Black and Red For A Rainy Day

Today the weather was rather bleah in Wellington-not entirely unexpected, as it is almost officially winter here, but not fun to go out in nonetheless. In an attempt to ward off the wet-n-windy blues, I decided to go with a more cheerful variation of black and red, and throw some white into the mix:

Skull hands necklace-Claire's

Black tank-The Warehouse

Red lace blouse-Fiji flea market

Black and white handwarmer-Claire's

Red fishnet handwarmer-CoinMax

Black and white print skirt-Arc

Black boots-The Warehouse

My biggest fear with this was that the combination of the prints in the skirt and the lace in the top would be too busy, but I think it actually ended up working pretty well. Black, white, and red is one of my favorite color combinations, and you can see why-it's graphic, bold, and clean-looking while still having that Gothic air of elegance about it. In fact, the descriptions of the clothes were part of why I loved Erin Morganstern's The Night Circus so very much-all the black, white, and red dresses sounded lovely! This is a great book, and I just have to pop in a plug for it. The prose is beautiful, the characters dynamic, and the story very well-crafted. 

And, Victorian setting? Legitimately star-crossed lovers? Ancient magics at play? Pretty clothes described in loving detail? And a largely red, white, and black themed circus that only comes out at night? This book couldn't be any more Goth if it tried! Plus the cover is pretty and fits in well with this week's theme. If you haven't read it yet, it's totally worth it. I seldom espouse or even read popular books*, not out of some annoying hipster-esque compulsion to avoid mainstream things but because books that sell well with the Oprah set rarely appeal to me (see Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood and The Help); however, The Night Circus is deservedly popular, with its intoxicating blend of romance, magic, and imagination. And its pretty, pretty dresses.

*Harry Potter and The Hunger Games excepted, of course. :)

Corset-y Long-Skirt-Y Goodness, Two-For-One Edition

Sorry for my absence, I've been a busy bee lately! I didn't really have a specific theme in mind for this week, but by pure coincidence (and probably because the fall weather is finally showing its face here in Wellington and it's been chilly) my outfits yesterday and today both had a long skirt/corset in them, so I'm taking it and running:

Kimono-sleeved top-Paper Bag Princess

Red overbust corset-Punk69

Pleated chiffon skirt-Arc

Black boots-The Warehoue

Black arrow necklace-Arc

Black shrug-Paper Bag Princess

White tank top-Wal-Mart

Striped arm warmers-Artsmyths

Black corset-Punk69

Fishnet and satin skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Black boots-Ross

I've found that these make really good rainy-weather outfits-they look elegant and put together while allowing me to hide a multitude of tights and thermal leggings under them! I still can't get over the fact that May means I need to start dressing warmer-this reversed seasons thing is going to take me a while to get used to, that's for sure. And to think, when I go home (2 months and 5 days, time has flown!) I'll go from winter to dead summer...too strange. Good thing my vast wardrobe can accommodate all seasons with careful layering. :) Also, it's my Un-Birthday-6 months until the big 2-1! 

Insert Lame News/Print Pun Here

Yep, it's time for that awesomest of garments again...the newsprint corset! Since VictorianKitty made a special point of mentioning it in the comments on my last post, I decided to wear it today! I didn't actually have class today on account of it being ANZAC day (New Zealand's memorial day equivalent), but I figure, as long as I'm meeting friends to work on a group project and studying in the library for a paper due Friday, I might as well look fabulous doing it.

Black t-shirt-The Warehouse

Black halter vest-Fusion Federation

Newsprint Corset-Punk69

Black cotton gypsy skirt-Salvation Army

Patterned fishnets-Target

Black flats-Ross

I love this skirt a lot-it's super-full (probably 4 or 5 yards at the hem) and swishes around in a most appealing way when I walk. I wasn't sure about this outfit when I put it on, but seeing it in full, I like it-the corset and funky tights break up all the black and keep it from being too oppressive-looking! I get compliments on this corset every time I wear it; definitely one of my best and favorite purchases of forever. I miss the rest of my corsets (sitting back home some 8,000 miles away), but this one is far and away my favorite, desert-island-keeper of a corset, and I'm glad I brought it with me! 

Two-For-One, Textural Edition

I didn't really know what to do for a theme this week, and then I realized that I have acquired some really cool clothes with really interesting textures and fabrics, so I'd do outfits focused on them this week:

Key necklace-Made by me

Cream and black lace dress-Suva flea market

Black corded tights-Wal-Mart

Black chunky Mary Janes-The Warehouse

Faux pearl necklace-Inherited

Black shrug-Rainbow

White tank top-Savers

Newsprint corset-Punk69

Black and white striped handwarmers-Claire's

Black fishnet over white satin skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Black boots-Target

The first dress, I love. It is short but not too short, playful, and it has pockets. Yay pockets! I also love the combination of cream and black lace. In the second outfit, the newsprint corset and the skirt are battling it out for my favorite item-the corset is an old favorite, but the skirt is a new acquisition. It was $20, which is more than I usually spend on one item, but it was SO. GORGEOUS. that I didn't even hesitate. The white satin lining is bias-cut, so it has a wonderful swinging fullness to it. I feel very much a punk princess in it, between the full, elegant cut and the fishnet outer layer. It's seriously amazing, and totally worth the extra money! Do any of you have a piece that cost a little more but you *had* to have?

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! 

Sew Very Goth: Tim Burton-Esque Edition

When I was home over Thanksgiving break, I happened to wander by the smallish fabric section of our local Wal-Mart, and what did I see? Only the best thing a Goth can hope for: Black and white striped fabric! I immediately planned to buy all that was left on the bolt, only to get a second, even better surprise: It was $.87 a yard, and there were 8 and 1/2 yards. I knew IMMEDIATELY what I wanted to do with it! I'd had this Simplicity pattern laying around for a while:

And I'd been coveting this one for quite a while, so I took the excuse to buy it off eBay:

I put the two of 'em together, and came out with this ensemble:

Apologies for my wonk-face in this picture, I have no idea why I look like that. 

Black collared blouse-Wal-Mart

Black and white striped coat-vest-Made by me

Black underbust corset-Fusion Federation

Black and white striped ruffled skirt-Made by me

Skull socks-TJ Maxx

White Mary Jane heels-Hot Topic

The skirt is actually fully reversible; the other side is white satin with a black and red pinstripe. I am so proud of this outfit, I can't even tell you. If the vest looks a little unfinished, that's because it was-I was too excited to wear it to worry about topstitching and putting the last hook in place, hence the pearl pin in the middle. Tune in soon for the other two pieces I'm making out of this fabric, because they are also awesome. :)

The Whole of my Undoing

I love black and white patterns. They have a way of taking the two simplest and starkest colors, and making them fun and whimsical. (Sign I spend too much time around Regretsy: I totally typed whimsicle there, and very nearly followed it up with fuckery.) Anyhoodle, here's my totally Oreo outfit:

Black raschel lace blouse: Goodwill
Black and white gingham corset: Punk69
Black and white gypsy skirt: Savers
Black and white Mary Janes: Hot Topic
Stripey White/Black handwarmers: Claire's
I love, love, love this skirt. It's black and white with lace (point!), gypsy style and tiered (point!), rayon without looking cheap or plastic (point!), and thus doesn't wrinkle, ever (one thousand points!). Yes, I am wearing one black and one white shoe-I have one black and one white pair of these cheapie HT Mary Janes, and I wore one of each because I don't believe in doing anything halfway. :)