Witchy Woman

The season Spin Doctor have won my heart once again with their gothic style mini  dresses and continue to feed my addiction of giant bell sleeves.  I honestly don't know how I lasted as long as I did without adding this 70's style sleeve to my wardrobe.

 

Willow Mini Dress - £49.99

With some strong hippie/gothic vibe this season each dress has the perfect fit for curves. The Willow Mini Dress is faux stretch velvet with a fitted bust, stunning draped skirt, wide bell sleeves and a super sexy lace up front. Fully adjustable lacing makes the bust shoe as little or as much skin and you are comfortable with and in the 2XL this is actually a little too roomy. Just like the previous Hell Bunny review this fabric is really stretchy and roomy so I think an XL would work better for me around the arms and waist. 

While super roomy the fabric is absolutely amazing to wear and feels so light. I can't wait until Autumn and Winter to wear this with tights, thigh high boots and much more. Currently the Willow is only available in black but I hope that a forest green or oxblood version is released. I'd also love to see a maxi version of this dress.

Just look at that sleeve! It's such a flattering style for a girl like myself who likes to cover up and not show too much arm as it elongates and slims. While this is listed as a mini I find the length perfect as it hits mid thigh and does not show too much.



After Death Mini Dress - £58.99

After shooting and reviewing the Griselda Mini Dress I fell in love with the fit of this little number. The flowing fabric is perfect for an Aussie summer whole still keeping to that whimsical gothic retro feel. Just like the Griselda I'm wearing this After Death mini in a 2XL and it fits like a dream. My bust is a little larger than the seem but that's just my life these days. The print however hides this a little and the faux buttons draw your attention up to a higher point.

 

The print features skulls, moths and stags on a green background which is almost a dirty seafoam shade and it's absolutely stunning up close. This colour is very different from what I'm use to wearing but I actually love how it pairs with my red hair and it has inspired me to try more of these dirty greens and blues.



Length wise this is a little shorter than the Willow but still good if you have killer pins and works amazing with tights in winter. If this style is a little too short for you though the Dark Sea Maxi is a purple and black version of this dress and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to Damien Bowerman for working with me on these images and many more. It's always a brilliant shoot when we get together.

The Devil's in the Detail

I have many addictions when it comes to fashion, but I think my strongest addiction has to be jewellery. I have a cabinet that is overflowing with necklaces, brooches and amazing earrings and I'm constantly adding to it. 

Crown Heart Story Box Necklace - $46.61

Heat Earrings - TBA

Bold chain work, a strong silver crowned heart nestled in a deep blood red pendant, this design is the third crowned heart in my collection, and each style is completely different. Being a huge fan of Classic Hardware's box and picture frame pendants, I wanted to try a style that was in the same range but a new shape. This style is simple yet bold, and I paired this necklace with a Mechanical Heart pair of earrings that I can't seem to find on the website anymore. 

Fly Plaque Rockwear Necklace - $34.00

I'm currently obsessed with all kinds of creepy crawly accessories and this stunning rockwear fly is absolutely amazing. So classic and beautifully designed, placed on a perfect silver frame. This giant bug really stands out on my pale skin and I'm wearing this like crazy! You can choose between brass, jade and jet black beads on the silver chain. I chose black as it matches most of my outfits but I'd also love to see this style in jade. 

Edwardian Punk Classic Silhouette Necklace  - $54.00

New Romantic Octagonal Earrings - $32.00

I've been in love with these Edwardian Silhouette necklaces for a while now and have one in my collection already but when I saw the Punk version I had to have it! How awesome is this? Such a rocking vintage punk mash up and I love this to death. 

The new romantic collection is a more recent series and I just adore these stunning emerald green earrings. So simple yet sleek and sophisticated. They are light weight a must for anyone who loves to wear ear accessories and they are so comfortable. If these are available in any other colour I must get my hands on them!

Retrolite Layered Floral Trio Necklace - $63.00

If you are a lover of retro accessories, you must - MUST - have Retrolite in your collection. It's such a strong, durable resin that creates amazing shapes and the perfect high gloss sheen. I always choose the bigger and bolder shapes when purchasing Retrolite, and the floral trio is a stunning new addition to my small collection. This necklace is a real showstopper and looks amazing with a little black dress as it draws lots of attention with it's unique shape and style. I really hope more floral resin designs like this are in Classic Hardware's future. 

Now to a local and brilliant alternative designer - Debstar Designs :

Skull and Heart Necklace - $35.00

Starburst Retro Earrings - $15.00

I've loved Debstar's designs for year as everything is a little kooky, spooky, rockabilly, psychobilly and much, much more! From skulls to hearses, she makes the most fantastic accessories and this skull and heart style is one of my favourites. I love the mixture of both a heart and skull charm and the half and half coloured chain. I've never had a necklace with such unique design. 

I paired this with the AMAZING starburst retro studs! I've loved the starburst design in both accessories and homewares for years yet this is the first item of jewellery I've owned. The bold silver lines with a black middle pop perfectly on my pale skin and I just discovered that a skull version of this has hit the store so I'll be needing to snap those up asap. Every girl needs a pair of these in her collection. 

Pistol Necklace - $15.00

Last but not least is the sleek pistol necklace from Debstar Designs. I've had strong love for the shape and design of pistols ever since I can remember and I've been collecting gun and bullet accessories for years. This pistol/holster combination is amazing and I love how gracefully it rests just bellow my collar bone. I feel super silly for not choosing an image with the piston itself in focus - oh vanity you are annoying! So below is a full high res version of the piece itself. 

I love wearing this piece with plaid and cowboy boots or even with a little black low cut dress. 

Many thanks to the amazing Julz Photography for snapping these awesome images in her studio and for working with me over the last few years. I just adore shooting with you! Fingers crossed we get to plan something again soon! 



On Wednesday's we wear black

I've been taking a colour journey over the last few years. Playing with new styles, bold prints and adding that extra colour pop into my wardrobe. But prior to this and for my whole life I've been a huge fan of all black! From my mid teens, I was a goth and this progressed into my mid 20's. It was not until I got a pinup inspired hair cut that I switched paths, dabbled and found my place as a pinup.

But my heart is always here for the deepest and darkest shades of purples, red and my wardrobe staple - Black! It's my go to shade for dresses, jeans and jackets. I live in black leather jackets and skinny jeans most days and from what I've noticed about Melbourne, black seems to be our uniform.

So slowly I'm planning on adding more of my Gothic style choices into my wardrobe and giving into my desire for all black more often.

 "IVORY DEER NECKLACE" gothic choker - $15.71

Lauren Top in Black from Pinup Girl Clothing - $60.00

"BLACK ARMOR" Faux leather hourglass underbust corset - $74.63

"MORTICIA" skirt black, long, gothic, mermaid skirt - $71.06

From the moment I laid eyes on the long Black Armor underbust corset I needed to be wearing it. As you know by now long line corsets suit my shape most and really make my hips pop. So I was instantly drawn to both the shape of this style and the unique features.

Made of faux leather with cotton lining this is one seriously strong and sturdy corset. The corset is stiffened with 10 spiral bones and on the back are additional 4 flat metal bones. I'm in love with the hip detail on this corset and the way the faux leather is molded into the shape of armor! Warning, this will make your hips appear bigger but with this extra shape your waist will appear even smaller than usual.

I opted for a size 28 in this style and through some very tight lacing nearly got this completely closed at the back. It fits wonderfully and is easy to wear for any experienced corset wearer.

I then paired this with my favourite skirt available from Restyle which is the Morticia. This mermaid style is perfect for girls like me who love a pencil/wiggle style skirt. I'm wearing this in a size XL and it fits like a dream with a little room to spare at the waist. With my height and shoes it does not seem to be floor length like the stock shots on the website but I'd rather this length either way. I tend to trip over on long items and this hits the perfect spot for me.

I have an overwhelming selection of black tops in my personal collection but I loved the way the Pinup Girl Lauren top works with this whole outfit and the accessories.

To finish off the look I chose the Ivory Deer Necklace which has me written all over it! A bold silver and black style pendant choker with a bright and bold deer skull featured front and center. If there is an accessory out there with an animal skull attached I need to have it as I love, adore and collect taxidermy. The chain itself was a little to long for my bust which is always raised a little higher by the under bust. It just needs to be shorted ever so slightly but I tend to do this with most of my neck wear - Boobs and accessories, always fun!

My next Restyle lust list is suited more to a winter wardrobe that I'm planning for 2015 but want now. I'm way too ahead of myself sometimes.

Pyon Pyon LY-020 ash grey elegant lolita autumn coat - $78.55

Gothic hairclip "VAMPIRE SKULL" 3D, dark victorian barrette - $13.93

Waterproof gothic "WITCH"umbrella classical pagoda - $28.21

Black satin underbust "VIOLIN" longline corset - $52.20

The Lolita Autumn Coat is perfection in jacket form and I need it as soon as humanly possible! I also think the Vampire Skull hair clip would work perfectly with the hair style I chose for this photo shoot and for adding an extra level of hair accessory as I hate hair bows or barrettes. 

The umbrella is brilliant and very Burton-esque and I'm sick of using boring, ugly coloured cheap styles that I usually lose. With this I'd keep it close and stand out in the sea of clear plastic and boring colours. Then finally another of their long line corset styles in a black satin with a Violin theme. So simple yet stunning. P.S. how brilliant are the prices? Everything is so well priced! 

Many thanks to the wonderful Robin Elk for working on this shoot with me and capturing my favourite Gothic styles perfectly.