Outfit Of The Day : Lightning Skirt

No Shoes! OMG! this week as I already talked about shoes in my Being Practical Is Hard, so I don't want to bombard you all with shoes.....though I sure do love shoes!

I took some quick snaps of my outfit today before I went to the hair salon from some mohawk maintenance, fresh color and trim! Any who, this outfit is based around this Lightning Print Lip Service skirt  from their Fashion Victims line that I purchased  earlier this year. The skirt is a little weird with the lightning print only being on the front of the skirt, it makes me feel like I have lightning shooting out of -you know where-, haha! The skirt is a stretch cotton, so it is comfortable and I think I finally figured out a way to wear it this winter. 

I have to admit I haven't really loved a lot of Lip Service designs over the past 5-6 years, the sizing is inconsistent and a little too trendy in the alternative sense (for me), yet I'm not dis-ing Lip Service as I've worked with them professionally and they are a great company. 

Do you own any Lip Service items that you love but struggle to wear?

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Outfit Of The Day : Shrunken Head Skirt

Pencil skirts and creepers=love in my heart!

It's Wednesday so that means Derek has the day off and I put on something other than fuzzy lounge pants and an over-sized sweatshirts, yay! I reached in and grab this Mode Merr shrunken head pencil skirt I've had for a few years, a lovely gift from my awesome husband. I've realized I need to wear my pencil skirts other than going to shows or to a party, so I layered the skirt over black leggings then paired with a long sleeve basic t-shirt, and a long cardigan (that I forgot about in the black vortex) with lace sleeves. I purchased the cardigan at Hot Topic over the summer and it was $40, which "I had to have" and though it's really awesome looking, the lace sucks. Oh well, I splurged and am mildly disappointed in the lace material pulling, but it's long and covers my caboose, so that's a win! 

Derek was giving me 'modeling directions', needless to say it was hilarious, "Drop your shoulder", What the?

My hair is also a bit nutty as I left it curly after washing it, I'm taking a trip to the hair salon tomorrow and I didn't want to do through my hair ritual if it's going to be colored and trimmed. My mop is getting long, this pleases me!

You don't want to meet this in a dark alley!

On a serious note-Mode Merr, makes amazing clothing in a variety of sizing, does your body good!

Check them out www.modemerr.com

Thank you for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

To Goth Or Not To Goth : It Seems To Be A Serious Question

I have been asked a few times why I don't talk about being a goth, my opinions on the goth subculture, etc., to be frank, it's like pissing in the wind. There are tons of other bloggers and websites of people who rant and rave about 'what goth is' or 'what goth means to them', and though I enjoy a little chuckle now and then, but I don't feel I need to try and recruit people to my opinion. I'm a girl, I wear a lot of black, I listen to goth music, so there ya go! I'm happy in my hair spray-filled world! I will say that I think people take themselves way too seriously and thus put silly rules upon the lifestyle and subculture, life's not about living in a black box.....though that describes my apartment. *Wink*

Oh, they are so cute! 

image source google

I do enjoy people's opinions and doing the research into things that they love and if they have a passion for goth, well it's relevant to my interests and I sure will give it a read. The snobbery, elitism and petty crap is in every 'scene', but for some reason goths love to make outsiders feel so uncomfortable that the goth scene doesn't prosper. I know we love dead things, but come on! I'm not saying I wasn't guilty of snobbery in my youth, but as an old lady in my 30s (haha, slap me now!) I've realized to just relax and be more excepting. My life is filled with things other than bats, spiders and Robert Smith. Shocking, I know!

So to goth or not to goth, it's not a serious question, it's a matter of enjoying life and just make yourself happy whether you're a cyber goth or a deathrockabillytikivictoriangoth <---that's me! Haha!!!!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

My 200th Post & My (Almost) One Year Blog-A-Versary

Wooo!!!! Photo by Zach Rose

Wow! It's my 200th post and my (almost) blog-a-versary. I did originally start the Coffin Kitsch blog back in December 2011 with Wordpress and quickly detested the site which resulted in my total and utter frustration. I pretty much lost everything with trying to transfer to blogger, but it was worth it and I've never looked back.

I've learned a lot over this past year of blogging about my own personal style/tastes and I've gotten a lot of inspiration and feedback from the blogosphere around me. Thank you so much to everyone who's supported me, I really do appreciate it.

I decided to start a blog of my own after deleting an old blog that I had a few years ago which received some nasty comments. I buckled in and started to doubt myself  and pondered questions like, "What makes me special enough to have a blog?", so I deleted it letting the bastards win. Which was totally ridiculous, as it's just a blog and it's not a sacred right of passage-or so I told myself- and anyone is allowed to have their little slice of the internet pie. A little while later, I decided after three years of being the Fashion Editor and stylist for Auxiliary Magazine, to step away from that project to take care of some personal matters, and concentrate on my own fashion endeavors. I helped build Auxiliary and I still support my friends and wish them all the luck, you should support them too! I learned so much from working with various designers, hair stylists, makeup artists and models, wardrobe styling has become very much a passion of mine. I like to help people feel good as much as I like to help them look good.

With a lot of thought and research I started Coffin Kitsch with a fresh slate and a point of view that I hoped to express to the world. I am a normal girl, on a budget who has a passion for alternative (goth/deathrock/punk/psychobilly, I think you get it) fashion. I just wanted to show the "normalcy" of.....well, just me. So here I am, weird hair and all.

My hopes for the new year is to incorporate some of my friends into my blog posts, feature more designers that I love and make more acquaintances out in that big internet world. I hope to work on stylist collaborations to share with you, and I hope to help people feel good about themselves no matter what size, age or style that they pursue. I hope to inspire people to realize that making yourself go broke just to be "in fashion" is not worth it and to think outside the alternative world box. Life's too short to compare yourself to others and thus bring you down. Trust me, I've been there and done that and I'm glad I'm the goofball you see today. *Wink*

A million thank you's to my readers. I love you!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Being Practical Is Hard

With all the cyber sales, it's making my head spin as I love a good bargain....but it's only a good bargain when it's something that's on my mental checklist. For instance Solestruck is having a crazy sale, 50% their  sale items and I restrained myself so passionately to NOT buy shoes that I'm not going to wear on a regular basis. Like these Spiked Lita's which are only $64.97, my size is sold out now. Phew!

Grant it, my red Fakery Campbells are extremely uncomfortable, but I don't NEED another pair of shoes I'm only going to wear once or twice a month. Being practical is really hard when shiny spiked things are involved. I keep telling myself that my lifestyle has changed and I'm not the clubbing maven I once was (no more goth club in Buffalo) and I need practical, yet fun, footwear. 

Now, these types of shoes are on my mental checklist.  A colored creeper to add a 'pop' of color as I wear creepers for casual everyday, when going to shows, or paired with pencil skirts and dresses. I would like a pair of black lace-up wedge booties that I can wear with skinny jeans, dresses, etc. I want wedge booties to fill my need for something with a 'heel' to pair with my skinny jeans and a blouse for feeling a little dressy for the holidays.

Sigh. Being practical and using self retraint. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

On the up side I'm defining my wardrobe and identifying its weaknesses, so I'm not having any melt downs while getting dressed. I think (as a goth) I'm always making a statement, so I just want to get the most out of my wardrobe as I can.

Do you have self restraint while shopping?

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Come Dance With Me : Radiation

Ughhhhhh! Well, it's a good ugh for sure as I went out to Radiation, our local goth dance night in Buffalo. This girl danced so much I have blood blisters on my feet, my hips and back hurt, and I have a headache
<-----------------------------------------this big--------------------------------------------------------->
I'm now trying to drink buckets of coffee and watch Kitchen Nightmares as I have a crush on Gordon Ramsey. I love a man who yells about food while jumping up and down!

Melanie snapped a photo of me at the club, now with nose chain!

My outfit is a little ridiculous with belts and crosses and buckles, oh my!, but it's fun to over-accessorize when you're going to the club. Essentially I'm wearing a tunic with leggings (it was cold last night!) and a jacket, simple and comfortable. I was going to wear a corset, but Thanksgiving Day dinner made me feel like the stuffed turkey when I put one on. D'oh! I have to admit I like corsets (the four I don't wear), but I'm not in love with wearing them when I want to dance like a mad woman. So, I wore the -suck it in- underwear....besides it's dark in the club, who cares!

The Melanie <3

I'm wearing the lovely Ankh of the Dead by Alchemy Gothic that Derek got me for our anniversary.

Nothing says love like getting your wife an ankh necklace that turns into a dagger! Awwwww

These are more wonderful ladies in my life!

It's always worth staying up past my bed time to see everyone and have a blast once a month. The dj's played the most amazing music and played my request:

  

Now I'm going to crawl to the couch and be a lump for the rest of the day. *Wink*

Thanks for reading! Please join me on Facebook too!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Black Friday?! Blech!

Black Friday stay away from me!

I hope all of my United States readers enjoyed Thanksgiving in which ever way they celebrated (or didn't). As someone who worked retail for years, I detest Black Friday with all my little black heart. I think it's ridiculous to kick off the holiday season with greed and malice, I want to kick the person who started this phenomena a kick in the pants. On the flip side-I do understand people's want and need to shop within their budgets (heck my blog is all about this), but when retailers fuel the insanity and then people eat it up, I find it upsetting.

So, I suggest thinking about shopping small! Here are some of my favorite stores that you may find some fun gifts on a budget:

Plasticland: www.shopplasticland.com

Gorey Details www.goreydetails.net

Sweetheart Sinner Creations www.sweetheartsinner.etsy.com

Se7en Deadly www.se7enDeadly.etsy.com

Madame Talbot www.VictorianLowbrow.etsy.com

Sourpuss Clothing www.sourpussclothing.com

Angry, Young and Poor www.angryyoungandpoor.com

Other ideas are to watch out for sales, coupons, etc. by signing up for the stores/designers newsletters/mailing lists or 'like' their Facebook pages so you can jump on the savings. 

In my opinion the most important thing is the thought and effort behind a gift, so think about making something for those special loved ones in your life. My most precious items were made by my husband and friends from their owns hands and it shows me how much they love me. :)

Go forth and enjoy the holiday season!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Shoes! OMG! : Frankenstein Heels

Ohhhh! I was searching for TUK creepers and stumbled upon these Frankenstein Monster Heels by TUK for $25! The lovely lace pattern combined with the mary jane heel style and the Frankenstein bow detail made me a tad bit giddy. I love being a girl. *wink*

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Outfit Of The Day : Bones And Stripes

The weather was so wonderful on Tuesday that I had to make myself look nice for no reason at all, perhaps I just want to bask in what's left of this lovely Buffalo autumn before the cold hand of winter is upon us.

I took my camera and tripod outside, to take advantage of the weather and our lovely courtyard. I always feel a little weird snapping photos of myself when others could be looking, "I have a blog, I'm not that vain!"-or so I want to proclaim. Hahaha!

You will see I paired the XRay Doll Parts Dress very differently then in my Creepy Cocktail Blog. I'm wearing the dress over a short sleeve collared shirt, a little button front sweater, and leggings with slouch socks and little buckle boots (which I got for $11 on Target's website some months back). My striped Rosie Scarf is my newest addition to my hair scarf and Dungaree Dolly collections. I feel so comfy!

Thanks for reading! 

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Kitsch Picks : Sanrio Sweaters

+Badtz-Maru Comic Strip Sweater +Houndstooth Hello Kitty Cardigan

+Chococat Dropped Shoulder Cardigan +Two-Tone Badtz-Maru Sweater

Sanrio has made it's way to Forever 21's website and I love the Badtz-Maru items! I've had a love affair with Badtz-Maru way before Ice Bat, just don't tell Ice Bat!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Adventures : A Place To Bury Strangers

On Friday Derek and I went to see A Place To Bury Strangers, a post-punk noise band from Brooklyn, New York. I was jumping for joy when Derek told me that they were coming to town because I'm a huge post-punk girl and a big fan of the band. 

I'm glad I brought my ear plugs! Wall of noise goodness. I stood close to the front and loved every minute of it.

I think this crazy photo describes the show and mood perfectly. 

I didn't wear anything too amazing to the show, but I was digging how my hair looked. Please excuse the silly bathroom mirror shots. 

They opened the show with one of my favorite songs!

 

And played another favorite! Happy girl was happy!

On a side note, the band played at Mohawk Place which used to be like a second home to me when it was the original owner Pete's place. Mohawk Place will sadly be closing in January 2013 and once again another haunt in my home town is biting the dust. 

Check out A Place To Bury Strangers: Facebook

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Makeup Purchases : E.L.F Cosmetics

I had done a silly make up review of my last E.L.F cosmetics order back in an April blog, so I thought I would share some items I reordered and a few thoughts on newest additions.

I'm not going to lie and say I really know what I'm talking about when it comes to makeup, I have acquired quite the collection over these past few years, yet I'm a creature of simple habits. I like a value for my money and I also like to splurge from time-to-time, so I'm not totally cheap *wink*. I became smitten with E.L.F cosmetics simply on a whim at Target one day, I'm glad I tried their products and my wallet is happy too!

Reordered:
Mineral Foundation SPF 15 in Porcelain-Great value at $5, the container is small and can make a mess, but the color is dead on for my hard to match 'death warmed over' complexion. I have dry skin and when this mineral foundation is used over a primer it's quite nice. Not recommended for someone who wants full coverage.

Makeup Lock & Seal-$3 I damp my brush with the lock & seal and use it with my gel liner for my eye brows. I've also used it with my bolder eye shadows looks which have helped my makeup stay put even after hours of sweating on the dance floor. This product is not a miracle worker, but it's a nice sealer for the money.

New purchases:
Studio Lip Balm SPF 15 in Plum-$3 I was on the fence about this product as I'm picky about anything involving color on my lips. As much as I'm addicted to chapstick (I know, it's terrible), I am not a fan of the feel of lipsticks, lip stains, etc., but I love the way it looks. I was pleasantly surprised with the Studio Lip Balm, feels nice with sort of a minty tingle, moisturizing and the color is lovely! Nice for a simple day or evening look.

Studio Stipple Brush-$3 I didn't expect much from a $3 brush and well, it's nothing to write home about. It's my first stipple brush, so it could be that I just haven't gotten the hang of it, I'll chalk it up to an inexpensive practice brush.

Have you ever tried E.L.F cosmetics?

Thanks for reading!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Shoes! OMG! : TangoJane Pumps

Me-OW! Check out the TangoJane Mary Jane Pumps by Isabel Toledo for Payless Shoes. Though there is limited sizes available online, I love the $39.99 price tag and that it's part of their BOGO sale! With the holidays coming up these would be a perfect shoes paired with your party dress.

Happy Shoes! OMG! Thursday!

Thanks for reading,

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Outfit Of The Day : Sweater Dress

The weather went from last week being almost in the 70's (F) down to the 30's this week! Crazy weather Autumn weather, oh boy. It was a great time to wear my new black sweater dress I picked up from H&M for $25. I paired the dress with this zip-up sweater with Juliet style sleeves found at the thrift store for $2.50. I know I may be layering too much knitwear together, but who cares, I'm cold! 

I think I will be living in this dress all winter long as I wanted a long sleeve dress for warmth, and a style like this for comfortable and versatility. I've been  updating some basics in my closet as I just want something effortless that I can pair with my ever growing legging collection. I also like that the dress is longer in the back to cover up my caboose.

This is what I *really* look like in person

"Heyyyyyyy!"

Thanks for reading!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Kitsch Picks : Crosses, Crosses, Everywhere!

+Linen-Blend Cross Print Tee +Cross Pattern Cardigan

+Garia Gothic Cross Dress +A-Cross the Universe Dress

I can't help but be smitten with all the lovely crosses!

Thanks for reading!!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Housewarming Party & Uncomfortable Shoes

This weekend was filled with pizza, friends and getting dolled up for our friend's housewarming cocktail party. I opted to wear this little black dress with ruched leggings as the dress is pretty short and I don't think the party would be too thrilled if I mooned them all. Then again, they are my friends. Haha!

You can't tell by my silliness, but I wasn't really feeling very awesome. I had one of those 'everything looks terrible, I look terrible, I hate everything I put on' evenings while I got dressed, but it didn't help that I physically didn't feel well. I get these feelings every-so-often and I give myself a little pep talk, tell myself that all my friend's will be at the party and I'm going to have a lot of fun. It's just clothes, get over it. *Wink*

Well my little talk to myself worked and I had a great time at the housewarming despite my beautiful, yet ouchie shoes. Perhaps that is why they live in the closet and only come out from time to time. Maybe I should just put them on a shelf so I can at least enjoy them that way!

Hi everybody!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Thanks for reading.

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Love/Hate : The Black T-Shirt

Some of my favorite t-shirts

I'm pretty sure we all have a few black t-shirts in our wardrobe, whether it's for everyday fashion, working out, a work uniform, etc. I have a love/hate relationship with t-shirts and how they have become a "uniform" in alternative fashion, so much in fact it's often all I have to choose from when I'm shopping online! What frustrates me the most is while I do enjoy t-shirts, I don't think they are appropriate all the time nor do I think they are the most flattering item to wear. People cling to their band t-shirts, gimmicky word or graphic tees like that is what defines them in the alternative world, when in reality you start to look a little silly. Of course, this is an opinion from a woman who looks like a goth reject from the 80s, so touche.

What about making that black t-shirt work for you rather than against you? Just because you're _______ (insert subculture label here) doesn't mean you need to look like an angsty teenager who bought that black t-shirt with their allowance at Hot Topic. Think outside the t-shirt/jeans/hoodie box and make that  t-shirt look chic! I'm not telling you to grow up (I'm not throwing out my Cure t-shirts any time soon), I'm just suggesting to look at t-shirts differently.

Just a few suggestions on styling

Some other things to consider when wearing a t-shirt:

-If the graphic on the shirt gets stretch out and distorted in the breast area, it's not only too small, it's umm, distracting. It's also doing a disservice to your figure and drawing attention to your boob's rather than your pretty face. On the opposite side, wearing over-sized t-shirt's will in fact make you look larger than what you really are!

-Think about what the t-shirt means and says about YOU. If there are band lyrics with lots of expletives and you're going grocery shopping, maybe you should save that one for a concert or a club. 

-Materials with stretch are comfy, but they can also be extremely clingy and unflattering. If you want to hide your imperfections in the stomach and hips area, tight baby doll t-shirts are not your friend.

Now I'm not on a crusade to say "down with black t-shirts", I just think as a whole we are way too relaxed with fashion and thus become lazy and reach for our t-shirts. In fact, I often do not wear graphic t-shirts because I think they make my 'taco tummy' look more pronounced with my skinny jeans. I don't want to make my flaws more apparent for all to see, thank-you-very much, so I use clothing to my advantage and camouflage it! Make clothing work for you, not against you.

What are your opinion's on my black t-shirt debate? 

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Outfit Of The Day : Zebra Skirt

Phew! It's been a crazy week filled with sewing, reorganizing various household things and dealing with Photobucket photo issues (MEH!) I'm switching back to Picasa as it's much easier and everything will be all in one place. I want to keep my blog consistent, neat, and easy to read and view the photos. I love my readers!

Any who, I went to the mall to exchange a few things and I dug out my zebra print skirt from the dresser, paired with my Doc boots and cotton moto style sweater. I really like to wear easy pieces to take on and off when I know I may trying on clothing. I am lucky that I have such good self control while shopping *twitch twitch* so many lovely things at the stores, but I am sticking to a mental list of things I would like to add to my closet. I did pick up a long sleeve dress which was on my list. Check mark!

I absolutely love my Cure back patch. 

Do you have a mental checklist of pieces you'd like to add to your closet?

Thanks for reading!!!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla