Goth Not Goth

I fully admit this outfit is not very goth, other than me wearing it. But, as we ElderGoths are fond of saying, goth is more than just black clothes or liking certain bands or books or movies -- it's a state of mind & an attitude. That's my story & I'm sticking to it.

The scarf is one of the things I picked up last weekend, & I had no idea it would coordinate so perfectly with things in my closet. It was a whim that worked out fantastically, imnsho. And this is another try at belting a scarf, which seems to work better with a more normal-sized scarf than the giganto shawl I attempted earlier.

What I'm wearing:
Purple-pink ruched-shoulder sweater, H&M
Grey corduroy skirt, Newport News
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black boots, Clarks
Floral scarf, Old Navy
Studded belt, Macy's
Gunmetal hoops, New York & Co.
Pink pyramid ring, Icing

First Time Mixing Patterns

Maybe it's the gothic aesthetic, maybe it's that I'm a closet preppy-traditionalist, maybe I'm an old fuddy-duddy, but I've never mixed patterned garments in one outfit before. At least not on purpose or while sober / awake. I know it's very trendy among the fashion blogosphere, & Miss Vinyl Ahoy even wrote a detailed tutorial on how to mix patterns judiciously.

But most of the time, those outfits look, to me, like someone forgot to take their meds. I just don't get it. Too much going on at one time! Remember, goths have trouble wearing more than one color + black. A big floral print mixed with plaid & micro-checks or something is going to be freaky for this goth gal.

And yet, when I had the top half of today's outfit on & reached for the black skirt I'd planned to wear with it, I suddenly paused at the spiderweb-print skirt. Hmm... pinstripe top, solid vest, with spiderwebs? Would it work or would I look like a bad accident? I tried it, looked in the mirror, & didn't throw up. In fact, when I went for accessories, necklaces didn't want to go with the neckline of this vest & I remembered the new scarf I bought. With polka dots. Omg, what has happened to me???

What I'm wearing today:
Black & grey pinstripe knit top, Old Navy
Black vest, bought from a friend
Black & white spiderweb-print skirt, made by me (first worn here)
Black & white polka-dot scarf, Old Navy
Black tights, unknown brand
Black lace-up spool-heel boots, Target
Large silver filigree earrings, Target
Giant black roses ring, Icing
Silver-grey flower hair pin, Icing

Unfortunately, the stripes in the top don't show up much in these photos, but I swear it looks like there's more print going on in real life.

Have you mixed patterns in an outfit? What do you think about the idea?

Broke My Fast

As I mentioned, I didn't make it very long without shopping for clothes. I lasted through all of January, but then, bam, February came & there I went. Even before I hit the mall, I had done some online shopping.

I was thinking about casual clothes, as one does, specifically, how sloppy I dress when I'm not going into the office. Working from home, ok, sure, yoga pants & a black T-shirt, that's fine every so often. But my weekend wear is pretty sorry.

About five years ago, I did make the break from jeans & teenager-style T-shirts (mostly). I weeded out all the gothy band tees & cutesy saying tees. I even ditched most of the old travel T-shirts I'd collected. And out went of the freebie tech T-shirts from work & conferences, 'cept for one or two to sleep in ONLY.  I replaced all those with simple "grown-up" solid-color knit tops in short & long-sleeve varieties.

Of course, that felt boring. And the cutesy T-shirts crept back in, along with me just generally not giving a crap on weekends.

So, I'm on a renewed mission to stop looking like a slob on weekends, but also not look like a teenager, & that means I need a few things. Not a lot of stuff, just a few tops-that-aren't-T-shirts-but-aren't-dull. Because I can always wear leggings or the cute black jeans I stocked up on already. Plus, I wanted to do so on a budget -- can't go crazy given the attempt to not buy stuff in the first place.

Luckily, my faves Newport News & Target both had some deals. I found two white & black knit tops (pictured here) with a little romanti-goth flair in the clearance section of Newport News' site. These should go well with black jeans, maybe a cardigan (could be dressed up for work too).

Target had quite a few little knit dresses (similar to the black one I already have), so I got one in red. Good for layering with black, 'natch. Also picked up a black cotton tunic that should be spiffy with a belt & leggings &/or a skirt.

At the mall, I found a few more basics at Old Navy (one can never have enough black tees & camis), plus a couple scarves that could work for casual or work. New York & Co. had a few more solid-colored knit tops & these have froofy embellishments (buy one, get the other 50% off), so that's something less-than-boring.

But Express was where I got the gem -- this black & white stripey tee, which seems so simple, but is really an ideal CasualGoth look. On petite moi, it's rather long, almost a tunic, which instead of being a design flaw, makes it more flexible. I immediately wore it layered over a cami & with jeans, but I could see wearing it with leggings & belt & a maybe even a cardigan too.

And then I went kinda nuts on accessories. Perhaps it's because I've been catching up on the first few episodes of the latest "Ru-Paul's Drag Race" -- I bought a bunch of giant cocktail rings & flashy bib necklaces & flower hair pins. Plus a wide black corset belt. My inner diva is happy.

Got any casualwear style tips to share? What do you wear on the weekends?

PerkyGoth Goes Shopping

I had hoped to make it until March without buying more clothes. See, I have a couple trips coming up, so I wanted to save my pennies for those. After all, I did plenty of fashion shopping back around Black Friday & a little bit during Xmas sales. Not like I *needed* anything new...

But on Saturday, I went to the mall to buy a new cable at the Apple Store, & well, I ended up buying a ton of clothes & accessories. Fashion Math struck again! This is a theory that Sarah & I came up with -- small amounts spent on fashion don't seem to cost too much. You spend $30 on a belt & a necklace here, $40 on a couple tops there, lather, rinse, repeat throughout the mall, & while no single purchase was that big, by the end of the day, you've spent $300 on your wardrobe. But it's not like I bought one designer handbag! Fashion Math. Ugh.

More about the other stuff I bought later, since it was mostly casual wear & a ton of accessories. The one splurge was this totally PerkyGoth sweater that I could not resist. The necklace & ring are also new.

What I'm wearing today:
Black & pink stripey cardigan, INC for Macy's
Black T-shirt, Old Navy
Black straight skirt with button detail, Chadwicks
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black pumps with silver buckles, Kenneth Cole
Black beaded bib necklace, Torrid
Giant black roses ring, Icing

So how often do you shop for clothes? Do you tend to buy lots of little things or one big thing?

 

Fashion Beauty Friend Friday - 02.03.11

FBFF Questions for 02.03.11 - This week, we are talking about creating a unique blog, courtesy of ModlyChic.

The launch this week of the 30 for 30 challenge, as well as the rise of EBEW and even the Going Red for Women month, got people thinking how do we decide what content works for our blog and what doesn't? How do we maintain our voice while being part of the larger blogger community?

So bloggers commented that some of these 'blogging events' are full of people just interested in jumping on the bandwagon and trying to garner a little more fame out of it, while others are authentic. All interesting and valid points, which of course had them thinking what makes a blog unique and how do we are bloggers differentiate ourselves and our blogs from the thousands out there. 

1. With all the blogging events out there how do you determine which ones to participate in and which ones to avoid?
So far, I haven't participated in any of them -- just FBFF, & even then, only when the questions appeal to me or I have time or I'm a little bored on a Friday working from home! Honestly, those events don't fit with my personal style. 30 for 30 is a boring concept to me, even if it's what most normal (aka non-fashion-obsessed) people do all the time. I don't know what EBEW is (tried to find a link, couldn't!), & I kinda think that wearing a color for a cause isn't as powerful as actively donating or working for it.

Maybe I should start an event of my own ... Black Thursdays, where everyone wears head-to-toe black on Thursday! Pointy-Toe Tuesdays, must wear pointy-toed boots or shoes on Tuesdays! Hair Flower Week, we all wear flowers in our hair, every day for a whole week. Eight '80s, dress with some kind of retro 1980s element in your outfit for eight days straight. Super Stripe Days, wear something striped on every day that has an "S" in it for a whole month.

Yeah, now you see why I'm not in charge here.

2. Be honest, have you ever jumped on the bandwagon of some blogging movement/event for the wrong reasons? How did that turn out?
I do wonder about these FBFFs a little -- am I just doing it for a link elsewhere? But at the same time, I don't dress up on Fridays when I work from home, so this seems pretty harmless.

3. How do you give your own flair to a blog event while still maintaining the general mission and purpose?
I blather in my own special way ;-)

4. When determining the best content for your blog what criterion do you keep in mind?
Is it at least a little bit goth & can I wear it to my admittedly casual office? Everything on this blog has to meet those qualifications. It's really that simple. I have other websites, LiveJournal, FaceBook, Flickr, etc., for tangents & personal BS. Some of the blogging events fall quickly fall into the category of "tangents" as far as CorpGoth is concerned.

For example, I was going to participate in a Petite Style Challenge on Alternations Needed for something like "perk up your winter wardrobe blahs" which required an outfit with no black in it (other than shoes or accessories). At first, I thought that would be a fun example of stretching my wings. But then I realized it was actually impossible with my wardrobe. I have a few summertime things that could work, but nothing for a full winter outfit. I couldn't fulfill that challenge in a genuinely CorpGoth or Trystan fashion. So there was no point.

5. While everything will not suit your blog, how do you try and support your fellow bloggers who are participating in something worthwhile but not your style?
I watch & comment, if I appreciate something.

Black & White & Fuchsia

When I planned this outfit the night before, I was thinking of either mid-high lace-up boots or flat, pointy bat-buckle boots. But when I went into the closet to grab my shoes, I saw these fuchsia velvet babies & thought, whoa, where have you been all my life? I've probably worn them twice in two years. Sad!

And I was reminded of Sal's recent post on Already Pretty about incorporating colorful shoes into an outfit, so I threw the ol' burgundy hair flower into the mix. It's not an exact match, but shockingly I don't have any fuchsia accessories. I looked around for some jewelry, & while I have a lot of hot pink, nothing fit the neckline of this top & sweater. Oh well, I hope the look still works.

What I'm wearing:
Black boyfriend cardigan, Chadwicks
Black & white damask-print knit top, Spiegel
Black velvet & satin swirl skirt, unknown brand
Black elastic belt with ruffle accent, NY & Co.
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Fuchsia crushed-velvet lace-up boots, bought from a friend
Hand-painted skull pendant on velvet ribbon, made by a local artist
Silver cameo earrings, vintage
Dark burgundy lipstick, Chanel "Vamp"
Burgundy satin flower hair pin, Forever 21

One Dress Two Ways

Call me lazy, but I decided to wear the same dress within three days. Hey, I only wore it for the afternoon on Saturday, & then I wore it layered today -- where's the crime? Besides, it shows diversity ;-) Let's start reverse-chronologically...

What I wore today:
Black knit dress, Target
Purple long-sleeve T-shirt, Target
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Purple lace-up boots, Roman's
Black elastic belt with silver flower, NY & Co.
Purple & hematite beaded choker, gift from a friend
Purple dangly earrings hand-painted with bats, made by a local artist
Silver & clear bead bracelet with ribbons, NY & Co.
Purple-brown shimmery lipstick, Victoria's Secret

Cozy outfit for a foggy & cool morning. I don't do a lot of layering under -- I tend to add sweaters & jackets over dresses. So this felt new for me. Also, as you might notice, this simple dress can be awfully cleavage-y for work, so it can't really go alone.

What I wore Sunday:
Black knit dress, Target
Black knit military-style jacket, Macy's
Black & white stripey leggings, American Apparel
Black socks, unknown brand
Black T-strap flats, Aldo
Elizabethan-style choker in faux gold, ruby, & pearls, eBay seller
Huge pearl-drop earrings, Forever 21
Huge red cut-glass ring, Forever 21

This was what I threw on after taking off my 1570s gown that I wore in a fashion show that afternoon. I left on the jewelry that went with the gown, just for the heck of it (& because, when I grabbed clothes that morning, I didn't pack anything else!). I'm wearing my less-obviously-modern eyeglasses, which I use with costumes. And my hair is randomly thrown atop my head, having just come out of an elaborate period 'do. Not the best look, but this is how my CasualGoth fashion ends up.

Last photo thanks to Sarah (of yet another fashion blog).