OOTD: Broken Hearts and Polka Dots

This necklace is the first, and thus far only, piece of clothing or jewelry I have bought over the internet.  I don't own much jewelry (really!), but the moment I saw this piece made by the now defunct Paraphernalia, I knew I had to have it.  Wearing it is a weird confidence booster for me, so naturally I wore it to a certain infamous (in my eyes) grad school interview a couple years ago, where, long story short, it broke.  And long story shorter, I didn't fix it until a couple weeks ago.  But now my baby is back, and I'm going to wear her all the time.  Because I'm cool like that.

This outfit totally reminds me of my earlier high school days, when I wore a lot of black clothing.  That's probably mostly because I actually thrifted this skirt around that time, though it looked pretty different back then.  Inspired by the high-low gothic skirts I was seeing in shops like Silver Cross and Sirens (for all my Toronto readers; how's that for a flashback? Before Queen West was a strip mall!), I altered this skirt for a similar vibe.  Turns out I was about 7 years early on that trend, but it's cool, my patience paid off, and I have always loved the hem of this skirt.  Makes me remember learning how to so (mostly by trial and error).

The Deets:

Top: Hand-me-down (Bubbie)

Bustier: Danier, hand-me-down (Step-Mom)

Belt: Anthropologie

Skirt: Thrifted, altered by me

Tights: a billion years old

Boots: Leone (not sure of the brand, oops!)

Bag: Hand-me-down (Step-Mom)   Makeover story here
Necklace: Paraphernalia (no longer open)

We took these pictures in a back alley after a very pleasant afternoon out shopping.  I picked up a gift for my little sister's birthday next month (she loves the Big Bang Theory and I am determined to make her into a real nerd, not just someone who thinks nerds are fun to laugh at), and a quick trip to the comic book store Ephraim and I both prefer.  I should do a dedicated post on them some time, but if you're in Toronto and you've never been to The Beguiling on Markham street, your life is sad and empty and you should fix that (stop by the Victory Cafe afterward! Yummy!)

For some back alley shots, the lighting in these sure was pretty.  Also we look like such hipster scum in these portraits.  I kind of love the shot of Ephraim especially.  One of the things I've been wanting to work more on in my photos is lighting, especially getting the hang of lens flare (which I did VERY successfully in some of my 365 challenge, as you'll see in this post.  That's not a filter!), and I think the lighting coming through the fence and branches in that shot is just so lovely.  Plus I like his face.  So there you have it!

--Erin