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..

Thursday 5 April 2012

Spectacles

The last full-length was quite 'heavy', so I thought I should follow it up with a lighter tone of blog entry, hence why I'm writing this short fashion post. 


My eyesight is such that I need glasses to read, use the computer, sew, etc. Prolonged activity of such nature without them results in me having a stonking headache and thus being an irritable mare. 

While I was at the Cafe with with my friend the other day, I took the opportunity to play around with the macro function on my little digital camera, and having what I think in camera jargon is called a limited depth of field - having only a small bit of the image sharp at any one time. I'm rather the newbie at this whole photography lark, so being educated on the matter is appreciated. 


For a long time I wore classic styles in silver frames, grumpy that my glasses never quite matched my tastes. Back in 2010 I came across these while my friend was going for an eye-test. I loved them so much that for my next eye appointment I changed opticians, and went to Specsavers, where I got two pairs of these. I see a couple of people out and about with the same glasses, as while distinctive, they are from a popular high-street opticians. As such, they're not really alternative, but I still love them. I think the style was called "Bumble" if anyone is interested. 

I do think that picking glasses that match the sort of clothes one wears daily is a neglected but important aspect of accessorising well. I see a lot of people who have picked their glasses for their work clothes but clashing with their personal wardrobes, or vice versa, which is something I wanted to avoid and I have the added issue of switching between Goth subtypes as well as the drastic difference between my work wardrobe and my personal wardrobe. I tried to pick glasses that were modern enough to go with my less Romantic goth styles, normal enough to match with my work outfits, and yet ornate enough to not be too out of place when I am all decked out in ruffles and frills. These seemed like an ideal solution.

11 comments:

  1. beautiful glasses indeed :-D

    congrats on that find! i stick to my 'nearly invisible ones' as long as i am saving for that laser-surgery.

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    1. Thankyou. I'm still nervous about the idea of anyone putting lasers near my eyes, so I'll stick with my glasses. Especially as I can see without them relatively well for everyday purposes, and can make a fashion statement with my frames.

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  2. The glasses have very nice patterns.

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  3. Your composition is good and images are nice and sharp and you right depth of field is about how much of the image is sharp, you need to get over your fear of handling the other halves camera you would have so much fun and improve no end you have god eye and technique is pretty god to

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    1. I am actually going to get his photographer-ness to teach me how to work the camera you leant me. And probably lurk more in graveyards, but hey, that's always been a bit of a hobby of mine, call me a stereotype if you will. I will practice with still life subjects indoors, first, partly because of the inclement weather.

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  4. Wow! Those are the most amazing glasses, ever. It's so difficult to accessorize glasses properly, as they are so expensive and we can't just buy 10 pairs like we can buy 10 different necklaces and 10 pairs of arm warmers. :-D I've been collecting glasses over the past 6 years or so since my prescription hasn't been changing, but I usually forget about the old pairs and grab the same pair out of habit every day. :) Yours are indeed perfect for many different styles, although they probably wouldn't look with Industrial and such... But with glasses that gorgeous, I'd just wear frills every day! ;)

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    1. Yes, glasses can be terribly expensive. I wouldn't now spend as much as I did on that matching pair. Reasonably cheap glasses are available on the internet, and old frames can be re-glazed. I am actually thinking of getting one of my old "classic" style frames re-glazed because they're less obtrusive/visibly different for when I'm working.

      Yes, they don't go with Industrial outfits, but I'm not a Rivethead (I leave that to the other half) and am far more likely to be seen in a pile of lace and velvet. I tend to look vaguely Industrial when I'm being practical simply on the grounds that Industrial style usually IS very practical - a lot of the styling is based off either factory worker elements or modern military elements and that sort of thing is inherently practical. (Unlike this irritating Hussar-inspired jacket that I am endlessly sewing buttons back onto. I blame Adam Ant and Richard Sharpe.)

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  5. I never use my glasses because I feel uncomfortable wearing them and they're a horrid shade of pink (there were no other colors in the frame I wanted) Not to mention I can see well enough without them. However I would gladly wear these! They're beautiful!
    By the way, I've nominated you for the Dark Sunshine Award :)

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    1. Have you thought of spray-painting the frames? You'd need to mask off the lenses first, but it might be a solution to keep the shape you want but in a better colour.

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  6. The post is written in very a good manner and it contains many useful information for me. Men Jeans
    Spectacles

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