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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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.