Outfit: Marie Laveau Wants Your Bones

It's a relief that all the work on my blog is beginning to pay off; organising my own domain name is still a work in progress, but it makes such a difference, reorganising and redesigning - more than you would expect. This, combined with the spring weather, is making me feel more and more upbeat, which is a boon for my upcoming exams.

Style wise I've been inspired recently by Mexican (specifically Frieda Kahlo) and South American cultures, as well as the Creole dress of Voudon Priestess Marie Laveau. I can't understand people dressing up 'Voodoo' for Halloween; it's tacky and offensive, but I feel that's it's okay to take inspiration from the most famous practitioner herself.





I want to find more ways of incorporating this into my normal macabre inspired wear, but that shouldn't be hard; Dia de los Muertos art and some of the darker imagery in Haitian voudon would be interesting to borrow from. I've been losing interest in gothic fashion proper recently, though I'll probably return again at some point; nu goth, mainstream fashion, minimalism and even pastel goth and vintage have been lingering in my head more recently, though I can't do anything without a dark twist.

 



Eye make up.

 

What are your opinions on cultural appropriation and taking inspiration from other cultures? Do let me know!

 

 

 

 

 

Fee

 

 

 

(P.S. Blogger is seriously beginning to irritate me, as posts keep scheduling and appearing before/after they were supposed to be up. This one wasn't supposed to appear until the 11th - derp. I'll leave it up, but I'm not sure what to do about blogger.)





Wardrobe Feature: Round Sunglasses

Sunglasses are not something I have much luck with. Not in terms of style; I'm a firm believer in the philosophy that if you try on enough pairs, you'll find one that suits you. My problem is that they are so easily lost or broken. Expensive or prescription sunglasses are completely wasted on someone who can't keep them around for longer than several months.

I misplaced my wayfarer/blues brothers style shades last month (thankfully found last night), and with spring imminent it was essential that I get a new set. Though I like the style of my old pair, I decided to break from the norm in my recent shopping trip and get these round frames (from Primark, I hate to say, but I had no luck elsewhere). Round frames have been rather popular in the mainstream recently, but I don't see that as a reason not to like them; I've avoided the style previously due to a belief that they make me look like John Lennon, but these are big enough that that's not a problem.

They're rapidly becoming one of my favourite daily accessories, which I didn't think that I would ever say about sunglasses. My first impulse was to wear them with a severe tight bun and black lipstick for a nu-goth/dark couture look, but I've tentatively started branching out into wearing them with other looks. Whilst they're more of a statement piece than my old pair, it goes to show that statement doesn't always mean unworkable.

What's your opinion on sunglasses? Do you prefer something that don't draw the attention away from the rest of your look, or something that really stands out?





Fee

March Blog Round Up

My photography even from last year is beginning to look terrible to me.
 Hopefully this is a sign of improvement, but a new image for round ups is in order.

Just a note for the coming month; my end of year exams are during April, so I may be out of action for the next few weeks. I've queued up posts however, so don't fret about a complete absence.

I've been finding a lot of interesting new blogs recently, and it shows in this most recent blog round up -

• First, some shameless plugging; there has been several changes around my blog recently, but one which may interest you is my new facebook page! As well as my blog posts, I post lots of snark and photos which I don't feature on here - it's terribly lonely, so please do come like it.
• For those who dream of shiny black and fetish inspired fashion, Aesthetic Contradiction has posted a guide to caring for latex clothing (pro tip - her own personal style is excellent too).
• Haute Macabre, purveyor of couture fashion for the darkly inclined, recently featured the work of photographer Kim Youngjun, which displays a contrast between vulnerable models and dangerous looking cyberpunk-esque head and back pieces.
• Elisa of Style Bizarre posted about laser cut clothing, featuring both designers and high street options; additionally, you can also order your own custom laser cut clothing, which is amazing.
• What really enthused me with regards to the recent IFB links a la mode was undoubtedly the abundance of articles looking at racism and cultural appropriation; FASHTASH breaks down examples of cultural appropriation of several items from South Asian culture by major designers, and The Curatorial posted a very well thought analysis of Walter Van Beirendonck's infamous 'Stop Racism' presentation.
• My current fashion inspiration is coming from Feeling Vague's outfit posts - I already own one pencil skirt, but I've got the taste for more after this t shirt and skirt combo.
• My favourite catwalk of Paris Fashion Week has to be the space/punk inspired (yes, you read that right) Jean Paul Gaultier collection. You can view the full collection here on the Daily Mail website, or if you have issues with giving them page views here on Fashion Gone Rouge (though the mail article does feature an elderly gent with a glorious hawk, not seen on FGR).

That's all for this month, and possibly next too - my exams are right at the end of April, which means a round up for that month is unlikely. Thanks for reading!



Fee



P.S. Apologies for the post that accidentally published itself today. It's been told off and warned not to try it again, and you'll see it next month instead.

Music: Only Lovers Left Alive

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Several weeks late, I finally went to see the Jim Jarmusch vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive this week; contrary to the mostly horror/paranormal foundations of the majority of vampire films, Jarmusch's film (starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston) ignores all tropes and is a quietly paced love story at heart. A love story like no other, as the many-thousand years old vampire couple Adam and Eve go through their life, showing us a brief snippet of their ageless existence.

I won't talk about the themes or the ingenuity of the film and aesthetics (the commentary on humanity's fragility, the stark contrast between how Eve and Adam relate to the human race - shown in their clothing and interiors - and how this shapes their attitudes), or the characterisation, or even how it deconstructs the genre, because that's been talked about many times before me. I will, however, talk about the music; I would probably love the film anyway because of the dream team combination of Swinton and Hiddleston, but it's the soundtrack that makes it for me.

Only Lovers Left Alive is, at heart, a film by a depressive music nerd for depressive music nerds. Music features prominently through the film, with a slowed down version of the dizzying Wanda Jackson's Funnel of Love starting the film off, and the two vampires dancing and listening to both snatches of 20th century and underground rock as well as classical and the Lebanese artist Yasmine Hamdan. Jim Jarmusch also includes music from his own band SQURL, which is full of heavy, intense noise walls and broken guitars. The gamer (who went to see the film with me) hates it, calling it terrible, new wave rubbish, but it's my catnip - the perfect soundtrack for an immortal brooding vampire couple.

You can buy the soundtrack here - also available on vinyl, which I desperately want - or listen to it on YouTube first here (I would recommend buying it and supporting independent cinema and artists, but the album doesn't feature all songs, and try before you buy is never a bad thing).




Fee

5 tips for Low effort Trad Goth Style

Victorian goth and cyber goth are often viewed as the more high maintenance looks due to the masses of fabric/accessories or heavy makeup, but the original style of the eighties is in my opinion equally hard work. Having tried to do the dramatic hair, make up and clothing on a daily basis (bearing in mind this was originally a club style, not really an everyday one), I can tell you that it's a complete nightmare.

Lots of generic tips for making your life easier do apply to us all (lay out what you're wearing the night before, use one versatile everyday bag all the time instead of switching between several), and I'd certainly recommend evaluating how much time you're willing to devote to dressing up. However, there are ways to make life easier for yourself when you're in a rush and don't have time to perfect your deathhawk or pick which pair of winklepickers suit your outfit best -

Eyes OR lips

I've never really agreed with the fashion 'rule' of picking lips or eyes to focus on - particularly for going out - but for reducing the amount of effort necessary to look fabulous, choosing between wearing lipstick or eye make up can be useful ( lipstick feels pointless when I'm going out for a meal, and eye make up takes so much time in the mornings). Hell, Siouxsie Sioux, Ancient Goddess from beyond the stars deemed it worthy of gracing her face, so it's good enough for the likes of us. Feel free to go as dramatic as you wish for your choice, however!

Less hair, less fuss

Teasing takes a lot of time. Even with the new faux side cut I learned how to do from a Kazlovesbats' video (way quicker than my usual), it's decidedly more effort than my usual rolling out of bed and yanking a brush through it. If you don't want to give up your teased hair for accessories, hats or other styles (though these are also valid choices), cutting down on the amount you have to tease may be the answer. Side cuts (fake or real), hawks and shorter haircuts are less effort to style, and save you precious time in bed in the morning (I also regularly wear the style you see here, which is suitably gothy and unbelievably low effort). Speaking of having time in the morning...

Crimp the night before

I've always sworn by the adage my mother taught me - 'five minutes at night is ten in the morning'. Getting ready before bed when you don't have to rush can stop stress the next morning. For those goths who are inseperable from their crimping irons, putting in many small braids the night before can be very useful (and are also a good way to get the crimped look if you don't want to make the investment in crimping irons yet) - and as a bonus don't damage your hair as much.

Go easy on the ripped tights

Ripped tights are an easy way to take an outfit from plain to Patricia Morrison, but on the other hand they're a nightmare to get on if you slept through your alarm and are in a rush - this also applies to layering tights and other clothing items. Decorated leggings can be a good alternative for the lazy.

Put the effort into one stand out piece

This is possibly the best piece of advice I can give you; putting the effort into one standout piece of clothing (usually a patched-up jacket, coat or a vest, but it could also be a bag or other item) that you can just throw on when you don't want to make an effort and still look GAF is always worth it. Not only that, but the DIY and effort you put into it will make it a far more personal item that means far more to you as a result.



Thanks for reading!





Fee

Blogging News - blog revamp, renaming and new social media links!

As I recently posted, I've been blogging here for over a year - during that time, my blog has changed a lot, with new aesthetics, vastly improved photography and better writing (I hope so, anyway - let me know what your opinion is), and I've grown to know what kind of blogger I am now. And, as a result, slowly realising that some big changes are necessary.

I want to take my blogging more seriously - better outfit settings, a more solid idea of how much of my personal life I want to reveal online (the GMC is focusing more on the role of the doctor in the internet age, and I take it very seriously that I comply with this), more understanding of my own writing style and more articles on interesting art and culture. There's one big, important step that this involves...

I'm changing my name!

That's right - I am now rebranding myself as An Honest Drug. I initially chose Scenes From the Cutting Room Floor as it was the name of my old writing blog and I liked the phrase with all its associations, but I gradually came to the conclusion that it was a poor fit for my current post topics - my old title regularly got confused with Caro Emerald's album and sounds like a film blog, whereas An Honest Drug is something I've been using online for a while now, and I prefer far more.

This is going to be a slow change, as I want to do it properly; I'm hoping to get my domain name, though I'll update you guys. about this closer to the date (though you shouldn't be affected by the change at all).


Another thing I've also been doing recently is providing alternative means of following my blog - you can now find me on facebook, pinterest and google plus (though if you know how to use the last one, you're doing better than me), as well as Bloglovin.  I promise to keep you updated on all my recent posts on these channels, so as to allow you readers to follow me however suits you.

Thank you so much for continuing to follow me - I'm really excited for these upcoming changes, and hope you are too!






Fee

Cyberpunk Camoflage Make Up: CV Dazzle




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"CV Dazzle explores how fashion can be used as camouflage from face-detection technology, the first step in automated face recognition."

- CV Dazzle



One of my favourite things about cyberpunk is how the aesthetic and the practicalities of it intersect. CV Dazzle is a thesis project by Adam Harvey looking at just that, and how hair and make up styling can be used to evade facial detection cameras. It examines the impact of future facial detection software and information use, and describes the concept on its website, saying, 'CV Dazzle uses avant-garde hairstyling and makeup designs to break apart the continuity of a face. Since facial-recognition algorithms rely on the identification and spatial relationship of key facial features, like symmetry and tonal contours, one can block detection by creating an “anti-face”.'




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I first saw this project a year or two ago on tumblr, and it's fascinating how 'five minutes into the future' the whole thing feels, and how relevant it may become. The project is still ongoing, and since its creation in 2010 Harvey has done several collaborations with Wired, the New York Times and DIS Magazine to demonstrate the application of his work. For me, this is the heart of cyberpunk; how our life will change in the not so far away sci-fi future in a potential big brother world.


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 The project's website features advice for stylists wanting to create their own privacy retaining looks, and more information on the process of developing these looks and the software it was tested on.

Fee