I was just checking out the blog of make-up label Illamasqua and I came across one of its ranges: NOIR!
The collection is described as: "For the femme fatale of the night. Erotic. Cruel. Uninhibited.
Noir explores the dark side of your psyche. It lures out the 'other I'. This collection is a tangle of the dreamlike and the brutal, the black and the white. The colours are bold, baroque and deep. The effect – edgy, accentuated glamour.
Noir is a classic. It’s complex. It's a dance with the devil".
The pictures are amazing and the products look very nice. It is pricey but not expensive (same price range as M.A.C). I still haven't had the chance to test if it is any good as it is only available in Selfridges Manchester Trafford Centre (I am based in the NorthWest, remember). There is no Selfridges in Liverpool and when I travel to Manchester, I do not go as far as Trafford Centre!. I just hate that place, so overcrowded, more of the same.....aghgh!
Here is the link:
http://www.illamasqua.com/collections/noir/
While everyone in the fashion world are still coming to terms with McQueen's death, tributes to his persona are being held in most of the key fashion places such as the fashion weeks (London and NY so far...) and London department stores such as Libertys.
Mcqueen was one of my favourite designers because he was a master of theatrical and phantasmagorical outfit and stage creations. A master of the Haute Macabre. He combined a complex and amazing mix of haute couture out-of-reality pieces with wearable elements. Obviously, his creations (at one time very very gothic and alternative) became stated, commercial -yet still creative- pieces that some people confided me that were mostly made by students and apprentices....
Because of his death, there are some testimonials that have brought out, yet again, some false stereotypes about Goths and other Dark enthusiasts, like me, like McQueen! and I want to clarify them. I am sure most of you who read this blog will agree, but as usual, I welcome and encourage! any comments or opinions. For instance, I have read that Karl Lagerfeld said: "There was always some attraction to death, his designs were sometimes dehumanised..."
"Who knows, perhaps after flirting with death too often, death attracts you," he apparently added.No Goth, I think, or at least the few I have met in my life are dreaming of killing themselves. An enthusiasm for the Dark, means just that. There are cases and there always will be of people who are attracted to the Dark because they are depressed (or freaks!), so they find it easier to connect with Gothic because they already are "living in the gloom" but that is not usually the case! I have always loved Gothic and I didn't know such a thing existed as concept until I met two girls in high school and told me..."actually, this thing you like and admired so much is called Gothic".. Back then and still now, I have no intention of killing myself, despite still enjoying having quiet walks down the cemeteries, admiring the gorgeous stonegraves.
McQueen was in a state of depression, he even left a note, and his mum (the closest person to him in life, it has been stated) was just gone. I bet you that when he did kill himself, the last thing he would be doing was choosing what fabric would go in his coffin. There is nothing romantic about Death, Robert Smith once said. How true....
Here is the blog where I got this wonderful picture:
http://thegothicclothing.com/archives/alexander-mcqueen-styleHere is the article if you want to read more:http://uk.fashionmag.com/news-88216-British-fashion-designer-McQueen-hanged-himself
While surfing on the net, I came across this spooky thing. I think is fabulous but I wouldn't like to be staring at them at candle light. The effect is so incredibly realistic that it can really scare the hell out of you if you are not aware of its fakeness. Although the pictures are unframed -you need to buy the frame somewhere else- they are incredibly cheap at $10-25, (that would be around £10, I think)
Have a look at the original website. It is from America, though.http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/c73d/?cpg=cj
Happy Valentine's day to everyone!, hope you are all having a good relaxing Sunday.
It still is extremely freezing here in Britain (specially in the North, as we still have ice patches on the floor that haven't gone away yet...)
I have already started to work in my spring/summer collection w
ich will be about ladybirds! Very pin-up, girly styled but with a dark hint to it, trademark of The Black Wardrobe, as usual ;). However, it will not see the light until the end of the month of February, mid March. It is just too cold!
Meanwhile, I am still making wintery pieces that will help us fight the cold with a stylish look. My latest little number is a boutique exclusive.
That means that is an special item for my stockist, The Rose and Anchor retro boutique. It is not available on my website, as it was commissioned b
y the boutique. The fabric is an end of line, luxurious fur fabric, in leopard print. Very high quality and extremely thick!!. The boutique-owner comissioned me a couple of pieces with this fabric so I decided to make some outerwear with it. This cute little cape, very flared, mid length (doesn't reach the elbow). Has a square high neck. It is fully lined and it fastens with a press fastener on the chest. At only £48 is a real bargain, so if you want it and live in the northwest. Stop by the boutique! There is only one.
http://www.roseandanchor.co.uk/
The great Ricardo Tisci has created another collection that fulfills any Goth's dream. Beautiful phantasmagorical languid silouettes, decorated with black embellished fabrics, red lips and dramatic eye shadows contrasting against a corpse-like pale skin. Gloom never dies!
Obviously, this collection is haute couture. The pret-a-porter collection is a completely different story...
You can check it out on the website (www.givenchy.com)
Spring/summer is just round the corner and so are the new catwalks!
I already have my favs, which I will keep posting on my blog. The first one is, of course, DIOR!
Very 50s inspired, 40s silouettes with a very strong equestrian/baroque theme going on. I specially love the looks with the red jackets. They have a victorian vibe that I love. 
The hair is a voluminous up-do, styled in a way which is a sort of a mix between 60s beehives and edwardian high chignons (think of Gibson girl).
I just love it!
Here is a link to watch the video:http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9OWNjdVBtU0dQNEk=
Happy new year to everyone! Specially to all of us who are here in the UK (and probably Ireland too) where the weather is being......crap. Beautiful wonderland themed landscapes but a nightmare to walk, drive or cycle on. Anyway, now is the best moment to do some online shopping and discover new artists and places! without risking of falling victim of a very slow and painful death, due to hypothermia.
As usual, one of my favourite places is the online community ETSY (www.etsy.com).
Here is my last descovery: gothic dark pin-ups. Yes! You heard well, anything that is vintage, dark or even better (and it applies to this case) vintage+dark related, if it is noticed, will have its mention on The Black Wardrobe's blog.
The artist in question is called Andrea, she is irish but living in Manchester, UK (basically next door from me!)
Although I found out about her on Etsy, she has her own website: www.andreakett.co.uk
She is an illustrator that specializes in pin-up themed illustrations, but all of them have a slightly dark twist to them. They are very colorful, elegant, sexy and gothic themed. Very burtonian style.
She states on her website that..."Her inspiration comes from many different sources:1920s-1950s.the music of The Cramps,the Tigerlillies ,eighties glam rock, vintage pin-up girls,burlesque,cake decorating books,horror films,fairy tales,afternoon tea,Fellini films,Jan Svankmajer,Beatrix Potter, Naughty Victoriana,Agatha Christie and lashings of Enid Blyon".You can buy her art from her etsy site. Happy shopping! but don't forget to check out my site...:)
One of the things I like from the 1930s was futurism. Back then, the architectural and graphic design was very sleek, geometrical and simplistic. If you add on top of this, a great lighting and impressive colour scheme, you get an amazing graphic sceneario....and that's what the iconic photographer David LaChapelle has just achieved, again. I love it!
Here are some inspiring photos, with Lady Gaga!
I have been thinking about this, for ages. My mum keeps insisting in having a white lock on her sleek raven black hair. She is not a goth, her skin is not pale but olive and she doesn't wear black clothes...never! She is the typical latina who loves very! bright colours (such as lime green or bright orange) PUaghh..!. Umm.....I am not convinced. I don't know about her but what I know is that is a look that is hard to make work and it's high maintenance but actually, I reckon some people could pull it off, if:
1/ You are young, look young or even have a "young attitude"; in other words, if the white lock starts to look like you are not bother in covering your grey hair anymore, then it loses all its glamour. (Sorry, mum, I have decided it is going to be a "no").
2/I suspect it only goes with raven black hair, not with any other lighter shades or the contrast will lose its glory, although it would be interesting on deep red hair, too! (Remember Geri Halliwell from Spice Girls?).
3/I am not sure about the skintone, but I still think it looks best with fair skin colour although I have to tell you that one of my examples, Metal Sanaz (4th pic) looks great with it.
4/ It doesn't have to be platinum/white a la Daphne Guinness, I have noticed lots of rockabilly girls, such as Missy Malone (3rd pic) are adopting a more golden shade which I really like!
As I mentioned in the 1st part of this "multi-post", this post is about the concept of "femme fatale", specifically film noir femme fatale. A femme fatale is a villainous woman who uses her sexuality to achieve her (usually selfish and maquiavelic) own gains. The expression is obviously french, meaning "fatal woman".
She is often portrayed as a sort of sexual vampire; her dark appetites were thought to be able to leach away the virility and independence of her loves, leaving them shells of their forver selves. Only by escapign her embraces could the hero be rescued. On this account, in earlier american slang femme fatales were often called vamps, a word that is associated with the fashions of the 1920s. (this paragraph is taken from www.jahsonic.com)
As I said in the earlier post, the femme fatale is in my opinion one of the key elements of any film noir because she is usually the main trigger of the drama and as a consequence, the fatal ending of usually all main characters in the story. In short sentence we can describe the femme fatale as a selfish bitch who basically creates the whole mess and tries -unsuccessfuly- to get away with it when the whole plot is discovered.
Femme fatales are usually portrayed as independent strong individuals with brains (something socially unacceptable back in those times). This, combined with a strong attractivenes and beauty, configures a deadly weapon to use successfuly on any man.
Very often, the storyline is as follows:
She uses her strong sex appeal and beauty to seduce fragil and disillusioned main male character into committing a crime (usually murder). They fall in love (although I usually suspect that she usually pretends but you never know in those films as everything is done "subtly"). He loves her so much that he committs the crime. By doing so, he trapps himself into her diabolic persona. He can't get away from her now. He has become a criminal, like her. When they get caught, usually the consequences are fatal for either him or both. But mainly him.....(You usually feel sorry for him, at the end).
I was just checking out the blog of make-up label Illamasqua and I came across one of its ranges: NOIR!
