Ode to a Skirt Part III

DIY top, Tunnel Vision vintage skirt, homemade girl power brooch a la Rookie

This is the third outfit I put together with my precious skirt, and it's probably my favorite for summer. I like that it uses two of my diy-ed pieces. I guess I was going for a teen witch/girl power look with this outfit. I'm really happy with how the pictures turned out. All the colors get me excited for summer dressing! I really have to borrow my sister's black lipstick more often.

Ode to a Skirt Part II

This is the second outfit with my new skirt. I have kind of a old-timey creepy Jesus sorceress matron vibe going on.

Thrifted shirt, Tunnel Vision skirt, thrifted/hand me down jewelery.

I'm really rockin' the pouty face in these pictures. If I ignore my squinty expression, though, I really like these pictures. The peonies in my yard are in bloom, and we probably have another week before they droop under their own weight and start rotting on the ground. Ah, summer. At least the butterflies are out! I've been watching them flap around drunkenly in the school garden. I like them a lot.

On an unrelated note, here are some thoughts I had about where I buy my clothes:

Recently I've been trying to buy the majority of my clothes from thrift stores, vintage stores, or small businesses like the ones on etsy. This is for a number of reasons. At first, it was mostly because I like having special and unique pieces of clothing. All of my favorite pieces are either vintage or handmade, and I think it's because the shapes, textures, and patterns are so interesting and different from the things I find at big chain stores. This isn't to say that I don't like the clothes from these retailers; in fact, I own quite a few things from Forever 21 and several from Urban Outfitters. I just find my thrifted, vintage, and handmade things to be the most interesting and treasured pieces in my wardrobe, not to mention they're often better quality.

The clothing itself isn't the only reason I'm trying to avoid chain stores. I've recently become a lot more conscious of where my clothing is coming from and the effect it has on the world. I ran across this post by Taylor-Ruth of Hanging Rock Comics a while ago that outlines some of the human rights issues with Urban Outfitters, and I've since decided to stop shopping there. It also got me thinking about other companies like Forever 21, H&M, Topshop, and all the usual suspects. I haven't heard much about the ethics of those corporations, but the fact that they're so big and have relatively trendy, low-priced clothing makes me think that they must cut corners to keep it that way. I feel better knowing that the clothing I buy is coming from a small business or is secondhand.

I'm probably not going to stop shopping at these places entirely (aside from Urban Outfitters, their business practices are too despicable for me to feel comfortable supporting them) and I'll continue to wear the clothing of theirs that I already own. I'm an unemployed teenager with a really tight budget, so I can't always resist the temptation of the sale racks at a fast-fashion chain. For the most part, though, I'm making a conscious effort to know where my clothing is coming from.

Ode To A Skirt Part I

Some mood music for this post from my band crush, School of Seven Bells. They are the best.

I was cruising Tunnel Vision the other day during one of their monthly sales with the promise that I wouldn't buy anything. I was trying to save my money and I had made a pretty big purchase last month etc. All of that went out the window when I saw this skirt. It's exactly the skirt I had been dreaming about for months and it was 50% off and $25 isn't reeeeally that much for a skirt especially such a pretty one and it's a deal for today only so I had to buy it, really.

When it came in the mail I confirmed that it's the best skirt I've ever owned. The silhouette is elegant and perfectly flared, the material is soft, and it fits really well. It's exactly what I need for all my pseudo-goth outfit adventures. I got really excited and put together three outfits with it. I decided to post them in installments so you wouldn't have to look over an epic saga of outfits. Here's the first one:

 Old Urban Outfitters bodysuit, Tunnel Vision skirt, thrifted booties (my sister's).

I'm really happy with these photos! It looks like I'm in a magical forest but it's really my backyard! I wore this to my choir concert last week. We were supposed to wear all black with a little color, but I decided to go full goth princess sorceress chic instead. I guess my hair counts as color?

I hope everyone's having a great start to summer. Stay tuned for parts II and III!

A Brief Update

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 2.

1. My moodboard. It has this heart thing I found in my closet, a dried rose from valentine's day last year, my hair extensions from my hair extension days, and some frilly gloves from last year's prom. I like the creepy, decaying vibe.

2. Two amazing eyeball rings from etsy. Real life eyes actually gross me out a lot, but  for some reason fake ones on jewelery are really appealing to me. Click on the pictures for sources! The second one is sold out (for now at least), which is unfortunate because it's completely perfect.

I look forward to posting more now that the school year is almost over. Until I can get my lazy butt out to take some outfit pictures, I'll give you a few life updates:

1. I'm going to graduate high school in just over two weeks. (eep!)
2. I'm going to Beloit College in Wisconsin next fall. I'm really excited!
3. I've been in the early stages of making a zine about self-love.
4. One of my main projects this summer will be to purge my room of a lifetime of crap. Having lived in the same house for almost 18 years combined with my pack-rat tendencies has made for an impressive amount of clutter. I like the idea of simplifying my life and narrowing down my belongings to only the things I really love. 
5. It's my school's prom night tonight, but I decided I'd rather have a self-care evening. I got pineapple soda and candy and I'm going to redye my hair, watch movies, and dance around like the diva princess I am.

 Thanks for bearing with me through my sporadic posting. Much love.

The Future is Now

Hello, friends! Today's outfit gives me a little bit of a Stevie Nicks vibe (the best kind of vibe), so I provided some mood music to listen to while you view it.

Tunnel Vision vintage dress, thrifted slip, super old Forever 21 necklace, thrifted shoes, old target belt with hairbinders on it to keep the flappy end from flapping

I bought this dress from Tunnel Vision a while ago, but I haven't worn it until now. This is because I had a vision in my head of my green hair and the midnight blue of the dress going together perfectly in all their mermaid-y glory, but my hair had faded to an unpleasant tone similar to seaweed. Now with the help of a little Manic Panic it's back to its former vibrance, and my dream has finally come true!

Also, I'm really proud of this makeup. I've always loved the 1960's-esque look with a heavy cat eye and shadow in the crease, but I've never done it because I usually prefer to go with lighter makeup. I'm glad I tried it, though, because it's so glamorous and easier than I thought it would be! I piled on some gold shadow for extra glitter factor. Wheee! Makeup! Also note that I'm sporting a ballpoint tattoo of a heart that says 'MOM' in it. That was the product of a boring Spanish class.

It's great to finally do an outfit post again! I have so many ideas for other outfit posts, but I've been a busy bee visiting colleges. I'm going to decide where I'm going at the end of the month. It's weird that I'm going to be a legal adult this summer and move out soon after that. I mean, all I do now is eat carbs and go on the internet and sing songs to myself. What am I going to do when I have to do actual adult things? AHH MY FUTURE AAAAAHHHHHH

Anyway, I hope this post finds you well! I'll try to find time to post in the coming weeks. There's so much I want to show you guys!

Beware of Young Girls

If you haven't seen Wren's video lookbook starring Tavi, I would suggest watching it because it is literally perfect. I'm obsessed with the eye makeup, the big hair, the prim clothes, and the cloudy, hazy atmosphere.  Spring inspiration extravaganza right there.

An Aesthetic Catalogue/Inspiration Dump Part II

5.  Celestial Vibes

I love me some moons and stars.

6. Frida Kahlo

I won't pretend to know a lot about visual art, but I do know that Frida is far and away my favorite artist. I think what draws me to her paintings is the fact that they're so colorful but so dark at the same time. She doesn't shy away from the ugly and gruesome, but her art ends up with a raw beauty ins spite of it. Not to mention that her personal style was totally bangin'. Looking at pictures of her makes me want to wear my hair in a flowery updo and grow a unibrow.

Los Dos Fridas

 Diego on my Mind

Self-Portrait with Monkey

What a badass babe.

7. Candles

Look at those creepy motherfuckers.

 

8. Creepy Pastels

All of these pictures share a faded, pastel-y, mystical feel to me. I dunno, I really like the vibe I get from these pictures. A little witchy without being going the typical all-black route.

 

I seriously need those thigh-highs.

It's kind of hard to sum up a solid connection between all of these pictures, but I guess their main uniting factor is a creepy, sort of dark theme. Funny that I'm getting into creepy witch stuff right at the beginning of spring. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to cultivate a creepy aesthetic while still indulging in the fun things about spring dressing: expect lots of dusty fake flowers, lace and sheer fabrics, and short velvet skirts. So exciting!