Shoes! OMG! : Moonlight by VOLATILE

Oh, purple boots. The Moonlight by VOLATILE also comes in olive and bronze, pretty rad looking boots! 

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Big Pink Polka Dots

image source polyvore

My friend Julie Ann (and boss lady) gave me this pink polka dot dress by Living Dead Souls (pictured above), but I wasn't too crazy about the halter straps. So, I decided to make a change and cut off off the straps and reattach as regular straight straps. I didn't want to bore everyone with another tutorial, but a few snips and voila!, it looks like an 80s rockabilly dress. Can I please be in a Stray Cats video?!

I'm not really a pink girl, but this dress makes me smile! I even made a matching hair scarf with the remaining material from the halter straps.

Straight straps are more my style, more comfortable and I can wear a regular bra!

Weeeeeee!

Since I'm wearing so much pink, I decided to put on my Pink Flamingo lipstick by Too Faced. I made this dress a little more 'me' by pairing it with some spider web earrings, bat necklace and wedge booties.

It's the little changes here and there that can really make a difference in terms of a garment. You can say I've been on a DIY rampage! *Wink*

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Dreary Day In My New Coat

Do you ever have one of those days that nothing can seems to make you happy? You're just frustrated, angst-ridden and just want everyone and everything to get out of your way? Well, that was me Monday. Poor Derek had to deal with the downer that was me, but he knows I'm usually my chipper -singing songs, making jokes and laughing- 90% of the days. I also believe the weather was totally matching my mood.....dreary.

"Oh smile", said Derek

Even as I'm writing this I'm laughing at myself, cheer up buttercup!

My black wool jacket's zipper broke (last week) and it's currently at the tailor getting replaced, so I decided that wearing my vintage faux fur 'special occasion' coat wasn't going to cut it and ran to Target. I saw this grey coat on the clearance rack and didn't think too much of it. The coat has 3/4 sleeves with attached black ribbed bits seemed odd to me, but I threw it in the pile to try-on. Well, as you can see I picked the coat! I think it has a really cute 60s vibe going on, which I totally dig. Best part, I got the jacket for $35 when the original price was $70. Woooo! I love a good bargain and now I'll have two winter coats to love.

Oh, and I did eventually 'cheer up', Derek insisted we buy some junk food to help my mood. Hahaha! I'm usually so "good" when we go food shopping, but this time I indulged in a few goodies. Mmmmmm snacks!

What do you do to cheer yourself up?

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Kitsch Picks, My Favorite Things Edition : Knick Knacks

I wanted to switch up Kitsch Picks and write about a few of my favorite things. This week I wanted to share some of my favorite 'knick knacks' that decorate our apartment.

My vintage head vases that live on a shelf above my sewing area. I love head vases, but I only buy them when I find ones I really love and if the price is right. 

I love nuns and nun-related items! I have to keep my 'nun love' compulsion to a small shelf, so I don't 'over nun' the house with them. Yes, I'm corny. *Wink*

More vintage chalkware that lives on our shadow box in the living room. My favorite is the green head vase, which is the original color! I would like to find the male counterpart some day.

The raven book ends were a gift from Miss Bethezda and her husband, I adore their little robust bodies! They guard part of our Edward Gorey hard cover book collection and look down at me while I'm blogging.

Victorian Boney Bunch candle holder, a gift from Derek, I love her big bustle skirt and little skeleton smile. Oh yes, that is a taxidermy spider you see, an anniversary gift from Derek. We joke that we're creating our own 'anniversary gift guide'; first year was skulls, second year was spiders and third year is knives. Hahaha!

Skeletal cherubs that sit on my small 'knick knack' shelves (above my sewing area) that Derek painted for me. I simply adore them and it's another example of Derek's humor and painting skills. 

What are your favorite knick knacks? I would love to see your photos and blog posts, please keep free to comment with a link!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Big Hair, Big Stripes

Friday night was Radiation (our monthly goth/ebm night), which means I went out two weekends in a row. I'm such a party animal, haha! It's really cold here, so I layered up and went out into the night. Patterned leggings are a default choice when it comes to club leg wear, so stripes were the main focus that night!

My hair was out of control and it was making me so mad (I need a hair trim, badly) as it's getting long and thus heavy. So I teased the crap out of it, hair spray, and added a hair scarf to keep it out of my hair. I was pleased with the result and got a lot of compliments. I like big hair and I can not lie.

What I'm wearing:

-jacket (ebay) about $20

-dress (Deb Shops) $12

-leggings  $20

-boots (from a livejournal sale) Pennangalan $35

-necklace pendant made by Derek as a gift

-stretch belt from a Switchblade Stiletto skirt

I always forget to take pictures of the back of my jackets! Perhaps a post all about the details? Hrmmm.....

Derek told me to pose this way. Haha!

I love the way these leggings look, but they kept falling down all night long, argh! They are the type that are rayon/poly stretch, which are my least favorite. I tried to be slick while dancing and do some moves to pull them up, maybe I need to wear some leggings suspenders under my dress! 

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Shoes! OMG! : Fuchsia Feather Flats

I'm not a pink gal, but do I think these rhinestone and feather fuchsia flats are darling! I can picture them being worn with a fun flirty dress for a friend's party, for an afternoon lunch, or even with a cocktail dress. Since I twisted my own arm (cough, cough) I decided to shop for some dresses to pair with the shoes, got a little help from Polyvore and Modcloth.

 

Thanks for you reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Show And Tell : Boudoir Editorial

I really enjoy styling for photo shoots and though it's been a while, I wanted to share one of the many fashion editorials that I am proud to have been a part of while working with Auxiliary Magazine.

Boudoir
December 2009

Credits:

Auxiliary Magazine December 2009

Photographer: Jennifer Link

Fashion Stylist: Meagan Hendrickson

Makeup Artist: Maria Rivaldo

Hair Stylist: Kristin Draudt

Model: Agata Waciawska

This shoot was based around the designer Sweet Ruin's gorgeous hand made masks, I wanted to portray something soft and feminine with an 18th Century historical feel. It was fun to have the challenge of using a soft pastel color palette when styling this shoot. I always enjoy styling a shoot that is outside of my own personal style as it gives me the opportunity to have a creative outlet with fashion. I really love how the whole team worked together and our model, Agata, is always a pleasure to work with.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my fashion styling 'Show and Tell'!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

DIY Project : Adding Straps To My Bat Attack Dress

I love my Bat Attack Dress by Sourpuss Clothing, but I'm not a huge fan of the strapless aspect of the dress, so I decided to add straps. I want to wear the dress more and style it differently, like layering the dress with a collared button-up shirt. So here's a little DIY picture tutorial to help anyone else who may want to try their hand at adding straps to a dress.

I decided on adjustable straps since it's the easiest option, so I purchased 'bra' style black straps at Joann Fabrics. I got a set of two for about $5 and used my 40% off coupon. I do love coupons for crafting!

Next, I determined where I would like to attach the straps, luckily the front seams of the dress acted as a nice guide. If your dress or garment doesn't have a seam to guide you, look at your other dresses as reference, or  try the garment on and mark (with chalk) where you'd like the straps to be placed. To ensure even strap placement, it's always good to use a measuring tape.

Because the straps I bought have hooks on either end, I want to make little loops that I will then sew onto the dress. I decided on black elastic as it's forgiving and it's what I had in my craft drawers. I cut out four 1" strips to make into loops.

You can pin the loops of elastic, or you can use a little fabric glue (see photo) to tack the loops on before sewing.

Sew, sew, sew, sew, times four! I used a small zing zag stitch to make sure the little loops are secure. Use whatever stitch on your machine you'd like, or you can easily hand sew the loops.

Ta-da! Straps attached and I'm loving the transformation, though it's small, I will now wear the dress more. Hoooray! 

Good luck on your DIY projects and don't be afraid to make those garments work for you!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Kitsch Picks : Music Videos

Some of my first memories are hanging out with my upstairs neighbor (about the age of 5/6) watching MTV for hours, this spawned my love of music videos. This week's Kitsch Picks is dedicated to some of my favorite music videos. I hope you enjoy!

















That's just a small selection of favorites and there are so many more!!!

Thanks for reading, errrr, I mean watching!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Goth Adventures With The Girls

Saturday, Danielle and I decided to rally the gals (last minute) to make a trip out to Vertex Nightclub in Rochester, NY. For some reason I was in such a rush (I painted my nails in the car, haha!) that I didn't get a chance to take any outfit photos before leaving the house. At least I got this one good mirror shot before the gail force winds ruined my hair. 

Danielle snapped a few photos of me in the ladies room, as you can see I like to 'blend in' with my environment. I don't know why I look so angry, when I was really like this:

LOL!!!

Pretty Danielle on the left and lovely Jenny on the right.

There was only 3 of us that went, but we had a really great time! I drank white wine, danced to some goth classics and chatted with our Rochester friends. I have to tell you, staying out till 4:30am is really hard when you're usually in bed at 10:30. I know, I'm a party animal. *Wink*.

In other non-goth club related news, we got a Keurig coffee maker! I'm so happy that we took the plunge after I did research on finding reusable K-Cups in order to reduce waste.

Fake smile, tired girl

Perhaps the fact that I'm exhausted prompted me to want to ditch our old coffee maker (well, it will go to a thrift store or to anyone who would like it) and buy this pretty red thing at Target. This girl needs her coffee daily!

I'm going to try and keep myself awake until Downton Abbey which airs at 9pm, perhaps I'll use my Keurig!

Thanks for reading! Sleepily yours,

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

80s Dress And New Shoes

My crazy shoes came in the mail this week and I ripped open the box and knew I loved them before I even put them on. They are ridiculous, it makes me happy.

The platform is weird, plastic and light weight, I've never had a platform shoe quite like these. This style is definitely a Jeffrey Campbell knock-off and put together as such, but I don't plan on wearing them everyday or running a marathon in them. Could you imagine me running in these? Hahaha! The only con I can say about the shoes is that the bottoms are extremely slippery, I'll have to do something about that.

I paired the dress with one of my newest thrift store finds, an 80s dress sack for $5. I'm totally in love. I love 80s fashion, but I usually resist some of the more tackier pieces, but this dress appeals to me. When I look for vintage from the 80s I look for; black & white, geometric prints, and items that don't look too dated. 

And I couldn't resist tying a scarf in my hair and making a big bow, I think I'm ready to go dancing at an 80s night! Oh, that sounds like fun!

Do you like to wear vintage?

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Shoes! OMG! : A8162L by T.U.K. Shoes

Kitty faced flats seem to be all the rage, but T.U.K. has had this style idea for quite some time. Though I'm allergic to kitties (sad face) I'm not allergic to the A8162L Bolt and Heart Kitty Plummies by T.U.K. shoes! I think these little sneaker flats would look adorable paired with dresses, jeans, skirts, just about anything! Check out the cutie pie who is, The Professor and her kitty plummies, and how she styled them. Love her!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Dressing For Wacky Weather

It was 65 degrees on Sunday, 65 degrees in JANUARY. Totally and utterly nuts for Buffalo, even with the past two years winters being incredibly mild.

I'm wearing shorts, no winter jacket, no boots, I'm wearing shorts! Grant it, I am layering the shorts with leggings, but I think you get the point. I was given the Broad Minded Clothing shorts from my friend (and boss) Julie Ann and they are pretty darn cute and comfy. You can purchase them here.

I'm not usually one for tucking my tops in, but I was feeling playful, and I was digging the sailor-ish vibe going on pairing the shorts with a long sleeve striped top. My shoes weren't the most chic choice, but since we were going to some antique shops, I wanted to be comfortable. Yes, comfort sometimes out weighs fashion when I want to enjoy myself. *Wink* 

Monday was another day off for Derek, since he's back to his old schedule (Sunday and Monday off, woo!) we try and do fun activities and get out of the house. Unlike Sunday, it was much colder and I needed to layer. 

I went nuts with patterns and I like the way it turned out! I purchased this skirt dress from Target and wore it for Christmas Eve dinner, once again I got it at a super price. I had admired the dress in-store when it was full price, but held off because the white sorta scared me away. I tried it on when the dress went on sale and I knew it had to be added to the closet. It's so easy to wear, to layer, and I really like the geometric patterns.  Could 2013 be the year of the patterns? Eh, who knows.

The dress came with a fabric belt made of the same pattern, but I put on a skinny black belt with a silver buckle to break up the dress. I do enjoy a good belted in waist! 

Derek and I went to the Buffalo Museum of Science to check out the Egyptian Mummies and all the other exhibits, it was a ton of fun! Here is my silly video of me 'broadcasting the weather'. Hahaha! Oh boy.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla