The Jetset Life

November 19, 2024November 19, 2024Leave a comment

This year marked the 20th anniversary of My Chemical Romance’s second album, “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.” It was the album that basically served as a formal intro into the shift in my music tastes as a freshman in high school. And, yes I am fully aware that I’m aging myself with this info.

Fast forward a few years and I’ve since settled into the metal/goth scene,* yet MCR remains a top band for me that I keep listening to on the regular. Sadly, I never got to catch one of their shows back when they were at the height of their popularity, and I wasn’t lucky enough to score a ticket this weekend to their upcoming tour, so I continue to be a sidelined fan longing for their next album to drop while wearing (somewhat, but not really) obscure references to their songs like this tank designed by Kerin Cunningham.

This piece was one of a few items from her REVXNGE: 20th Anniversary Collection released in June of this year. It was a limited time preorder kind of thing, so if you’re a fellow MCR fan, I recommend giving her Instagram a follow to see if she drops more of these in the future.

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Academia Autumn Romance

November 14, 2022Leave a comment

Be it Dark or Light, the Academia Aesthetic is one with features that stem from others such as goth, prep and even J-style including Lolita from Japan. It is one that I’ve found fascinating for years to the point that I’ve created whole Pinterest boards dedicated to it. And every year around this time those boards just get revisited more often than usual. Part of this is due to the fact that here is just something about autumn that screams academia style to me. Just like this printed skirt from A.Gato Designs that I purchased over the summer.

The main reason that I look forward to shopping the A.Gato Designs booth whenever I’m at BlerDCon is because the items are designed to fit a wide range of body types and sizes (XS-6XL). Over the last few years I was always too late to get something in my own size but luckily that wasn’t the case this year as I made a point to make this booth my first stop once the show floor opened on the first day of BlerDCon. The print and the color combination was the inspiration I needed for what I consider my first official Light Academia/Lolita outfit.

As you can expect, this skirt has become my favorite piece for the fall an this overall look may end up being what I wear this year for Thanksgiving, which may make me overdressed for the occasion. But I mean with an outfit like this you get a chance to lose yourself in a fantasy through style, and sometimes you need that when you gather with family in one place.

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Shifting Season Stripes

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021Leave a comment

With less than 30 days left before its “officially” autumn, I’ve can’t help but dream of the upcoming sweater weather that will keep me from sweating like this summer has. Although I’ve spent the last couple of months inside, I’ve spent this time building out the summer-side of my wardrobe, all of which given how “unnecessary extra” my selections have been has a clear lean towards revenge dressing.

By now I feel like everyone knows about revenge dressing, either from recent fashion articles on the subject or just by simply participating in it, however, just in case you happen to be unaware, this concept is basically an emotional response with fashion; usually attributed to events like a breakup, think Princess Diana’s dress that she wore after her divorce from Prince Charles.

For many of us who spent the last year and a half in loungewear coming out of quarantine has provided a greater stage for (unapologetically) stepping up our style to make up for lost time. As for me, I love a reason to dress up especially if it’s to mark a special occasion.

Two weeks ago I made a major decision that came with some changes for me, one of them being that I won’t have access to a computer for 2-3 weeks as I wait for a new one to arrive. This may not seem like a long time, but for a workaholic like me this feels like torture. So I’m taking the next two weeks to soak in the last rays of summer, with some style of course, in the form of a well deserved vacation before I move on to this next great venture. (Trust that I will be sharing that news as soon as I can.) And I figured that this dress would be perfect for this occasion, even more so as it has some major Beetlejuice vibes which is fitting as I’m already in a Fall/Halloween mood though it’s still way too warm for it.

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Talk 30 to Me (A Milestone Birthday Re-do)

May 15, 2021August 24, 2021Leave a comment

Last year I turned 29 plus 1 by which I mean that birthday didn’t count since I spent it in quarantine. With the rollout of the vaccine and the number of cases going down each day, I figured it was safe enough to have a mini-staycation in the city with some friends for my birthday weekend. I reached out to my friends to see if this was something they would be up for, wrote up an itinerary with activities, booked a hotel room, and shopped my closet for outfits for the weekend. (And for the first time I actually didn’t over pack for a 3 day trip! I guess with age comes all kinds of wisdom even some for packing, hahaha.)

I had a blast with this “milestone birthday celebration re-do” that I simply had to share the experience with you. Giving myself this “get away” was an amazing way to recharge from being glued to the computer for work and such that I’ve found myself to be less anxious as a result, even today. I’m hoping that it inspires you to take some time off from working and disconnect for a staycation, be it solo or with friends/family.

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Spring Fantasy Cottagecore

April 1, 2021June 24, 2021Leave a comment

Of all the trends that came out of quarantine life, there is one that I grew to appreciate : Cottagecore. While this is more of an aesthetic than an actual trend, it really took off over the last year and the appeal is totally understandable given how we’ve spent the last year.

The premise conjures up nostalgic images of tranquil moments of whimsical escape, complete with frolicking in flower fields, and picnics with tea served on vintage porcelain. As one would expect, even within this aesthetic niches like cottagegoth, and witchcore (to name a few) have sprung up as well. Bringing a more dark and edgy vibe, these lean more towards historical, romantic and sometimes fantastical elements via color palettes as well as folksy mysticism. That being said, there are those who have argued that cottagecore is basically a glamorous extension to boho and I totally can see that given the similar color palettes and even prints. Bandanas and bandana prints, for example, have made a comeback in fashion due to the rise of this trend, some even in very stylish ways as is the case with this dress.I first stumbled across this bandana dress while scrolling through Instagram, I was in awe. It’s a simple idea that is so brilliantly executed that I can’t help but wonder why we haven’t seen these before. Or maybe they’ve been around and I just haven’t noticed. Who knows, the point is that after I spotted it, learned more about the brand and the designer I knew that I must have my own in my two favorite colors.