April Flowers!

Hi, all! Sorry for being largely absent since my 100th post, but I've had a class project that is now thankfully done. I simply couldn't miss Sophistique Noir's Monthly Theme Day, though. When I first saw the theme, I wasn't sure how I'd incorporate it-but then I had a "duh" moment and realized that though I don't exactly have a lot of "floral" stuff in the Laura Ashley sense, I'm certainly not lacking in flower-y things!

Black dotted lace shirt-Savers

Black ruffle-collared vest-Recycle Boutique

Black velvet skirt-Savers

Black patterned tights-TJ Maxx

Black slip-on wedges-Recycle Boutique

Here's a close-up of all my lovely flower pins-I brought so many pins with me to NZ, and I keep forgetting to wear them! So I decided to go a little hog-wild with their flowery awesomeness.

 The purple and silver rose pins were gifts from my best friend. The silver and green flower was inherited from my grandma. The gold and pink roses were both thrifted. The red rose was stolen off a doll-it matched my outfits more than it matched hers, after all!

I also had flowers on my shoes and in my tights:

Sorry the tights picture is hard to see, but these tights are really fantastic-they have a lovely combination floral-paisely print that is subtle but cool all the same. 

And, as long as we're on flowers, I must admit to being a huge lover of real-life ones. My personal favorites are lillies and roses; stereotypical, I know, but there ya go! Here are some lovely fall flowers I've found around Wellington:

I don't know what kind of flowers any of these are; they're all pretty and all smell good, though, so that's enough for me! Next weekend, if the weather is good, I want to take a trip to Wellington Botanic Gardens, which isn't that far from my university, and get some more pretty flower pics. Brightest spring blessings to any of you whose seasons are turning for the warmer, and to anyone else in the southern hemisphere, stay warm and enjoy the lovely weather we have left! 

100 Posts, A Style Retrospective

Hello, gentle readers! Do you guys realize we've been doing this crazy dance for 100 posts now? I can't believe we've made it this far; I don't know if I've ever had the attention span to commit to 100 of ANYTHING before now. My last blog went kaput after 32 posts, I have fifteen (conservatively) novels with just the first two chapters done, and more sewing projects than I care to admit sit lonely and forlorn in my attic sewing room with pins still in them-but here we are, 100 posts later, and I'm still blogging, baby!

I thought that as a treat (or not, depending on how many of you read because you think I'm an awesome and interesting person and how many just think I have pretty clothes and wish I would ramble less and show more of my closet), I would post a few photos of myself throughout the years, growing into my Goth-i-ness. From the time I was little, I've always had an odd dress sense-I think I may have mentioned the velvet catsuit and leopard-print outfits (of which, thankfully, no pictorial evidence exists) in previous posts, but I didn't really identify (or dress in a style identifiable) as Goth until the past couple of years. I don't know if I was ever really a baby-bat, but I was certainly a baby-SOMETHING! Without further ado, here's the first picture:

Sorry for the low quality, but this is from 2003, when I was in 6th grade, and my family had just gotten our first digital camera. Yes, I am holding my clarinet-it was a band concert! This dress was pretty fabulous-it was a hand-me-down from a friend, and was white with pink and blue flowers. I thought the ruffled off-the-shoulder neckline was the prettiest/most awesome thing EVER. Yeah...

This was also around sixth grade-amazingly enough, I totally still have this blouse. It's a peasant blouse with long, dagged sleeves and when I bought it at the age of 12, I wanted it because it made me feel pretty and princessy. 8 years (and thankfully considerable growth in the bust) later, it still does!

2004, the first day of 7th grade, with my older brother. This outfit was actually pretty punky/Goth-y in retrospect-I was wearing a black t-shirt with a glitter cat under the poncho (note the black and white stripes!) and the most fabulous shoes ever. They were high-heeled sneakers, and unfortunately I outgrew them the next year. But while I had them, I wore them to death. And, sorry for the poncho-but it was 2004, and they were EVERYWHERE.

Still in 7th grade, with one of my best friends. I LOVED this dress-it was brown jersey with silver glitter flowers, and super-comfortable. Alas, I lent it to a different friend who never returned it. But it was a good dress-and I used to wear a lot of brown, probably because Seventeen Magazine said "sandy blondes" should wear brown. 

Special dress-up clothes for a Battle of the Books in 8th grade. This dress was a lovely crinkled fabric, and I felt so mature and sophisticated in it! I actually had the cream-colored bejeweled shrug until about a year ago, when it finally fell apart. And I still like to wear cream and black together. 

The first day of school in 9th grade-you can definitely start to see the Goth-y influences here, with the black and pink shirt (which I still have as well!) and the black skirt! I used any special occasion as an excuse to wear a skirt, since for some reason a lot of the people at my high school disdained skirt-wearing, and I got made fun of enough that I didn't want to invite more criticism by deviating from the be-pants-ed norm without an excuse.

Me in my Star Trek dress, getting ready to wow my 10th grade speech class with my speech on the History of Science Fiction. This dress just had its final outing at StarFest last year, when the $3-a-yard shiny Wal-Mart fabric decided to disintegrate. I wore it with a corset, though:

Amazing what a difference 3 years makes!

Me on Clash Day for Spirit Week in 9th grade. Yes, I actually owned all these items of clothing. Heaven knows why. The weird blue shoes cost $2 at Ross, and I bought them precisely because they were intolerably ugly yet charming. I also really liked those pants, because they were quite whimsical, but they didn't get worn much because they were really hard to match. I loved Spirit Week, because it gave me an excuse to dress crazily and still blend in. Now I just dress crazily, no excuse needed!

Me with friends at my writing club party, the end of 9th grade. This is a good example of the kinds of outfits I typically wore my first two years in HS-jeans that would allow me to blend in with pretty or unusual tops that allowed me to make a (quiet) style statement. I kind of wish I still had that tank top-it had black tulips screen-printed on it and was quite pretty!

Again, me with my older brother on the first day of school sophomore year of high school. You can definitely see the Goth-y influence here-purple top, black skirt. I also still have this skirt, though I haven't worn it in ages. Must remedy that when I get home. However, excepting special occasions like this, I would just wear outfits like the one in the party pic. After I started going to school online and realized that what idiots said about my style didn't matter, I definitely had a change of style!

Junior year of HS at my cousin's wedding. This dress was SO fabulous, and I loved it. Unfortunately, I outgrew it-but I gave it to a good friend who gave it a good home. Black and red, satin and lace-yup, definitely seeing the Goth here! But I wasn't quite all the way there...

 Senior year of HS with my Knowledge Bowl team in New Orleans-I was more steampunk than Goth at the time, and you can see it in the outfit, with the brown shoes and newsboy cap. But I still have the vest (now dyed to navy blue from regular denim) and the fabulous feathered cami. 

Also senior year of HS, at a Christmas party my older brother had. I made this red and white striped dress because, well-stripes! I still have it, I just need to do some repairs because I made it very early in my sewing career, before I really knew how to sew to last. 

When I got up to college and started a job, and at last had money to buy things like corsets, my style took a definite turn for the Goth. Stage blacks for working a production were easy for me; I started phasing out the browns and pastels and bringing in more jewel tones. Finally, I ended up with what I have today: a predominately elegant/Victorian Goth look with a lot of whimsy and playfulness and a dash of punk thrown in for good measure. If you went back to that girl in the pictures above, and told her that one day this corset-clad, flowing-skirted young woman:

 And this intrepidly exploring, lace-dress/skull-hoodie-wearing lady:

Would be her...I don't know if she'd believe you. She was an insecure little girl, and then an awkward teenager, who secretly and desperately longed to wear pretty clothes, defied her peers to wear them on occasion, but still hid her light under the proverbial bushel-though the bushel in this case was pairs of jeans and t-shirts. Heck, even this girl, from my senior pictures:

Feels like an entirely different person than this one, in a set of photos my older brother took over Thanksgiving break 2011:

As I have grown, changed, and evolved as a person, so has my style. I think that in the pull of a corset string, the swoosh of a frilled skirt, the poetry of an elegant top, I have found myself and my self-confidence. I'm sure there have been missteps along the way, but I am so glad and grateful to have shared a small part of my fashion (and personal) journey with all of you. I have fifty-five followers, which is amazing, and I value each one. I have been inducted into a society of amazing women who blog about their fashion and style, and I feel blessed to be part of such a tight-knit and supportive Goth blogging community.

I want to offer special thanks to VictorianKitty of Sophistique Noir, who is always one of the first ones on any new blog, offering advice and encouragement (and mine was no exception); and whose monthly theme days, along with Le Profeseur Gothique's Monthly Homework Assignments, have done SO MUCH to bring the Goth blogging community together and introduce us all to each other's fabulous blogs. I can't express how much it means to me to have so many amazing people to share my love of darkly whimsical clothes, elaborate and elegant outfits, and all things Goth and glorious with. The little girl in the puffy-shouldered hand-me-down '80s dress above says thanks from the bottom of her weird-clothing-loving little heart, and would kill to have people to share her passions with. The young woman in the corsets and lacy dresses feels so lucky that she does. Thank you all for your friendship, support, and comments; and here's to 100 (or 500, or 1000) more posts together.

...Oh, and today's outfit:

Black long-sleeved blouse-NZ Clothing Co.

Red underbust corset-Canal Boat trading

Black chiffon layered skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Black flats-Ross

I like to think of this as the more refined version of the black velvet catsuit with a crimson scarf around the waist my fourth-grade self wore with such cheerful obliviousness to how truly awful it was. Except, you know, nicer looking. See you all tomorrow, and if you've stuck with me to the end of this epically long, fairly self-centered post, than I love you forever. *hugs*

What's Black and White And Striped All Over?

Answer: Me. Duh. I'll just let today's outfit speak for itself:

Faux pearl necklace-inherited

Black t-shirt (under blouse)-Forever21

Black and white striped blouse-Arc

Black taffeta underbust corset-Punk69

Black and white handwarmers-Hot topic

Black and white striped skirt-Salvation Army

Leggings-Wal-Mart

Buckle boots-Ross

Yes, I am very aware that this is A LOT of stripes. But when I saw the skirt at the Salvation Army in Wellington and remembered the blouse, I knew I had to have it! Several people complimented me on my "dress", so I think they matched very closely-it's hard to see in the picture, but the black stripes in the blouse are just a bit wider, and the white stripes in the skirt are the same, so they don't match exactly-but the corset broke up the patterns enough so people didn't notice, much like my red corset did for the polka dot blouse and skirt in this outfit. For some reason, almost-matching skirts and blouses from different places make me absurdly happy. Go figure. Do any of you have weird fashion tics that give you large amounts of joy for no particular reason?

One Lovely Blog Award

So the lovely Bethezda of Bethezda's Preoccupations actually gave me this amazing One Lovely Blog award last week, but I just tonight got the time to do it properly. Well, first I'd like to thank the Academy...actually, I'd like to thank Bethezda, who started the wonderful Ladies in Black FB group, and consistently inspires me with her amazing makeup. And The Purple Broom, for giving me the award as well-I feel so loved!According to the rules, here are seven things about me, and 15 bloggers tagged for the award:

1.  I actually had a blog previous to this one, having to do with my sewing. I only posted about 30 times over the course of 11-odd months, and I never mentioned it before because I was afraid that if y'all found out I had a defunct blog, you would stop reading this one. But now that I'm getting close to 100 posts in less than 10 months, I'm confident that you can dismiss the earlier blog's failure as a result of youthful frivolity and not have it reflect on my current dedication to blogging. It was about my sewing and called Teen Seamstress, so the name would be defunct now too since I'm now 20. Thinking ahead was not my strong suit at seventeen, apparently.

2. I am a huge, voracious reader of romance novels. I love them all, from the cheesiest cornball 1970s bodice rippers (which are GREAT for a laugh) to the light humor of Rachel Gibson and Celeste Bradley to the psychologically fascinating well-rounded romances of Lisa Kleypas. It's funny because I used to be one of those people who dismiss romances out of hand as silly/frivolous/whatever before I started reading them. I started in slow, with J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood-I could justify reading those because they were FANTASY, with VAMPIRES, so it's not like I was actually reading a *shudder* romance novel or anything. And while I was in the section picking those up, I started to notice others that looked decent...but I still felt guilty about reading them, because I was supposed to be an intelligent, feminist girl-what was I doing reading ROMANCE NOVELS? Then I discovered the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books website and it helped me come to terms with my love of romance-and since then, I've been an out and proud romance reader. I'll even read ones like this on the bus, because I am a smart, feminist woman and if I want to read romances, that's my business and no one else's!

3. I love to cook. Asian food is my specialty, and one of my happiest moments so far on my Study Abroad was discovering a very cheap Asian food market not too far from my house. I'm not one of those artistic cooks who makes beautiful, elegant-looking food-but what I do make tastes awesome and fills you up right. I got many compliments on my carrot-potato pancakes at the recent St. Paddy's day corned beef feast I had with a bunch of friends, and I love to try new recipes and put different twists on common foods. Give me a full spice rack, some eggs, and some veggies, and I'll make you an omlette you won't soon forget.

4. I have one piercing: my bellybutton. I don't even have my ears pierced-my dad doesn't really like piercings, and I've never particularly wanted to get my ears done, but in the past couple years I've really wanted my bellybutton done. Finally last April I took the plunge and did it! My mom found out when she came up for StarFest and I was wearing my belly-baring Harley Quinn costume-I didn't say anything, just sort of let it sit there. My mom said "I like the stick on jewels in your bellybutton, that's cute!" I said "Um...they're not stick on...I got it pierced a couple of weeks ago!" She gave me Disappointed Mom Face and said "Well, I guess it's your body, you can do what you want with it." But she's ok with it now. My dad still doesn't know-God willing, I will have children of my own before he finds out. :)

Me, two other Harleys, and mah belly button ring. It's hard to see but it is there!

5.  I'm absolutely addicted to WB/CW shows. From Buffy and Angel to Supernatural, and Vampire Diaries..if it's on that cheesy-yet-charming, low-budget-but-oddly-compelling network, I have probably watched at least a few episodes of it. Only the scripted shows, though-I really dislike reality tv in any way, shape, or form! Personal favorites include the abovementioned four (which are actually all really good shows), Veronica Mars (which was UPN but fits in the same category and is also legit awesome), Smallville, and Charmed (both of which had their dopey moments but also had their wonderful moments.) The shows range from corny as hell (Ringer) to interesting-but-dippy (Nikita) to completely wonderful (all the ones acknowledged as such previously), but I just love them all. Plus, they always present us with shirtless men who look like this: 

And this:

And this:

You're all welcome.

6. I'm a total history nerd, and have been since I was a small child. My favorite books as a 2nd-3rd grader were the American Girl, Dear America, and Little House series. I desperately wanted to be a pioneer and ride in a covered wagon. Then I had probably a much stronger interest in WW2 and the Holocaust than it is generally healthy for an 11-year-old to have. As I got older, the interest shifted first to Tudors (another thing Lady Bethezda and I have in common)/Richard the 3rd/other 14th-16th century British stuff, and then to the Victorian era. I read historical books a lot, both fiction and non-fiction. I strongly suspect this has a lot to do with my love of alternate history and steampunk. Because if WW1 was caused by a divide between countries that use mechanical weapons and countries that use genetically engineered animals, or the Civil War went on for 15 years and included zombies...well, that's just NEAT!

(If you haven't read these series, please do. They are both fantastic, and I met Cherie Priest and she was very sweet and lovely.) 

7. I'm hopelessly sentimental and very emotional, and I make no apologies for it. I used to pretend to be a cynical bitch, but honestly, I still really do like people and am very optimistic, cheerful, and upbeat. My general motto is "People can suck, but never forget that for every one awful person, there are ten great ones." I cry at sad stories on the news and when people die in my favorite series (DAMN YOU, JOSS WHEDON AND GEORGE R.R. MARTIN) and I laugh at the most ridiculous things, and I get very passionately angry and rant-y. My personality has been described as "bubbly", which I'm fairly certain is a nice way of saying "You talk too much and are relentlessly, annoyingly cheerful" but I'm ok with that. I'm loud, and I talk a lot, and I talk fast. I envy quiet/reserved people their air of mystery and dignity which I know I shall never possess, but I have come to terms with the fact that basically, someone threw Abby from NCIS and Quentin Tarantino and Pollyanna in a blender to make my personality. And that's the way I like it. :)

And now for linkies-I'm trying to catch blogs I don't think have gotten the award already, so if you're caught twice, I apologize!
1. Strange Girl-Cery cute Dolly Kei and Lolita-esque fashion, often with lovely outfit pics
2.The Zombie Moshpit-Beautiful jewelry and photos and interesting thoughts
3.Visual Aristokei Core-A lovely combo of Japanese/Eastern influences and Gothic stuff
4.Victorian Android-Nice mixture of Steampunk and Goth-y stuff
5.Masquerade Doll-Lots and lots of pretty Lolita clothes
6. Brimstone Butterfly-Wonderful, informative posts about history and architecture
7.An Aesthetic Obsession-How-tos and outfit posts, with some interesting personal perspectives
8.Gothic Lolita Sewing and Other Amusments-Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin!
9.The Midnight Ballroom-Pretty Polyvore sets, gorgeous Lolita outfits
10.Ruffles, Not Diets-Plus-size Lolita who writes well on feminist issues and has neat clothes
11.Dark Entries-A lovely outfit blogger with a great sense of style (i.e she wears things I like :P)
12.Fade To Black-Love her style, love her writing style
13.Quicksilver Sanity-Everything from digital fashion to deep thoughts
14. Siouxsie Law-tongue-in-cheek but informative takes on dark legal news
15. A Goth in College-Also a Goth, also a film/theater student, and we have a similar style. Sisters from a different mother!
Well, now that you know more about me than you probably cared to know, check out these lovely folks and their amazing blogs! 

Pinstripes Are People, Too! Or Stripes Week, Day 2

I love my big, bold Goth stripes. Really, (obviously), I do. But sometimes, I feel like the humble, simple pinstripe gets lost. And I do love my pinstripes. One of my goals in life is to find an appropriately girly but still accurate-ish navy pinstripe suit, so I can cosplay girl!10th Doctor. Because seriously, how snazzy is this?

One great-looking outfit (and one great-looking man), no? Love! But for now, all I have with me are my trusty pinstriped corsets, one of which I wore today:

Gargoyle necklace-Repeat Boutique

Lace necked t-shirt-Arc

Cropped cardigan-Salvation Army

Pinstriped underbust corset-Punk69

Black velvet circle skirt-Arc

Silver crinkle skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Grey tights-Wal-Mart

Grey and black stripe socks-Target

Black buckled boots-Ross

Lots of layers today, but it is very cold, windy and rainy in La Wellington this week. I snuck some conventional stripes in there along with my pinstripes, through my mostly-hidden socks, but I still love pinstripes the most. Alas, most of my beloved pinstriped jackets are at home and shipping is obscenely expensive, or I would have worn one of them, too! I just need to find a good pinstriped skirt; I'm sure in my thrift-store wanderings, I'm bound to come across one eventually! Do you like pinstripes or find them too boring? I like their subtlety, personally-and this is coming from the chick who regularly plasters herself with skulls, plaids, and neon-colored stripes. Because sometimes, a girl just needs to feel classy and elegant. :)

STRIPES Week, Day 1-Red and Black

I miss doing my theme weeks, I really do. I mean, I can still do color ones, but I kinda like the more exotic, imaginative ones better-like my fictional characters-inspired week, or my Goth-themed symbols. But with a more limited (by my admittedly exaggerated standards) wardrobe here in Wellington, I just haven't felt like I have enough play. But by gum, I want to make it work! So I'm trying to work with what I have to make interesting themes, and I thought this week I would fall back on the ol' standard of my best-beloved stripes. Today, I was feeling very red and black-ish about the whole thing:

Black heart necklace-Savers

Black shrug-Paper Bag Princess

Skull dress-Hot Topic

Leggings-Forever21

Striped handwarmers-Claire's

Striped socks-London street stall

Silver-embellished slides-Wellington thrift store

It was really windy today, so let's just say I was quite glad I wore leggings with this light, ruffly little chiffon-skirted dress! I don;t normally mix patterns, but something about this dress just makes me want to pair it with stripes; last time I wore it, I wore it with stripey tights as well! Wow, I've actually gotten good about linking back to my previous posts...I'm coming up on 100 posts soon, so keep all of your eyes peeled for that one, because I've got some special stuff planned. :)

Monthly Homework Assignment (Though Maybe a Day Late...)

So, at first I wasn't sure I'd be able to do this one, because I didn't really have anything Indian-inspired with me, though I love the look. But luck was on my side, and I found this beautiful dress discounted from $28 to $4 at the local Recycle Boutique, just in time for the Homework Assignment.

Skull necklace-Gift from a friend

Brown Indian-style dress-Recycle Boutique

Grey fishnets-Not a clue

Black and silver wedge slides-Small secondhand shop in Wellington

It's hard to see in the picture, but the dress is actually a really rich, lovely dark brown organza over a black satin lining. It was fun to wear, but the narrow calf-lenght skirt made it hard to hike up the hills here in Wellington. No hobble skirts for me while I'm living here, I guess! I used to wear brown ALL THE TIME back when my hair was still brown, but as I got more Goth-y, the brown pieces got phased out of my wardrobe and replaced with black. This dress has reminded me why I used to like brown so much, though...I need to pull some of my browns out of storage when I get home! Do any of you have a color you used to wear frequently that you don't wear as much any more?

Vampire Time!

So I don't normally like to break from my chosen color scheme for the week, but when I remembered we were watching both the original 1931 Dracula and the 1957 Dracula with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in my horror film class today, I had to break out the vampire socks, and with 'em, an immaculately co-ordinated red and black outfit:

Bat necklace-Asian Gifts

Red and black corset-Punk69

Black Shrug-Valley Girl

Red fishnet glove-99 Cent store

Black lace glove-Claire's

Ruffled black skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Patterned fishnets-The Warehouse

Vampire socks-The Crypt

Black Mary Jane slip-ons-Ross

I honestly don't think the original Dracula is very good, but it's still nice from an historic perspective. And the Christopher Lee one was lovely, in that deliciously cheesy Hammer-Film way. One of these days, I'm gonna write a post about vampires and my geekery about them (hint: Buffy and Black Dagger Brotherhood=love and fantasticness, Twilight=...do I even have to say anything about its awfulness?), but there is seriously enough material there for a post just on its own and I have homework so I'll leave it for later. This outfit was fun; I went to the Salvation Army today and the clerk asked about my corset and wearing them, and a random woman on the street wanted to know where I got the outfit, so I'm counting it a success. That's the second time I've gotten a compliment while wearing this skirt, so look to see it a lot, because it is fabulously fun to wear and very Steampunk/Goth without being GAWTHY. Rows of pleated ruffles FTW! I'm still working on the mis-matched fingerless gloves thing-I personally like it, but I know some people don't. What are your thoughts?

Two For One, Silver Edition

Hello, all! Had a nice dinner party last night, but it meant I didn't have time to post my outfits, so today you get two for the price of one. Yesterday's outfit:

Black muppets T-shirt: Wal-Mart

Grey satin skirt: Paper Bag Princess

Laced handwarmers: Claire's

Grey tights:Wal-Mart

Black combat boots: Ross

A little more punky/casual than my usual; the skirt is new, and super-swirly, so I really like it, and want to try it in a dressier outfit in the future!

Sorry for the whacked-out lighting in this pic-the sun comes into my room at really weird angles sometimes! I get a beautiful sunset view, though, so it's all worth it.

Gargoyle necklace-Repeat Boutique

Black lacy blouse-Savers

Grey wool vest-Savers

Pinstriped underbust corset-Punk69

Black net and ribbon skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Black tights-Wal-Mart

Flowered round toe shoes-Recycle Boutique

It's a shame the skirt didn't photograph better, as it is a LOT lovelier in person; it's a stretchy black net with ribbons running down it in vertical stripes and a layer of black lace ruffling out from underneath. The back has a trailing fishtail element that makes it look super-Victorian. I'm going to play around with my camera this weekend and see if I can get some better shots of it, because it sure is lovely!

I *Heart* Black And White Stripes

A bit of a change of pace today; I don't usually go all sleekly modern, loving my Victorian fripperies as I do, but this dress was so cute I was willing to make an exception for it!

Black and white striped dress-Fijian flea market

White and black fishnet armwarmers-2-dollar store

Black leggings-Forever 21

Black buckled combat boots-Ross

Here's the back of the dress-I love the little heart-shaped cutout, it is so cute and sassy! I was a little hestitant at first because it is quite body-concious, but darnit, I have curves and I'm proud of 'em, so in the end I went for it. Sorry for the tilted camera angles, I'm still working out the photo sitch in my new room. I really like this dress, and I think it's a really useful, versatile, but unique piece- I can't wait to find more ways to wear it! :)

An Oreo-Goth Kinda Day

Yes, I compared myself to a cookie. What're you gonna do about it?

Gargoyle Necklace-Repeat Boutique

White lace overblouse-Fijian flea market

Black cami-Ross

Black striped buckle corset-The Crypt

Black lace armwarmers-DIY

Black velvet skirt-Goodwill

White tights (underneath)-Target

Lacy fishnets-Hot Topic

Pointy boots-Target

So, yeah. Black and white outfit...not really much more to say, except that I'm now vaguely obsessed with layering contrasting fishnets and solid tights because I liked the look so much here, so expect to see a lot of that! Plus, it's another way to throw variety into my limited wardrobe, so there's also that. :)

All The News(Print) That's Fit

For my first day of classes, I wanted a little extra confidence, so I picked one of my favorite pieces, my newsprint corset, and built an outfit around it:

Faux pearl necklace-Inherited

Black lace shrug-Love Culture

White tank top-Wal-Mart

Black and white striped handwarmers-Claire's

Newsprint corset-Punk69

Black ruffle skirt-Paper Bag Princess

White gypsy skirt-Fiji flea market

Black and white striped socks-Claire's

Black Mary Janes-Ross

I actually got a couple of compliments on the corset, and one on the whole outfit, that made me feel simply delightful! I felt a wee bit late-19th-century saloon girl, with the swirly skirts-which, as we all know, is perfectly fine with me! Note the amount of layering in this outfit; because I ended up bringing one carry-on and one large suitcase's worth of clothes for five months, expect to see a lot of ingenious layering and recombining of items in the coming days! 

Feelin' Kinda Grey

It's that time again-for Sophistique Noir's Monthly Theme Post! When I saw the theme was grey, I was quite pleased-I love grey, and I wear a lot about it. Plus, grey suited the rainy weather here in Wellington, so I was able to put two outfits together that matched the theme well. Here's the first:

Black lace blouse-DAV thrift

Grey jersey vest-Valu Mart

Butterfly pin-Goodwill

Black glass beaded bracelet-Fijian store

Grey print chiffon skirt-Goodwill

Fleur-di-lis tights-TJ Maxx

Silver buckle boots-Ross

I love this skirt-it's so flowy, flirty, and flittery, and feels so sophisticated and elegant. I liked the contrast of the silk chiffon with the jersey of the vest. (Which, BTW, was missing a button when I bought it-whaddya expect for $3?-so I stuck the butterfly pin on and no one was the wiser.)

Here's a close-up of the print on the skirt-it's actually a jewelry theme, with pearls, rings, and chains. It just adds to the elegant uniqueness of the skirt, and I love it!

Here's the second outfit:

Owl necklace-Inherited

Black sheer blouse-Paper Bag Princess

Black cami (under blouse)-Goodwill

Silver corset-Punk69

Silver and black crinkle skirt-Eva's Closet

Pointy-toed boots-Target

The first is a little more modern, the second more Victorian-but I like 'em both! I may also be cheating a bit with the latter, because it's more silver than grey, but oh well. The skirt in the latter is a lot of fun too-both it and the blouse were purchased in Wellington, so I'm starting to build a NZ wardrobe! Since most of the clothes I brought with me are black, white, red, or grey, this theme fit perfectly with my wardrobe. Grey is one of my favorite colors, and I love how it works nearly as well as black as a neutral without being, well, black! I love black, but sometimes you need a little change-and grey is always my go-to when I do.