How To: Find A Style-Part Two

In continuation of my next few theme posts, I made another style blog for you today. Since it’s Friday the 13th, I thought it was only appropriate that I do goth. Now, I’m going to warn you beforehand. I did a lot of research and worked really hard on this post, but I am not goth. I don’t own a lot of pieces that could be used in a goth person’s wardrobe, I don’t have much of a desire to dress this way, and I am definitely not an expert. However, the style is really really interesting, and I want to do it justice. Hopefully I did (no turning back now, right?), but if you have suggestions or corrections, please put them (nicely) in the comments, and I will try to edit this accordingly.

Goth is a very expansive term for something extremely individual. No one goth person dresses the same. There are several different subcategories as well. I chose the three most common, but I’ll list other ones at the end.

Outfit One-Sophisticate Goth:

 

This is your Kelly Catrone. The sophisticate goth maintains black, texture, unique pieces, and all of the other major requirements, but chooses pieces that can be used as typical workwear. I feel like I’m talking out of my butt…which is going to happen a lot in this post. To save us both time and a headache, I’m going to insert a picture of Kelly Catrone (who is MAJOR in the fashion industry…Top Model, anyone?)

Now do you see what I mean? She adds in tons of texture and sophistication while maintaining a “goth” look.

(Jacket from Maurices, tank from Target, skirt from a thrift store, stockings from JC Penney, and heels from Payless)

Outfit Two-Traditional Goth:

 

Obviously, this outfit is lacking. I would have liked to have fishnet fingerless gloves or something of that nature, but unfortunately, I don’t own those. Just keep in mind as you’re looking at this that it is not a complete outfit. Traditional goth is how it all got started, sometime in the 80’s. Black skinny jeans, fishnets, leather, Doc Martens…it’s all the original stuff. This style is becoming less popular as more of the subcategories grow and thrive, but it’s still out there.

(T-shirt from Forever 21, jeans from a thrift store, necklace from Forever 21, Doc Martens)

Outfit Three-Romantic Goth:

 

This is probably one of the most popular styles right now. Corsets, tutu skirts, high necked shirts, ruffles, and bows can all be incorporated. This one was definitely my favorite as well. When doing romantic, think vintage, like back to the 1800s vintage. Incorporate flowy pieces in with the severe styles of the 1800s.

(Shirt from Target, dress from Maurices, gloves that belong to my sister (I don’t ask questions ;P), fishnets from somewhere, and loafers from DSW)

Okay, so now that we’ve got that out of the way, I want to talk style. First off, goths don’t wear black and black only. As you could (or maybe couldn’t see) I added a color into every outfit (Purple, navy, and red, respectively). These colors are most common, but certain subcategories also include neons and browns. Accessories are key in the gothic styles. Obviously, I was lacking there, but gloves, sleeves, collars, studs, leather, chains, and things of that nature are generally piled on. Piercings and tattoos are fairly common, as are unusual hair colors. As for shopping, finding what you want will be difficult. I can tell you that a lot of times you can just shop at normal stores and find pieces that you can include in your wardrobe. Shopping online is a great option as well. Keep in mind that being goth isn’t just a style of dress. It’s a whole life. Music, art, books, and other things are all included in the goth lifestyle. If you want to just dress goth and not adopt all of it, be prepared to have some people ticked at you.

Subcategories of Goth:

Cyber Goth (Yarn wigs, neon, goggles)

Hippie Goth (Long skirts, heavier clothing)

J-Goth (Alternative Harajuku)

Perky Goth (Tutus, neon, pigtails)

Gothabilly (Rockabilly (50s) with an edge)

Emo Goth (Self-explanatory)

Nerd Goth (Traditional goth with nerdy accessories, e.g. superhero tees)

I hope I didn’t destroy this…and I’m sorry if I did! I hope it helped 🙂

 

Olive Green and Booties!

So I said I was going to upload daily outfits and then I didn’t in true Emily fashion. My camera is missing, so I didn’t want to continue to take crappy pictures for you all. Also, this week has been slightly insane because…I GOT A JOB! That’s right guys, I got a job working in retail, I start this week, and I am super pumped! However, because of this, a few things have to change. 1. I can’t say where my job is. In order to protect the company’s rights and privacy, I cannot tell you where I’m working. If you know, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t post anything about it in the comments, because I could get in really big trouble. 2. I can’t promote their brand. I can post pictures of my work outfits, but I can’t tell you where they’re from. If it’s obvious where they are from (i.e. if I’m wearing something that is their brand “signature” or has their brand name on it), I can’t post pictures of them. That means that you won’t always know where my clothes are from, so if for some reason that was really important to you, I’m sorry, but it can’t happen anymore. So with that disclaimer, I’m going to show you what I’m wearing today to my first work meeting!

 

I am wearing an olive green military-style shirt, a tank from Forever 21, vintage Levi jeans that I cut off into shorts, and booties from Payless. I was going for that military vibe that’s really popular right now. I hope you like it, sorry for the lack of posts again!

Studs and Leggings

So before I upload my pictues, I want to apologize for the terrible quality. It is literally impossible to take a picture of an outfit on a laptop using a webcam. I tried my best, but it’s not great.

Today, I’m wearing a top from TJ Maxx, leggings from Under Armor, and a sweater from Target. I don’t have interesting shoes on because I’m at camp. I promise It’ll be back to normal on Tuesday! I’m sorry!

Building A Wardrobe

Oftentimes I get so caught up in the newest trends that I forget that I actually need a functional wardrobe. In order to keep my closet from looking like a mess of random, I try to keep several pieces in my wardrobe at all times. Sure, it’s fun to own ALL THE TRENDS, but what are you going to do when you have to go to a “business-casual” lunch, a college interview, a wedding, or some other event that requires you to dress…not so trendy.

You end up looking like this guy.

Having fun with your outfits is a must, but if you don’t keep yourself grounded, you’ll end up having to go to the mall to literally just buy a white shirt. So without further ado, here is a list of things that I keep in my closet at all times:

Tops:

White/Black t-shirt

White button-down

2 Neutral color cardigans

Solid colored hoodie

Structured blazer

White/Black camisole

Bottoms:

Black trousers

Khakis

Light wash jean

Dark wash jean

Black pencil skirt

The LBD (little black dress)

Accessories:

Black pumps

Black flats

Brown boots

Crossbody bag

Tote bag

Wristlet

Pearl or Diamond (don’t have to be real) stud earrings

Simple necklace (small charm or plain chain) in both gold and silver

Wool scarf

Chiffon scarf

That’s my list! I know it’s a boring list, but these are the pieces that you definitely want to invest in. Don’t go too cheap, because these are your staples, so you want them to last a long time. Find things that are real leather, 100% cotton, etc. As long as this list is in your closet, you will be able to build a fun wardrobe-and you’ll always have something to wear! If you want to know the places I recommend for some of these things, just message me or comment. 🙂

How To: Basic Princess Hair/Makeup

So I’m going to try to start posting regular “dressing like a disney princess” posts. I’m going to be sporting the same basic hair/makeup looks for each one. It’s super easy, so I though I would teach all of you how to do this so becoming a disney princess is even easier (because really, what girl doesn’t want to be one…at any age?).

I’m going to start with hair. I curled mine, so heat up those curling irons so we can get started!

I have a lot of hair. It’s impossible for me to curl my hair without doing it layer by layer. You’ll see this in the pictures, but if you can curl your hair in one shot, then feel free. If not, pull about 3/4 of your hair up into a bun and curl the hair that is down. I curled my hair in really tight early 1900s-style ringlets…if this explanation confuses you, google search Nellie Oleson. It’ll all make sense to you.

After curling the first layer, I pull down the next out of my bun.

Continue until all the hair is curled.

Congratulations, now you have ridiculous hair. Hairspray the heck out of it.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, Emily, what in the heck did you just make me do? Don’t worry, it’ll be okay in a second. Now, I want you to ruin these perfect curls, preferably while listening to heavy metal.

Keep brushing them out with your fingers until you’re satisfied with your curls. They should look something like this…

Don’t start singing to birds yet, though, you’re only halfway there.

Take your naked face and do your basic face makeup (toner, concealer, foundation, powder, etc.)

Next, all you need is some kind of white eyeshadow. Put it all over your eyelids, layering it thickly. The goal is for it to be really opaque. Take a white eyeliner or use the shadow and an eyeliner brush to put the white on your water line as well. This will make your eyes look princess-huge.

Next is eyeliner. There are two options here. You can do a simple black line on your top lid, or you can do a cat-eye. I did a cat-eye. Make sure if you do this that your eyeliner has a super sharp tip so it’s easier to draw and control.

I’m sorry, but I can’t give you any instructions on how to do a cat-eye because this is literally the first time I’ve ever done it correctly and I’m not sure what happened.

Put on some mascara and pink lip stain (stain because princesses have naturally pink lips, duhh.)

Don’t forget your princess-y hair accessory. After placing it in your hair, you are officially a princess!

Hope you enjoy re-creating this look at home!

Dressing Your Body: “Pear” Edition

Once again, I have another body type to talk about today. This is the pear. A pear shaped girl tends to have a petite upper body with larger hips/butt. It kind of looks like this:

A pear shaped body could measure 32-28-39 (bust, waist, hips). A common myth with this body type is that the woman has a, well, humongous butt. That, however, is not quite true. Pear shaped women actually usually have average sized bottoms. Their tops, however, may be unusually petite, similar to a ruler’s top half. This is what creates the pear-like shape.

Here are the good ideas and the bad ideas:

Bad idea #1: Feathering on jeans. You know how on jeans there’s often patches right at the hips that are much lighter than the rest of the pant? Those make hips appear wider, which is what a pear shape does not want to do. A pear shape should also avoid putting horizontal patterns on the bottom half.

Bad idea #2: Tight skirts. There is kind of a balance with this one. A pear shape should always avoid tight skirts when wearing a tight shirt that makes her top half look tiny. However, when wearing a looser shirt or one that has ruffles or vertical stripes, a tight skirt can be worn, and worn quite well.

Bad idea #3: Ruffles, pleating, and peplums on the bottom. All of these add volume. One of the nice things about being a pear shape is that she doesn’t need any help in the backside department-that bodacious booty is all hers. Leave the pleating and ruffles to the girl who needs more volume there.

Good idea #1: Ruffles or vertical stripes on the top. These help to make the pear’s top half appear larger and fuller. These tricks can bring balance to a pear.

Good idea #2: Boxy jackets. Boxy jackets create a straight line on the top. This helps to maximize a pear’s top half. Basically a boxy jacket streamlines a pear’s figure, making her appear to have a more balanced shape.

Good idea #3: Empire waists. Empire waists make the bust appear larger. They also create a higher waist, so the skirt flows over the bigger bottom half, making it totally disappear.

Here are some examples (taken from http://www.forever21.com):

Good dresses (ruffles, bows, circle skirts, empire waists, etc…)

Bad dress (peplum)

 

Good jeans (vertical pattern, no feathering)

 

Bad jeans (horizontal pattern, feathering)

 

Good shirts and jackets (ruffles, stripes, and boxy)

 

I hope this helps! Flaunt that bootayy 😉

 

Dressing Your Body: “Inverted Triangle” Edition

Today I’m back with another body shape! The next three body shapes I’m going to do are categorized as the “unbalanced.” This is because they all have a feature that is significantly larger than the rest of the person’s body. This does not mean that these body types are “undesirable.” In fact, I was shocked to see how many websites said these body types were basically no good. Every body type has desirable and undesirable characteristics. The difference between the last two (hourglass and ruler) and the next three (inverted triangle, pear, and apple) are that the goals in dressing them are varied. In dressing the hourglass and the ruler, the goal is to keep the body balanced. The goal in dressing the next three body types is to create balance. Don’t think that because you don’t have a balanced shape that your body is no good.

Now that I’ve myth-busted, let’s start off with the inverted triangle (or an upside-down triangle)! When you hear that term, it may leave you scratching your head. However, it’s quite simple. An inverted triangle has a fairly large chest/shoulders and a tiny/flat butt. It kind of looks like this.

They tend to have a relatively small waist, but their hips tend to be about the same size as their waist. An inverted triangle could measure 36-26-34 (bust, waist, and hips). This body type tends to be less common, but I personally know at least 3 women who have this shape.

Here are an inverted triangle’s good ideas and bad ideas:

Bad idea #1: Low cut shirts. When your chest is out for the world to see, it will make it very obvious how much bigger it is than the rest of an inverted triangle’s body. Wearing clothes that flatter the body make it look proportionate and balanced. Wearing clothes that don’t flatter the body make it look disproportionate. Low cut shirts will make an inverted triangle look very disproportionate.

Bad idea #2: Pencil-type skirts. Any skirt that hugs an inverted triangle’s body will not be flattering. Because an inverted triangle’s curves are minimal on the bottom, a tight skirt doesn’t accentuate anything. In fact, tight skirts may not even fit an inverted triangle correctly, and therefore wouldn’t be a viable option anyhow. A tighter, pencil-type skirt will not flatter an inverted triangle.

Bad idea #3: Ruffles of any kind on the top half. Ruffles create volume. Volume makes things appear bigger than they are. An inverted triangle does not want to make their top half look larger, because it would throw the body off balance.

Good idea #1: Jeans with button flap pockets. These pockets are miracle workers. They can make any butt look round. Because the butt on an inverted triangle is much smaller than the top half of the body, jeans like this can create balance.

Good idea #2: Circle skirts. Circle skirts are great because they create their own volume-no curvy bottom needed. A circle skirt can instantly add balance to an inverted triangle’s figure.

Good idea #3: Peplums. These are all the rage right now, so you can pretty much find them anywhere. Peplums create the illusion of larger hips. Whether on a dress or a shirt, a peplum can create balance on an inverted triangle. Added bonus-they’re totally trendy! 🙂

Here are some pictures of what an inverted triangle should and shouldn’t wear (all images taken from http://www.forever21.com).

These are bad. Low cut, tight skirts…nope.

 

These are absolute perfection (circle skirt, peplum…)

 

Peplum (good)                                                       Ruffles on top (bad)

And here is what I mean by button flap pockets… (taken from google images)

 

Now…go rock those bodies you inverted triangles! 🙂

 

I Want to Be Where the People Are…

Can you guess who I’m dressing like today? (I know, it’s not Monday. But I did post, so that’s got to be worth something…anything?)

If you guessed Ariel, you’d be right. If you didn’t, you should have thought a bit more about the title (Come on, I practically gave it away…).

Here’s my outfit!

As you can see, I didn’t want to be like OMG I’M DRESSED LIKE ARIEL LOOK AT ALL MY GREEN AND PURPLE. I decided to go a slightly more subtle route (notice I said slightly…green pants aren’t subtle). I thought the touch of purple in the back with the flowy, beachy tank and the gold flats toned town my green pants and said, “I might be dressed like Ariel, but I might have just put green pants on.” An air of mystery is always good, especially when you’re imitating. Anywhoo, here’s what I’m wearing:

White tank (it’s my sister’s, I don’t know where it came from), purple tank from Forever 21, green pants from JCPenney, and gold flats from The Shoe Dept.

Quick shout-out/annoucement-Thanks to Kayka (more commonly known as Michaella) and her brilliant mind, I will dress like a disney character once a week! This is going to last a long time, because I will be doing multiple outfits from multiple characters-so keep reading for more! 🙂

How I Style…

 

 

…colored and printed pants! I decided to do this post for now since it’s the easiest (I know, lazy). Shout out to Talia Rudolph for voting for this one! 🙂 Here’s my outfits!                                                                                                                                                                    

So, as you can probably guess, I have a few rules for patterned/colored pants.

Patterned/Colored Pants Rule #1: Business on the top, party on the bottom! I know, I know, it’s not exactly the right phrase, but it works. Keep it simple and structured on the top, especially if you are going to be in a place that requires more professional attire. I don’t have any colored slacks, but they’re perfect for adding a little spice to everyday work wear.

Patterned/Colored Pants Rule #2: If you wear a print on the top, make sure that the color of your pants is in it. As you can see in outfit #4, I have on a printed top with colored jeans. However, if you look closely, there are tiny green flowers on the top to match my pants. You can certainly pair colored bottoms with prints on the top, just be sure there is a tie-in color.

Patterned/Colored Pants Rule #3: Don’t be afraid to add some texture on top! You can’t really tell in the pictures, but in outfit #2, #3, and #5, I have some texture on the top, adding a little visual interest. The first top is lace, the button-down has a tiny geometric print, and the blazer is glittery. That’s right, you can even add texture to patterned pants, as long as it isn’t crazy.

With these rules in mind, and perhaps some of your own, enjoy the patterned/colored pants trend while it lasts!

(Outfit 1: sweater from Target, tank top from Banana Republic, pants from American Eagle, shoes from Payless. Outfit 2: top from Debs, tank from Forever 21, pants from JCPenney, shoes from the Shoe Dept. Outfit 3: blouse from Banana Republic, shorts from Forever 21, shoes from the Shoe Dept. Outfit 4: sweater from Target, top from PacSun, pants from JCPenney, shoes from Aeropostale. Outfit 5: blazer from Maurices, top from Forever 21, pants from American Eagle, boots from Make Me Chic.)