This Second's Obsession

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this obsession with bloomers

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Photo by RandyThomas

That’s right. Grammar takes priority over post naming convention, and I have finally decided to write about bloomers.

I have the quirk of being more attracted to historial undergarments than overgarments. All those long, heavy dresses? Forget it. But petticoats, bloomers and corsets? Yay! They make modern clothing so much more exciting, and now we’re not ashamed of our ankles and men have learned not to faint away at the sight of them, we can wear them as clothing in their own right, rather than as foundation garments.

I have petticoats, and I can’t afford a corset – well, technically I have a plastic boned one from Marks and Spencer, but it doesn’t do anything because it’s my size rather than the one below. Bloomers are my next project. I don’t want to buy a pair, because they are extremely difficult to find in shops of the bricks and mortar variety, and they seem pretty simple to make.

So, I have a dilemma.

Do I knit my bloomers, or sew them?

Knitted bloomers would be based on the Unmentionables pattern from Knitty Summer 2007. I would have to both shorten and tighten the pattern, but I find knitting more enjoyable than sewing. I think this has something to do with yarn.

Sewing would be faster, and allow me to use patterned fabric. Trying to knit a coloured pattern into my bloomers would probably drive me insane. Also, there are both tutorials for making bloomers from scratch – such as this one from Lara the Lacemaker and this pattern from Gifted Writer – and for recyling already existing clothing. There is a lot of bloomer-related discussion on the official Emilie Autumn fan forum (Autumn is a fan of bloomers herself), and this has yielded some useful advice. Miss Nemo made bloomers from a pair of old trousers (scroll down for tutorial), and The Lady of The Manners of Gothic Charm School has contributed her advice for doing the same (last post on page).

Whichever method of construction I choose, I have further decisions to make. What colour should they be? And how much lace should I use? I think I need to spend some time doing some research before I commit to making my first pair. Bloomers are not the easiest of garments to find online, but I have discovered some lovely pairs.

There are some cute bloomers in these Gothic & Lolita Bible scans: black and frilly, and um…black and frilly. In The Starlight have two varieties of bloomer availiable, in white, black, pink, blue, red and lilac, although they can also do custom work with your own fabric. There are several different and beautiful designs available in Vecona’s store. I especially like the long brown striped pair. For shorter pairs I like reconstructionist‘s work, and to branch away from the dark side, Urban Prairie Girl has lovely bloomers in a bright green star pattern.

I am now wanting to design and create a pair in hot pink with black lace, strands of fake pearls and maybe a black cat applique! If you’re looking to have some custom bloomers but lack the leet sewing skillz, Reveriebydesign on eBay makes custom pairs of bloomers for varying prices, and ifautumnends on Etsy does as well, for US $20.00. I am almost tempted by the latter – custom bloomers for about £10!

The Dark Side of Etsy

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Colours are all very well when one is in the right mood, or for the right occasion, but what does one do when they want to celebrate the visual impression experienced in directions from which no visible light reaches the eye – also known as the colour black? Where does one turn one’s impeccably lined eye?

Etsy – the home of many online stores filled with handmade products – looks all sweetness and light on the surface. Take a trip to the front page and you will be confronted with cheery shades of blue, green, yellow, pink and orange. But lurking in the depths, despite the predominance of glorious colour, buried underneath all the brightness, is something irresistable.

I will be your tour guide, to safely navigate your way to items of quality and drama! Hold on to your credit cards, as we explore:

The Dark Side of Etsy!

At this point I would like you to imagine a flash of lightning, rumble of thunder and a giant organ playing a fanfare-tastic tune. I have provided the lightning, thanks to longhorndave (check out the lightning shots tutorial – lightning looks awesome). Unfortunately my blog has no video or sound effects. I could have tried to create them but it would probably have turned out like a bad myspace profile. Consider yourselves lucky.

The Cute

I am not a fan of adorning one’s possessions with spiders, bats, pumpkins, skeletons, skulls and other such images and animals that the babygoths at shopping malls everywhere seem to adore. I make an exception for black cats (I love the feline) but otherwise I avoid these kind of images. As I mentioned in My Rainbow: Orange and Yellow – I don’t want to look like Halloween personified.

So anything that is adorned with that kind of thing has to be really cute and really well designed and made in order for me to tolerate it. I begin this select collection with the Arachnid Clock, by Carnivalia. I like the shape. I love that the numbers look as though they are caught on a web. I like the ornate hands of the clock, and it is made of wood. Lovely.

This Bat Necklace is simple and understated. It could look elegant with a simple dress. You could even wear it with colours. I think it sits at the perfect place in the neck to be worn with a shift dress with a straight neckline.

There are several different variations of the Gourds of Goth earrings, but these are my favourite: Lady Ghoulia. They’re cute and funny enough to be worn anytime and I would certainly wear them if I had pierced ears. I’m saying that last part about a lot of earrings recently, maybe I should consider getting my ears pierced, finally!

Finally, skulls go elegant in this bracelet by PinkWaterFairy Punk. Read the description: “huge wickedly black glass faceted beads, spooky skulls, black glass AB beads, sinfully ornate silver work” – I’d want it even if I hadn’t seen it.

The Elegant

I have wanted a dramatic choker for years. I have yet to own an evening dress I would wear one with. I keep buying halternecks or dresses that come up too high at the front to showcase the would-be sparklies properly. If I had worn a goth dress to my school leaver’s ball like I had originally wanted to before I met the dress from Monsoon best described as “purple as fuck”, I would have wanted to accessorise with something like this black Swarovski Victorian teardrop cascade choker necklace. Yes, it is a mouthful of a name! I am very tempted to get it when I get paid – it ships from the UK and is pretty inexpensive.

If I allowed myself to consider that purchase, I would have to, however, debate whether I wanted to buy a Shimmery Blue Rose Cameo pendant instead. I am currently developing a cameo obsession – I have seen so many on different websites and there are many fans of them on the Emilie Autumn forum. It’s getting to me!

This Black Rose Felt Flower Brooch is hand-felted and looks stunning against the grey coat in the picture. I have recently started to develop an affection for all things grey (I blame the stitching up daises scarf) and this is a perfectly gorgeous accent accessory.

The Hats

Naturally, I have to have a special section just for hats! Beautiful in black and lace is Lena Horne, as well as the Gray and Black Lace Sinamay Mini Top Hat. Those who like their top hats full sized would appreciate this, described as Victorian Gothic with Peacock Feathers. And if you are blessed with large amounts of cash, the Mini Victorian Mourning Tricorn could be for you. With ostrich plumes and ribbons it is extravagant and fantastic.

The Others

I found some hair extensions in purple and black, and purple and white. The seller also has other colours, including striped extensions and does sets of dread falls, but I think purple and white make a fantastic contrast that I haven’t considered for hair before.

Finally, this post would not be complete without mentioning yarn. Mystery – A Dark Yarn (love that name!) is varigated with purple, grey, black and white shades and would make a beautiful pair of socks.

Have you explored the darker side of Etsy recently? Purchased anything? I’m planning to do a series of “dark sides” of various sites, which I hope you will enjoy. I’m definitely enjoying them, although my debit card might start crying.