Music: Kuudes Tunti

I really need to listen to more Scandanavian Post Punk. This is currently my favourite song, as it has so much energy and just makes you want to get up and go; I plan on pursuing the rest of Kuudes Tunti's album (and more Finnish goth!) to see if it's just as good.





Fee

Goth Valentine's Day Cards

Valentine's day is fast approaching, folks. Make sure you have a card for the grumpy spookster in your life with these macro ones from the gothic humour tumblr Lolgoths.

The cap has barely aged a day, looking at this photo.

Lots of in-jokes, occasionally terrifying declarations of love, and lots of old school goth. What's not to love?

You can find all of the valentine's day cards on the lolgoths' tumblr under the tag 'goths in love'. They just keep getting funnier.

Much love to all my followers! I hope you have a good day, regardless of your relationship status. :)





Fee




P.S. if nerdy valentines are more to your taste, Ben of The Pop Culture Cynic has made some fabulous geek oriented ones for use as proper cards.



Sophistique Noir's Monthly Theme: Outerwear

Since I first listened to Bauhaus and considered wearing all black, I've been drawn to the style of the eighties goth. Even before that (since I was thirteen, perhaps), I've loved the confrontational and angry punk spirit, and though I do indulge in the occasional ruffle or mutton blouse (as you can see in some of my outfit photos, such as this), my heart has always belonged to the DIY, rough and ready roots of goth.

Considering for the past few sophistique noir monthly themes I've focused on the vintage half of my wardrobe (which I tend to wear to swing events and when dressing smart is required), I wanted to look at my everyday/going out goth wear which hasn't featured nearly as much on this blog, and so for this month's theme of outerwear I decided to feature my long term project - my post punk jacket. 

It's still a work in progress - I've only got three patches on it thus far, all hand painted (the most recent being my Siouxsie eyes, seen below), but I don't want to put too many more on as I value simplicity. Maybe a March Violets patch?

The joy division patch is affectionately called my 'volume control' by a friend.



Ben was my photographer for the day, and the poor thing struggled to get the hang of using my camera, resulting in many blurry photos. He eventually got used to it, though. Photos were taken behind the Dundee Record Shop Groucho's, where it's a veritable post-apocalyptic wasteland.



Hello - yes, I would like my punk card punched, please. 

It's nice finally getting to post more recent outfit photos; despite this being a fashion blog it doesn't really feature my current personal style that much, which just feels inaccurate. I also like getting an opportunity to take photos in different locations - this was going to be done underneath the Tay Road Bridge, but construction at the waterfront hindered that plan. Exploring will have to be done.



Stay safe. :)

Fee

Wardrobe Feature: Studded leather cuff

"Don't buy clothes from costume shops."

This is the mantra we're told when Halloween comes round and vampire costumes start appearing in fancy dress shops. And usually, it holds true; Halloween costumes tend to be badly fitted and badly made, and don't have a place in anyone's wardrobe.

I was originally thinking about featuring my studded collar for this post and discussing the role of key wardrobe features for goths and what it means to accessorise the same item differently, but I decided that something equally innocuous but with a different history behind it would be more interesting.

This cuff was pinched borrowed from my brother, who originally got it as an accessory for a Halloween outfit (he went as a punk). It's probably the oldest thing of mine in my daily wardrobe, actually. I wore it nearly every day in my later years at high school as my tiny rebellion, and it's held fast. I wear it with another cuff (pictured with it) I've had since I was small and don't remember getting, and while it's not as good quality as a proper studded cuff designed for wearing outside of fancy dress, I don't particularly want to swap it for another, as it makes me smile.






Fee

January Blog Round Up

Well, January certainly hasn't come in quietly! I knew it was too good to be true when the weather was mild and my classes weren't too taxing; I now have loads of deadlines springing out of nowhere and the sky is grey and pouring out. I also have to start searching for a place to live next year soon, which is tricky as around this time of year so is half of Dundee.

I've been hiding from the world by reading blogs, and everyone has been publishing loads of interesting things, from outfits and knickers (oh my!) to furniture and declarations of engagement.

• N. Finsternis and her partner Boris dress to the nines for a local alternative fashion and culture event, proving that you can be male in alternative subcultures and look fabulous.
• Cody of Dark Stalker Girl announced that she and her boy friend were getting married (congrats!), and oh my god their engagement tattoos. I adore the idea.
• Sary Walrus posted about the roles of epistemes and trends in fashion and subcultures - I'm nuts about the sociological study of subculture movements, so I found this really interesting.
• Haute Macabre, reporter on things beautiful and expensive, featured the lingerie brand Hopeless, and if I was the type of person who lined their wallet with £50 notes I would already own these.
• Haute Macabre also recently posted about this etsy pentacle bookcase - for all you wiccans and pagans out there needing somewhere to store your book of shadows, take note.

Fee

My blog is a year old!

 





... well, a year and 10 days. ;)

It's true - I didn't properly mark my own blog's birthday! I started back at uni the week my blog turned one, and though I knew it was coming up I forgot to do something for it. I'm actually very surprised that I've stuck through a whole year, as I have a tendency to abandon projects after a while (e.g. I don't use tumblr nearly as much as I used to), but I'm really proud of this blog. It's kept my hand in at writing, given me a means to meet other goths and interesting people and generally have a lot of fun. Professional bloggers always talk about 'finding your blogging niche', and what I post on has changed over the past 12 months. However, I can identify some of my areas and aims -

• Providing a resource for goths (particularly for Scottish Goths!) and posting about goth culture
• Posting about my own thoughts and opinions and rants where I feel they may be a fresh perspective on the issue
• Chronicling aspects of my life (such as DIY and events)

I've also identified my code of ethics for my blog, which you can find here and here.

As for the future? Well, I am excited for it. I love blogging and want to stick with it, and with the sudden explosion in the number of blog writers and in outside interest, there's no better time to be a blogger. There's so many things I still want to do and write about, and I'm really looking forward to continuing growing my blog. I might need to change my URL, tweak my background or even actually learn to code (oh god). As for upcoming topics, here's some things I was thinking on...

• Student Goth (series)
• Monthly Craft Challenge
• Goth from a feminist perspective

Let me know if any of you guys are keen for any of these or have any other ideas. :)



Fee

Guest posters, Questions and other collaborations welcome!

Got an interesting concept that you think might have a place on my blog? Are you a musician, an artist, model or a business, and have something to say? Do you just want to know what my favourite Adventure Time character is?

You can now do that! I'm looking for guest posters and interviewees, and am happy to receive questions from readers (publicly or privately answered as desired). As also stated on my blog, I'm also willing to do reviews of products or services, or feature brands I support. Just attach all queries to the leg of your nearest carrier pigeon send any questions or requests to anhonestdrug@gmail.com. :)




Fee



P.S. It's Gunter.