Sometimes in my many travels around the web I stumble across something that just speaks to my soul.  This shop is one of them.  I would love to have this woman decorate my entire house, there’s just something so sublime and beautiful about her work.  She’s an artist after my own heart.

She’s got an antiquated touch to her work that avoids looking scrap bookish vintage and yet it transports you away to somewhere else with all the care and attention she obviously puts into each product.   I never thought such simple luxuries would ever charm me like these do but

indeed, it’s such pretty things like these that feed my soul.  (And yes, I still have one.)

Go visit ForStrangeWomen and admire.   You won’t regret it.

Photo By Hannah Combs Photography

Take one look at the stunning picture on her homepage and it’s not hard to see why Seanna Miriah caught my attention. With such amazing, big blue eyes and a true at heart pin up girl image to go with it, she steals the show. I came across her after some idle searching and after just a first glance through her portfolio I was stunned to see just how diverse and expressive this girl is. I’ve seen so many “models” who can only hold a single, static pose and a solitary, boring expression photo after photo. It’s wonderfully refreshing to find an alternative model who doesn’t confine herself to one defining image. Her talent really stems from being a chameleon for the camera; She’s never the same girl twice and each new Seanna is just as delightful and exciting as the last. What can I say? I just can’t help but adore a girl who rocks her tattoos as well as Seanna does. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s also wonderfully charming and promises to be your BFF.  Make sure you head to her blog and play “Ask Seanna”!

1)  First off, I love your website.  You have no idea how many model “portfolios” I’ve had to search through over the last couple months that were little more than a few fuzzy shots on MySpace.  You really seem to know what you’re doing, which leads me to wonder, How long have you been modeling?

Glad you like my website, thank you!  I worked really hard on it and am constantly updating it and trying to get people to come play “Ask Seanna” with me.  I like to know who takes interest in what I do.  As far as how long I’ve been modeling, a few years ago a friend/photographer kept asking me to do a shoot with him.  I finally gave in and once I got the pics back I thought damn, I’m not too bad at this (giggle)!  I enjoyed it so much that it became a passion and an outlet for me.  And once I set my mind to something, look out!  I’ve been going crazy with self promotion, researching, and studying different styles and concepts in modeling and photography and am always trying to keep it fresh and new.  I treat this like a full time job because I love it and want to share that with people.

2)  Was this something you’ve always wanted to do?  What did you want to be when you were a little girl?

Actually, I was extremely shy when I was younger!  People used to ask me if I’d be interested in modeling but, when I pictured doing it I had images in my head of embarrassing myself and girls being really mean and back stabbing.  The thought of that used to scare me into panic attacks.   I just wasn’t ready.   Now, I’m all grown up and know that there can be more to photography then cookie cutter pageants and Vaselined teeth.  It’s not about the perfect airbrushed head-shot or the best bikini bod on the beach.  I want to see an image that has innocence, unconventional sexuality, profoundness or humor behind it.  I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t artistic which is truly where my childhood roots are.

Photo By Hannah Combs Photography

3)  You’ve got amazing looks and obvious talent that could take you through many genres; Why did you decide to be a “Pin Up” model?

Well, thanks!  I actually keep trying to branch out and do different styles but somehow pin-up keeps pulling me back!  Probably because it embraces the curves and variety of a woman more then any genre.  I am always open to trying new things and although I don’t want to get stuck in any “category”, the pin-up industry has been very supportive of me so I like to stay loyal to that.  I like that Pin-up is becoming various in that it doesn’t have to look like a 1950′s replica.  I enjoy seeing modern pin-up girls using original ideas of their own while being inspired by history rather then recreating it. I relate to the obsession of that era but I’m not trying to re-live it.  It’s IS the year 2009 now.  Where is my jet pack?!  I swear this is not what Doc and Marty Mcfly predicted.

4)  Who has been your biggest modeling inspiration?  Is there anyone in particular that you “channel” perhaps?

I’m extremely inspired by a lot of gals out there (the classic to the modern) but mostly, I’m inspired by photographers.  Robert Alvarado, Andy Hartmark, and Viva Van Story to name a few.  Those photographers are really good about keeping a fresh portfolio so I always scroll through them to see the latest badassery they’ve created.  I don’t try to channel anyone else per se, I’m more focusing on getting my mind and my body on the same page!  Hand placement, fingers, suck in, push out, breath, and express through my thoughts.  When I’m in front of the camera, and the lens is looking at me, I stare back with the thought I’m trying to project.  Lust, love, sad, silly…I almost try to visually push it out of my retina!  Almost like you could see what I’m thinking. GOD, I’m such a weirdo!

5)  How did you get started in “Pin Up” modeling?

I did that first photo shoot with Jason Briscoe Photography which was what started my portfolio.  Then it was just MAD self promotion from that point.  I entered contests, booked as many shoots as I could to build my portfolio and started networking my ass off!  I won the first contest I ever entered which was Pinup Vixen and then I entered Ink & Iron’s Pinup Pageant and placed in the top 12 nationally.  (Please tell Corky Bordeaux of Bootstraps Burlesque that I said “Top 12 Nationally” because she says I don’t talk myself up enough!)   I think contests are fun but, I’m now starting to get interested in being in more Printwork/Magazines.  I am however in the running in the “Dean Girl” contest which is pretty big.  The prizes are awesome but I am up against the most girls I’ve ever competed with and a they are all really beautiful!  I’m a bit different from the style I think they are looking for but nonetheless, I’m in there so vote for me if you’d like!  You can go to my website and click the link on the front page.  No sign up necessary (I always hated that).  Just click, vote.  Ok I’m done plugging that, sorry!

6)  How many tattoos do you have?

Ummm, It’s hard to count at this point.  I have two traditional Japanese sleeves by Jay Chastain, an Owl Chest Piece by Will Lollie, and then some random ones like, stars on my ears and tears on the insides of my pointer fingers.  I plan to get my knuckles, top of my hands, feet, and pelvic area next.

7)  Does your ink have any special meanings or stories behind it?

Yes,  And I always say there is the long story which begins with, “It all started when I was a teenager” and I never actually finish.  So instead I usually just focus on talking up my latest one and that is the owl chest piece which symbolizes wisdom and grace.  Two things I strive to have!

Photo By Hannah Combs Photography

8)  Tell us about your most Interesting/Bizarre/Frightening/Coolest photoshoot or related event to date.

That would hands down be the hot air balloon shoot.  I got this crazy idea in my head that I wanted to do a shoot in a big colorful balloon and so I begged Asheville Hot Air Balloon (they were very pleasant people to work with and very easy going, I adore them!).  Once they got the balloon up and ready I realized how intimidating it was to have this HUGE structure hovering over me, powered by extreme flammables, and jumping several feet in the air around a field as I tried to look “glamorous”.  The outtake shots from the shoot were hilarious!  The poor photographer (the lovely Miss Hannah Combs) almost got trampled since she had to lie on her back to get the shots and the balloon was hopping around her.  It was definitely worth it though because we got some excellent pictures out of it!

9)  What style do you identify yourself with personally?

I don’t really consider myself to be one specific style.  I get nervous when I fall into a category for some reason.  I guess I feel obligated or something and that’s hard for me when I reinvent myself constantly.  You would think committing to so many tattoos would have been hard for me huh?!  I don’t make any sense to myself either.  I try not to dissect and just except my ways as who I am which is ever changing.

10)  What colour of socks are you wearing right now?

I don’t really wear socks.  I love to wear house slippers though! The silly ones that kids wear are the best!  Like big teddy bear slippers or Scooby-Doo.  Aww, I had to throw away my last ones (my dog chewed them up when he was a pup).  I’ve got to go buy a new pair now, I miss them!

11)  If you weren’t modeling, what would you be doing?

Well, I do a lot of other things on the side other then modeling already.  I’m honestly taking on quite a few creative tasks right now including cartoon writing, make up artistry, and I’m going to go to school by next Spring for Digital Media.  I want to learn cartoon animation and web building.  I’ve always liked to draw and love odd humor so cartooning would be a good way for me to get some of these ideas out of my head.

12)  What kind of dogs do you have and what are their names?

I have a Puggle and a Shi tzu named Raleigh and Booger and they are cute little button nosed sweeties!  I just did a shoot with Raleigh (the puggle) that I intend on submitting to the calendar “Pinups For Pups” which raises money for animal rescue organizations.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they are accepted, I would be so honored!

13)  What kind of advice can you offer for all the aspiring “Pin Up” Models out there right now?

The main thing I can say is to keep it original and stay confident in who you are and what you want to project.  I think it’s wonderful when I see girls adding variety to what’s out there already.  You won’t stick out if it’s not eye catching and new!  Also, research and promote yourself!  Pinuplifestyle.com is a GREAT networking site and an awesome place for newcomers to mingle with professionals.  And lastly and probably most important, have fun.  When it stops being fun what’s the point?

Photo By Hannah Combs Photography

Fat Punk Studios, while not expressly Goth, boasts some amazing art work and designs. They were recently featured in Front Magazine, Skin Deep and most recently in Skate Magazine UK and they carry some crazy cool skate decks and gear.  You don’t have to be a skater to appreciate this company though, just check out what they have for art and clothing and you’ll quickly see why we are fans.  They have got some incredible canvases for your walls that will always catch eyes.  These are designs for the cool at heart; you won’t find anything like them in your big box stores and they’re much cooler to collect than those cheap mass produced paper posters that you buy in plastic rolls from a bin. Oh, and did I mention that they’re also working on tattoo sheets and a book?  Next time you are looking to get some ink done you can check out what these guys design, it’s sure to rock.

I’ve always been of the opinion that an interview is only as cool as the subject at hand, so when I found myself lucky enough to get to Interview Sam Brade from Fat Punk I was super excited. I thought this would be an awesome first interview to kick off the new website and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Sam gave us some great answers and it’s obvious that he’s an artist with real passion for his work.

1. Who is Fat Punk?  Where did the name come from?

When I was a youth growing up in sunny Brixton (London) there was a huge fat punk of a guy living near me who owned loads of really cool Harley Davidson bikes. We would pester him year after year like the little shits we were to sit on his bikes but he was a bit crazy and used to shout at us NOO!!   Many years later this dude is long gone but my 1st studio is above where the CRAZY FAT PUNK used to keep his bikes.  The rest as they say is history and the FAT PUNK STUDIO was born!

2.How long have you been an artist?  Have you always been artistic?

Going back to my short trouser days I’ve always had a passion for drawing and creating stuff. I used to skate everyday until cider and girls took over. It wasn’t so cool to skate then, but the skate/punk graphics stayed in my heart.

Drawing was something that came easily to me, a pen and paper are never far from my reach. A solid grounding in being able to draw is paramount within the digital realms of vector art.

3.Where did you learn your art?  Self taught?  Formal education? 

I did an A level but most of it has been off my own back! I think you can’t really be taught how to be an decent designer/artist, sounds wanky but you either have it in you or you don’t. All anyone can do is try to encourage it out of you and give you a bit of discipline!

In regards to the digital side of things I am a totally self taught vector fiend. Most of my designs start on paper then if I think they are good enough they get transfered into the digital realms where I then embellish and add to the design.

4.If you had to chose between what you’re doing now and having a boring, yet incredibly well paying office job which would you pick?

I just couldn’t  face the day in dead end grind of most graphic design jobs. Designing little characters for cereal boxes or logos for pizza delivery shops.  All the money in the world doesn’t make you happy! Owning your own company is the dream I’ve always had, so as long as you can pay your bills and feed yourself without some arse of a boss telling you what to do you’ve already made it!!!

5.What’s your favorite flavour: Tattoos or Piercings?

Tattoos are for life and I think that the final decision to get a tattoo done is SO INTENSE like no other other decision!!  The rush of not being able to turn back is so cool and the more crazy the tattoo the more of an ‘up yours’ the decision is to the rest of the world!

6.Where does the inspiration for your designs come from?

When I was a kid I would try to draw what I thought would happen if say a tractor and a sheep were spliced together! As I got older I became really interested in cinema, in particular David Cronenberg’s flicks. The concept of organic matter mixed with metal and machinery fascinates me and lead me to getting some implants myself, and is massively reflected in my work.

Aside from cinema other major influences on my work are Manga, Japanese style graphics, Nature, Architecture and the visual perfection of M.C.Escher.

7.What’s your perfect Saturday night?

I can see it now…… few glasses of Absinthe, few friends, few bars, back to mine for some more absinthe, music and quite possibly some herbs from the garden of sweet mary jane!! Been mad busy recently tho so one of these is well overdue lol!!!

8.How do you feel seeing other people wear the clothes you designed?

I get such a buzz when I see any of my creations being enjoyed by someone else. At first I would even go shake their hand! Recently the drummer and lead guitarist of a band called ‘The Streets’ were wearing a FAT PUNK STUDIO tee at Glastonbury 2009 on stage and I still felt proud as punch!

9.What style would you say defines Fat Punk?

URBAN, SUB-URBAN, AGGRESSIVE , DIGITAL, CYBER OPTIC MIND BLOWING FANTASY SHIT! Fat Punk Studio mixes clean with mean and the rough with the smooth!

10.Do you have a message behind the designs?  Is there something you’re trying to express?

Not directly… I wouldn’t say that we are actively rebelling against modern illustrative styles; we are simply designing through the channels of our personal likes/dislikes and striving to create something interesting and refreshing that expresses/reflects our passion for accuracy and detail in design!

11.What sets you apart from other companies?

FOCUS, PASSION and STYLE …..This is what drives us and what keeps us ahead of the game. Our skills all come from within the company and we don’t stop working on something until we’re 457% happy with EVERYTHING!
 
 12.What’s in the future for Fat Punk?  Where is the company going?

We will be working closely with the Tattoo community producing Fat Punk tattoo books and sheets for individual tattoo parlours. We have also been invited to exhibit our works at several tattoo conventions across europe. We have some amazing sunglasses, caps and jackets coming soon along with more X-treme sports hardware! We are half way through completing the Fat Punk Studio ‘book’ which will be a completely amazing insight into the full collection of our art, from rough sketches to full prints.  

Our style is intensifying day by day so things can only get bigger! “FAT PUNK STUDIO WORLD DOMINATION”…… This is just the beginning!!!!!!!

13.If you could spend an afternoon with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and what would do for that afternoon?

I’d spend the day riding quad bikes on sand dunes in full Mad Max attire with Director Micheal Bay lol.

He is a visual genius and definitely someone that inspires me .. funny as f%£!!!!k   too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHsxQJ9ZOo

Gothism has a huge following despite still being considered a fringe group of society. We’ve got enough numbers in our ranks to fuel an immense amount of clothing companies, popular dark rock bands and even movies. This is proof that Goths aren’t just a fad but a powerful cultural movement with staying power.

So, with so many of us accounted for, why are there so many new recruits failing to grasp the basics? As someone dedicated to spreading the word of the dark side I’m prepared to offer up some tips that might seem like common sense to most but some of these are the most obvious and common examples of when goth goes bad.

1. Plastic Is NOT Goth. It’s not even cool. PVC, rubber and latex are but blatantly cheap crap isn’t. If your dark and mysterious trench coat wrinkles like a crumpled piece of paper or if your dramatic cloak of shadows looks like the heavy duty garbage bag your mom takes out the trash with, then you’re doing it wrong.

Here’s a hint, if you bought your cape at a chain department store in October, chances are that gaudy acrylic medallion that came with it as a “free bonus” isn’t going to help you score at the party tonight either. Unless of course your ‘party’ is in someone’s basement where you fill out character cards and chose from a wide arrange of stats and points in order to develop your bitchin’ fanged persona…

2. Shoe polish is just a bad idea. So Stop it. Sure, black shoe polish in your hair was a successful, quick and cheap trick that your mom pulled out when she forgot to get you a proper Halloween costume and had to whip up a prince of darkness costume on the fly but it’s time to grow up. There are far better ways to get those glossy black tresses and the home kits make it affordable even if you’re not willing to drop a couple hundred dollars on a salon job.

You can even get temporary rinse out and spray-in products if you’re a weekender who can’t commit all the way, so there is no excuse to see anymore oily, smelly goo in your hair that rubs off on first touch.

3. Bathing is NOT optional. Sure, on the Internet you’re a tall, toned, long haired charmer who sweeps in during the late hours to whisk the ladies off their feet–but if you smell like dirty socks and rotting luncheon meat, and if your hair can polish a floor…then you have a problem. Being filthy and disgusting isn’t Goth, it isn’t even grunge, it’s just disgusting and people won’t want to be around you if they think you’ll give them lice.

This isn’t just a rule of Gothism, this is just common damn sense. Unfortunately a lot of people out there seem to miss that little bit of basic instinct and think that people are just avoiding them because they’re too “Counter Culture” and not cool enough to “get them”.

4. Don’t whine about your parents and tell me you’re Manson. Bitching about trivial nonsense–like how your parents won’t keep funding your senseless Hot Topic habit or how nobody “gets you” when you write non-sensical poetry about your torturous suffering of too much homework–isn’t cool, it’s just irritating. There are some real problems out there like poverty, sickness, famine, war and…you get the idea.

Complaining about your trivial upper-middle class woes like a broken record just gives us all a bad reputation as being cry babies with too much money for our own good and it confuses the norms by making us think that Emo is the new Goth. Being mournful and introspective is one thing but pretending to cut yourself because your mom won’t shell out for those overpriced tight black jeans just means you’re a spoiled rotten brat.

5. Costume supplies might be cheap but they’re just that, cheap. Nothing screams “Scorn me!” quite like the clown paint and crappy fake lashes a baby bat snatched up at a discount after trick or treating last year. If you decide to cross over to the dark side you need to make sure that you at least do a little research into the image first. There’s plenty of products and websites out there that can help you avoid the face paint look.

Sure we’re supposed to be pale and unearthly but looking like you survived a freak white out accident doesn’t earn you any points. Same thing with costume accessories; fangs are hot but those cheap folded plastic types you get in prize bags at a carnival are not. Try a product like Scarecrow Fangs and some of the cosmetics from Manic Panic instead of raiding your mom’s costume box.

(This Article Was Previously Posted On www.pretty-scary.net)

Many of us have been there before.  Maybe you’ve graduated from school and you’re heading into the job market.  Maybe you’re looking for a professional change, maybe an upgrade from minimum wage shop clerk to something with benefits.  Maybe your parents have told you that you can’t keep living in their basement listening to Black Sabbath for the rest of your life.

Regardless, you need to get a job and not just any job but one of those dress code jobs where they don’t give you a snazzy lemon yellow and grass green polyester uniform but they expect you to learn how to tie-a-tie and press your slacks.  Tragic.

Well it seems like you have two choices now.  You can stand up for your right to wear cut up stockings and tell that softly spoken human resources lady to go to hell or you can sell out like a good little boy or girl and earn your cookies like everyone else.  After all, it pays a lot better than flipping greasy burgers, does it not?  And you can always sneak in some personal dark time late at night while you’re hanging out in your flat alone after that round of cocktails the girls from payroll bought for you.  That would work—and that nice big paycheck could pay for more of those velvet smocks and leather dusters that you’d get to wear…occasionally.

But what if you didn’t have to pick either choice?  What if you could find the balance in between? Is it possible to balance an alternative fashion lifestyle with the reality of an office place setting? Of course it is.  It might take a little bit of work to get it right but corporate goth is not only achievable, it’s hot. The key is to find the point where you’re following dress code and yet, not totally submitting to the point of abolishing your dark gothic pride.

Start with the basics of your wardrobe.  Find out what sort of business dress code you need to adhere to.  Is it business casual?  Slacks and a pressed shirt?  Suit and tie?  Find this out before you fill your wardrobe with the wrong essentials then work on what you’ll wear as staples.  You need some suits?  Indochino makes tailor-made suits, shirts and accessories that seem to target the young ‘up-and-comer’ sort of style.  They don’t carry your father’s business attire.  Their navy pinstripe suit looks sharp, indeed, and the reflective midnight blue dress shirt really makes a nice canvas to start your corporate goth look.

What if you’re a lady?  Well there’s an abundance of choices out there for you.  Take your pick of dark coordinates and ladies dress suits and try dressing them up with bits and pieces like the Lip Service “Creatures of Statute Cap Sleeve Top” or their “Common Blood Halter Vest” to get the foundations of the look started.  Other companies like Heavy Red also have some lovely blouses that offer a hint of color into the mix but still be careful not to over step the limits of your workplace dress code, you don’t want to find yourself unable to buy these things now do you?

Victorian Gears, Silk Screenprinted Necktie Photo Courtesy of Cyberoptix Tie Lab

So once you have the basics pulled together it’s time to embellish upon them.  Don’t worry if you think your suits so far look pretty mundane, the right accessory can offer up an amazing amount of subtle style that still displays who you are without earning you a firm scolding from the department head.  If done correctly, corporate goth can earn you points for seeming appearance focused and well presented. This is very helpful if you ever want to move up in the ranks.

For men, and occasionally women, ties are a key opportunity to make a statement.  Try to stay away from novelty ties that scream “Office Joker” or “Loud Holiday Theme”.  Instead, find something that goes with the outfit and doesn’t compete with the overall look for attention.  Cyberoptix Tie Lab offers an amazing range of unique silk screened ties in silk and microfiber and Katie at Dabble Designs offers a coffin tie tack that actually opens to reveal a skeleton within and, a skull and cross bones version that has a matching pair of cuff links as well.

Speaking of cufflinks, Edm Designs offers a wide array of steampunk cuff links as well as an assortment of other fine accessories.  They also have a number of pieces that might appeal to a more feminine style, like brooches constructed with art deco fixtures and vintage watch movements.  The designs seem fairly unique yet they don’t try to startle or draw unwanted attention to their details. They blend well and yet still make the statement that the wearer is a unique and stylish individual. Steampunk not your thing?  Vicky Menounou, the owner of Aranwen’s Jewelry has a stunning black Victorian cameo pendant with Swarovski pearl.

Victorian Cameo Brooch Photo Courtesy of Aranwen's Jewelry

Try to mix-and-match bits and pieces together to try and achieve the look you want.  It might take some practice, but it is possible to have style and personality in your work wardrobe.  It just takes a bit of work and a little inspiration to pull it off.  So next time you get called in for that dreaded interview process, leave the torn jeans and leather collars at home but don’t forget to keep what makes you ‘who you are’ with you at all times.

(This Article Was Previously Posted On http://www.pretty-scary.net)

Student poverty is very much alive and well across campuses pretty much everywhere. You can take my word for it, I just convocated this spring after almost five years of it. While I can honestly say it’s given me an amazing amount of perspective and education it also took quite a bit out of my pockets as well.

I moved to the city for school when I was 17,  I was on my own in a cramped, desolate little university dorm and I had a fresh start.  I had grown up in one of those pleasant little rural towns, where “Goth” was anything outside the teenage norm of ‘cutsie’ baby tees with not-so-witty catch phrases or colorful athletic pants with words like “Flirt” and “Sexy” printed across the backside; to ensure all the creepy men and lecherous boys would have an excuse to stare at your daughter’s bottom. I hadn’t quite gone as far as to make any personal statements of rebellion against this social norm while I was growing up there but I definitely wasn’t playing with the same deck of cards as everyone else in my peer group. I was different as far as my fashion went but I wasn’t trying too hard to be that way. I was special on my own terms I guess.  I simply didn’t try and make waves you could say.

It wasn’t until I was a half day’s drive away from that little rural town that I discovered just how far I’d want to spread my wings.  Sure, I had dabbled a bit with the concept of “gothism” and “dark fashion” but when your town has one clothing store and it stocks only “Tommy Hilfiger” and country western jeans, you’re a little bit limited in your scope of choice. Once I was in my element though, I found myself happily embracing the lifestyle change. At first it was dreadfully overwhelming. Should I buy the leather bustier with the red lacing? I knew I liked those lovely black silk gowns with the lace trim and the Victorian brocade corsets but I wasn’t so fond of the $400.00+ price tags that came with them. Given the choice between rent and some of the most wonderful clothes I’d never had the chance to wear before, I knew where I had to send my student loan.

But, I lucked out in the end when I met my mentor, ‘V’. I met her in my afternoon biology class, a striking, wonderful German girl decked out in brilliant red and black. We bonded over studies of germs and dried arachnids and she baptized me in black lace. By the end of the week she was teaching me all I needed to know to get my start. She was well aware of my budget strains so we started me with the basics. It was almost ceremonial when we picked out my first velvet skirt. It was a-line, calf length and 70% off at Le Chateau, a place I normally don’t shop at but on that particular day we found a gem. I’ve found that when you’re looking to construct something of your own image it’s easy to get trapped in the label wars. I, for one, have a weakness for several of my favorite goth companies, and would love to wear nothing but their lines. It’s not practical though when you’re on a limited income. So, I keep my eyes out for usable pieces and ensembles here and there, using them to blend into my wardrobe whenever I find one of those secret gems.

Discount priced and sale items are awesome but only if you’re getting something worth the money. Sure, that $10.00 poly-blend pleated plaid skirt is calling you over, but is the fabric one of those icky cheap polyesters that fray at the seams and ride up with static cling? Maybe that $35.00 version with the higher cotton content and proper stitching will last you longer. After all, a deal is only a deal if it actually saves you money and doesn’t just waste it. I always say to invest in a few good pieces of quality clothing rather than have a huge stash of wasted “good deals”. If you’re not going to wear it more than a couple times and it’s not going to stand up to a night on the town then don’t put your money into it. Be a smart consumer. Quality over quantity.

‘V’ was great for showing me how to shop smart and put together some unique outfits that worked for me but she couldn’t work miracles. Some things were still out of reach. After all, if you’re only paying $40.00 for a corset, something is very wrong with that “corset”. That was an item I wanted desperately to have but I didn’t quite have the patience to save up for it. So, I put some of my own skills to work started making my own. Making your own clothes and gear is something I love to endorse for anyone who is in the same situation I was. If you have the skills and talent put them to work for you.

My grandmother had bought me a sewing machine as a Christmas gift one year and I had filled my fine arts requirements with the costume design classes in the theater department. I found some delightful red and black dress satins on sale at the local Fabricland and ordered the artificial whalebone online. It still took some initial investment of course but in the end I had a gorgeous, custom fit over-bust corset at a fraction of the price I would have had to pay elsewhere. Trying my hand at clothing also proved just as satisfactory. This doesn’t mean I’ve sworn off other labels just yet but it does mean I’m getting affordable and very unique fashions on demand. This works equally well with jewelry and accessories as well.

But, what can you do if you lack the talent to thread a needle and you don’t have as much access to the discount shopping centers and malls? Take to the Internet of course. My first suggestion is to look into independent companies and up and comers. Many of them are eager to give good and fair prices for some truly unique designs and styles. Many have privately owned sites and independent web hosting but some make use of co-op style shopping sites or community style shop hosts like www.Etsy.com. Still out of your price range? Try second hand. Look for established sites like www.GothAuctions.com and www.GothicAuctions.com where people can offer up their goth gear for usually very good prices. They’re much like Ebay. Caveat Emptor though, not everyone on the Internet is always reliable and I strongly suggest against sending cash in the mail, PayPal is a much more secure method of payment handling.

So you got your clothes and accessories, now what? Cosmetics. Make up and related items are something I always insist that you shouldn’t cheap out on. I don’t mean you have to pay the terribly high prices of the “best of the best” lines but use some sense when you go shopping. The last thing you want is to have your face break out or damaged because that $5.00 snow-white foundation is made with something dreadful. Your skin and body are very delicate and you should take care to preserve them, stick with trusted brands and remember that Halloween make up worn on any other day of the year is still Halloween make up and still looks like it. Also use caution when buying this stuff on auctions sites. Never buy it second hand and even when you’re buying it new, make sure it’s a sealed container. A product may not look contaminated but germs can make dangerous bedfellows.

Do your skin, hair and body a favor: pamper them. If you take care of your skin and body to start with you’ll depend less on cosmetics and related products, thus saving you money again. So make sure you buy quality without over splurging rather than buying something bad for a cheap price. On the other side, brushes, sponges, clips, combs and all that sort of good stuff is readily available at your dollar stores and is usually pretty safe since you’re not putting it on your skin or in your body.

So there you go, even if you’re a starving student, a part-time working youth or even just someone who wants to save money and look good and dark while doing it, you can still manage to find what you’re looking for if you’re willing to put a little time, effort and good sense into your bargain hunting. You might even find the process exciting or rewarding when you come up with that special something at half off and all that extra cash your saving can go towards one of those amazing, prized pieces just out of your current budget range.