Trend: Chain Necklaces

You know what I haven't worn in over 20 years? Chain necklaces. I don't mean dainty chains--I mean the industrial ones you would get at a hardware store. When worn with a spiked collar (like in the above Widow photo), it was a pretty badass look in the late 90s, early 00s. I'm liking it with the updated hair and makeup in the photo above. Though I won't hate it with the choppy highlights and panda eyes of the 00s.

How to goth, 2000s

http://www.geocities.ws/Tokyo/Spa/5149/TheWitchPhoe.html

Mirrorshades/Cyberpunk

http://lookbook.nu/look/6530560-Glassons-Mermaid-Jumper-Wild-Pair-Bowler-Hat

Trend: Macrame

So as I've been faithfully reporting, the fashion gods have decided that we need 70s shit, so here it comes. Also I actually had some time to head to a few fast-fashion stores and noticed 1) damn, the 70s shit is here and 2) my 2014 trend prediction of unusual hair accessories doesn't seem to be a 2014 trend, but a 2015 trend. Maybe I'm so great at trend predictions, i'm TWO years ahead, baby. But that's another post for later.

So yeah, I saw a large amount of macrame stuff (a craft style that's based on knot-tying) at the stores. I feel like a few years ago that meant the trend is already over, but since those stores knock off runway fashion so quickly and efficiently, maybe it'll stay around.

macrame featuring a macrame wall hanging

Oh, swoon!

Just a quick post. Was just reading a fantasy book and one of the corset-wearing characters had a pack of smelling salts just in case she fainted from "lack of breath." Maybe I don't wear super tight corsets, but I've borrowed a few constricting ones. I breathed just fine. Seemed bogus. I checked out a few academic sites and read the various discussions there. Academics get bogged down in references and literary examples, though. For the record, I'm not shitting on academics (I used to work at an academic press), but sometimes you want to just ask a real human being. Not a Victorian person, but there are plenty of people who tightlace today. Wear corsets daily for long periods of time. Might be interesting to see what they've got to say on the matter. (Also what about those weightlifters who work out in manly weightlifting belts...come on, those are corsets?)

Death Becomes Her: Victorian Mourning Exhibit

Saw the Victorian Mourning Exhibit at the Met last week. The exhibit was great, but smaller than past fashion exhibits. Really great selection of artifacts though, including a dress worn by Queen Victoria. Stark white walls and curtains showed off the dresses nicely. Sad period-appropriate music also played. I took photos of some of the captions. In this post, the captions are below the thing they are describing.

Killer Heels Exhibit: Brooklyn Museum

So, over the weekend, I checked out the Brooklyn Museum's Killer Heels Exhibit. The shoes were cool of course, though the space design sucked for cell phones. They had the lights below the shoes, messing up my camera's autoexposure, so all the photos came up a bit dark. 

Here are my highlights. I tried to frame the caption with the shoes, otherwise I'll write down the caption info under the photo, if I have it.

the 90s were a good time for shoes

Jet-black Jet

A post about the rock, jet, where we get the phrase "jet black" from.

Motorcycle Jackets

http://www.vice.com/read/crusty-leather-362-v17n3 (great article, btw!)

So, I just came back from the FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) museum, where they had a motorcycle jacket exhibit. Learned a few things about motorcycle jackets that I never new before. They've actually been around since 1928! So, a flapper and a biker coulda happened. Bizarre.

Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit

Just came back from the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. It was pretty cool. I know you guys know all about him, but if you don't, he's the guy who did Madonna's famous corset. (btw all the photos here are photos I took at the exhibit). I went with my mom (who's in town), who's a huge fan of his work since the 80s.