Mark One in the Win Column
Posted: July 29, 2015
Worn: June 4, 2014
Every once in a while, everything comes together. The outfit is cozy, the lighting is perfect, the temperature is comfortable, my bangs are behaving, I get just the right cat's eye while fumbling with eyeliner, I don't look angry, bored, or poleaxed, and my autofocus remembers the "focus" part of it's name. This probably isn't the best outfit I've shot (though I like it a lot), but I think it is the best photoshoot I've done. Sure my hair looks ratty in the back (when doesn't it) and I'm not too sure that earrings quite *go* with the rest of the outfit, but looking at the pictures makes me happy, and makes me excited about blogging.
Forever 21 tiger head t-shirt, 2012, with added under belt
A. Byer black skort from Macy's, 2003
We Love Colors black tights, 2011
Indigo by Clarks "Proctor" black boots from Footwear Headquarters on Amazon.com, 2011
August "Blossom Story" black beret from Macy's, 2008
Icing gold leaves earrings, 2011
The picture above shows the effect of the one modification I made to the top. As designed, it hangs loosely, tent-like. Given that my belly, left to it's own devices, extends further forward than my breasts, any top that doesn't pull in snugly in the back would tend to make me look rather heavier than I want people to think I am. Normally, I would wear a belt, but that would greatly disrupt the tiger head pattern -- and the way this particular top is designed, make it difficult to lift my arms as well. So I pinned a strip of cloth to the back of the top on the inside. The strip runs around my front under the top, holding the back of the top against me. Sometime I might sew it into place, but for the moment I like the potential for adjustability.
Colorblock & Leaves
Posted: July 23, 2015
Worn: May 14, 2014
I clearly remembered posting on Monday since I knew I wouldn't be home Tuesday and Wednesday. But apparently I posted on Chictopia and Lookbook, completely forgetting my own blog.
I wear a lot of tights from We Love Colors, because they are fairly cheap and keep 51 different solid colors of tights in stock. This should not be taken as an unqualified endorsement, however. The tights don't come higher than eighty denier, which isn't as opaque as I would like. Multiple pairs have had a manufacturing defect at the crotch which caused a run at the first wearing. (The runs propagate slowly, so I might still wear them a few times before replacing them.) And, as many colors as they carry, they frequently don't have the colors I'm looking for, to match or otherwise coordinate with clothing I already have.
That's the genesis of this outfit. I bought these tights, which style themselves "lilac", with the intent of them being a light purple that would work well with a lot of my purple clothing. They ended up being far too blue for that purpose, and not in a way that lends itself to being used with blue (or navy, or red, or black, or grey). But I still think the color is quite pretty, so I looked for inspiration to the colorblocking trend, where multiple bright colors are slammed together with little more justification than they are all bright colors together. I had already thought that the bright fuschia top could work with the bold purple skirt, so the not-really-lilac tights rounded out the set.
Rampage fuschia top from Macy's, 2010
Sweater Project white shrug from Macy's, 2012
True Freedom purple skirt, shortened, from Sears, 2012
Vintage interchangeable gold belt clasp, 2011
Purple belt made of Dritz knit elastic from Hancock Fabrics, 2012
We Love Colors lilac tights, 2013
Michelle D. purple wedges from Goodwill, 2013
Icing gold leaves earrings, 2011
Gold leaves necklace made from Icing and Michael's components, 2011
One of the perks of shooting at dawn was meeting the early bird.
I don't think he liked my outfit.
It almost looks like an image macro, doesn't it? Let's try it:
Now back to your regularly scheduled (somewhat delayed) blog
I don't put flowers in my hair. Trees put flowers in my hair.
Cage Match: White Skin vs. White Dress
Posted: July 15, 2015
Worn: May 8, 2014
Sorry I'm late; somehow I forgot that I blog on Tuesdays. Unaccountable, I know.
I tended to favor dark colors even before Lynn's goth influence. I've passed over a lot of light colored clothing over the years due to excessive translucence. And now that I'm taking a lot of pictures of my outfits, I have another reason to avoid light clothing; it's difficult to advantageously show off the paleness of my skin without washing out all the detail of the clothing. Still, I have another white dress that I've gotten a lot of mileage out of, which made me want to try a plainer, sleeker, more versatile version. It isn't quite as opaque as I'd like -- I still wear a slip under it -- but it isn't that bad.
Oh, and if you want this dress, in this or several other colors, and can wait a few weeks, you'll probably want to pick it up from AliExpress and avoid out of sight shipping costs via DHL.
White dress from iBUYLA.com, 2013
BCX purple wrap from Macy's, 2010, altered by me
Vintage interchangeable gold belt clasp, 2011
Purple belt made of Dritz knit elastic from Hancock Fabrics, 2012
We Love Colors purple tights, 2013
Michelle D. purple wedges from Goodwill, 2013
Purple earrings from eBay, 2012
Purple & black collar necklace made by me, 2012
Purple: The Saga Continues
Posted: July 7, 2015
Worn: April 21, 2014
You might not think it from looking at my blog, but it's actually been years since I did much shopping at Macy's. Since I started reading personal style blogs, my clothing purchases have shifted heavily toward the internet. But one thing I still buy at Macy's, and still intend to, is Calvin Klein tops from the women's suits section. They're intended to be worn under a blazer, and are frequently dry clean only, but the fabric drapes beautifully and the colors are usually rich and saturated. At the time of the shoot, this was my latest and most favorite that I wore with everything I could think of. I'm still very fond of it, though it has since been surpassed by another of the series. Here, I have it tucked it in, except at the front, in an attempt to give the section below the belt a more interesting shape.
This is my first time at a new shooting location, Leita Thompson Memorial Park. It's much more crowded, or at least lively, than I'm accustomed to from shooting in graveyards, and I had a hard time even finding a parking space. But it had a nice gardeny area up front without a lot of people, so I had a pretty good photography experience.
Calvin Klein purple tanktop from Macy's, 2014
Ambiance Apparel navy wrap from Charlotte Russe, 2013
True Freedom purple skirt, shortened, from Sears, 2012
Vintage interchangeable gold belt clasp, 2011
Purple belt made of Dritz knit elastic from Hancock Fabrics, 2012
We Love Colors navy tights, 2013
Purple earrings from eBay, 2012
Purple & black collar necklace made by me, 2012
Annie "Tux" shoes in Purple Velvet from Zappos.com, 2012
Note the statue in the background that I am totally not looking at. I didn't approach it, but apparently my phobia has decided Weeping Angels have an aggro radius.
