I have just done a practice run of my goth vampire outfit for a Vampire gig tomorrow. Due to sickness this week it has been put together based on stuff I have and some carefully chosen accessories, all a bit last minute.
And I have realised that I am now wearing pretty much what I used to wear as a 18-28yr old.
I have dark brown/black hair, short. Was this colour before I got dressed up. I am currently wearing:
soft black leather trousers, well fitted but not skin tight.
A lacy strappy black vest top, with a hole/crocheted black v long sleeved jumper over the top, torn in a couple of places, stretched out of shape (always was)
black chunky acrylic rose ring
black chunky acrylic rose blacelet
red small but chunky acrylic earings
pale face (not gothed my face up, pale due to sickly palour/partly my own complexion!) but with dark heavy make-up.
lip stud - clear crystal.
black nail varnish
(I will for my vampire outfit be adding some fangs, a little pillar-box hat/small veil on my head, chunky red teardrop crystal on black velvet lace, subtle bite marks on my neck, and, for coat, a full length black velvet coat which swishes as I walk, with white/black fur trim around cuffs and neck, and a collar that pulls up around my ears)
As I am now dressed, I feel so much more comfortable and 'me' than I have for many years, and realise how much of who I was has been 'eroded' you know through being 'normalised' for work and parenthood etc. It was never intentional to move away from this style, just happened, i guess i 'grew up'. But, i think, apart from the really heavy make-up which is ultra OTT atm, i look great! I feel 'normal' again. I can't even explain it. I have felt so out of sorts with myself, my identity in terms of what clothes to wear and I have always sort of hankered after my old style without really realising it fully until now. I used to dress like this ALL the time.
So, minus the fangs etc, and perhaps with toned down make-up (but still heavy), WIBU to revert back the old me and ditch jeans/t-shirt blandness, and not take up the smart casual average look I seem to be headed for. At least, some of the time? Maybe not the whole shebang for work though...
Or, have I just put back on my dressing up costume of youth, the one we use to hide our lack of confidence etc and I should grow the fuck up?