Bye, 2016! Hello, 2017!

Shop With Me: Doll's Kill Shoes

Dolls Kill is the online mall for alternative clothing. There's a rotating list of dark/goth brands you may or may not have heard of and always something to either fall in love with or roll your eyes at so hard they roll out the door.

These shoes are all from the What's New section.

2017 Trend Predictions

Time for my other annual end-of-year feature, dark-fashion trend predictions for the upcoming year. (Read last year's predictions here -- lol I wasn't very confident). I'm a little more confident this year. I kind of feel that there are two ways this could go--there's the stuff that that the clothing designers are going to try to make a thing (like all that 70s stuff from the recent past), and there's the stuff that's going to come from the community and grow naturally. 

My guess is as good as anyone's, of course. But there's stuff I'm seeing again and again and then there's stuff that appeals to my *ahem* dark, tattered soul. I'm personally loving the more fantasy/LARP/OC cosplay (terms that didn't exist when I joined the scene lol) outfits like the photo above. She's like a vampire gypsy hedge witch or something. It's a creative, original look that tells a story. Nu-goth isn't going to go away because it's so wearable and awesome-looking and solves a problem goths had had since forever--spooky clothes for everyday wear--but I didn't start dressing this way to look like everyone else (modern witch #23579763).

2016 Dark/Goth Fashion Trend Recap

There was more of the same this year: nu-goth is still the dominant dark fashion trend, taking the best of traditional goth and 90s fashion styles. Here are trends that reached its peak or debuted in 2016. Want to wear your hair in a bun and go shop at H+M? Check out the 2015 recap. Wondering where the moons and tattoo necklaces are? Those are back in the 2014 recap, though there were plenty in 2016.

Makeup trend of the year: drawing/gluing stuff on your third eye.

Yes, I'm aware that this has been around for a while, but this is the year I can no longer ignore it. Literally everyone is doing this now. I'm not a fan of it and will never do it, but it is what it is.

Valentin Winters

OOTD: Holographic Leather

Dark Holiday Party Basics: Sequins

The holidays are here. Maybe you might choose to ignore the celebrations, but there may be a number of them, ending with the New Year. What to wear if you want to be festive?

Along with metallics and velvets, sequins always start popping up everywhere around this time of the year. Of the three, sequins scream that you are there to party.  I always think your outfit should match your surroundings, so sequins are an obvious choice since holiday decorations are always sparkly--whether the baubles or the twinkling lights.

http://lookbook.nu/look/7142832-The-Contrast

Trend: Nu-metal T-shirts?

Topshop

Had to snap these photos to confirm I'm not going insane. But there are KoRn and Slipknot shirts at Topshop and Urban Outfitters. Like, copies of the originals. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this day would come.

Dead Inside

Last week, I wrote a blog post about this blog and mentioned that I don't do personal posts. But I for whatever reason, I'm waiving that tonight to talk about what happened early this morning: Donald Trump winning the election. I was at the polls at 6am, excited to vote for a woman I had admired for my whole life, since I was a poor kid on Hillary's free health care for children, which she got a lot of shit for. It wasn't what a first lady did, people said. They literally argued against giving children health care.

I'd supported Bernie during the primaries, but he lost, and Hillary was my close second. I voted and went to work, wearing white in solidarity with the suffragists, and my thoughts were of the women who were voting who had lived during a time when women were not allowed to vote. I wouldn't be surprised if those women dropped dead the second they learned pussy-grabbing Trump had won.

the image that will haunt me forever, when I thought for sure Hillary was going to win. Proud to have voted.

Six Years of The Mutant Stomp Friends!

The 6th anniversary of this blog came and went in the recent past. I started this in 2010. The economy was in shambles and I, like many, was unemployed. My sister and I had the idea to join Lookbook.nu together. (Though my sister never ended up joining.) Being on Lookbook was kind of useless if you didn't have a blog, so the early days were basically outfit shots, which as many of you know take a LOT of time to do. While I did have some content in the early days--like how to DIY V bangs--there wasn't a lot of content. It was pretty much only outfit shots.

A photo from the Lookbook days.  For the life of me I couldn't understand why this was one of my more popular ones (98 hypes). The image quality is terrible and I'm not wearing any of the "it" brands.

Completed Gold, Red, Black Look

Trend: Velvet

You know what's in all the 5th ave stores these days? Velvet everything. They tossed all the embroidery stuff in the back and brought out the velvet. I think it has more to do with the time of year, though...velvet always comes out in the fall--usually it comes out a bit later for the "holiday" season.

http://lookbook.nu/look/8316783-Black-Hope-Curse-Mystic-Crop-Top-Mxci-Velvet

Shop with me: Killstar

Let's go see what's new over at Killstar! This brand is probably my favorite nugoth brand...my favorite goth brand in general. I only own one of their hooded dresses, which I've never worn yet lol. And their awesome pentagram earrings.

Pantone Fall Color Trend 2016

High school makeup challenge!

Medieval/Fantasy Looks

You may or may not know it, but we are in a golden age of sword and sorcery fiction. Every fantasy book I pick up has amazing badass women who fight alongside men. They're not just love interests or prizes, they're bandits, fighters, powerful antagonists, and main characters. I remember giving up the search for female knights when I was growing up...It was pretty much only The Hero and the Crown.

So it's no surprise that "Medieval goth" when I was younger was similar to the first search result you get when you type that in Google image search:

still awesome by the way

Trend: Embroidery

photo i took at top shop last week...combines two trends: pins and embroidery... plus last years collar clip trend. 

New hair!

Trend: Chokers

top: F21; choker: free people; skirt: brooks brothers

From Soho to Midtown

Sorry I haven't been posting Thursday mornings as per usual, but I just finished getting settled in to a new job. I'd enjoyed my old job, but this company reached out and made a better offer, so I took it. I'd mentioned how unbelievably stuffy and corporate my old job was, and like many large multinational corporations, there wasn't a whole lot of room for growth. The new company is leaner and there is a lot more opportunity, even if it was a lateral move. I'm getting into the stage in my career where the only place higher is being a department head, and most of the time they promote from within. If I'd stayed, I'd have probably had to wait for another 10 years before I got a promotion. I do have to say I miss working in a big corporation. I had my own office and an assistant, while here I'm in a department of three and we all sit in cubes.

Superficial stuff though. I believe in this new company much more and their mission and values align much better.

Weirdly, the move affects this blog! My old company used to be in SoHo, which is the trendiest shopping place in NYC. All the "it" stores are there, and all the celebrities shop there. Goths there (and there were a number) were chic and stylish, and that affected some of my "trend reporting." Also, the stuff that goes in the SoHo stores tends to be a little weirder, even for fast-fashion stores.

fabulous in soho

Trend: Corset Lacing

Mandatory duck face for boob shots

Rejoice, medieval and vampire goths, for your time has come! Emerge from the shadows and head to your local fast-fashion store for ye olde lace-up / corset shirts.

Shop With Me: Alchemy Gothic

So, I don't actually own anything from Alchemy gothic. Not wearable anyway. I glued a pendant to a journal once--it was typical Alchemy Gothic stuff...two axes with a skull. very over-the-top. That's not going to stop me from reviewing their latest offerings. Join me, "gothlings," as we explore the designs from spring 2016 after I stopped paying attention to this brand for like 10 years.

Witches Festival

Liquid Lipsticks (Long-wear matte lipcolor)

"Liquid lipsticks" have exploded all over the place. The only makeup I wear is lip color, and I've been wearing lip pencil exclusively for the past year. I can't stand the feel of lipstick on my lips: That's why the pencil is so awesome. They also last all day. I wrote about my favorite here. 

But liquid lipsticks promise all that and more: vivid colors, long wear, no-feel. I've seen a few people on instagram use it, and it seems like the miracle cosmetic. Here is a tutorial on how to wear it.  

Growing Long Nails

So, everyone's got a favorite part of themselves. Mine, as you know, is my hands. And my claws. Most people say "I wish I can grow my nails that long." Yes, your anatomy will determine how resistant to breaking your nails will be. 

I think this was my longest

Red Ink Tattoos/Henna

Uh yeah, so I keep writing about getting a tattoo (I have none). I've been loving red ink tattoos for some time now. I think they'd go great with my skin tone, and I like the idea of my skin looking like it's been through recent scarification. I like the idea of having a "bloody" looking design.

sorry. don't know the name of the artist.

Office Wear: What to buy with your first paycheck

How's your new job? During your first two weeks, you've been trying to fit in and you've gotten a sense of what your office culture is like. Maybe it's cool and laid back. Or maybe, you're in my situation, and you've ended up somewhere corporate. While maybe not wearing an 80s power suit, your manager wears a blazer and your coworkers wear those ugly AF sheath dresses, or variations thereof. Like I don't know where those dresses came from, but I can promise you that everyone's wearing them. OMFG. That tank on the right is truly a marvel: for the sheath dress experience, but for when you want to wear pants too.

Your coworkers:

ugly AF featuring ugly shit from Banana Republic

Is Goth "Hipster"?

I was in Bushwick about a week ago, the new hipster neighborhood now that Williamsburg is too expensive. In my neighborhood an hour away, I'm often called a hipster, and I've just dismissed as the norms not knowing what dark fashion is or that they call "HIPSTER!!!" to anyone who doesn't walk around wearing a Yankees hat. That I'm a gentrifier "taking over" their neighborhood even though they live in new condos/historic houses and I live in tenement housing with all the immigrants.

taken at the block party

Buying Expensive Shit: Worth It?

From indie-label jewelry to big bad New Rock boots to bespoke corsets and latex, dark fashion can be expensive. Dressing this way is a labor of love, whether it's an expression of your true self or full-blown performance art. But there is a point when you have to wonder if your money is better spent elsewhere.

case in point: these $500 gloves

Karen Coil Necklace

A quick post, since I don't want to leave you guys without a Thursday update! I ended up getting one of my wishlist items I wanted since forever: the Karen Coil necklace by Tawapa.

What to Wear: Your First Day at Your First Job

(I'm a solid midlevel employee at a multinational media corporation that has a whopping 117,000 employees worldwide. One person reports to me and we have about 20 people in our dept, with very strict decades-old workflows and hierarchies. So, my office is very corporate. This post is going to cover working in a corporate environment...not a cool edgy startup or a fun art-related field.)

Good job selling out, poser! Now you're one of the sheeple, working for the Man. You're just proving your parents right that the goth thing was just a phase. Too bad you've colored your hair and had gotten those piercings and tattoos! Should have listened to your high school dean about all those dress code violations...they really WERE trying just to prepare you for the working world.

Of course, that's all bullshit. I think the whole "selling out" stigma was more a thing in my age group--people starting their careers now are a lot more worldly about this sort of thing. But obvs, having a career and supporting yourself are wonderful things. Changing yourself for the company you work for is also bullshit. Having virgin skin and hair is also not a stigma. And your high school dean was probably a pedophile.

workwear by featuring a slim-fit shirt

Recent (and not so recent) wishlist

Unif boots. I don't wear heels, and these just look like heels, but are actually flatforms.

Pantone Colors Spring 2016

It's that time of year again, when I spend way too much time going through mainstream fashion's "it" colors. Here's Spring 2016 (If you want to see my post on last year's spring 2015 colors, click here)... for those of you in the Southern hemisphere, you can see the newly announced fall 2015 colors here at the Pantone website.

DIY: Patent leather high-waisted skirt

Where I go for style inspiration online

Haute Macabre: Like for real, this is the best dark fashion site on the internet. It's higher-end and sophisticated, and they've got awesome sales alerts. These guys are the thought leaders of the blogosphere, and if they post something, you'll see it everywhere else months later....with one exception....

Honestly WTF: This is not a dark fashion site, but this has a lot of trends and the most amazing editorials. And if there's something dark, it'll show up on Haute Macabre a few weeks later. Great DIYs too.

Alt Black Girls: What no one's writing about (me included, I suppose) is the enthusiasm and originality in dark fashions found in the black community. While some of the photos on this tumblr are clearly from fashion editorials, sometimes whoever's curating this tumblr reblogs some cool street fashion photos that are more original than the 10000 witchy nugoth look we've seen.

nugoth.com: don't let the domain name fool you. This is another tumblr. They're the lucky bastards who bought the domain name and also the reason why my feed is oversaturated with witchy looks. I think the kids are all about the "new goth" these days, and this one is still the best out there.

Dolls Kill: aka the flash fashion edgy superstore. I love how many new brands and looks they have all the time. (I don't really shop here because I try not to buy things that are aren't wearable for everyday looks, but i come here to "window-shop")

I'm definitely looking for more places to check out / window shop, so please recommend below!

Update: Lip Service is dead

Update: I'm concluding Lip Service is dead. The website is down, the instagram has been deleted, twitter and facebook haven't been updated since 11/15. I tried emailing Widow's customer service (the widow site, btw is still live) and the email BOUNCED. They are still selling clothing on the site and the customer service email is DEAD. Wow! Here is the only statement I found on the matter from someone with more authority than myself, an alternative clothing retailer, Never Coast Clothing:

Christian Louboutain Nail Polish

Not sure how I feel about these

Two Recent Work Outfits

Dark Fashion Runway Fall 2016

Rodarte always does their own thing and ignores all the trends with their weird blend of post-apocalyptic glam.

The Cyberpunk Dystopia is upon Us

Secret Societies

 So I checked out the Masonic and Odd Fellow folk art exhibit ("Mystery and Benevolence") at the museum of folk art last Saturday. My husband, a Mason, is very into secret societies, and was eager to go with. Sadly, the Odd Fellows had cooler occult imagery. The robe above was worn during one of the rituals in the late 1800s. It is pretty awesome. Full description, if you are interested:

Story time: getting dumped

So, I see a lot of questions online about teens asking about "coming out" as goth to their friends and family, and maybe one or two clueless parents who wonder if the goth thing is a positive thing. 

School was a nightmare for me. To this day, the sound of children laughing makes me uneasy. My coming out didn't matter because I couldn't possibly go lower on the status pole. Even the fat kid picked on me. My home situation wasn't fantastic either. 

By high school, I'd gotten good at being fearsome (mostly by my gothy appearance) and at sticking up for myself (foul language and an attitude). My home situation was getting worse, but I ended up working two jobs. At the very least, I had the money and a car to get away. Listening to industrial and driving around the city was my favorite thing to do.

And that's about when I was asked out by this preppy volleyball player from the good part of town. He had a pool in the backyard, a friendly dog, neighbors who stopped by to say hello. There was stained glass windows everywhere--his mother's hobby. His parents cooked, and he helped his sisters with their homework. His parents asked me how my day was. They'd remember things I told them. I was completely out of place at the dinner table--the scrappy girl with a mohawk. They'd looked at me like I was crazy when I offered to chip in for pizza. I'd almost wept when they said something along the lines of my being welcome there and part of the family.

He started dressing goth. This didn't go well with his parents. I think his dad was a homophobe and didn't want his son dressing that way. Me, well, I was 16 and in beauty school. I basically had hours to look as bizarre as I wanted. His parents repeated, again and again, how good it was of me to be "bettering" myself though a trade school. 

One day he broke up with me for no reason. We were sweaty and irritated in my '89 Camry because it was summer and I had to drive with the heat on to cool the engine. I could tell he didn't want to break up with me, so I was like "Um no...we love each other so, no. We aren't broken up." I still can't believe that worked. Teens. He broke up with me again, then went back. Then a final breakup senior year. He'd said he always loved me, but I was always left confused... Why couldn't we be together? At the time, I'd felt this was the only person who cared about me.

A lifetime later (I'd graduated beauty school, worked at a top salon, went to college, went to graduate school, got married, a career) I think I realize what happened. I think it was pressure from his family. They'd pictured someone else for him... Someone from a good family, someone who looked like them. 

Lol I'm not whoever they thought I was, clearly. Though I'm older and understand they were just worried about their son. I still think it's crazy to be so judgemental about a teenage girl. 

I want to think this doesn't happen anymore, but I'm sure it does. It's sad when you have to choose between being yourself and being part of a family. Lol also it sucks to be a teen. It gets better. It really does.

Make your own music videos: Triller

Wow I'm excited to share with you an app I tried out, Triller, that lets you make your own music videos! If, like me, you've always wanted to make them but didn't want to sit around for hours and hours editing footage, you'll love this.  And what's amazing is that they've got EVERYTHING. Even 90s German industrial bands. I was worried they were just going to have top 40 stuff.

OOTD: Pom-Poms and Prints/Officewear

Burberry lip pencil Union Red

Pictures of me trying on clothes at stores....

....that I'm too broke to buy. For some reason I do this a lot. I'm like"oh that's cool. Maybe it's the next big thing! Let me take a picture and then I'll do a blog post on it." Usually these pictures are terrible and don't make it on the blog. Or I replace the image with a polyvore set or something more polished. Or sometimes I think I'm going to DIY it later. Most of these are to remind me to watch an item for a future sale, and others, like most of the below, are "I'm never going to buy this, but it's cool. Picture time."

Rick Owens $1900. The thing I like most about his leather jackets is how comfortable they are. It drives me crazy when you wear leather and your movements are restricted. 

Courtney Love X Nasty Gal

Pantone Color of the Year 2016: Rose Quartz/Serenity