The Marilyn Top

My latest fashion inspiration seems to be the 50s and 60s. I was very inspired watching the latest retro show called Mrs Maisel. Her character is always dressed very fashionably in the classic 50s style. from fit and flair dresses to swing coats.

I love wearing this style of fashion in the spring and summer but I seem to resort back to my old faithful of Goth Sacks when the snow starts to fly. This year I decided to make some basic retro pieces to last through out all the seasons.

I started with a classic style from that era. The tie front top or dress. Marilyn Monroe wore a hot pink dress in Niagara. It’s one of her most iconic dresses And it’s timeless! 

As much as I love the original on Marilyn, I wanted to make a more modern and wearable version. So I designed a tee shirt style top with a full back and tie front top. I wanted the back covered so it covered a bra strap. I can make them with 3 different sleeve options, but I think 3/4 sleeve is my favourite one. The top is slightly below the waist but not too long and the ties are a nice size as well.

I’ve perfected the pattern now and have several versions up for sale in the shop!

What's an Eldergoth to wear?

Anything she damn well wants to!

Lately I keep seeing these articles circulating Facebook about what women over 30 should and shouldn't wear. It all started with a woman named  Kallie Provencher and one of her articles on Rantchic. Ms. Provencher seems to love writing about what women over 30 should and shouldn't do or wear. I am not even sure if she is over 30 herself since she never mentions her own age. The articles seem to be what I consider click bait. Click bait articles have catchy titles and usually consist of tons of photos with maybe one sentence explaining what you are looking at. They are usually snarky or condescending in some way too. Very little actual writing is involved. And most of the time the writer is well aware that these articles will be controversial. They don't care how many people are offended about the content because the real goal of the article is to get lots of traffic to their site. Remember that old Hollywood saying? Any publicity is good publicity. So it seems Rantchic has been successful in gathering lots of site traffic because those articles have gone viral. Now to be fair these types of lists are nothing new. In fact I remember seeing lists like this in fashion magazines at least 20 years ago. What makes this article especially nauseating is the snarky tone in which it was written. These articles are succesful not because they were good articles, but instead it's the reaction of disgust from women all over the Internet. Women over 30 are pissed off! 

The good news is that articles like these are simply not true. The idea that you have to be under 30 to be stylish or trendy is ridiculous. Blogs like Advanced Style prove what I'm saying is true. In fact, most of my favourite bloggers are over 30. I find they experiment more with mixing trends and they know how to accessorize an outfit better than their younger counterparts. They are truly inspirational in demonstrating that being stylish has nothing to do with age! 

Style is an evolution. It takes a lifetime to curate the perfect wardrobe. You can't just walk into a store at the mall and buy clothes straight off the rack and expect to be stylish. Or click purchase on websites in one night to do it either. It takes dedication in weekly visits to the thrift store for that perfect accessory and regular trips to the vintage boutiques for one of a kind pieces. Being original is what makes older woman look stylish. They have a collection of unique clothing and accessories that they have collected for years and years. 

Another reason I think woman over thirty are more stylish is self confidence. I find the older I get the more confidence I have to wear outfits that are not the norm. Who decided that mature equals boring anyway? You won't believe how many times I hear "I used to dress like that but then I had to grow up" or "I used to dress like that but then I had kids". Why do we put these limitations on ourselves? Why do we feel the need to conform and wear a basic uniform over the age of 30 in order to fit in? Unfortunately mainstream society expects us to tone down our style over a certain age. Some women do it in order to get a better job or to fit in with the soccer moms at their kid's school. I also toned down my outfits in my late 30s in order to fit in. Now, ten years later, I have the confidence to wear whatever I want to once again. 

Fashion is hardly new to ageism. The runway shows have models as young as 14 years old these days and magazines are full of wrinkle cream ads featuring models in their 20s. Even the larger designers rarely use older models. Think about it...the 90s Supermodels are in their 50s now and yet they are seldom used in fashion shows. Those same designer's core customers are probably in their 40s and up. I realize those shows are all about fantasy, but why not show diversity in the models? 

What I find most interesting about this latest round of ageist articles was the tremendous backlash that happened afterwards. I'm not the only blogger to post an article about it. So does this mean that fashion as a whole is evolving? Women seem to have more freedom to wear whatever they want to then any generation before them. Most of us no longer follow fashion trends blindly. That wasn't true even 10 years ago. We pick and choose which trends we want to borrow from or for that matter what decade we want to borrow from. The malls have more diversity than ever before and if we can't find it locally then we can just order it off a website. I predict that street fashion is going to change incredibly very soon. That alternative style will be the new norm. That more and more women over 30 will refuse to conform anymore. They will be free to wear whatever they like, dye their hair bright colours, and stop worrying about whether or not it is age appropriate. The concept of "dressing your age" is so old fashioned! It's time to embrace loving the way you look and feel today! 

Here is some fashion inspiration from some ladies that may or may not be over 30...

Everyday Gothic Wardrobe Essentials

*image from pinterest*

So now that my wardrobe is considerably more streamline, I have started to think about what is missing from my closet and what I wear on a regular basis. In other words what do I really wear every day? Or more specifically what do I WANT to wear every day. Which led me to making a list of things I like to wear. 

Keep in mind that this is not a general gothic wardrobe list but what I personally like to wear on an every day basis. My taste is decidedly RomantiGoth so this list is trailered specifically towards that style.  Also, I have a job that I can wear whatever I like within reason and good taste so I don't have to tone things down. I tend to dress a little old fashioned most of the time and compared to some of my friends wardrobes I'm probably a little boring. Keep in mind I am quite a bit older than they are too so I dress like an Eldergoth. For special occasions I love to wear Victorian Goth dresses and up the wow factor a little bit. Occasionally I also wear Rockabilly dresses, especially in the heat of the summer. 

So here is a list of my go to wardrobe basics:

- basic tank tops or shells for layering

- black lace tees in long and short sleeve

- shrugs in soft knit, velvet, or lace. 

- shawls in lace or sweater weight knits

- black novelty tees 

- black leggings

- black jeans for casual days

- tights in fishnet, lace, stripes, brocades, and of course basic black

- short flared skirts (circle skirts are the most flattering)

- Hi/Low skirts to show off the boots

- bell sleeved tops

- long Morticia skirts

- high heeled laced up boots (victorian granny boots)

- black low boots (I prefer Doc Martens)

- Winter Velvet Coat

- large bag for make up and other essentials 

- Large hat and black parasol for summer

- black strappy low sandals for the summer

- fit and flared dresses in various lengths and fabrics

- belts or corsets to accent the waist

- fingerless arm warmers for winter (cut the fingers off vintage gloves for summer)

So that is my basic capsule wardrobe. On top of that I add special pieces like formal dresses or novelty dresses. I also have a huge thing for accessories. I collect hats, jewelry, belts, vintage gloves, scarves, and shoes. A shoe post is definitely on my list to do at some point in the future! 

Autumn and Halloween are right around the corner and all this wardrobe planning has me looking forward to my favourite season. Cruising in the Camaro to view all the leaves changing and pumpkin spice lattes and warm apple pie. Yum! I can't wait! 

*image from pinterest*

Closet Cull: Or attempting to organize the Black Closet of Doom.

I've been in the mood to clean and organize lately. Which for me, is a very strange thing indeed! It all started yesterday with laundry and is still not complete yet. I haven't done a complete closet cull in years. I sometimes go through and pull obvious items to go to the Goodwill, but this time was a more involved purge.

*image from Pinterest*

I started with making a few piles. One pile was alter/remake, another was donate, and the third was a trash bag for lost causes. I pulled everything out of the closet and sorted each item into either a pile or back into the closet. This way I actually pulled out everything to reevaluate it before it went back in. 

The alteration/remake pile:

- I actually have major plans for the Christopher Lee shirt pictured but that's another post. Hehe

The donate pile: 

And all the empty hangers I cleared! 

There are a few things I've learned about myself so far. First thing is that I have a thing for novelty tees. I have a million printed black tees with images of bands or horror movie characters. I think I need a novelty tee intervention! They are all fantastic and I didn't get rid of any. But I do plan on repurposing a few of them. The second thing I learned about myself is that I have virtually no colour in my wardrobe. It's very gothic but it's also very drab. I need to add more colour back in. Some purple, red, or burgundy would be nice. And the last thing I learned is that I really, really like velvet. In fact I think I like velvet a little too much. I have velvet tees, tanks, dresses, and even jeans. I love the look and feel of velvet but a little lace, chiffon, or knits would be good too. 

So as you can see I made some good progress but I still have a long way to go because I actually have two closets full of clothes! And I've just fininished the first one. Yikes. 

10 Romantic Goth Wardrobe Essentials

What is Romantic Goth Style?  Well, I can tell you what it means to me. I have always loved the fashions of a by-gone era. A time when ladies wore gloves and hats when they went out. A time when it was scandalous to wear your hemline above your ankle. A time when ladies wore black to show respect for lost loved ones. To me it's looking back at historic fashion with a romantic point of view. Taking the best parts of historical fashion and mixing them together with a morbid sensibility. I have always been a sucker for Gothic horror movies or period fims with gorgeous costumes and sets.  Those classic movies provide a lot of inspiration for a classic wardrobe and designs.

If you've always had a fascination with Victorian or older fashion then you might like dressing in the romantic goth style. I have to admit that I feel like a lady in a long dress with flowey romantic sleeves. You can't help but feel pretty in them. The colours in my wardrobe are dark. Black, black, and more black.  However I do wear colour sometimes and mix it with my basic black pieces. I pretty much stick to the basic goth colour scheme of black, red, burgundy, purple, grey, and occasionally green. It's more about mixing textures of fabrics and silhouettes than it is about colours for me. 

To build a romantic goth wardrobe can take a long time. And if you can't sew for yourself it can take a lot of money also. Good quality gothic fashion is expensive! My recommendation is to build your wardrobe slowly. Have items custom made and shop vintage for accessories and basic items. A romantic wardrobe can not be built by shopping at the local mall. You are going to have to look elsewhere for most of it. But that is a good thing. You can build a look that is entirely custom to you. A beautiful wardrobe takes diligence and patience to collect. 

So if you are interested in building a custom romantic goth wardrobe here are ten essential items to achieve that look. All the images used are collected from Pinterest. Pinterest is an excellent place to start if you are looking gothic clothing. 

1- Tops and dresses with flowey gothic sleeves- Large romantic sleeves are essential to this look. Velvet, lace, and chiffon are nice fabrics for gothic sleeves. Good quality fabric like silks and rayons are perfect for romantic clothing. Cheap velvets can look costumey if you're not careful. 

2- Corsets- I cannot stress enough to buy the best quality corsets you can afford. You get what you pay for when it comes to corsets. I buy mine custom made but there a few online suppliers that are good as well. The most important point is to buy one with steel bones and curvy lines. Stay away from corsets that are straight on the sides. They will never be comfortable. 

3- Long Skirts- i wear long skirts all year long. Morticia style skirts that are long and slim are especially flattering. Velvet and chiffon are my fabrics of choice. Velvet in the winter and stretch chiffon in the heat of summer. Victorian walking skirts, hi-low skirts, and handkerchief hem styles are best. I rarely wear my skirts past the knee. 

4- Velvet Dresses- I started wearing velvet dresses for day in the 90s and never stopped. They are extremely comfortable in stretch velvet and always look good. Crushed stretch velvet looks a little more casual than regular velvet and it doesn't crush as easily either. Most crushed stretch velvets can also be washed easily making them very practical for every day. 

5- Shrugs and Shawls- I love a pretty shrug or shawl to wear over a corset top or sleeveless dress. They go a long way to dress up any outfit. A simple dresss becomes something really special with a pretty lace shrug. 

6- Victorian Inspired Jackets- Corset backed velvets and brocades are so pretty on gothic coats. The more lace and ruffles the better! Take a vintage velvet blazer and add some lace trim, new buttons, and maybe add some corsetry on the back and you have a great new jacket for fall. A little DIY can give you a custom wardrobe without the high price tags. 

7- Gothic Jewelry- accessories can make or break any outfit. I have a huge collection of costume jewelry to choose from. I have been collecting for a very long time. Most of the pieces are from the local antique marts and thrift stores. 

8- Boots- I wear boots all year long. During the snowy winter months I wear Doc Martens. And for the rest of the year I wear granny boots with a heel. I also love pretty romantic high heels with a nice dress.

9- Hats and Fascinators- I love hats! I have a few really nice hats that I've collected over the years. My vintage top hat and veiled hats are some of my favourites. I even have a hat with a taxidermy bat on it. But I will save that for another post! 

10- Parasols and Gloves- antique parasols are lovely but they can also be very fragile. If you actually use your parasol on a regular basis like I do, you should invest in a nice sturdy modern one that will hold up to a few gusts of wind. Vintage gloves however are perfect for a romantic look. You can wear them as is or cut the finger tips off to wear them as fingerless arm warmers. 

Now I'm not saying this look is for everyone. It isn't especially Corpgoth friendly. Although you can take parts of it to mix with business basics. It is high maintenance and it's expensive. But it is also timeless. It's a style of fashion not a trend or a fad. The pieces you buy today you can still wear in ten or twenty years. However in a world of most people wearing jeans and tee shirts you will stick out. So be prepared for the attention that comes with it. Some good and some bad. But life is not about just blending in all the time. Be brave and wear what you want to wear! Be true to yourself!