Trend: Bike Shorts

from https://themutantstompfriends.blogspot.com/2019/01/comme-des-garcons-mens-fall-winter-2019.html

2019 Pantone Color of the Year: Living Coral

Dark Fashion NYC: Dos and Don'ts

If you are like me, you like to dress like a local whenever you visit a new place. If you are planning to visit New York City, where I live, you should just come with an empty suitcase, because the shopping here is pretty awesome. But seriously, here are my Dos and Don'ts for wearing dark fashion in NYC.

DO: Wear black, and only black

It kind of sucks wearing dark fashion in NYC, because literally the entire city wears black all the time. If not all black, then neutrals. If I see anyone in color, it's usually a tourist. The city is dirty and anything that isn't black turns black soon lol.

My tips for dressing for a corporate interview

Hooray! I just got hired. The past ten years I've worked at the Big 5 book publishers, which is a bit on the conservative side style-wise. There's over a hundred years of tradition at these companies and they were every stereotype of Old New York book publishing. It's not that I couldn't dress goth at my job, but I did have to be more couture than punk rock, if you know what I mean. I wrote a good post on dressing this way some time ago, if you are in a similar work situation and don't want to go full corporate (I never will): 

Shop With Me: Killstar Vampire Looks

Happy Valentines Day! I'd wanted to upload this post sooner, but I had to get that Nazi bs out of the way and reschedule this post for today.

My Shop With Me series continues in video format this time! I've been uploading YouTube videos for some time, but while some things work well in blog format (most things), other content is suited better for video. Hanging out with me while I scroll through a website is one of those things!

Don't dress like a fascist WTF

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, GOTH BRANDS???

Killstar

Coffin Backpacks Are Stupid

Comme Des Garcons Men's Fall Winter 2019

For all of you who like masculine fashion, I'd love to share the newest collection from Comme Des Garcons, which has some great dark fashion looks that I feel are classic. Normally men's runway fashion is unwearable, but this collection was inspiring. It's kind of the nu-goth update to old-school industrial styles that I've been waiting for.

Online Goth Communities: Reddit (and "gatekeeping goth")

Reddit, for me, has always been the somehow even less user-friendly 4chan. It's an ugly site not conducive to sharing outfit posts and ideas, and so I've avoided it for fashion-related stuff. Today I decided to join and interact with Reddit's /goth and /gothstyle.

My first post was replying to a user's "I've been in the scene for 5 years and I've only just joined Reddit!" post with "I just joined Reddit too, and I've been in the scene for 20 years!" to which someone immediately replied with:

  

Ethical Shopping

This post was inspired by the always thoughtful and creative Sary Walrus and her post Sustainable Goth Fashion Haul. She also posts well-produced lookbooks that are always inspiring.

I'm defining "ethical shopping" as clothing and accessories that is environmentally and worker friendly, and this post isn't meant to make anyone feel bad or guilty or shame anyone who buys cheap clothing out of necessity. The free market isn't going to end slavery or the environmental problems associated with fashion--the responsibility to change begins with governments and the producers themselves. It's important to remember who the bad guys are, and it isn't the person who maybe honestly can't make the lifestyle change to be a more conscientious consumer.

Don't buy anything: This is the only way to shop ethically--by not buying anything. Think critically of anything you want--do you actually need this? Love and cherish the things you own, or alter them. At the turn of the last century, people altered clothing they own to match current styles. From collars to sleeves to waistlines, people kept what they owned for years and years--not just one season. Not everyone is as gifted with thread and needle these days, but we have YouTube now, and there are plenty of "hacks" to update your regular Ts into cold-shoulder tops and almost anything you can think of. If you loved the embroidery trend, why not watch a few videos and learn how to do it on your own? This used to be what gothic fashion was about. Altering what you already owned reflected your journey of self in a way--plus it looked a whole lot cooler.

When I stopped dressing cybergoth, I added some patches to this neon pink vest for a more wearable punk look. Also, obviously I've worn these shoes for ...almost 20 years now lol.

New Year Tarot Spread

Well last year's Hermit card was oddly prophetic, wasn't it? I left blogging early in the year and later still, I was laid off from work. Still am.

I usually do a 1-card reading each year, but his year I'm doing a 1-card tarot reading plus an oracle card to supplement. The tarot card is from the Tattoo Tarot: Ink and Intuition deck and the oracle card is from the Pythia Botanica Oracle deck.