Nora, the cat. She's a piano maestro.

I absolutely adore cats. (I am a cat's person) so it was no surprise that after watching this video I decided I should post it in my blog. It is such a joy to watch her playing and getting inspired!! And she is called like me!!! Could we be soul-mates, trapped in different species??

Curly hair, love it or hate it? Then go for wavy...

A comment made by one of my readers made me think. I am not the "BNP" of curly hair. I still like curly hair, Kris...;) However, not all curly hairs are good. Some people have been luckier than other ones.
Curly hair is like style, it is a very difficult art to master if you ever even manage to learn the art of it.
Some people are very happy with their hair, others not. Other people, including me, we usually go for the 50/50 way: the wavy hair. But how to style it?

Option A: the 40s look.
This vintage-inspired look consists in half straight hair, half wavy in very big waves than have been curled with either rollers, a hair-curler or with fingerwaving techniques for a more sophisticated finish.

Option B: the lady Camelot look.
Lady Camelot's hair is truly curly hair but in a very long length. This little but important detail allows to keep the curl under control and because of the weight, the curls tend to "open" and get bigger. Like the other look is very high maintenance (Yes!, curly hair is high maintenance). It needs lots of hidration and serum to minimise split ends and having your hair falling into pieces. You also need to keep it tidy or you will end up looking like a tramp.
Once again, you can check more ideas and tips in the "gothic fashion tips" link and in a website that Kris very kindly submitted with her comment. Thanks for your link, Kris!

www.naturallycurvy.com

Sizing, what size are we, really?

I've been having some very valuable feedback from customers and bloggers. It is always appreciated and very very valued, either is possitive or negative. There is one issue that has been a bit of a concern for some of the people I consulted. SIZING.

Yes! The (very) complicated issue of sizing. What size are we, really? OR, what size do we want to be? (I've seen women asking what the size range is at the entry of a shop and then leaving because they didn't like it, or even worse, not buying an item because they didn't want to get a LARGE size)

I'm not british, I'm spanish. I come from a country where the sizing is different from the british system: is smaller and tighter in the torax (we have smaller boobs but wider hips in the Mediterranian).
I started with a specific sizing system that apparently was too small, I've changed it. I was still not happy, I've changed again. Here's what I've decided to go for. I hope it makes sense. A spanish Medium IS DEFINETELY NOT the same as a british Medium. So I've decided to go for something in between. Comments are welcome.

SMALL (90cms bust, 70cms waist, 95cms hips)

MEDIUM (95cms bust, 75cms waist, 100cms hips)

LARGE (100cms bust, 80cms waist, 105cms hips)

XL (105cms bust, 85cms waist, 110cms hips)

XXL (110cms bust, 90cms waist, 115cms hips).

Check out my site for more info:

http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/pages/sizing-info

1930s, the decade of Glamour

After the "tomboy" look of the 1920s, there was a return to a more grown-up and sexier look that will characterize not only the 30s but also the 40s and 50s.
In the 30s clothes were still simple but feminine and became even more sophisticated and glamorous at night.
Feminine curves were highlighted through the use of the bias-cut in dresses (this technique allowed the fabric to drape better and therefore the garment would fit like a glove, similar to the effect that jersey/stretch fabric offers).

Through the mid-1930s, the natural waistline was often accompanied by emphasis on an empire line. Short bolero jackets, capelets, and dresses cut with fitted midriffs or seams below the bust increased the focus on breadth at the shoulder. By the late '30s, emphasis was moving to the back, with halter necklines and high-necked but backless evening gowns with sleeves. Evening dresses with matching jackets were worn to the theatre, nighclubs, and elegant restaurants.

Skirts remained at mid-calf length for day, but the end of the 1930s Paris designers were showing fuller skirts reaching just below the knee; this practical length (without the wasteful fullness) would remain in style for day dresses through the war years.

ACCESSORIES

Gloves were "enormously important" in this period. Evening gowns were accompanied by elbow length gloves, and day costumes were worn with short or opera-length gloves of fabric or leather.

Another key piece in the 30s was fur: extravagants pieces of fur decorating the garments or worn as wraps or coats were the final touch to finish that sophisticated look.

HAIR

Short hair remained fashionable in the early 1930s, but gradually hair was worn longer in soft or hard curls.

Hats were worn for most occasions, almost always tipped to one side and decorated with bits of net veiling, feathers, ribbons, or brooches.

Info taken from this link: wikipedia

Gothic hairstyles, does curly hair need to be dark?

A comment by one of my readers, Sexy Sadie, made me think. In response to the post Gothic hairstyles, can curly hair look good with your gothic outfit? She commented: "I think curly hair can be gothic, but it has to be dark hair".

Well, not necessarily. As with any other "look", it is the combination of elements (makeup, hair, accessories, clothing -including colours, textures and shapes-) what defines the overlook of it or the "theme". Someone completely dressed in black doesn't always look "gothic", so curly or wavy hair doesn't always need to have that romantic and sweet flair into it either....

Obviously, black or dark colour hair would make the overall dramatic effect come across easier, especially to someone who has a very sterotypical view about Gothic fashion, however, I still believe and I have already expressed this in my post, black raven hair (straight!) it can be too tiring!!!

As another reader pointed out, the character of Lestat the Vampire (played by Tom Cruise) is blonde and with curly hair. Does that make him look less "gothic" or sinister?

Take as an example the first picture, is from Aquascutum ( a fashion label with no relation or interest whatsover into dark or gothic themes). The model looks very dramatic. Why?
Well defined eyes in a very dark and smokey dark eye-shadow, sharp wine coloured lips, well defined figure thanks to a very beautifully tailored outfit, in this case a coat. The hair is curly! And is not either black raven or vamp red, is a brown golden dark colour and she still looks beautifully dramatic!

Let's take another example: bright blonde hair. The most difficult case, in my opinion.
Here is a picture of Jean Paul Gaultier's Winter collection for 2006. It is very phantasmagoric, I have to say, but I like because they didn't stick into black hair in order to create that romantic dark look. There is no need to say that it works because of the make-up and the clothes!

Retro is back!

After having apeek to the last catwalks, I'm so thrilled for this winter to come! (I've never been a summer person ayway....maybe 'cause I'm spanish and sunlight is not a big deal to me).

Anyway, after last winter's doom and gloom we will still expect more drama but this time with a stronger vintage "allure". As I said in my previous post, the current crisis shares too many similarities with the Great Depression (hence the strong 1930s influences in next winter's collections). If you look carefully at some collections the silouettes, textures and colours are very depression like. Even so more than the characteristic opulent Old Hollywood style of the same era. If you don't know what 1930s fashion is exactly, I will explain it in my next post.

For the moment, enjoy this very 1930s-Film Noir dramatic picture on the left.

(picture of the gorgeous burlesque performance Lydia LoveLace, photographed by Nik Pickard). (Hope they don't mind that I use this stunning picture)

I suddenly became a Goth.....part 5

Remember my "suddenly became a Goth" series"? Well, I didn't know I would find more "chapters" to add to the series :)
I don't really know if this chapter is legitimate but I just can't help thinking that the new look is dark enough to fall into not the proper goth but at least "dark" category.

I-ve always been a fan of Scarlett Johansson-s look. I love retro (1930s-1940s plus victoriana) and her looks are never too much colorful, au contraire, she usually plays with pastels (that-s why I-m not a big fan of the 50s although I can say that I still like it...).
Miss Johansson has paired her stylist (whoever he/she is, is doing a very good job) with D&G and you can see the result: strange, well, quite unusual. It is femenine, it is glamorous, it is rich and voluptous but very very dark indeed.
Why did this happen to....her?
Well, Gothic or dark will still be a big thing for next winter (due to the gloomy economical situation) but also retro, 1930s retro, to be precise due to the similiarities of this recession with the one from 1929. So I think that-s why miss Johansson's stylist has decided to embrace the dark side of retro.

You might still be wondering why Johansson looks "dark"? Well, here are some clues:

Firstly, the hair: that beautiful ginger/auburny colour is very very dramatic enough. It is one of the right shades to emphasize the already pale skin and accentuate her facial features. (Remember my post: Gothic make-up tips: an alternative to raven-black hair?). IF you have pale skin, any dark shade of hair will do the same job so, there is no need to go the raven hair to get that goth look.

Secondly, the makeup: those feline eyes, those bright red lips that look as she just had a glass of blood....It is retro makeup indeed. However, combining retro make-up plus pale skin tend to result to be a certain look:VAMP. And what is a vamp? A mix between a dominatrix and a vampire, a femme fatale! Which is the whole concept behind the female goth look.

Thirdly and last: black lace! There no need to say more. She couldn't have gone any more stereotypical. That stunning hugging figure outfit it only helps her to look even more vamp than what she already looks.
And she looks gorgeous....

New items for March!

Here is my latest item for March, hope you like it!
It is a 1940s style jersey dress, very retro and feminine, with a wide skirt (not full circle but a third circle) that is over-knee length.
The neckline is beautifully framed with a satin bow and straps, all edged with chiffon that is been hand pleated.
It is for sale from THE BLACK WARDROBE website (look for the picture, on the left side of this blog for a link) and you can also find it at the Rose and Anchor boutique (my stockist) in Liverpool.
It is £69.00

http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/product/1940s-style-dress-with-front-bow-20

New items for February!

I-ve just finished a couple of items that you can find on my website.
They are heavily retro influenced, very 40s vamp look.
They are both fitted pencil skirt dresses, below-knee length -which is a length that flattens everyone, unless you have long legs because it will make them look even longer-.
Anyway, as you can see, the neckline is beautifully framed with pleated chiffon that I have hand pleated myself (yes, one by one, my neck was killing me by the time I finished it...). The red dress is made out of cotton and the black one is made of jersey. Hope you like them.
Here are the links:
http://theblackwardrobe.com/product/cotton-dress-with-ruffled-neckline-17

http://theblackwardrobe.com/product/jersey-dress-with-ruffled-neckline-

Glamourous draped front soft-jacket

Hi everyone! I-ve just finished a beautiful jacket so I was dying to post the pics on the blog.
As you can see, it is a very feminine and flattering jacket with the "somehow retro feel" trademark of TheBlackWardrobe... ;)
It has a beautiful waterfall of drapes at the front than can be cinched with a satin ribbon and the neckline is adorned with a discrete frill of satin (lined with jersey).
It will look perfect on a pencil skirt or any other fitted bottoms. It's on sale on the website for £60. (plus £8 shipping for Europe, for overseas, please ask). It is handmade by me (like everything else).
There are more pics on the website, have a look, give feedback or place an order!
theblackwardrobe.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day,
from The Black Wardrobe!

Gothic hairstyles, can curly hair look good with your gothic outfit?

Happy new year to everyone! I hope everyone is still commiting to their new year resolutions...Mine is to update this blog more often! (I think you would be happy of hearing that and probably thinking: "about time!" :p)
Anyway, one of my gothic readers was asking me tips for curly hair and I have been thinking and reached the conclusion that I must write a post about it. Does curly hair go with the Goth look? I straighten mine OR I go for the wavy 40s look. But what about the 100%curly hair?
When you think of Goth and then curly hair....what does it come straight to your mine?....Well, Helena Bonham Carter, wh0 is not a good reference because she is a clear example of how not to dress and on top of that, curly hair (which is already difficult to style, in my opinion) emphasizes even more her "tramp-y" look and it reinforces my theory that curly hair is not a very "gothic" look. It doesn't go with the sophistication and groomness that Goth requires and! very important, is a very warm and "virginal" look (if you think about it, Angels are always associated with blonde little curls) that is completely the opposite of the straight, sharp lines of black raven hair-do.

There are very differents ways to wear curly hair. You can give a romantic/mystic air to it by keeping it long and simple. This way, because of the weight, the curls will be very easy to manage and style and they tend to get bigger. However, prepare yourself to spend long time washing it, drying it and looking after it. It will be so long that the whole experience it might even take you to mystical levels!
This length doesn't tend to get as frizzy as shorter lenghts, however it dries much much easier so you will need to use conditioner in EVERY single washing and I would suggest you to get a very good leave-in serum to apply after every wash. (I like the one by Swartzkopf -a small pink tube, it is very creamy but not greasy). The spray formats don't work, so please, don't even consider buying one. I have tried them all and they are shite, it is like leaving your hair without nothing on it.


For all those corporate Goths or people who can't be arsed to spend an hour in the shower, there are other possibilities to keep the problem to the minimum. Either you can cut it simple (one whole lenght) to your shoulder (just above of it or a bit under BUT never finishing just on the shoulder or it will not fall gracefully because the bone is on the way)
A very good example of this look is the haircut that Michelle Pfeiffer has in Batman Returns, (the look is SO minimal, beginning of 90s, I know!) However, after over a decade, I still like it! Specially, the idea of wearing not soft make up but harsh-feline eyes which kills the cheesyness of the hair-do (I still think that this length could still look a bit early teenage)





Option B is to wear layers. If they are done properly, they will really revive any hair. You see, the problem of wearing one lenght hair (short or long) is that the curls tend to die on the roots (because they can't support the weight) so you look somehow stupid. The secret is to have very big layers (or you will end up looking like a mushroom with hair all over the place) always starting from just under the jar (this way, it's easier to keep under control because you can tie it all in a pony tail or keep it behind your ears with a nice pin).


After all these tips you must be thinking "okay, nice haircuts but I want to look more groomed and sophisticated, what else do I-ve got?"
Well, option A -the obvious one- is to re-shape your curls professionally, with rollers. That means curlying your hair again. (or you think all those fantastic curls you see on telly are natural? NOOOO! Even Andy Mcdowell has hers done professionally for those adverts. Those curls are too perfect, they don't exist). Obviously, what lots of people do, taking advantage that they can choose a new hairdo, they go for softer and bigger curls, resulting in a retro 1940s look or just very big waves. However, if you still want to keep your small curls, I would suggest a very nice up-do which, in my opinion, are much more impressive with curly hair. I Like the one that Eva Green has. She looks elegant, groomed and gorgeous!