Home for the Holidays at Mystic AquariumIn 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.
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Silent Moon Photoshoot at Grove Street CemeteryOne 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! A Witches Tea at the Madison Beach HotelThe 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! An Evening With Edgar Allan PoeAround 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?
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DanielleI love EGL and alternative fashion and modeling. I am taking two of my favorite hobbies and making them into a story for you to read about. Archives
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