Morticia-Inspired Black

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I've done an outfit post, but I'm back with a new style to try!

Since it is October, I want to experiment with darker colors, and how to make them interesting, since most of my Fall/Winter fashion in past years has been quite boring with darker colors, or obnoxiously pastel.

I'm going to try and make simple outfits with dark colors into my own style.

Let's check out my first attempt, shall we?

Details from the top down:

Necklace: Betsey Johnson

Top: Thrifted

Dress: Topshop

Ring: Local artisan from Dallas

I watched The Addams Family recently, and I was inspired by Morticia's wardrobe.  She makes wearing all black look so fashionable and simple!  My problem with black in the past has been that I just look like a shapeless blob of boring.  In looking at Morticia and through my own closet, I've noticed that playing with textures is necessary when wearing all black, or mostly dark colors.  Using the top with lace sleeves, I created a point of interest in my outfit, even though it's only one color.  The A-line hem of the dress makes for a flattering shape as well, complimenting the tightness of the sleeves and the top of the dress.  

In the interest of keeping this outfit classy with a bit of edge, I kept the jewelry minimal.  The necklace brings a pop of color to the outfit, and since it's red, it fits in with the Morticia inspired theme, since the only color she wears is the red on her nails and lips.  The combination of black and red always makes me think of vampires, which is fun for October, since all I can really think about is Halloween.

xD

The ring is something I've been wearing often lately, since it goes with almost every outfit I put together.  I felt that with the lace on my arms, my hand needed some embellishment as well.  

And as you can see, I now have blue hair!

I had some leftover purple dye from when I had lilac pieces in my hair over the Summer, but without diluting it with conditioner at all, the color turns out a cobalt blue!  It's not what I expected, but I like it a lot, and I think it'll help me experiment more with darker colors.  It goes well with my pink clothes too. ^^

I hope you enjoyed this outfit post, and I have some more fun stuff for you coming up soon!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

xoxo

Martha

Fashion Loves: Glitters for Dinner

Happy Monday lovelies!

It's time for another Fashion Loves post!

This time, I'm talking about a shop called Glitters for Dinner!

I happened upon this brand while I was on Instagram.  I saw someone in my feed wearing one of their items and I had to check them out!

Glitters for Dinner is a handmade clothing label that is based in Melbourne, Australia, and ships its products from Bangkok, Thailand.  On their website it says "Unique and Affordable Clothing."  There isn't much available information on the brand other than that, and I don't know who the designer is because of the lack of information.  On their blog it states that Glitters for Dinner is run by "two lovers," and they only use one model for all of their products.  I guess it's a part of the marketing tactic, and it does make them a bit mysterious and interesting.  It also makes me think that the model may be one of the designers herself, which is pretty cool.

GFD takes a lot of inspiration from the 90's, and have clothing sets inspired by popular characters from the time, including Cher from Clueless and Sailor Moon. Their clothing reflects images of school girls, cheerleaders, and 90's era pop stars. The majority of their clothing is in matching sets so you can have a fully coordinated outfit very easily.  Of course, you can buy some pieces separately to mix and match, but they are also sold in their full set form.  GFD also uses interesting fabrics like faux fur, holographic fabric, PVC, and more, all in bright neon colors, with some black colorways as well.  

I've always enjoyed matching sets since I was young, since you have a full look that makes a statement whenever you wear one.  I was attracted to the fun, whimsical look of these clothes since they make you look like you popped out of another world.

Let's take a look at what they have to offer, shall we?

One of their most popular designs is the cheer set.  These are just a few that they have to offer, but they have so many more in lots of colors!

Out of the cheer sets, of course my favorite is the 'kawaii' set. xD  But I'd be happy with any of them!

If you'd like to do some shopping, check out the Glitters for Dinner store here!

If you want some super cute pictures and updates, you can also check out their Facebook and Instagram!

Just a note when shopping with GFD, they do not accept returns or refunds due to issues of size.  If it doesn't fit when it gets to you, you're stuck with it.  I'm not a fan of this policy, but it exists so I thought I would give you a heads up before you're stuck with something totally adorable that doesn't fit you.  Make sure to measure yourself accurately and compare your measurements to those in their shop before you make any purchases!

I hope you enjoyed reading about Glitters For Dinner, and I hope you look forward to the next Fashion Loves post!  If you know of any brands you'd like me to make a post on, recommend them to me in the comments below!

If you like what you read, I would appreciate it if you followed me here on Google, or on Bloglovin!

Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you next time!

xoxo

Martha

Outfit: Orange and Black Candy Corn

Hello darlings!

Once again I'm back with another outfit post!

I'm trying my best to keep track of my daily outfits for y'all, so hopefully I'll keep up with it!

Here we go!

Details from the top down:

Candy Corn Earrings, Necklace, and Bracelet:  Claire's 

Minnie Mouse Top:  Target

Black High Waist Shorts:  Savers

This was a simple and fun outfit to put together!  I patiently waited until after September first to do Halloween things, and now I'm gonna start preparing!  I love Halloween so much! 

I haven't started decorating quite yet, but I put together this outfit for a good start.  Orange and black of course are Halloween colors, and I also think they go well together, especially the creamy dreamsicle type of orange that is in this top and the candy corn jewelry.  Speaking of the jewelry, I found all of these little candy corn accessories in a set at Claire's around Halloween-time a couple of years ago.  I'll have to go back again this year to see what goodies they have!

The top is very soft and comfortable, so it's good to wear for a long day in class, since Wednesdays are my busiest days.  The shorts are an item I've been into recently, and I've worn them a lot since I made them (from resale pants to cute shorts~) in July.  

I must apologize to you for not including shoes in my recent outfit posts...but I seem to be having a bit of a shoe problem.  I just don't seem to like most of the shoes that I'm coordinating to go with my outfits.  Either that, or they're not comfortable--but that's a completely different post.

Anyway, on to make up!

I'm just showing you my eye since the rest of my face was just a bit of concealer, blush, and lip gloss.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put on eye primer today, and I took this photo after all of my classes were over, so it's not at its best...but it looks pretty good after a long day I think!  I used the two gold shades from Maybelline's "Enticing Emerald" eye shadow palette to highlight the inner corners of my eyes, then used a brown eyeliner to make a nice pointed shape at the end.  I used Maybelline's stiletto liner in blackish brown, and it works better than other brown eyeliners I've used, but it still seems to flake off a bit on the bottom.  My pen precision liner from Maybelline has also done that recently.  I guess I'll start looking for a different brand of liquid eyeliner, or try some gel formulas to see if they work better.  

That's all for today!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I'll keep the outfits coming!

If you like what you read, please make sure to follow me here on Google, or on Bloglovin!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

xoxo

Martha

Outfit: First Day Of School!

Hello lovelies!

I'm back with another outfit post!  Now that I'm all settled into my apartment in Illinois, you'll be seeing photos taken in a different environment.  The lighting in this apartment is slightly orange in some places, so I'll do my best to keep it as bright as possible!

On Monday I started my final year in University, so it was my last first day of school!

Crazy, huh?

It's strange to think about.  Once I finish up and graduate, I'll have been in school for 17 years of my life.  It's going to be quite a change going from school and joining the workforce, but I have until May to get as much as I can out of my last year of school, and I'm ready to learn a lot and then bust out of the gates, guns blazing!

Anyway, all the sentimental stuff aside, I knew I wanted to wear at least part of my seifuku on Monday since it's a school uniform, and I thought it would be a nice way to start the year.  Unfortunately, it was incredibly hot that day, and that seifuku is all synthetic so it doesn't breathe.  I couldn't wear the entire uniform, but I did wear the top!

Without further ado, let's get on to the photos, shall we?

Details from the top down:

Hello Kitty Headband: Target

Rose Hair Clips: H&M

Sailor Moon Earrings: hobbit.town Jewelry

Seifuku Top: Bodyline

Starfish Ring: Chicago Toy Fair

High Waist Shorts: Savers

I'm sorry for these photos being mirror shots, but I took these before I went out the door for my 8am class!  It's not bad at all really if you get some sleep and a nice cup of tea or coffee after you wake up.

Anyway, I thought this outfit was nice and simple, but still a lot of fun and kind of quirky.  If you've been reading for a while, you'll probably recognize the Hello Kitty headband that I got in the dollar section of Target.  I almost didn't wear it, but I didn't think the rose clips were quite enough on their own.  Speaking of the rose clips, aren't they darling?  I haven't worn them too often, and the last time I did was when I put my hair up while wearing my Ko-Furisode Kimono over a year ago, so I'm glad I found another way to coordinate them!  

The seifuku top from Bodyline should also be familiar if you've been reading my blog for a while, since it's a versatile piece that I like to pair with various things.  I think it's perfect to wear with high waist shorts since it has a short length, and shows just a peek of tummy.  The shorts are another DIY project.  I bought some high waist jeans from Savers for a few bucks, measured and cut off the legs, rolled them up, and voila!  Cheap, cute, high waist shorts!  I like the dark wash of these shorts, and I think it gives a nice balance with all of the pastel colors (read: PINK) in the rest of the outfit.  

The last main pieces of this coordinate are my favorite hobbit.town Jewelry Sailor Moon earrings, and my starfish ring!  The Sailor Moon earrings have been in most of my coordinates since I bought them in June.  If you'd like to read about them and the awesome shop they came from, check out my review here!

The starfish ring was a gift from a friend's mother when we took an adventure to the Chicago Toy Fair a couple years back.  It was unexpected and so kind!  Thank you so much Mama L!  She bought her daughter (my friend Micki) a panda ring, and the pink starfish for me since black is Micki's favorite color and pink is mine.  I'm not even sure if Micki still has her ring, but I like to put this with casual coordinates because it's fun and a nice conversation starter.

In the spirit of keeping it simple, that's it for my back to school outfit!

I hope you enjoyed this post and keep on the lookout for more outfit posts and fun stuff ahead!

The next post will be my August favorites in a few days, and I have a lot of awesome recommendations for y'all!

Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you next time!

xoxo

Martha

Fashion Loves: Fig&Viper

Hello lovelies!

I'm back with another fashion loves post since it's been a while since my last time.

This time, we're talking Fig&Viper! 

Fig&Viper is a brand based out of Tokyo, Japan, and was created by model and DJ Alisa Ueno.

A little background on the designer, she started out as a model for magazines like Ranzuki and Popteen in 2007.  In 2011 she created Fig&Viper, which she says is inspired by the things she sees around her in her travels around the world.  

This may be a bit different than the sweet stuff I usually post, but I'm beginning to enjoy mixing sweet styles with edgy pieces and street fashion.  I remembered watching a segment on Kawaii International about Fig&Viper a few months back, and thought this brand was the perfect inspiration for incorporating more street style into my wardrobe.

I love the 90s inspired looks that have been in Fig&Viper's recent collections, and the slouchy silhouette of their sweatshirts and tees combined with tight short shorts creates a good balance of shape.  That's one of those unwritten fashion guidelines, right?  Always pair something tight with something loose.  I like this type of look because it brings attention to your legs while still being very comfortable because of the loose top.

Check out some of the pieces for sale from Fig&Viper!

My favorite pieces include the translucent floral sweatshirt (above), the spiked denim shorts, the over-sized purple sweater, and the comic print crop top.  Let me know what your favorite pieces are in a comment down below!  I'd love to hear more about the style of my readers. ^^

As you can see, as well as hiring other models, Alisa also models in the official product photos, and I think that's a great thing to see.  A lot of designers don't model their own products, so when they do, it shows that they design clothes that they love to wear, and that they strongly believe in what they put out for their consumers.  

How about we do some online window shopping?

These three pieces in particular caught my eye, and those shoes are the perfect example of what I've been into lately.  Mixing pastel colors with black, sweet with an edge.  They're actually sold out on their online shop, and I can definitely see why.  

If you'd like to see more cool things from Fig&Viper and learn a little more about the brand, please check out their website here!

I also recommend you follow Alisa on Instagram, because she posts a lot of her own outfits and style, updates about the brand's new releases, and lots of other fun stuff!

I hope you enjoyed reading up on this amazing brand!

Just a quick announcement, I made an account on bloglovin, so if you like what you read here, I would greatly appreciate it if you followed me there, so you can always stay updated on my new posts! ^^  There's a pink button on the top left sidebar for you to click on if you wish.

Thank you so much for reading.  It truly means a lot to me.

I'll see you in my next post!

xoxo

Martha

Outfit: Dreamy Casual

Hello lovely readers!

I'm back with another outfit post, but it's much different than the last one, much more like my usual pastel-colored fare.  I went out with my mom to try a Berlin style kepap (that's how it's spelled auf Deutsch) place here in Austin called Verts, and I wanted to wear something comfortable, but still bright and fun.  

Let's get to it!

Details from the top down:

Sailor Moon Cap: Bought from an Anime Convention

Sailor Moon Earrings: hobbit.town Jewelry

Necklace: Thrift Shop

Tank Top: Forever 21

Shorts: Forever 21

Floral Sneakers: Target

Cute, casual, and comfortable was the name of the game for this outfit!  First off, I know I've featured my Sailor Moon cap on here a lot, but I don't think I've ever given y'all a good close up of it!  That problem was fixed today!  In that close up shot, you can see Sailor Moon and her brooch surrounded by pink stars.  I've had this cap for two years now, and it's stayed in great condition!  Next are the earrings from hobbit.town jewelry that I've been wearing non-stop, they go with just about everything in my closet!  The necklace is new to the blog, as I found it while thrift shopping with my grandmother recently.  I'm a sucker for chunky, plastic jewelry, and anything resembling crystals!  

Fun fact, the tank top here is actually a nightgown!  A trick I like to use while shopping is finding cute tops in the pajama section!  You can buy nightgowns in smaller sizes and use them as tank tops or tunics, or you can just wear pajama shirts without their matching bottoms!  If it's basic cotton with a fun design, people can't tell the difference unless you're wearing the matching set.  The good thing about finding cute things in the pajama section is that they're usually cheaper than the printed T-shirts in the regular sections!  Take a trip into the pajama section of your favorite store and see what you can find!  I was attracted to the pastel colors and the ethereal design of the top, so I snatched it up fast!

The shorts are your basic denim, but they're incredibly stretchy and soft, making them great for days when you feel like you need a little extra comfort.  I bought these shorts about two or three years ago I think.  I haven't been able to find any more shorts at Forever 21 in this type of fabric recently, which is a shame, because things that are cute and comfortable are the best!

Last but not least are my favorite floral sneakers from Target.  When it's warm out, I wear them constantly.  They're incredibly comfortable, yet super sweet because of the delicate pink floral pattern on them.  They have the look of Keds but were a lot cheaper, and they fit my feet better too.  Keds are made for people with long, narrow feet, and since my feet are wide, they don't fit me well.  I was pleased that I could find a similar style without having awkward gaps at the sides.

That's it for today, y'all!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and please look forward to more in the future!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in my next post!

xoxo

Martha

Outfit: Black Dress for Burlesque

Hello dahlings!

It's been a long time since I've done an outfit post, but I'm excited to announce that my outfit posts will now be in higher quality from now on!

I recently acquired a new camera and tripod, so I'll be able to take full outfit photos in much better quality than on my cell phone!  You can see some examples of how the photos look on this camera in my July Favorites post since I took some product photos to test it out.  It's a Nikon Coolpix L830 if you're curious.

I'm trying to find a good way to adjust lighting, cropping, and adding text without compromising the quality of the photos, so please bear with me as I play with some different editing tools!

Anyway, let's get on to the outfit, shall we?

Details:

Dress:  Thrift Shop 

Pearls:  Gift from my Grandmother

Heels:  Thrift Shop (originally Forever 21)

Hair Flower:  Urban Outfitters

So last Saturday I went to the Hotter than Hell Burlesque show at the Stateside Theatre at the Paramount, and I wanted a classy yet sexy look to wear while in attendance.  The day before the show, I went over to my Grandmother's house for a visit, and she had picked up this black dress at a thrift shop and wanted me to try it on.  Luckily, the dress fit perfectly!  I was so excited, because the last time I wore a little black dress was in high school!  This is a bit more grown up than the dress I had back then, and I couldn't be more pleased.  The backless cut makes it playful and sexy, while it being almost knee length in the front keeps it from showing too much.  Needless to say I felt pretty hot when I was walking into the theatre!

I bought the leopard print heels from Savers a few months ago, but I hadn't had a chance to wear them anywhere, but I thought a burlesque show was a perfect time to wear animal print!  The heels aren't sky-high, but they have just enough to emphasize the build of my legs and to make me feel confident.  Since the dress is a simple black, playing with fun accessories is key to making this outfit!  Speaking of which, the flower in my hair is actually a headband.  I found it in a set in Urban Outfitters a few years back on sale, and hadn't worn it recently because as a headband it just didn't sit right on my head.  While I was digging though my accessory box I saw it and decided to use it again.  I put my hair up in a bun, wrapped the band around it, secured the flower with a couple of bobby pins and boom!  Instant new hair accessory.  Nothing better than shopping in your own closet, right?  It's free!  To top off the outfit, I put on my favorite pearl necklace.  Black dresses and pearls are a timeless combination that you can wear anywhere!

For make-up, I decided to use the burlesque dancers as inspiration and did a black cat eye with false lashes and a red lip!  It had been a long time since I'd worn falsies, so some more practice with eyeliner application over them is needed.  But I was pleased with how it turned out.  And I do believe this is the first proper photo set on my blog of my new hair cut!  I quite like it!  I feel confident enough now to play with different up-dos and hairstyles since I have the bangs and front layers to control my face shape.  Hopefully I can get more creative with my hair!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this outfit post, and I'll be back with more soon!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in my next post!

xoxo

Martha