For Valentine's Day this year, we really went all out. The local Romanian restaurant, Transilvania, was having a special Vampire Masquerade themed Valentine's Day menu along with a live band playing popular monster music as well as jazz inspired dance macabre. If you remember our Nosferatu fits from January, this gave us a second opportunity to dress like vampires and have a good time. 

To show we were a vampire couple, we made sure we both wore purple and black. This dress is from the Japanese brand Atelier Pierrot. It had been on my wish list since I knew it existed, but I wasn't so sure if they made it in my size. It turns out that this design, the Bustle Corset JSK was so incredibly popular, the brand released it in a series of three additional plus sizes. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted the purple color way as well. (There's a joke that purple is the overseas favorite, because what the brand has found is that almost everyone who buys the purple color way does not live in Japan).  Was it possible for me to find the Bustle Corset JSK used in the purple color way in Size 2 in a price I could afford? Luck hit me mid August when I was browsing Lace Market (a used marketplace for EGL clothing and accessories) and someone had a reduced price simply because their body size was going to change and needed it desperately out of their closet. It may have been delivered in a beat up cardboard box inside of a trash bag, but it was absolutely the real deal and included the matching underskirt.

The Bustle Corset JSK is pretty lux. It is made of shantung and ruffled chiffon, with a bodice featuring original Atelier Pierrot designed lace. The fish tail skirt has bustles on both the front and back of the skirt. The back has shirring as well as a corset ribbon lacing, for the perfect fit no matter what your body type is. 

I am also wearing a blouse that I purchased from Atelier Pierrot. This blouse is simply called Shirring Princess Sleeve Blouse, and it's usually always available in a few color ways on their website. It is the most popular off the shoulder blouse that they sell and pretty much goes with everything they design. It includes a double lace collar, shirring from the front and back collar to the waist (and on the sleeves), and dramatic princess sleeves that spread in a fan shape. I had to pre-order the black blouse in October (because it was out of stock) and it came in December 2024.  It's definitely a great blouse. I would love to get another one in the bordeaux, navy, or beige at some point, but used, preferably. 

The headdress I'm wearing is a customized gothic rectangle piece from Junvyette on Etsy. I added bat hair clips on top of the satin black bows for the vampire theme. I am also wearing black and white lace printed tights and black pointy boots with silver buckles. The jewelry is silver and red or silver and gray/black. And of course I had to wear a masquerade mask. I tend to pick the lightweight fabric ones that allow you to wear your spectacles over or under it, if you're crafty enough at application.

Pahl is wearing a lightweight pair of black trousers with a black blouse, black lightweight waist coat with silver buttons, black heavier weight tail coat with silver buttons, and a black wool cloak that he has tied to one side to act like Dracula's cape. He is wearing black leather riding boots as well as a purple silk cravat that cleverly matches the shantung fabric on my dress. (The cravat was another birthday gift from me. I was hoping it would match my dress and I was very happy that it did!!) And of course he is wearing a mask! This one is something he bought and I believe it is a metal mask. There are only a few pictures of him wearing it as well, simply because we were at a restaurant and he couldn't eat with it on!

Pahl has a tradition of making Valentine Day cards for each other. Even though I'm an artist as well, I didn't go to an ivy league graduate school for Painting like Pahl did, so I always try to do something a little outside of the box. You can tell Pahl's card is masterfully designed and took him several hours to add line work, painting and other small details. I decided to put my tiny adult hands to good use and make swan origami where it is made of as single piece of paper. The archway that they are floating under is three hearts. I went way back into my elementary school art supplies to pull out the oil pastels and doilies to accent the rest of the card. It's relatively simple looking, but the origami was somewhat complicated with many steps and many small folds. I was proud of myself for also making it 3D and something that could lay flat in the card or be displayed open. 

I had bemoaned the fact that I was just about finished with the pound and a half chocolate bar that my friend had picked up at Trader Joes for our Christmas party in early December 2024, so Pahl made it his mission to fill up my chocolate stash. The chocolate inside the metal Godiva tin did not last long...but the rest of these bars (in order of darkness right to left), certainly have. As of the time of this entry, April 2025, I still have 3 of the bars left. 

I had so much fun dressing up, going out to dinner, and dancing to a live band for a little while. I hope the restaurant continues to put on fun themed events like this one! And I noticed that in general people that happen to be at the same place/event have also noticed that our outfits are real clothes---not just costumes!  We get a lot of questions about where we acquire things, so don't be afraid to ask if I somehow don't write about it here. 

Pahl and I had such a wonderful time at the Frost Moon Feast last year, we decided we really wanted to go again. The Frost Moon Feast is a dinner theater event where the cast of characters represent a noble fae court and its attendants that come out during the winter months. This year the main differences were that it was at a completely different venue, and instead of having us solve riddles and small games individually or at our tables, we were all invited to solve a murder mystery within the cast. Luckily, the cast was the SAME as last year, and they had pamphlets this time that gave information about each character. We were only slightly less clueless, and mostly interacted with the same character all night, and did not successfully solve the mystery completely. It's hard when you're just having such a wonderful time spending time with friends old and new at your own table!

The first friend I found at the event was Aletta. I met her while going on past Steampunk club adventures. She had come to the Frost Moon Feast with another friend. Aletta was inspired by Nordic style fashion when she selected her outfit for the feast. We must have been thinking the same thing when we thought Frost and Moon = Royal Blue and White. I really like the attention to detail in her accessories like the beaded crown, necklace, and drinking horn hanging from her belt.  

Another friend that ended up sitting with us was Nicole and her husband Josh. Nicole I had met previously when she attended my Chocolate Factory Tour and Tasting meet up last year. Nicole is super crafty. She makes all of her own clothes, from EGL fits like at the chocolate factory to this stunning lace and beaded over dress/ skirt. It was so nice to see her and catch up with her! She apparently knew the cast of the dinner theater very well, and probably knew the whole story line, but deftly concealed it from the rest of us so we had to figure it out (or not) on our own!

And we can't forget Mike and Colleen! They were the only two people we knew at the Frost Moon Feast last year! Mike wore a similar outfit as last year and Colleen whipped this one up for herself apparently last minute. Another crafty friend, I'll say!  (I tried to make a dress like this in high school and by the time I was ready to go back into, I was a completely different sized person). Also, apparently Colleen is the only one who can look at the camera while someone is taking a group photo. Mike was about to say something, I'm looking at Colleen, and Pahl is lost in a wonderful daydream. 

I put a tremendous amount of thought into my outfit for the Frost Moon Feast this year. Pahl had initially said to "wear the same thing as last year" as it was a more Renaissance themed dress, but I like to change things up between years so that I remember things better. I wanted to bust out my custom sized Surface Spell Nocturne Brocade Puff Sleeve Dress. I had ordered this dress in March of 2024, and guess when it arrived...AUGUST. It's made of a heavy weight lined black brocade with beautiful royal blue shimmer embroidery at the skirt as well as black beaded pearls all around the neckline as well as the bottom of the skirt. The back has a corset style tie in the same royal blue color. 

I easily could have coordinated it with black and gold and called it a day, but I didn't. I have been collecting a capsule wardrobe of black, blue, and white items, specifically in gothic styles, and I had to add some white for the winter theme of this event. So first I ordered a new headdress from chinese indie brand Fox Cherry. The one I ordered has small white rams horns wrapped with royal blue ribbon, blue roses, a small silver crown decorated with pearl accents at the top as well as hanging down over the top of the head. There is also a white veil with silver and gold stars.  To repeat the white and blue again twice over, I added fingerless white gloves with royal blue lacing and white tights with a blue criss cross flower design. The jewelry I am wearing is vintage costume jewelry with "gold" metal and "sapphire" stones. 

I wanted to look a little otherworldly, so I did my eye makeup in cool blue and silver colors, my face highlight as a cool shimmer, and my lipstick as a dark purple (a combination of a cool medium pink and a dark blue shimmer). I finished my look with Strangecvlt Coven boots in black with silver buckles. I suppose I have other shoes that would have worked, but the forecast was threatening a real snow storm and I didn't want to wear something that might be hard to walk through snow in. 

Pahl wore a full suit of armor. Wait didn't he wear a full suit of armor last year? Yes, he has more than one suit of armor. He is wearing lightweight chainmail under a red and black tunic that he embroidered himself. It is a red rabbit leaping!  He is also wearing shoulder epaulets as well as the neck armor and leg armor. I am certain it took him much longer to get dressed than it took me!  In fact, I helped make sure the cape still moved under the armor and got the shoulder armor to attach to the neck armor. I even carried in his helmet at the door. I am a  princess squire in training!  

I especially loved the sound of Pahl going up the stairs. So much metal clanking! He could not sneak up on you!

The lighting inside the venue was exceptionally dark in most places, and I had to use every ounce of Photoshop magic I possess to even get this much exposure. It's not perfect, but at least he's no longer a knight in the shadows!

I think it's obvious at this point that we have a lot of fun at the Frost Moon Feast regardless of our ability to follow the story line or solve the puzzles or murder mystery. The feast is always excellent and as I continue to attend I am sure I will know more and more people! We look forward to the event again every winter. What will I wear next year? Not sure yet, but you can count on Pahl to be a Knight. 

The second time we dressed up in January 2025 was to attend the Winter Lantern Festival held at Lyman Orchards. The Winter Lantern Festival was a celebration for the Chinese Lunar New Year. Not only were there beautifully designed intricate but also large sculptural lanterns and walkways to pass through, but there was also entertainment from an acrobat troupe as well as live music. I knew it was something I wanted to attend and opened up to a meeting with my fashion community. A few people bowed out last minute...I mean 18 degrees Fahrenheit with a windchill is just not comfortable, even with thermals, thick wool and polyester fabrics, and strategically placed Hot Hands in your shoes. Jax was the only brave soul outside of Pahl and I. They had an adorable sweet style outfit on with a matching gingerbread house back pack. I wish I remembered more of their outfit, but it was so cold and I only have this one picture of all of us and well...it looks good for scale purposes, but the details are lost.  

We learned our lesson about surviving in the cold outside at the Mystic Aquarium Home for the Holidays event in December, so we made sure we got ourselves hot beverages right away. At Lyman Orchards, you could get shots of alcohol added, but we had ours plain. It was a really excellent hot chocolate that cooled down way too fast. We decided to walk over to the entertainment tent before doing the official walkabout while we were waiting for Jax to arrive. 

You had to follow a lit up path with different robots and when you got to this sculpture of the woman with wavy hair, you hung a right. This brought you up to the back side of the 1741 Pub & Grill, which we had attended a Bridgerton themed Brunch at the year before. However, we were still outside the entire time. They did have some gas fire places to stand around, upon which we huddled around near the performance stage. The acrobats were really impressive. First a woman dressed in a panda onesie came out and did various balancing on a see-saw barrel while stacking bowls on her head. Then the clowns came out and did various stacking and spinning of plates. Each performer took turns a few times, but the entire act must have been a good 15-20 minutes. I loved it and was so impressed that they were even performing at all in the cold with the wind. They noticed my admiration and insisted that I take this cute bunny balloon as a souvenir.

They gave balloon swords to the children, but they insisted that I should take the tired bunny star wand. They didn't offer one to Jax or Pahl. I still have it and it's March. It's still fine and has all its air. It must be a magic wand. 

After the performances, we decided to go on the lantern walk together. This was pretty much a field with the most intricate and largest fantastical sculptures. There was a foam square walkway all around the perimeter. I briefly attempted to go off trail to try to stand closer to this frost fairy whom I loved so much, but there was a ton of ice and mud and holes in an uneven field, and I almost tripped and landed on my face somewhere near some electrical cords. 

Pahl was going for a more tailored version of the captain look he had when we went to Mystic Aquarium, (the big difference is that he shaved). This time he wore a deep navy and black waist coat, black jeans, black shoes, and a black tail coat. He is wearing a purple paisley cravat, another one of the birthday gifts I gave him. 

​I am debuting a deep blue velvet dress from Canadian designer Gloomth. Gloomth coins itself as "Victorian Grunge" and "Modern Mourning Attire", and this is the first of three designs that I own from the brand to appear in this blog. This dress in fact, was my Christmas gift from Pahl. You never need to worry about finding me a gift. I'll tell you exactly what I want and expect you to buy it for me. This is the "Dauphine" Blue Velvet Gothic Party Dress and what I love about Gloomth designs is not only the piece itself, but the various ways that she styles each piece. Each dress will have at least 20 different photos and poses with different models and accessories. 

As far as my own accessories I am wearing the blue, silver and pearl Luxmira eye necklacewith dangling blue and silver heart made and designed by Minori (who is a Japanese fashion designer and model). I found the earrings at a thrift store and I had the hat custom made on Etsy for me last year. It looks gray or white sometimes, but it's actually off white with light brown and black streaks. It is fully lined with fleece and is faux fur. I get a lot of compliments on it wherever I go and due to its height, it helps keep in heat very well. I was also wearing thermals and lined boots, but that was more of a survival choice rather than a fashionable one.

It was a novel idea to try to dress up to go to an outdoor winter lantern festival, but if I were to do it again, I'd definitely follow the lead of the acrobat and start with my fleece parakeet animal onesie as my base layer and add leg warmers, a heavy coat, and a hat. It was a really fun event, but I kind of wish it had been like 20 degrees warmer. 38 degrees Fahrenheit would have been amazing. But it was very much winter in Connecticut and that just doesn't happen until late spring. 

Now to be honest, I'm not really a horror movie kind of person. But Nosferatu hits different for me. Nosferatu (the Romanian word for vampire), is based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.  The two stories share many similarities, such as a vampire who becomes obsessed with a person and terrorizes their family, the setting of a crumbling castle in the Carpathian mountains, and a vampire traveling by ship to a new home.  However, in Nosferatu, Dracula is known as Orlok, and Orlok is rather susceptible to sunlight, while Dracula is only weakened by it. 

There have been 3 film adaptations of Nosferatu so far. First, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) the original silent film directed by F.W. Murnau. Then, Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) directed by Werner Herzog that combines Nosferatu and Dracula. And lastly, Nosferatu (2024) which is a remake written and directed by Robert Eggers and was released on Christmas Day in December 2024.  Nowadays, I feel like we are lucky if a movie is in theater for a month! We saw it as soon as we could after the release date, which turned out to be on Pahl's birthday in January. 

Pahl loves to dress like a vampire. It is one of his specialized looks. He had a completely different outfit planned to go see Nosferatu in, but then I got him this dead head moth bolo tie and belt buckle set for his birthday and he had to change almost his entire outfit to wear them! Of course you need a certain collar on a shirt to wear a bolo tie, and he had to wear a waist coat that did not cover the tie nor the belt buckle. He kept his fit in all black so that the silver metal of the tie and buckle would really stand out. 

Now of course I had to wear EGL fashion. Transilvania Moonlight by Chinese indie brand Krad Lanrete was the absolutely perfect choice for a nod to the movie. The Transilvania Moonlight JSK features a high waist, partial shirring, corset lacing in the back, as well as imagery of castles, roses, crosses, trees, churches/cathedrals, staircases, angels, bats, moons, and coffins. The black over skirt is attached and adds to the spooky feeling. I paired it with the Atelier Pierrot Shirring Princess Sleeve Blouse in Black. This blouse is pretty iconic for gothic EGL fashion. The black is always going out of stock and is hard to acquire used. So I bought it in October during a pre-order and luckily received it in December! You would think that the princess sleeves get in the way, but they never do. They always look great, and if you do need to do a task like the dishes or something, you can stuff them into the shirred sleeve parts. Very stretchy, very versatile. I am also wearing a headdress that I had custom made from an American Etsy seller named Junyvette. Junvyette specializes in made to order gothic headdresses.  Another amazing part of my outfit is my stained glass coffin rosary necklace from American brand Neant Glass.  These necklaces are very popular with those who wear the Gothic style. Neant Glass is even a partnered vendor with Japanese brand Atelier Pierrot. Despite my geographical proximity to the maker of Neant Glass pieces, they always seem to sell out rather quickly (like within minutes) of a drop. However, I got really lucky on small business Saturday and was one of 17 people to nab a special set. The seller also made our set a surprise, but we could send her photos of our Instagram page to get a feel for what would go with our coordinates. As I understand it, this was one of her tamer looking pieces, and she was very happy to find the right person to wear it!  (Again--proving I'm a select horror film lady). 

I paired it with patterned tights and my trusty coven boots from Strangecvlt. I didn't wear makeup this time...we were going to the movie theater...who was going to see it anyway? I've seen every Nosferatu movie and I really enjoyed Egger's version for the gorgeous costumes, drawn out atmosphere, and character development.  A lot of people complained about how Nosferatu looks in this version, but if you've ever seen a drawing of Vlad the Impaler, there is definitely a resemblance with the mustache and the furs. 

Honestly I was just so happy that it wasn't TOO SCARY for me to watch it in the theater. We made sure it was a matinee anyway. It was just so fun to dress up for the film. I had never really done that before and it was also fun to finally debut my "LEGIT GOTH EGL" pieces and accessories together for the first time. So if you're not a horror movie person, but find yourself somehow okay with the vampire genre and really like fashion, then this movie is for you!

The second meeting I attended in December 2024 was put on by the local Steampunk group at the Shoreline Trolley Museum.  Now if you've been following the blog for a few years, you'll know I got a private trolley for my fashion group in the off-season just when they started putting up the station decorations in mid-November of 2023. During the month of December, the museum is nicely decked out for the Christmas holiday before they close for the winter season.  In Sprague station, you can see a moving train above your head with Santa and gifts in it in the station, a giant red mailbox that contains letters for Santa, and a couple of Christmas trees. The line stops are also decorated as well as every trolley housed in the barns. It is truly a site to see the museum lit up for Christmas!  And the perfect time to dress up for photos too! The plan was to meet in the late morning, take some photos at the station and attend a trolley ride and tour together at noon.  

Now for this meeting, the steam punks didn't say what we had to wear. They encouraged Christmas theme, but Pahl and I decided to do something completely different. I styled myself as an "airship captain" and he was my "first mate". My outfit is also EGL fashion, but it is the more masculine side of it. Ouji, pronounced "O-G", is the Japanese word for prince. It is considered to be "a blend of youthful exuberance and Victorian sophistication", according to Sunica Design.  Even though it is considered to be "boy-style", it is not restricted to any gender.  A full ouji ensemble includes unique details such as asymmetrical cut shirts, waist coats in single and double-breasted styles, dress pants, pocket watches, monocles, ties, hats, and canes. I've seen all of these accents used in Steampunk style outfits, so I thought it would be the perfect event to debut my ouji style!

However, my ouji outfit has a distinct feeling that it is military inspired, but from what origin? The Princess Chronicles~The Stars Change Sleeveless Ouji Fashion Coat is a long black tunic with asymmetrical fasteners at the collar in a Chinese Hanfu style, with distinctive black on black embroidery at center of the chest and below the knee. I also purchased most of the pieces from The Stars Change series including the asymmetrical black blouse with the metal buttons and mutton sleeves, the embroidered adjustable trousers, the one shoulder waist belt, and the matching wool hat.  Additionally I am wearing a short blonde wig, a long prince like coat, and black combat boots. 

Hanfu is a style of clothing that Chinese people wore during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). The central principles of Hanfu are modesty, respect for tradition, and harmony. The design and structure of the clothing reflect the ideals of Confucianism. In Confucian philosophy, the clothing you wore expressed your role in society. The loose and flowing garments symbolized tranquility and balance, in harmony with nature and society. Hanfu also played an important role in one's social status. The material, color, and embellishments of the garment were regulated by social hierarchy. Emperors, nobles, and scholars wore specially designed hanfu, while commoners wore simpler versions. 

Historically, the color black was associated with the cyclical nature of life. It embodies the essence of water, flowing and adapting, symbolizing mystery, depth, and the unexplored realms of the Universe. Black can also exude an essence of martial valor and refined elegance. I imagine that when Chinese indie brand Princess Chronicles designed this coordinate, that they were thinking of someone wearing it who was brave but also interested in exploring the unknown. 

Pahl had built or upcycled many accessories in his first mate outfit. The stun gun was once a soldering gun. His jet pack was once a vintage vacuum cleaner. His leather aviator coat has an asymmetrical closure to one side. Snow googles and a fin on an otherwise leather helmet. Utilitarian black cargo pants and tall black leather boots. Black fingerless leather gloves and a black belt with a metal atomic symbol as a fastener. While I steered us towards the unknown, like meeting up with new people we never met before, he had my back like a true rocketeer, even if it was just talking to new people and trying to remember their names!

My robes truly were long and flowing, and I felt very balanced in my all black han substyle of ouji EGL. Again, I seem to be the only person who bothers to bring an umbrella with them to a meeting. It just happens to work that my umbrella is a black and red pagoda style that effortlessly matches my outfit!

Overall we had such a fun time! There were so many new faces for us, it was hard to keep everyone straight. I did run into a couple that I have been attending a regency style dance class with, so I spent most of my time getting to know them better while on the trolley ride itself. Everyone else had very appropriate Christmas colors and Victorian inspired styles, and ours were just not exactly that; you might say we were the real punks of the meeting! Regardless, the trolley volunteers/personnel thanked everyone profusely for dressing up, because I'm sure it made things more fun for the other random folks and families riding the same trolley as us. 

Danielle, Sarah, Jax, Margot, and Colleen

In December of 2024, I participated in two dress up activities that other people planned. The first one was a meeting that Jax planned at Mystic Aquarium (in Mystic, CT) during their "Home for the Holidays" holiday lights extravaganza. The event features holiday-themed lights, live animals, multiple photo opportunities and special guests select evenings between Thanksgiving through New Years.  

I knew it was going to be cold outside, but I had somehow forgotten in the (more than two decades since I visited this particular aquarium) that a good portion of it is all outside. I would say most of the lighted walkways and multiple photo opportunities were located outside between the cafe and the inside gallery. In fact, even the entrance dome is technically outside, as are the habitats with the beluga whales and the seals. 

Jax told us to dress winter holiday theme and or an aquatic theme for the meeting. I went with Classic EGL Christmas. To stay warm, I paired a wool lined red and green tartan skirt from Miss Point, with the fleece lined Time Memory ~ Elegant Lolita Slim Fit Mutton Sleeve Blouse, which I then topped with the Ode to Joy~ Winter Velvet Vest  in blackish green (also from Miss Point). I wore Christmas themed tights, but you can hardly see the pattern because my skirt is so long. I was originally going to wear gold tea party shoes, but the temperature was far too cold for that so I wore thick wool boot socks and teal dyed thinsulate lined leather boots. I also made sure to sew the rogue gold button back on my super old bright red wool coat I rescued from Burlington Coat Factory about 16 years ago. The Elegant Striped Top Hat (also from Miss Point) kept my head surprisingly warm in 28 degrees Fahrenheit weather. For my bag, I brought my Christmas bear bag with me. It doesn't quite fit the rest of the Classic elements in my outfit, but I had talked to Sarah before the meeting, and we both brought stuffed animal bags decked out for the holiday in solidarity. 

Sarah continued the tartan with their babydoll tartan dress from the Japanese brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This kind of dress is what I would consider to be a highly iconic old school style. Old school style is characterized by an emphasis on construction, high quality materials, and patterns made with lace and ribbon design. Sarah paired the dress with a short black coat, white under the knee socks, and black platform mary janes. They also have a white heart shaped bag from Baby the Stars Shine Bright and are wearing fluffy white ear muffs that seem to be connecting a white and red rectangle headdress. Everything is carefully matched and balanced between color and styling. 

Jax made their own dress from a pattern they had drafted from scratch. They specifically chose a Grinch themed fabric because they knew the guest of the evening we planned to attend was the "Holiday Grouch". I love the different lace that they used in their dress from the thinner lace at the bodice and middle of the skirt to the "falling star" lace at the hem of the skirt. They added a wine red and white fur cape and matched this expertly with white tights and wine red shoes. 

While you could say that Jax, Sarah, and I each exemplified the Christmas holiday in some capacity with our chosen colors of the evening, Margot and Colleen went for the more muted colors I would associate with winter in general. I really like the shiny star over blouse Margot added to her outfit. It reminded me of the twinkling lights we were observing and the magic of the holiday season.  Colleen managed not only to wear white and blue that remind me of fresh winter snow and the sky during a 4:00 pm sunset, but also her dress and matching head bow are aquatic themed! 

How could I forget my Sea Captain of the evening? Pahl tried to dress warmly with a wool coat over his waist coat and blouse and black denim. He made sure to wear a thick cravat, leather gloves, and a wool sea captains hat. He even kept himself a little scruffy in his facial hair just for the look! Unfortunately decisions had to be made between looking cool and feeling too cold, so right up here in the entrance is the last time you get to see his full regalia before he had to close his coat up to stay warm. 

Overall, I would say it is a very unique family friendly event. It is nice to go on the outside walk and observe the lights and interact with the outside animals a little bit as well as warming up in the inside gallery. If it's your first visit to the aquarium ever, I probably wouldn't recommend it, as you don't actually get to see all of the animals and to be honest, it's a little disorienting going at night in the cold than during the day if you are not familiar with the place (like I apparently wasn't). Luckily Jax and Margot used to volunteer there in the past, and I learned so many fun facts about the animals from them as well as following their lead through the outside and inside environments. If you are interested in attending, and want to save on ticket prices, look during the end of October for discount tickets. 

One of the long standing wardrobe goals I started building for myself in 2024 was specifically a black, white and medium blue/dark blue gothic/punk style capsule wardrobe. I was inspired by the Japanese gothic EGL brand Moi Meme Moitie, whose designs are primarily in white, black, and a deep klein blue, (lovingly referred to as Moitie blue by EGL fashion enthusiasts). You can purchase Moitie items from anywhere in the world using Wunderwelt Fleur.

Silent Moon is the name of a specific design that Moi Meme Moitie has released several times over the years. It primarily has come out as an OP (one piece dress), but there is an earlier release of a JSK and a skirt that exists. There are also matching over the knee socks and accessories for this print. The dress is made of a crepe fabric suitable for all seasons. It is short sleeve, has full shirring in the bust and waist, elasticized cuffs. and is fully lined. The print on the bottom portion of the dress is mainly a series of different gothic cathedrals with crosses at the peak of every roof, with trees and birds flying in the background and a full moon surrounded by clouds in the sky. 

A lot of people in my fashion community happen to own a version of this dress, so I decided to make a meeting in November 2024 where anyone who owned this dress was to meet up at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven, CT wearing it. If they didn't have the dress, they could wear any combination of black, white, or dark blue, but I preferred they make it gothic or classic style as we were meeting at a cemetery. 

As I am partial to planning events that include some form of education, art, and history, of course Grove Street Cemetery was on the top of my list to have a Gothic photoshoot at. Grove Street Cemetery, which opened as a burial ground in 1796, is the oldest cemetery in the nation designed as a "city of the dead", with named avenues and cross streets. It is a National Historic Landmark, and is the first chartered burial ground in the United States and the first to be arranged in family lots. Within the cemetery are the markers or plots of most early residents of New Haven, including Eli Whitney, Noah Webster, Walter Camp, Roger Sherman, fourteen Yale presidents, and hundreds of other faculty members, alumni, and campus luminaries. The cemetery serves as resting place for many historically important figures, and a number of its tombstones date back to the 1600's. In addition to a collection of specimen trees, the entrance has an architecturally prominent Egyptian Revival Gateway facing High Street. 

​Clearly the cemetery has something for everyone! Even if you don't know anything about history, you can enjoy the many varieties of trees and bushes that were cultivated there. As soon as you get past the gateway, there are folks jogging as well as other folks walking their well behaved canines around the place. It's a cemetery...but also a public respite from the hustle and bustle of Grove St and the surrounding city streets in that area. And despite all of the historical figures and extensive family plots within, people are still being buried there today! 

Leo's favorite brand is Moi Meme Moitie and they have been collecting pieces from it for years. Leo is wearing the black version of the Silent Moon OP with a white printed design. They also have the matching Silent Moon Over the Knee Socks as well as the printed satchel bag. They are wearing two different cross necklaces, I believe both of them are also from Moi Meme Moitie. The large one is actually silver with blue jewels. Leo wore a white princess sleeve stand collar blouse from Atelier Pierrot underneath their dress (as it was starting to get a little cooler outside). Gothic matte black heels and a black fascinator completed their look. They went the extra mile and put on some very gothic makeup with a pale complexion, dark blue eyes and deep brownish red lipstick. 

When I saw that Wunderwelt had a used version of the white version of Silent Moon with the blue print, I had to have it. It was also less expensive, because there is supposedly a stain somewhere (that I've never found) than it would be if I had purchased it brand new. I paired it with a three-quarter princess sleeve stand collar blouse from the Chinese Indie brand Yilia. Yilia makes basic colored blouses in almost every collar/sleeve type/ length you might need to complete an outfit, and I highly recommend them if you're just starting out. I've used this same blouse across all EGL styles now (between sweet, classic, and gothic). The white of the blouse is somehow more of warm white compared to the cool white of the dress, so despite also mixing additional blue and black into my coordinate, I had to mix different whites. I added a rectangular headdress from Atelier Pierrot that happens to be made of both cool and warm white ribbons and lace. 

To repeat the blue, I am wearing a pair of over the knee ribbon socks also from Moi Meme Moitie. I custom ordered white lace gloves with blue crossing ribbons on Etsy, because I knew the sleeves on the blouse that I owned were not actually long sleeve. Now you can't see this in this particular photo, but I had to take out the blue ribbon waist tie from the dress. It was...not long enough for me to tie it around my waist. Instead I swapped it out completely and added a black waist belt I got in a different set. To repeat the black again, I am wearing a rosary inspired choker that is black and silver as well as the Bondora~Cross Punk High Platform Shoes in black that also have silver cross charms that hang from them. 

Like Leo, I also used complexion makeup that was paler than my actual skin, and did a darker look around my eyes with a dark reddish purple lipstick. 

Barbara went full classic victorian goth all in black for her coordinate. She is wearing a long sleeve victorian style blouse that she paired with a high waisted long skirt. Her accessories include a necklace of pearls, a cameo necklace, a spider pin with a pearl detail, silver bracelets and rings, a big black mourning hat with a veil hanging down in the front, and of course exquisitely applied makeup.  Her ankle brace matches the look well, but the New Balance sneakers are definitely a functional/safety choice. We always encourage safety in footwear, especially at meetings that require a lot of walking!

When two or more people wear the same dress at a meeting, it is considered a form of twinning. I just absolutely love how Leo and I are contrasting versions of one another. I have just about as much black in my coordinate as they have in white in theirs. 

In some photos you will also see me wearing a prince style black coat with silver buttons. It was getting a bit cold as it was November. Luckily Kaitlyn, Leo's friend who also came to the meet dressed in alt gothic fashion was extremely generous in holding our accessories and helping us take photos during our visit. I put some of the photos in black and white because I thought the lighting added a hint of a story and good memories. 

All in all it was a gorgeous day and we really lucked out on the weather. Traffic and parking around the cemetery was a bit stressful as Yale had a very large event at their athletic center up the street, so most of Grove Street was filled up. Technically we could have parked in the cemetery itself, but I wasn't sure how many people were going to go and there are only so many drivable "streets" within the cemetery as most of them are actually just walking paths. 

It was so much fun to just dress up for a specific theme in a specific location. I might do something like this annually, but pick different historical cemeteries throughout the state. You can certainly depend on anywhere in New England to have a good old cemetery, but Grove Street Cemetery is certainly unique due to its 425+ and counting years of interred residents!

The last major event that I dressed in EGL fashion for in October was a witchy tea tasting and artisanal dessert pairing sponsored by Tea & Tarot at the Madison Beach Hotel on a Wednesday evening the third week of October 2024. Now if you recall from the last blog post, I had taken this week off as a vacation for myself, and this was the last major dress up event I was attending that week. (I almost ran out of clean bloomers at the three times in one week mark...this very fun hobby suddenly seemed like a lot of work!)

The theme of the event was called the "Witches Tea" and guests were invited to "dress like a witch". I styled myself as a celestial witch, starting off with my navy and gold stamping celestial dress from Chinese indie brand Soufflesong. I bought this dress a few years ago, so I don't think its available new anymore, but it might be found on a used marketplace. A little after the time I purchased it, I also purchased the Polar Night Sky ~ Halloween Gorgeous Gilding Lolita Witch Hat in the navy from Chinese indie brand Rose Thorn to go with it. Of course the hat came after Halloween that year, so I had to wait till the following year to even wear it with anything and boy was I surprised at how big, sturdy, and kind of heavy it is. It's like an over sized witch hat, expertly sewn to retain a sort of crooked yet whimsical look. The big bow and gold star chain are completely detachable, so you can remove weight if you need to. The outside is black velvet and the inside is whatever color you ordered with gold celestial design. I also found that it is quite a warm hat, and is perfect if you have to be outside for any length of time, especially at night in late October. 

The last time I wore the dress, I simply wore it BY ITSELF with a shawl and sandals on an excruciatingly humid day in July of 2023, so I had the chance to style it completely differently this time. I added an incredible stand collar semi sheer detachable puff sleeve blouse from Miss Point. It only comes in beige, which in this case is a light off white with a yellow undertone. (Beige, Ivory, and Off-White are often subjective labels in EGL fashion and color matching can be challenging even between different tones of the same essential color. At the end of the day, you have to decide what truly matters). This blouse fits so incredibly well and has a lining so you don't have to worry about picking the wrong colored undergarments. I also love that the sleeves are detachable. If you find yourself drawn to Classic EGL styling, this blouse is an essential edition to your wardrobe. Trust me on this...the stand collar is my go to nowadays. 

Now since I was wearing a beige blouse, I needed to repeat that color on my legs somewhere. Rather than doing so with my socks, I purposely wore a pair of long bloomers that would peek out from under my skirt for the visual color and texture matching. Then I added white over the knee socks that incorporate navy, blue, and pink under the bloomers. I just thought it would be fun to have something a little more decorative that repeated at least the navy and gold once more.  I wore this with my black tea party shoes. This style of shoe I've found is the best for showing off patterned socks without taking away from the visual balance of the colors and textures throughout the coordinate. To repeat the black once more, I brought my Book of Charms and Spells cross body purse back on the scene. 

The tea tasting and dessert pairing event was located on the third floor of the Madison Beach Hotel. You had to walk from the bar area to an elaborate grand staircase and head to your right to a series of small rooms that opened up into a medium sized conference room.  In the smaller room, readers (of many types) were doing private readings and there was also a small table of merchandise for sale from the Tea & Tarot Boutique (also located in Madison, CT). The medium sized conference room had probably six or seven large round tables that could hold up to about 10 guests a piece. 

​Now I signed up for this event on my own. The tickets sold out at lighting speed. I don't know exactly how it was advertised, but most of the people I talked to in attendance happened to also live in Madison, and some of them had been to the Tea & Tarot Boutique before, but most of them seemed to be hearing about the boutique for the very first time. (I myself had visited the boutique in February, so that's how I knew about the event).  Most of the attendees had booked out an entire table with their group, but Tea & Tarot had made sure everyone had an assigned table. I must have waited alone at my assigned table quietly sipping the Blessed Be Banana Bread tea (which is amazing by the way) for at least 30 minutes. A kind and gracious volunteer kept refilling my cup. Eventually a couple of other people showed up, but we still had at least 4 people assigned to our table that never came. 

The thoughtful attention to detail between the design and taste of the desserts produced with the teas they were paired with was simply magical. A lot of people had signed up for private readings, so while people would slip in and out for that, there were additional activities for us to engage in such as a 10 question quiz to see how much we knew about Witchcraft. I knew all the answers mind you, but I had some fluency issues when reading the questions to myself in my head and maybe a little bit of nervousness (not knowing anyone else) coupled with a sugar high so I actually circled some of the wrong answers. But one of the questions was where the first witch trials took place and it was actually Old Wethersfield, CT (even though the closest option on the quiz was Hartford, CT). I had learned this the week prior at a lantern lit graveyard tour I attended in Old Wethersfield with a friend.  Someone else knew it too because they shouted that out across the room.  That person got all the answers right and received a prize!

Another activity they offered between pairings was passing around divination cards face down and taking one for yourself to take home with you.  I got the Mystic, which shows a person with their back facing you wearing a witch hat, a patterned shawl, and a glove on the left hand holding a wand looking into two sort of possibilities--a well lit building on the left and an unknown city to the right. It says "Seek knowledge and spiritual growth. This card represents the pursuit of knowledge and spiritual growth. It invites you to seek out new experiences and to expand your understanding of the world around you." 

According to the dictionary, a Mystic is "having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding. Someone who believes in the existence of realities beyond human comprehension". 

Clearly on a short term level, I nailed it. I went to an event dressed like a witch by myself where most of the other people did not know all that much about Witchcraft. It was a new experience! But really, I'm 100% a Mystic, according to the definition. I read tarot and am working on my own major arcana deck, so this is also not my first go around with divination cards. (I own about 20 decks and have been reading for over 10 years). 

Perhaps it's my cue to seek out even more unique experiences, which I'm sure you will read about in upcoming blog posts!

Around the third week of October 2024, The Poe Actor was doing a circuit of  performances at the local libraries in my area. I had previously attended a masquerade theater event back in February, and I started following the actor on social media to see where they would perform next. I was delighted to find out that they were coming to not one but two libraries within 20 minutes of my house during the week of vacation I had scheduled for myself. In celebration of his arrival, I planned a brand new coordinate of my Nya Nya/Cha Cha Love and Death High Waist JSK in Wine. 

I previously wore this dress back in May 2023 when I met up with my fashion club for an Afternoon Tea. I wore it with a blouse with long gray sleeves, black and silver over the knee socks, and a black half bonnet which I had stuffed white faux roses into between my head and the brim. A year and a half later and it was time to make some improvements. This time I had decided that my accent colors were going to be white, black and wine, instead of gray, white and black. 

I used the Yilia Princess Sleeve Slim Blouse, which is a full button down blouse with gold and pearl buttons and 3/4 princess sleeves in white. I would say that this blouse is more of a natural white than a bright white. The second major change was pairing the white cathedral tights that have a black cathedral print near the ankle as well as under the knee area. Lastly, the third major change was my headpiece. I used the Strange Sugar Gothic Lace Organza KC as my base, and attached an elaborate rose pin that was made from leftover fabric scraps from a bridesmaid gown I had long since given away, but kept the customized pin because I knew I could use it somewhere somehow in the future. 

In the "rule of 3" in a coordinate, I have managed that nicely with the white of the blouse, the white roses on the border print, and the white tights as well as the black on the headpiece, black on the upper part of the dress along with the black lace hem, and black tea party shoes. Alas, I could not repeat the wine three times, but two out of three isn't bad! Between the two different stylings, I did wear the same pair of shoes and the same cross body purse. 

Now onto the performance! Campbell Harmon kept in character during the entire 90 minute event! He told us the truth behind the life, death, and legacy of Edgar Allan Poe while also performing some of his most well known short stories and poems. He started off with The Tell Tale-Heart, which is a classic short horror story of a man who murders an old man for his "evil eye" and is haunted by his guilt. The narrator reveals his motives, methods, and madness in a chilling confession. (I remember reading this in high school, but it is by no means as vivid and haunting when "read in your head" as it is when performed aloud, by Edgar Allan Poe himself!)

Next he told us all about Poe's personal and professional life from when he was a child, a young adult, and through his publishing pursuits along with rivalries with contemporary writers of his day, and the odd coincidence of his death after visiting a pub during an election year. There was a lot of historical back story that he had to fill us modern day audiences in on, which he did quite deftly. 

Lastly, he had the audience choose his final poem and the winning vote was The Conqueror Worm! The Conqueror Worm is a poem about human mortality and the inevitability of death. I actually knew this one by heart because my favorite gothic performer, Aurelio Voltaire, had actually included it on his 2014 album, "Raised by Bats". It of course was a little different the way Poe had performed it versus Voltaire, but I enjoyed both versions.  The Poe Actor had felt that the Conqueror Worm was too short of a poem, so he also performed The Raven as a bonus. When my friend Dana and I arrived at the library, there were about 2 other people seated, but when we turned around to see the people asking questions in the back, we realized nearly every seat was filled (and this was a Tuesday evening)! The people in the back asked some very intelligent questions and I was glad to be in the presence of so many educated people. The library director was thrilled with the level of participation in the event overall and pledged to have The Poe Actor back next year around the Halloween season!

I will definitely be on the lookout for this next performance in my area...the question is...will I wear Love and Death JSK again in a new styling or a completely different dress overall? 

I was invited to a wonderful private tour and lunch at Old Sturbridge Village in the third week of October by my friend Amaryllis. Old Sturbridge Village is considered one of the most beautiful places to go to in the autumn. It's a living history museum where the buildings and ways of life of 1853 are preserved and utilized in working time by costumed actors. Last time I was at Old Sturbridge Village, I attended the Christmas By Candlelight program. This time, the museum was gearing up for the "Phantoms by Firelight" program which is more of a cirque cabaret  during the last two weekends in October, so don't be surprised by the caskets and the reaper iconography in this post. 

Amaryllis really wanted to have the tour in the autumn and it actually required a lot of planning. We needed to have the tickets paid for about a month in advance and she said that the private tour needed a minimum of 15 attendees to pull it off. I helped by purchasing two tickets and convincing two other friends to meet up at Old Sturbridge Village on a Sunday morning at 10:00 am.

Amaryllis also wanted some of us to dress up for the event. Originally she said to wear something Edwardian, but from the look of this photo of people who dressed up, I'm going to say most of the people looked like they were actual staff at Old Sturbridge Village, except for Jessica and I at the far right, who are clearly outliers on this time travel bending excursion.

The day was another unusually hot October day with highs in the low 70's, so I needed to utilize as much cotton as possible so I didn't get too hot or dehydrated while walking around the museum. 

I sent a photo of myself wearing this green skirt at a steampunk picnic last year and asked Amaryllis if this would work for dressing up as I did not have Edwardian nor did I have something that looked remotely mid 1800's for this gathering of costumed souls. She said it was fine, so I decided to style it differently this time. Both the skirt and the blouse are from the Chinese indie brand Tiny Garden. The "Dream Bouquet" Elegant Sweet Lolita Skirt" is totally worth the wait on the pre-order. The green color is almost entirely cotton, fairly lightweight and even has hidden pockets. The "Elegant Lolita Short Sleeve Blouse" is made of 60 pieces of cotton carefully sewn together in a v shaped ruffle design. I got the XL in light mauve and to be honest, this piece definitely runs small. I still had a little bit of gaping at the bust even though my bust size of 98 cm should have been within the L size range. It might just be the fabric. It was very thin cotton with not too much stretch. Over the blouse I placed the Little Dipper Sweet Lolita Cardigan in ginger yellow. I didn't choose a yellow cardigan initially, but I felt it was appropriate to the season of autumn and would stand out well against the landscape.  I tried to select tights that would match the color of the blouse (a light violet) and a bonnet with floral details that tie in the green, yellow, and light violet colors in the coordinate. My purse of the day is a tea pot cross body that is white with light green and violet petals on the design. It also says "Diamond of the Season", which is actually a Bridgerton reference. Yes--it's a purse that was designed around the Bridgerton show---Hot Topic sure has some fun things sometimes. 

You can tell I'm a time traveler because I'm wearing a necklace with a clock around my neck. I need to know what time it was when I left the future to go back into the past.

The Bullard Tavern has a separate private area on the second floor, where we were able to eat our pre-ordered boxed lunches after the tour. Barbara and Jake took me to Old Sturbridge Village last year, and I always learn more and more about the place when I attend it with them. Danielle and I have been friends since the first day of college. We studied the same degree. She's still teaching art...I moved over to the dark side of finance by day, make art at night, and dress up in Japanese street fashion on the weekends. 

After lunch, Barbara, Jake, Danielle and I walked around the museum and explored some of the areas together. For the "Phantoms by Firelight" program, the museum constructed a corn maze that ends with a modern statue of the grim reaper. I'm sure this is much more terrifying at night, but by day it was just an interesting ode to the season of autumn, letting things go, and reaping the fields for the last harvest. I even match the corn maze (yellow on top, green on the bottom)!

Luckily I remembered to take my bonnet clip and attach it to my purse so that I could easily walk around without wearing the bonnet, while still utilizing it in a fashionable way. This covered bridge and the water reflecting the trees is a total highlight of the museum!

We stopped in the "small house" on the way out of the museum. It was my first time visiting this house. There was a re-enactor inside and she was sewing something while the fireplace was in use for warmth. It was a lovely little space. The wallpaper is not actually wall paper. It is painted blue walls and the designs are stamped on the wall (like wood block printing). I didn't realize they were using such bright colors for interiors at that time period either!  I thought my outfit stood out especially well against it. 

Even though Barbara and Jake are members of the museum, this was the first time that they got to ride on the cart pulled by two clydesdale horses around a little circular path in the "center" of town. It isn't a long ride, but the actor tells a lot about the buildings and what life was like at the time. The horses are rescue horses and they get taken care of very well, so please do not worry about their welfare. 

It was such a beautiful day and it was wonderful to meet with friends, dress up, have a private tour, ride the wagon, and eat lunch together. I wouldn't normally meet up at any museum all dressed up by 10:00 am, but Old Sturbridge Village was well worth the effort!!