Confessions of a Gothic model: The Dark Angel Clothing

Hello guys! Today I'd like to start a new series of entries about the gothic lifestyle and fashion.

As gothic girl, I always loved the iconic dark fashion with bat or  long sleeves, corsets and long skirts, and as gothic model I purchased several stuff in these years to make my closet bigger and interesting. 

I'd like to talk about the brands I bought in the past. Some of them are no more active but their products deserve a review. In addiction, I'll talk you about the handmade items I got as sponsor or gifts - the handmade world is so amazing! 

So, let's start with one of the best gothic brands of the world: The Dark Angel Clothing. Many of you surely heard about them, they're active since the early 1990's. They offer a unique range of gothic, fantasy, medieval inspired clothing of high quality. Believe me, their designs are fantastic. 

I own a top and a corset from them and yeah, I can say the materials are really good and the manufacture is excellent. The first item I saw by them on the web is the famous Christina gown in purple; I was browsing the web for some nice gothic images and I immediately fell in love with that dress. The gown is still listed on their shop after so many years so it deserves a visit:  

Look at those sleeves and the vibrant colours! Unfortunately I never had enough budget to buy this dress, so it is in my wish-list still. Another gown I always loved it's the beautiful medieval-gothic Kelmscott gown (someone told me I look like the model wearing the dress hehe).

But let's talk about the items in my closet. As I told you before, I'm the lucky owner of a top and a bodice. The top is sadly discontinued but it's a beautiful rococo style top in black crushed velvet and bell sleeves; it fits perfectly and the fabric is really soft. I worn it a couple of times during my photoshootings;

The top has a very high waistline so I had to wear it with a matching corset but you can leave it free if you have a nice belly. A very similar version of my top with lace is still listed on their website. 

The corset is not properly a tight corset, but more a bodice as they explain in the website. The boning is made of plastic and it is the only negative feedback I can leave to this brand: a spiral steel boning would have been better, helping the corset to keep it's shape when worn. Despite this, it's beautiful. It's made of soft cotton velvet with satin bias tape all around and black trims. 

The bodice is no more available in the red version but you can find it in black, purple and green. 

The bodice closes on the front with lacing and it's plain behind. The fabric is incredibly soft, a big deal compared to the reduced price (about 30€). 

That's all for now! Do you have a favourite gothic brand to talk about? Let me know! 

Shooting: Arianna Ceccarelli Photography

Hello there! As I told you some days ago, I had a nice time in Rome. I took some amazing photographs with Arianna Ceccarelli Photography in the Aqueducts Park, surrounded by 2.000 years old roman ruins. 

The location was simply suggestive: the park is located on the old Appia road archaeological area, a site every lover of ancient History (and not) should visit. The main structure is the "Aqua Claudia" aqueduct, started by emperor Caligola and completed by his uncle and successor Claudio around 52 a.D., which was the main source of water of imperial Rome. Aqua Claudia was known for its pure water, second to Aqua Marcia only. 

You can imagine how happy I was to be there: I was in Rome, in a Roman archaeological park, dressed like a matron. But it's not the only outfit I brought that day. We took some gothic shots as well, using the sunset fading light.

Some backstage shots: 

Links:

Arianna Ceccarelli Photography

https://www.flickr.com/photos/122632782@N04/

https://www.facebook.com/ariannaceccarelliphotography

Thanks to Lele Photography and Martina Costa for the backstage photos! 

My first gothic dress!

Hello folks! Today I'd like to introduce you my latest creation, a gothic dress!

Many of you (perhaps) don't know I'm a gothic girl and this kind of fashion was my daily clothing when I was around 20. Now I dress in a more casual way but (when I can) I put on my long black skirts and tops. As model, I spent so much money in buying gothic/victorian outfits for the shootings but, actually, I don't have enough budget to do online shopping. So, after a whole year of historical inspired costumes, I decided to sew a gothic dress by my own. I'm completely obsessed in what we call "medieval gothic", a kind of gothic fashion inspired by medieval times with long dresses and huge sleeves, tiaras, capes and so on; I have many dresses in this style but they're never enough (I'm a woman!) and I think this is the model which fits me at best. 

I used the same pattern of my previous medieval dress "Igraine" (tutorial here: http://daniellefiore.blogspot.it/2014/03/medieval-dress-igraine-tutorial.html) but with some differences since now I'm more expert. I choose a simple black crushed velvet for the main dress and the remnants of the burgundy taffeta I had from the Tudor dress (some photos here: http://daniellefiore.blogspot.it/2014/08/tudor-court-dress-pt3.html). I purchased some lace and a ribbon of black organza for decorating the neckline. The main difference of this dress are the lined sleeves. This was my first attempt with lining and I have to admit it can make the difference in a gown: the sleeves are so soft and captivating, refined and look more professional. I was scared since lining seemed so difficult to my eyes but I was wrong!  If you don't use it yet start to consider it, your clothes will last longer and will be more comfortable to wear (lining is also useful to hide the inner construction of the garment, as seam allowances, stitches and other things that can make your work look poorer). For gothic dresses I suggest the classic satin/taffeta lining, black for the body and in any colour/fabric you want for the sleeves. 

Another detail of my dress: I lost some weight since march (when I used the pattern for the first time), so it fits actually large on the back. My pattern didn't include size 8 so I've been forced to pin it on the back. I wanted to apply eyelets but I don't know if they work good on crushed velvet so let's go for two simple seams. Next time I'll use a back lacing with lace at sides and a ribbon, which looks surely better than my seams :P

As trims I went for a classic black lace at center sides and black organza on the neckline which looks so elegant. I avoided the black lace on sleeves as well but I went for a burgundy one on my arm. I didn't take many photos during the construction but I'll use the dress for a photo-shoot soon. Note: the dress has to be ironed still!

Sorry for the blurry photos but they're taken from my Instagram account.