boots, bought from a friend | Black & grey skull-print scarf, gift from my husband | Black studded belt, Macy's | Silver medallion earrings, random accessory store | Black & gunmetal cocktail ring, Icing | Urban Decay Gash lipstick | Black trenchcoat, Burlington Coat Factory

Fall has fallen!
The leaves from the trees in our front yard
blew down this week & collected in the driveway.

Hidden Bat Week - Work From Home T-Shirt

I rarely (never?) post what I'm wearing when I work from home, & this outfit isn't exactly representative. I'd usually wear PJ bottoms or yoga pants instead of jeans, but I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon so I swapped the comfy gear out. Plus, I brushed off all the cat hair!

What I'm wearing:
Grey bat T-shirt, Target | Black long-sleeve top, Old Navy | Black jeans, Levis | Black hoodie, Old Navy | Black buckled boots, Aldo | Silver Indian hoops, bought at a con | Music note choker, gift from a choir member on Spain trip | Black & white fingerless gloves, Hot Topic

It's been rather chilly recently, thus the gloves. I wear them in the studio where my computer is so I can keep my hands warm while typing. They're pretty ratty tho, so no closeups ;-)

Hidden Bat Week - Leggings & Earrings

I overslept my alarm this morning, so I was scrambling for batty ideas of what to wear. Usually, I plan out the next day's outfit in my head before I go to sleep, but I only had a vague idea that I'd wear these bat-print leggings somehow, maybe with a skirt.

Having less time in the morning made me improvise, & I was really lucky to discover that, omg, yes, I can fit my tall boots over leggings! These ones are so thin, they're practically like tights. My calves are wide, & I'll never be able to tuck jeans into boots, but leggings-into-boots feels like a fashion triumph.

What I'm wearing:
Black handkerchief-hem tunic, made by Donna
Black ruffled sweater, Kohl's
Black bat-print leggings, Target
Black tall boots, Clarks
Black & white necklace with art bead medallion, made by me
Silver Gorey bat earrings, bought at the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouthport, MA

 

Hidden Bat Week - Stripes, Dots, & a Bat Pin

Inspired by Kasmira of What I Wore2Day's Hidden Owl Week -- where she wore some piece of owl jewelry or owl accessory somewhere in her outfits each day -- I decided to try Hidden Bat Week. Like Kasmira & her owls, I have a lot of little accessories with bat motifs. Many goths do, of course, but I don't tend to wear my bats in obviously gothy ways. They're hidden.

What I'm wearing:
Grey pinstripe jacket, Target, gift from Lisa | Black long-sleeve T-shirt, Old Navy | Black knit skirt, Target | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black lace-up, spool-heel boots, Target | Black & white polka dot scarf, Old Navy | Black art-deco bat pin, gift from a friend | Black rhinestone hoop earrings, random accessory store | Black & gunmetal cocktail ring, Icing | Chanel Vamp lipstick

 

Handmade May Cost More, But It's Worth It

La Costurera, Diego Velazquez, 1640

Here's a nice little reminder, in time for the holidays...

If you're perusing a craft faire or Etsy & you think the prices are high, consider how much labor goes into a handmade item. Somer Sherwood explains how she arrives at the price for her hand-crocheted hats on her blog post, "the true cost of handmade." Most artisans wouldn't make U.S. minimum wage at the "high" prices they charge.

Same with doing it yourself at home. I priced out how much it cost me to make a fabulous black & white necklace, which I admittedly made from pricey, high-quality materials. I owned some things like the wire, clasps, & tools already, but the raw cost was still around $32. No bargain when you make it yourself.

But paying an individual artist or DIYing does avoid the faceless, mass-produced, sweatshop labor that is reinforced by so many of our other purchases. Small victories.

Being that the hype-driven Black Friday is coming up here in the U.S., this is a good time for a plea to support buying handmade if you're shopping for holiday gifts. Or at least buy local, instead of just patronizing the big-box stores. Individual artisans & locally owned shops are part of your own community & deserve support.

My immediate family has eschewed buying Christmas gifts for many years now, & instead we give hand-crafted or charity gifts. This year, I'm making hot/cold packs from fabric in my stash (a friend made one for me & I use it tons). Plus my husband & I make updated calendars from our travel photos to give to our extended family. Time to get crackin'!

Related:

• Buy Handmade Pledge
• Small Business Saturday
• Buy Nothing Day / Occupy Xmas
• Instructables

My Boots Make My Outfit

By complete coincidence, I assembled this outfit around these boots, & then Sal of Already Pretty wrote about shoes making an outfit today. How much do I love her? Tons & even more ;-)

As I commented on her post, I intended for these fuchsia boots to compliment the grey cardigan, which, imo, kicks the otherwise basic black ensemble up a notch.

I love grey with fuschia/pink/burgundy tones & have worn them before (here, here, & here, for example), including using shoes to specifically tie the look together as I have a couple pairs of boots/shoes in this color range.

It's a fun trick to add a little color into an outfit via footwear. Have you done it?

What I'm wearing:
Grey cardigan with sequins, ModCloth
Black knit dress, Target
Black camisole, Old Navy
Black elastic belt, NY & Company
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Burgundy/fuchsia crushed-velvet ankle boots, bought from a friend
Pink rhinestone bib necklace, Forever 21
Silver Celtic cross earrings, somewhere in Berkeley