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I haven't written anything in a long time, mostly because I've been extremely busy the last couple of months working on an important deadline. Now that the job is finished, I am spending most of my time writing job applications and 'planning my future'. At the same time I've been wondering if I should keep my blog or start a new one (with a slightly different theme and design, not just focusing on things 'dark' but with a broader approach)...but for now I will keep posting here.
Since last week I have a Pinterest account, which includes pictures of long hair (such inspiration!) and other things that fascinate me:

Lost Garden

To post at more regular intervals, I have decided to aim for one message a week. That shouldn't become a problem with my tight schedule. Also, hopefully, blogging then won't feel like a task anymore (which it sometimes did), but merely like a fun thing (as it should). We'll see if this is going to work for me!

Sophistiqué Noir monthly theme post: hoisery

 This month's theme from Sophistiqué Noir is hoisery. Oh, how I love all sorts of legwear! I have a gigantic collection of especially stockings and I am always finding new ways to organize them. If anyone has a brilliant  systematic sollution, please let me know! :)
Black stockings go with everything and I have a big staple of them. No cheap ones, for they usually rip within a day or so (perhaps it's just me, but I can't wear them successfully).
Where it gets really exciting though, is when we have a look at the many patterns and colours that stockings can have! I love to go to the bigger warehouses and see if they have anything interesting, especially during the sales. What I really like about those patterned stockings is that they can alter your look completely, without costing all that much. It's much more affordable to acquire a large collection of different stockings, than dresses!
Anyway, due to lack of time I have only one picture to share for this theme. It's the one from my previous post (the Halloween outfit I wore yesterday), which I brightened a little. I'm wearing my favourite baroque-print stockings here:

Stockings: red on black baroque pattern from V&D

Lace dress: Velvet kitten

High heeled boots: Dr.Martens

Wool cardigan: H&M

Bat necklace: Alchemy Gothic (planning on selling this one! Contact me if interested :))

Red lipstick: Illamasqua

Best of October

I haven't written in ages and I really miss it! I've only had time to read other people's blog posts the last couple of weeks, but I hope I'll soon have an opportunity to catch up a little. I'm doing a million projects at the same time in an attempt to find a job somehow. It's tough. Fortunately some of these projects are really interesting though and in my own field of expertise (archaeology/history). I'm not giving up, haha!
Here an impression of October as I experienced it. I'm so glad it's autumn...my favourite season! Too bad I'll be 30 years old in two more days...it's really not that old, but it sounds so awfully grown-up!

Working on a leather steampunk collar:

Staying at this lovely hotel:

 Wearing my red autumn coat:

 Going for walks in the woods:

 Stumbling upon a deserted theater:

 A day at the Efteling theme park (look at that steampunk dragon!)

 Walking into my favourite coffee bar with smokey eyes, resulting in:

 Harvesting my tiny home-grown paprika's:

 More autumn walks:

 My hair grew a lot over summer:

 Going to see 'Frankenweenie' for Halloween (loved it!!!):

 First attempt at nail art: Halloween nails (black polish paired with China Glaze 'It's Alive')

Pretty New Headband from SuirenWaterLily

I recently ordered a beautiful knit headband from Emi at SuirenWaterLily. It looks great with long hair and instantly makes ones hairdo much more exciting. Emi has different colors and designs to choose from and also makes other knit accessories. I’m eager to try her parandis as well, which especially look great in braids.

Emi is planning to make some headbands in a darker, gothic style in the near future. Definitely something to look forward to! Keep an eye on her Etsy site or her blog if you’re interested.

The headbands keep ones head warm (the thinner ones are also perfect for summer) and help to cover up oily hair, a big plus for someone with my hairtype! The wool is of good quality and the knitting flawless. The headbands can be closed in the neck with a button of ones own choice.

I haven’t worn headbands very often before, so I still need to practise different styles a bit. This is my first, simple attempt. I think the headband looks great with updos!

The pictures are a bit blurry, because they were taken at dusk. My boyfriend says the headband gives me a bit of a 1920's look. What do you think?

Wine red headband: SuirenWaterLily

Hair fork: Ravenslair (Etsy)

Lace top: Vive Maria

Cardigan: H&M

Key necklace: SIX

Skirt: don't remember

Shoes: Clarks (New ones! So glad to have found wine red shoes in my size!)

ELLE magazine’s September 2012 ‘black issue’ does not disappoint!

Fashion magazines can be entertaining and inspiring, but they hardly ever write positively about the gothic subculture or style. The ‘goth trend’ seems to make a comeback in catwalk and mainstream fashion every once in a while, sporting black nail polish, black leather, studs and lace. One would expect designers and writers of fashion magazines to give more credit to their obvious source of inspiration and to refer to the gothic style in an appreciative way, but instead they are always quick to add: ‘do make sure not to overdo this look, because one naturally doesn’t want to look gothic!’. It seems kind of ignorant and offensive to remind people of this all the time, while simultaneously ‘borrowing’ looks from those very goths they seem to despise. I am reading offensive comments about goths in (Dutch) magazines all the time and it keeps annoying me. I do not know whether it’s the same for magazines in other languages however, so do not hesitate to share your experiences!

As a consequence, despite my love of fashion photography, I do not often feel tempted to buy these magazines anymore. Last week however I made an exception for the September edition of ELLE, mostly out of curiosity. The entire edition is inspired by the color black and features some amazing photography and very interesting articles on darker fashion! Still I expected to be somewhat disappointed by possible references to the gothic subculture…I was prepared for the worst. To my utter surprise, it did not happen. Quite the contrary: the writers openly acknowledge they have been inspired by the goth aesthetic and write very positively about the subculture. The editor (Cécile Narinx) admits being a regular spectator at the annual ‘Summer Darkness Festival’, the biggest gothic festival in the Netherlands. She and her friend love to go what they call ‘goth spotting’, which might sound a little denigrating, but which she explains is really admiring people in their outfits and trying to get an impression of all the different styles. Wow, this lady actually knows about different types of goths…that’s more than I can say for most people in fashion! To make sure that people are aware of the different gothic styles, she even wrote an article (‘Oh my goth’) describing a few of them. 

And she’s clearly done her research, mentioning bands like Bauhaus, Rasputina, Corvus Corax, Collide and Depeche Mode. Marylin Manson and Within Temptation, the usual goth-clichés, are not even mentioned! In the beginning of the article, she directs her readers to get over their prejudices right away:

‘Goths, aren’t those the types that dwell around cemeteries for hours, those depressed, suicidal teenagers who mean to provoke, preferring to fall asleep in a coffin at night? Well, no. What makes a goth a goth then?’ [translation by Corin]

She then goes on explaining about the music, the art, the literature and the of course the various fashion styles. Of course these classifications are rather stereotypical, but goths themselves tend to use them as well to refer to others. The greatest benefit of the article is the acknowledgement of a diverse subculture that is not scary, existing merely to provoke or filled with lunatics, but beautiful in its dark aesthetic and its diversity. The author did a good job making this message come across!

Apart from the article described above, there are plenty of other reasons to buy this September’s special issue of ELLE magazine:

-          Black clothing, shoes and accessories galore

-          Beautiful dark photography

-          Dark make-up

-          Reviews of movies and books with a dark theme

-          Article about your ‘dark side’

-          Article about dark and gothic inspired fashion on the catwalk (Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh)

-      Article about funerals 

-          Article about erotic literature

-          Article about material arts and other fighting sports

-          Article about black fashion models

-          Article about Chanel and the color black

-          Article about a Dutch actor playing in the HBO series ‘Treme’, which is set in New Orleans

-          Dark, tribal inspired fashion

For non-Dutch speakers: I do not know if the UK and US versions of ELLE’s black issue are similarly appealing and positive towards the gothic subculture, 

but I would say it’s worth checking out!

Beach bbq outfit

Tonight I'm going to Scheveningen for a barbeque at the beach with friends. It's also Joyce's (Beauty & Metal) birthday,  so I felt I had a good excuse to put some extra effort into today's outfit. :) I wanted to look dark, but a little exotic and beach-proof at the same time. The weather is all right but not good enough for a bikini, so I chose lots of laces instead. They are always pretty and not as suffocating as other black fabrics. The flowers in my hair are meant to look a little Mexican. I don't know if I succeeded, but I like the result anyway. :)

In case it gets colder at night, I will be wearing the scarf from the third picture, which I made from a lovely sheer fabric last week. There are a lot more flowers in my hair than one can see from the front. It's fun to add lots and create a really big hairdo. I need more of them!

-top: Vive Maria
-bracelet: Noosa
-skirt: Hema
- flowers: H&M
- legging: V&D
- nail polish: 'scorn' by Illamasqua (matte black)
- earrings: Alchemy Gothic
- scarf: hand-made

Pussy Deluxe fall collection 2012

Some fun items from the new Pussy Deluxe collection, which is always a bit playful:

 Leggings with little cats on them:

Velvet Kitten fall collection 2012

Some highlights from the Velvet Kitten fall collection (mainly from the large.nl website):

Isn't this the perfect corpgoth dress?

 LOVE this jacket:

 The lace on this vest is very delicate:

Vive Maria fall collection 2012

I feel so bad about not having written in ages! Lately I've been extremely busy with four different jobs (three badly paid ones and one volunteer job) and blogging hasn't been on my mind really. I guess I'm just a very irregular blogger, partly due to lack of time, partly because of a lack of structure in my life. :) But perhaps that's okay. On to something I wanted to show you: the new fall collection of Vive Maria! I know it's a bit early to think of next season, but I simply can't help checking all the new stuff out. Vive Maria, Velvet Kitten and Pussy Deluxe (all by the same manufacturer) are amongst my favourite clothing brands. I usually purchase these brands second-hand though, because they are quite expensive. But I do allow myself a single new item once in a while. I especially love Vive Maria's collection this year, which has a considerable number of  'dark' items! Here is some stuff to dream of: (mostly from the large.nl webshop)

The upper two are my favourites, especially the blouse with the victorian shape. It's so elegant!
I will post some examples of te new Velvet Kitten and Pussy Deluxe collections soon.