Dramatic Sleeves and Dramatic Poses

I shop at Target a lot, but I don't venture into the clothing section too often as I don't like to add to my bill (hello, self control?). When I do check from time to time, I fell in love with a piece. This black knit dress from the Who What Wear collection really caught my attention (plus size available too!) and I'm so glad I made the purchase.

Besides the fun, dramatic bell flared sleeves, the stretch knit is so comfortable and keeps a nice shape while it's on. I've already worn and washed the dress twice and it is still perfect! It's a great travel knit too, just fold and roll. Easy dress to style a variety of ways, I just have to figure out some ways to layer so I'm not covering up the sleeves, but the dress also looks amazing with my velvet coat.......

Wearing: black velvet beret (vintage, via estate sale), velvet coat (vintage, via eBay), dress (Target), cross scarf (gift), winklepickers (thrifted, from Julie Ann)

Do you find pieces from Target (or other department stores) that you love?

Thank you for reading, until next time!

Why Haven't I Purchased a Tank Dress Until Now?!

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you may notice that I don't wear a lot of fitted clothing (other than leggings, etc.), so the idea of wearing a tank dress sorta terrified me. Then I got to thinking (and a friend of mine also mentioned she does this) of styling sweaters OVER the dress. 

I started to enjoy wearing chunky pull over sweaters that I find while thrifting, but was having a little issue styling them with the right bottoms. Now that I have the tank dress, I don't have to worry about tucking under layers into my skirts or feeling all bunched up or feeling a draft from the sweater being too short for the pants I'm wearing. Hey, I'm cold and I hate feeling back drafts. Hahahaha!

I also think I gravitated towards this one in particular was the length and the material. It's a stretch cotton blend that has great movement and isn't too clingy. Basically it's a reallllllllllllly long comfy tank top. Not only a great basic, I feel it will become a wardrobe staple.

I get excited when a wardrobe dilemma gets solved and it opens a whole new way of mixin' n' matchin'. The older I get, my wardrobe has become more curated and this way it makes dressing not only fun, but easy. I like reaching into my 'black vortex'  *cough (closet ) couch* and pulling out looks that make me feel good. Everyone should wear what they love!

Do you have any tank dresses? How do you style them?

Thank you for reading, until next time!

A Thrift Store Cutie

Most of the time when I am thrifting or second hand shopping I'm looking for items for my etsy shop or items for resale, but occasionally I will find a little cutie for myself. This little dress was picked up for $4 and I was surprised that it had a Forever 21 label.

Though it's hard to see in the photo, I'm wearing a pair of stretch lace bike shorts by Deranged Designs. These are the best and most comfortable bike shorts I've ever owned! Not only is their construction superior, they are incredibly comfortable. The shorts make wearing dresses that are too short for me easier to wear as I don't like my bum hanging out. Hahahaha!!!

Wearing; bow dress (thrift store), spiked flower headband (Bling Beauty Bowtique), Siren (Matte Lipstick by NYX Cosmetics)

Looking forward to the weekend, we're heading to Cleveland, Ohio for some adventure.

Thank you for reading, until next time!

Feelin' Like Autumn

Despite battling sinus issues, I enjoyed the cooler Autumn-like weather yesterday. We've been having a very mild Summer, which has been a bit of a bummer since Derek and I bought a little 3 foot pool for the backyard. It's basically like an adult kiddie pool. Hehe!

The cooler weather gave me a chance to wear this cute tunic top I got last month on my thrifting adventures. I really love the collar and the bronze collar tip details. It's the type of top that you can roll up the sleeves and button them up, but I'm not a huge fan of that look, so I may just snip the little buttons that are on the sleeves. 

Wearing; tunic top (thrifted), stripe leggings (old, via Sourpuss Clothing), boots (Dirty Laundry), earrings (Blood Flowers Jewelry via etsy)

Can you tell the sinus meds are making me kooky....more than usual.

Do you have any fun plans this weekend?

Thank you for reading, until next time!

Tryin' To Stay Cool

Hello friends! How are you doing? Me? Well, I'm warm.....to be exact, I'm sweaty. Oh so glamorous to admit, but it's the truth. The question is: why did I bother to put any makeup on?! Surprisingly my eyebrows haven't slide off my face. Hahahaha!

I've been wearing my hair up and off my face, as humid hot weather does not agree with big teased hair. (Boooo!) The hair got pulled up into a ponytail, misc. pieces are bobby pinned up and I tied a piece of tulle around my ponytail and made a bow, Voila!, new favorite hair accessory!

Wearing; dress (thrifted), lace up flats (eBay), earrings (thrifted), Unicursal Hexagram pendant (Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo, New Orleans), Trick or Treat Graveyard Purse (by Sweet Midnight via Cats Like Us), sunglasses (Cats Like Us)

Gosh, I really love this purse!!!

How do you try and stay cool when you are feeling hot and sweaty? *Asking this question while sipping a iced filled margarita* 

Thank you for reading, until next time!

Feelin' Crafty

Hello friends! How has everyone been doing? I've been feeling very crafty these past few months. I've been doing everything from my re-foaming settee project to cutting up t-shirts (like the one I'm wearing above) and crafting with bones.

Wearing; Cure t-shirt (given to me by Melanie), skirt (thrifted), shoes (Aerosole), necklace (made by Derek), bracelets (various places)

This piece was made from items we've had around the house. I painted the sacred heart (plastic) plaque in order to make it 'pop' and placed the bones to mimic the rays. I'm really happy with this piece and its already been hung on the wall.

Another piece that I put together, but this one wasn't something that I had planned in my mind. I just sorta 'went with it' and I'm pretty happy with the results. I had a lot of black lace, I had the base hanging around and lots of skulls around, so Voila! *Side note-I hung a broken rosary off the skull and love it even more* Now I'm looking around the house wondering what else I can get my hands on to DIY. Hahahaha!!!

Have a great night, thank you for reading!

"That's Not A Skirt?!"

I've had some luck in adding a few thrifted pieces to my closet. I found these bottoms in the skirt section and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were cropped gaucho pants. I was drawn to the high waist, pleating, length and the 'V' style front that is similar to my favorite shirt. 

Yay, so comfortable and flowy! Looking forward to styling these pants in a variety of ways, as I believe these will become a wardrobe staple. 

Wearing; velvet beret (thrift), boatneck top (Target), studded cardigan (eBay), gaucho pants (thrift), thin studded belt (Target), moon and bat necklace (The Pumpkin Coven), boots (6pm.com)

I hope everyone is having a great Monday. I'm recovering from a very eventful Sunday night, which I will share soon. *Wink*

Thank you for reading, until next time!

80s Knit Dress

Since I've been amping up my thrift hunting, I've been finding a few treasure to add to my own personal closet, like this 80s button-up knit dress. Warm, cozy, has pockets AND shoulder pads. Hehehe! I've given myself a sort of a light "challenge" to only purchase second hand clothing and stay away from tempting online shopping (unless it's eBay or etsy). I tend to prefer to buy things second hand and thrift, but have been more conscious of it and thus keeping my money in my wallet rather than impulse shopping.

Well my friends, I've been battling terrible sinusitis and I'll be happy when I look normal enough to perhaps photograph some more of my recent thrift finds. I hope you all have a happy and healthy weekend!

Thank you for reading, until next time!

Let's Dance!

February has flown by for me, so much so I was a little surprised that our monthly goth/punk night (War Dance) came up so quick! This month I choose another 80s piece that I found while thrifting and I'm so glad I found this beauty. Not only did I pick it up for next-to-nothing, it fits like a glove and it's incredibly comfortable, fun to dance in and will be a great dress to style in multiple ways.

Wearing; 80s dress (thrifted), 80s chain belt (estate sale), scarab necklace (boutique in Pittsburgh, PA), cross earrings (The Pumpkin Coven), winklepicker skull buckle boots (Demonia, second hand via ebay), bead bracelets (various places/second hand)

I love, love, LOVE the lace details at the shoulders and the very low lace panel on the back of the dress. The skirt is ultra twirly, so that was an added bonus while I was dancing the night away. Side note-I danced so much that I had terrible knee pain the next day. Hahaha! Older goth's just want to have fun, but pay it the next day.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend, they always go by too quickly!

Thank you for reading, until next time!

Outfits I've Been Rockin'

Hello friends! Just a few outfits I've been wearing over the last week and a half. I've been cold, so layering has been the number one theme in my mind. We've been having a weird weather with up's and down's in the temperature and I'm convinced that's why everyone around has been ill. I've had the sniffles for a month. UGH!

Anywho, I'm wearing some favorite basics like a button up collared shirt, drapey cardigan and my favorite 80s skirt. I love silver accessories as they really 'pop' against black, as well as boots with buckles. I can't get enough of the Western style double buckle belt, I have to tell myself that I doesn't need to be worn with every outfit. *Wink*

Hard to see, but I'm wearing gray tights. Ohhhh, so daring. (sarcasm) I know, I know. Once again silver accessories against black and this time I little gray thrown into the mix. I love shirt dresses, because I can wear a few layers underneath without creating bulk.  I also have to give my oversized 80s sweater a big shout out, as it's massive sleeves help to hide any lumps on my arms (the dress has buttons on the 3/4 length sleeves) that would be obvious with a more fitted sweater. One of the best thrift finds EVER!

My hair was acting so stupid on Wednesday and it was crazy windy out, so I threw it back into a messy ponytail and hairsprayed and teased until I felt I looked like a crazed 80s secretary. I also decided to wear some light blue eyeshadow to fit in with the look. Side note- I always have mixed emotions about wearing blue eyeshadow as it reminds me of my dancer days when my Mom would pile on the blue shadow for dance recitals...and the cream blush. AHHHH!!!

Everything is vintage/second hand except the gray & black draped open front sweater, belt and boots. There was so much static going on. So much. Maybe that's why my hair stayed up all day, the static electricity helped. Hahaha!!!

Thank you for reading, until next time!!

Velvet, Lace and Stripes

We went to our friend Lauren's salon/barbershop opening last night, so I opted to wear velvet and lace with my Killstar "So Goth I'm Dead" as an added touch of goth kitsch. So many people laughed when they saw the bag and said it was perfect for me.  I had to add that Derek gifted it to me as we think it's extremely humorous, since it has been a phrase we have both been using for years.

Wearing; lace dress (H&M), velvet dress coat (vintage, thrifted), cross belt (old, Forever 21), winklepickers (London Underground, thrifted), spider brooch I wore on my wedding dress

Not only is Derek's suit pretty amazing, his Fluevog shoes (that I encouraged him to buy) are amazing!!!! They are the Duckie shoes inspired by the amazing Duckie Dale character in Pretty in Pink. We encourage each other to be over-the-top with our fashion choices. Hehehe!

I snapped this photo earlier in the day before we headed out to run some errands and go to some thrift stores. I am so glad that we went out yesterday as I found a part for the gift I am making for Derek for Yule. I have to mention on cross bone necklaces are from Purgatory Plaything. When we both wear them, we have been asked, "Does that stand for something?". Answer: we REALLY like bones. *Wink*

Bad photo, good outfit.

Wearing; striped sweater (thrifted), 80s skirt (thrifted), boots (Dr. Martens via ebay), bat belt (gift from Derek via ebay), ankh earrings (ebay), bone necklace (Purgatory Plaything), blue sandstone crystal necklace (flea market).

I hope everyone is well! Thank you for reading, until next time!!!

It's Sweater Weather!

I am happy that I get to dive into my sweater collection, we've been having the weirdest Autumn so far and from day-to-day I have to double and triple check the weather channel in order plan on how I should dress. Last week we had a very rainy and cold days, which made me happy since I could wear my leather jacket. Hehe!

Wearing; sweater (old style, Sourpuss Clothing), dress (TOBI clothing), leggings (Carousel Ink), boots (6pm.com) earrings and necklace (thrifted)

The dress was the last one featured in my blog post about TOBI clothing and it's proving to be a wonderful dress for layering. They still have the dress on their website and it still gets two thumbs up from me!

When we got this cardigan in at work (last year), I thought that I didn't need it, but then I realized I was crazy. Of course I need a sweater with coffins on it, it's part of the name of my blog, I have many coffins tattooed on me (including my chest) and I LOVE coffins. 

Wearing; coffin sweater (Hell Bunny), stripe top (thrifted), skirt (eshakti), boots (6pm.com), spider necklace (Pier 1), coffin bead earrings (Sourpuss Clothing), and eyeball fascinator (hat=made by me, eyeball=made by Derek).

Speaking of coffins, I was very happy to now to wearing my Mordaunte's coffin gem ring that was a 5 year anniversary gift from Derek. I hate to say that it sat in the box for 2 years before I realized that it does fit my right ring finger. When Derek first gave it to me, we thought it was too small and need sizing, well I finally took it to a jeweler to only realize that we were wrong and I've been now happily wearing it everyday! Shout out to Sharon (Goth Gardening) for inspiring me to finally take my ring to a jeweler after seeing her amazing Instagram post about her Mordaunte ring along with another gorgeous cameo ring. Thank you dear!!!

Thank you for reading, until next time!