Outfit + Punk/goth in "Orphan Black"

Today's entry's going to be unusual.
Firs of all, because my outfit of the day is quite unusual for me :D since as you know I'm totally devoted to black and I rarely put on colourful stuff.
But once in a while my love for pastel and frilly things pops up - usually in the springtime - and I might be spotted wearing clothes people would never expect me to put on.
Like this dress.

... I love this one <3! I adore pink&white and, most of all, floral patterns.

It was actually a present from my mom; we'd gone to a children clothing store to buy my cousin a present for his ninth birthday, when I noticed this beauty.

It was a 16 years old size. And I thought, oh well, my Disney pajamas are for 10-12 years olds, there's no way I can't squeeze into that.

And I was right. Tsk. Thanks to my height, I can ALWAYS get into children clothes: I did it with H&M, Disney, Benetton and now I've done it with this dress.

Too bad I didn't have any shoes to match it with, so I borrowed these booties from my mum but I don't really like the altogether :/ I should buy white low-heels pumps with bows or something like that: those would be the perfect match for that dress.

You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find cute shoes with bows or lace or ribbons that aren't lolita. I hate squared heels (or better, I think I'd look to childish in them) so lolita shoes aren't really my thing, but stilettos aren't what I'm looking for, either. Sadly, this is all I seem to be able to find.

The second part of this post concerns a show I've been watching lately, Orphan Black.

Just to be absolutely clear: I *loved* that show. It's one of the most compelling stories I've ever watched, I really, really recommend it to you all. Trust me, you'll thank me.

That said; for once, I'd like to share some thoughts with you, regarding the representation of subcultures in media. That is not something I usually do, but after seeing the same shit time, after time, after time, I tend to get tired :D so let me rant a little bit about one of the tiny flaws of this show.

So, this is Sarah, the protagonist, as she first appears.

And my first thought was "she's a goth". I mean: she's wearing a total black outfit, black make-up, ripped tights and combats. What does she look like to you?

And this is the edgiest we ever see her.

Later we see her in black booties, a leather jacket maybe, or a leopard tee but that's about as far as she goes with her outfits.

But she claims to be a "punk". Even her foster mother once reminds her of when she introduced Sarah to punk rock; but she doesn't seem like a punk at all to me.

Except maybe when she puts on a Clash tee (... could they be more obvious? I mean, the Clash? Everyone loves the Clash, couldn't they to the effort to make her less mainstream...?), and her "husband" states she's dressed like "a punk rock ho".

[This is all it takes to be labeled as a "ho" in this show]

A "ho". Side note: wow.

But what bothers me the most is that, while she takes on the identity of another woman, who's rich and classy an can afford nice clothes and a beautiful home, the show seems to suggest the idea that she was dressing as a "punk-rock ho" because she didn't have the money to buy better clothes.

I mean...

That's prejudice, guys. That's not even bothering to check if dressing like a punk-goth ho is really something you could do by shopping in thrift stores only. Because I for one find dressing goth VERY expensive. You literally spend hundreds of euros in boots, let alone a whole outfit.

And of course she's a drug dealer, she has troubles with herself and she's a teen mom, 'cause you know, us alternatives, we're like that because we're troubled kids. Criminals, punks, or people who have been hurt and react with goth and punk, as if it was a protest of some kind and not, you know, just what you choose to wear, to the point that you end up spending a shit ton of money on it - and thats's because you like it, not because you couldn't afford "better" (which to us may not be "better" at all).

I find this trend rather condescending to us alternatives. Along with that "it's just a phase" rhetoric, you know, when the goth character's the one who's trying to find themselves after they've been hurt or something, but then when they find peace they go back to "normal clothing" and to being acceptable members of society. Like, just ew.

That's not a problem of this show in particular, I've detected in many media and I guess I thought with time people were getting used to the idea that alternative doesn't equal troubled or troubling (or both). But nope.

I'm the only one who's starting to find this offensive rather than just annoying? I mean, come on. And I won't even mention how the token Gay Guy in the show was portrayed, 'cause that would take a way longer entry and in this blog I only want to talk about clothes and the subculture.

What do you think? Have you noticed this kind of treatment in media? Does it bother you? It'd be great if you brought up some examples :D I'd be glad to discuss it with you guys ;)!

Challenge!

Lesthi tagged me in this challenge, which means there's going to be a LOT of information about me XD

This is mostly personal stuff and no outfits, just so you know :D

1. Thank the person who tagged you to this challenge and post a link to their blog.
2. Choose five blogs with less than 200 followers and pass the challenge on.
3. Wish them to pass the challenge onward.

I'm not going to tag anyone, just do it if you want to ;D let's say I'm tagging whoever's reading this right now!
5 things you need everyday

1. Tea.
2. Pasta.
3. The Internet.
4. A good book.
5. My boyfriend <3

5 books you would recommend

"The Hours" by Michael Cunningham
"Hygiene and the Assassin" by Amélie Nothomb
The entire Harry Potter saga
The A Song of Ice and Fire saga
"About a Boy" by Nick Hornby

5 materialistic wishes for Christmas presents

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 

(Except for the first two, I picked quite randomly among the 50 figures on my wishlist.)
5 places you wish to visit

Rome (yes, you got it right. I'm italian, I've been to LAS VEGAS but I've never been in Rome.)
Tokyo
Scandinavian countries
New Delhi
Latin America

5 adjectives that describe you somehow

Short XD
Feminist
Strong
Curvy
Sometimes I'm a bit of a spendthrift XD


5 things you'd say to people about life

1. You've only got one, so live it according to your desires.
2. Please do not waste the short time you have on earth discriminating others. Not only you're wasting your time, but most importantly you're wasting and making harder other people's. Not cool. Don't do it.
3. A friend of mine's grandmother used to say: "The only thing that can't be fixed is your neckbone". Meaning, do not desperate, you're probably going to heal, whatever it is you're struggling with.
4. And this is something a teacher once told my class: "Seek for knowledge, 'cause someone who's more cultivated than you will always be able to fuck you over".
5. And finally, be kind to others, 'cause you never know what's going on in their lives. A teacher I had in middle school once responded to someone who said I talked a lot about myself, "no, that's not true, she never talks about herself. One may talk incessantly while never saying a word about themselves". That's so true. People always assume they know you just because you chat about meaningless or even meaningful stuff, but you can never really know someone and you don't know what they're keeping to themselves.


And that's it :D! Of course you're not obliged to do it if you don't feel like it ;) but I'd be glad to read your answers!
Have a nice weekend ;*

Bodyline jsk + Fanplusfriend blouse and petticoat review + Outfits!

Hi :D!

Uh, I haven't posted anything in too much time... time to make up for that!
So, recently I've been purchasing a shitload of stuff ''XD seriously, the postmen have been ringing at my door like every other day. Some of the packages contained figures, some others contained clothes... and that's what I'm talking about today.

I'll start with my F+F purchases :D

This is the petticoat, called "Omnipotent" on the F+F site.
To be honest, I thought it was less poofy XD when I put it under a dress for the first time I thought omg I look like a ten years old. It's not even the widest among their petticoats, and it already seems ginormous to me XD
But I think it's an average width for lolita. The quality's very good and it does its job; I think one could even wear it on itself, as a skirt, 'cause it's really pretty; so if you're thinking about buying it, do it, 'cause it's worth the money.


And this is the blouse. I had it custom made, and they did it well because it properly fits my body, which is something that almost never happens to me because of my body's hourglass shape.

This blouse's quite short, it doesn't even reach my hips. Those of you who are into lolita already know that: lolita skirts are usually worn on the waistline and dresses are shaped in such a way that they tighten up around that line, your hips and tights are never shown. I guess I'll only be able to wear it with lolita - which is a good excuse to buy some lolita skirts, since I don't have one... XD

By the way, the fabric is quite good, and I'd definitely recommend the custom size service: it only costs you extra $5 and it provides you with a piece of clothing that really compliments your body shape. Also, the blouse in itself is lovely :D

It may seem quite basic like this, and actually the reason I wanted it is the detachable jabot choker.

Well, the pictures really don't do it justice, but you'll see it better on the ouftit pics.
I have big plans for that choker, you know, 'cause I think it'd look amazing with corsets or corseted dresses like my Mollflander from Burleska :D also the fact that it's detachable allows you to pull out more toned down looks, which is something I quite appreciate.
All in all, I have to say it looks nothing like it was shown on the picture on the F+F site:

But it's cute enough for me, I like it and I'm glad I bought it :).


And then, I bought an amazing Bodyline jumper skirt from Audronasha the Countess, and I'm super happy and satisfied with my purchase. I really recommend her as a seller: the dress was in perfect condition, she even put some perfumed salts in the package so that it had a good smell; plus she added a very cute choker she made herself.

This is the dress:

In the following pictures I'm wearing it without the bow.
The quality of the dress is very good compared to its price. It's a size M but mind you, if you've never bought a Bodyline dress before: it's a japanese M. Which means it fitted good on my waist (and I have an XS size waist) but it was a bit tight on my M size breast.
However, the back has a shirring and a ribbon, so you can adjust the top of the dress to your measure; I don't think I'll be able to wear it with a blouse underneath, but I can put it on the dress or wear a shrug, so it's ok.

Here are some pictures of me wearing it.

Ah, this one's my favourite :D
I'm wearing it with the F+F petticoat; as you can see, it's really not that poofy, which I realized watching these pictures, but for someone who's never worn a petticoat in her whole life, it seemed a bit too much. I mean, I'm looking for a more adult look and though total black and the choice of oxfords instead of mary janes may help, I think a wide petticoat is more suitable for a childish look, which is absolutely not what I was looking for. By the way, now that I took a proper look at it, I think it's ok.

I'm planning to wear it with that lace shrug and that choker, or a similar one, to the Harajuku Fashion Walk that's going to take place in Venice on June 23th; I guess by that time the weather's going to be hot (right now, I'd be cold if I wore it with a blouse).
I'm also going to wear it with different shoes, I'll be wearing these ones, mostly because they're way more comfortable than those oxfords:

And of course, since it's going to be cold, I don't think I'll be wearing tights. I guess I'll put on some lace hold ups, or maybe crocheted black socks with a lace ruffle, like these ones:

But I'm not really sure about this, cause I have pretty big calfs and you know, having them naked with black shoes underneath (considering that I also have short legs, and that those socks are going to shorten them even more) may result in a not so flattering look.

On the other hand, wearing hold ups is going to keep my legs trapped and warm, which I don't really wish on a hot summer day when I already have a huge petticoat and a wig on (I'm going to be wearing my black wig and a fascinator hat).

So, what to do? Aaahh, I need advice! xD

This is the back of the dress:

And this is the dress with my F+F blouse over it. I think they go pretty well together.

And this is the the blouse with the choker on <3

I can't wait to show it to you with a proper match of accessories and shoes, and the wig :D

And finally, this is the lovely choker Audronasha sent me together with my dress <3! Isn't it super cute?! Thank you so much!

Well, I hope next time I'll be able to show you my H&R red corseted dress, 'cause I've had it for a long time and the weather's been so bad lately I've never had the chance not only to wear it, but to even go out without a jacket or a coat. Agghh, weather, get warm already, I need to show off my clothes D:<!

Thank you for reading and have a nice sunday ;D*!