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! 

A Rainbow of Ruffles

Continuing with my ruffle theme from yesterday, one of my favorite items from NZ:

Hello, Derp Face. Boy, I haven't missed you. Ah well, that aside:

Mini top hat-Ebay

Apache tear necklace-Inherited

Black peasant blouse-Arc

Black pinstriped vest-Goodwill

Ruffled multi-colored skirt-Paper Bag Princess

Tights-Hot Topic

Black slides-Recycle Boutique

You can't see it in the picture (silly flash washout) but the vest has a fine silver pinstripe on it. I love it. I really like this skirt-it's so bright and colorful, and the ruffles give it a lot of motion. Basically, this outfit makes me really happy for no discernable reason except FUN! I want to make several skirts like this with some pretty taffetas I have. Can't wait to start sewing on them! 

Lacy Last Days of Summer

It's fall here in Wellington, but it doesn't always feel that way. Some days, if I close my eyes, it feels just like Colorado in May-warm sunshine with a hint of chill in the air, but in a bracing way. Funny, the crossover between fall and spring! Today was one of those days; warm enough that I felt like I should take advantage of the weather while I could to wear some of my lighter clothes before it officially winterizes over here.

Beaded choker-Salvation Army

Black and white lace tank-Paper Bag Princess

Black ruffled vest-Recycle Boutique

Layered chiffon skirt-Salvation Army

Black tights-The Warehouse

Black wedges with silver flowers-Recycle Boutique

I wish the photo showed more detail on the skirt-it's totally gorgeous, black chiffon in three layers, and I love the way it moves when I walk. I may have to post a video of it someday, that's how gorgeous it is! I felt very elegant and sophisticated in this outfit-so of course I'll have to wear something fun and flippy tomorrow, because I don't want to turn entirely into a grown-up! At least not yet... :) 

A Bit O' Boyish Style...

With little prelude, I present this outfit, because I know you'll be very surprised by it:

Grey hat-Scarf Co. 

Sword necklace-Asian Gifts

Black lace blouse-Arc

Grey tweed vest-Arc

Grey tweed pants-Salvation Army

Black trouser socks-TJ Maxx

Black ankle boots-The Warehouse

Yes, I actually wore pants today. I know, I know-I'll give you all a few moments to recover from your shock. I actually now own three pairs of pants-the ones in this pic, a similar pair of grey knickers, and one pair of black jeans. I haven't made any blog-worthy outfits with the others, but I really liked this outfit. I actually only bought these because they matched the vest so well-the fabrics are almost exact matches! I actually really like the vaguely "Newsies" vibe of this outfit-I'm normally the girliest of girly girls, but if I'm gonna do tomboy, dammit, I'm gonna do sassy, Victorian-urchin tomboy! I also like these pants because they're wide-legged and therefore much more comfortable than normal pants-I will never for the life of me understand the insistence that jeans are the most comfy things ever, because with all the thick seams, buttons, zippers, and snaps, I've never found them comfortable at all! Give me a good flowy silk peasant skirt any day-or in lieu of that, some sweet wool tweed trouser-style pants. :)

Also, I bought this hat on my trip because we were only showering about every other day, and I have the kind of scalp oil production that could resolve the Mid-East Crisis and I needed something to cover my Professor Snape-esque locks, but wearing it has made me realize how much I miss hats. There's a couple shops in Wellington that sell cheapie costume-style hats, and I might have to buy a few just to tide me over until I get back home! It's crazy to think that it's only a little over two months now...but I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. :)

Slightly Dirty Victorian

Well, typical of my usual New Year's Resolutions, I seem to have promised to become a better, more frequent blogger only to promptly disappear from the Internet for a week due to a soul-sucking flu/cold combination. But never fear, lovely readers-I'm back with a vengance today. I was inspired by Kitty Lovett's Year of the Filthy Victorians but didn't entirely meet her requirements, and thus don't really feel I've earned full Filthy Victorian status. Instead, here's my idea of a slightly dirty Victorian:

Black and silver striped button-down-Goodwill

Butterfly pin-Arc

Grey wool vest-Arc

Black-black striped underbust corset-The Crypt

Black silky skirt with ruffle-Arc

Black laced-up handwarmers-Claire's

Zippered boots-Ross

Because the pin is so lovely, I had to do a close-up of it:

Apologies for the low-ish quality of the picture; I was trying out the cameras on my new tablet, and I'm still getting used to them! Overall, I was quite pleased with the outfit; I liked how the swirliness of the skirt contrasted with the more menswear-inspired button-down and vest, and I felt rather rakish with just the bottom buckle on my corset poking out from underneath my vest. I haven't really done much with wearing corsets under, rather than over, other clothing-I know, I know, they were actually underwear and such, but I just love the look of them so much that I try not to hide them away! Now that I've done it, though, I'm actually rather enamored of the notion of a corset under a vest, so keep your eyes peeled in the future for more such outfits. 

Black Black Blackety Black Black

Today, I went monochrome for the first time in Lord only knows how long. Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances involving my brother's car breaking down, my cat choosing the absolute worst time and place to throw up, and an invasion of mutant purple sea monkeys from outer space (I may or may not be kidding about that last one), I just didn't have the energy to try and deal with color today. I still wanted to look and feel cute for visiting my cousins in Fort Collins, though, so I put together some of my favorite pieces of noir:

And here's my outfit in total!

Black camisole with lace trim-Goodwill

Black pocketed vest-Buffalo Exchange

Pleated silky black skirt-Goodwill

Faux-garter tights-Forever 21

Black combat boots-DAV Thrift

This is me making my exasperated "take the picture already, Storm!" face at my brother. He's a professional photographer, which is awesome when I want some really good-looking shots or to do a shoot...and frustrating when I'm just like "I need a five second picture for my blog. No, it doesn't have to be a work of art!", while he patters on about ideal lighting and exposure and such.

 I derped while wearing the vest and forgot to have him take a picture of the back, which is a really pretty black lace and looks really cool when worn with a jewel-tone cami peeking through. But considering this vest is one of my favorite pieces of clothing and worn a LOT, I don't doubt I'll be posting it on here again to show y'all, so no worries! I even managed to thwart my cousins' evil white Siamese by standing away from him while I was petting him, and refusing to pick him up. (He's not really evil, he's actually quite sweet, he just has laser-targeted shedding that he activates when he gets close to anyone wearing any kind of dark-colored clothing.) Despite the stresses the day started out with, it ended up quite fun-I got some new fabric and some cool new clothes, and some lonely ol' composition dolls that need some serious restoration. (Yes, I have weird hobbies. Don't look at me like that.) Oh, and a set of three Holly Black books from my fave little used bookstore-look for some reviews soon! I've read two before, but not for quite a while-I remember really liking Tithe and Valiant both when I read them in 8th-9th grade, so I'm excited to see if they hold up on re-read.