Dark soft romantic Katy Perry

Katy Perry, as usual, stunning in this Vogue editorial by Annie Leibowitz.

Very country chic, but to me it screams "dark new romantic". Deep reds, florals and sensual floaty fabrics, all on a black background. Definitely, my cup of tea and indeed very appropriate for the British "summer" (that'd mean spring/autumn, for the rest of the world...) ;).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Gothic fashion editorial: "So magical, so mysterious"

More amazing pictures from the Charity Fashion Show I have participated recently. I hope you like them. More pics on my facebook page. Make sure to click and please "like" my page! Thanks.

Most of these outfits are already available on my website. If you are curious to see more pics or info. Click on the link: www.theblackwardrobe.com/Shop/section.php/2/1/dresses

Kirsty Mitchell's wonderland

Kirsty Mitchell was born in 1976 and raised in the English county of Kent, known to many as the ‘Garden of England’. Her mother Maureen was an English teacher and read to her fairytales almost everyday. “She instilled in me the most precious gift a mother could, her imagination and a belief in beauty.”

Growing up, art became her sole passion. She took courses in the history of art, photography, fine art, fashion design and costume for film and theatre at the London College of Fashion.
Tragically her mother was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died in November 2008. “Real life became a difficult place to deal with, and I found myself retreating further into an alternative existence through the portal of my camera.”
She retreated behind the lens of her camera and created Wonderland, an ethereal fantasy world. This escapism grew into the concept of creating an unexplained storybook without words, dedicated to her mother, that would echo the fragments of her fairytales. She spent evenings and weekends creating props, wigs, and sets on a shoestring budget and shot in the woodlands surrounding Kirsty’s home in Surrey. “All the characters came to me in my dreams.”
Her three year labour of love is now almost complete and there are plans for an exhibition and accompanying book.
(Text taken from: http://www.elitismstyle.com/blogazine/page/2) Click on the link to read more.

Charity fashion show

Yesterday I took part in a fashion show organized for Charity. The girls were gorgeous, the event was very well organized and we hit the target that the organizer set out to achieve! So happy. Here are some pics:

R.I.P Anna Piaggi...

Here are more pics from the photoshoot I did last month. This post is about the Black and animal print pin-up wiggle dress. Very popular on my website, it is very pin-up, very wearable and a staple piece that should be on your wardrobe if you need something you can dress up or down when the situation requires.
The design does not come with a belt, I added it on for photoshoot.

 

Please, if you want to use the pics, please, request first. Copyright belongs to the photographer, InaGlo Photography.

Fashion inspiration: studded pointed shoes by Frankie Morello

One word: stunning....

Pictures of the Retro pin-up b&w tailored dress

As a result of the photoshoot I did recently, I have stunning shoots of some of my dresses on the website. If you follow me on Facebook, you might have already seen them. If not, here they are.
This is the Retro pin-up black&white tailored dress I made just before the shoot.

 It is made of stretch cotton sateen. Originally a pattern I created for a blazer, I decided to put it to use for a classical trench-coat-style dress. (I just love lapels, so elegant, so 40s).

 

I am thinking of making a trench coat with this pattern. A double breasted one with black buttons! It would be a great spring addition to my site's collection.

The model is Whiskey Raven and the pics were taken by InaGlo Photography, please ask me or the photographer for permission before using this pic or credit us. That would be wonderful.

Dark spring/summer fashion inspiration: black & pastels.

I get emails everynow and again with requests to do do articles about gothic fashion tips for the Summer. Well, I have decided to start a new "series" covering the subject.
This post is about black & pastels. We had a short summery phase here in North England, a sneak preview of what to expect in the following months prior to returning back to the dark days of Winter (which is fine, nothing to worry about. It still is skiing season, you know?)

I've always been an advocate for pastels (I have written posts about it before), specially if they are skintone shades or ivory/cream. They bring out the best of our skinshades and because they are so light, they are easy to combine with other shades/colours and that makes them a perfect alternative to the "common" white to use as a blank colour to start an outfit with. Some people are a bit uneasy with the black&white combo for fear of ending up with a "waitress" look.

Despite their lightness, pastels work beautifully with black, as proven by the pic below, creating a gorgeous look that not always has to be "romantic" or "sissy". You can thoughen it up with dramatic accessories or textures like velvet or leather.

I love this look:
Black blazer/jacket/coat in wool or velvet!
A romantic or sleek fitted dress in skintone/pastel shade
black shoe/boots. Love that chunky heel. Much heavier than stiletto but so much more stable and therefore comfortable to walk with.

What do you think? Would you wear pastels?

Polka dot gothic Matryoshka for sale

I love Matryoshkas and this one is gorgous. It is for sale at the Through the Looking glass blog. Contact the designer, if you are interested.
This is the link: http://mothmouth-throughthelookingglass.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/polka-bow.html