Obsessions: End of Winter Edition

Now we enter the wasteland of Spring fashion, when black is replaced by its dowdy cousin navy* and every pair of pants for sale loses three inches from the hem. My situation is complicated by living in a subtropical inferno. Once the new year turns, I know I can skip clothes shopping until September, as dark colors and heavier fabrics are replaced by icks like gingham and horrid colors like coral and yellow. But, there are a few things my consumerist eye is still on, and here they are:

Bauhaus T-Shirt

Ebay used to be a fashion wonderland. I found so many excellent things there when it was more of a massive garage sale rather than the internet equivalent of a shop that moves into a dead storefront in the mall and don’t even bother to put up signage. I still have an excellent pair of Destroy boots and several vintage silver rings I found on late night scrounges through Ebay. Halfway decent t-shirts can still be found here. I’m considering a large shirt like this to alter, perhaps by adding darts and an exposed zipper up the back. I’m always wary of Beefy Ts, though. They tend to fade into unlikely colors. Black fabric rarely transitions into a true neutral grey. Often, there’s a blue or green undertone that comes up as the garment fades.  I don’t like my blacks turning olive.

Gabriella Rocha Heagany

I spent late December in Europe and was consumed by jealousy for all the sleek booted feet that I saw there. Upon returning from London and Berlin, I vowed to convert entirely to black ankle boots and never wear plain flats again.  I haven’t actually taken any action on that, but I think these boots might be a good start. The low heel and plain styling would make these transition easily between looks. Suede can be a problem, though. It begins to look shabby very quickly. Like many a 90s kid, I grew up in Doc Martens, and as such never developed much of a tolerance for heels. I can wear them for short spans of time, but anything higher than two inches essentially ensures I’ll spend most of the night sitting.  I have also been looking at these:

Dirty Laundry Lois

A more military look, less multipurpose, but the combination of materials make these a bit different. These boots have a more old-fashioned look. I think it’s the perforations. The Gabriella Rocha boots are available from Zappos.com. See the Dirty Laundry boots at Shoes.com.

Illamasqua Scorn

Illamasqua is so amazing. This British makeup brand not only creates some of the most inventive makeup, they have also hired Dave Vanian as a consultant. Black lipstick is part of their regular collection. I find black lipstick no longer in my repertoire now that I’m over thirty.  I wish I had better pictures of this varnish. It’s not just black, it has a semi-matte finish that looks like leather or rubber. I can’t wait to try this out.Visit Illamasqua here.

Gradient Silk Scarf by Kteis

Goth is really a wintertime style. Straw hats and shorts are Just. Not. Goth. My collection of scarves has to hibernate throughout the long hot months. In the meantime, prime vampire-attracting realty is being exposed to the sun every day. This silk scarf looks like just the thing to maintain coverage while avoiding heatstroke. It has a dark-to-light gradient dye, is made of breathable silk and has a wicked blackletter K monogram. I regularly lust after the handpainted silks in Kteis’ Etsy shop. See her lovely items here.

*If you doubt me about navy’s inferiority to black just note that ninjas and vampires wear black. Who wears navy? Security guards and metermaids? Case closed.