hi ho, it's off to work we go

So, as you all know, I'm one of the lucky few with a job--benefits and everything. But I won't go into that... this blog is about fashion, not work. Sometimes--very rarely--it's about fashion and work.

Work is pretty dehumanizing, no matter what you do. Bullying managers, unfair pay, corruption, corporate greed, the list goes on. I graduated in 2008, during the worst of the depression...it really wasn't easy. But I'm back on my feet, 130k in debt but whatever, I'm working a job that exploits my skills and my time for near-slave wages.

Fuck work, seriously. But you have to go, and you have to wear clothes. And your clothes don't have to suck. You don't have to wear your mom's blazers and stupid "office" dresses. (By the way, I work in NYC. This may not work in Alabama or other backwoods state. I'm not sure what you wear to work in Alabama...maybe a hatchet man hockey jersey?)

Challenge #13: Goths I Met In Real Life

Read about the original challenge here.

I had to skip challenge 12, since that's going to be Polyvore-heavy and Polyvore seems to be buggy at the moment. So I'll skip ahead for now to "goths I met IRL"

So in high school, there was about 2 others who self-identified as goths (or in my case, rivethead). One of them was my friend for a while until her drug use got out of control and I didn't want a part of it. By the way, she died recently... I can only guess how. Really a shame because she was really nice. The other one was someone I considered a poser at the time. She fell victim to suburban lameness, and is now wearing mom jeans and posting pictures of her casseroles and sending me Zynga game requests on FB. Guess I wasn't wrong. In high school, I also met the guy from Manufactura (not even sure if he's doing music anymore).

Lipstick

Like a year ago, I discovered that I actually like lipstick. I used to think it was a pain (you can't kiss anyone, it gets all over your cups, and you've got to reapply it all the time). Still true. But it's the easiest way to transform your look. And you can fit a tube of lipstick in your pocket. And if you fuck up, you can wipe it off...easy. Most of the time I'm putting on makeup in a store window or a teeny NYC bathroom, so getting out brushes and eye pencils and whatever is such a pain. God help you if you fuck up your eyeliner with that super waterproof liquid eyeliner.

left to right: Mac: red hot; Smashbox: electric pink; kat von d: painted love; Ka'oir: rude girl; Ka'oir: ka'oir force; makeup forever: rouge artist intense 50; wet 'n wild fantasy maker: black

REVIEWS AFTER THE JUMP!
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challenge 10 + 11: origins and 3 things I wish would come back

Read about the original challenge here.

So challenge 10 is on how you got into goth fashion. Mine is the same story as everyone else's--seeds planted in my upbringing, then got into the music/fashion. My mother had a thing for dark movies and eccentric fashion (I have some of her 80s goth hand-me-downs) and even dyed her hair purple in the 60s using pen ink. She went to fashion school and then took her technical drawing skills to engineering.  She also loved art and encouraged creativity. Then, when I was 12, my older sister (in high school) had a suitor chasing her around who was a goth kid and very handsome. My mother and I thought he was a good kid, but my sister was too weirded out by the whole goth thing. The rest is history. (by the way, funny story, my sister's a fashion designer now and at one point in her career designed clothes for Hot Topic. She's got an etsy store.)

my mom, I think in the early 80s or late 70s.

Challenge 11: Trends I wish would come back:

1. Eyeliner swirls

I've got to recreate this for old times sake

MORE AFTER JUMP!

challenge #9: Five keywords that describe my personal style

Read about the original challenge here.

5 Keywords that describe my personal style

Impractical 
lol. I really buy a lot of stuff that isn't too practical. And I like to make things needlessly difficult for me like shaving my eyebrows off or growing 2 inch-and-a-half nails

MORE AFTER JUMP!

Foetus

Happy Valentines Day! I got to meet one of my favorite musicians ever. Seriously, there's been like 5 years of my life where I listened to nothing to Foetus/ J. G. Thirlwell. Most people hate it as much as I LOVE it.

But tonight he was a special guest with Elysian Fields...and was fantastic! After his guest song, I caught him and was, lol, a total fan girl. He just nodded and said thanks and then left a few minutes later. REALLY AMAZIng!

Here's the crappy picture I took:

Day in Soho

I love going to Soho. Most of the shops are a bit expensive, but all of the flagship stores are beautiful and it's still fun to go window shopping. 

outfit shot, of course

First we went to David Z shoes, where they had some jeffrey campbell night walks for like $50. I think I might go back there and pick them up. Next up was my sweetheart's favorite store, Evolution. Really a great store if you're around. They sell curio things like fossils, tribal masks, bones, seashells, human bones...

Beautiful beetle display. I think it was like $2k

Yeah, believe it. Vintage jaguar rug. I don't think it's for sale--I'm pretty sure it's illegal.

butterflies

my purchases from evolution: a scorpion ring (with a real scorpion) and american porcupine quills (which I'm going to put in my industrial piercing. I've been wanting to do that for so long.)

Then off to the Frye flagship store. A beautiful store, and also one of the nicest, most hidden bathrooms in NYC.

me and my sweetheart @ the Ralph Lauren store.

You might have noticed that I love menswear. This was pretty awesome. @ Ralph Lauren

I forgot the name of this purse store, but the interior was cool

....also had a nice view of the street. love the cobblestones.

Then for some midday drinking at Toad Hall.  (not my picture)

Soho's not too far from chinatown, so we walked to my favorite dumpling place, Joe's Shanghai.

And then, when we were all shopped out and all filled with dumplings, we went to go see Beasts of the Southern Wild. I absolutely loved this movie (I have a thing for shanties and strong female protagonists). My sweetheart didn't--the film had promised monsters, and didn't deliver. I can agree, the "beasts" in the title aren't in your face--but who cares when there's such a beautiful story.

Challenge 7 + 8: Why I wear Goth fashion, and why I don't

Ritual / Witch Doctors

Challenge #6: favorite brand

Read about the original challenge here. This week it's your favorite brand.

Surprise! It's American Apparel. I really don't know why this store gets such a bad rap. The quality is great, it's sexy, it goes with everything, and it's made in the USA and proudly pays its workers a good wage and benefits. I also love that the clothing is not embellished in any way. I don't know how many times I went to forever 21, bloomingdales, wherever just looking for a plain sheer/velvet/heavyweight cotton shirt with nothing on it that fits well. No bedazzles, no stupid writing, no pockets, no ribbons, no silly trims--impossible.

high waisted shorts

tshirt (also wearing Lip Service Corset)

turtleneck dress

bodysuit (also wearing Lip Service jacket)

harness and bra

I'm also a huge fan of Lip Service. Of all the Goth-only brands, it's my favorite. They do some really original things and keep themselves fresh.

and they got the classics too

Challenge #5: Out with the old, in with the new

Read about the original challenge here

The original challenge topic was "my wardrobe turnover" which meant "how often you sell your stuff to get new stuff." Well, this is more a lolita thing, since those lolita pieces are SO expensive. Back in 2002, when I first found out about the lolita look, all those brands were so prohibitively expensive (they still are). I could imagine that the only way to make lolita economically possible is to sell your stuff to get other stuff--unless you got rich parents, of course.

Thankfully goth doesn't really have that problem. I've seen goths make a pair of black yoga pants the scariest thing you've ever seen. So I'm interpreting this challenge as outgrowing some styles and taking new ones on: out with the old, in with the new. So I'll post some pictures of styles I've had during the years... none of these are me, cause I don't feel like digging through pictures.

Not me or anyone I know...but it might as well be in the late 90s. Jncos and a band tshirt..and eyeliner

Challenge #4: headwear

Challenge number 4 is : Favorite thing to put on my head. (Read about the original challenge here.)

Angelic Pretty

This probably applies more to lolita--they've got all the cute bonnets, hats, giant straw bonnets, wigs, tiny-hats-on-headbands, kitty ears, etc. These always look great on them, not a look for me though.

I'm not really a big hat person. Unless you were wearing them for warmth (probably why the beanie is coming back--its so practical!), they seemed so fussy to me. I find myself taking them off and on during the day, and if you've got a wide brim, they fly off all the time. Also, hat hair.

I've been liking head chains (though I don't own any-- but I've seen some that were amazing on people), wide brimmed hats, hoods are always cool, and cloth headbands with a wire inside so they tie perfectly and stay on your head--perfect for a rockabilly look.

I also included three head trends that I'm not really a fan of--don't get me wrong, some of these look cool on people. Other people. First up is the ultimate trendy-as-trendy-gets spiked hat. Pretty much as soon as you've bought this online (I've never seen this in a bricks-and-mortar store), it's going to be out of style by the time it ships to your house. Who's the audience for this? Rockers, with the studs? Rappers with the cap shape? Rap-rock? I rest my case. Outside of tumblercore, I've never seen anyone wear this. Also, you know its going to have those cheap studs on them.

Challenge #3: What my own Goth lifestyle is like

Read about the original challenge here

Goth lifestyle...goth lifestyle... I assume this means what I do when I'm off from work, when I'm not commuting, and when I'm not falling asleep in front of the computer looking at fashion sites. My job doesn't really care too much about my piercings or my hair (and we've got some heavily modded people here) and I wear pretty much whatever I want. Most people wear jeans and t-shirts though we sometimes dress up a bit for meetings. I'd consider my style modern goth at work. Main thing is that I don't look like I try too hard.

Most people think of the goth clubs, which I go a few times a year with a group of friends or with the one I love. Mostly, when I have the money. For most of my social time, about twice a week, I play tabletop roleplaying games from World of Darkness with my friends. For those who aren't familiar, there was a documentary made about us playing one of our Vampire games by an NYU kid. He did a great job, btw. We also play Mage, crossovers, some indie games. I used to so a lot of writing and don't have the time to do that anymore, so this is my creative outlet. If you like the oral tradition of telling fantasy stories with your friends, this is for you. I occasionally do a Vampire LARP (live-action roleplaying...basically I pretend to be a vampire), which my vampire-lifestyler friends think is dorky. let that sink in.

Challenge #2: Goth Movies

So, Darkstalker Girl decided to do a Goth blog challenge (read more about it here), and I'm participating. This time it's goth movies. There's a huge potential for cheese here, so I'm not including vampire movies, anything Tim Burton, or classic horror. That would be too easy, also covered quite a bit in the other blogs that were doing the challenge.

Challenge #1: 5 pieces that every goth wardrobe should have, regardless of style

So, Darkstalker Girl decided to do a Goth blog challenge (read more about it here), and I'm participating. It's time for actual content besides my posts on Lookbook, right? First challenge is 5 pieces that every goth wardrobe should have, regardless of style. "Style" I take to mean the different genres--rivethead, romantic, clubbing, cyber, grungy etc. Basically, I read this challenge as:

You want to be goth (in any sense of the word) right now. What 5 things (not hair/makeup/bodymods) should you get to make the transition? (read more after the jump)

Darkstalker Girl: A Goth-y Blog Challenge!

Darkstalker Girl (her blog seems to be gone, but this post lives on) made the following for Goth-y types. I'm totally doing this! It'll probably take me a year, but I'm doing it! I'll link them as I do them.

So, Goth challenge 2013:

1.  5 pieces that every Goth wardrobe should have, regardless of style
2.  5 movies for Goths
3.  What my own Goth lifestyle is like 
4.  Favorite thing to put on my head
5.  My wardrobe turnover
6.  My favorite Goth brand
7.  Why I wear Goth fashion?
8.  Why don't I wear Goth all the time?
9.  5 keywords that describe my personal Goth style
10.  How I first found out about Goth fashion
11.  3 trends I wish would come back
12.  Combining other fashions with Goth
13.  Goths I have met in real life
14.  Goths I would love to meet (meh not doing this)
15.  3 things I wish I was told when I was a Baby Bat
16.  10 facts about my Goth wardrobe
17.  My first concert/festival
18.  Trends I thought I would never get into, but I now love
19.  Trends I thought I loved, but now I'm not too keen on
20.  How satisfied I am with my current wardrobe
21.  Plan for a trip! A week's worth of Goth outfits I can fit in a small suitcase
22.  How I accessorize
23.  What influences my Goth style
24.  What's in my makeup bag
25.  Best places to wear Goth fashions
26.  How I get out of a wardrobe slump
27.  Purses that I love
28.  Corsets or no?
29.  Goth-ing things in my everyday life
30.  How long it took me to build a complete wardrobe (no need to blog about it... it's never complete!)
31.  Impulse buys that were totally worth it
32.  My best deal
33.  Something that I made
34.  Wardrobe blunders! Things I bought that I ended up regretting!
35.  What I thought when I got my first real Goth fashion item
36.  Nails to match my favorite looks
37.  Something that's not my style, but I love anyways
38.  Favorite hair style
39.  Most versatile Goth item I own
40.  5 inspirational fictional characters
41.  Fondest concert/festival
42.  The ways in which I fit the cliche
43.  The ways in which I do not fit the cliche
44.  How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions
45.  Something that was a gift
46.  Parasols: Vital or frivolous?
47.  The item in my wardrobe that was the hardest to get
48.  My "signature" outfit
49.  My favorite Goth book and movie
50.  What's in my closet, but I haven't worn yet!
51.  Predict the next Goth trend!
52.  How Goth has changed me