Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
An Announcement
As you all may have noticed, I haven't been blogging very frequently lately. I feel like my format has gotten repetitive and my posts aren't really bringing anything new or interesting to my readers. Also, as I approach my 21st birthday, I feel less like a "girl" every day. I enjoy blogging and sharing my style and thoughts with the internet, but I don't enjoy it in the format I have been doing it in any more. As a result, I'm stopping blogging here at Geeky Goth Girl and shifting it to a new, hopefully better and more interesting website: Silks, Stays, and Shadow-Truths. I do hope all of my lovely readers will follow me there! So, how will this blog be different from the old one? Well, in a number of ways:
*Rather than an "outfit of the day" format, I will do "styling posts", focusing on a single element or clothing item (stripes or vests, for example) and looking at a number of different ways to wear it or variations you can find in it.
*In addition to my own outfits, I hope to incorporate more outfits from others, as well as items and ideas for things people can buy or do, based around the chosen theme. I feel like including inspirational/aspirational outfits and pictures will allow me to connect with more readers and fellow bloggers.
*I want to do more posts about sewing. I am also starting a journey as a corset-maker, and want to chronicle that and share it with all of you. Hence the "silks and stays" part of the title.
*I'm hoping to address more serious topics, such as feminism, civil rights, portrayals of women in the media, and the like. I feel like such posts don't really fit with the "mainly outfits" scope of my current blog, and want to incorporate them more into regular blogging.
*Finally, I want to talk more about my journey as a writer. I'm hoping to participate in NaNoWriMo this year for the first time, and I would love to share that progress with people and write more about the writing process and what I discover about myself as a writer while doing it.
So, thanks, kids. It's been a great ride. I've maintained this blog for a year and a half and a hundred and forty posts, during which I grew and changed immensely as a person. I went to New Zealand and came back to Colorado, and made amazing new friends all over the world through the Goth blog-o-sphere. I shared my 20th birthday with you all, and I'm certainly hoping you'll come with me to the new blog so I can share the 21st. Kindest regards to all of my followers; thank you so much for all the support, encouragement, and just general awesomeness you have offered me. A special shout-out to the amazing VictorianKitty at SophistiqueNoir, without whom I would never have made it this far. Few successful and popular bloggers remember "the little guys" but she seeks out blogs without many followers and offers help and encouragement to them, and helps connect the community through her blogging events. Thanks, Kitty. I never could have done it without you! So not farewell, but adieu, my lovely followers; may we meet again VERY soon. See you on the other side. <3
*Rather than an "outfit of the day" format, I will do "styling posts", focusing on a single element or clothing item (stripes or vests, for example) and looking at a number of different ways to wear it or variations you can find in it.
*In addition to my own outfits, I hope to incorporate more outfits from others, as well as items and ideas for things people can buy or do, based around the chosen theme. I feel like including inspirational/aspirational outfits and pictures will allow me to connect with more readers and fellow bloggers.
*I want to do more posts about sewing. I am also starting a journey as a corset-maker, and want to chronicle that and share it with all of you. Hence the "silks and stays" part of the title.
*I'm hoping to address more serious topics, such as feminism, civil rights, portrayals of women in the media, and the like. I feel like such posts don't really fit with the "mainly outfits" scope of my current blog, and want to incorporate them more into regular blogging.
*Finally, I want to talk more about my journey as a writer. I'm hoping to participate in NaNoWriMo this year for the first time, and I would love to share that progress with people and write more about the writing process and what I discover about myself as a writer while doing it.
So, thanks, kids. It's been a great ride. I've maintained this blog for a year and a half and a hundred and forty posts, during which I grew and changed immensely as a person. I went to New Zealand and came back to Colorado, and made amazing new friends all over the world through the Goth blog-o-sphere. I shared my 20th birthday with you all, and I'm certainly hoping you'll come with me to the new blog so I can share the 21st. Kindest regards to all of my followers; thank you so much for all the support, encouragement, and just general awesomeness you have offered me. A special shout-out to the amazing VictorianKitty at SophistiqueNoir, without whom I would never have made it this far. Few successful and popular bloggers remember "the little guys" but she seeks out blogs without many followers and offers help and encouragement to them, and helps connect the community through her blogging events. Thanks, Kitty. I never could have done it without you! So not farewell, but adieu, my lovely followers; may we meet again VERY soon. See you on the other side. <3
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wack-tober:Steampunk Pants Fun!
These are not cosplays, but they both count as Wack-tober for me because they involve an element none-too-frequently seen in my outfits: Pants! Well, bloomers. And knickers. Still, bifurcated bottom garments-not something I do that often! But it is Wack-tober, after all-and for me, pants are definitely out of the ordinary. Here's the first:
Goggles-Goodwill
Black and navy blouse-Arc
Black and navy blouse-Arc
Black velvet underbust-Buffalo Exchange
Black pantalets-Buffalo Exchange
Rainbow socks-British shop
Black round-toed Mary Janes-Ross
I wore this last Sunday to go to the doll show with my mom. I got the pins on the corset there-I really like them, and think they add a lot of pop to the outfit! I'm now rather enamoured of the idea of wearing brooches and pins on my corsets for decoration.
Black round-toed Mary Janes-Ross
I wore this last Sunday to go to the doll show with my mom. I got the pins on the corset there-I really like them, and think they add a lot of pop to the outfit! I'm now rather enamoured of the idea of wearing brooches and pins on my corsets for decoration.
And here was last night's outfit, for a Rasputina concert!
Black lace bolero-Love Culture
Cream blouse-Fiji flea market
Black and cream underbust-Punk69
Bloomers-Made by me
Black flowered tights-Target
Bloomers-Made by me
Black flowered tights-Target
Black and white striped stocking-Hot Topic
Mary Jane heels-Goodwill
Mary Jane heels-Goodwill
Sorry for the slightly blurry picture-it was rather late last night when I got home from the concert, so I didn't notice the picture was blurry when I took it. I'm rather proud of these bloomers-they were actually a very small pair of children's bloomers I got from Goodwill, then split open and put large panels of cream-colored satin (scavenged from another skirt) on the side. It was a pretty simple endeavor, but I really like the results. They are super comfortable and easy to wear, and the perfect thing to wear to see one of my favorite bands. :)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
ALL THE STEALTH COSPLAYS! (...Or not.)
Hi, guys! I have ALL THE STEALTH COSPLAYS for you today-it'll be a pretty long and pic-heavy post, but I hope that you enjoy seeing my spins on the outfits as much as I am enjoying putting them together and wearing them.
First, a little more sci-fi, to match my Doctor Who post:
Star Trek TOS uniform!
Red fishnet shirt-Buffalo Exchange
Red fishnet shirt-Buffalo Exchange
Black tank-Forever21
Red and black lace skirt-Repeat Boutique
Galaxy-print leggings-Cosmic
Black Doc Marten-alikes-Wal-Mart
Black Doc Marten-alikes-Wal-Mart
Here's the original dress:
Those dresses were so short, all the ladies on the show wore matching bloomers because they pretty much couldn't have moved without flashing someone otherwise!
Here's the next one, a little more loose, but inspired by Cosette from Les Miserables:
Black and white empire waist dress-Buffalo Exchange
White tights-Wal-Mart
White tights-Wal-Mart
Ghillies-Arc
Here's the original dress-it's a lot more elaborate. Cosette gets a bad rap, but I actually quite like her. I am very excited to see the Les Mis movie when it comes out, as I am a huge musical dork and love all the actors in the movie!
So not as close as some others, but the dress looks 1830s-ish, and the color palette is the same. It is a stealth cosplay, after all! :D
The final one is a little more obscure, but I feel like a lot of you would love (or possibly already do!) Alexia Tabarotti from Gail Carriger's Soulless:
Goggles-Goodwill
Black tank-Wal-Mart
Black velvet corset-Buffalo Exchange
Purple taffeta skirt-Made by me
Black ruffled underskirt-Buffalo Exchange
Chunky black shoes-Goodwill
Her being a book character, I don't have as much material to draw from-but I loved the purple color scheme on the cover, and I decided to base the outfit on that. This really is one of my favorite books-Alexa Tabarotti is a strongly constructed character, being by turns stubborn, brave, prickly, and dryly witty. The whole series is fantastic-great action, very funny, wonderful characters, and a really well-done romance. I highly recommend them if you haven't read them.
I was originally just going to do one week of stealth cosplays, but I find myself liking them so much that I think I shall continue them for at least a little while longer. Stay tuned for more tomorrow! And thanks for your patience with my irregular posting schedule, lovelies-I appreciate you all, and am so grateful to you for reading my blog. Cheers!
Black velvet corset-Buffalo Exchange
Purple taffeta skirt-Made by me
Black ruffled underskirt-Buffalo Exchange
Chunky black shoes-Goodwill
Her being a book character, I don't have as much material to draw from-but I loved the purple color scheme on the cover, and I decided to base the outfit on that. This really is one of my favorite books-Alexa Tabarotti is a strongly constructed character, being by turns stubborn, brave, prickly, and dryly witty. The whole series is fantastic-great action, very funny, wonderful characters, and a really well-done romance. I highly recommend them if you haven't read them.
I was originally just going to do one week of stealth cosplays, but I find myself liking them so much that I think I shall continue them for at least a little while longer. Stay tuned for more tomorrow! And thanks for your patience with my irregular posting schedule, lovelies-I appreciate you all, and am so grateful to you for reading my blog. Cheers!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Wacktober-Stealth Cosplay #1
Hello, lovelies! I have had a ton of work and school, so I haven't been around much lately, but I want to continue trying out my theme months, and for this, one of our favorite darkly delightful months, I have decided to do "Wack-Tober", with things that are a little unusual-even for me. :) I've decided to start off with a series of stealth cosplays-that is, I know I'm dressed as a character, but only the very clever or perceptive people around me realize unless I tell them. Today's was a female version of the Tenth Doctor, and in fact could easily have been mistaken for a Stripetember entry, thanks to the pinstripes. Here's the original I was emulating:
And here's mine:
Black and white chalk-stripe jacket-Arc
Black tank-TJ Maxx
Black buckled pinstripe corset-Punk69
Black pinstripe skirt-Old Navy
Black tights-Wal-Mart
Black and white sneakers-Arc
These shoes are pretty much the closest thing I have to Converse. The 10th Doctor wore brown suits a lot, but he also wore navy and black once in a while, and the dynamic, dressy-yet-active combination of the suits with the sneakers makes me very happy. Not much else to say, except that secretly knowing you're dressed like a 900-year-old Time Lord does have a way of brightening up your day. :)
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Stripetember Participation Day Post!
WOW! Can I just say, I am simply OVERWHELMED by the response I had to my very first participation day? THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU GUYS, YOU ARE MAKING ME TYPE IN ALL CAPS. THAT IS HOW AMAZING YOU ARE! Here's to all the lovely ladies who showed me their stripes:
1. VictorianKitty of SophistiqueNoir
2. Lesthi of Lesthi's Blog
3. Lynoire of Milking The Rolling Cow
4. Captain Cadaver of Bats and Cats
5. Katherine of In Pandaemonium
Thanks so much, ladies-you all rocked the stripes! :D
Here was my outfit for today: I went daring, and mixed my stripes up a little!
1. VictorianKitty of SophistiqueNoir
2. Lesthi of Lesthi's Blog
3. Lynoire of Milking The Rolling Cow
4. Captain Cadaver of Bats and Cats
5. Katherine of In Pandaemonium
Thanks so much, ladies-you all rocked the stripes! :D
Here was my outfit for today: I went daring, and mixed my stripes up a little!
Black ruffled blouse-Forever21
Red and white striped vest-Made by me
Black and white striped skirt-Arc
Black leggings-Ross
Black faux Doc Martens-Wal-Mart
I like the look of this skirt, but unfortunately it wrinkle's like nobody's business. I might end up repurposing the fabric into something like a vest or a corset that won't wrinkle-we'll see! There is just not enough black and white striped stuff in this world, if you ask me. Thank you all again for participating, and keep your eyes peeled for next month's theme and theme day. After blogging for about 16 months, I finally feel like I'm really stretching my legs and coming further into the blog-o-sphere and I couldn't do that without all of you. :)
Stripetember Participation Day!
Hello, darlings! Today's the Big Day-are you as excited for it as I am? :) If you're wearing your stripes today as part of my Monthly Theme Participation day, please leave a comment on this post with a link to your stripey goodness and I will collect them all into one big post of striped awesome tonight. Have a graphic to put at the top of your post (or the bottom; I won't tell you how to live your life!) and I can't wait to see what you all come up with!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Stripetember: Color Edition, And An Exciting Announcement!
Moving away from the B&W posts for a bit, I'd like to present COLOR! Yay! Shiny happy rainbowy gooey globs of colored stripey goodness ahoy:
Rainbow Dress-Made by me
Black blazer-Goodwill
Fishnets-Wal-Mart
Black satin heels-Recycle Boutique
I love this dress, but it is a bit bright, even for me! I also made it a couple years ago when I was not as accomplished a seamstress, so it's a little wonky in the bodice/sleeves. Solution? A simple black blazer on top of it!
And now for today's outfit:
Black peasant blouse-Family Dollar
Black and purple stripe corset-Punk69
Black lace skirt-Goodwill
Black and purple stripe tights-TJ Maxx
Black wedges-Wal-Mart
At first I was worried that the horizontal and vertical purple stripes together might be Too Much Of A Good Thing, but I think there's enough solid black to break them up and let them compliment each other instead of clashing. Plus, IMO, you can never have too much black and purple!
And now, an exciting announcement: Back at the beginning of the month, I said I hoped to have a participation day where everyone would wear their finest stripes around the 20th. Well, the 20th came and went and I didn't have a chance to do it, so I thought: Why not the 26th? Two thirteens are twice as lucky after all! So here's the deal: On September 26th, I will post early in the morning, and I will leave comments open all day for people to link to their posts. At the end of the day, I'll collect everyone's posts and make a big post for all the blogs that participate! It will be very similar to (aka, I stole the idea from) the lovely SophistiqueNoir's Monthly Theme Days, something I have participated in in the past. I can't wait to see all your stripes in a couple day's time! Here's the image for your blog; if you do it, please use the image and link back to me. I can't wait!
And now, an exciting announcement: Back at the beginning of the month, I said I hoped to have a participation day where everyone would wear their finest stripes around the 20th. Well, the 20th came and went and I didn't have a chance to do it, so I thought: Why not the 26th? Two thirteens are twice as lucky after all! So here's the deal: On September 26th, I will post early in the morning, and I will leave comments open all day for people to link to their posts. At the end of the day, I'll collect everyone's posts and make a big post for all the blogs that participate! It will be very similar to (aka, I stole the idea from) the lovely SophistiqueNoir's Monthly Theme Days, something I have participated in in the past. I can't wait to see all your stripes in a couple day's time! Here's the image for your blog; if you do it, please use the image and link back to me. I can't wait!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Simple Stripes
I'm going to keep it simple today, in both my outfit and my blogging, because I have a bad cold and it's really been dragging me down.
Sorry for the blurry photo. I was LazyBlogger and didn't feel like retaking it a zillion times. BUT:
Black webbed top-Goodwill
Black and white striped pencil skirt-Salvation Army
Black tights-Wal-Mart
Black patent Mary Janes-Ross
Not much to say about this, except that the top is a lot cooler than pictured. It's sort of "torn up" in strips over a lace panel, and I like that it's very elegant/punk rock. If you'd like a better picture of the skirt, I also wore it here. Sorry for the blah post, I hope that the mucous monsters living in my head will let me do better tomorrow!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Black And White Stripegavanza!
Hello, lovelies! Sorry I've been absent for a while but schoolwork and costume-making have combined to kick my ass pretty thoroughly for the past week. Never fear, though-I've got ALL THE BLACK AND WHITE STIPES for you!
Pearl necklace-NZ Artist's market
Black and white striped shirt-Repeat Boutique
Black crinkly skirt-Arc
Black flats-Target
Today's fare-simple enough. A comfy black and white striped shirt that I just love, and my favorite three-fabric black crinkled Gypsy skirt.
Striped blazer-Forever21
Black t-shirt-Forever21
White satin skirt with fishnet overlay-Paper Bag Princess
Black flowered flats-Recycle Boutique
I liked this combo. I initially wasn't sure how the stripes would work with the fishnet, but I ended up really liking the effect!
Black Lip Service dress-Buffalo Exchange
Black and white striped leggings-Recycle Boutique
Black flower slides-Recycle Boutique
I really like this dress, but it doesn't get worn much because it's shorter than I'm really comfortable with. Solution? These lovely leggings! Aren't they just the bee's knees?
And finally-this probably looks a little costume-y, even for me. Probably because it's a costume!
White shirt-DAV thrift
Black and white striped vest-made by me
Black leggings-Wal-Mart
Black pirate boots-DAV thrift
Aren't the boots adorable? They inspired me to make a steampunk pirate costume for Nan Desu Kan. Sadly, they were also not that comfortable and I ended up swapping them out for my Doc-alikes from Wal-Mart before I left for the con proper. But they were fun to wear and I'm determined to build up my tolerance for 'em. Also sadly, the fact that the b/w striped fabric the vest is made of was 67 cents a yard on clearance at Wal-Mart definitely showed-it split along one of the seams just from raveling. But that's ok-the vest was fun while it lasted, and I finally found a b/w stripe cotton on EBay that I'm going to use to make another version of the same vest. It made a great "wearable muslin"-that is, cheap fabric you use to test a pattern and fit it, before you use good or expensive fabric! It'll be nice to have one that isn't so shiny. :)
Monday, September 10, 2012
Changing My Stripes
As Stripe-Tember progresses, I want to move on to some of the Goth-iest of all stripes: black and white. This is a simple, elegant, and striking combo, and hard to find, especially in vertical or wider combinations. I like the latter because they're so pretty and elegant; they're also a recurring motif in the films of one of my favorite directors, Tim Burton. His costume designer, Colleen Atwood, who has designed every single one of his films, is a master of utilizing them in a way that is truly elegant and memorable.
This iconic dress from Sleepy Hollow actually only appears very briefly at the end of the film, but it is so gorgeous and striking that you can buy replicas of it and anyone who has seen the movie tends to associate the dress (and pattern!) with it. My first day of b/w stripes is not so dramatic; think of it as a small transition from the subtle stripes to the bold.
Black and white striped blouse-Arc
Back net skirt-Salvation Army
Red tights-Target
Black Mary Janes-Wal-Mart
I love the b-w-r combo, and I bought this top in no small part because of how much I loved the contrast of the red trim and buttons against the black and white stripes. I felt very girly and swirly today, and I loved it! The skirt has little gems on the netting, and they catch the light just enough to add some great sparkle to what's otherwise a pretty simple little skirt. Altogether just fun!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Striptember: Subtle Stripes Twofer, And World Hijab Day
Hi, all! So, a couple days ago I said I would be doing something a little different for the 5th. It turned out the 4th of September was actually World Hijab Day, but because I am a bit of a dodo, I thought it was yesterday. Oops! But even after realizing my mistake, I figured I would wear a headscarf to show my support nonetheless. World Hijab Day is important because it shows solidarity for Muslim women in places like France who must fight against laws that seek to bar them from wearing hijab as an expression of their faith. As someone who is very much in favor of people being able to wear what they want, and observe their religions (or lack thereof) how they choose to with no governmental interference, I'm very much in support of this.
World Hijab Day also gives women who have never worn hijab the chance to share the experience of Muslim women in wearing the hijab every day. From pins to slippage to funny looks and comments, it is a choice of attire that sets you apart from the mainstream-and I think that we in subcultures that express ourselves through clothing choice can certainly relate to all the attendant costs and benefits that come with it!
Because I am not Muslim myself I didn't feel comfortable donning full hijab (as it is a personal choice strongly linked with expression of Muslim faith) but I thought that a headscarf similar to those that more conservative Orthodox Christians wear would be an acceptable substitute. And of course, being the anal-retentive color matching person that I am, I had to coordinate it to my outfit!
World Hijab Day also gives women who have never worn hijab the chance to share the experience of Muslim women in wearing the hijab every day. From pins to slippage to funny looks and comments, it is a choice of attire that sets you apart from the mainstream-and I think that we in subcultures that express ourselves through clothing choice can certainly relate to all the attendant costs and benefits that come with it!
Because I am not Muslim myself I didn't feel comfortable donning full hijab (as it is a personal choice strongly linked with expression of Muslim faith) but I thought that a headscarf similar to those that more conservative Orthodox Christians wear would be an acceptable substitute. And of course, being the anal-retentive color matching person that I am, I had to coordinate it to my outfit!
Green dragon print scarf-Arc
Black cami-Ross
Black lace blouse-Arc
Multi-colored gypsy wrap skirt-Hippie store
Black cloth Mary Janes-Ross
Black cloth Mary Janes-Ross
See! The skirt has stripes in it. I AM SO CLEVER. I wish I could remember the store where I got it, but honestly all I remember was that they had bongs in the front for sale, and because I was in 10th grade and very naive, I thought they were just pretty blown glass and asked my mom if she could get me one. She almost died laughing.
And on-topic, wearing the scarf definitely gave me just a tiny bit of perspective into the difficulties of wearing hijab. It was very heavy and kept sliding off my hair, despite being put in place with hairpins. I was fiddling with and resetting it all day! I am in awe of the many women I see on my campus every day wearing hijab who look flawless and completely put together. If anyone's interested in reading more about hijab, my friend Larissa has an amazing blog called The Adventures of A Hijabi Waitress where she discusses it in a far more eloquent and informed manner than I could. And on a shallow note, her hijab coordinates are amazing. :)
And now for today's outfit, which was just subtle and stripey and not really religious or political at all. BUT FUN, I hope!And on-topic, wearing the scarf definitely gave me just a tiny bit of perspective into the difficulties of wearing hijab. It was very heavy and kept sliding off my hair, despite being put in place with hairpins. I was fiddling with and resetting it all day! I am in awe of the many women I see on my campus every day wearing hijab who look flawless and completely put together. If anyone's interested in reading more about hijab, my friend Larissa has an amazing blog called The Adventures of A Hijabi Waitress where she discusses it in a far more eloquent and informed manner than I could. And on a shallow note, her hijab coordinates are amazing. :)
Black lace shrug-Love Culture
Black cami-Wal-Mart
Black cami-Wal-Mart
Black pinstriped underbust corset-Punk69
Red miniskirt-Arc
Black leggings-Cosmic
Black ballet flats-Recycle Boutique
This was a fun outfit. The skirt actually has stripes too, though you can't see them in the picture that well because they're tone-on-tone. It's a cute skirt but I don't wear it that often on account of EXTREME SHORTNESS. But the leggings solved that problem-yay for butt coverage! One more day of subtle stripes, then it's on to...well, not necessarily BETTER, but definitely BRIGHTER things. ARE YOU EXCITED OR WHAT?
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Stripetember Day Two: Subtle Stripes, Part Deux
So since I inadvertantly started a subtle stripes theme yesterday, I decided to run with it for the rest of the week. Simple but fun!
Black cropped tank-H&M
Black and grey striped button vest-Salvation Army
Black full skirt-Goodwill
Beige fishnets-Target
Black wedges-Recycle Boutique
Yes, the vest really is striped. Detail pics to prove:
Actually, this is a nice pic because it also shows off one of the rows of buttons on either side of this vest, which I just think are tremendously fun. The fest actually closes with hook-and-eyes, so they're completely decorative, but sometimes you just need things that are only there to be pretty! I love the rounded collar on this vest-I strongly prefer either a rounded collar or no collar on my vests. Both have such a Victorian elegance about them, which is great when your style is as heavily Victorian/steampunk influenced as mine is. This outfit is plain and very subtle by my standards, so watch for me to jazz it up a little (but still with subtle stripes!) tomorrow. I'm also hoping to make tomorrow's post informative/educational, so keep your eyes peeled!
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