Placeholder Post

I'd like to write something, really I would. But I barely have time to get dressed right now. So consider this a placeholder for when I'm back with more daily CorpGoth outfits and maybe an interesting post or two!

What I'm wearing: Black, white, & grey dress, made by Donna | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black perforated d'orsay flats, Target | Black bat necklace, Walgreens | Silver medallion earrings, random accessory store

Historical Gothic Horror on TV

It's kind of a cliche that goths watch horror movies and TV shows, but like most cliches, there's an element of truth in there. Mysteries, murders, vampires, ghosts, the supernatural, creepy crawly things -- these are as essential to the gothic aesthetic as black velvet, leather, punk music, and stompy boots. After all, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus was one of the goth scene's earliest anthems, and the song makes obvious references to classic horror films of the 1930s and gothic vampire literature of the 19th century before that.

Currently, television is giving us quite a selection of horror-themed dramas to choose from, along with the more typical movies (in theaters or streaming). I'm particularly interested in several series that have been set in historical periods, since that pushes all my buttons with the potential for gothic historical costumes and ambiance, plus dark spooky stories.

Over on Frock Flicks, I reviewed Penny Dreadful, a beautiful, elegant, and very deliciously dark serial available on Showtime and Amazon.com. The second season just started. I also reviewed the TV movie Lizzie Borden Took an Ax and the subsequent TV serial The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, playing on Lifetime and also on Netflix. This movie and series stars Christina Ricci of Addams Family fame and has one more episode airing next Sunday. It's not clear if there will be a season two.

I'm planning to review Salem, a fantasy-gothic series on WGN about 17th-century witches, and Ripper Street, a police procedural set in 19th-century London following Jack the Ripper; it was on the BBC and BBC America, and now it's available from Amazon.com.

What are your favorite shows in this genre I'm missing? What shows am I missing?

What I'm wearing: Black maxi-dress, Macy's | Burgundy peplum sweater, Anthropologie | Black & burgundy striped tights, We Love Colors | Beaded bat necklace, gift from friends

HockeyGoth!

We now interrupt this blog with a bit of hockey. See, last Saturday, my husband and I saw our beloved hometown team, the San Jose Sharks play in the NHL's Stadium Series against our hated rivals, the L.A. Kings. While our guys lost 2-1, the game was super fun because it was played outdoors at the brand-new Levi's Stadium, built for the San Francisco 49ers football team. Over 70,000 people in a gigantic arena, bright lights, fireworks, it was crazy cool!

In the week before, while the NHL was setting up the outdoor ice rink, they'd setup a webcam to record the progress. Well, a raven wandered in front of the camera and made an editorial comment, which made the rounds last week.

In the pre-game buildup, they used this clip on the Jumbotron with a "MAKE SOME NOISE" header, which was pretty funny for those of us who got the reference.

Here's a selfie of my sweetie and me with the Sharks head that the players usually skate through before each game. It was out on the concourse for fans to enjoy.

I'm not a big sports fan, but I enjoy hockey and a little college football by my alma mater. Do you follow any sports?

Clothing Stores I've Loved and Lost

I used to love shopping at real, live brick-and-mortar stores for clothes. Because I used to find things of interest there, unusual garments, quirky fun clothes, fashions I could work into a wacky wonderful wardrobe of my own style somehow. Even without thrift-shopping, there was a time when "going shopping" was a fun hobby in its own right.

I was part of the first-generation of mall rats in the U.S., in the heart of suburban California, I was essentially a Valley Girl -- ok, Silicon Valley, but still, like, totally, omg, gag me with a spoon, it was the '80s, and shopping malls were our native habitat. Most weekends, my girlfriends and I roamed the malls in search of good times and cool clothes.

This continued, off and on, for me through college and the early '90s, as mall culture wore down, stores changed, and the Internet started to take off. My needs changed, but I still wanted new clothes, and for many years, catalogs were a bigger supplement to malls than the Internet itself. Until finally, even that faded away, and now all my favorite brands are gone.

Today, I'm left with just the hodgepodge of big retailers. Sure, they're reliable for sales, their websites are searchable, and I can generally find something. But they don't specialize, they don't cater to my needs the way these long-lost faves did... ah, back when once upon a time there was...

Judy's -- This California-based chain had about 70 women's clothing stores in Western U.S. states at its peak in the mid-'80s. This was the first store that I really clicked with. It sold cutting-edge clothes and accessories, very hip styles, things like you'd see in new wave music videos. The prices were just at the edge of my allowance, I always saved up for a month before buying anything there. The chain had an annual blow-out sale, early on a Sunday morning, at a large, regional mall that my best friend and I went to (begging whoever's mom could stand taking us), and we'd buy a HUGE bag of really crazy stuff.

Contempo Casuals -- The last 200-some-odd stores were acquired by Wet Seal in 1995, but before that, this mall store was the supplier of A LOT of my wardrobe from 1984 to 1992. Every pair of leggings I wore (in every color!), all the big button-down shirts, a ton of broomstick skirts, scads of brocade and lace New Romantic stuff, piles of accessories, you name it. The brand gets some anti-nostalgic flack for being the home of neon, baggy '80s weirdness, but damn, those sale racks was where I built a fabulous RomantiGoth wardrobe on a reasonable budget! You can still find some of the labels turning up on eBay, but the really good stuff seems lost to history.

Newport News -- This was my one, great, mail-order love. I bought from Newport News using actual paper catalogs long before it ever had a website (snail-mail, how novel!). The brand has been subsumed into Spiegel's catalog, and all the unique clothes are gone. Back in the day, us goth girls online would alert each other to the latest Newport News offerings. Did you see the velvet duster coat? It comes in black *or* burgundy! And the faux riding jacket, I wonder if the buttons are functional? Yay, more silk poet blouses -- and there's a sale, stock up. We joked that it's a good thing we didn't all live in the same city, or we'd have to worry about showing up wearing the same Newport News dress or coat. Sadly, I only have a few items left from those days that are still in good condition and that fit. I have an eBay search saved for this brand and occasionally find classics. But alas, no retailer has really filled the void for this or any of the others.

What I'm wearing: Black & white stripe knit jacket, Marshalls | Black T-shirt, Target | Black jeans, Eddie Bauer | Red heeled ankle boots, Aerosoles | Black bat necklace, Walgreens | Pewter key earrings, made by me

Friday Five: Love & Marriage

1. How many times have you been in love?Three & a half times till I got it right.

2. When is the appropriate time to first say that you are in low?
When you are. There's no point in holding back.

3. Do you think it is a good idea to live with a significant other before you are married?
Abso-fucking-lutely, to quote Mr. Big. I'm all about the test-drive.

4. How soon is too soon to move in together?
Never too soon. Just do it.

5. When do you think you will get married? OR Favorite Vegetable? :)
Done on 3/26/00. And potatoes. I reallyreallyreally love potatoes.

Questions culled from The Friday Five on LiveJournal.

What I'm wearing: Blue knit dress, Ruche.com | Black cardigan, Chadwicks | Black corset-style elastic belt, Torrid | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black flats, Aldo | Silver & purple crystal earrings, gift from Lisa | Silver book locket necklace, random accessory store

Monday MemeDay: 30 Cool Things

We can spend so much time getting down on ourselves or reflecting on things that aren't going well, or might not go well. Why not take a moment to chronicle some of the cool things you've done or experienced in your life? Don't add any disclaimers, like, "Well, this was actually dorky" or "This didn't last very long" or,"That ended badly." Just list cool stuff, and only in cool terms. Because it's good to do that sometimes. So there.

Try it and post it!

In my life, I have...

1. Set foot on all 7 continents.
2. Married the love of my life.
3. Swam with wild dolphins.
4. Tripped George Takei (not on purpose ;-).
5. Voted in every major election since I turned 18.
6. Dyed my hair pink.
7. Donated to the local humane society for 16 years and counting.
8. Played violin.
9. Ran 5k in under 30 minutes.
10. Touched an iceberg.
11. Slept in a 16th-century canopied bed at a Tudor manor house with a moat.
12. Fixed a leaky faucet.
13. Gotten my writing published & read by millions.
14. Spotted a whale from a beach.
15. Gave money to friends in need.
16. Crawled on my belly thru a pitch-black cave.
17. Told door-to-door solicitors to bug off.
18. Cooked a medieval feast for royalty.
19. Worked three different jobs I loved.
20. Rode in business class on an 8-hour flight.
21. Marched in an anti-war protest on the Bay Bridge.
22. Eaten sea cucumber.
23. Won a $40 payout in nickles at a Vegas casino.
24. Lived alone.
25. Sang Christmas carols at a hospital.
26. Won "Best in Show" at a world-class costume competition.
27. Bought a house.
28. Hosted Christmas morning for my family.
29. Hiked on two different volcanoes.
30. Survived cancer.

What I'm wearing: Purple floral-print dress, April Cornell | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black perforated d'orsay flats, Target | Pink skull necklace, gift from Elisa | Pink medallion earrings, Etsy

The Visiting Cats

While my house is currently cat-less, we do have feline visitors. For most of the time we've lived here, our backyard has been adopted by the neighborhood cats. Probably because our cats have always been indoor-only. Well, there are two cats who  particularly enjoy hanging out in our backyard -- this black tomcat who actually lives across the street and is called Negrito, and his girlfriend, a Siamese.

The girlcat is a bit skittish and runs away when I bring out the tripod to take my blog photos, but recently Negrito has tried to photo-bomb me. So this morning, I let him get into the picture. You can't tell, but he's pretty scruffy from his wild outdoor life, especially since he gets into a lot of fights. He's sweet to people but not other cats.

We're waiting until after a few short trips away before we get our "real" cats for indoors. We want kittens again, so we'll have a good long time with the cats. So hopefully this fall. A house without cats or any pets isn't really a home.

What I'm wearing: Grey & white striped hooded sweater, Forever 21 | Black T-shirt, Target | Black & white stripe maxi skirt, Nordstrom | Silver-grey wedges, Anne Klein | Silver fishes necklace, Ann d'Aboise | Pewter key earrings, made by me

On Being Carfree in the 'Burbs

If you live in Europe or even New York City, not having a car & driver's license may not be a big deal. But for a native Californian, especially living in the suburban Silicon Valley, a functional adult who chooses to not drive might as well have 4 arms & bright green skin -- it's that weird.

That's me, the non-driving freak. I'm 45 years old, & I choose not to drive.

It started simply enough. I took driver's ed classes in high school. My mom even got me a beat-up old car to practice driving in. I passed the class, but I didn't enjoy it. All the other teens were chomping at the bit to get their licenses, & I just didn't care.  Driving made me edgy & nervous & uncomfortable. I didn't want to bother with it. And I didn't really need to drive. I could walk or take the bus to school, & my friends all drove, so they took me anywhere further.

I went away to college, to a very compact town with horrible parking problems. It was much easier to get around on foot or by public transit in the 4.5 years I lived there. Maybe I'd get a driver's license later. Or maybe not.

My first job out of college was an hour's drive away from town, back towards my hometown while I still lived near the university. But I got into a carpool with three drivers going the same route & toughed it out for three months, until I decided to move back home & closer to work. Where I again carpooled.

Then I went to grad school, living on or near campus for a few year, having no need of a vehicle. Even my part-time jobs were all within walking distance or a quick pubtrans route away. When I dropped out of grad school, it was for a great job that was literally a six-block walk from my apartment. I stayed at that job for five years, though I moved from the apartment a little farther away, just a short bus ride away. And because I had started working on the Internet, I could work from home occasionally. 

This became the pattern for my working life -- figure out a carpool &/or public transit route, plus add in one or two work-from-home days. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, traffic congestion on the freeways is relieved by carpool lanes, so my riding alone usually helps lessen the commute time a bit for a driver, plus I always chip in with gas money. The public transit system isn't very comprehensive, unfortunately -- buses & light rail don't connect conveniently, & they're slow, so it can take me double the distance on pubtrans that a car would take. Still, it's cheap, & I can enjoyably pass the time listening to music or podcasts or surfing the net on my phone.

I do a lot of my personal shopping & errand-running by bus as well. This forces me to be very organized. I plot out where I want to go, exactly what I need, & how much I can carry. If not by bus, then I shop online, so I still have to plan in advance. This cuts down on impulsive shopping & being last-minute about things. You have to be a planner if you can't just jump in the car to run to the store for more milk or another spool of thread or whatever. I'm the queen of scheduling & to-do lists!

For a long time, my mom kept asking when I was going to get a driver's license. Sometime after I turned 30, she stopped. My husband (who I've known since I was about 22) also kept thinking I'd learn to drive, but he finally realized, nope, that was not my thing. We do have joint ownership of our Prius, & he drives us to do things like get groceries & he takes me to many doctor's appointments. But I do try to get around by myself.

Being carfree is a deep & essential part of me now. It's like how some people are vegetarian. This is something I do & something I am. I don't want to drive a car, I wouldn't feel right doing so. There's nothing traumatic or terrifying about the concept -- I obviously ride in cars all the time. I'm not militant about not driving. It's not like a strident vegan who is offended by your steak. I'm more like the vegetarian who doesn't care what you eat, but doesn't prefer to eat meat myself. That's me & driving. It's not my bag, baby.

What I'm wearing: Grey knit dress with black trim, bought in London | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black ankle boots, Aerosoles | Chunky silver bead necklace, random accessory store | Gunmetal hoop earrings, random accessory store

 

Renaissance Shoes & Velvet Punk

For a night out at the Meadery with my sweetie & friends, I wanted something comfortable but cute. The dress was a given -- nothing beats knit -- & then the shoes seemed appropriate given the crowd (my friend who designed these shoes would be there), plus these shoes are very comfortable.

I needed a sweater or light jacket since it was a cool evening, & my hand fell upon this oldie, a beat-up velveteen motorcycle-style jacket I've had for a million years, all decorated from my more more-obviously goth days, yet with a couple recent touches. Perfect!

What I'm wearing:
Black knit dress, Newport News
Black cable-patterned tights, unknown brand
Oxblood "Stratford" 16th-century shoes, designed by Francis Classe for American Duchess
Burgundy & gold shield necklace, local artisan
Pink & gold earrings, vintage
Black velveteen motorcycle-style jacket, International Male
Pins, various sources

Highly recommended, just order a half size up. They come in black too!

Favorite pins on jacket lapel

Sisters of Mercy, Depeche Mode, & my college sorority badge

Peace pin & Clan Ventrue from Vampire: the Masquerade (my Toreador pin is on a purse)

San Jose Sharks 10th anniversary pin

Symbolic charms I attached to a zipper pull

Weekend Pirate

A little weekend pirate couture. With a touch of gold. I used to be strictly silver-only, as many goths are. But I've gotten lax in my old age. Maybe it's the influence of my historical costuming, particularly the 16th-century styles I love. Back then, gold was more popular because it's the most valuable & expensive metal. Your clothing showed your wealth, so if you could afford gold, you wore it. I make a point of wearing gold jewelry & trimming my gowns with gold, when possible, to fit my persona of a wealthy, high-ranking 16th-century noblewoman.

Of course, it's not just historical accuracy. My wedding band is a mix of yellow & white gold (tho' my engagement ring is sterling silver). These type of bands are just what my husband & I liked best some 14 years ago. So maybe I wasn't always so adamant about silver-only...

What I'm wearing:
"Pirate Couture" T-shirt, DisneyLand | Black jeans, Levi's | Black socks, unknown brand | Black walking shoes, Naturalizer | Black newsboy hat, random accessory store | Silver filigree earrings, Target

Weekend RuPaul

I'm sure I've mentioned before how much I love RuPaul & drag queens in general. It takes balls for a man to dress up in high heels, a wig, & makeup in public. And Ru is the most outspoken of them all, with sassy quips that are awesome words to live by. My favourite quote of his is "We're all born naked, the rest is drag" -- which I've turned into a slogan for my costume site as, "We're all born naked, everything else is a costume." Same concept, meaning that clothes are an act of making up who we are, pretending to be something, mask making, presenting a carefully constructed face to the world. I think goths understand this idea intrinsically.

While that's my favorite RuPaul quote, I do love this T-shirt my sweetie got me for Christmas. The gold foil makes it very glam, & who doesn't need that?

What I'm wearing:
"Shantay, You Stay / Sashay Away" RuPaul's Drag Race T-shirt, gift from my husband
Black linen skirt, H&M
Black elastic belt, NY & Company
Black leggings with lace side panel, Torrid
Black socks, unknown brand
Black flats with wings, Plasticland.com
Black & gold medallion earrings, random accessory store
Silver bangles, random accessory store
Brown skull bracelet, gift from my mom
Silver Celtic knotwork ring gift from Lisa

When pop culture memes collide! Jabba the Hut at a local Star Wars themed bar.

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?

Tigger Goes Goth

On one day of my recent trip to DisneyLand, I wore this subtly Tigger-inspired outfit. The idea came from DisneyBound, a Tumblr with lots of outfit ideas that are inspired by or reminiscent of Disney characters without actually being costumes. This is ideal for adults because the theme park discourages adults from attending in actual costumes (they let little kids do it), & of course I love dressing up.

While Tiger is far & away my favorite Disney character, the several DisneyBound suggested outfits were all too, um, bright for me. I gave it a gothic twist. Too bad I didn't get a picture that day with Tigger himself!

What I'm wearing:
Black T-shirt, Old Navy | Black knit military-style jacket, Macy's | Brown, black, & white Ikat/tiger-print knit skirt, Kohl's | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black suede ankle boots, Walking Company | Animal-print infinity scarf, random accessory store

Hand in Pocket

For the usual Christmas Eve family gathering, I wanted an outfit with pockets. For the unglamorous reason that I was a bit sniffly & needed a place to hide a tissue. Luckily, this dress conveniently fits the bill & looks rather nice too. I made it through chemo without any infections, but winter chills hit & I get a little ol' head cold. Go figure!

What I'm wearing:
Purple knit dress, Land's End | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black flats, Aerosoles | Black, hematite, & silver chunky bead choker, random accessory store | Silver cameo earrings, vintage

Comfortable Holiday Outings

Some holiday events are dressy -- time for cocktail dresses, bling, high heels, suits, ties. Others are more homey gatherings where you want to look good but feel at ease. Family events are often like this, in my experience, those are times for smart-casual outfits that are less work-a-day but not quite cocktail attire either.

For these events, I go for a dark knit dress and a pretty sweater, plus some jewelry to jazz up the outfit. This maxi dress is one of my summer staples, but it works for winter when layered.

What I'm wearing:
Black knit maxi dress, Macy's | Black & white floral sweater, White House Black Market | Black & purple stripe tights, We Love Colors | Black flats, Aerosoles | Black & purple beaded necklace, gift from Lisa | Gunmetal hoop earrings, random accessory store

Old Bats, New Bat

In this casual weekend outfit, I'm wearing a lot of my standard, everyday bats. The T-shirt & leggings have shown up on this blog plenty of times before.

But the pendant is new, & it was a lovely gift from the lovely people at Beneath Glass, an Etsy shop full of jewelry with artsy, vintage, steampunk, geeky, & fun prints & sayings in cameos on necklaces, rings, & more. I'm so delighted with this Victorian bat necklace, & I hope you'll check out their beautiful goods. Not an ad here, just sharing the love!

What I'm wearing:
Grey bat T-shirt, Target
Black linen skirt, H&M
Black bat leggings, Target
Black socks, unknown brand
Black laced-toe flats, Miz Mooz
Bat pendant, Beneath Glass on Etsy
Silver & black teardrop 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

Scarf Time

Originally, I thought scarves & turbans were too "cancer patient" looking for me. Well, they are, but I now see the value of wearing them anyway. This style of head covering is easy to wear once it's on (tho' it can be fussy to adjust to look good), & they can be comfortable. Besides, scarves/turbans mix up the look. Sometimes, I don't care if I look like a cancer patient -- it's the truth, I own it.

I made this one from a fabric scrap a friend gave me. I was trying to copy a fitted scarf that I got on Etsy, since I liked the style & just wanted variety. Sewing stretch fabrics isn't my favorite thing to do, but the project only had a few darts to give the cap shape. I'm going to make more since other friends have donated stretch fabrics, & I'll be bald for quite a while longer.

What I'm Wearing:

Black & white knit scarf, made by me

Black & white stripe "Paris" T-shirt, bought in Paris, France

Silver filigree earrings, Target

Red lipstick, Sephora house brand

Dinner With the Family

One of the most common side effects of chemo (other than hair loss) is changes to the taste buds. It can be mild or make everything taste like cardboard. I've been lucky in that I've mostly had a sensation of burnt tongue, like when you drink too-hot coffee, so everything tastes off or a little more dull. Some things taste distinctly weird, like citrus tastes bitter. Luckily, the one thing that tastes normal is my favorite milk chocolate, so yeah, I've indulged some!

Recently, I went out to dinner at an Afghani restaurant with my parents & some old family friends (& this is what I wore). The food was great! I could taste everything pretty well -- something about those favors were just right even to my burnt tongue. So nice.

The bad tastes have usually gone away just before the next chemo infusion. And my last one will be on Halloween -- so I'm *really* looking forward to Thanksgiving this year & being able to really taste all of my mom's great cooking!

What I'm Wearing:

White & black pinstripe jacket, Macy's

Purple T-shirt, Target

Black corduroy skirt, H&M

Black & white kitty-print wedge sneakers, PlasticLand

Black socks, unknown brand

Silver book locket necklace, random accessory store

Gunmetal dangly skull earrings, Walgreens

Sparkly skull stud earrings, random accessory store

Black & white beaded cuff bracelet, bought in Kauai