Goth, Baby

Black, I’ve come to realize over the last year, is a colour I wear around other people; not sure what that says about the way I relate to others, but I think black is something of an “armour” for me. Deep down, though, I am a gushing fountain of rainbows and sparkles. Which is how I dress now that I’m home (not really alone, but for all intents and purposes not “out in public”). Still, every now and then, I like to revisit my goth princess fashion fantasies. To wit: this outfit. I had actually planned to attempt a more “street style” ensemble, layering the tulle overlay part of this H&M dress over jeans. But, I wasn’t happy with my first attempt, so I switched to leather leggings instead. I’ll have to go back to my experiment another time, but this outfit was a happy compromise.

On Repeat, Forever

Are you sick of this tee and this skirt yet? I hope not, because I love both of them so much. And I love the juxtaposition in their pairing. It’s kinda cheeky, which is a vibe I’m leaning into a lot these days. Having fun with clothes is one of the few sure bets during this pandemic season. A cute outfit is guaranteed to lift my spirits, even for a short while – which, I will take right now, gladly. Throw in a pair of red shoes and some statement earring into the mix too, while I’m at it. Why not? Those earrings, by the way, are a great conversation starter on Zoom meetings.

Yellow & Grey

Pantone is having the last laugh. I confess I was one of the folks who questioned Pantone’s choice for colours of the year; yellow and grey seemed so, well, dated. Yet, here we are, two months into 2021 and I’m wearing more yellow than usual, and even this head-to-toe grey and yellow outfit. Granted, these are not the chosen shades of yellow and grey, but still. Who but Pantone would have guessed? I really like this Sol Angeles tee – it’s cute without being too twee, and just the kind of bold graphic that I’m super into at the moment. I couldn’t resist pairing it with my paperbag-waist pants from Anthro – both from a style and colour palette perspective, they work so well together. A slam dunk combo, you might say.

Graphic, With A Twist

This was such a fun outfit, and fun is in short supply in my life at the moment, so I will take anything I can get. I’ve been obsessed with graphic tees lately – and this one might just be my favourite – and ditto for tulle skirts. Put the two together and … magic! It’s frilly but not too sweet, and definitely not twee. Those red shoes, they bring the spice 😉

The Most Versatile

I briefly entertained the idea of getting rid of this Elizabeth & James vest, but I am glad I came to my senses and kept it. It’s such a handy, versatile layering piece. For example, if you have a blouse with an interesting print that you would like to show off; a regular blazer would cover most of it, bah. But this vest – au contraire! Perfect for showcasing a cool print and/or interesting sleeves (should the need arise). Plus, it’s a very self-effacing tweedy grey, which allows other pieces to take centre stage. Gucci demands nothing less.

Boho Dreams

This Issey Miyake dress is a bit of a chameleon. On its own, it can look positively regal. But it can get down too. Here, I threw a floral velvet wrap on top, and suddenly the vibe is very much “cool art teacher” (except that, come to think of it, art teachers probably would have paint all over their clothes and are probably more likely to wear coveralls or something, but I digress). That’s the power of a perfect little black dress. It can be whatever you want it to be.

Bat Signal

A friend remarked on IG that this had a certain superhero flavour to it and, honestly? Yeah, I can see it. Normally, yellow and black are more likely to evoke bees, but I think it’s the angles of the top on this Lulu’s jumpsuit that make it more Batman than insect. Either way, it’s all good. I had originally thrifted this Marimekko shirt for the fabric. Literally. I was planning to cut it up and use the fabric for some projects. It’s a very bright, slightly green, almost neon yellow – NOT a colour I normally favour on myself. It also has small orange dots on it; again, not a combination that screams “Adina”. But the shirt is very well made, and fits well, so I had to give it a try. I’m still not sure I’m sold on it, for me, but I’m willing to give it a few more tries.

It’s been a hot minute since I posted an update on my craft project, so guess what? You’re in luck. Okay, maybe “luck” is a subjective choice of words here; I know some of you are only interested in my fashion content. This is sort of fashion-adjacent? I’ve been focusing exclusively on jewelry upcycling efforts lately, and I guess that counts as “accessories”, right? Let’s take a look.

My recent pieces fall into one of two categories: polymer clay pieces, or embroidered pieces. The latter are more time-consuming, in general, so my output there is lower; by comparison, polymer clay pieces take less time to create, but getting the raw materials has been difficult. Stones, in particular, have been difficult to source in the size and condition that I want. I’m wary of sourcing them online, without being able to handle/see the stones before I buy, but I also have limited options to purchase locally. I would love the chance to attend a gem tradeshow but, for obvious reasons, that’s not currently in the cards. Polymer clay has also been surprisingly hard to source lately; it’s sold out all over the place! I guess lots of people are exploring their creative sides.

For my embroidery-based projects, recently I was fortunate enough to receive a huge box of textile scraps from a friend’s relative who was wrapping up her seamstress business. These are high quality fabrics in some amazing patterns, so they’ve really inspired me to indulge my maximalist flights of fancy (as you will see). I love being able to take scraps and other odds and ends, and making something I think is beautiful out of them.

So, without further ado:

This is the Catherine necklace (named after Catherine II of Russia). With these more ornate pieces, I decided to draw inspiration for their names from various queens.

This is the Fortuna necklace. I got the inspiration for it from a broken brooch (shaped like a cornucopia) that someone gave me to upcycle.

The Medusa necklace. While most of my pieces are available for sale, some I end up keeping for myself. This is one of them. It was one of my first pieces using black clay, and I am obsessed now.

The Alexandrina necklace – named after Queen Victoria (who was known by her first name while growing up).

The Tory necklace. This one has a more unusual back story: I was inspired by the fabric of a Tory Burch skirt I saw on Poshmark. Hence the name!

These earrings had no name, but I was inspired by the interesting, big, geometric shape of the metal pieces. They’re a bit heavier than I normally like (due to the metal components), but I think they’re such a cool statement piece.

Another piece that I didn’t properly name. I’ve been trying to get more creative about using jewelry odds and ends. This was made from bits of 4 different necklaces.

The Trident necklace. No explanation required 🙂

Another untitled piece. I guess you can say I like dangly pieces.

The Antoinette necklace, named after, who else, Marie Antoinette. This was such a fun piece to make – I love the intricate gold lace (part of my box of scraps).

The Diana necklace. I have been using names from Greek mythology for most of my clay pieces, but made an exception here to choose the Roman version instead because it also happens to be an anagram for my name, and this is one of my fave pieces.

The Arachne necklace. Inspired by a heroine from Greek mythology who challenged the goddess Athena to a weaving contest, and proved to good for her own good. She ended up as a spider. I love how this piece turned out.

The Margot necklace, named after Marguerite of Navarra (aka la reine Margot) – daughter of Henry II of France and the infamous Catherine de Medici, and wife of Henry IV.

Another untitled piece, also currently in my personal collection. It has a certain brutalist flair that I really like. The stones are raw rainbow fluorites (like many of the other pieces above).

More to come … a promise or a threat 😉