In search of the perfect gothic summercoat

I will not deny it: I have many coats. Too many, perhaps? My friends certainly seem to think so! Still I never manage to find the right coat or jacket to match my outfit. I've been wondering how this is possible and my conclusion is that I have too many great looking, eye-catching coats, but too few practical ones that simply go with anything. Therefore my quest for the perfect gothic summercoat! For my particular situation that is...:)
First, let me show you an example of a summer coat that I bought at the Summer Darkness festival in Utrecht in 2009. I absolutely love the thing, but for many occasions it's just not that wearable. Plus it's not always comfortable to wear a longer coat in summer.
(Coat by Necessary Evil)

 

So what kinds of summer coats do goths wear? Well, this is a very personal thing of course, but leather jackets, studded jackets, velvet jackets and victorianesque coats are certainly popular. It's a pity that so many goth brands are offering a wide range of winter coats, but only a very small collection of summer coats. I live in a country where summers can be rainy and dreadful, but heatwaves are no exception either. The only thing certain is that it's never predictable. And therefore a good coat is a necessity! Another complaint is that many webshops for gothic clothing never indicate whether a coat is meant to be worn in summer or winter, or 'in between'. It's just not always visible from the picture.

Since I have a couple of longer coats already, I've decided to go for a jacket. This will also look better on the shorter skirts, because long coats can make them seem to disappear, which will certainly raise an eyebrow or two. Then, I want something that fits my romantic victorian style, since that's what I'm wearing most of the time. I do however like the more feminine type of leather jacket a lot too. After all, the odd but charming contradiction between lace skirts and a leather jacket is simply to die for. Finally, the jacket must be wearable when I'm down dressing (e.g. when I'm with my family or to an official occasion), but it also has to match my darker outfits. So I've made a selection of jackets that could possibly live up to my wishes:

- Jacket by Didi clothing (regular brand). This one is actually my dream-jacket, but on the website my size is sold out. :/ I'm going to check the actual shop next week though to find out if they still have it there:

 

- This one is by Queen of Darkness. I really love the fabric, but I have no idea whether it's a winter or a summer jacket. Also, it might not be short enough for what I have in mind:

 - Jacket by '13 cats'. I love the shape of this one! But there is fur attached...not quite good in summer. The fabric looks really thin though. So what's going on here?

 

- A really nice jacket from Large.nl (no idea what brand), but rather expensive so it might be outside my budget.

- A military style jacket by Necessary Evil. I love the shape of it! Really feminine, but with an edge. I wonder if this might be the one?

 

- Jacket by Queen of Darkness. I love it!! It really looks like a jacket that's meant to be worn outside. The only downside is that it has skull buttons. Cool enough, but not suitable for just any occasion I'm afraid... 

  

- Vintage style jacket from Large.nl (again, no clue about the brand). This one looks pretty cool, but will it really fit my romantic outfits?  Maybe leather would be better. I'm just not sure about this one.

- Jacket by Vixxsin. I think the material must be really comfortable, but the jacket is a bit longer than I'm looking for. And is it really a summer jacket?

 

- Jacket by Hell Bunny. I love the victorian appearance of this one!!  The pretties jacket of all. But is the fabric suitable for warmer weather? And again, it's long...

 Well, I guess my quest isn't over yet. Perhaps I should have a look in the regular shops as well. At least I can try things on there! The downside however is that most regular brands only sell fair colored summer jackets. Pfff, it's not easy finding the perfect item of clothing...

Gray outfit

Still inspired by yesterday's gray theme, I felt like wearing gray today!

Gray shirt: Vive Maria
Skirt: Hema
Stockings with flower pattern: V&D
Necklace: Claire's

I bought everything during the January sales with huge discounts...just feels so much better. :p

Sophistiqué Noir: gray

I always love to read the monthly theme posts organized by VictorianKitty of Sophistiqué Noir and I've decided to join in this month. The theme is 'gray', but I found out a bit late, so I haven't had the opportunity to really put an outfit together or write something interesting on the theme. I did however feel it was the right moment to test a gray nail polish that I hadn't worn before. It's from the 'Vampire's Love' line by Essence and I bought it a couple of months ago. The entire make-up collection was sold out in a day (at least in the drug stores in my city), so I was lucky to get hold of this one. Normally I never wear gray nail polish, at least not the light shades. At first it felt a bit ackward to see this color on my nails, but I like it a lot! It goes with anything really and it most likely won't provoke anyone when you're in a professional environment. And of course, it goes well with black (doesn't everything? :)). The nail polish has a faint shimmer, but it's very subtle. I can't really see why this color would be so 'vampiric' though...it's not my first association at all. But I guess that's just a way of selling your products, now that Twilight has made vampires a big hit. (Personally, I don't like the series at all, being a huge Anne Rice fan. But I can see the attraction.) All that aside, it's a nice, wearable nail polish for a very decent price.

(Don't pay too much attention to they way I've applied the nail polish...I have no patience when letting it dry, so it always ends up looking a bit messy!)

Two years of growing my hair long

It's been two years since I decided to grow my hair really long. In the first year the progress was really good and I did not have any haircuts. Judging from the photograph I made recently however, the second year clearly shows less hair growth. For some part this can be explained by the haircut I had six months ago, but that only cost me a few centimeters. I don't know why there was less growth this year, since I took care of my hair so well. It's a not a disaster, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Once you've decided you want long hair, things just can't go fast enough I guess. :) I'll have to be patient!

I have made the decision to only use paraben-free and SLS-free hairproducts from now on. It causes less damage to the hair and I have more faith in natural products anyway. All those nasty chemicals really aren't necessary to keep your hair in good condition. As long as you pamper your hair enough with natural hairmasks and oils, you'll have a good chance of having super healthy looking hair. Right now I am using Rainforest Balance shampoo from The Body Shop, which is a gentle but very well cleansing shampoo...just perfect for my oily scalp! But I'm also a big fan of Sabon's hair mask, which has a wonderful smell.

 

The only hairproduct containing SLS that I'm still using is the Jumping Juniper solid shampoo from Lush. I only use it once a week, to thoroughly clean my hair. Sometimes SLS can be good to get rid of any build-up from other products. Plus the shampoo bars are just so easy to bring along when you're travelling!

 Another change in my haircare routine is that I've started to wear my hair up quite frequently. While I do love the sight of my loose hair much better, it can be a nuisance when it's windy, when cycling or while doing anything physical really. It also damages the hair faster. Updo's can look really pretty and it gives you the opportunity to change your look a bit more often, which is always fun. I really like to make my hair look victorian, but with a dark twist. Adding black roses for instance is an instant success. I'll dedicate a topic to such updo's some time soon!

 I'm planning to have a small haircut again next week, since the ends of my hair are getting brittle. I also want to get rid of the layers gradually. And last but not least, I want to have my bangs cut again. I had this done last summer and even though I'm always in doubt about having bangs or no bangs, I really kind of miss them. So, back to bangs it is! Next week I'll post some pictures.

 

Back!

It's been a looooooong time since I last posted anything, but I'm eager to pick up blogging. The last couple of months have been a bit chaotic, mainly because of my studies (graduating, writing on an article, etc..). I have to admit I have neglected my blog entirely, but I've also missed it. In the meantime I did keep track of the blogs that I'm following, but I didn't have the energy to post anything myself. I'm done with my own excuses now....and I should have more time on my hands now that I'm looking for a job. Which is a pain in the ass, by the way. There are hardly any jobs in the cultural department right now and they all require several years of  experience on the workfloor. It's so unfair....but I try to stay positive and reply to any vacancy that could be of interest to me. Meanwhile, I still have very little money to spend. This is frustrating as well, even though it stimulates my creativity. I especially miss going to concerts and travelling.
Last year I wrote that I wanted to abstain from buying any new clothes for an entire year. I can proudly say that I succeeded in my mission! It was even a lot easier than I expected. My boyfriend did give me two t-shirts and a dress, but I allowed myself to accept presents. I never bought anything myself! This gave me a really good impression of the contents of my wardrobe and gradually showed me which items I was really missing. The main conclusion was that I have plenty of interesting things to wear...but very little to pair it with. The basics are missing, like a plain shirt or a vest that I can combine with many different pieces of clothing. Also, I've stopped buyng clothing on impulse. I take my time and think things over before I decide whether I really need something or whether it's worth spending my precious money on. I also learned to be more satisfied with what I have. Yes, I really think it was a good decision and I feel proud that I've managed it. On the other hand, I'm also a bit relieved that I can buy something new occasionally now. I'm just going to be more careful.
I'm thinking of making this blog a little more personal by also including posts on events I've attended, exhibitions I've visited, holiday trips etc. The main focus will still be on 'dark' things (e.g. gothic clothing, alternative make-up, concerts, places to visit that have a dark atmosphere), but they will be interchanged with posts on different topics.
I'm also still working on the lay-out of the page, but I'm not very experienced so things are altering slowly. I like the white background better than the black one I had before because it makes the text a bit easier to distinguish.
So much for this boring update! :) Thanks for sticking with me!

Red & Black outfit nr.6

I have my doubts about the clothes that I wore today because it kind of looks like a teenage outfit...nothing wrong with that, except I'm 28! Perhaps I should have picked a plain black skirt instead. Hmmm...mistakes happen I guess. :) I'm curious to hear your opinions!

- T-shirt: no idea what brand, but it only cost me 10 euros! I love owls...evil ones included, haha.
- Skirt: C&A
- Tights: don't remember...
- Shoes: Fidji
- Silver bracelet: bought somehwere in a tiny shop in Amsterdam

 

Thanks a lot VictorianKitty, for inventing the Red & Black week! It was lots of fun and I discovered many interesting blogs because of participating. I hope there will be more initiatives like this in the future!

Red & Black outfit nr.5

Today I was supposed to go to the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie with my boyfriend, but he felt rather sick so we decided to stay home. Quite a disappointment for the both of us, but the movie can wait... I did dress up in Pirates-inspired attire this morning though, while at the same time honoring the Red & Black Week. We managed to take some pictures outside:

- Red shirt with anchor and roses print: Rock Steady
- Skirt: Vive Maira
- Boots: Dr.Martens
- Red scarf: bought in Morocco a few months ago (it's actually a turban!)
- Jacket: H&M
- Nails: red nail polish from Hema

Red & Black outfit nr.4

Participating in the Red&Black Week made me realize that I really don't have many red things in my closet. Oh well, I managed to find something and put together an outfit anyway... Nothing special, but it feels good enough for a day spent mostly at home. I do have to put on some red lipstick though, judging from this unflattering picture! :)

- T-shirt: bought it at a The Cure concert (that event was a dream come true!)
- Skirt: Didi (a gift from my mom)
- Belt: Poizen Industries
- Lace leggings: V&D
- Shoes: Fidji
- Bracelets: no idea

Red & Black outfit nr.3 (festival outfit)

Not having much time today, this will be a short post! This picture was taken at the Summer Darkness festival in Utrecht (the Netherlands) last year, where I wore a black and red outfit:

Corset: Burleska
Petticoat: unknown (bought it at the festival a couple of years earlier)
Shrug: Succubus Clothing
Cameo necklace: made by myself
Black beaded bracelet: Bijjoux Brigitte 

Red & Black outfit nr.2

 

This is another outfit for Sophistique's Red & Black Week that I wore last week. It was a great opportunity for me to wear my new red shoes! Since I have a really unconvenient shoe size (EU 43/ UK9/ US11) it took me ages to find shoes in this color. I was actually looking for a darker shade of red, but settled for these ones in the end.

Top: Queen of Darkness

Skirt: made it myself (from a really simple pattern, with an elastic waistband)

Lipstick: Catrice Ultimate Colour  170 After Work Wine. I bought this lipstick after I saw how great it looked on a friend. It's a bit too dark for me to wear it daily, but great when going out. 

Lace trimmed leggings: V&D

Necklace: Alchemy Gothic 'Sacred Heart pendant'