Itchy, But Worth It!

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This sweet ivory sweater from Newport News is a wool/angora blend. Yes, it drives me absolutely crazy to wear it… I do wear a camisole underneath, and fortunately there are no sleeves to speak of, so it’s really just my chest and upper back that suffer. I can live with that.  The sweater came with the bow pin, made from black satin ribbon and white lace.  At first, I thought white lace on an ivory sweater was a strange choice, but now I rather like it.  It ties in with the white in my cameo.

I have only worn this skirt to work once (and that was on a Saturday), but when I pull the waistband up high it is the perfect length for my lace Demonia boots.  I thought a pseudo-Victorian updo would be perfect with this outfit, and added a black fabric flower (from NY&Co) and an ivory one (from Claire's).

The fabulous long, ruched knit gloves came from Claire’s. I didn’t actually wear these throughout the work day, of course. But they were the perfect solution for a chilly drive home in the evening.

Mr. Kitty’s Birthday

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Mr. Kitty turned 45! Okay, it was a while back and this post has been in my queue for a little while... Anyway, one of the ways I impressed him in our dating days was by cooking, and he always looks forward to the Annual Birthday Dinner. I’m quite a master in the kitchen when I put my mind to it, so I prepared a gourmet meal for him and we dressed for dinner.

I wore a Lolita Girl dress that my parents got me for a previous birthday, along with some cute lace-trimmed socks Mr. Kitty got me for my last birthday. I’m still playing around with the perfect socks-with-heels combo, and this one is growing on me although I initially didn’t like how dark the socks were.  It might work better with sheer black stockings, and the whole look definitely is screaming for a back seam!

I wanted to get a photo with Mr. Kitty as well (he looked handsome as always!) but I had to get back in the kitchen before he was ready. He always looks pretty much the same, anyway. ;)

And going a little off-topic, here’s the meal: Chicken Picatta, Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Twice-Baked Yukon Gold Potatoes and Sage Cornmeal Bread (all amongst Mr. Kitty's favorites from the VictorianKitty's Specialties Cookbook). There was also a Super-Dark Chocolate Mocha Pudding Cake, but we dug into it before there was a chance to photograph it.

Sheer Shimmer Top

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Today’s top is sheer black with shimmery black threads. These make the top look almost gunmetal grey with silver shimmers, so it’s a great way to get away with wearing all black without causing people to ask why I’m wearing all black.

I bought this skirt at Ross for $10. This one is very similar in style to another I have from Forever 21, but this fabric is nicer for work and it’s far more cat hair resistant! It also has four buttons sewn on the front, which you can see one of in the detail below. I thought these were a nice touch.

Today I tried a new lip gloss from Bare Minerals. The line is called Pretty Amazing. I’m not crazy about the color (it's too soft for my taste) but it was a free gift so I wanted to try the texture and staying power. It’s not at all sticky, lasts a couple of hours, and fades evenly without getting chunky. I’m looking forward to trying it in a richer shade.

I also did eyeliner all the way around, which is more than I usually do for work. Lining the bottom lid is tricky when you are starting to develop more fine lines, as the color always wants to bleed. I only recently realized (yeah, I’m an idiot) that I could use my eyelid primer along the bottom lash line… I’d say that helped about 50%, so it would probably work for an evening out with just a bit of maintenance every couple of hours.

Ooh, and I finally tried my black crackly nail polish. This is the Ulta brand, over a sparkly magenta (something by OPI; can’t remember exactly what color). I actually bought the black crackle months ago but was saving it for the end of the year, as I can’t stand wearing black polish too close to Halloween. Now that it's safely past Valentine's Day, I'll gladly rock the black nails.  ;)

Have you tried the crackle polishes? How about the magnetic ones? What do you think of them?

A Very Vampy Valentine's Day!

Holly's Horrorland invited us all to a Sanguinary Soiree, her blog theme for Valentine's Day. To participate, all you have to do is post something with a vampire theme. What is easier for a Goth blogger than to do a vampire theme!? And what is better than vampire fashion?

Yes, you would think it would be easy... But I have to admit, this post was fraught with difficulty for me.  My first plan fell through due to a weekend filled with stomach flu.  Then I realized I had already planned to use my velvet cape for yesterday's homework assignment, depriving myself of the perfect vampy piece for today.   At last I decided to take inspiration from GothBarbie's recent series of Old Photos of the Day.  I remembered this little gem, taken around 2000, when I had just been clubbing a couple of years.  It's the first time I ever wore my first "real" corset, which of course is by Gallery Serpentine.  I was headed off to attend a vampire-themed club night, and I'm pretty sure I actually was wearing fangs.

Yes, friends, these photos pre-date my photo studio setup, and my digital camera ownership. They pre-date my living in a place where I was actually allowed to paint the walls.  They even pre-date my eyebrow perfecting techniques.  :)  And I love them just the same.

 

And yes, those are some cassette tapes you see in the lower left.  I held onto those babies for the longest time... Lest anyone think the cassette tapes don't fit into the vampire theme, rest assured! There most definitely was a copy of Bauhaus 1979-83 Volume 1 complete with Bela Lugosi's Dead in there. :)

What do you think of the old photos? Entertaining and more should be shared, or horrifying and please don't ever do it again?



Now head over to Holly's Horrorland and enjoy the rest of the Vampire's Day Soiree!

Monthly Homework Assignment for February: I forgot I even had this!

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Le Professeur Gothique’s Monthly Homework Assignment for February was to find something buried in our closets that we had forgotten about, and put it to use! When I saw her announcement for this theme, a certain item instantly popped into my head (okay, so it wasn't exactly forgotten, at least not literally). I hadn't worn it for years, yet any time I looked at it I refused to even think of getting rid of it. I initially took this as a sign it was destiny that I should put this relic back into my outfit rotation. Now, I'm not so sure... ;-D

Yes, the item in question was this velvet cape. I bought it ages ago at Hot Topic and used to wear it to the clubs religiously. Partly because I was more into the vampire-oriented fashion that was popular in the scene at the time, and partly because I just didn't have many options in my wardrobe back then. I still think it's lovely, but it's just not "me" anymore. And oh, the cat hair. I removed cat hair, put the cape on, removed cat hair again, took photos, removed cat hair again, went downstairs, and was about to remove the cat hair AGAIN when I finally decided to change into a different wrap. You can expect to see this cape one more time, when I do a "cleaning out my closet" post! It would be the perfect addition to a cat-free home. ;)

My dress actually fits into this theme as well. A "vintage" piece by Shrine Hollywood (vintage meaning about 10 years old, which I would say is vintage for Shrine!), I used to wear this empire-waisted gown to every wedding where black was acceptable. At some point, I just stopped wearing it and it sat in the "very fancy" section of my closet, feeling unloved. Unlike the velvet cape, when I put this dress back on my love affair with it was instantly renewed!

I thought it would be a perfect time to showcase this dress here on the blog, in light of our recent discussion regarding the empire waistline. Some of you expressed a preference for this style when applied to long dresses, some on short dresses. Some said they love the look altogether, and some declared that it just wasn't for them. I was glad to see such a diversity of opinion on the subject, as I had previously thought it was a "love it or hate it" kind of thing.

I wore this outfit to a club. As much as I continue to love the dress, I have to say that I realized I don't care to wear full-length empire waists to go dancing. Something about how it hangs, while being so elegant and statuesque while standing still, felt frumpy and awkward while dancing. It didn't move with my body the way a skirt hitting at the natural waist would. I kinda felt like I was dancing in very fancy pajamas... I'll still be showing this dress a lot of love in the future, but I'll save it for dinners and other more sedentary events.

Now head over to Le Professeur Gothique and have a look at everyone else's forgotten wardrobe treasures!

Feeling a Little Cruella Today…

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This fun sweater came from Macy’s long ago. I used to wear it tons, but now it’s a bit shabby and starting to pill. I suppose I could attack it with a clothes shaver… They work quite well in my experience, but I never seem to find the time to devote to it. Even our precious little TV time (we actually don’t watch TV, and only about one Netflix movie a week) is spent doing projects, brushing cats, catching up on blog commenting, painting my nails or waxing my legs.

I thought this Gallery Serpentine corset would be a good way to hide some of the pilling and get a few more wears out of this sweater before I really have to decide to groom it or toss it. Adding a dramatic brooch, in addition to the fun faux fur collar, distracts you from its flaws a bit too.

I’m tempted to go on and on about this super-fun skirt, but I won’t. Namely because I already blogged it once, so I encourage you to go read that post. See how I get added value out of my old posts by reminding you about them once you have forgotten? ;-D

Pardon the silly post title today. I could only partially picture Cruella in my head but that’s just the thought that occurred to me in looking at the photos. Maybe it’s the crazy bit of Magic Hair peaking out, or the collar on that sweater. Or the curvy corseted silhouette . Or all of the above. Either way, I realize I don’t look a thing like Cruella here, but when one really needs a post title one tends to stretch it a bit…

These days, I'm not a fan of animated movies... But I'll always kinda love Disney villainesses. Who's your favorite?

The Versatile Dillard’s Dress

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Many thanks to all who participated in the February 1 theme of Rings! 37 of you joined in the fun with posts of your own. WOW. That's by far our biggest theme participation so far. I can't wait for March 1!

What is up with the front of my hair in this photo??

I’ve blogged about this dress before in one of my Day to Evening posts, where I styled it three different ways. I bought this one on sale at Dillard’s, and it was such a great value especially when you consider how versatile it is. And comfortable! I know a lot of men don’t appreciate empire-waist dresses because they don’t accentuate the female figure, but lucky for me my man loves just about everything! :) He compliments this dress quite often.

The shrug is also a repeat.  It's not very warm, but not only are winters in my area amazingly mild, but my office is also sweltering hot so I break out the summer clothes all winter long (and often sit at my desk with no shoes on, because it's that hot, but don't tell anyone! lol).

The necklace is all new to you. It was made by me from black onyx beads. While I love the beads, I guess I’m not too crazy about the necklace because I have only worn it once before. Some of the beads just refuse to lie flat. I might just disassemble this piece and try something else with the beads.

How do you feel about empire-waist dresses?