winter brightness

Ah, more bitter cold. How delightful! (The sarcasm keeps me afloat.) Between frigid weather and catching various small maladies my fashion sense of late has been dis-coordinated and usually hidden under a quilt anyway, but I feel better when I dress better -- and anyway it's Sunday; I can't go to church looking like I'm cosplaying a 1930s hobo. In a cartoon. Um. Anyway, this sweater dress (Goodwill, of course) has been something of a lifesaver this winter, as it is unimaginably warm and cosy, though slightly too large -- but a belt fixes that. (This corset-laced one is from Kyra's Christmas package.) It's also knit to be a biiiit see-through for both modesty and cold, so I wear a lacy dress underneath, which gives it an extra touch of whimsy as well. Bitter weather calls for COLOUR, and LOTS OF IT.

 

 

I bought this hat and matching gloves (we ran entirely out of gloves!) on ruthless clearance at Claire's last week. Annnnd it's totally poofing wrong in the first picture; LOOK IN THE MIRROR FIRST, JO. I promise I can wear it while not looking absurd.

 

Miscellany necklace from Claire's, and warm stripey gloves from same, two years ago.

 I've been mostly wearing the same two or three pairs of boots for the last month, on account of the PILES OF SNOW, and have finally had it, so pulled out my long-beloved orange heels for church this morning. I bought them at Goodwill three years ago or so and am still charmed. Stockings also thrifted, worn because they're one of two or three pairs I have that are actually really thick and warm.

shiny new old things

A recent Goodwill run with my mother scored some true gems! Huzzah for sales! Oh dear I really am terrifically spoiled with my Goodwills; I don't know what I shall do when I live someplace else where they are normal and haven't got regular manager's specials and things.

Pictures taken shortly after arriving home, in a dark house -- apologies for grainy, weird quality!

  

 Basically, we got home and I immediately changed into some of my new items. I'm especially delighted with the lovely goldenrod sweater: Vera Wang, for twenty-nine cents! And the cape is Montgomery Ward. Shoes also thrifted; skirt from Rue 21 some weeks ago ($3!), stockings... I don't know where my stockings come from half the time; they are just in my drawer; gloves from Ross.

Pretty buttons!

Like many a lass, I have a bit of a thing for red shoes, though ones that suit me are difficult to find. And red t-straps add a certain amount of vintage sass; huzzah!

casual gothic

Dear readers, winter is really a dreadful time for a fashion blogger. And my house is dark and full of things and my tripod is long broken, so there isn't much hope for indoor photographs on cold days. And, worst of all, I was sick or recovering from being sick or busy or busy and sick for most of December, woe -- so my poor blog got rather static. But 'tis the season for resolution, and I resolve to be back here, chronicling my eternal struggle to find pretty things to wear when I am freezing nigh unto death. 

It is very difficult, you see, for me to put on things in winter that consist of more than jeans and a sweater and maybe another sweater and six pairs of socks. And then a blanket. And then I don't feel like myself and am even more out of sorts all season. But here I am, trying my best! Only the next series of photos is half a cheat because 2011 started out rather startlingly warm.

 

Yes: 1 January was warm and rainy, and I welcomed the new year as myself-ly as I could: in an outfit that was equal parts rustic and gothic. My favourite dress, a lovely lace blouse that was a Christmas present from my friend Sarah, the boots I haven't managed to stop wearing every other day even yet, a belt and gloves (why did I not get close-ups?! self, you are ridiculous -- oh well I was about to go on an errand) from Kyra's Christmas package, my bat necklace and oldworld headwrap. 

P.S. This is my new haircut before I dyed it: hence, it actually resembles my new haircut a little more closely. The first few days post-dyeing my hair falls rather less loosely.

The key was on the tag of an M Is For Mad Alice in Wonderland shirt Anna sent me (I ended up wearing it Christmas with a black tulle skirt and of course got no pictures siiiigh), and at the moment I quite like it dangling from the crook of my arm.

A kiss for you! in the hopes that you will forgive me for abandoning you for so long. Or perhaps to show off my headband. WE MAY NEVER KNOW. 

Then I bicycled to buy hair dye and speakers and came home soaking wet and muddy, so that was the end of that, alas. 

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Sunday I was sick in bed much of the morning (I read lots of Madeleine L'Engle, so it wasn't all bad), and didn't get dressed till noon, and really didn't want to bother with anything -- but I had this pretty new t-shirt I'd got at Goodwill on the 30th -- all of the girls in the family went to Another Town to get our hair cut and visited a Goodwill we don't usually get to -- and that made my well-worn black jeans a little less boring. The necklace sort of found its way around my neck on its own somehow. I only threw the shoes on for the picture, though, really, and had to go with boots to conceal my clashing argyle socks.

Do I appear to be freezing in this picture? BECAUSE I AM FREEZING IN THIS PICTURE.

Ohhh, I have had my eye on this magnificent vampire necklace since long, long ago -- early October, I think Claire's got it in, but it was about twenty dollars which is absurd for something I Do Not Actually Need. But the drops, and the faceted red heart all covered in chains, and the little bit that has vampire scribbled on it, because clearly this necklace is meant to portray someone who is researching vampires because their beloved has either become one or has been kidnapped by some and basically it is is ostentatious and delightful and everything that I love, and I thought I had lost it, as it disappeared without going down in price some time ago, but One Last Necklace showed up on Claire's bargain racks for four dollars: why yes, yes, I will take it, thank you! So now I have a werewolf necklace and a vampire necklace and I could not be pleaseder. (Have I even shown you lot my werewolf necklace? I AM ASHAMED. I also received a similarly thematic necklace which you lot shall see soon.)

But also and more importantly: my hair has been properly cut by a real live hairdresser for the first time in two years, and I am delighted. I promptly dyed it very, very red because winter, o readers, grim grey winter is exactly the time for ridiculous hair.

 

It is very layery and much more tameable and looks very sweet and almost bobbed when I pull it back: an excellent combination of punky modern and classically pretty. And no I do not foresee the blue going anywhere in the near future. (And check out my darling cluster of bows from Hot Topic, c/o Kyra!)