Dark Fashion in the Workplace

You know those news stories where a kid gets suspended because he or she colored their hair pink or whatever? It's so that kids would be "prepared" for the real world. Or those ridiculous "employee dress codes" they make you read when you get an hourly job? It's so customers won't be distracted or brand image or whatever.

50 Themes Fashion Challenge

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...I've been doing some freelance work...in addition to my full-time/overtime work. My freelance project ends next week, so back to regular blogging then. In the meantime, here's another challenge to add to the list, cause you know I love challenges.

This one comes from Milking the Rolling Cow, who posted it from another blog, Roses and Vellum. Adding it to the other two challenges I'm doing.  Seems simple enough...make a post around the following theme:

1. Introduction
2. Stripes
3. Polka Dots
4. Hot
5. Runway
6. Centered around a hat
7. Witchy
8. Stereotypical
9. Funky
10. Retro
11. Eclectic
12. Futuristic
13. Glittery
14. Diva
15. Preppy
16. Modest
17. Sportswear
18. Ruffles
19. Light
20. Dark
21. Innocent
22. Animal
23. Natural
24. Go Green!
25. Royal
26. Eyes
27. Summer in the Winter (Southern Hemisphere do Winter in the Summer)
28. Cardigan
29. No Animal Cruelty
30. Military Inspired
31. Plaid
32. Tacky that looks cool
33. Travel
34. Faeries
35. Superheroes
36. Fun
37. Monochrome
38. Trench coat (Southern Hemisphere may replace this with style of their choice if they wish)
39. Mary Jane shoes
40. Sunshine
41. Nail polish
42. Lose yourself
43. Vest
44. Birds
45. Cutesy
46. Grunge
47. Gothic
48. Orange
49. Killer heels
50. Happy ending

Ways I fit the Cliche, Ways I don't

Read about the challenge here.

Fit the cliche:
1. I love being shocking/weird
2. Tons of black clothes
3. I love fantasy and sci-fi and other geekery
4. English major / writer
5. I have written stories about vampires, gardens, poets, dandies... and they were experimental
6. I smoked cloves
7. Prefer absinthe
8. tried to be in a band, cared more about the photo shoots
9. post pictures of myself online
10. socially awkward
11. I'm a nihilist
12. I'm uppity about posers (maybe less now)
13. I'm moody
14. I sound and look pissed off all the time (That's what my face looks like!)
15. crazy liberal
16. did witchcraft at one point and once in a while the ol' coven gets together for some magicking.
17. I managed a gallery and worked in the art industry
18. was a "troubled" teen
19. I use dark humor in very inappropriate times
20: cliche outfits:

2014 Pantone Color of the Year

Well, the color gods have chosen their almighty color for 2014, and it is Radiant Orchid. Pastel goths rejoice, for your time has come. From the press release: 

“An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”

My Rivethead past, as explained through my deviantart

It wasn't until a few years ago that I just started calling myself "goth" because I got tired of explaining to people what a rivethead was. Goths and rivetheads are in the same category now, I guess.  I'm actually whatever about most goth things. I'd take an abandoned factory over a graveyard, Wumpscut over Sisters of Mercy, army pants over a corset, cybernetics over vampirism, a future dystopia over a romanticized past. I'm actually a pretty cliche rivethead. You can see it in my deviant art page (no, I won't link to it...too embarrassing...should I post my Xanga too?), where I fancied myself a photographer of abandoned construction sites. By the way, I was one of the first DevArt users. Much lower standards back then.

I still like this picture.

yeesh terrible

Men's Fashion Week

I love men's fashion and often wear it. I occasionally go full drag when crossplaying--it's nothing gender-bendy for me...I just love the fashion.

Well, this past week was men's fashion week in London, and as usual, I'm very confused at men's Fashion with a capital "F"

(All photos from the Women's Wear Daily tumblr.)

Recent Hypes

Haven't done one of these in a while. Here's a few looks that I liked on lookbook.

http://lookbook.nu/look/5716338-Grafea-Bianca-White-Leather-Rucksack-Motel-Rocks

White and moons and cutaway boots. My 2014 predictions are already coming true.

http://lookbook.nu/look/5691830-Thrifted-Lizard-Shirt-Lizards-Plaits

How awesome is this shirt? Also like this jumper skirt...I'm seeing a lot of people pulling this off

Golden Ghost

Lol I love dinosaurs. Fun fact: I wanted to be a paleontologist

--.07.2013

Of course, Violet E. looking fabulous. That jumper skirt looks awesome. I've seen it on the hanger and walked past it a hundred times, thinking, this stupid thing. but this is a GREAT way to wear it.

Daisies.

Today's interpretation of the 90s is sometimes cooler than the real thing

Romeo's Distress

HMMM I wonder why I liked this one.

Ninja Outfit

Very NYC

MATANGI

And if you thought she couldn't look more NYC...

Hair Sticks

So, I mentioned in my trend prediction for 2014 that I had hoped that hair accessories would make a comeback, so here's the first post, which resurrects the forgotten hair stick. I got to using hair sticks at work, when I didn't have a rubber band, so I just stuck a pencil in my hair. I was surprised at how well it stayed and then was on the hunt for hair sticks.

It's hard to say why the hair stick fell out of favor--maybe it kept slipping out of people's hair, or no one could figure out how to use it. There's a number of youtube videos on the matter, but I just kind of swirl my hair until it stays. It actually stays well all day.

Also, the neat thing about hair sticks is that you can make them tight (as in like a tight ponytail) or loose. I like to wear them loose since I get headaches otherwise.

Picture dump: (btw the antlers in the top picture are by the same etsy seller as the antler ones below)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/105977809/hair-stick-turquoise-native-american

New hair color! Gray (and Pravana pastels/ion pastels hair color review)

I made an impulse decision to color my hair gray today.  New year, new hair... why not? 

Here are the products that I used:
Ion color Brilliance brights: Rose
Ion color Brilliance brights: Titanium
Pravana Chromasilk Pastels: Pretty in Pink

For these colors, you don't need to mix them with any developer, which means they aren't damaging. It's just paint, which also means it's semipermanent.

First coloring, I wanted to compare the Pravana pink against the Ion pink. as you can see, the Pravana didn't color my hair at all. I'd say I was at or near a level 10 (whitest blond) and I've got porous and thick hair. It should have worked, but it didn't. 

bummer. also check out the scarf I crocheted. chains!

 The Pravana is in the far left, the ion is in the middle. The gray honestly doesn't look so hot either. I actually wanted a pale gray, almost off-white. but it looks kind of green, probably because the dye isn't completely opaque. I wonder if Jerome Russell makes a gray--those were very opaque colors. Sometimes the problem isn't your hair--it's usually the color, which is a translucent sheen of color. Especially when people say "Oh in the SUN it's purple or whatever." Short story: Pravana sucks and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Amazingly, it's a pro brand. I'd be pissed if I went to a salon and got this:

you can see by my roots it's KINDA pastel pink.

The ion pink is too vibrant to pass off as pastel. You'd need to dilute it to get it a true pastel.

Needless to say, I redid my hair and now it's:

wet hair

dry hair

The gray looks a little blueish. I honestly have an ash toner that would get this same color. Maybe with a few washings, It'll look more grayish. I LOVE the pink though. the pink is awesome, especially poking through the ash gray I have here.