Paint it Black

Friends of mine were surprised that I could work in an environment that demanded an all-black uniform, and to be honest, I am surprised too. I always believed that black clothing suited redheads awfully (my thoughts on this haven’t really changed, navy is a much better alternative to black for redheads in my opinion), and I still maintain that pastels and brights are where my loyalties lie, but that doesn’t mean I can’t glam up a monochrome ensemble!

This outfit is more my style, with bright flashes of gold, jacquard fabrics, and just enough leg.

Anyways, I posted this outfit for one of two reasons:

1. I wanted to show you what a regular work outfit looked like for me nowadays;
2. I’m wearing glasses and will soon feature a special series on this blog about buying spectacles for the spend-conscious (more on that soon); and
3. Before I posted up the tutorial, I wanted to show off how my skirt turned out!

Yes, that’s right, that’s the skirt I’ve been working on for the last month (on and off.. mostly off).

The tutorial has taken quite a while to create–it’s possibly a meaner feat than actually creating the skirt itself!–and it’s almost ready to be posted. Get excited, guys!

This is definitely going to have a little bit of a “How to Make a Pleated Skirt for Dummies by a Dummy” vibe to it, so I want to stress that the tutorial coming up will be strictly for amateurs and there are probably way better ways to accomplish the same ends for more advanced sewers, but I will be writing specifically of the lazier ways to do it. There will be a few more advanced concepts like how to attach a skirt lining and how to put an invisible pocket and invisible zip on the same side of the skirt, but these can be skipped over for those who aren’t confident about it, no biggie. It’ll be up on the blog soon, so keep your eyes peeled..

What I wore:

• Long Tassel Necklace – Equip, $3
• Black Tunic with Gold Sequined Shoulders – Mum’s, $???
• Gold Mirror Belt (w/ patent pleather back) – eBay, $6.40 (Best belt ever!)
• DIY Black Jacquard Pleated Midi Skirt – Spotlight, $11.50
• Basque Heels – Myer, $37.50

Total: $58.40

Gifts (of fine jewelry, mostly) isn’t included because of reasons. Speaking of which, do you like my new dragonfly pendant? Knowing my penchant for all things insect, Danny gifted me with a 9ct gold sapphire-adorned dragonfly pendant, and it’s freaking beautiful. I used to wear quite a lot of chunky gold accessories, but my style seems to have turned a little more delicate recently, so I find myself wearing a lot more fine (solid) gold jewelry and I quite like it.

Makes me feel more “grown up”, anyways.

When I look at how I’m starting to dress now, fine jewelry and midi skirts/dresses added to the mix, I guess it’s obvious that my style has changed quite a bit since I first started Carbon Chic! Whether it’s for better or worse–I’ll let you guys decide that one.