Ootd 5 + Need a Trim

 This outfit has been my favorite for the past 3-4 months, end of summer beginning of Fall. (And these pictures were actually taken in the first week of October, sorry for the super late posts.) I'm in love with this hi-low death head moth Teenage Runaway top from Hot Topic. It's a XXL and I was SO PLEASED that it actually fit me, Hot Topic's "Jr" sizes usually run 1-2 sizes too small! Don't know if you know this, but I'm a HUGE fan of moths, I have 2 moth tattoos in fact, so this is by far my favorite top!

I love the contrast of the darker colored top with the pop of color on the bottom (which is usually the opposite in typical outfits). I think the purple jeans play nice with the bright colors in the moths.

 Jacket - Fred Meyer / Black Under Top - Thrifted / Moth Hi-low - Hot Topic / Purple Jeans - Target / Bird Skull Studs - Hot Topic / Black Nose Ring - Hot Topic / Rings - Gifts
<<<
Don't know if you can tell my my braid is actually "twist braid". It looks super awesome in person.

And as you can see my bangs were getting kind of long in the last pic. The day after I decided I should finally do something about that, I just wasn't quiet sure exactly what. 

First picture is the before. Second is the little trim. Third the final product.

Short enough to see my brows, but not too short to be Betty Paige worthy. 

✂ - - -

Summer Recap & Fall Wish List

Now that Fall is officially upon us and Halloween candy is filling the shelves I think it's time to do a Summer Recap and share what I'm hopeful for the next season.

This summer was actually pretty hot for Washington, most days would linger around 80 F. So I pretty much lived in shorts and a tank top every day. But I tried to class it up a little bit with nice looking over shirts.

-First outfit includes one of the most wonderful colors for summer, teal.

Crocheted top - Made by Me (Pattern) / Teal tank cami - Old Navy / Grey Shorts - Old Navy

-Second outfit you can't see too well but the plaid top was made with a really thin breezy material that had lace on the shoulders. Kind of a western feel, but oh well it was comfy.

Green plaid top - thrifted / Black tank cami - Old Navy / Short shorts - Fred Meyer (Angels Brand)

-Third outfit is something that I've worn for years and the two tops matching perfectly was a happy accident. 

Blue Purple stripped tank - Old Navy / Purple lace stripped tank - Walmart / Shorts - Thrifted & DIY'd from pants

-Fourth outfit I wore a LOT. It was my go too outfit. It was comfy, flattering, and "edgy".

Silky skull top - Ross / Black tank cami - Old Navy / Denim shorts - Fred Meyer (Angels Brand)

-Fifth outfit looks cool but the twill shorts cause friction in the chub rub and the vest is very thick and especially over two tank tops, it's very warm. This is the outfit I wore when I got to meet my first fellow YouTuber in July.

Vest - Old Navy (through Ebay) / Bow tank - Target / Black tank cami - Old Navy / Brown tweed shorts - Thrifted & DIY'd from pants

For accessories like shoes and hair and nails...

Nautical inspired flats from Walmart
(horrible for rainy weather)

Big buns to keep the hair out of my face.

"Rise and Shine" by Sinful Colors

My favorite rose design.

The colors used for rose design, which I also
liked to wear separately during summer.
June - "Foxy" / Sally Girl - light purple /
Wet 'n' Wild - "French White" /
City Color - Rose "grey" / Essie - "Mint candy apple" /
Sinful colors - "Sail la vie" / NYC - "Sidewalkers"

Now onto my Fall Wishlist!

1. Chunky Knit Sweater Dress
2. Oxfords
3. Raw Stone Jewelry
4. Fringe Purse
5. Feminine Peacoat
6. Deer Fur (faux of course) Collar
7. Velvet Skater Skirt
8. Kitty Ears Bowler Hat
9. Creepers
10. Lace Socks
11. Baggy Button Down Sweater
12. Cape Jacket
13. Spiked Headbands
14. Vertical Striped Tights

✂ - - -

Fall Red Valentino 2013

I'm not one to follow fancy brands or fashion week or any of that kind of stuff, but I happened to fall upon this link while browsing Pinterest. And I'm in love. The colors, textures, and patterns are fabulous! There's a nice youthful flare but with a certain sophistication that comes off elegant but still sweet. Very reminiscent of the Lolita fashion style; which I love.The design team, Piccioli & Chuiri, say this line is inspired from the childhood fable "Hansel and Gretel" which translates very clearly with some of the pieces.

I want everything except the last couple of looks in my closet!

They look a little too much like a typical 7 year old's Christmas dress.. Probably 'cause of the black velvet top and the stark contrast skirt with the velvet flower accent plastered to waist line and tops of the shoes. Like I've seen in many a JCPenney child's dress.

Anyways, enough with the bad, let's get to my top 12 favorite looks out of the 31 in this collection, in not particular order. ('cause picking just 10 was too hard)

 1. I'm a sucker for bows and this denim dress is totally adorable while still having a sexy womanly shape with the bustier style top. If the denim was any lighter it would be more of a spring/summer look, but with a pair of tights/leggings and a capelet or statement necklace this is perfect for fall.
2. Love the colors paired with the black. The layers make it cozy, but still super girly, just like a little Russian nesting doll.
3. For fall I think the perfect color pairing is cream/camel and black. There's a lot of interesting textures going on here with the print of the faux trench top, polka dot tulle overlay skirt, and the velvet waist tie.
4. A stable in everyone's closet should be a nice suit jacket, but the bubble texture of this fabric turns a boring staple into something very unique. And the flouncy skirt gives it a girly and fun edge.

5. This dress reminds me so much of the cross stitched oldlady/grandmother's pillow case, but in a very good way. It's sweet and very cuddly looking, and gives me the warm fuzzies.
6. This dress as the same type of feel as the other, but more of a retro 60s school girls dress, something my mother would have wore when she was a kid.
-I love plaid and faux fur collars, so these next two hit the spot right off the bat.
7. For a good chunk of time Helena Bonham Carter liked wearing the same plaid dress over and over and over again. And if I had this coat and skirt, I would do the same. The coat is a little boxy for someone with my shape, but I think the skirt throws back the female balance.
8. This dress coat however I think would be a better fit for my body type 'cause it brings in the waist and flows out around the hips. I would also wear this over and over and over again.

9. Capes aren't just for Batman. I think they look perfect in the Fall and Winter time and keep you nice and warm as well. There is a very subtle square/check texture to the fabric that gives this piece a lot of interest. And I like the nice pop of color with the red velvet roses, comes off more Victorian then childish like the outfits mentioned earlier.
10. This next coat just scream Sherlock Homes and I LOVE it! Tweed grey, I think, Is a staple for Fall, no matter what year it is, it's timeless.
-These last two remind me very much of the traditional Norwegian/Russian/German cultural dresses, which ties in with the Hansel & Gretel theme.
11. Use of different textiles, the sheer top, velvet peplum tank, and the fabric used for #9 cape look great together!
12. This dress is adorable. The pattern is simple and can work with someone of any age. This would be a great layering piece as well.

And I know I'm way the timeline in terms of the fashion industry, which currently is talking about Spring 2014 collections; but hey, it's almost turning Autumn and I will be looking forward to finding/making pieces just like these in the next few months.

✂ - - -

Fashion Inspiration: The Legend of Zelda! (3 Outfits)

* Please note these are "inspired" outfits, not cosplay.

So my lovely youtube friend Aiko, HapyFriendsShoppe, asked me to do a fashion collab with her based on the video game franchise The Legend of Zelda, and I jumped right on board with it! Here's the result:

Link:

Peasant Top - Walmart

Black Tank Top (for modesty) - Old Navy

Green Hoodie - Thrifted

Brown Waist Belt - ROSS

Brown Tweed Shorts - Thrfted

Doc Martin Knock Offs - Target

Navi:

Earrings - Icings/Claires

DipDyed Sweater - Old Navy/DIY 

Dress - ROSS

Ruffle Skirt - Made by Me :)

Blue Bow Flats - Walmart/Ebay

Tetra/Zelda:
Denim Vest - ROSS
Light Purple Top - Made by Me :)
Dark Purple Tank Top (for modesty) - Old Navy
Red Skull Scarf - Hot Topic
Shorts - Thrifted and DIYed
Stripped Flats - Walmart

And here is the resulting Video:

And also Aiko's Video:

Patriotic

Recently I've been really getting into more Americana type stuff. I blame it on Bunny from Grav3yardGirl, her youtube videos are so addicting and it's something she likes to wear a lot.
But lets face it, it's a few days from the 4th and Independence Day requires a certain bit of fashionable Patriotism.
Here's a ton of awesome red white & blue attire from Old Navy that I'm considering on purchasing soon.

*Especially this awesome scarf that's a flag in it's self.

I love the dip-dye/tie-dye/ombre effect of the hoodie above so I decided to give it a go in a DIY project.

Black tank & stripped top - Old Navy / Shoes - Walmart / Makeup - Dollar Tree & HotTopic off brand / earrings - made by me / Nails - Sail la Vie (Sinfulcolors), off brand red, 449C French White Creme (Wet'n'Wild) 

Here's some other wonderful DIYs I found on youtube.

Honestly, you don't have to dress Red-White-Blue Stars&Stripes to show your US Pride for the 4th AND you can still rock any of these looks any time of the year!

✂ - - -

An Update.

I haven't posted in a long while, MONTHS, and I am sorry. I have about 4 draft posts sitting here unfinished and waiting, but I will get to those later. First an update!

December 9th was my Birthday, 24, and also happened to be the Mourning Market in Seattle. I had been wanting to go for years but it always landed around my birthday and I had previous plans, but finally got the chance this past year! I got dressed up all fancy!

Finally got to wear the key skirt I bought at Target months before. And the top I bought to "match" with it I wore to my birthday dinner the night after the Market (no pics me wearing it, sorry). Plus I finally got to own one of these beauties. I've been a fan of Fable And Fury for years on their Etsy, and I'm so glad to finally have one of their pieces.
I'm wearing the same top combo and tights from my last blog post (halloween costume). The vest is Old Navy, that I bought from Ebay. The boots are from Target in my "New Tattoo" post. And the jacket is reallllly old from Fred Meyers, I've added some patches on the back and shoulder sleeve over the years.
And you may think the mint green bow on the mini top hat (from Icings) may not match, but it's my favorite color and my nails were painted it at the time, you just can't see it.

In January I got inspired by this photo:

I got lots of great feedback on facebook when I posted it and decided on Jan 20th to take the plunge and try it! This is the result: 

I filmed the whole process:

I even drew an updated Chibi of myself to accommodate the new do.

(old)                                                                         (new)

 Since then I've had it trimmed just for the pure health of my hair, so many split ends, but I've been trying to upkeep the look and grow it out longer.

At the beginning of this month I bought my first ever Sakura-Con registration! I've been into Anime and Japanese culture for 10 years now and I've always wanted to go to an anime convention, April 2014 I will FINALLY get to go. So stay tuned for Cosplay posts. Which speaking of....

Sept 2012 I went to PAX And never posted about it. So here we go.

I went to the Penny Arcade Expo with my boyfriend and a few of his friends. It was my very first time going to a video game convention so I didn't know what to expect, but I was definitely prepared to cosplay.

 I went as Ramona Flowers, and Kenny as Scott Pilgrim. I think we did a pretty good job, and I love couples cosplay. Kenny's outfit was thrown together with clothing items he already had (including my jacket from Old Navy). The only added touch was the Ramona head doodle I drew on his shirt with a Sharpie. My outfit however took a bit of time and craftiness. 

Lets start from head to toe. The wig I bought at Party City. The goggles were made using a headband, paint, and plastic saftey goggles from the Dollar Tree. The necklace was made by me, with perler beads and a pink chain. The jacket was thrifted, tank top / Old Navy, Shorts / Fahion Bug, Pink tights / Lane Bryant, Boots / made from demons 'cause they hurt my feet hurt like crazy and I threw them out as soon as I got home, And finally the bag was made by me from supplies from Joann's Craft Store. Here's a vlog of my experience in case you were wondering more about the non-fashion aspect of it:

Welp. I think that's most of the important stuff. Now onto the Drafts mentioned earlier. I will be slowly finishing them in the next month to come. So stay tuned for that. And please note that most of them may seem out of date, like talking about Fall type trends in the summer. But that's purely my fault. And I still believe they will be awesome fashionable posts, in my opinion :]

✂ - - -

Lolita Little Red - Halloween 2013

So I'm really into making Halloween costumes. It's fun plus it's hard to find something I exactly want that's plus sized and doesn't cost a million dollars. This year I was Little Red Riding Hood but with a Lolita twist. My boyfriend was the wolf ~>
I made the white skirt and the red apron that can be tied in the front or the back. So these will be pieces I can wear irl or with other costumes. The polkadot shirt was thrifted, the white V-neck was OldNavy, Tights from Lane Bryant, Shoes from Walmart, I made the rose hair clip, and finally the hood was actually made by my grandmother for my mother's Little Red costume when she was younger than I am now. So it's like 40 years old, super vintage. I love how this costume turned out! (plus my new tattoo kind of matched it <3)

And I really love how I did my dolly inspired makeup, too bad my red lips never last that long. oh wells.
Hopefully there will be more Lolita style fashion here to come.