My Melancholy Life: Building an Alternative Capsule Wardrobe

 

This blog post plays well with my spot in podcast #127 so be sure to tune in for more ideas and chatter and as always, please feel free to mail any of us  questions or comments via horroraddicts@gmail.com. If you want me to answer specifically, please use  “Mimielle” somewhere in the subject line. We always LOVE to hear from you and can often provide several viewpoints and have a good discussion with other listeners, guests and just have fun!

So…on to the fashion talk session this time. A lookbook and DIY section are below, so hang tight after this intro!

Firstly, I mention in the podcast that for Pastel Goths and people who like to mix in lighter  colors, this and next year will be your year to find great pieces and accessories in the Pantone colors of the year, Rose Quartz and Serenity, a light pink and pale baby blue.

 

Pastel Goth Boots via Buzzfeed

Even for us black-lovers, these colors in crystals or gemstone accents can be beautiful so don’t write them off completely! You can read something about the beliefs in the healing and magical properties of simple beautiful rose quartz stones here.

 

BUT…being the filthy enterprising opportunist that I am I thought, “What if WE alternative wardrobe wearers, seekers and even beginners could use this Normie technique to just sneakily change the way we dress to fit our own style. So between these concepts

• Minimalism (reason getting rid of things you do not want to wear)

• DIY (making some things feel more like things you DO want to wear)

• ‘Tidying’ (another reason for getting rid of things you do not want to wear)

your new capsule wardrobe can be born.

Study up, then get to work, Addicts!

You’ll be fabulous on no time, I am certain of it!

The Lookbook Section

Basic Capsule Wardrobe

Romantic Summer Goth

Strega

Summer Nu-Goth

Vintage Inspired

The DIY Section

This time we tackle the Jean Problem…fading blacks:

Black Avalanche for overdying your black jeans black again:

I know, I know that music is….well, have some crackers with that cheese bby. But…the technique is sound.

More in-depth tutorial from Rit Studio using the liquid version.

I also found a video for dying a leather purse…I’ll take on the challenge myself on an ugly-colored one from a thrift shop this summer and let you know  how THAT it goes!

When using dye, paint or doing any DIY, ALWAYS be sure you read the CLEAN UP instructions for sinks, your tools and the area, do not re-use the dying pots, utensils, tools or tubs for edibles and wear old clothes or…oops, clothes that you might not mind getting some black on, thereby re-creating the ‘dye and smile’ scenario over and over. It has been known to happen…

I am on the hunt for a dress I can DIY pastel, then use color remover then dye to black as well, that’s a neat trick I have been reading up on so hopefully I will have a lot to report on fashion-wise in our future!

RIT has a new formulation also released to DYE POLYESTER too!! Who knew?!?

More on that later too *makes a note*

 

You can pick up a copy of Horror Addict’s Guide to Life with many more of my tips, tricks and DIYs in addition to these  as well as get a used copy of Ms Kondo’s book  on Amazon while you are shopping (for about USD$6 these days by the way) or probably find it in a nearby library now that the demand for perfectly organized wardrobes is a little passé and we have moved back into our comfortable consumerism, already making our decorating haul lists for Halloween and gift lists for winter holidays.

But that article is for another day!

 

Kidnapping Blog: Sewing The Strange by Selah Janel

Sewing the Strange

by Selah Janel

I’ve always loved making stuff, and I’m lucky that that’s translated into a career for me. I’ve done a lot of different type of costume work through the years: theatre, opera, event work, amusement park, business commissions, photo shoots, wardrobe, stitching, designing, and consulting. I love a challenge, but I also have noticed that although I can do a bit of everything, I really thrive when it comes to weird stuff.

I don’t know if it’s that I’m just more open to it or if I’ve learned that I get more opportunities by seriously looking at things that aren’t just pretty dresses or historical stuff. I’m not a costume snob by any means, and I suppose this eventually turned into me creating weird pseudo-stuffed animal creatures, circus freaks, and rocker-goth fairy tale wolves on stilts.

Welcome to my world.

I’ve done a lot of haunted events, and a lot of the experimentation that comes from working on a budget has led to making myself a lot of weird stuff through the years. Because I can, and it’s fun to bring out during the holidays when the family asks what I’ve been up to.

So what do I make when I’m bored and want to break out of the mold? Heh.

A few years ago I built a Renaissance-ish dress that had a bodice and arm garters made from mask latex over fabric to simulate human skin (for that girly touch). Since then, I’ve been experimenting with the technique (when to paint, at what stage to sew, how to add on parts and get texture), and since I don’t necessarily need a closet full of Leatherface’s family-friendly clothing line, I’ve mostly limited myself to accessories. I tend to use these when I’m going to cons, sitting on horror panels, and want an interesting trip to the grocery store.

Although sometimes a girl needs a little something more…admittedly I need to add a prom queen banner and find a makeup artist willing to work with me to really make this one pop, but I love the dichotomy of the princess-ish prom dress, the clean top, and the unnerving skirt. Plus, hi, every gal on a night out needs a handbag.

I feel the need every so often to try to top myself, and this project involved bringing in a friend to get it done in time. It took both of us pouring in the work to get it done in time for a convention, and I still have things I want to add to it. I love the trope of evil children, and I’ve played with questionable imaginary friends in some of my written work, so it was fun to bring that to life with a somewhat stylized Victorian twist. The demon’s name is Martin and I need to rework his arms to be more bendable/attach to my wrists for some control, because static as they are, they tend to grab people’s butts and that’s just really hard to explain when you’re just trying to walk down a hall.

I also have a soft spot for plushies and stuffed animals, so when I went to see Welcome to Night Vale’s live show, I decided to make a Strex Pet for my very own. The challenge and awesome part was that the thing isn’t described very much in the podcast, and I didn’t want to take too much from fanart. It took fussing around with different shapes and animal combinations before I found something that I liked. I’ve also learned that I have some amazing friends who don’t think I’m weird when I say I wish I could give my Strex Pet teeth….they offer me their old Invisilines and challenge me to cast off of them, instead.

 

Through the years I’ve learned that you can do a lot with a little, and really the sky’s the limit as long as you know how to look at the materials around you. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to go for the unusual and see what people say when you pass them by.

 

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Selah Janel is a writer of the weird and the fantastic. Find out about her projects of all types at the following places:

Blog: http://www.selahjanel.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorSJ

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SelahJanel