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Archive for the ‘Day to Evening’ Category

Dancing the Old Job Out of my System!

May 18, 2012 by kitty  · 25 Comments  · 2764 Views

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As promised in yesterday’s post, we went out dancing to celebrate my last day at the old job. I had been wanting to wear an all-magenta outfit ever since I did my all-purple outfit back in January. I had my magenta (cheap Frederick’s) corset in mind but it turned out to clash quite badly with this skirt from Newport News. Different shades of magenta usually go quite well together, so I was a bit surprised. Luckily, I also had this lace-front cami from Newport News that was a perfect match. So I topped the whole thing off with my black underbust corset to dress it up properly for the club. I replaced the blazer with a magenta satin shrug I recently found on eBay. I now have this shrug in five colors!

The down side to this outfit was, while it looked fabulously fuchsia in the photos and while standing in line at the door, once we were in the club everyone complimented me on my red outfit. :( Yep, under nightclub lights everything looks either black or red. Not that an all-red outfit wouldn’t be spectacular, but it wasn’t the look I was going for. Let’s save that kind of thing for the first week in June, shall we? ;-D

Pardon my bandage! This is what happens when you try to open a bottle of nail polish with needle-nose pliers because you’re too lazy to go downstairs for regular pliers! ;)

I’ve spent so much time exploring “new job makeup” lately that I was dying to do something dramatic. You’ve seen this look before (no, I’m not all that experimental with makeup!). It features my Ben Nye Lumiere shadow in fuchsia, along with a healthy dose of black.

My lips are Morgana Cryptoria’s Diabolic Druscilla with a bit of Ulta gloss on top and a heavy black outline. I’ll be posting a tutorial of this look next week! My nails are Gelish gel polish in Starburst, topped with Orly (regular polish) in Bubbly Bombshell, which is a SUPER GLITTERY MAGENTA. Oh, true happiness! I’ve been doing my nails in gel polish lately instead of getting acrylics, and I am SO happy with the results. But that’s a topic for another post. :)

For my hair style, I simply put my hair in a ponytail, braided it, added a fake chignon and wrapped my braid around it. The headpiece is something I made myself a long time ago with a velvet headband from random accessory store and a floral spray and bit of tulle from Michael’s. I was so delighted that it matched my skirt and cami so well!

Do you ever do a “quick change” to go from work to club-wear? What’s your time-saving secret when you don’t have a full two hours to get ready for the evening?

All images and text © Sophistique Noir Gothic Fashion Blog. Do not use any photos or text from this blog without providing a credit to me and a link back to the original post.


25 Comments

Last Day at the Old Job

May 17, 2012 by kitty  · 15 Comments  · 708 Views

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I felt like going fairly colorful for the last day at my old job. I knew most of the day would consist of me going around saying goodbyes, or people dropping by my office to say goodbye. I wanted to shine, yet look professional. I also wanted something that I could easily convert into an evening look, since I knew Mr. Kitty and I would be going to my favorite club that night to celebrate my freedom from a job that had begun to drain the life out of me. I already had my club outfit in mind, which you’ll see tomorrow…

I wore my hair down because I always feel prettiest that way. Being an extreme introvert, I need a little extra boost of confidence when I’m doing something outside of my comfort zone. Talking to dozens of people in one afternoon is very exhausting to me, even if I really like all of those people and enjoy talking to them… It’s something only an introvert would understand, and if you are one, you know exactly what I mean. ;)

What do you do to give yourself extra confidence when you are facing a “big day” of some kind?

All images and text © Sophistique Noir Gothic Fashion Blog. Do not use any photos or text from this blog without providing a credit to me and a link back to the original post.


15 Comments

Work Week is Over; Time to Get Cute!

October 28, 2011 by kitty  · 18 Comments  · 602 Views

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I posted my “work” version of this look yesterday, then came home and re-styled the outfit for a fun evening with Mr. Kitty to celebrate the start of the weekend. I’ve done some other Day to Evening transition posts, but with this one I decided to be a bit more drastic.

Fall weather is finally starting to approach Southern California, which means it’s time to break out the shorts with tights! Any time I see a fashion blogger sporting this look, I can’t help but comment that when I was a teenage Goth (late 1980s) we were all doing the cut-off denim shorts with black tights (or fishnets) and the mainstream world said it was a huge fashion no-no. 20 years later, it’s EVERYWHERE, and oh-so-chic.  I don’t mind, because Goth girls will always do it better.  :)   Actually, it’s even more adorable with today’s sophisticated options in shorts.

I kept the blazer and cami from my work outfit, but got brave and donned this pair of shorts over white lace tights. Mr. Kitty was a fan, and our usual waitress at the sushi place we go most every Thursday announced that I was “not allowed to look that cute.” Thanks for the massive ego boost, Favorite Sushi Waitress! :)

I’m sporting the Morgana Cryptoria Lip Balm in Hathor. As I mentioned in my review of these lip balms, this one is probably my favorite color of the whole line but it requires more maintenance than the other colors. Maybe the tube I received was older and starting to dry out, or maybe it has something to do with the dark color and intense amount of pigment. Either way, a coat of Burt’s Bees underneath helps, and it’s worth the trouble!

I also did a quick-change on my hair by clipping in a couple of artificial pigtails over my bun. The choker is a DIY project: just a scrap of white lace trim with beads and a butterfly cameo sewed onto it. The cameo is from Jo Ann’s Fabrics, found in the section with the buttons and such. This was probably a $2 project. I made wristbands from the same lace later in the evening, but not until after I had already photographed the outfit. :( Can’t wait to show them to you later on!


18 Comments

When Exactly is it That You Aren’t Supposed to Wear White?

October 27, 2011 by kitty  · 12 Comments  · 542 Views

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Today’s blazer from Wet Seal has an abundance of adorable details. Tiny pockets with ruffled tops, slight gathering on the shoulders, and little (false) button tabs on the cap sleeves. I also love that the neckline on this one is a bit more narrow than the typical blazer cut, creating a more vertical opening that is an interesting change of pace. There’s also a tiny v-shaped notch out of the back of the collar that I failed to photograph. The fabric is very soft, in a weave similar to denim but much finer and just a teeny tiny bit fuzzy.

This was actually the perfect fit for me with no alteration, which is always a delight!

The only down side of really long skirts is it’s harder to create a variety of looks when both shoes and hosiery are effectively hidden. I’ve worn this white skirt once before, ages ago. It’s so drastically different from anything else in my wardrobe, making it an extreme challenge for me. I couldn’t think of any other way to style this piece, until I thought to try it with a blazer. The white lace cami from Newport News tied it together nicely (this is the cami I have in five colors; you’ve also seen it in mauve and black so far).

I have one more idea for how to style this skirt, and then I will be tapped out. For now. :) I might need you guys to come to the rescue with another fashion brainstorming session soon!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Day-to-Evening series.  Check back tomorrow to see how I will re-style this outfit for a quick dinnertime transformation!


12 Comments

Forget About the Second Day…

May 20, 2011 by kitty  · 8 Comments  · 535 Views

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I wasn’t planning on doing an evening version of this outfit, as I couldn’t fathom any other way to style this blazer. But before leaving for Sushi Thursday, I threw on the casual fingerless gloves because I knew it would be chilly when the sun went down. The gloves didn’t go with the shoes I had on, so I changed to the casual Dr. Martens Mary Janes. Then the skirt didn’t go with the Mary Janes, so out came the black jeans. Next thing you know I have a whole new outfit, my sweet husband has to wait patiently for another photo session to be completed, and I need another line of lyrics from Military Fashion Show to use as a post title.

This photo was blurry, which any good designer knows is a cue to
throw out some cool ethereal effects to try and make it look intentional!

I don’t have too much to say about this outfit, except that after the sushi we went for pie (a rare occurrence for us) and the jeans didn’t seem to fit so well after! ;-D


8 Comments

Beauty Broke Down the Chains Somehow…

May 19, 2011 by kitty  · 7 Comments  · 700 Views

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Yes, I am sure that every Goth girl (the ones who like Synthpop, at least) who does a fashion blog post featuring a military-inspired style borrows a line from Military Fashion Show by And One. It may not be creative, but at least it saved me having to come up with a title today. :)

This adorable military-style blazer came from H&M. Personally, I’m a bit of a pacifist but do I like this style if it has a vintage flair. Check out the close-up to see the cool details on the lapels. The gunmetal-color buttons are a nice touch, too, rather than the silver-tone I usually see on this style blazer. The high-waist pencil skirt with ruched side panels is from Forever 21, and happens to be the only bottom I own that even comes close to working with this blazer!

I’ve been loyal to a certain line of Hue stockings for years now, as the fit, sheen and quality of this particular style is perfect for my tastes. However, they don’t offer a backseam variety, so I popped into Frederick’s to buy this pair. They weren’t cheap: about $15. I took them out of the package today and to my dismay, I found that both stockings have random lines running up and down them! This is not intentional, as they are not striped stockings; these appear to be weak spots in the weave. I’ve seen this before in cheaper brands, but expected better in this price range. It’s SO tacky. You have to look closely in the enlarged shots to see the streaks, but I assure you they are glaring in person! I really didn’t have time to change this morning, but I will never wear these again. And I caution my readers not to buy stockings from Frederick’s!!

Can anyone recommend a high-quality brand of backseam stockings?  Or maybe I’ll stick with my beloved Hue stockings and get those adorable backseam tattoos…


7 Comments

The Start of a Good Weekend

May 6, 2011 by kitty  · 6 Comments  · 390 Views

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I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to pull this one off. This morning, I honestly had no idea how I was going to convert the daytime version of this outfit into an adequately Gothy evening version. Especially without using the same tricks I’ve used for my Day-to-Evening posts the past two weeks. I snuck out of work a bit early so I could have some down time and shake my three-day headache, and felt a renewed creativity afterward. I’m pretty thrilled with the results after all.

Goths might be the only people in the world who would even consider buttoning their blouses up further for a nighttime look than for the work look. But I liked how it worked with this pendant. And as fabulous as the daytime shoes were, I felt compelled to switch to my favorite non-work shoes.

Chignon, Feathers and Roses

I’ve always wanted to try a corset with this blouse. Total win.

Add a winning hairdo and the evening look is complete!


6 Comments

The End of a Bad Week!

May 5, 2011 by kitty  · 11 Comments  · 485 Views

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This has been a really rough week at work; hence the decrease in Work Outfit posts. Most mornings I’ve been lucky to even have clothing on when I leave in the morning, much less an outfit that is well thought out and worthy of photographing. However, I managed to get a good night’s sleep last night (thanks to a cordial of Irish whiskey* and a Benadryl) and felt refreshed this morning. So here’s an outfit!

The satin blouse with rhinestone buttons is from random mall store. Pencil skirt is from Target. Amazing shoes are from Newport News. Thank you, Newport News, for making this style in my size!!

A Decent Close-Up of the Lovely Locket

This locket was a Valentine’s Day gift from my husband, and was the necklace I wore on the day we got married. It is sterling silver with mother of pearl. Of course, he included pictures of us both inside. He chose this locket because of its vintage feel, but it came with a rather boring silver chain that just didn’t do it justice. I made this necklace for it from sterling silver chain and mother of pearl beads. I have a matching bracelet in my head, but it hasn’t found its way into reality yet.

A Close-Up of Today’s Shoes

Stay tuned, as I intend to do another Day (Corp) to Evening (Goth) with this outfit. If I succeed, I’ll post the Evening look tomorrow. No promises though, because so far today hasn’t turned out much better than yesterday!

* I rarely drink anything other than one glass of wine, but I do have a special bottle that I reserve for the end of very bad days. This same bottle has lasted about 4 years and is still half full, so I guess I don’t have many bad days! :)


11 Comments

No One is Perfect

April 29, 2011 by kitty  · 9 Comments  · 532 Views
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I intended to do another two-part “Day to Evening” post on Thursday and Friday this week, but yesterday I made quite an amusing mistake and did my entire photo shoot with my camera on zoom. This turned out to be okay, as I decided later in the morning that I really didn’t like how I had styled this dress for work after all. So I made some changes after work, and will just combine the day and evening looks into one post.

Daytime Look: FAIL
Here is the daytime look I originally came up with. Not too flattering, is it? Yeah, it’s supposed to be conservative for work, but this is a bit too shapeless for my taste. I wore this sweater in a similar way in this outfit post, but the form-fitting skirt balances it out better. It just didn’t work with the loose-fitting skirt on this empire-waist dress. The gathering on the dress doesn’t look right underneath the sweater either, and the scarf was too much combined with the corsage detail.

Daytime Look: WIN

And here is the daytime look with a few quick improvements. I think this shrug works much better. Also draping the scarf down the back makes it compete less with the details in the dress.

Evening Look

And finally, the dinner look. I removed the shrug and lace cami, and added sheer sleeves that used to be a shrug (I just cut them apart last night, so they still need some fine-tuning). I am wearing a necklace that my husband gave me which somewhat matches the bracelet. 

A Close-Up of the Evening Shoes

I replaced the work-friendly shoes with a taller platform. I don’t normally do the pointy toe, but these were sent to me by mistake and I found I kind of like them as a change of pace.

I probably wouldn’t choose this dress for dinner on an evening when I had ample time to plan a fabulous outfit. But it works wonderfully for when I know I’ll need a quick change after work.


9 Comments

Target Sheath Dress; Evening Edition

April 22, 2011 by kitty  · 11 Comments  · 546 Views
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Thursday is Dinner Out night for us, since it marks the beginning of our weekends. Usually I either just go in my work clothes or I change into something completely different. Since I hoped this sheath dress would be versatile, I thought I’d try restyling it for a fun Day-to-Night outfit post.

I replaced the purple sweater shrug with this fishnet-like crocheted shrug. Instead of the pink flower pin, I used an identical black one. I swapped out the pink belt for the black ruffled one with rhinestone clasp, and the pink bracelets for more rhinestones. Add a rhinestone choker, satin headband, fishnets and my super-fun three-strap Mary Janes and it’s dinner time!

Check out my Daytime version of this dress in yesterday’s post.

Here’s a close-up of the cool fold detail on the bodice of the dress. I like it even better in the all-black evening outfit!


11 Comments