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!

Green dragon print scarf-Arc

Black cami-Ross

Black lace blouse-Arc

Multi-colored gypsy wrap skirt-Hippie store
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!

Black lace shrug-Love Culture
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? 

The Gallery Serpentine Grand Return!

Hello, my duckies! Sorry for the long absence, but I was busy packing, going to Australia, flying home, and recovering from jet lag and sewing and doing many fabulous-yet-sad things as I said goodbye to NZ. BUT, I have a treat for you, based on my treat for myself. Since I knew I was going to be in Australia, I decided in early June to order a corset from Gallery Serpentine as a memento of my Study Abroad and a gift to myself. I picked it up on the 6th of July when I was in Sydney, and at $260 it is the most expensive piece of clothing I've ever owned-but so comfortable and flattering and beautiful that I find it worth every penny! It's a good thing I was already full up on luggage and limited on money, or I quite possibly would have bought the entire stock of the store, it was that beautiful! If you are ever in Sydney, you simply MUST go there. It's like Willy Wonka's factory for Goths and fans of beautiful clothing alike.

Black jersey dress-Ross

Ruby Dead Tech underbust-Gallery Serpentine

Fishnets-K-mart

Chunky black shoes-Repeat Boutique

Something great about this corset is that it's unique and distinctive, but also easy to dress up or down. I can't wait to put it into a full steampunk ensemble complete with ruffled blouse, top hat, and layers and layers of skirts-but it works just as well here as the centerpiece of an otherwise simple outfit. And this isn't the only exciting corset-based thing I have in the offing-coming soon, my how-to on how to make a new corset out of an old one that's too big. I'm glad to be back, lovelies, and can't wait to be blogging regularly again!

Stripes and Plaids

It's a good thing my friends are motivating me to do things like go out to get pizza and play bar trivia games, because otherwise all of my blog posts would be me in my pajamas. Not having class makes me reluctant to put on real clothes, it seems!

Black obsidian necklace-Inherited

Cropped shrug-Paper Bag Princess

Lacy cami-Ross

Black-stripe underbust buckled corset-The Crypt

Laced black fingerless gloves-Claire's

Ruffled black skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Tartan tights-Equip

Black wedge slides-Recycle Boutique

Yes, it is The Best Skirt In The Universe again. If nothing else, I'm glad I came to New Zealand just because it allowed me to get this skirt! (Ok, and the wonderful university experience, great new friends, and exciting scenic adventures I've had also make me glad. But the skirt's a nice bonus!) I like the tartan tights, even if they don't exactly lie straight on my legs. Overall, just a fun outfit for a fun night out doing bar trivia with my girls. I can't wait until I get back home and have more than one pair of dressy shoes, though-I feel like I'm wearing these shoes in 4 out of 5 posts nowadays. They're nice, and pretty comfortable, but darn if I'm not longing terribly for my heels and pumps.

This was a little more casual outfit, just for going out and about and shopping:

Playing card necklace-Gift from a friend

Black and white striped dress-Salvation Army

Black tights-Wal-Mart

Black boots-The Warehouse

There is just something about black and white horizontal stripes that feels terribly Parisian to me. I felt like an extra in a Godard film in this outfit! As opposed to black and white vertical stripes, which as any fool knows make one feel like an extra in a Tim Burton film. Simple outfit, but very comfortable. I've been trying not to buy any more clothes here because I'm fairly certain I'm going to have to ship at least one box home already, but I just couldn't resist this dress in all its wide-necked, full-skirted glory. What can I say? Hello, my name is Jamie and I'm addicted to clothes shopping. :)

Hot Pink, Red, and Black, Oh My!

I know you were all waiting in breathless suspense to see my last two outfits from Hot Pink and Black week, and I finally have time to post today, so I can give them to you, along with the first outfit from Red and Black Week! (I have so much red and black I don't think I'll end up replicating anything I wore for Sophistique Noir's Red and Black Week...I don't know if that's sad or awesome.) And my camera will hopefully be coming soon, so please bear with my crappy pictures until then!
First hot pink and black outfit:

 Black and hot pink mesh top: Thrifted ages ago, I don't know where
Black d-ring canvas skirt: Tripp via Buffalo Exchange
Wedge Mary Janes: Repeat Boutique

 I didn't get a really good picture of the top while I was wearing it, so here's a better image of it. Even though this top is a bit "mall-goth", I still can't help but love it-there is something about the little mesh sleeves that is irresistibly cheeky to me!

 Here's the second hot pink and black- I was rather pleased with how comfortably cool as well as thoroughly Goth-y looking this outfit came out!
Black jersey dress-Ross
Black and hot pink stripe stockings-Buffalo Exchange
Black zipper Mary Janes-Arc

And here's today!
Black and red Asian-style top-Plato's Closet
Black lace skirt-Goodwill
Black elastic strap Mary Jane heels-Target
Not that I have a marked preference in shoe styles or anything... :) I desperately want the weather to cool down so I can start wearing my corsets again! Being a hardy sort, I can generally wear them through heat in the 80s, but it has been over 90 degrees here for the past two weeks straight, and an extra three layers of fabric and steel boning doesn't exactly help one stay cool! Now that the craziness of the first week back has passed, I should be able to post daily instead of doing glut-posts like this-wish me luck! Until next time, gentle readers, adieu! 

Black Lace and Cabernet

Apologies for my absence, but it's been so hot here that I've lacked both spectacular outfits and the ambition to blog about them. :) I've got today and tomorrow to make up for it, though! I was definitely feeling more ele-Goth today, so I picked out some of my prettiest (but lightest and most temperature-appropriate) duds and went to town-both literally and figuratively. 

Necklace-Hobby Lobby

Black lace camisole with nude lining-Savers

Black taffeta corset-Punk69

Cabernet satin skirt with black net underlayer-Goodwill

Chunky black Mary Janes-Goodwill

This skirt is super-awesome. The black layer you can see peeking out from the bottom is actually a semi-sheer that's opaque enough that, when the skirt is reversed, it looks like a regular ankle-length black chiffon skirt. My wardrobe is so packed that any time I can get two garments for the space of one, it makes me super-happy! I also love black lace stuff with nude lining-it just feels so sexy and daring to me, without actually having to show tons of skin. I also got not one but two replacement pairs of black chunky-but-comfy Mary Janes for the ones I wore the soles off of this year, figuring if I can rotate the two pairs I won't wear through them as fast. Since those are basically my go-to shoes outside of chunky Doc Marten-style boots, I thought it was worth it to buy an extra pair!

Red and Black Week Finale: Hypothetical Outfits Ahoy!

Hi! I was feeling under the weather the past couple of days, and was very sad to miss two days of the lovely VictorianKitty's Red and Black week, so as compensation and as a celebration of the last day, I put together a bunch of hypothetical red and black outfits-kind of like a Polyvore set, only with items from my own wardrobe! Apologies for the rumpled state of several items-I am right in the middle of sorting through my wardrobe right now, and it's not in the best state as a result. Here they are:

 Here's a more formal-ish-I might wear it if I ever went somewhere more dressy!
Black brocade corset-Punk69
Red and black satin skirt-Savers

 POLKA DOTS YAY!
Black and red polka dot dress-Hot Topic
Red fishnets-Wal-Mart
Black, red, and white polka dot shoes-Wal-Mart

 If I was wearing this in real life, I would wear a black tank under the sheer blouse, but I was too lazy to dig one out for the purpose of imaginary outfit photos.
Sheer batwing flower-print top-Inherited from my mom
Black underbust corset-Punk69
Black and red brocade skirt-Savers
Black mary jane heels-Hot Topic

 This is actually a full-on 1980s taffeta formal dress. I don't know what it says about me that one day I wore it to class with a sweater and no one even batted an eye. I love it-it's so fun and swirly, and it has a built-in petticoat underneath for fluffiness.
Black pinstriped blazer-Goodwill
Red taffeta formal dress-ARC
Black kitten heels-Ross

You can't really see the detail of this top, but it's one of my favorites-solid black stretch bottom with a fishnet top and sleeves. As for the vest, I love it-it's double-sided, red and black, and equally pretty on both sides. I was rather proud of myself for how much of a steal I got it at-I paid $10 at Buffalo Exchange, and the similar ones they sell at the Renaissance Faire usually run about $60, so yay me!
Fishnet top-Thrifted ages ago, dunno where
Vest/corsetlet-Buffalo Exchange
Lace skirt-ARC
Red tights-Target
Black sneakers-Savers

I know these would show better on me, but trust me, you do not want to see what I look like today-it's not too pretty. Y'all know what I look like from my past posts, so just imagine 'em on me! And many many thanks to VictorianKitty for this awesome week-I'm already plotting a couple of my own blogging challenges, thanks to her! *insert evil laugh here* These are all either outfits I've worn in the past or plan to wear in the future, so it was fun putting them together. Also, you do not see half of a stuffed frog in the right side of each picture. I don't at all have an enormous collection of stuffed frogs. These are not the droids you are looking for. Carry on. 

P.S. I'll finish modifying the dress I posted earlier at some point when I get feeling a little better. Pics forthcoming!

Black and Red Week Day 3

Sorry, no continue on the DIY on account of some things unexpectedly coming up today, but I do have an outfit post!

 Mini top hat-eBay
Necklace-Repeat Boutique
Sparkly black dress-Thrifted
Red and black corset-Punk69
Fishnets-Walmart
Black sling-back patent shoes-Savers

 Here's a better picture of the main part of the outfit-I apologize for looking so sulky in both these pictures, I have no idea why I have that expression on my face-I'm really quite a cheerful person, generally! And I know some people hate tiny top hats for whatever reason, but I love them, and they make me happy, so I continue to wear them.

 Sorry for the blurry pic, I'll try to get a better one later on-you'll be seeing this necklace A LOT, since I adore it and wear it all the time. it's a little goblin with the most mischievous expression on his face. Plus, some of the old fuddy-duddies in my hometown think it's a demon, and this upsets them, so I carry on wearing it with my most cheerful smile. (Yes, I can be somewhat evil at times. But only to people who make snide and totally unwarranted comments about my outfits.)

Here's my attempt at a detail shot on the dress-it really doesn't do it justice. It has these great sparkly sequin patterns, and tons of little mesh flowers, and I adore it-along with my two ruffly black jersey dresses it is one of the essentials of my wardrobe. It's cute, fun, unique, and flirty-and super comfy, always a plus.
Hope this makes for a sufficient red and black outfit-I wore it to band, and got one snide "What are you supposed to be?" and three "You look really good"s, so overall, I think I'm doing pretty well, considering I live in Redneckville, USA, where anything other than jeans and a t-shirt gets you tons of funny looks, if not outright verbal abuse. I'm actually not really going anywhere for the rest of the week, but I kind of want to put together some other cool red and black outfits, just because I enjoy doing it. I love the idea of theme weeks personally, since I kind of do it unofficially myself during the school year-on Sunday I decide what color I'm going to wear (well, what color and black!), paint my nails to match, and then have my outfits all set up in a general-ish fashion. You'll all see this if you have the patience with me to read through to the middle of next August-the only reason I didn't do it in May was because I had really limited space (living somewhat illegally in a friend's campus housing makes for fun adventures!), so it was basically whatever stuff I could fit into a suitcase + whatever stuff I picked up while thrifting. It worked out, though- I am very bad at "packing light", so to speak, and it was definitely an interesting exercise for me!

Red and Black Week Day 2-Sew Very Goth Installment 1

No outfit post today, as I was just hanging around home and thusly wearing a rather unspectacular and somewhat un-Goth-y cat-hair covered t shirt and athletic shorts; but in honor of Red and Black week, I pulled out an old dress I'd thrifted ages ago with the intention of re-doing it and then shoved in a drawer to age, like cheese. Here's the original dress:

 Sorry it looks like it's been run over by a steamroller, but it's rayon and it was in a small drawer with several other articles of clothing for at least a couple of years, and I was too lazy to iron the whole thing just to get prettier pictures before I chopped it up. So on to the good, the bad, and the positively ugly of this dress. The good:

 Pretty, adjustable corset-like lacing loops on each side.

 Lovely flowery (if wrinkly) fabric, and nice, elaborate buttons. And now, the bad:

 Ruched, puffy-at-the-top, skinny-at-the-bottom pegged sleeves. Sleeves that Joan Collins circa Dynasty would reject as too ugly. Sleeves of pure, undiluted EVIL! And the ugly comes with them:

 THEY HAD INTERFACING IN THEM TO MAKE THEM PUFFIER AT THE TOP! Words cannot express how sad this made me. I wanted to take this dress by the shoulders and shake it, saying "Honey, please. I know Interfacing seemed all stiff, crisp, and alluring when you met, but trust me. It's no good for you-it's holding you back from being the dress I know you can be. Break it off, now, while there's still time!"

 Needless to say, the sleeves had to go. 15 minutes with my seam ripper later, they were history-and the interfacing with them. I thought about just turning the armscye facings in, but decided that the bodice as is was a little too boring and pedestrian for me-but what to do instead?

It was late, and I didn't want to finish-but what I'm going to do is measure straight across the bodice from the top button, cut it off even, and then add some pretty straps, perhaps ribbon or braided, for a cool '50s retro feel. Stay tuned for that, the skirt alterations, and an actual outfit post tomorrow!

Red and Black Week Day 1, and an apology

Hey, guys-sorry for my absence, but I've been crazy busy moving back home from Denver, so I haven't had either spectacular outfits or the time to blog about them today. Here's my (late, but still there!) post for day 1 of the lovely VictorianKitty's Red and Black week-a blogging challenge I accepted with gusto, those of course being two of my fave colors. This is also my first Churchgoing Goth post-i.e., what a Goth girl wears to church, being true to both her respect for her faith and the people in it and her dark and spooky self. It's really not as hard as you might think!

Black lace blouse-Fusion Federation

Red camisole-Somewhere in New York

Black and red patchwork skirt-Savers

Sandals-Demonia via Goodwill

I love this skirt-it is so fun, gorgeous, and unique, and never fails to get compliments every time I wear it.

Here's a close-up of some of the different fabrics in it-it's three tiered bands of patches. In other words, awesome!

One of the last things I did with my best girlfriends before leaving Denver (sniffle) was redo my nails, specifically for Red and Black week:

Both these polishes were filched from my friend Kira-the under is just a drugstore red, and the black is the OPI crackle polish, which I'd wanted to try but didn't want to spring for. I like the effect, but I don't know if I like it enough to spend $8 on a bottle of polish for it. I tend to pick up the $2.00 store brand polish at Walgreens-when you have my job (costumer for the university theater program), polish chips and flakes off so fast -even when I've picked up nicer polish on sale, it still gets scratched off by pins or chips when I pick up bins of fabric. It just seems silly to spend a lot on something that'll only look good for a couple days. I enjoy painting my nails, I just don't spend a lot on it because it's hard for me to maintain. Do any of you have beauty habits that you enjoy but don't particularly indulge in financially for whatever reason?

Fangs For the Memories

Pardon the awful pun. I'm genetically incapable of resisting them. Anyway, today I went a bit stereotypical mallgoth on you all, but I think it came out pretty cute. I went thrifting yesterday, and ended up stopping by The Crypt, an awesome sex shop on Broadway, where they just so happened to have their accessories on sale, including socks-and I am also genetically incapable of passing up cute, funky socks when they're on sale. And then, of course, I have to build an outfit around the cute, funky socks.

Ruby Gloom T-Goodwill
Black pleated satiny skirt-Goodwill
Vampire Fang Socks-The Crypt
Chunky black shoes-Repeat Boutique

Detail of the t. I don't normally buy or wear t-shirts, hence I don't usually look at the t-shirt section in Goodwill-but this one was in with the blouses, so I took it as a sign I was supposed to find it and buy it. How adorable is it?

THEY HAVE VAMPIRE FANGS ON THEM!!!!! These socks make me unreasonably happy. I love them. Life is simply too short to not wear fabulous socks-they are totally my Kryptonite. If an evil dictator kidnapped me and wanted me to make a sympathetic propaganda film justifying his heinous crimes, the conversation would go like this:
Evil Dictator: I'll torture you!
Jamie: Never!
Evil Dictator: I'll make you eat unpleasant things!
Jamie: Not in a million years!
Evil Dictator: I'll give you a lifetime supply of stripey and novelty socks!
Jamie:...Where do I sign?
I would also accept a lifetime supply of corsets. Shh. Don't tell any evil dictators. Do any of you have clothing items that you are simply helpless to resist?