(vr)ooh(m)-la-la

It's been such a long time since I posed for pictures that I forgot how much fun modeling can be... *makes Zoolander Faces*... this afternoon, I had an totally impromptu photo shoot w my man... I got to play pinup on the bike and vamp it up and we had such a killer time. We'd been out on a bike run and had a few drinks in us, and we started talking about shooting photos again which led to us deciding to spur-of-the-moment ride out to the desert to shoot some pics like we've been talking about doing for forever now (well ok 2 months) So we left the bar, swung by my place, I stuffed a few dresses in the backpack, we rode out to the desert on the fringes of town and found a random remote dirt road to turn on. It was windy as Hell out there, and the wind kept whipping my hair into my face and making my right eye water like a leaky faucet, but despite the challenges, we pressed on with our spontaneous desert photo shoot (what troopers! :P)


The result was a great ride on a beautiful day and some photos (shot by him) that I really, really love.

Here are a few of them, hope you enjoy :)

(special thanks to my Red Light for taking such wonderful shots of me, he did such stellar job that I felt like a pinup babe all day long... *muah* baby!)

style that screams

It's been awhile since I've posted a style-related thingy. So today I give you... outfits inspired by one of my favorite things: horror movies and scream queens! Enjoy.

They're coming to get you, Barbra...



Inspired by Night Of The Living Dead


The Bride...



Inspired by The Bride Of Frankenstein


Frida Krueger...



Inspired by A Nightmare On Elm Street


The Birds...



Inspired by The Birds


May...



Inspired by May


(click the pics for details & ordering info on each item)

I went over the top with some of these just for fun.
The idea is to pull inspiration from anywhere and everywhere and work it into your daily look. Express your personality, the real you is so much more interesting than a pile of meaningless trends.

adirondack-explorer babe

Today's outfit by request is for my very dear friend, Debra.

Deb lives in upstate New York in one of the most lush, beautiful natural settings imaginable, and she loves nature. So she asked me to design her an outfit for 'Adirondack-exploring' that would still be cute & sexy.

Here is what I came up with...



(click the pic for details & ordering info on all pieces)

I know that Deb loves kayaking, and taking long walks, and basically just soaking in all the peaceful and lovely nature that surrounds her. So my main concern was something comfortable. Shorts, moccasins, and a comfy cotton blouse fit the bill. But I tried to bring the SEXY in by choosing pieces with feminine detailing (like the tiny ruffles on the blouse), and by bringing unexpected colors (blue moccasins!) and unexpected accessories (bling!) to the great outdoors. The gray shorts & socks provide a nice neutral base for all the bright pops of color.

The great thing about this look is that it can be adapted endlessly... the shorts could be worn bare-legged or with thigh-high socks for a flirtier look, or you could go with some tights instead for more coverage. You could even replace the shorts with a cute pair of gray jeans with the moccasins worn over them. The top could be worn alone, or unbuttoned over a lacy cami for more even ooomph. It could transition from daytime to evening by replacing the shorts with a cute flouncy skirt and a pair of heels if you wanted, even.

The accessories bring on the fun nature feel, I just had to give her a little Adirondack bling. The gold and copper tones look more 'woodsy' than silver, and paired with wooden pieces they give a nod to the beauty of nature that Debra loves so much. Also the wooden and metal pieces like the bracelets and earrings would be durable enough to survive the outdoors. I realize that she probably isn't gonna wear the owl and squirrel cocktail rings while out kayaking, but, the vibe is perfect, and who knows maybe she could carry these with her in the lovely butterfly-stamped leather satchel, and change into them for a romantic campfire-lit dinner after she's done kayaking...? *wink*

I finished the look with some dashes of feminine flourish like the burgundy wrap belt and flower for the hair- which would add a touch of unexpected nature-girl sexiness while echoing the color of a wild forest berry. Softly tousled hair, natural makeup with a stain of deeper lip color, again pulling in the berry color. And there you have it- my interpretation of sexy Adirondack Explorer Girl!

I really hope you like it, Deb. Cindi's sassy New Orleans night out is coming up next.

And I am still taking outfit requests, so if you have one, send it my way!

from inspire to desire

Today's style post is about inspiration boys & girls.
Say it with me now: in-spi-rayyy-tion.
Fabulous!

I've said it before but I'll say it again, when it comes to personal style, I am a firm believer in finding inspiration from anywhere and everywhere- if I like it, I can build an outfit around it. Doesn't matter what it is.

On that note here are a few outfits I designed which were inspired by Gil Elvgren, pin up artist extraordinaire. Enjoy.

(click the pics for details & ordering info on each piece)









As always I invite you to view my other outfit sets on polyvore.com!

the bone collector

Today I present you with a random little outfit of deep green & black accented with bone. I wanted to show my goth-ier side- which is obviously present in my love of horror movies and all things scary- without being typically 'goth' about it. And I wanted to show that alluring darkness could be about much more than black on black on black...



(click the pic for details & ordering info on all pieces)

And this is what I came up with. The skull was actually the piece that inspired it all, I liked the way the forest green accented the bone. So I just went from there.

The dress is awesomely romantic with it's feminine cut, Juliet-style sleeves and rich green color, but the corset and the fishnets save it from total over-sweetness. And the color-blocked shoes are just too freaking cute, I love them.

Accessories in real bone (and in the color, Bone) add a bit of unexpected pop to the dark ensemble, and a little bit of sinister chic. Vivid green eyeliner and coils of messy braids (with a bow or two thrown in) give a unique finish to the look.

I would wear this to, say, a fancy museum opening, I think it would look wonderful strolling amongst the giant dinosaur bones *wink*

rockabilly will never die

Those of you who know me well know that I am a total rockabilly girl.

While I do love a whole lot of different kinds of music- I was raised by/around musicians, I was extensively exposed to everything from The Beatles to Bach to Black Sabbath at a very young age- rockabilly music is the music that has my heart.

It's my earliest musical memory (I can clearly remember sitting at my Pop's feet, playing on the floor with my toys while he strummed on his acoustic guitar & sang Bobby Fulller and Buddy Holly and Ricky Nelson tunes) It's the soundtrack of a very innocent and happy time for me. It's the music that fills me up with excitement & joy. It's my go-to music when I am needing a spark of life in a dreary world.


(click the pic for details & ordering info on all pieces)

Rockabilly & pin up fashion has gotten very trendy in recent years, and this is a double-edged sword switchblade for me.

On the one hand, it can be annoying when something that you genuinely love is turned into a trend... you'll see people who have never even heard the word 'rockabilly' before suddenly sporting the head-to-toe rockabilly style bought right off the mannequin. It's one thing to incorporate some fun & trendy pieces to your own personal style, but quite another to sport a full-on trend costume with no personal point of view, just because it's currently cool.

On the other hand, it means that the availability of really great retro & rockabilly inspired pieces is high, and the prices lower because of it. Which means that I can suddenly find all kinds of things retro and rockabilly easily, and at good prices to boot. So I try to look at it as a blessing from the fashion gods, and grab up what I can while it's hot, so that even after the trendsters move on to something else I'll have reaped some really nice stuff in that trendy period. Bonus.

That said, I love absolutely everything in this set, everything. I only wish I could afford to buy it all! One thing I love about mid-century fashion is how flattering it is to a woman's natural curves. These are not clothes that you have to starve yourself to get into- nay, think about the hot, curvy bods of Marilyn, Bettie, and Rita and you'll see how these clothes are designed for sexy curvaceousness. Very feminine. These are clothes for boobs and a butt.

The dress was the starting point here but as soon as I added the guitar I couldn't help but think of the sweet & sassy looks of Patsy Cline and Brenda Lee. The rest came from there. I think my favorite piece is that retro tattoo inspired parasol. I've been wanting to get a nice parasol to battle the blazing desert sun rays we have out here, and if I could afford it right now this one (or maybe the version in nude, can't decide which I like better) from Happy Trails would be the one. Love it. And those shoes are so great, and come in several really sweet colors. If they had the red pair in my size I'm afraid I would have ordered them on the spot, heh.

As spring and summer have progressed I have also been dreaming of wearing big, flowery blooms in my hair like the blood-red orchid in this set... in fact, I recently ordered a big red rose and a set of smaller white gardenias- both for the hair- from Daddy-O's and I can't wait to get them. I'll wear them to glam up my favorite skinny jeans or to add some retro allure to one of my summer sundresses. Also I have been looking for a sexy little red purse and fell in love with this one and could not resist it. Bad Shady!

And now cats & kittens, I'll leave you with these immortal words from the Stray Cats:

Well my baby and me went out late Saturday night,
I had my hair piled high, my baby just looked so right,
Well, pick you up at ten gotta have you home by two,
Momma don't know what I got in store for you,
But that's all right cause we're looking as cool as can be.

And you know what comes next...

lady assassin

Next outfit is up (boy I am cranking 'em out here)
This one is for my dear friend Tara.

Tara's request was: sexy assassin (I knew she'd come up with something crazy and fun!) So here is my deadly sweet look for Tara...



(click the pic for details & ordering info on all pieces)

I went over the top with this look because I'm playing here, but I would, in real life, probably wear every single one of these pieces in some way or other (if not all together at once in a full-on she-assassin outfit, since I don't wear those every day) Tara is a wild child and game for anything, so right away I thought of a luscious lacy corset. Black & blue would look fantastic on pale, blue-eyed Tara, but I also went with it because I thought black 'n blue on a butt-kicking lady assassin was kinda funny and I'm a smart ass like that.

The crisp white shirt is added cause she's a professional. Of course with the corset on top it's really dramatic but she could always go demure and wear the corset under the shirt letting just a bit peek out. The satin formal shorts are very very sexy and get even sexier when paired with glossy blue boots. And the bright blue silk trench screams killer glam. Oh I'm killing myself with the puns here.

I made sure to give her some dangerous accessory choices like the poison ring, lipstick knife, death's head brooch, and simple, sexy hair and makeup in shadowy shades of violet. You don't wanna be worrying about complicated hairdos when you're running around doing assassin stuff.

And that's it for this outfit- the rest is classified, if I told ya, I'd have to hire Tara to... well, you know. Any other outfit requests, send them my way.

1920's goth

My second outfit by request, this one is for my devilishly stylish BFF whom I refer to here as Dollface *wink* She has a fascination with the 1920's, and dreamt of getting dressed up as a 20's party girl. With that in mind, here is the outfit I created for the lovely Dollface...


(click the pic for details & ordering info on all pieces)

Since I know that she loves fantasy & costumery as much as I do, I let my imagination roam a little bit on this one and pictured Doll as a 1920's-era Goth babe, taking the typical flapper getup to a darker, sexier level. I wanted this outfit to be edgy, glamorous, mysterious, and striking, just like Dollface herself.

I used black on black on black in textured & patterned layers that dangle and shiver with every move, and them dropped some bloodred accents here and there for a bit of dark drama. I know that she is into vintage, so the pieces themselves- fringy minidress, elbow-length gloves, strappy satin heels- are still traditional 20's, just with a sexy sinister twist.

But it's not all darkness & gloom- Doll is a real sweetie and so I added a sweet theme of heart shapes in the gorgeous heart-patterned tights (because I know she likes interesting, textured & patterned tights!), in the glittering silver & black-heart earrings, and in the red ruffled-hearts evening bag.

I know from our ladies nights out that Dollface enjoys smoking a cigarette or two while she's enjoying a drink (cran + vodka, baby!), so an elegant cigarette case (holding clove cigarettes, no doubt) and an achingly chic cigarette holder would make luscious accessories for her 20's party girl look. Sweetly curled ringlets & baby doll lashes offset the dramatic eye makeup (a deep smoky black with hints of sultry red) And in place of the usual kind of boa I gave her a deadlier one because, well, she rocks like that. Also, it matches that killer snake cuff bracelet perfectly, hisss.

So that's my 1920's party style for my girl Dollface, I hope she likes it. Any other requests, I am standing by, so, andale chicas!

lesbian-wedding guest

So, I am excited to post my very first outfit-by-request here in the style section of my blog, yay.

This one is for my lovely friend Julia. Julia asked me to style an outfit for a her to wear to a lesbian wedding! And here is what I came up with...

(click the pic for details & ordering info on each piece)

Julia is a beautiful young girl who looks great in casual jeans & tees. So when I thought of dressing her up for a fancy event, I gravitated toward pants as opposed to a froofy dress because it fits Julia's style, and she could totally get away with it. Especially at a more unconventional type wedding like this one. I thought the skinny pants with the adorable tuxedo-influenced top were elegant and still whimsical, and a nice play on androgyny. And the sexy, fitted tuxedo jacket gives some coverage as well as sex appeal and class, and also adds to the feminine tuxedo look.

The accessories were really fun to choose because Julia is such a fun girl. For example the bowtie clutch is a modern nod to the age-old tux accessory, and the double girl-symbol necklaces make a sweet statement to the day's happy couple. The melting heart earrings speak of love in an edgier way.

I threw in blue as an accent color both to punch it up and because Julia looks GREAT in blue, and if I'm not mistaken, she loves the color. The ultra-sexy blue high heels and the pretty blue bloom (for pinning in the hair, or onto the lapel) add a very girly touch without being too sweet. The fierce hair & makeup also have fun with the androgynous vibe... a little bit glam, a little bit rock 'n roll. The rest of the goodies- bright blue camera (for capturing the special moments of the day), black-tie-style gift wrap, champagne-colored nail polish, sentimental heart-shaped pin, chunky blue bracelet- were all chosen with the same vibe in mind: fun, unique, and very pretty in a modern & elegant way, because that's how I see my friend Julia.

And there you have it, my very first outfit-by-request. I hope you liked it, Julia, and thanks for playing, girl! I am still taking requests, so girls (or guys if you're brave!), send 'em in and tell me what you wanna be dressed for, you may see your outfit here next.

And don't forget to visit me at polyvore for more outfits styled by moi, if you're into that kinda thing.

girl-lock holmes

Another style post, girls! (Sorry guys- should I start marking these NSM aka Not Safe for Males? heh) As usual this outfit was created at polyvore.com

I call this one Girl-lock Holmes:


(click the pic for details on all the pieces above)

This is one example of how I usually find style inspiration in very odd places. I mean, Sherlock was not exactly known for being a fashion plate. But I love the idea of dropping Holmes-inspired pieces with the sexiest of red dresses... I dig the unexpected juxtaposition of sexpot and superslueth that red satin and houndstooth brings on. I must admit I've been inspired by the intellectual babe/secret agent look of 99 in the new Get Smart flick (smart girls are HOT), but I wanted to go a little more old school with it. And this is what I came up with.

The lesson: leave the head-to-toe mall outfits to the trendy and draw inspiration from whatever moves you, no matter how non-'fashion' it may be- it can be anything, really... a song, a fictional character, a book, anything- find a way to integrate some part of your favorite things into your look and you will always represent yourself with personal style.

fashion passion

Ok boys, the following post will be of no interest to you, sorry! Ha ha. Girls: listen up.

Even though I spend my time in many dark & shadowy places, I am still a girl, and I do love fashion! In fact I am addicted to reading street fashion blogs, and other people's style blogs- I love seeing how other stylin' chicks out there put their stuff together. So naturally, I want to post about my takes on fashion here in my blog... eventually I'll be posting pics of my own outfits to show you guys a sense of my style (once I have a real mirror to photograph myself in!)... and also, I'll be posting outfits from Polyvore.com, a fantastic site that I just joined that lets you create & save outfit sets from pieces available online. If you are on (or join) Polyvore, hit me up!

So- to kick it off, here is the very first outfit set that I've made on Polyvore... I like the idea of coming up with outfits for various events/situations, and I tried to be creative (as opposed to making a 'brunch' or 'office' or 'first date' look)... so here, I present you, my outfit for a day of urban exploration! Ta da:



(click the pic for details and info on this set)

First, I started off with a tank and shorts because you wanna be comfy if you're gonna be involved in a day of urbex. Practical boots too- you may be encountering tall weeds, murky puddles, and other various calf/ankle dangers. I loved the unexpected green color of these. I paired them with thick tights because it was cute and still comfortable- tights are so damned versatile- but you could also do jeans with the boots a good pair of Converse, if you're not up for shorts.

Sometimes urbex leads you into some damp, chilly, even underground places, or you may need to protect your arms & torso from brambles or other pokey things, hence the jean jacket, though a nice hoodie would work too, and of course, I can never resist peppering my jackets with a variety of graphic pins aka mah flash, bitches. A scarf or bandanna is good for extra protection- you can always use it as a face mask when things get dusty! But they also work great for securing the hair, and for adding some contrasting pattern and or color into the mix. Or you could do a cute hat or beanie- loose hair is a no-no when you're creeping & crawling!

When it comes to jewelry- apply the rule of K.I.S.S.- Keep It Simple, Stupid. You want chunkier pieces as opposed to something delicate. And practicality is, in this situation, fashionable- a good, big fat nerd watch can help you keep track of all kinds of info besides the time nowadays and still look adorable to boot. I am a well-known fan of piling on multiple necklaces, and I love to mix and match them into interesting combinations. In this case- the mystery keys and cartoon ghostie are a playful nod to the nature of urban exploration, which lies in exploring lost & hidden places that very, very often have ghostly or urban legends associated with them. Last but not least, don't ever forget your camera and your cell phone. Seriously, I don't even have to explain this one!

So that's it for my first outfit, and that was way too much fun. Now, I'm taking suggestions... got any ideas for events or situations I could design an outfit for next?
Send them my way and maybe you'll see it posted here... *eyebrow wiggle*