Razor Grade

Photo Shoot Preview

2009-06-22T09:13:00.004-04:00

The costume has finally been given the attention it deserves thanks to two wonderful people. Asia S. and Michael Park. The set is currently being made badass, but I do have a preview picture that I will post for viewing pleasure.

Oh yeah... how badass are they looking? For those that don't remember, the dress is based on "The Tomb" by H. P. Lovecraft. This is supposed to be the hostess who's home was burnt down with party-goers trapped inside. The main character of the story has a sort of past-memory-flashback about the happenings at the ruins of the home. I was filled with this image of a ghost in a dirty, decaying dress crawling out of the ruins of the house, and the dress was born.

Updates

2009-06-17T19:28:00.008-04:00

Can you believe I'm still alive? Not me. Things have been ridiculous for the past 8 months. First, there was going to be a job, then a freeze, now the freeze is off but no entry level jobs are open. In the mean time, I've applied everywhere and all I have is a (barely) part-time job that is 40 minutes away. That means, I STILL am not making enough money to move, which means all my sewing stuff is STILL packed away. GRAHGH!

Despite these horrific, world destroying melt downs, I've been able to do a couple of highly awesome shit for my business. First off, I sold my very first piece to someone who doesn't know me! (Friends have gotten stuff from me since high school.) I sold a So Fatigued: Angled Hem Dress to a model, so hopefully I'll eventually get to see some awesome pictures of it.

I've got a freelance job in the works that is big money (at least for me) and would mean I can get a new serger. This makes me feel super happy. Hopefully he either accepts my bid or haggles with me some. It's a pretty cool project where I have full creative control. Maybe I can even use the items for pictures before I send them off to him.

For anyone looking for new-new-news, the next two things I'll be working on are "D.I.Y.F.S." skirts in black gauze (to be explained later) and a new H. P. Lovecraft costume based on my female interpretation of the living dead character in "The Hound." I was also just contacted about a cosplay costume, exciting!

Unfortunately, due to the completely packed away studio I haven't even had the gumption to design a new collection. I have some ideas and was going to pattern some western inspired pieces, but I feel like the looks are already available in a more mainstream version at stores right now and don't know if I want to pursue it. If I have a photographer or model that wants to do a western shoot with gothic tones, I might make up a few pieces and then sell them. I'm really sad I didn't get to do anything with my cool ideas. (I might post sketches... who knows.)

I also have an idea I'm tossing around in the noggin' about a steampunk costume. I really like the look of steampunk stuff and was thrilled about a year ago to find out that a subculture exists that loves all these crazy things I've liked since childhood. So, I'm working on research for that dress now. I have a really original idea (at least, I haven't seen it yet) that I want to incorporate. Problem is I'm going to want to keep the dress... and I need to be selling things. So, if a model would like to buy the dress to own before I make it that will force me to give it up. (Hint, hint)

Makeup Wants

2009-01-31T21:24:00.014-05:00

Alright, so I recently started working at JCPenney again until I hear from Chico's (hopefully this month). Recently, JCPenney teamed up with Sephora to reintroduce cosmetics to their stores. It works like this: inside of newer JCPenney stores there are now Sephora shops that offer a selection of Sephora products by their popular, though not "mainstream" lines (i.e. not Clinique).

Urban Decay: This also coincided with Urban Decay re-introducing one of their best products that they ever discontinued: cream shadow. Now, below you will see me dissing the cream shadow pallete that I bought. The new cream shadows are offered in tubes only and I'm betting that they reformulated them to not dry into rock hard cakes. We'll be getting it a JCP (where I can get a discount on it) so expect me to be trying the black immediately. I'll probably get the mushroom color as well just so I can do really lazy "standard" makeup when I need to.

Also Urban Decay has been putting out some other cool stuff (for those of you who haven't been keeping up); look.

So, in order we have the Sephora-exclusive Sin version of the primer potion that has a champagne hue to it... pretty rad. Next, Urban Decay has some great liquid eyeliner colors out. I haven't used any of them yet, but I really like the yellow-green (Acid Rain) color. Also, Urban Decay has finally brought back their lip colors... they even have my old favorite, Gash. Lastly, I'd really like to try their new pigments. Click on any of the pictures to go to the Urban Decay page they're on.

Lime Crime Makeup: So, ok, I read like two other blogs, cause I just don't have time to keep up with other people's opinons. But, Doe Deer has a great one about style and makeup and she also makes makeup. I really want to give it a try because it looks amazing and I've heard good things about it. Check out all her stuff at the link and here's a sneak peek:

Makeup Forever: Ever since I saw this used in a tutorial online and then in person by a makeup artist in St. Pete, I've really wanted to get some of this. It is crazy pigmented and super high quality.

Laura Geller: This lady has some great baked shadows. I tried one out of a tester at Sephora once and have wanted to buy them ever since.

Shoes

2008-09-29T14:49:00.010-04:00

This all started when I found the need to have a new pair of black pump-style shoes to wear down to Fort Myers for my interview. I realized I had nothing that was professional and black and not a boot. The first place I found hope was at a shoe shop we stopped at to find my boyfriend a new pair of boots. They had this really cute pair by BCBG Girl and they even were made in a 5 1/2; I was pretty excited... until I tried them on. Due to the nature of the shoe industry flattering people by marking their shoes a lot smaller than they are, I can never find ones that fit. I learned my lesson the hard way that ordering online from a company you've never tried on in person is an expensive mistake. Anyone wear size 8 and want to pay $200 for $425 worth of Transmutter boots and panels? Come on, I even have a matching purse I'll GIVE you.

Anyway, so I go online to look at what's in style so I know whether or not I even want to drive out to DSW and try on some 4's. Then I got even more depressed. Low and behold there were TONS of shoes that I loved and probably a. None of them will fit or b. They are not work appropriate. But, I thought I'd share them here since you guys might want them.

1: Ecco Ankle Bootie, $174.99
There is a small chance that DSW will have these, since they carry this brand there. If not, at least I can see how they fit and maybe order them online. Very cute, no? Having a little heel is the only disappointment but they would look just as good with the new Lip Service clothing (I'm going to blog about that, too) as they would with business stuff. That's a big plus for me. The only other down size is they're a little on the expensive side, but are all leather so should last forever.

2: Indigo Paddington, $99.99
This shoe is really professional looking but the round toe gives it a younger look. It's really different than all my other shoes. Sadly, it does not come in my size. Dickheads.

3: Naughty Monkey Forget Me Nots, $119.99

These shoes are pure badassery. They are my dream shoe. I want them more than almost any other shoe I've ever seen. ARGH!

4: Frye Ankle Boots, $348
Why oh shoe gods do you tempt me so? These boots are actually GRAY. Who makes gray boots? There is nothing that is not super cool about these. They make me want to buy a motorcycle. Insert sad face here.

5: Timberland Premium Rounded Heels, $140
If Aeon Flux was a real person walking around today, she'd wear these. Look at how these lace up. Awesome.

6: Naughty Monkey Posh Heels, $94.99
So, the more of their shoes I see the more I like this brand. They aren't that expensive, they have a great shape, and they have a bit of edge. (Plus remember those boots?!) These are actually on DSW's website for $10 cheaper... so they might be at the store. Exciting!

7: Guess by Marciano Soshanna Boots, $175
These boots are also pure badassery. People who know me realize that these boots would look absolutely perfect with my authentically, wear-distressed black jeans. They are a perfect replacement for my old "where anywhere" black Demonia boots I had in high school during my cyber goth phase. I really love the bronze ones so much that I could care less if they came in black... yes, that's what I said. Unfortunately, they are way too expensive for me to buy right now, but would make an excellent graduation present if my Uncle sends me money for graduation... hmm...

That is all. I will probably post later today about all the good new stuff coming out from Lip Service. I haven't been this excited about their clothing since the first Psycho Circus line was out (yes, that's like three years). Anyway, look forward to that and perhaps pictures of the shoes I actually get at DSW.

Spring 2009

2008-09-20T15:36:00.004-04:00

So, I have to say that because I live in Florida, people (a lot of people) from outside the state always look down at (read: on) us and say we're always behind in fashion. I'll give them that a lot of us are, but the rest are way ahead. Let me explain why. We don't get to wear fall clothing.

For one week out of the year, we pull out everything we own that is velvet, leather, suede, and wool and wear interesting outfits everyday. Why? Because this is the only time of year we get to wear them. Especially goths. Are you going to wear vinyl pants in 85 degree, 70% humidity weather? No. What about velvet or long sleeve lace dresses? No, we wait for that week of cold snap to pull out the red leopard furry pants and thigh high leather boots.

The rest of the year we're wearing spring and summer clothing. Depending on how into fashion you are, that means we're always wearing something old, or making guesses at the next spring/summer trends. Needless to say, we're very excited in September when the new trends show, because we can wear them... on Christmas... next to the pool.

So I took just a quick look (cause I'm sick and want to go back to bed) at some of the London shows and was like, "SWEET! Right again!" I always get happy when old projects I've done correctly predict fashion trends. I think I should print out pages of looks that came from the same seasons to include in my portfolio to show how right I am all the time... and usually with very very little research.

So, I'm going to show you the image I used for my collection and you tell me what you think. Granted, the image is a bit "dark" because my clothing is gothic, but you'll immediately see the similarities in inspiration between my picture and the first collection I show you.

Ok, so, Brian Froud artwork. Anyway, I used it for Fall 2008 activewear/streetwear because it's an image of summer, when the fruit starts to go bad on trees right before fall is about to happen. I really liked the colors even though they didn't go with Fall 2008 trends. At the time, we did not have the Spring 2009 trends (though later, when they came in, I was tickled to see my designs matched Spring 2009).

On with the shows... btw, new on Style.com, when you look at the collection in full screen, you get huge pictures instead of tiny ones... hurray!

1: Erdem
So, I haven't really taken a look at this designer before but one of his designs was featured on the Style.com newsletter and it was gorgeous, so I couldn't resist. His collection has the same washed out tones I loved for my collection (including the blue my teacher made me discard... damn her). Also, take a look at the sleeve in my inspiration and the way he uses lace and embellishment to create the same look. Perhaps he is a Brian Froud fan as well? "I just wanted something soft and hyper-romantic, easy but a bit surreal at the same time," said Erdem Moralioglu backstage. "I've got all these images of seventies theater productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Eton boys wearing flowers in their boaters."

2: Fashion Fringe Competition
Four designers and though the girl that won did a great job, I don't agree with the choice. Anyway, take a look at the rich use of fabric manipulation. Something I've been really really into along with embellishments like embroidery and beading. Nice to see it on the runway.

3: Aquascutum
Amazing and wow. What a collection. Everyone should see it. It's got a casual, easy to wear shape and fabrics. I love the print dress with matching solid trench. Beautiful.

4: Paul Smith Women
This collection also pulls from the same color palette I used. There's nothing not beautiful about it. I really think this provincial, ethnic, patterned, colorful, voluminous look is going to be the characteristic of the next year. Please watch this show if you watch no other (they actually have video for it).

5: Luella
Also very exciting. I love the idea of the garden party look gone mad. These types of clothing will be the appropriate attire for my sort of garden party.

Note: I got a giggle about Marios Schwabs using bondage elements like the bathing suit collection I did forever ago. Very demode. I didn't like that he's doing the trend so late.

Also two of my favorite London design houses did this HORRIBLE early 90s inspiration and I swear if I see people wearing it, I will not only stop to make fun of them but might set them ablaze for wearing something so ugly. What were they thinking?!

Black Shadows

2008-08-09T21:26:00.006-04:00

So, I've been wearing powdered black shadow for a long long time. I've gone through a lot of different ones (including my old favorite, which was discontinued) and I wanted to give my review of them as both a help to other people and an tribute to all the ones I own. I wish I had the time and money to try out cream ones that give that awesome death rock look (it's so opaque and wonderful, how do you ladies do it?), but I love me some shadows...

So it all started off with finally convincing my parents to let me spend my money on makeup and to ease them into black, I started off with super dark blue color from JANE cosmetics, a company carried at Wal-Mart. It used to be targeted to the same customer that bought Street Wear, back when that fabulousness was going on (I miss Street Wear so much).

So, eventually I got my first black eyeshadows and they were terrible. I don't even remember the first one I tried but I remember being so disappointed that it was going on gray, and only got slightly darker when wet. So, eventually I bought Clubbin' by JANE, it was #11. I went through three of them and still have the last one (completely shattered) as a back up if ever I run out of the good stuff because it is amazing. Not until the last shadow on this list did I ever again find a shadow that went on black. The only problem with JANE cosmetics is that they're really powdery (because they're cheap) and have a lot of fall out, so I went through a lot of loose powder in high school just trying to keep the black easy to clean off my face. For awhile JANE didn't make this shadow anymore, hence why I had to move on when mine broke. Though now you can get it again at Wal-Greens if you're on a budget.

The next one I tried (and liked) was by Yes Mistress! Cosmetics (a company that doesn't exist anymore ;_;). Their black was in the Isolation trio and came in a cool padlock compact. It also came with a great white and a really pretty brown (which I used up). I haven't used a lot of this black because it isn't very dark, but it's really good if you want a matte gray that's easy to blend. Unfortunately the white in my pack shattered, because it was WHITE. I'm trying to find a left over compact online so if you want to be in my really really good favor and you find it and buy it for me, I'd probably make you something. I mean, that brown was just the best... I still have the black and use it from time to time for blending.

Well, after the darkness of the Yes Mistress! black didn't satisfy my longings, I figured that Manic Panic would make a really dark black since they're a goth makeup/hair dye company. I was wrong. The black my Manic Panic is called Raven and you get a lot of it for $10... but it isn't dark and it is super matte. It also isn't very pigmented in that you have to use a lot of it just to get the gray. I don't even use it... ever.

Then I grew up and started buying "adult" makeup. Urban Decay was my favorite so I tried their black shadow: Oil Slick. It's a black shadow with lots of silver glitter. I thought that would be fun since Clubbin' by JANE also had some silver glitter in it and I always liked that look of just a bit of sparkle. Yeah, it was ok. Dry it's pretty gray and doesn't go on a lot at a time without work because there's just so much glitter in it. Wet it's darker and with the Urban Decay primer it really starts to get dark... but still not as dark as JANE's Clubbin'.

Then Manic Panic came out with cream shadows for a bit. To try them (cause I was sooo hopeful) I got the sample pack. In the end I would have used the hell out of the black but in the sample pack all my colors were pretty dried out (which it doesn't do in the tube) so I never got to use ANY of them. I tried melting them with a blow dryer and even that didn't work. I think I might have even thrown them away. I have no idea where they are. That was a waste of a lot of money.

As a last ditch effort (at this point I had re-mashed Clubbin' in the pot so I could continue to use it) I bought Urban Decay's Deluxe Eyeshadow in Zero the week it came out. Having already spent $16 on the failed experiment that was Oil Slick, I went to the store to try out Zero (at $18) before buying it online. I have to say it is my absolute favorite eyeshadow of all time. It gets super dark dry, getting it wet it's almost liquid liner dark and with primer and wet it blends right into my liquid liner (even Clubbin' didn't get that dark). I use it so much that it's already half gone. I hope they never get rid of it and if it ever is in danger of going away I'll probably buy 10 of them just so I never have to do this search again.

People always ask me why I didn't just get Kryolan Aquacolor in black or get MAC and truth be told, I never really trusted MAC cosmetics for a good black and Kryolan is just too hard to get a hold on (and I didn't know anyone personally that had ever used it... and it isn't cheap). So, maybe one day if I feel like spending the money I'll see if MAC has a better black, but I doubt I ever will and maybe one day I'll switch over to Kryolan for all my colors but I don't have that kind of money now, so till then my vote is Zero Deluxe Shadow by Urban Decay. Buy it. Love it.

First Razor Grade Designs

2008-07-10T23:12:00.009-04:00

So, my internship supervisor, Ivanka Ska has been kind enough to hook me up with a photoshoot for some of my garments so you guys will have better pictures than the ones I'm about to post of these garments. They are for sale. You can buy them now. I take PayPal only or you can send a check in the mail and I'll send you the garment once the check clears. Post a comment here if you'd like to purchase any of these garments.

Strapped In Dress: $85
From "So Fatigued" project

This dress is made from lightweight, army digital printed cotton. It has front and back panels with black piping and rubber straps at bust, waist, hip, and over the shoulders. The front and back hems are angular for a sci-fi look and the inseam pockets on both sides snap shut. The seperating zipper on the front allows for quick in and out.

Note: I do not currently have inventory and therefore it will take 2 weeks for you to receive your garment which is currently available only in Small, but that will change soon... maybe Monday... I realize that in this picture, this garment is strapless, but it's really not strapless (hence why I need new pictures).

Truck Driver Top: $40 (Skirt SOLD)
From "Girl You Want!" Collection

Sleeveless, 98% cotton, 2% spandex poplin top with front snaps and roller derby print stipe. Back features a completely open center panel with red, medium hole sized fishnet.

Note: Both of these garments were pattern tests that I completely finished for a school project. So, they are perfectly sewn. The reason I'm not keeping them to wear is that the fabric I had originally selected for these tops stretches way too much. This top is completely bad ass though and would be great as an overshirt, unsnapped to reveal a black tank or something, but would fit funny if you wore it closed (unless you've got big boobs and a tiny waist). THIS GARMENT IS OOAK. When I do make these tops, they will be in a different fabric and the back will not be open! No one else will have this top but you.

Marty Magic

2008-07-04T17:35:00.013-04:00

Alright, so today, whilst looking on eBay for the new Alchemy Gothic bat hair clip (since my hair is now long enough for this sort of thing to look good) I found a new super awesome jeweler whose work is absolutely amazing. Her work is original, fantastical, and best of all, made out of real sterling silver. Not nickle, not steel, not pewter, silver. I was so excited to see this that I've spent the last two hours looking at everything on the site and have come to the conclusion that if I ever win enough money to buy a house, a car, and pay off all my debt, the next thing I'll do is load this lady up with money so that I can have almost everything on her site.

Stegosaurus earrings. You heard right, stegosaurus earrings. Who wouldn't want these? They are absolutely the coolest thing in the entire world... but it gets better... They're discontinued so they're only $30... yeap.

Venus Fly Trap & Fly earrings. $65. What the heck?! Who would have ever thought to make these?! I have to say, that these really really are great. I mean, dinosaurs and weird bug earrings? How can this possibly get better...?

Octopus Ring. $145. Now there is a very large possibility that this could be among the top 100 things ever created. I mean look at it! There are tentacles underneath the ring. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I sleep in my rings and never take them off except when using weird cleaning products. But, if I had this ring I'd be takin' it off all the time to show people the badass suction cup marks on my finger. *jumps up and down* But there is still one that outdoes even this...

Bat Flock Ear Climber. $55. What can I say, this is absolutely something that I have to own. Think of it just hanging out next to my orbital piercing on my right ear. I mean hell, if I had to just to make it look all the cooler, I'd take the orbital right out and wear this bad boy everyday (ok maybe not...). I have never ever seen something like this made with a bat motif and now that I have, I have to say I'm blown away by how awesome it is.

Anyway, this woman has an amazing talent to craft jewelry. She has sci-fi themes, dragons, fairies, geckos, frogs, bats, garlic, gingko leaves, armadillos, hippos... if you like jewelry you can find something you love on her site and the ear cuffs and climbers are the most beautiful pieces of all. Also, anything you see can also be made in 14k gold. Please please please check her own and buy her stuff.

Disastrous!

2008-06-26T21:06:00.006-04:00

Alright. Here's the horrific story of my trip to Jay's Fabric Center today. I show up there around 4:25 pm today with high hopes of purchasing not only more of the tan and black striped fabric I used to make my knit dress for the fashion show but also ordering it in at least two other colors so I can make a ton of them to sell (lots of reasons.... chief among them 1. paying off debt, 2. Purchasing a serger/coverstitch machine). Well, I wander around and see that they don't have any left in the store... all the better, I'll just order a whole bolt and call it a day.

So, I find the lady in charge (I feel bad because she's so nice and I never remember her name) and I ask her what paperwork I need to fill out to order some more of this fabric (and show it to her). She gets this really sad look on her face and says, "That was a designer fabric we got from a jobber... I can't get anymore. I'm so sorry." Well, apparently she saw the utter dismay on my face and when I asked if she could tell me the contact for the jobber (in hopes he could give me a contact to another shop that bought some) she says they don't give out that information but that if there was even a small chance she thought she could get more she'd try for me, but that she knew there was no more to be had.

So I franticly searched the store for something even close and the only thing I found was this lime green and light heather gray fabric with a very thin yellow stripe, it was cool, but I know I wouldn't be able to sell many in that color. So, I came home and searched the internet for striped jersey and actually came up with some good options that I can get a decent amount of. So, in hopes that you wonderful people can help me I will post images here. PLEASE let me know which you'd be most likely to purchase a dress in. I'm especially interested in the opinions of those who have seen the dress I'm talking about... might include a picture a little later.

Anyway, here are the different ones I'm thinking about in the order I like them the best.

Ok, these first three are my favorite. The black and gray is a must, I've already decided I'm getting that one. Next, the blue and black goes awesome with the other things in the collection (remember, these clothes are inspired by the Tank Girl comic) and the red and gay is awesome because there are other garments in the collection made of red and gray fabrics... those are the two main colors of the collection.

Next, I found these three pinks. I don't really like pink but I think the first one especially would sell really well and the brown and light pink one is sooo different I think it would do well in boutiques that don't like as edgy of a garment (although the styling of the dress isn't exactly mainstream).

Last are these two completely odd-ball mixes. I really like the green and yellow but I don't know how many people would buy it. This color combo also goes well with the Tank Girl idea because the Roller Derby print used on the garments features a lot of these basic colors like blue, red, green, and yellow. The only problem is that I wouldn't know what color straps to put on it... black would be kinda harsh. And then purple and gray, it doesn't really work with the color scheme but it's unusual and I kinda like it.

Anyway, I really want to know what you guys think. Your opinions will directly determine which ones I buy.

Resort 09

2008-06-08T19:36:00.004-04:00

So, the other day I was on the phone with my good friend Katrina and she asks me about Spring '09. "What's going to be in, what out? What are the colors?" She likes to get in ahead and know if she can spend money on a tattoo or if saving for clothing is in order. So I tell her what I know from the Promostyl books at school and thought to myself, "Gosh, why haven't I seen Spring '09 stuff yet..." and then realized that Resort hasn't even happened. So I go to Style.com and see that, alas, Resort has started. Woohoo... I'm not really a super fan of resort but I will point out a few things I thought were of note.

Ill-fitted clothing seems to be a trend, though who knows why. It's the most unattractive thing I've seen so far. I really don't think this is going to go anywhere, and all the designers were doing it... ouch.

Alexander Wang had a nice little Resort collection, though. I think he used this "trend" affectively without making his clothing look like shit. It is a bit too nautical for my tastes, but again, Resort always is.

Chanel was one of the few houses so far to produce a full Resort collection, and some of the pieces were really successful, others were... questionable. I just don't understand where designers are getting some of this stuff..

Chris Benz had an interesting collection with really colorful pieces. I liked it but it was nothing to write home about. Check it out, it's very wearable... maybe I'll make a dress like one of these for next summer.

Donna Karen also had a great collection. It reminds me so much of my school-mate Whitney's portfolio collection that if I didn't know better, I would think they directly stole her designs. Bravo to Whitney for such accurate trend forecasting. The only real difference is that Whitney did her collection in yellow (because I believe she based the colors off of Spring '08) and Donna did the collection in pink... Whitney's favorite color.

And let me say that if fashion was a killing business, I'd knock off Marc Jacobs first... what a crap collection this season... I mean, yeah I guess maybe it looks a little like Yves, but man, I wouldn't want someone to do a collection inspired by me that looked this bad right after I died... but that's just me.

The Max Azria resort collection was great. It reminded me of Florida girls, even with the cropped jackets and long sleeve things. I think I know people who would wear these things at a beach bar.

Well, anyway, that's enough resort for right now. I can't take looking at another boring collection of poopookaka. Until later...

p.s. Whitney... Issac Miz. stole your tuck darted pants for his collection. *grins* Aren't you smart? Check out Donna Karen, too and Luca Luca.

Time to let it go...

2008-06-06T21:31:00.010-04:00

Alright, it is the end of my grieving period and I'm now ready to sell the Marie Antoinette dress.

This garment is made completely from scratch with no pattern. It was made for a specific model to wear on the runway and therefore the size is quite unusual and can't be changed really. The waist of the gown is 24 inches over a corset. So, if you can cinch a corset that tightly on yourself (or not so tightly for many) than it will fit your waist just fine. The model who wore this for the show was a DD, so the bust is quite large. This is the only area I might be able to alter the garment to be smaller. The arms of the gown are also very skinny. I do have a bit more of the fabric used to make the gown, therefore, I could remake the sleeves, but that will be reflected in the price considering the new sleeves will have to be tea dyed and distressed to match and more trim will have to be used. As you see in the pictures, originally, the hook and eyes I used to hold the front of the over skirt together were not very successful. I have replaced these hook and eyes with ties to hold it better. Lastly, my model was 5' 9", so the dress is (if I remember correctly) 42" from natural waist to the hem. Lastly, the model was longer waisted than the measurements I had been given. Therefore, this dress fits best on people with short to "normal" length waists. If you're long from the waist to the bust, this dress is not for you, it will not fit correctly.

This garment includes: A bodice with hand beaded stomacher. The stomacher velcros closed because this was a stage costume and then zips underneath, this makes it incredibly easy to put on and take off; no pins required. The bodice then has large pant hooks to connect to the over skirt, which sits at the natural waist. The over skirt is very heavy with deep pleats in the back and draping cascades in the front. It is also decorated with the hand beaded fabric. The underskirt is built onto the panier. Because of this, the garment has to be worn with this particular, oversized panier. It was made specifically to have a skeletal appearance, as if the dress were centuries old and falling apart (more below). Therefore, it has a tattered hem with trim to enhance this idea. The corset that was made for this dress is not small enough for the dress. In order for the corset to be cinched to 24" the back steel boning has to overlap, which makes it uncomfortable to wear. I recommend getting your own white, very low cut (or underbust) corset to go with this dress.

The corset is for sale separately, though, if someone is interested. It is a fully metal boned corset made of white corset coutil. I'm selling it for relatively cheap because the binding isn't as smooth as it should be (my fault, poor cutting) I can show close ups of these areas if someone is interested.

Now for the fun stuff. This dress was inspired by the H.P. Lovecraft short story "The Tomb" for a fashion show featuring Marie Antoinette inspired period interpretations. The idea was to make it look as if the woman wearing the dress could have crawled out of the wreckage of the "dead" house in H.P. Lovecraft's story. Therefore, the dress is tea dyed around the entire hem quite dark and the entire dress is distressed quite a bit, but not enough to call the construction integrity into question. Also, there is moss hand sewn onto the gown to enhance the aged appearance. The wig pictured is, unfortunately, not available. The hair dresser who made it was not willing to sell it to me. Very sorry. The mask is available, I'll throw it in for free (it could be made awesome with some work but was a last minute addition I didn't really want). This dress is not washable. The top could perhaps be hand washed but due to the extremely delicate and expensive stomacher fabric, I wouldn't chance it. Febreze is your best bet for freshening the gown.

It cost me over $400 just for the materials in this dress, I spend over 200 hours constructing it, including a lot... a LOT of hand stitching. Note: There is duct tape inside the hoop skirt to help hold the massively wide panier "open." I could try to find another way to finish this off, but in the hours and hours spent trying to get the hoop skirt to stay up under the weight of the over skirt, this way worked the best. Also, with the dress I will include instructions as to the best method of putting it on. The panier -will- sag under the weight of the over skirt, it is supposed to. It is also supposed to flop a bit when you walk, it adds to the look of decay. If this will upset you, do not purchase this costume. It isn't meant to simply be beautiful, it is meant to convey a mood.

I'm asking $3,000 for all the pieces in this gown minus the corset. I'm asking $50 for the corset itself. These prices do not include shipping. I will absolutely not take returns on this costume, no matter what. If you have any questions you -must- ask them -before- you commit to buying the piece.

That all being said, I have not yet had a chance to do a photo shoot with this dress. I'm still trying to make arrangements with a model to shoot in it. I won't sell this dress until I have photographs of it, but please let me know if you're interested or have any questions.

Now pictures :)

Inspirational Goths

2008-05-04T09:22:00.010-04:00

I know that it is minimally possible that this type of post could make someone more pretentious but I don't think that problem affects these particular girlies. Lately I've come across some Gothic ladies who I feel people should get a good look at. It rather tickled me pink to see that one of them doesn't get very dressed up all the time (like myself).

Shannon: Also known as Chrome Girl, this go go dancer/model covers herself in metal clothing. When the cyber thing was super huge, this lady was the queen. The fact that she's so into the cyber and club scene and doesn't do drugs makes me smile, because that's pretty rare to find these days. She's modeled for Lip Service and Demonia shoes.

Adora BatBrat: She's a newest find and comes from Sweden. She's a mommy of three (yes, 3!) and she even did a chunk of Goth modeling while pregos. Major props. Incidentally, I think this picture was after at least two of her children had been born... and you see how small she is. She also has a bunch of videos on YouTube. Some are about random stuff but others are about useful things like how to do your makeup and how to screen print a shirt the fast-and-easy way. Too bad she lives in Sweden, she'd probably be super fun to hang out with.

Sharon Kihara: Sharon is a belly dancer of high repute. She has danced with the Belly Dance Super Stars and also with the Indigo (almost all of my absolute favorite dancers). She has also modeled for a couple clothing companies that make clothing for bellydancers and likes octopi (so that's a plus in my book). I don't know if she's goth or if she could just play one on TV... but she's super cool none the less.

Messy Stench: So if you don't already know who she is, she's basically the other Tank Girl (the first of course being Lori Petty herself). She dresses all kinds of crazy, she's in a band called Alpha Shemale, she does a radio show in CA, and she's a model. She's also been in a CombiChrist video and some TV shows. She's pretty big time but she always has really interesting, unexpected photoshoots. So, check her out often.

Beccles (as listed on MySpace): Another new person I found whilst scurrying across the face of the internet. She's a makeup artist who sometimes models and she's just masterful at her makeup craft. Check out all her work on her Deviant Art page (linked) and marvel at her awesomeness.

Spring 2008 Colors and Trends

2008-04-08T22:11:00.022-04:00

So people ask me all the time what the deal is with trends. Here's my problem: Right now, I'm not looking at this season's trends... well... I am... but for next year. So, because I was looking at the stuff for Spring 2008 last year around this time I went through the work of looking up information for you guys from recent publications and stuff.

Let's start off with color forecasts. I'll tell you what Pantone said (more than a year ago) and then show you what the designers put out (about 6 months ago) so that you'd be seeing it in the stores about a month ago. So, you're already late, might as well start making fall trends look good. But, for those who are stubborn (or wait to start wearing spring clothing in Florida till now) I give you the color forecast.

Pantone Spring 2008 Color Forecast
The colors are actually really, really pretty. They're pretty feminine, but the pink is super dusty and muted shell (that looks awesome with black). All in all, they're colors that can be worked into gothic wardrobes really easily for a pop of color, and like my friend Katrina and I have been doing since last December, grey is super big. So, time for everyone else to catch up. Anyway, at the end the designers that were featured give you their idea of the most popular things for spring. Everyone is saying white, but getting goths to wear all white (or any) is pretty hard, so I'm going to have to second Carlos Miele's idea and say beige (or even better, bone) and grey. Goths who do this for spring will look like they know what there's doing and really, it won't kill you, I promise. Go with light grey though, no charcoal. Think new pewter or old silver, metallic but not shiny, that makes your faded blacks look richer, mysterious, and antique. All the designers (big and small) stayed with this forecast so all the colors were used a lot. Yellow, both purple shades, the blue, and the red were used by everyone.

A Huge Lot of Pictures:

Biggest Trends:
Feathers & Fur
Surrealist-inspired prints
Draped silhouettes
Flower shapes
Satin fabrics
Yellow
Purple
Semi-brights with Black
Hats & other head coverings
Return of the natural waist
50's & 20's
Star Motifs
Polka Dots & Stripes

Added Bonus:
Wearing your fetish-nurse outfits makes you look like a Louis Vuitton model
Even though a lot of Southern goths might not know much about SteamPunk, the runway seems to be taking notice...

My Picks:
Lightweight, wide-leg jeans (grey wash)
Something purple: Puce (the grey-purple), Plum, or Eggplant, all work and are big big big
Something yellow: I really like the Lagerfeld dress that I included which is yellow with a black mesh overlay. Try and find knockoffs at a cheaper price... cause that shit's hot.
Vertical stripe dress: Red and white or black and beige (btw, if I can find more fabric... I'll be selling one super soon)
A new hat... any hat, a bowler or a cloche are my top favorites

P.S. I've decided that if I move to Europe, I'd like to live in Belgium and work for Ann Demeulemeester, new to my list of favorites and oh so close to the top. Look her up on Style.com... everything, and I do mean everything she does is somehow gothic.

Fabulous Paris Fall 2008

2008-04-02T20:20:00.010-04:00

If for nothing else, anyone interested in fashion at all should constantly check out STYLE.com for the clips from fashion shows. One of my biggest pet peeves with the Style Network is that they no longer show anything about the shows on their channel. I'm going to link to my favorites from Paris Fashion Week for Fall 2008 just because I still can't quite figure out how to cut my posts (working on it though).

1: John Galliano
Style.com has everything for this show (as it should) and the video goes over most of the best items.

2: Nina Ricci
The color palette for this collection reminds me of a dying moth and at the same time
something about my childhood. Who knows... Again with the jodhpur pants. This time in satin. Very sexy.

3: Louis Vuitton
Because of crappy purses, people tend to completely ignore the wonderfulness that is Marc Jacobs for L.V. The structure of these pieces (more hip action!) is amazing. With all the fabric sculpting going on it appears I may need to take up draping again if I'm going to create some of these shapes for myself.

4: Alexander McQueen
An obvious inclusion for me. If I could realize the ultimate fashion job it would be for Alexander McQueen. This collection is... It's just absolutely beautiful.

5: Chanel
One of my favorite things about this collection video was how Lagerfeld was like "That's very flattering, but there's not crime." with a twisted smirk when the commentator commented that his show was like a Hitchcock dream sequence. He's just the shit. This collection is full of the things gothic business women love to wear to the office.

6: Givenchy
The. Most. Gothic. Collection. Ever.

7: Stella McCartney
This collection had so many wonderful ideas going on. Little mini bubble dresses (endorsed by Twiggy no less) and handmade felt and all this English-ness. Very flirty; a different take on the "modern-hippie" trend.

8: Viktor & Rolf
Ok so for one, they had semi--if not COMPLETELY--industrial music in this collection... and that makes me very happy. Second I REALLY would love to hear how you guys think the letters are possible. Think of how cool it would be to translate this into all kinds of things. I'd love a jacket like this with religious and mystical symbols done in black... or even some crazy words like No and Dream. What a concept! And the staples?! I'm TOTALLY doing that!

Also, on an unrelated note, the music at the Karl Lagerfeld signature show was really really awesome. I think it might have been some kind of French Trip Hop... which is the most awesome thing in the world. It reminded me a lot of Ladytron. Anyone know who it was?

So that's all I'm going to feature. I wasn't really feeling anything from the other shows. They had a few key looks, but overall were not inspirational to me. You can check all the shows out on Style.com for yourself though and form your own opinion. I only had a chance to look over the shows that had videos, but if you see a great Paris collection that I missed, please point it out to me so I can drool, too.

First Post

2008-04-02T15:55:00.011-04:00

So for my first trick, I guess I should say something meaningful such as what the reason was for starting this blog and that sort of crap, but I really don't feel like being too wordy about that. I'm just going to say I decided to do this because I was sick of the MySpace blog feature (which doesn't really let me do shit) and because I want to be able to advertise for my business so I can start making money, and because I like people to look at stuff I write; it makes me feel important.

Plus school isn't going to start back up till Monday and I'm bored.