When you're tired of all your clothes

If you've ever looked at your closet and thought, "I have nothing to wear!" or if you find yourself hating how you look, that you don't have a sense of style anymore, that you lost your passion for fashion, or you just hate everything new coming out and wonder what's wrong with you, this post is for you.

I would never wear this again--I sold or donated everything

Wearable Cyberpunk

I am DYING for Cyberpunk 2077 to come out and with day 60+ of wearing masks and having digital dance parties, I mean, the cyberpunk apocalypse is upon us. I mean, I thought I'd be wearing light-up masks and not an n95 I bought at the hardware store.

cyberdog--also don't wear this mask for Covid--look at those holes.

The Biggest Balloon Sleeve

I'm not buying anything online due to the virus, but one day, when this is all over....

Currently, I am on the hunt for the biggest balloon sleeve (I've also seen them called "bishop sleeves"). They've come in and out of style the last few years, but all of the ones I've seen in stores (during the before time) are wimpy and itsy-bitsy. What I'm basically looking for is two skirts on my arms. This is a beautiful dress but the sleeves are not big enough:

Gorgeous dress by Vampire's Wife, knocked off by goth brands in 3...2...

 This blouse at Nasty Gal is almost big enough, but I hate this fabric. I can feel how scratchy this is just by looking at it.  

Don't Buy Satanic T-Shirts from Goth Brands

You've seen the T-shirts of Baphomet, inverted pentagram, and other Satanic imagery on T-shirts. Sure, they are cool. But it's more fashionable to support the Satanic Temple, an activist religious organization (and, yes, it is a real religion) based out of Salem, MA. 

In the US, the Christian Right is successfully limiting the reproductive rights of women and fighting back against LGBT groups, and all religious groups that are not Christian, including nonreligious groups. The only effective group fighting back against the Christian Right is the Satanic Temple. Read about their progressive campaigns here. 

If you're an atheist like I am, this religious group is the only one fighting for your right to be free from religion, so support the cause instead lining some gothic fashion brand's pockets. I've got a few of the Satanic Temple T-shirts and they are great quality, plus the illustrations from Luciana Nedelea are stunning. Get the shirts from the official shop:

 

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

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.

Restyle Haul + Review

I'm taking time off from playing Poland's gaming pride and joy and one of the greatest video games ever made, The Witcher 3, to review one of Poland's goth brands.

So, I always liked the style of this brand, but they have the least search-engine-optimized name ever. People would post that they are wearing Restyle, and I'd search "Restyle" or "Restyle clothing" or "Restyle goth brand" and would get all these random pages and give up. Thanks to Lurid Fashion for finally posting a direct link: Restyle.pl

The above is what I ordered. A necklace, ankle bracelets, leggings, and a dress. This is my first order with them.

My shopping rules/how I minimize my wardrobe

Since I live in NYC in a teeny apartment with another person, I have to take space into consideration. As a style blogger, I already know I'm not going to take the extreme route with a minimalist capsule wardrobe of only about 30 pieces. It seems like such a seductive idea--30 articles of clothing that always look great on you and match, so you no longer have to focus on what to wear. I was this close to doing it, but decided to be real with myself--I like wearing different styles way too much. Minimalism is a bit too extreme for me, though if you want to go down that path, The Walrus Room wrote a good primer on that topic.

But experimenting with styles could make your wardrobe grow rapidly, so these are the rules I've set up for myself before I decide whether or not I should get something.

1. No words. I won't buy a shirt with words on it. I work in a corporate setting, and you can't wear clothing with words on it in a corporate setting. Also, the font used could make the shirt out-of-date quickly. Also, you may think a phrase is cool now, but in a few years you may not or be indifferent to it. So any shirt with words will be in the heap of "weekend clothing," which I'm trying to eliminate. This is the easiest rule to follow.

No more band t-shirts for me

Terrible Customer Service: By Night Studios

This post is inspired by Bien Aimee's recent post about a customer service experience she had with a popular shoe brand. That got me thinking to my customer service horror story with By Night Studios, which many of you may know via Vampire: The Masquerade.

Sale Season Haul

I'm giddy about this Free People necklace

Despite having a fashion blog, I don't actually go out and buy things too often. However, I do go out and check out the sales during sale season, when retailers are getting rid of their fall stuff.

RIP American Apparel

So I always joked that American Apparel was the best goth store, since they have a whole lot of shiny black things for sale, but really they had the best basics around. But after declaring bankruptcy and ousting the CEO and drastic changes, they were finally bought by a Canadian brand and are now closing all their stores. Here's a look back at some of my favorite outfits (sorry you probably have seen most of these before!)

high-wasted shorts

Completed Gold, Red, Black Look

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

Recent (and not so recent) wishlist

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

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:

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

MoYou Nail Stamping

So, you know I like my nail stamping, and I've been wanting to try out the London-based MoYou since forever and now I'm sold on their newest "gothic" collection. (no, this isn't a review because the items are sitting in my shopping cart as I write. and no, I'm not getting them for free...haha I doubt they'd want me writing about their products to begin with....YOU'LL SEE)