February 1 Theme: Rings

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Today we celebrate rings! An abundance of rings is definitely a signature aesthetic for any old-school Goth, and I have long been obsessed with wearing at least six rings at any and all times. I used to spread them out across both hands, but these days the left hand is usually reserved for my engagement and wedding rings, which are more a part of me than an accessory and therefore deserve their own special hand. Lately, I’ve grown lazy and will only wear three or so unless I’m really dressing up, like for the clubs.

Above are a few of my favorites. The oval one (second from the right) is actually the first thing Mr. Kitty ever bought for me. On one of our very early dates, looking for something to do after dinner, he asked me if I had ever been to a certain little silver store in town and I exclaimed how that was one of my favorite shops! So we went and bought silver rings together, and like a true gentleman he paid for the one I picked out. The swirly square ring at the bottom of the photo is also from that shop, but I bought it much earlier. The rose ring is from a mall kiosk, and is too big for me. Thankfully, Wal-Mart sells little rubber tubes that go around the bottom of the ring to tighten them up a bit. Not ideal, but better than paying more to have the ring sized than the cost of the ring itself! I actually did that on the cross ring, because I love it so much and used to wear it daily (it was usurped by the aforementioned oval ring from Mr. Kitty).

Above is an example of my most heavily ring-clad look. The silver swirls are homemade from sterling silver wire. I don’t wear them often because one once went flying across the dance floor, causing me great embarrassment even though I’m pretty sure in retrospect that no one else even noticed. No, these never go to the clubs with me now. And they catch in my hair terribly, so they are reduced to non-clubbing, hair-up events exclusively. The one on my middle finger is my oldest ring. I’ve had it since high school. The ones on my ring finger and thumb are from Maya, a shop on Melrose Ave. that is loaded with amazing silver jewelry. The pinky ring is another one from our local silver shop. The little black stone fell out once, and I was fortunate to find it so I could epoxy it back in place. It hasn’t budged since.

These adorable little kittens from Bed, Bath and Beyond keep my favorites handy for me on my vanity table. Or they did, until we got Perseus, who throws everything on the floor if it’s not glued down. So currently, they keep my favorites handy in the closet. That will work until Perseus learns to operate the doorknob…

Want to participate in this month's theme?

Now it's your turn! You know what to do (or if you don't, check out the full details). :)

1. Add the Monthly Theme icon to your blog post (copy the code below and paste into your post using the Edit HTML feature):
   
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NO ADULT CONTENT will be allowed.

A Special Thank You

The inimitable Jillian Venters of Gothic Charm School recently did a blog round-up of her own favorites.  To my great delight, she included my blog.  If you aren't already a fan of Gothic Charm School, check it out poste-haste.   Her site is a treasury of valuable knowledge for the benefit of any Goth.

Gothic Charm School
Amusements: Other Gothy Blogs To Read

Don't Forget: February One-Day Theme Tomorrow!

Just a reminder that the February 1 Rings theme day is tomorrow, February 1, beginning at midnight Pacific Time. For those of you in other time zones, check the left-hand column of my blog to see the time I am going by.

Mr. Linky will close at 11:59 PM PST on February 3. However, remember that the earlier you link up, the more people will see your post! :) Also the Linky box at the bottom of my post will tell you how many hours you have left until it closes.

Get the complete details and rules.

Monthly Blog Round-Up for January

Since I didn't do a round-up last month, I've included some posts from December here.  Enjoy a few of my favorite recent posts!

• Lady Bethezda of Bethezda's Preoccupations shared a fabulous purple make-up look: my favorite color!!  Her looks are always inspiring, with a ton of variety.
• Hexotica totally wowed me with an extremely timely (for me) and profound article on living your life on your terms.
• Arisa Gossamer of Kuro Jinsei put a new spin on outfit posts by sketching her OOTD.
• Linnea-maria shared her recipe for homemade face cream.  Next time I get around to placing an order with New Directions Aromatics, I'm going to give this a shot!
• Katysioux of Dreams of Black Lace reposted an article defending fake beauty.  It addresses an issue that I've always pondered myself - since wearing make-up is inherently fake, who's to say that "natural" make-up is more acceptable than dramatic make-up??
• Katelynn of Life of a Baby Bat posted this video of, appropriately, a baby bat. While I'm the type to reject a lot of the Goth Lifestyle stereotypes, I have to admit that bats are a favorite!

Honorable Outfit Mention for January: Ellone of Pretty Lies put together a sleek, classy outfit that perfectly juxtaposes menswear-inspired pieces with ultra-feminine details.

• Would you like to hear of the terrible night...
  

And my personal favorite of my own outfits for January was:

• Ice, Frost and Snow
  

Yes, That IS a Bat You See…

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I think it’s probably obvious by now that, aside from the stylized bat tattoo on my shoulder, I don’t often adorn myself with Halloween iconography. But this top was just screaming at me in a little shop on Melrose quite a few years ago. He’s such an adorable little guy, and I love the mix of textures with Mr. Bat being sheer. I love to pair this top with my PVC corset, and this time I thought the ruched fishtail skirt from Newport News seen here and here would be a good companion to the snug, long-sleeve top. Barely an inch of skin showing, yet I felt awfully sexy wearing this to the club.

So, can you tell I have socks on underneath my open-toe platform sandals (which are from Pleaser, btw)? Yes, this is what we have to do when we have a sore toe for no apparent reason but really want to go out dancing. The open toe shoes gave the sore digit room to feel better, but these shoes rub too much on my feet for constant movement. That’s where the nice thick socks came into play. Not too noticeable with a skirt that nearly touches the ground, and I was able to dance the night away in total comfort.

My toe stopped hurting the next day as suddenly as it had begun, in case you were concerned. :)

What's your opinion on Halloween imagery in Goth fashion? Love it, hate it, or somewhere in between?

Still Getting Used to Red Shoes

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I think you’ve already seen most of the elements of this outfit, just not together. I wore the blazer fairly recently, but in a very different look. The pants are just generic, “nicer than jeans but not as fancy as slacks” that I bought at Macy’s last spring (and had to alter heavily, because they just don’t make pants that fit me!).

These are the red shoes I bought on my birthday, and this is just their second appearance because I’m still not used to seeing red on my feet. I like the way the cami under my blazer ties in with the shoes without stealing the show, by just peeking out a bit.

I added the armwarmers after work, as we headed out for Sushi Thursday last week. Our sushi place is usually pretty chilly!! These are the ones that Mr. Kitty featured in his artsy contribution to my Armwarmer Theme back in November.

This marcasite and garnet pendant came from Target a few years ago. I made the beaded necklace for it using some cool double pyramid beads I scored at a gem show.  As you might have noticed, I tend to replace the chains on most of my pendants with something more custom.

How do you guys think the red shoes work with this outfit?

Theme for February 1: Rings!

The theme for February 1 is: RINGS

This theme was suggested to me quite a while back by Kiwi of Assortments... Being a huge lover of finger jewelry, I've really been looking forward to this one! So get photos of your rings, friends' rings, rings you have on your wishlist, or anything inspired by rings! Just be sure to cite your source if borrowing photos or content that are not your own original work!  :)

Be sure to come back on February 1 and submit your post.

How It Works
On the first day of each month, I will post my theme post with the Mr. Linky sign-up form at the bottom. You can link to any post you’ve done that day or previously, as long as it matches the theme. Be sure to add the icon to your post, and link your post to mine using the Mr. Linky box at the bottom.

You can post your theme post earlier than the first of the month, or link to an old post, but you must add it to Mr. Linky on Day 1 of the month. It's a busy time of year, so I will leave the Linky open until 11:59 PM PST on February 3.

You don't have to participate every single month. Feel free to join in whenever you wish. Just be sure you get your post linked before the second day of the month!

Also, let’s keep the posts appropriate for all ages, in terms of both language and imagery. Thanks!! :)

Posts that are linked up without including the icon will be removed from Mr. Linky.

HTML for the icon: (The icon and the HTML will remain the same each month)

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Please pass this invitation on to any bloggers you know who might be interested, and feel free to share the announcement on your blogs.  Of course, it's a good idea to follow my blog to be sure you don't miss any of the themes.  ;)

Questions? E-mail me!

Want to Suggest a Theme?
Leave a comment on any post at any time, or e-mail me. If I use your suggestion, I will credit you on my theme post for that month and in the theme announcement the week before.  No promises that I will use every suggestion, because the themes have to be things that I would be able to do a post about.

Want to participate in the Monthly Theme? Here's how:

1. Add the Monthly Theme icon to your blog post (copy the code below and paste into your post using the Edit HTML feature):
   
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Surprisingly Purple

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Sometimes I think I’m going to run out of interesting outfits to post, you guys will get bored and then no one will read my blog any more. Seriously, when you wear all black, it gets difficult to come up with unique ideas regularly. When choosing my latest club outfit, I was having a rough time because I wanted to do something I’d never done before. So I wore all purple.

I paired one of my silk blouses from Bebe that I’ve shown you before with the purple version of my Speigle Daytime Satin skirt, and topped it off with a stunning purple panel corset from Timeless Trends (also seen on this blog before). I think I successfully demonstrated how the same pieces can be remixed to create drastically different looks. This corset is quickly becoming one of my favorites, as it is incredibly comfortable and so well made!

And I sure stood out at the club. Unfortunately, thanks to all the red lights, no one could tell that I was wearing all purple. But they definitely could tell “it wasn’t black.”

This particular night of dancing was my conclusion to Le Professeur Gothique’s second challenge for Bat Fit 2012, which was to dance a little bit every day! I haven’t been blogging regularly about my participation in her BatFit challenges, but I assure you I am there every step of the way. Everyone can stand to be a little bit healthier. Exercise makes me feel more energetic and gives me a good excuse to eat more! Not to mention it helps me continue to fit in my extensive wardrobe and will help me age without getting old. Seriously, all those people who walk around at 30 saying they feel “old”…? They just need to do some dancing to VNV and it will be all better. At 38, I still feel like I’m 20. That’s exercise for you! Start now, no matter what age you currently are.  You will be glad!

Do you ever wear mostly non-black outfits to Goth events? If so, is it an attempt to stand out amongst the crowd or just to satisfy a personal need for variety?

Goodbye, Stretch Lace

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I adore this cute little top, with its hook and eye front closure, ruching on every seam and cute cap sleeves. But it’s made from that dreaded, cheap stretch lace I am constantly complaining about. As usually, it has developed little teeny tiny elastic threads sticking out at every seam. Zillions of them. I tried trimming them away at first, but they rapidly returned and even multiplied. So today is this top’s farewell performance. I just had to wear it one more time so I could take pictures, where you can’t see those nasty little guys waving around obnoxiously…  It really was the perfect top, in terms of design.  Such a shame about the cheap materials.

The tiered mesh skirt is from Macy’s (you remember it, I’m sure, because I've already worn it here so many times...). I wore this with a silk chiffon scarf tied in an interesting way; something I learned over at 37 Ways to Tie a Scarf.  The cross pendant was a gift from Mr. Kitty.

What is your favorite way to tie a scarf?

Monthly Homework Assignment for January: Ice, Frost and Snow

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Le Professeur’s Monthly Homework Assignment for January was to create a post inspired by ice, frost and/or snow. Several ideas rushed into my head for frosty outfits, but in the end I chose to go with ice. We don’t get a lot of snow or frost in Southern California, but there was once a time when Hollywood loved to sparkle like ice. As you have probably noticed, I love to pay tribute to that era whenever I can.

This whole outfit is built around the fabulous necklace, a Christmas gift from my friend Jennifer. The dangling rhinestone reminded me of icicles. Thank you, Jennifer, for giving me a timely piece of inspiration!

Of course, once I had my heart set on wearing rhinestones, I went all out. I haven’t glued things to my forehead in years, and I found I kinda missed it. :) I even swapped out my usual hoop earrings for something much fancier. My eyeshadow is a shimmery white from Ben Nye's Lumiere luxe powder collection (plus my usual Ben Nye black pressed shadow in the crease).

The metallic mesh purse is from a random mall store. It was the perfect companion for all of my icy sparkle, and a little frosty in its own right.

Now, head on over to Le Professeur Gothique and check out the other Ice, Frost and Snow-inspired posts!

Shape FX, FTW!

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Newport News (actually their parent company, Spiegel) has a line called Shape FX that is designed to “make the body you have look like the body you want.” In a way that tagline says it all, but even if you already have the body you want these styles are designed to complement the female form just beautifully. Most of the pieces come with a built in power-mesh lining, making them a bit pricier, but they are well worth it. I buy these just for the amazing curve-flattering fit and classy, timeless styles.

This dress is one of my all-time favorites from the Shape FX line. Just the right amount of ruching down both sides, a very flattering sleeve length and that amazing neckline… I usually pair this with my Avon pendant and the flesh-tone fishnets from Hue. Oh, and in the close-up above, you can see the coveted magnetic nail polish in action! I had to order this stuff through Amazon because I couldn’t find it anywhere locally. I totally love it, but at $15 per bottle I probably won’t be stocking up on many colors!!

One of the best features of the Shape FX site is that you can search the collection by body type. So, if you are self-conscious about a particular area, the site will recommend styles designed to eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive. :) They carry everything from semi-casual pieces to dinner dresses to career wear. I’m dying to try out the slacks, but pants are always such a weird fit on me that I hesitate to buy them online.

Is there a particular brand or line of clothing that makes you “feel” better than others? Please share!

Another Purple Silk Bebe Blouse

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This is the third in my collection of four silk blouses from Bebe. You’ve seen my black one and my bright purple one. This one is in a soft, dark wine purple with fabulous ruffle down the front. This is the one I mentioned before that is NO fun to iron. Those ruffles just won’t behave, and I usually end up ironing more wrinkles into them before I finally get them all ironed out.

These silk blouses were all from the sale rack about two years ago. I think they were 60% off, and they had dozens of them on the racks! For some strange reason, the average trendy Bebe shopper just didn’t go for them, so Bebe had to unload them on me cheap. Lucky for me!

Check out the feather hair sticks from Claire’s (years ago) that are a perfect color match for this top!

The fourth and final blouse from this haul is a sheer magenta chiffon, so I’ll be saving that one for next spring. :)

What is your absolute best sale or thrift deal ever (that you can recall)?

Military-Inspired Cardigan Thingie

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Yes, sometimes post titles are terrible difficult to come up with. :) But at least it accurately describes what I am wearing. I also have a somewhat similar blazer that I’ve worn before but this piece is a lot more casual. The cardigan is meant to be worn open in the front but it looks unfinished like that, so I just pinned it at the bottom. I would like to add a chain across the bottom so it’s open about an inch or so. I’ll put that on my long list of projects for “someday.”

I think the cardi works well with this magenta strapless top with side ruching (I’ve worn the top before). The contrast between the military-esque buttons and collar with the bright pink is kinda fun.

My love of certain military-inspired clothing is strictly an aesthetic thing. I like the vintage look it can lend to an outfit, and looking “sharp” is sometimes an interesting contrast my usual style, which is decidedly more romantic.

Do you prefer sharp and crisp styles, or soft and flowing romantic looks?