Delicate

Something about today's dress called for delicate accessories. I chose the kitten heels instead of heavy wedges. I picked the light pendant on a fine silver chain instead of chunky beads. I looked for tiny dangly pearls instead of big flashy earrings. Even my hair went smooth & silky instead of wild & curly.

What I'm wearing:
Pink & grey print dress, made by Donna | Black kitten-heel slingback pumps, Payless Shoe Source | Enameled bat pendant, bought at Costume College | Pearl & garnet earrings, bought at Costume-Con | Silver & purple crystal bracelet, random accessory store | Pink & grey flower hair pins, random accessory store

Hippy Dippy Gothic Trippy

Here's a rare weekend outfit worthy blogging. Really, it's all about the parasol -- the rest of the outfit is just my HippieGoth tendencies showing through. Altho' it's also a step up from my old weekend gear of T-shirts and jeans or shorts. I wore this ensemble for running errands whilst taking the bus (being that I don't drive a car), so this parasol was required on such a sunny, but not horrifically hot, day. I bought this beauty at the recent San Jose Renaissance Faire.

What I'm wearing:
Purple print top, Crazy Shirts in Kauaii
Black tiered skirt, gift from Lisa
Black jeweled flip-flops, Mootsies Tootsies
Black beaded necklace with purple shell flower, bought in Waikiki
Black shell earrings, Kohl's
Black skull & crossbones bracelet, gift from my mom
Purple flower hair pins, random accessory store

Cherry With a Touch of Poison

There's no theme to this outfit. I just wanted to wear a little bit of bright color, plus my new poison ring.

What I'm wearing:
White & black pinstriped twill jacket, Macy's | Black zip-front ruffled sleeveless top, Michael by Michael Kors | Cherry red pleated cotton skirt, Newport News | Black abstract lace stockings, unknown brand | Black T-strap pumps, Aldo | Round silver earrings, random accessory store | Silver & garnet poison ring, eBay

Alas, I ripped these stockings today! And they're a fave, so I'll have to hunt for a replacement. I've been contemplating a sort of clothing diet, for both financial & moral reasons. I have a huge, overly stuffed wardrobe, so I could stand to stop buying new things for a while. Maybe make an exception to replace specific small things that become destroyed & unwearable? Just as long as I don't use that as an excuse to go shopping...

Grey for Summer

I don't usually think of "grey" as a summer color, but then, black isn't supposed to be a summer color, & I wear that all year round. So who cares? This dress is lightweight & very comfy, so it fits the bill for today's weather.

What I'm wearing:
Grey knit dress with black trim, bought in London | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black pointy buckled boots, Aldo | Large silver dangly earrings, random accessory store | Silver filigree cocktail ring, gift from Kendra | Purple flower hair pin, random accessory store

We now interrupt this fashion blog...

With depressing news for anyone who likes fashion & enjoys shopping. You probably already knew that most of the clothes we buy in the major retail outlets of America, Canada, the U.K., & Europe are manufactured in questionable labor conditions in Asia, South America, & other countries typically called the third world. It sucks, & there are precious few brands / labels / retailers who can honestly claim that 100% of their goods are made by people who are paid a living wage & work in clean, safe, reputable conditions for reasonable working shifts with regular breaks & access to toilets & food, entirely free from coercion or worse.

Well. I just read this story & the accompanying video about Walmart, Target, Hanes, Macy’s, Kohl's, Land's End, & others being linked to a Jordanian "rape factory." Young women went to work at this factory to makes clothing for all of these retailers, & once there, they were beaten & sexually assaulted to make them work faster.

This is, of course, not the first time such a thing has happened, & I'm sure it won't be the last. That's the truly depressing part.

Stripes for Going Back to the Office

It's never any fun going back to work after vacation. Never ever. So I tried to make the day a little more bearable by wearing pretty clothes.

What I'm wearing:
Black & white striped silk blouse, made by Donna, fabric from Sarah | Black crochet trumpet skirt, Coldwater Creek | Black elastic belt, NY & Co. | Black & white ankle-strap, peep-toe pumps, American Eagle | Black & silver chunky beaded necklace, Target | Purple heart-shaped dangly earrings painted with bats, made by a local artist | Purple & grey flower hair pins, random accessory store

What do you wear to perk yourself up at work?

Look, it's a hat!

But I can't take full credit for this one -- this topper was a gift from my friend Ghislaine, who knew I love skulls & such things. Yep, that's a real vole skull on the topper. I was a little tempted to take it off & put it on a smaller hat so it looks bigger & more menacing. But not a really teeny hat. As some of my friends know, I have a rule: Your hat must be bigger than my fist or I will punch you.

Instead, I added a bunch of feathers to go with the skull. What do you think? Should it stay on this hat as-is or move?

What I'm wearing:
Black top hat with vole skull & checkered ribbon, all feathers added by me
Black tone-on-tone stripe coatdress, Kambriel
Black T-shirt, Old Navy
Black & white stripe walking skirt, River City Trading Company
Black & pink stripe tights, We Love Colors
Black ribbon-tie pumps, Clarks
Black & pink Victorianesque earrings, random accessory store
Pink crystal brooch, vintage, from my grandmother

Unfortunately, none of the full-length photos of the outfit turned out, so you only get hat shots. Ah well, that's the important bit, because this was a hat-themed post as part of Sophisticate Noir's August theme of Hats/Fascinators.

I wore this outfit on Friday at Costume College, which wasn't in August, but I knew I'd be on the road (literally -- driving from L.A. to San Jose) on August 1. So I prepped the post & auto-scheduled it to run. That's how much I liked this theme! Thanks, VictorianKitty!