A shocking twist of fate for my formerly favourite skirt. Why and what I'm shifting to
Background
I am a second hand enthusiast. During my mid teens, I used to go to all the second hand/charity/thrift shops/stores in my area. I knew them all and even made a map guide for my area.
Naturally, as a sad teen looking for a cheap thrill I was a bit of an over consumerist. I would buy little dinky €2 rubbish from apps like Wish or AliExpress because it gave me something to look forward to. I was really struggling mentally.
But there's no post on Saturdays, so into the city I went!
I found many a circle skirt in these charity shops. At the time, I was about a 12-14UK so finding items in my size was quite manageable at the time and I was willing to squish myself like a sausage into any garment I really liked. Because of trend cycles and such, it was a great time to love a skater skirt or a circle skirt.
Here's an example of the type of skirt I would have gone feral for
My collection grew and so did I. So sadly I had to redonate many and others simply broke from wear and tear (especially because they weren't meant for my increasing size).
So that left me with a handful of my initial collection, which I wore quite well. But as time passed, though my bottomless consumerism started to decrease, I still bought a cute skirt if it was in my size.
As it so happened, many of the skirts were more of a fishtail, trumpet, mermaid, fit and flare style. Not a pencil but not a full circle skirt
A pattern of an example of the skirt I'm referring to
That leads us to today: 2024. As I regularly discuss, I've lost a lot of weight and I'm down to a size 10UK/6US.
I'm no longer 15, it's time for a full clear out of things that are too big, too small or just too unworn.
I clear out my skirts and dresses and I realise that the only ones that are left hanging in my wardrobe are the longer, fit and flare skirts.
I never thought I would see the day where I transitioned to an above-the-knee length skirt!
Victorian Fashion
As I've discussed previously on here, my style is gravitating to a more historical and well structured (or at least, more intentional) silhouette.
Though I would hate to hear myself admit it, Victorian's just didn't really wear skater skirts from 2014 H&M.
Of course there's one or two skirts that have survived the clear out, rest in peace to the fallen. I hope they find good homes </3
Romwe x Corpse Bride: A Critical & possibly hypocritical review.
This review will be fast fashion negative, while giving credit to artistic aesthetics. I own some of the items mentioned (some of which, I regret).
A summary of my opinion: most of it is crap.
This is kind of becoming a series, with my previous Hello Kitty and Friends x Forever 21 review
Disclaimer: I do not like Tim Burton. I like a lot of his media (The Corpse Bride, Wednesday, Frankenwinie, etc.) but I do not agree with his attitudes (most notably towards POC inclusion).
If any Shien apologists come my way I will simply block them. This post is not about "is it ok to order from Shien ever?" Or about the accessibility of fashion or anything like that. Maybe I'm a future post, but for now, go read someone else's opinion piece about it
Why did I order this stuff?
The answer is very simple: Nostalgia and scarcity mindset. I've loved the Corpse Bride ever since I was younger. I owned the DVD and watched it more times than I can count. Additionally, I doubt that there will ever be any other affordable clothing collaborations with the Corpse Bride, at least, not for another while. But please send me other Corpse Bride official and unofficial collaborations if you see any. I'll put a little 🌠 next to anything I bought. Note: I may not include everything I bought from the Collab just because I may not have the strongest opinions on that particular garment or my other arguments may better explain.
What did I like?
The general aesthetics. Motifs of the flowers, butterflies, swirls, skeletons, colour pallets. I liked it all! Was it well executed? No. A lot of the patterns weren't done justice (as seen in the review photos)
The stock images were STUNNING. Which is the point, but still credit where it's due.
It appealed to my nostalgia. I think it was lazy, but it certainly did warm my inner baby bat heart.
Onto specifics. This capette
This capette is fun! I love a good capette! There's obvious flaws like how randomly the little pictures are chosen and I feel the white and black is just a little too high contrast, maybe black and light blue would have worked better?
5. This Graphic T. 🌠
I love this design so much I bought one in the black colour way too. Do I stand by that decision? Not entirely. But as a long-term Corpse Bride fan I feel that I will appreciate them for a very very long term.
6. The Legwarmers 🌠
They did these legwarmers so dirty! As seen in the stock images, the ends are rolling up! I need to reinforce them with my own hidden ribbing and also gently steam them. You may also note that those butterflies are PRINTED ON and it's pretty bad IRL.
7. jeans (?)
But if you see a pair of boring jeans in a charity shop that fit well, why not bring them home and customise them with paint, bleach, trims, embroidery or patches? Remind me to write a post on DIY jean ideas. Anyway, could be fun to browse Shien and Pinterest and steal their ideas! Maybe invite some friends and have some snacks and make it 'a little get together'?
I'm stealing the print of these jeans. A reoccurring hot take of mine is that I hate that EVERYWHERE sells jeans. Go into any high street retailer and they have a WHOLE SELECTION of jeans. From skinny to bootcut to mom to boyfriend to ripped and in black, acid wash, proper denim, super light blue and sometimes white. it's all far too much (in my opinion).
The reason why I feature the "?" in the title is because I don't really see jeans as very Corpse Bride, seems more fairy grunge (I've discussed fairy grunge lightly in the past but I do hope to make a longer opinion post about it)
General dislikes
106 listings. Why SO many graphic t-shirts? I need to count the specifics because there's just too many. And I counted roughly 24 hoodies/sweatshirts (given, there could be duplicates of the plus size and straight sizes) but my point remains. Why is there 106 listings?
Excessive reuse of certain designs and many of the designs are really similar.
No collection of that many pieces could ever be of decent quality or with a lot of thought and the proof is in the pudding (the garments). It simply isn't. Typical Shien. Bare basics stitching, low quality materials, etc.
Polyester for undergarments. Cotton, bamboo and hemp are just far superior fabrics for underwear and socks! I can't imagine polyester is good for the health of external private areas.
Objectively these are cute, but I have recently truly understood how dangerous synthetic materials can be especially for private areas.
I will be referencing this print in my future customised clothing.
Future post idea: Cotton vs. Polyester
At some point in the future, I do intend on posting more information about cotton/natural fibers vs. polyester. Including resources that further discuss the oppression of the Uyghur Muslims, modern cotton slavery, the mistreatment of garment workers. Then also, the production and manufacturing process on various fibers and their quality. Additionally, a bit about micro plastics and our clothes.
Most of it will just be directly referencing and providing information from creators who are more knowledgeable on the topic with minimal opinions and input from me, though there will be a sequel post that includes my opinions and a reflection on how I navigate the topic.
If anyone has any links and resources on that topic let me know!
I just took in the waist band of a bunch of my pajama pants. I'm feeling very proud of myself, not only for my progress/results but also that I FINALLY got around to it!
Now I have 4 wearable pairs as opposed to just one!
Here's to many more alterations and a few hopes that I get some pajamas from my friends for Christmas.
There's one pair I have my eye on, but given my aim of fast-fashion abstinence, I don't want to. But also changes happen slowly and overtime, so going 'cold turkey' may not be the most effective way of permanently shifting my mindset for the long-term?
Straight size, to Plus Size, Acceptance and back to Straight Size
CW/TW for discussions of weight and size changes. Not much weight numbers, but definitely size numbers.
Note: All sizes will be in UK. For US conversion, subtract 4
Chubby childhood, going up, up again, got rid of all my smaller clothes and now I'm back down, missing tonnes of lovely clothes. Typical!
I had a rough childhood, without too much detail, as a Neurodivergant Mentally Ill child, you can imagine what I was going through. Food was a BIG source of comfort for me, possibly bordering Binge Eating Disorder and I'm only figuring out control/balance.
My Personal Size History
Throughout my life, I've ALWAYS been the second biggest or biggest in a room/group. From about age 9 I started wearing women's size 8's and 10's. I always wore the 14-15years in the children's section, which I put a positive spin on "because I was so mature, like a grown up" (yes, 15 was the PEAK of maturity in my eyes. I used to lie on Movie Star planet that I was 15 to seem cool and mature).
At about 16-17 I was about a size 14. Throughout school, Covid-19, college and my collapsing mental health, I went up to a 16-18.
Then after a really rough personal time an 18-20 (depending on the garment/brand).
Self-Acceptance
I started to accept my new size and get rid of some of the old, smaller garments that I was hoping I would fit into one day and I bought clothes that were a little loose so I wouldn't have to rebuy anything.
I became more active/aware of plus size/fat issues, worked on being inclusive of all bodies as possible. (And I still do). I also started actively using the labels of the plus size community and really loved engaging with some of the in-jokes from online.
My New Size, the Here & Now.
Today, I write this as a size 12. No longer plus size (at least, not in Europe). It has been a really strange process with a light grief of my plus size Identity.
I think I should have a proper funeral for my identity. I had really grown to love it in some ways.
Don't be mistaken, I think being a 12 and losing all that weight is great! I've put a LOT of effort and I'm overjoyed to start seeing results. I get such a sense of inclusion that I can march into any shop I want and pick up things in my size.
The Other Size of the Hill
I think it's just a mourning process of change and that the grass is always greener.
For example, I'm a regular charity shop patron and I use second hand fashion reselling apps quite a bit. Around the time I went down to a 14-16, of course, suddenly EVERY charity shop was BURSTING with gorgeous dresses and pants in a size 18. As I've discussed before, money isn't exactly plentiful in my life and it's not a rational nor worthwhile decision to buy garments that won't fit me for very long nor is it feasible to take in most of my garments.
So naturally, the sight of all these stunning pieces did have a twinge of longing.
As is well known in the plus size community, fat girls will wear their items to shreds because nice, fashionable plus size clothes are hard to come by and generally quite pricey.
But straight sized women don't really have this issue as much. And when you consider the consumer habits of Western teen girls who are growing up and outgrowing clothes, there's often a surplus of their lightly worn tacky club clothes (see the Shien-pocalypse for more examples)
All this to say, it's clear the grass actually isn't greener almost all of the time. It was just a moment of 'grief'.
The Future of my Fashion & this Account
As I discussed in my second most recent post, I'm having a style revamp! Mainly, because nothing fits me well and historical fashion is generally quite size adaptive (or at least can be made to accommodate size fluctuations more easily than modern fashion).
I hope to continue my body positivity/neutrality no matter if I'm a size XS or an XL.
If anyone has any advice on the themes and struggles discussed in this post from articles, blog posts, videos, documentaries, films or any other kind of media please let me know!
Thank you all for taking the time to read this post
UnMello Opinions: My Thoughts on the Forever 21 Hello Kitty collection (with all the light blue stuff)
Note: I wrote this while I was feeling angry and frustrated and used it mostly as something to channel my feelings through.
I think most of it is rubbish and overpriced, with very little exception.
Some things make sense but I don't see the value in, for example, this turtle neck. How many white turtle necks does one need? I wouldn't know as I'm personally not a fan.
Why is some of the Cinnamoroll stuff yellow?
Cinnamoroll is rarely seen outside of blue. Maybe it's because the Hello Kitty stuff is a light blue instead of the typical pink, so this stuff is yellow to balance it out. I'm not sure, but I'm not much of a fan. Perhaps the yellow community enjoy it.
Many of these items, such as the Hello Kitty Cardigan Sweater, I do enjoy. But I think I already own such similar items and as would most people.
What do I actually Like?
For those unaware, my style has and always will be very particular and exclusive. This collection as uninspired as it may be does pull at my heartstrings with its light blue colours, use of Sanrio characters and its Angel motifs. Here is my list of things I would almost consider buying or asking for if not for the cost and various practical issues.
1. Angel Hello Kitty Lunchbox
Yes, I do have other boxes, some old Pokémon ones. So why this one? Simply put, consumerist greed and aesthetic enjoyment and a genuine practical application. I'm a crafty collector, I need boxes for things (for example, thread or dolls clothes) and this box would hold it and keep it safe. I also really, really like angels. €26 is a lot for a storage box, so I cannot foresee myself actually asking for this or buying it.
2. Angel Hello Kitty Notebook
This is actually a very sturdy notebook. And that's it's downfall. It's too sturdy. I'm very particular about my notebooks and this is simply just too big and bulky for what I need. However, I do believe this is a generally useful item for many people. But €19? Bit much.
3. Heart Print Duffle bag
Put simply, it's a bag. It'll hold things. The pattern also looks relatively forgiving of stains, but in saying that, the light blues would be very unforgiving. So take that as you will.
The size looks good, but I'm confused as to the shape. Is it a triangle? If it isn't, then I like it more. I feel this seems easy to carry and I could put it on the back of my bicycle.
Is it worth €51? No.
Initially, I picked these because I liked them. However, upon further reflection, I wouldn't REALLY want them because of just the hassle of owning them.
1. Cinnamoroll Pajama Pants
What can I say, I love Cinnamoroll and I really need new pajama pants. Upon further inspection, these need to be hand washed cold and that's simply not happening, so it's a no.
2. Hello Kitty & Friends Pajama Pants
I would get these, however, the instructions say cold wash only. In my house, everything is on at 30°c and I'm not changing that for one pair of pants. I really like the print but I'm not a beige fan. Currently, on the website they're only available in plus size and not straight sizes? Good day for my curvy queens I suppose
5. Hello Kitty Angel Hoodie
€88!? And it's Dry Clean only!?
Let's be honest, this is terribly impractical. But why do I like it? The answer is fairly short. The ears are cute, the colour is nice and I really enjoy the design on the back. This could easily be sewn by me and the patches could probably be ordered online (but, likely through unethical reasonably priced or ethical very expensive sources).
Is it just me, or does the material of the cuffs and bottom of the jacket look scratchy? I also hate the pom poms.
Strangely, the girl's version looks far more comfortable
Maybe it's the length? I suppose if you are short and thin, the girls one works and for other people perhaps your best to size up to the plus size?
She looks more comfortable than the straight size, however both the plus size and the straight models look as though the jacket is too short for them.
I have decided to basically dump my ideas here, because I have tonnes!
I hope to write long, rambly yet entertaining posts about my opinions focusing on fashion, sustainability and finances/anti-capitalism/anti-consumerism (as it connects to my life). It'll still incorporate my other interests too of course.
Fashion
What do I mean by 'Fashion'?
I mean in the development of my personal wardrobe. Those who know me IRL know that I am a fashionable individual, however, upon recent reflection I realise there's too much mainstream ideals that I may, sadly, only be following because everyone else is doing.
However, in saying that, I love a lot of my wardrobe and I'd never let a single piece in that I didn't have an appreciation or practical application for.
I really want to take a more historically inspired approach. Drawing from the 1900's (duh) but also, the 1800's and possibly even before 👀
My biggest focuses are Victorian, Edwardian, regency and
"what did the peasants wear? Because if it was good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me!"
In more modern/broad ways, I will be drawing from
Lolita/J-Fashion
Gothic Fashion, mainly romantic but also many other subgenres.
Mermaids (not inherently 'mermaidcore' because I think that's a bit of a diluted version of what I seek)
Princesses in fairytales
Angels
Fairy's (again, not so much Fairycore because it really isn't resonating with my current vision)
This isn't to say you'll never see me reblog a post that has a #fairycore or anything, because I understand that people use hashtags for exposure. But also, that the 'core' versions of this aren't inherently bad! Just that's not the terms I would use to reflect myself.
Sustainability & Anti-consumerism
There's too much shit in the world. I go into H&M for a browse and it's just shitter versions of things that have always existed. For example, there's surely enjoy beige trenchcoats in the world. I recently saw that viral post of some celebrity from the 90's in a fishing jumper and a modern celebrity and like many other people, the quality difference shocked and appalled me.
In saying that and in the name of transparency, I will admit, I did do a Shien order. I feel guilty about this, but I also hope that any readers know that I do about one Shien order a year and it's no more than €100 worth of things. The things I ordered are also pieces that you generally can't get second hand. For example, tights (because they usually get super gross or break.
I am a firm believer that DIY and repair is punk. I don't really like a lot of punk fashion, so I'm not putting it in my list but just know I identify with many of the ideals and that I am striving to incorporate more of it into my life. For example, I've been using invisible repair methods a lot more on my own personal clothes. My family have said that it's pointless because the items I'm repairing cost cents to replace and maybe they have a point, but I find the repair process relaxing and a sign of love.
Finances and Cost
As you'll soon discover, I am not a particularly wealthy individual. For the sake of my privacy, I'll avoid details.
It's easy to say “I want to dress Goth and Victorian” then buy a few designer or custom corsets and call it a day, but I don't quite have that financial privilege.
However, if I budget for certain items that I know I will get excellent use from, I can make it work.
I'm not very good with money. It burns a hole in my pocket, but I'm making a conscious effort to change that. I will be posting reviews of my incoming orders and possibly some of my previous purchases.
Why now?
CW mention of weight loss and some numbers (in regards to sizes) for this section
Note: I will be adding CWs above paragraphs relating to anything weight or body changes related
As it's sure to come up eventually, I'll answer the question. I've been on a weight loss journey starting at about a UK18/US12, I strongly identified as plus size and I'm currently a little more than a UK12/US8 with plans to get down to about a UK8/US4. My old reliables don't fit me, and they won't fit me in the future. So I NEED to buy more things.
I hope to write somewhere about my identity as a plus size woman no longer applying.
Currently, when I am getting dressed and exploring what my wardrobe has to offer, it saddens me. Because I know that a lot of my favourite pieces don't work. I've given many away to good homes but I still miss them.
If I have to turn over a new leaf, I may as well march into the future with ambitious ideas.
Historical fashion is generally very adjustable which as my weight continues to change, I really need.
Because of my low budget and good taste, it doesn't make sense for me to buy things that may not fit me in a few months. This means that most things I buy I either need to be
Ok with getting rid of (ie. Giving away to a good home)
Forgiving fit (eg. Stretchy or 'oversize')
Easy to take in (eg. Adding a fold to a ruffled skirt)
If anyone has any ideas on how to make various items of clothes last, please do let me know and I'll see where I can go with it.
Thanks for reading!
Hopefully, you like it! And if not, then vanish into the abyss or just block me. This blog is mostly just as an outlet for my scatter brain.
Additionally, the caption says you can get them anodised.
Pray tell, how the fuck can you anodise a piece of electric equipment? There's definitely plastic wires and other junk in there that can't be anodised.
I'm so convinced they're lying about anodisation. They say their stainless steel pieces are anodised for fuck sake.
Anyway, don't support Crazy Factory because (based on what I've seen) they're just a bunch of resellers of mystery metal.
And after a night of mentally unwell thoughts and other worrying behaviours, the sky moulded itself to be a Lavender Dawn. Just like my silly little pony character
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