My favourite pieces of jewellery.

So, I never wear a lot of jewellery but I'm mad about cute earrings and statement rings and necklaces. Here are some of the pieces in circulation at the moment. How rad are the cherub earrings? Topshop makes the best costume jewellery earrings around.

Flannel is my comfort blanket.

Today was one that could have easily spelled disaster; buses broke down and clouds looked ready to burst at any moment. However, I was pleasantly surprised by both the weather and just how awesome my friends are. It's nice to know that they'll come all the way to Hickville, Ireland, just to visit me. A tea crawl, sweet shop raid and hike meant lots of walking in post, and pre, rain conditions ergo my faithful Docs were cracked out and cleaned of paint only to be covered in mud. Never mind, (heh) they can take it! The necessity of the Docs and the fact that my favourite band tee was just washed lead to a grungier outfit than I had intended. It was comfy as heck, though, and Granny even commented that I was in a sensible "rig-out" for once. Getting up in the mornings doesn't agree with me, either, so my outfit for today was never going to be overly elaborate. 

To avoid too much pastiche I made sure that the entire look wasn't baggy (unflattering on me, anyhoo, being small in stature) by just wearing leggings on bottom, under the long tee and shirt worn alternately on top or around my waist for shape. The sunglasses put a cute twist on an androgynous look and also hearkened back to a famous red pair worn by Kurt Cobain while the crucifix mixed in goth influence. A kind of modern take on practical grunge for the girl about town (and nearby hills). x

Tee - UO - Shirt - Urban Renewal for UO - Leggings - Topshop - Crucifix - Topshop - Docs - Sunglasses - Topshop

Grown-up goth.

Like most sub-cultures, goth makes me think of youth. I was never super into the music but I've always adored the beauty of the fashion. Few genres of music inspire the same level of dedication and creativity through clothes. A lot of my teens were spent flirting with goth and punk fashion. However, though I don't feel (at twenty) that I'm old, I do feel I'm too old for some of the things I used to wear. Very few people don't look ridiculous in these clothes beyond their teens. It's just a little too literal, a little juvenile. Not true for everyone, of course, as there are those people who dedicate themselves and their lives so completely to genres, make them a way of life, that you cannot help but nod appreciatively. For those of us who aren't quite so epic, we have to learn how to, not lose who we were, but integrate that into becoming an adult. That means being a little less obvious, a little less costumey. Looking like an Anne Rice character is cute when you're fifteen but not when you're going for job interviews. But you don't want to lose yourself to being age appropriate. How to balance it? Do a Booth and only let your personality shine through socks and ties? Or maybe we can just learn to think about things in more abstract ways. Fashion houses are great educators of this idea. Retain that punk or goth aesthetic through a colour palate, materials or hints of sub-culture that are included in unexpected ways. What I'm wearing today isn't even a particularly subtle example of this; We have a largely black palate with some red thrown in for colour, use of lace and sheers, a crucifix and cameo. Worn differently, all these elements would be too much, too literal but here they are tamed by the simple wardrobe staple, the classic black skinny (which transcends every age group), by inversion of typical goth silhouette and layering. The goth silhouette is usually baggy on bottom and tight on top; as when poofy little skirts or longer flowy ones are paired with corsets. Here, I'm wearing tight pants with loose, baggy layers on top. I have layered a kimono-like jacket over a Peter Pan collared shirt over a corset-inspired tank. This adds depth to the outfit, layers of interest and layers of influence; Japanese fashion, sweeter, preppy trends and more stereotypical gothic clothing. The hair and makeup (or lack thereof) is pretty casual and neutral, again, not giving in to the obvious or costume by slicking on some black lipstick. 

See, the thing is, as adults we're so much more than one genre. We've experienced so much more and moved on from the hurt and pain and general shittyness of being stuck in the ether (and secondary school) and we no longer need to hide behind our music. When we're adults that music, life-shattering, altering and bettering as it may have been, is just one part of the many things that make us unique. It's no longer everything about us. So, when I make my goth a little more grown-up and try to age gracefully, I'm not forgetting my past but I'm letting it fit in better with my present and my future x

Corset-inspired tank - Vila - Shirt - Two Tone - Kimono-like jacket - Vintage (says its from Paris but nothing else) - Skinny jeans - Pieces - Crucifix - Topshop - Cameo brooch - Gift from Italian friends - Runners - Office

Smells like more study...Sigh...

It's the day before my last written exam, hopefully my last ever written exam in Italian and it's kinda hard to concentrate. I shouldn't have decided to study at home. Bad plan. All of my clothes are here, staring at me, begging me to play with them. I swear the wardrobe door won't close fully anymore on purpose. Procrastination it is then...

How to do leather - BtVS.

Okay, last post based on Whedonverse fashion, I swear. (For now, at least.) So, if there's one thing Buffy's taught me (aside from teaching me how to quip, which end to stick monsters with and introducing me to feminism as a kid) it's how to do leather whether it be trousers, jackets, coats or skirts. The key is that everything is fitted (unless it's a biker jacket because that would defeat the purpose) and it's never too much, paired with jumpers or simple tanks. Never overkill. She even pulls off red leather which is so often slutty as hell. Spike's duster is iconic, a similarly hard look to pull off and usually sported by teenage metalheads. The key here is that he isn't swamped. He wears the jacket and not the other way around; Spike's got a crazy-awesome physique, a bad-ass attitude and one hell of a swagger. He's even managed to do leather pants before without coming across all village people. 

Leather pants tamed by luxurious knitwear

Over-size biker jacket, attitude, crucifix = nineties love

Super-cute hat and coat. Yucky Riley.

Posted this before but the flowy white dress and leather jacket combo (and crossbow) is so perfect!

More leather pants being tamed by more casual top

Simple high-necked tank + red leather pants = not the horrible mess these pants could have caused

Another repost out of love

Love a man who can work that much leather. And d'aw! He looks confused.

Slayer Style - Fashion with bite (Sorry, couldn't resist...)

Fashion-wise I'm usually inspired by my latest and greatest t.v. or music obsessions. As it's exam season I've resorted to my usual exam obsession, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I first started watching as a child in, and of, the nineties and I didn't notice the fashion much then (which is good because pretty hit and miss much). Then the obsession caught me again in my mid-teens and once again during the ol' L.C. (Joss' genius was great for encouraging my denial of impending exams)

This time around I focused on season seven which was a pretty fashion-solid season for everyone involved; lots of lace, monochrome, cute denim jackets, beanies, long skirts or skinny jeans, everything accentuating and following the physique. And, of course, the "stylish and affordable boots" that Buffy quipped that she was shaking in to many a monster that she was fighting.

My style crushes are definitely Buffy and Dawn with the occasional appearance of Anya or Willow on my radar. Such a good season! Plot-wise and wardrobe-wise. The soundtrack also makes majorly with the inspiration.

Technically not season seven but one of my favourite outfits throughout the show. Who knew crossbows made such good accessories?                                                                                   

Cute top, simple and fresh hair and make-up

Again with the good tops and wow those are perfect-fitting pants and even though I'm not a turtle-neck fan Dawn's is quite cute here

Leather, lace, monochrome = perfection

Cassie was also a highlight of the season, her grunge-girl style was super-cute, pity she died so early on...

Maybe I'm crazy but I liked sluttyDawn's outfit and the hair was great

More expert combining of leather and lace

Anya with an adorable floral dress, kinda vintage, pastel and great fit - Could easily see it in shops right now!

Vintage top and hair love!

The crucifix doesn't feature heavily in later seasons but it's the perfect one; chain not too long, simple, crucifix not too big.

I also love Buffy's piercings. I predict some post-exam piercing in the future - maybe I'm becoming a little bit psychic after all the BtVS...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wvwUDw4OwQ&list=PLB8225B487532EA8A&feature=mh_lolz