Theme for December 1: Outerwear

The theme for November 1 is: OUTERWEAR

It's about to become full-on winter in the northern hemisphere, so what better time to show off your outerwear?  For this theme, let's see your coats, jackets, blazers, capes, wraps... *  Whatever you put on to protect your dark, delicate self from the elements.

* For those of you who are enjoying summer right now, feel free to feature lightweight blazers, sheer wraps, etc.  No one is excluded!

Be sure to come back on December 1 and submit your post.  It can be photos of yourself or someone else wearing a favorite coat or jacket, or any inspiring images you find, a review of a certain brand, a story, a movie review, artwork or anything (as long as it's primarily about outerwear!).  Just be sure to cite your source if borrowing photos or content that are not your own original work!  :)

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 December 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)

<a href="http://www.sophistiquenoir.com/search/label/Monthly%20Themes"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ249TqTbcQqDIMNEFn4-i86sH_mCPygLy8joT6s5mRPOVlTNR98J9pLIzKwuhO6z5rTM-DSHBDax9ecdw0DTsO0yZR2PrUlCoOMVpQxHdOACZjKezy3z8A-S8fjktvIPftUD-6eXu4U/s1600/monthly-theme-icon.jpg" border="0"></a>

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):
   
   <a href="http://www.sophistiquenoir.com/search/label/Monthly%20Themes"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ249TqTbcQqDIMNEFn4-i86sH_mCPygLy8joT6s5mRPOVlTNR98J9pLIzKwuhO6z5rTM-DSHBDax9ecdw0DTsO0yZR2PrUlCoOMVpQxHdOACZjKezy3z8A-S8fjktvIPftUD-6eXu4U/s1600/monthly-theme-icon.jpg" border="0"></a>
   
2. Paste the URL to your post using the Mister Linky box at the bottom of my August 1 post.
   Please use a direct link to your relevant post, NOT a link to your blog’s home page.
3. Visit all of the other participants who have entered, and show them you appreciate their theme posts!

Movie Monday: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Take Two!

Click photos for larger view.

Today is Movie Monday over at Still Dark @ Heart!

As promised in my last Movie Monday post, I put together an outfit inspired heavily by Gene Tierney’s wardrobe in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Naturally, I was most attracted to her mourning attire, and I happened to have a low, wide-ish brimmed black felt hat that would work perfectly with a veil. I had to remove a big, flamboyant mesh and sequined …thing… from the hat first, then I pinned on a sheer triangular scarf and added the black roses.

This blazer came from Forever 21 a few years ago. It has a wide sash that ties in the back, which I thought created a slight bustle effect. I didn’t have just the right fancy blouse, so a silk chiffon scarf tied in a bow did the trick.

The velvet skirt is from Gallery Serpentine. When I got this skirt it fit me perfectly in terms of width but surprisingly it was about 4 inches too long, even in 6” heels! Australian ladies must be extremely tall… My poor mother had to rework both of those ruffles to make it fit. And yes, the skirt was originally made shorter in the back than the front (there is a zipper and tag in the back, so it’s definitely on the correct way). I don’t know if that was a mistake on GS’s side, but I thought it looked pretty like that so we retained the effect when altering the skirt.

The gloves are from Greatlookz, and I made the bag myself from a pattern set that came with several capelets and this lovely drawstring bag. I’m still finishing the matching capelet, because I can’t seem to get my fusible interfacing to fuse!

Many thanks to Sal of Still Dark @ Heart for creating this fun monthly theme event. Now, I’m off to plan my December entry for Movie Monday! :)

Second Choice

Click photos for larger view.

You voted on three different ways to wear this top, and chose skinny jeans as your first pick. The lace pencil skirt came in a close second, so for the sake of variety I gave that look a try for an errand day last weekend. This outfit is comfortable and feminine, which is really all a girl needs.

Here we have my beloved Hue fishnets in black, comfy Pleaser ankle-strap platform shoes and a fabulous black rose necklace you've seen before.

Hair style is just a side bun with a black flower.  I often wear this style to work, but not so much on the weekends, so this was a nice change.

I think I like the lace skirt with this top just about as much as the skinny jeans.

More Gray on Gray

Click photos for larger view.

Here’s another Venus find that required some alterations. I’m starting to suspect that they have recently modified their sizes, as the XS used to always fit me perfectly and now in my latest order everything is too big in the sides. Anyway, it was worth the effort because the stripes are so fun, as is the ruffle down the placket. The best part is the zipper closure, which, unlike buttons, prevents any kind of gaping in the front.

Today I'm wearing the simple side bun with gray hair flower, one of the styles I featured in my Simple Hairstyles post.

Grey tights turned out to be a perfect match for this blouse, along with my trusty black satin pencil skirt that I wore a while back.

Check out the cool wide cuffs with cufflink detail.

I’m looking forward to pairing this top with my Daytime Satin long skirt, in hopes of the top making the skirt look a bit more casual.

Have you ever found trusted clothing companies to suddenly change their sizing?

Monthly Homework Assignment for November: Naked Face!

Today is Le Professeur Gothique's first Monthly Homework Assignment.

November's assignment appeals to my belief in the importance of self-confidence: Strip down to your bare naked FACE! I love this idea because it's a great chance to show that we don't wear makeup because we think we "need" to, but because we WANT to. Let's show that we are confident women who are not afraid to display our natural beauty. And yes, you DO have natural beauty! Humans are beautiful creatures, one and all: even those of us who like to be creative with our appearance. :)

A while back I posted my Skin Care Routine.  I included a couple of face shots but didn't think to photograph the post-routine clean skin results.  I now present to you VictorianKitty in her natural form!  This is after my morning routine but before starting the makeup process.

Yes, my hair is also untamed and straight out of my sleep cap in these photos, hence the random bumps.  I did brush it, anyway.  :)

Now head over to Le Professeur Gothique's blog and see all the other lovely naked faces, and post your own!

Black and White Party!

Click photos for larger view.

Let me preface this post by saying that in real life, I can be quite a poor sport.  :) Usually when I attend a club or party with a theme, I ignore the theme completely. Themes are fun on Goth blogs, but in real life they usually enter the realm of Disco Attire and such silliness, and I just don’t drink enough to make things like that okay. ;) When we were invited to a friend’s birthday party and told of the Black and White theme, I knew I could live with that one. In fact, I was quite excited to wear my newest Stop Staring dress.

Upon selecting my outfit for the party, I immediately jumped on the Greatlookz Web site and ordered some white crocheted gloves to match my white scarf. Wow; who knew that whites would be even more difficult to match than blacks?!? I had three different shades of white in the end. I still was delighted with the overall end result.

I made the giant hair flower from a stem I picked up at Michael’s. It wasn’t the prettiest flower they had, but those stems can go up to more than $15!!! This one was $6, which I thought was pushing it for a DIY thing.

Nude fishnets and ankle-strap platform shoes were the finishing touches to this forties-inspired outfit. Oh, and glasses. I normally love to wear my glasses (that’s why I never got Lasik) but I don’t like them when I am trying to go glamorous. However, the morning before the party, Perseus happened to do Happy Feet right on my eyeball, and I happened to already have an eye doctor appointment scheduled for that day, so there was no hiding the “corneal abrasion.” No contacts for a full week: doctor’s orders! :(   Mr. Kitty made me feel better by calling me a “Sexy Gothic Librarian Vintage Movie Star.” I can live with that.

This dress is a prime example of why it sometimes better to save up for a few quality pieces than to blow your whole clothing budget on a lot of little, cheap items here and there.  A dress like this never fails to make me feel amazing and self-confident to a degree far beyond what I feel wearing a top from Forever 21.  Of course, I like the variety (obviously) that can be achieved by mixing these fabulous, quality items with a fair amount of more affordable things.  It's all about the balance, and right now I'm focusing on shifting the balance a bit more toward quality over quantity.

What's Better than Purple? Purple with Black Lace Overlay!

Click photos for larger view.

Sometimes I don’t give Target enough credit for their clothing designs. I have to say; they win again with this purple sweater with black lace overlay. I picked this up years ago and love it still. Here I’ve paired it with a seed bead necklace and bracelets made by me, and a straight skirt also from Target.

This is Casual Thursday wear for me. We work a 4/10 schedule at my office, meaning we do four 10-hour days and then we are off Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Our staff begged to be allowed to wear jeans on Thursdays in lieu of the traditional “Casual Friday.” Human Resources finally caved in. Of course, I usually can’t bring myself to wear jeans to work even if I am told to, so sometimes I break out a more-casual-than-usual top and a very plain skirt. Other times, I wear a blazer or extra-Gothy outfit just for the contrast. ;)

Do you get a "casual day" at work?  If so, what do you like to wear?