Outfit #19

Untitled #112 by labelleestlabete

Today's outfit started with the Dr Martens boots, which are now sadly out of stock. If you find New Rocks too heavy and clunky, something like this is a good alternative.

I added a deconstructed sweater by Ann Demeulemeester, a very prominent designer in avant garde fashion, along with Rick Owens, the designer of the jacket up above. I talked a little bit about designers who make goth-friendly gear in my last post, so now we can add Ann Demeulemeester to the list!

The skirt is by Mairi McDonald - the product description says it's a modern take on the traditional Scottish kilt.
Kilts have been pretty popular in alternative scenes for a while, for men as well as women. The Utilikilt* is popular at festivals because a) lots of pockets, so you don't need a bag, b) lots of secret pockets, and c) air flow, which is a good thing to have at an outdoor gig in the middle of a German summer.

Outfit #18

Untitled #111 by labelleestlabete 

This set started with the Demobaza leggings. I mentioned Demobaza in this post, and right now, I think they're one of my favourite brands.  They have a lot in common with Rick Owens, including the price point!
Both brands are part of a new trend in goth styles - the "upper-class goth" look. Since all of the original goths from the early 80s are in their late forties to early fifties now, they've had a lot of time to build careers and get themselves a good income. When their kids are grown, they have money to spend on things they like, including high-end designer gear that fits the aesthetic.
The scarf is from EMP, which has a  big selection of clothing to choose from. Another popular shop is X-tra-x, which has plenty of outlets in Germany (including clearance outlets, which are awesome).
The boots are from Fly London, and I think they match the look of the trousers. I added the armour-look bag, and a couple of accessories to finish it off.

Outfit #17

Untitled #108 by labelleestlabete

This is a more modern take on goth style. The black trousers, heavy boots and black T-shirt are staples of the genre, but the bag, headphones and baseball sweatshirt make it a bit more "now". I added the asymmetrical jacket for some extra flair. I have one from Converse that I really like because it goes with pretty much anything.

The thing that I think makes this outfit truly "goth" is that all the items could easily be found in thrift stores or flea markets (apart from the boots, unless you're extremely lucky or live in Camden). Nivek Ogre once remarked that having goth boutiques was an odd thing, because when it first kicked off, you had to make your own gear and/or scour the second-hand shops in hope of finding something that could give you the right look. 
The most "classic" goth day-to-day look I can think of is black jeans, Doc Martens or army surplus combat boots, a black T-shirt and a scuffed leather jacket. And enough hairspray to turn every time you light a cigarette into a game of Russian roulette. 
If you want a darker look, but don't want to go down the Hot Topic, just-add-water path, the old-school route is the way to go. It's not all Victorian mourning gear and white face paint. ;)

 In fact, learning how to mix-and-match and find just the right items is a good way to learn about styling yourself. The first step is not just buying up everything they have in black and your size - that took me a while!

Makeup Discussion #1

Hi again! Long time, no post. D:

I wanted to talk about makeup today, as a spinoff from this post where I used a nude lipstick to set off the outfit.

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I've been into nude lipstick for a couple of years now. I got my first one, Honey Love, from MAC on a visit to France, and was given this advice: if you are going with a nude lip, make your eye makeup heavier so that you don't look washed-out. The nude colour draws attention away from your lips (as opposed to a dark wine colour, which stands out a lot more), so you need to emphasise another part of your face. 

It was good advice - I was doing 40's-style makeup at the time, which is a very pared-down look due to rationing of cosmetics at the time. Nowadays, that's my "really can't be bothered today" look, and the best thing I ever learnt to do was tightlining. It really does finish off a look, and then you can just add mascara and be ready in 5 minutes.

I picked up a lot more nude shades when I lived in Germany, but I can't get the same brands over here in France. I was a big fan of Essence, Catrice and P2 Cosmetics - they were cheap and cheerful (lipstick would cost about €3, nail polishes for €2, and so on) and I really liked going to DrogerieMarkt or Rossmann (something like CVS in America) and testing out all the colours, comparing brands and finding products that work. 

I still swear by the Catrice highlighter pen, the P2 gel kajal eyeliner and Essence eyeshadows. Catrice and P2 also make excellent eyeshadow: I got two absolutely perfect brown shadows from Catrice, and the primer/shadow combo from P2 works like a charm. If I use that, I don't need a cream primer underneath, and nothing smudges or smears itself on my eyelids (others with greasy eyelids know exactly what I'm talking about). I've tried a few cream primers, but I always come back to MAC's Prep and Prime. It's one of the few products for which I won't bother looking for a cheap duplicate, because the more expensive one just works so well.

There is a major difference that I've noticed between France and Germany: German women wear a LOT of makeup. Foundation, contour, brow pencil, lipstick and lip gloss (often frosted pink, since Germany seems to be perpetually stuck in the 90's), blush, bronzer - the works. 

French women, on the other hand, seem to wear a lot less of it, but when they do, they use high-end stuff. The look that I've seen most often here is the "lipstick + mascara = done" formula - it doesn't seem to be fashionable to look like you made an effort to look good. Rather, it should look like you rolled out of bed well-dressed and fresh-faced. I can probably count on one hand the number of people I've seen wearing a full face of makeup, and they stand out a lot more here than in Germany or the UK. 

To be fair, most of these women work at Sephora or Nocibé, so it's their job to showcase the products. Marionnaud salespeople, interestingly, seem to favour the "basic" look, but they sell slightly more high-end cosmetics than the other two stores (lots of Guerlain and Chanel, for example).

I'm going to be honest here: I really prefer the look of heavy makeup. I like the way that you can sculpt your face into a different one by just highlighting one part of it and shading another. I like heavy eyeliner and appreciate a perfectly-drawn cat-eye (I rarely achieve it myself, but those who consistently do are awe-inspiring). Heavy contouring and highlighting seems to be an "American" look (though it's also popular in the UK, particularly in the north), probably because the Kardashian sisters have been all over it these past years. Regardless of what you think of them as celebrities or people, Kim's face is sculpted to perfection. It's crazy.

Outfit #16

Untitled #110

This outfit was based around the sweater dress. They're a great alternative to a long sweater, especially if you want to wear leggings underneath. 

The combat boots and the leather jacket give the whole look a slightly harder feel. I usually wear 20-hole combat boots, especially when it's raining, but these ones are a bit more fancy.