Goth Girl's Hoodies

Broken Heart Tragedy Hoodie

One of our very favourite gothic clothing lines has to be the ravishingly beautiful Couture Noir from the incomparable Heavy Red. Their gorgeous girl's goth hoodies not only look great but are the most figure-flattering we've ever come across -- and we've just put some of them on the Larkin & Catcher boutique.



Miss Dying Heart Hoodie


Heavy Red are about a lot more than hoodies, of course -- there's a whole range of superior gothic clothing and accessories, including a selection of bewitchingly exquisite corsets.

Forgotton Romance

I love vintage costume jewellery -- preferably from the 1930's to the 1950's -- and the more obscure the better, as far as I'm concerned. The pieces pictured here are from Forgotten Romance.

Victorian blue enamel locket ($122)

French plastic perfume necklace ($275)

Lucite reverse-carved painted fish ball pin ($58). I love all three of these pieces but it's this one that I would really want to own.

Mirror Box at Etsy

I was just about to drag myself away from my computer for the night, when I had the sudden urge to check-out Esty to see what kind of alternative bags might be on offer (pretty tame, as 'sudden urges' go). What I found was some really unusual purse boxes from Svetlana at Mirror Box. The purses look weirdly wonderful and appealingly unique -- as are the collection of (*non-purse) boxes in the shop.

Don't be put off by the initial impression that Svetlana only ships to the United States -- after a bit of double-checking, I found out that worldwide shipping can be arranged -- but contact her first for details.


Gothic Moon Girl Purse Box with Strap ($24.00)


Tokyo Punk Girls Grafitti Purse Box with Strap ($24)

*By the way -- I'm sure there's no such word-grouping as 'non-purse' on this or any other planet but I hope the meaning will be clear enough.

Dolls & Lace

I was almost tempted not to feature Dolls & Lace here -- because I love this wonderful emporium of beautiful things so much that I didn't want too many people descending on it and buying-up all the goodies I have on my 'most-wanted' list. But my altruistic streak kicked-in and I'm going to share my find -- just between us -- so don't go blabbing, now.

As the title suggests, this Dolls & Lace does sell an amazing selection of vintage dolls and lace -- but there is much more on offer on this positive treasure-trove of a store. There's all kinds of vintage and antique finds, including rare jewellery pieces, obscure books, unusual trimmings and buttons, dolls clothes, reproduction fashion -- and many more other delights.

I was spoiled for choice when it came to which pieces to feature here and ended-up opting for some of the rarer objects but there's a great deal of easily-affordable items on the site -- I bought some sets of wonderful vintage buttons a while back, which arrived here in the UK in super-quick time.

Traditional Ichimatsu Doll ($775.00)

Twilight Stories/McLoughlin Bros. book ($65.00)

Rare Mother of Pearl/Black Coral Button ($178.00)

Art Deco White Gold 1920's ring ($198.00)

Cradle Falls Hair Extensions

If you're looking for some high-quality, fair-priced Goth/Cyber/Anime hair extensions -- go have a look at what the excellent Cradle Falls has to offer. There's a wide range of made-to-order falls, extensions,wigs and hairpieces and basically everything you would need to create an out-of-the-ordinary hairstyle for clubbing or for a non-mundane everyday look.

There's some great information pages on the site too, which give helpful information on choosing and caring for your product. Another nice touch is the 'waiting list' page - where you can track the progress of your order.

Goth and Emo Bags

There's a whole new bunch of Goth and Emo bags just been put on the Larkin & Catcher store -- including these two dark but cute Ruby Gloom creations:



Ruby Gloom 'Catfight' Shoulder Bag (£22)



Ruby Gloom Fatal Flowers satchel-type Bag (£20)

Both bags are perfect for everyday use but are roomy enough for school or collage.

Don't forget to sign-up for the Larkin & Catcher newsletter, for the chance to win the Summer Stash Bag.

Le Photique at Etsy

Some extremely pleasing home accessories and jewellery from Jaxqueline Sourveilis and Racheal Seelen at Le Photique. What I like to call Smart Art -- and I mean that as a compliment.

Breakdance Necklace ($14-75)

Cat Noir Lightswitch Cover ($12)

Photo Table -- Franz Kafka Alley ($125.00). I really love this --a collapsible table, embellished with a black & white photograph of the Franz Kafka Alley at Prague.

A trip to the Moon

Le voyage dans la lune: 1902 French short silent science fiction film about a bunch of people preparing for a trip to the moon. Such innocence.

Poste Mistress

Poste Mistress very successfully works on the principle that less is more.


'Neptune' Scoop neck fitted jacket (£55)


'Grace' black sequined scraf with gold bugle beading (£12)

Sock Dreams

Sock Dreams sell a variety of products, including t-shirts, leggings and gloves but it their truly excellent selection of socks that makes them the stand-out best as far as legwear goes.


Oh Lovelies over-the-knee socks ($10.00)


Pippy Longstocklings ($16.00)


Pirate over-the-knee socks ($13.00)


Stay-up Fishnets with woven satin ribbons ($9.00)

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The Streets: Dry Your Eyes. Some people are pretty critical of this -- dismissing it as 'Chav music' but I like it.

Steampunk

If you want to know more about Steampunk -- or even just what it is -- pay a visit to the Aether Emporium and all will become clear.
And it was where I found Morúa and Gerry Quinton’s surreally beautiful designs. Very interesting and quite special, I think.

Marionette Coat -- double-breasted coat with (removable) silver arm warmers (£220)

PVC vinyl Sea Shell Top (available in a variety of colours) £78

See Gerry's site for the couture collection, made-to-measure corsetry and ordering instructions.

Dornick Designs at Etsy

I love unusual handcrafted pieces of jewellery and my taste is genuinely eclectic -- mostly I go for unique vintage finds but I generally vary my jewellery depending on my mood at the time. I've got a particular liking for Victorian Gothic Mourning jewellery but draw the line at 'hair' jewellery, which gives me the creeps -- and not in a good way (there is a good way) but I'm also pretty keen on cute, girlie or whimsical pieces. I very rarely shop at mainstream stores and make most of my purchases online.

One of the reasons I love to have a good search through the jewellery on Etsy is that there is such a wide range there and it is as diverse and as unique as the people who make it. I'd made myself a promise to stop buying the products I blog about -- as I've three blogs and need to get some self-control -- but I made yet another exception for a lovely little pendant and cuff from Kathy Hardy at Dornick Designs (thanks Kathy -- I love them!).

Here's some more from Dornick Designs.


Imagine -- Song Lyrics Leather Cuff ($20).



Tiny Dancers Pendant -- one of a range of wearable art pendants ($5)



Solid brass Riding the Storm Out Earrings ($10)

The other good thing about visiting Kathy's site was that I heard 'Let's Get Together' by the 1960's band The Youngbloods for the very first time. I've never heard of the band before and I'm no big fan of 60's music but I liked that song (in a happy hippy kind of way) and ended up checking the song out on YouTube. Nice video too -- so I put it here. Peace, man -- feel the love.

Queen of Heartz

If you're a girl who loves a delve into some vintage glamour, have a look at Letty Tennant's fabulous creations at Queen of Heartz.




The Miranda Dress from the Holiday collection. A simply stunning vintage reproduction dress, available in a variety of colours ($120.00)



The Art Deco Bella Top from the Holiday collection. Light blue Art Deco-print chiffon top, with 1950's reproduction buttons ($69.00)


Dungaree Pants -- highwaisted 1950's-fit trousers, with back zip from the Denim collection ($98)

Queen of Heartz designs are also available from other purveyors of Pin-up and Rockabilly heaven -- such as Babygirl Boutique and My Baby Jo.

There's something about the 1940's to 1960's era. Apart from the whole Golden Age of Hollywood thing -- I've developed a bit of a liking for 'ole blue eyes' and the Rat Pack (not forgetting the beautiful Ava Gardner).

Tarina Tarantino

When it comes to fashion, I’ve never really understood why people stick rigidly to one particular genre. I can see that fashion choices can reflect a particular worldview or lifestyle at any given time in out lives but I think we’re missing out on the mass of creativity, innovation and fun out there if we cling too fast to only very defined fashion categories.

As far as I’m concerned, fashion should be used as a ‘feel-good' prop -- to be used to create or reflect our mood and intentions at any given time. I know that some people adopt a long-term ‘look’ that they feel makes a deeper statement about which particular sub-culture they feel most affiliated with -- but I’m just not one of those people.

Life is far too short and tough to waste time pigeon-holing myself into any fashion category and I like to play around with different looks – intentionally ‘role-playing’ just for enjoyment or to serve whatever purpose I feel I want or need my clothes to serve at any given time.

What I’m really leading up to hear is that – despite being drawn mainly to the dark side (fashion-wise) -- I do not reject the cute and do, in fact, positively embrace it at times.

So I can really appreciate what Tarina Tarantino has to offer-- and I even have a liking for her Barbie collection (leave now if PINK leaves you nauseous and gasping for some cold and black night air).

Of course, Tarantino is about much more than sugary pink Barbie whimsicalness but I’m featuring some of her Barbie collection here because I like the whole girlie, tongue-in-cheek, fabulous wonderfulness of them.



Limited edition Butterfly Barbie Handbag ($488.00)


Barbie Pearl Bracelet ($88.00)




Super-sized Lucite Barbie Heart Earrings ($88.00)

Malicious Designs Does it Again!

Sheana Hinesley at Malicious Designs gets it so right again. Have a look at some pieces from her Fall 2007 collection:





And more from her online shop:



Cha Cha Dress ($220)



Retro Playsuit ($175)


Boxer Brief ($44)


I've been a fan of Hinesley's designs for a while now but this recent collection just proves that she gets better and better and never fails to surprise.

Who's this?

Any idea who this is posing as Theda Bara? It really suprised me when I found out who it was...

Tuff Betty at Etsy

I've already raved about Tuff Betty bags over at my other Larkin & Catcher blog but -- just in case you missed it -- Tuff Betty is now selling her gorgeously unique bags over at Etsy. What I love so much about Tuff Betty bags is that they are so entirely different from a great deal of the handcrafted bags I've been -- Tuff Betty never plays safe and that's got to be a good thing. I can see these bags being a bit of a collectors item in the future.


The Sid was really, really bad again wristette ($35)




The scrumptious Garden Party Handbag -- Midnight Black ($150.00)

The J. Peterman Store

The J. Peterman store stands out in a class of it's own from most online stores (apart from Larkin & Catcher, of course -- which is just in its first year but will grown into an equally wonderfully eccentric place to shop).

I love the fact that Peterman uses drawings instead of photographs of the products (we use battered old mannequins instead of live models -- partly for reasons of economy, but we might stick with that...).

But it's the little stories that accompany the items' descriptions that make the Peterman store so very different; stories that conjure up a world that never really existed for many of us and that is dying out for others. Finding the Heirloom bag in the secret barn, near the (treasure-stuffed) 12-cylinder old Packard. A Gladstone bag strong enough to go 'down the Nile' and 'across the Alps' and the 1947 Dress of a type that could have been worn by Rita Hayworth. Irresistible, I think, but then I am a sucker for romance.


Heirloom Gladstone ($495)



Cotton Twill Duster (on sale now -- $119 from 168)


The 1947 Dress (on sale now -- $99 from $138).

Amy Winehouse at Glastonbury

Damn -- I had been thinking of going to Glastonbury this year (for the first time) but changed my plans because Larkin & Catcher is such a baby and I just can't leave it just now. So I missed Amy Winehouse live and I'll just have to make do with this You Tube video for how. Winehouse has one of the most amazing soulful voices I have ever heard and must be one of the most charismatic live performers out there.

Sparkle Factory

A 'perfect condition' 1959 copy of The November Baby by Noel Streatfield ($10) -- would make an interesting gift for someone expecting a little Scorpio.




And a Vintage Bakelite Sewing Box for $20. Another great gift for the crafter in your life. These are the sort of gifts I love -- kind of unique and with a bit of history behind them. Both from Sparkle Factory.

Katsai at Etsy

A gorgeous made-to-order retro fabric mini skirt in your size for $40 -- from Katsai at Etsy (I love the fabric and the cut of the skirt).



Katsai also has a number of other handcrafted items available, including this lovely Art Deco Halter Top ($48).

Happy Flappers

Ever wonder what your great grandparents got up to -- when they weren't up to their neck in muck and bullets or toiling away trying to survive?

Jovovich-Hawks

The collaboration of the actress and model Milla Jovovich and the model Carmen Hawk really was a match made in heaven, as far as their Jovovich-Hawk fashion label is concerned. In common with most fashion designers, the pair have plundered the past in search of inspiration and their Fall 2007 collection shows a firm nod towards 1940's film noir in some pieces, while there is obviously a touch of the Jazz Age flapper in some of the softer, more whimsical designs. The 1980's also gets a look-in, in the form of a dandified pinstriped trouser suit.




The 1920's-style 'nuit' (below) would be an absolute classic in any woman's wardrobe and it's the kind of dress that is destined to be an all-time favourite -- that is if we could get ours hands on it. As far as I can tell, the collection sells out as fast as it comes in and net-a-porter, for instance, had very few pieces left last time I checked. No luck at Fred Segal either. Not that I'd be buying any but a girl can dream.

Fashion: the Eye of the Beholder

I usually ignore everything on the MSN homepage but their Crimes Against Fashion feature caught my attention today and I found myself disagreeing with practically all the choices they'd make on what constitutes a 'heinous sartorial offence'.

They dragged-out the usual suspects -- ra-ra skirts and *shell suits -- but they had the nerve/bad judgement to put platform shoes on their Fashion Crimes hit-list. Platforms are cited as being 'unflattering', 'clumpy' (D'oh!) and 'downright dangerous' (quick -- call the Health Police).

Wrong on all counts. Some platform shoes might be perceived as unflattering by some people but I reckon that platforms have a lot more going for them than many other shoe types -- not least because they allow a person to combine gaining an extra bit of height without totally taking away the ability to walk. They don't have to be clumpy (not that 'clumpy' is such a bad look) and as for being dangerous -- here's my message:

Health Police -- stay the hell out of fashion and stick to what you do best (your own little empire-building by attempting to ban all substances which we enjoy).

I've got a particular liking for platforms, especially those from the 1930's/1940's era. I've already featured these Leather Platfom Wedges from Re-mix Vintage Shoes on the 'other' Larkin & Catcher blog -- but hey -- you can't have enough of the good thing.

The feature had a go at tank-tops too but I'd argue that this item of apparel has its fashion place (no -- not the bin). Worn with the right combination of other items (white shirt, for instance) the tank top can be figure-flattering and even the 'geek' tag is not bad thing (thanks partly to the image-boost from Ugly Betty -- a true goddess and a wonderful human being).

I'm probably on a hiding to nowhere with the next item but I don't think that even legwarmers should be added to the criminal fashion class, as they can look good and not even only if worn in a retro, ironic way. My own fashion taste can be, admittedly, a little on the weird side but I can see a place for leg coverings of an unconventional type. Take these fleece leg gaitors from Emmanuelle Blanc at Miss-be. Possibly not something you'd slip on if your heading for an interview with the bank manager but I think they're innovative and lovely and fun (just like many of Blanc's designs). Fashion Rules attempt to knock the fun out of fashion and must be disobeyed.

* For some reason Jimmy Savile gives me the heebee jeebees --I'm not sure that he is entirely human but instead some sort of not-nice alien life-form. Actually, his image at the top of this page disturbs me so much that I might have to remove it. The other scary thing is that he reminds me of Tracey from Big Brother 8 -- who is probably from the same planet as Sir Jimmy.

Never Say Die

I've just decided that I'm made of stronger stuff and will not be defeated by Blogger -- so I'm going to make an attempt to post an image. Here goes...

Hey -- that wasn't too bad. You'll probably never get rid of me now.

An Avalanche of Posts

I reckon you’re pretty much over-whelmed by the amount of posts here -- you never really knew so many Best Things existed until I kindly drew your attention to them.
I reason for the one sad little post is that I just can’t get used to Blogger yet and I’ve been totally spoiled by Wordpress, which is oh-so-easy to use. The problem I have here is that when I try to post an image, the text all seems to go off-kilter. But it took me about two years to work Wordpress out – so if you pay me another visit -- say sometime around the middle of 2009 – I’ll possibly have something for you.