Sunday, May 1, 2011

Thrifting

Hello my darklings!

It's no secret that the goth community has been associated with everything DIY, original, or handmade. When you like things with coffins, crosses, and crucifixes (ooh, sounds like a song), there aren't many stores or manufacturers of such awesome trinkets.

Most things we get are original, or altered in some way (such as buying a skirt and tattering the bottom, etc). Even though a lot of my wardrobe is my own creations, I find it easier to go out, buy things, and alter them.

It's fun, cheap, and easy to do. I've spent many a Sunday morning sipping tea and adding useless patches to skirts, dresses, and skirts. It's something I like to do, and I feel like it helps personalize my clothes.

I went thrifting to Goodwill with my friend last night and we got some great stuff! I always end up with a huge armful of dresses, shirt, skirts, etc, but weed them out at the dressing rooms because they ONLY allow you to try on 3 items at a time.... fgfjdsf!!!

After going through the things I collected (some practical, some more impratical), it actually came down to three items that I wanted to buy. There was this one CUUUUUUTE dress that I found and I loved, but it didn't fit me!!! It was black and the fabric was seamed all over to look like it was spiderwebbed, but it didn't go over my knees! I WAS wearing fishnets, stockings, garters, and boots trying to pull up this super cute dress, but alas, it was not meant to be.

I handed it to my friend who I knew would love it too (we both have similar tastes in clothes) and it fit her. She's petite, about 5'2" or so with a great feminine figure whereas I'm 5'6" with a thick body (think burlesque dancer meets Beyonce), and it looked so great on her. I'm glad I found the dress such an awesome home, alas... my ass... no dress shall pass. T_T

So! I bought three dresses that are really fun. Here are the pictures.


I LOOOVE this dress! It's nicely fitted and snug at the waist with a nice V-neck and a flouncy skirt. The hemn comes just to my knee, so I could wear knee-high boots with stripey stockings and you'll be able to see them. And it's machine washable, squee!


This one might not look like much on the hanger, but it looks great when you wear it. It's halter (goes behind the back and closes with fabric covered buttons) and has boning at the waist. It creates a nice silhouette, and has a flouncy hemn too. Again, it's just above the knees, so any leg coverings can be slightly seen. It is not machine washable, but I'm thinking of adding stuff to this one. We'll see.


Okay, okay, I know it isn't EXACTLY a dress, but it's so beautiful! It's a dark-dark eggplant purple with black lace at the top. I put this under the black dress just mentioned above and the black lace peeked over very nicely. And even so, summer nights in California are hot, so this'll be a nice nightie too. :3

I'm really happy with my recent steals, and all of these came in at $15! You can't really beat that price. So what about you? Do you make your own clothes? Go thrifting? How do you piece together your wardrobe?

3 comments:

Clementine Dahling said...

I love that first dress especially. The nightie is something I'm not sure I would have the guts to wear in public. I would like to see that second one on a model just to get an idea.

Thrifting is really such a great way to go for do-it-yourself items. I managed to snatch a half-decent medieval merchant outfit that way for a Blakc Plague simulation we did in high school- found a green floor-length skirt and green vest that I wore over a maroon peasant top that I already owned. Total cost: $3.

I don't make my own clothes persay, but I've been known to alter pieces in slight ways. I will chat with my boyfriend while trying to create ruches on a skirt, or add buttons to purses. Mainly minor alterations- nothing too fancy. The only gothic skirt I managed to make involved a bustle. It was such a failure that I took a pair of shears to it and ripped up the bottom to look shredded. It turned out pretty awesome in the end. :)

Serenity said...

That's pretty cool! I do the same. Whenever I buy something, I look at it and think "You know, this could use some lace/ribbons/buttons/distressing" etc. I love that, it's a great way to make a so-so article of clothing truly unique and personalized. <3!

Jamie said...

I love the slip, personally-I think it could totally be worn as a dress with some dark tights and a cute bolero or shrug. I've seen people do similar things and totally rock it! I love the other two as well-the red with black lace is a great combination and a gorgeous cut. Thrifting is definitely the way to go-I just got a pair of Demonia platform sandals for $6 from Goodwill today, and I love picking up items and recutting or altering them.