My personal blog as a 'grown-up' Goth and Romantic living in the Highlands of Scotland. I write about the places I go, the things I see and my thoughts on life as a Goth and the subculture, and things in the broader realm of the Gothic and darkly Romantic. Sometimes I write about music I like and sometimes I review things. This blog often includes architectural photography, graveyards and other images from the darker side of life.

Goth is not just about imitating each other, it is a creative movement and subculture that grew out of post-punk and is based on seeing beauty in the dark places of the world, the expression of that in Goth rock. It looks back to the various ways throughout history in which people have confronted and explored the macabre, the dark and the taboo, and as such I'm going to post about more than the just the standards of the subculture (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, et al) and look at things by people who might not consider themselves anything to do with the subculture, but have eyes for the dark places. The Gothic should not be limited by what is already within it; inspiration comes from all places, the key is to look with open eyes, listen carefully and think with an open mind..

Tuesday, 21 July 2015

Goth Meets Lolita: Outfit Of The Day

This is just a quick and belated outfit-of-the-day post. I wore this outfit just over a week ago, for some shopping, and I wanted to post it up here as an example of my day-to-day summer style. As I work at a school (for now, I will be leaving soon for university) and it is currently the summer holiday, I don't have to wear work-clothes 5 days a week so am taking the opportunity to dress more in my own style. 

Stripes. Photograph by Raven

This outfit is a mixture of Gothic Lolita and regular Goth. I wouldn't call it truly Gothic Lolita because it has elements that stray from the parameters of Lolita. The boots I am wearing are certainly more Goth than Gothic Lolita, and I am using my natural hair in all its unnaturally dyed turquoise colourfulness, and despite it being in a style not really suitable for Lolita (not to mention my roots are showing!). As such, I think of this as something just beyond the borders of Gothic Lolita. Also, I usually wear glasses. When I am photographed without them, it is usually so my make-up is visible. 

Outfit rundown: ☠ Bat Necklace: eBay, secondhand. ☠ Blouse and JSK: ☠ Bodyline set from the "separates" section. ☠ Gloves: Claire's Accessories. ☠ Charcoal and black striped tights: Poundland (yes, really). ☠ Boots: H&M. ☠ Bat backpack: gifted. 

Bat-bag. Photograph by Raven

I am totally in love with the bat-backpack. It was a gift given to me as a leaving present in the sweetest of circumstances, and I love it for what it represents as well as it being a cute heart with bat-wings and a wonderful embodiment of my "perky-Goth" personality. Since I got it, I have taken it out nearly every day that I have been out. Very rarely do I cry when given something, but I was so touched that I did cry this time! Oftentimes it is far more than just having a thing that is important, it is having something that is an embodiment and token of something much greater than the object itself. I know that I touched someone else's life, and that person has touched mine, and we have both made each other's lives better, even though I will probably not see them again after September, but I will never forget them. 
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13 comments:

  1. Unknown21 July 2015 at 15:34

    I love your outfit, completely. I am in love with the backpack.
    Great post!

    http://bitsofwonderland.blogspot.pt

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  2. Lexington the 1st22 July 2015 at 03:15

    The outfit is lovely, and the backpack. It's nice when something has such sentimental value and completes an outfit so well.

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    Replies
    1. The HouseCat22 July 2015 at 05:34

      Thank-you :) Having nice things is nice, having special things someone gave you is special, and having useful stuff is useful, but having nice things that are also special for a sentimental reason and very useful is the best!

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    2. Lexington the 1st23 July 2015 at 15:46

      Quite right!

      Delete
  3. Anonymous23 July 2015 at 00:43

    Hy! Just one question about wigs: I am thinking about buying my first one (yeah!) but I am afraid it would like to unnatural if I pick up anyone on the internet without being able to try it on my head. Which brend would you recommend? Which webside would be the safest one, I mean in terms of quality? I definitely won't go out with a wig from Claire's on my head because it's just too obvious that it is a wig. But as I see, you have several ones, so could you please give me an advice on where to shop safely?
    This would be very nice from you!
    Have a wonderful day,
    looking forward to hear from you,
    bye bye, Mirjam.

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    Replies
    1. The HouseCat23 July 2015 at 02:46

      That's actually my real hair there! I think I replied to your earlier comment about this - albeit belatedly. Lockshop and Geisha Wigs are both reliable internet sources, but really, your best bet to find a natural and realistic looking wig, especially in terms of actually looking like it's your own hair - which brightly coloured wigs never well, even if they're good quality like my Lockshop wigs - is to go to a shop that specifically sells wigs (most larger cities will have one, even Inverness has one) and not fancy dress wigs like in Claire's or a fancy-dress shop, but 'fashion' wigs and those bought by those who have hair-loss for one reason or another. Prices will be higher, but you will both get to try wigs on and see if the style suits your face, and inspect the quality for yourself. It may be something you'll have to do on a trip out of town to a bigger city, but it is worth the investment. I have bought several wigs off Chinese re-sellers on eBay, and I have had problems with quality (they rapidly start shedding their hair, and some were very plasticky) so I advise against that. There are some good Japanese companies that specialise in Lolita and J-fashion wigs, but you'll face customs, etc.

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    2. Anonymous24 July 2015 at 00:27

      Hi! Oh, Sorry if I didn't see that you already answered my question! Thank you a lot for your advice! Yes, I already had a look at Geisha and Lockshop, they look nice. I live in a small town with no such shops, I probably will plan a trip to a bigger city some day and check out where sich shops are located in my area (close to the German border, maybe it will be even cheaper in Germany!). Well, let's see... Good advice not to go for chinese ones, I was wondering if their prices about 10$ are a really good deal! (LOL). Do you know divaswigs.com? They look very nice, but the prices are much much higher. Well, I will check that! I am actually back to the Goth scene after about 15 years of "forced absence" (I am in my 30ies), I am like you mixing all kind of goth tendencies together, but I end up being more medieval/romantic goth in general. Thanks for you very good posts! Keep going on!
      Keep in touch, hugs from the other side of the Channel!
      Mirjam.

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    3. The HouseCat24 July 2015 at 01:58

      I haven't used divaswigs.com to have any knowledge about them. If you want black wigs, be really careful about fibre type - I have noticed this primarily with black wigs, probably because it's harder to tell what the fibres in a photo are like due to the colour - but be careful of wigs that come either really, really shiny (in a plasticky way) or in coarse, poorly-made fibres (like a cheap Hallowe'en wig).

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  4. Anonymous26 July 2015 at 01:23

    Thanks again for your advice!
    Have a nice day!
    Bye bye, Mirjam.

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  5. Laura Morrigan31 August 2015 at 04:19

    Love it! Both cute and functional! Im planning to make some Lolita inspired garments because i think i really like the style again!

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    Replies
    1. The HouseCat26 December 2015 at 12:16

      I need to get back into sewing; I had so many plans for Lolita sewing I haven't done...

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