Challenge #6: favorite brand

Read about the original challenge here. This week it's your favorite brand.

Surprise! It's American Apparel. I really don't know why this store gets such a bad rap. The quality is great, it's sexy, it goes with everything, and it's made in the USA and proudly pays its workers a good wage and benefits. I also love that the clothing is not embellished in any way. I don't know how many times I went to forever 21, bloomingdales, wherever just looking for a plain sheer/velvet/heavyweight cotton shirt with nothing on it that fits well. No bedazzles, no stupid writing, no pockets, no ribbons, no silly trims--impossible.

high waisted shorts

tshirt (also wearing Lip Service Corset)

turtleneck dress

bodysuit (also wearing Lip Service jacket)

harness and bra

I'm also a huge fan of Lip Service. Of all the Goth-only brands, it's my favorite. They do some really original things and keep themselves fresh.

and they got the classics too

Challenge #5: Out with the old, in with the new

Read about the original challenge here

The original challenge topic was "my wardrobe turnover" which meant "how often you sell your stuff to get new stuff." Well, this is more a lolita thing, since those lolita pieces are SO expensive. Back in 2002, when I first found out about the lolita look, all those brands were so prohibitively expensive (they still are). I could imagine that the only way to make lolita economically possible is to sell your stuff to get other stuff--unless you got rich parents, of course.

Thankfully goth doesn't really have that problem. I've seen goths make a pair of black yoga pants the scariest thing you've ever seen. So I'm interpreting this challenge as outgrowing some styles and taking new ones on: out with the old, in with the new. So I'll post some pictures of styles I've had during the years... none of these are me, cause I don't feel like digging through pictures.

Not me or anyone I know...but it might as well be in the late 90s. Jncos and a band tshirt..and eyeliner

Challenge #4: headwear

Challenge number 4 is : Favorite thing to put on my head. (Read about the original challenge here.)

Angelic Pretty

This probably applies more to lolita--they've got all the cute bonnets, hats, giant straw bonnets, wigs, tiny-hats-on-headbands, kitty ears, etc. These always look great on them, not a look for me though.

I'm not really a big hat person. Unless you were wearing them for warmth (probably why the beanie is coming back--its so practical!), they seemed so fussy to me. I find myself taking them off and on during the day, and if you've got a wide brim, they fly off all the time. Also, hat hair.

I've been liking head chains (though I don't own any-- but I've seen some that were amazing on people), wide brimmed hats, hoods are always cool, and cloth headbands with a wire inside so they tie perfectly and stay on your head--perfect for a rockabilly look.

I also included three head trends that I'm not really a fan of--don't get me wrong, some of these look cool on people. Other people. First up is the ultimate trendy-as-trendy-gets spiked hat. Pretty much as soon as you've bought this online (I've never seen this in a bricks-and-mortar store), it's going to be out of style by the time it ships to your house. Who's the audience for this? Rockers, with the studs? Rappers with the cap shape? Rap-rock? I rest my case. Outside of tumblercore, I've never seen anyone wear this. Also, you know its going to have those cheap studs on them.

Challenge #3: What my own Goth lifestyle is like

Read about the original challenge here

Goth lifestyle...goth lifestyle... I assume this means what I do when I'm off from work, when I'm not commuting, and when I'm not falling asleep in front of the computer looking at fashion sites. My job doesn't really care too much about my piercings or my hair (and we've got some heavily modded people here) and I wear pretty much whatever I want. Most people wear jeans and t-shirts though we sometimes dress up a bit for meetings. I'd consider my style modern goth at work. Main thing is that I don't look like I try too hard.

Most people think of the goth clubs, which I go a few times a year with a group of friends or with the one I love. Mostly, when I have the money. For most of my social time, about twice a week, I play tabletop roleplaying games from World of Darkness with my friends. For those who aren't familiar, there was a documentary made about us playing one of our Vampire games by an NYU kid. He did a great job, btw. We also play Mage, crossovers, some indie games. I used to so a lot of writing and don't have the time to do that anymore, so this is my creative outlet. If you like the oral tradition of telling fantasy stories with your friends, this is for you. I occasionally do a Vampire LARP (live-action roleplaying...basically I pretend to be a vampire), which my vampire-lifestyler friends think is dorky. let that sink in.

Challenge #2: Goth Movies

So, Darkstalker Girl decided to do a Goth blog challenge (read more about it here), and I'm participating. This time it's goth movies. There's a huge potential for cheese here, so I'm not including vampire movies, anything Tim Burton, or classic horror. That would be too easy, also covered quite a bit in the other blogs that were doing the challenge.

Challenge #1: 5 pieces that every goth wardrobe should have, regardless of style

So, Darkstalker Girl decided to do a Goth blog challenge (read more about it here), and I'm participating. It's time for actual content besides my posts on Lookbook, right? First challenge is 5 pieces that every goth wardrobe should have, regardless of style. "Style" I take to mean the different genres--rivethead, romantic, clubbing, cyber, grungy etc. Basically, I read this challenge as:

You want to be goth (in any sense of the word) right now. What 5 things (not hair/makeup/bodymods) should you get to make the transition? (read more after the jump)

Darkstalker Girl: A Goth-y Blog Challenge!

Darkstalker Girl (her blog seems to be gone, but this post lives on) made the following for Goth-y types. I'm totally doing this! It'll probably take me a year, but I'm doing it! I'll link them as I do them.

So, Goth challenge 2013:

1.  5 pieces that every Goth wardrobe should have, regardless of style
2.  5 movies for Goths
3.  What my own Goth lifestyle is like 
4.  Favorite thing to put on my head
5.  My wardrobe turnover
6.  My favorite Goth brand
7.  Why I wear Goth fashion?
8.  Why don't I wear Goth all the time?
9.  5 keywords that describe my personal Goth style
10.  How I first found out about Goth fashion
11.  3 trends I wish would come back
12.  Combining other fashions with Goth
13.  Goths I have met in real life
14.  Goths I would love to meet (meh not doing this)
15.  3 things I wish I was told when I was a Baby Bat
16.  10 facts about my Goth wardrobe
17.  My first concert/festival
18.  Trends I thought I would never get into, but I now love
19.  Trends I thought I loved, but now I'm not too keen on
20.  How satisfied I am with my current wardrobe
21.  Plan for a trip! A week's worth of Goth outfits I can fit in a small suitcase
22.  How I accessorize
23.  What influences my Goth style
24.  What's in my makeup bag
25.  Best places to wear Goth fashions
26.  How I get out of a wardrobe slump
27.  Purses that I love
28.  Corsets or no?
29.  Goth-ing things in my everyday life
30.  How long it took me to build a complete wardrobe (no need to blog about it... it's never complete!)
31.  Impulse buys that were totally worth it
32.  My best deal
33.  Something that I made
34.  Wardrobe blunders! Things I bought that I ended up regretting!
35.  What I thought when I got my first real Goth fashion item
36.  Nails to match my favorite looks
37.  Something that's not my style, but I love anyways
38.  Favorite hair style
39.  Most versatile Goth item I own
40.  5 inspirational fictional characters
41.  Fondest concert/festival
42.  The ways in which I fit the cliche
43.  The ways in which I do not fit the cliche
44.  How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions
45.  Something that was a gift
46.  Parasols: Vital or frivolous?
47.  The item in my wardrobe that was the hardest to get
48.  My "signature" outfit
49.  My favorite Goth book and movie
50.  What's in my closet, but I haven't worn yet!
51.  Predict the next Goth trend!
52.  How Goth has changed me