Saturday, August 16, 2014

Music Reccomendations

Shwmae ^_^
I love music. It's just one of the most obvious things about me. So, I decided to recommend some bands you probably don't know, but really should.

Ghost Town

Ghost Town is a goth yet electronic band with four members that I absolutely adore. They have lyrics with meanings that range from love to toxic friendships to looking at who you really are. Most are the types of songs you can dance to at the club then cry in a corner at home when you realise what they mean. Mmm, my favorite type. (By the way, my next post is going to be an in depth review of their new album)

Get Scared

Similar to Ghost Town, Get Scared has that sound that brings you in with the beat but keeps you there with how interesting they are. I like to call the genre it is EDM (Pun intended) Emo Dance Music. Thats basically what it is. It has some All Time Low and Jimmy Eats World ripoffs but in all, they are pretty amazing.

Thoushaltnot

Oh Goodness what do I have to say about this... It is absolutely awesome? Seriously, I just love how hilarious If I Only Were A Goth is and his vocals are fantabulous. Its pretty much a goth band, through and through. Not much more to say about it, except that its pure genius, and that you should give that song a listen.

Babymetal

Babymetal is a Japanese "kawaii metal" band that is basically every metalheads worse nightmare, aside from perhaps Justin Bieber experimenting with screamo *shiver.* A fusion of J-Pop and metal music, Babymetal is definitely unique. With a 16 year old front girl and 2 other adorable 14 year old girls forming this band, I am absolutely astounded by their sound. Granted, they didn't think of it, but they are using next to no autotune now, their choreography is perfect, and the sound is nevertheless amazing. The mixture is done tastefully with some headbanging beats (I'm talking to you, Headbanga) and dance-worthy riffs. Seriously, I wouldn't even mind if you left here to listen to their music.


But dont.

Grimes

Okay, so this is my last one, regretfully. I couldn't leave this without some Witch House, now could I? Grimes is a gothic mixture of electric sound, watered down trancing vocals, and instrumentals that are beautiful yet don't distract from the overall sound. Everything is blended perfectly so that it is never just about vocals, or just about the piano etc. Its beautiful and creepy with a clear gothic element. It also helps that when you can hear it, Grimes has a haunting voice that just brings you straight to her haunted house of beats.

DisclaimerI know that you may be wondering why I didn't include something like Siouxsie in here, or something along those lines, but although I love her, it would be boring if you knew everyone on here. And I would hate for you to get bored. Also, if you are a classic goth, it might help to expand from just those bands into something that isnt that far away from it. I would have included some more less electronic bands, but what's the fun in being stereotypical?


Thanks for reading :)

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

What is Pastel Goth?


Shwmae ^_^
Okay, so a lot of elitist goths have been ever so kindly telling my peeps that we arent a real subculture. And yes I did say peeps. Kill me after you read.

I just wanted to clear this up, so here it goes:

STYLE AND INTRODUCTION:

Pastel goth is a new goth subculture. Commonly related to 'nu goth' (also known as hipster goth) and 'creepy cute.' Although the few share some attributes, there are some subtle, if not large differences between them all. Pastel goth is more inspired by kawaii Japanese fashion, and then has gothic aspects added in. In my case, many gothic aspects- resulting in more goth than pastel. But on tumblr, there are pink-clad girls with little tiny bat earrings and some inverted cross leggings, and that gives us an unrespected image as "not being goth." Then nu goth comes along, adding in punk instead of goth, and usually not kawaii at all, only pastels or bright colours like blues in their hair etc. Creepy cute is basically mixing creepy things like oddities and cute cuddly things. For example, a pastel colored bunny with exed out eyes. This signifies death. Other common things include eyeballs, zombies, and monsters.

MUSIC:

Our music is actually not even accredited by most people. Many say that there isn't any music for Pastel Goth, therefore making it a fashion trend, not a subculture. But, there is. Usually pastel goths (Like myself) listen to new wave, goth rock, punk rock, soft grunge/pastel grunge and, most importantly Witch House. But, this is where things get subjective. Witch House has been around since the early 90's. But Pastel goth has only come up recently. Actually, when the pastel goth culture came about, most just adapted to what felt right- then shared it on Tumblr. It could have spread, therefore making it the "official" Pastel goth genre to most. But, that is just my theory. Witch House existed, therefore making it "stolen property" since it didn't belong to a subculture. But then again, take Fetish Goth. Fetish started off with some people deciding they liked leather and BDSM more than most goths. It evolved into a fully-acknowledged subculture. Fetish goth has no music backing at all. They listen to whatever they like, and then they listen to the music they like- but since it came originally from a type of goth it is more accepted and not given a second glance at. What? Actually, that isnt very fair to us Pastels. I can understand a bit what "you" mean but is it really enough to trash a subculture about? Especially since you most likely were judged for being goth in the first place. But, aside from the point. The WItch House genre is now part of pastel goth, so yes there is music. And we do (mostly) listen to classic goth music too. 

ART:

Art... Oh art, where do I begin? This, is a proper point I assume. We dont really have art... Physical painting style art, that is. We do make and look at digital art. Edits also take a lot of time if you dont know how to make them, especially if you are making the jigh quality ones. But alas, this is not art in their, "your" definition. I mean sure, I happen to like to look at art, study it, and many of us do- but we sadly do not have art that we are famous for liking.

NOT ART.




NOT ART    
NOT ART
NOT ART
HAHA NOT ART
Pish, posh, THIS IS NOT ART STOP HURTING MY EYES!








Yeah, no. It is art, not as hard as an accurate portrait maybe, or perhaps it is. But it is art. And it is modern. As is pastel goth. And while one of my favorite happens to be Odilon Redos's Smiling Spider, I still have no appreciation for art. No. No, thats absurd.

POINTS I NEED TO MAKE:

-There are so many goths out there that hate painted art, or don't care about it.
-Witch House is now associated with Pastel Goth, and that means that it has some substantial amount of  musical culture.
-Pastel Goth just started, its basically like a subculture of babybats right now (I'm fine with admitting it) so obviously you are going to make some mistakes at first. Can you honestly say that you made absolutely no mistakes starting out?
-Not all of us are alike. There are some that don't match any of my "qualifications" for lack of a better word. Some think of it as a fashion trend, some just think its cool. But then, think of the bad image and stereotypes mall-goths gave goths. Stark white faces, tripp pants... yeah. There are so many bad stereotypes about us as a whole, why make more about the pastels?
-There is more colour in most cybergoth clubbing outfits than I have in my whole wardrobe, pastel goth or not. I dont go crazy with the colour, and I only own black shoes/boots.
-Dont judge us without meeting us first, we are mostly okay people. (Most... meaning not *some*)
-If you want to listen to some good Witch House, try Salem, Crosses, and Grimes, I love them


Thank you for reading, hope I didnt annoy you too much. If you have any questions, please comment them below, I will always answer : )


Sunday, August 3, 2014

Pastel Goth Wardrobe Essentials

Shwmae  ^_^
It's a common trend among the goth blogs to make a list with all their gothic essentials... Even "normal" people post it frequently. So I decided to do my own, but with pictures. For convenience, all of my images will be from yesstyle because I feel it would be easier for you to get the stuff from one place... plus, free shipping haha.

Hope you enjoy

1) Jumpers. I recommend at least three, the ideal amount being more than five. Probably the most vital piece in any pastel goths wardrobe, a collection of good jumpers is like gold among the kawaii bats. 

Recommended colours: Pastels, White, Black, Jewel Tones, Gray

2)  Blouses. Blouses with lace, or just plain ones with Peter Pan collars will do. I prefer to wear vintage looking ones, and the lace ones myself... any type will do. My favorite colour to wear anything is black.

Recommended colours: Any light colours, Pastels, White and Black

3) Leggings. Comfortable, pretty, and affordable... yeah, stereotypical pick but seriously, printed leggings are just perfect... just please wear something that covers your bum. No one needs to be seeing Gandolf's head on your bum, trust me. My favorite type of leggings are just the ever-so-simple black & white striped ones.
    KITTY CATS
Recommended colours: Black, Printed, Striped

4) Layers. This is usually something most pastel goths don't consider, but I do. But, since the majority of kawaii bats don't layer, you will only need around 2+ hoodies, and a couple nice cardigans. 
Recommended colours: Pastels, Black, Gray, Cream, White, Printed (Especially Cat Print ^_^)

5) Boots. There are tons of different styles to choose from, platform and combat boots being the most popular.
Recommended colours: Black, Pastels (Pink in particular), White, Cream
Recommended styles: Half calf, Platform, Combat, Dc Marten

6) Shoes. Not a lot to say for shoes... Cute, and usually look really nice in most coordinates for casual day wear.
Recommended colours: Same as the boots- Black, Pastels (Pink in particular), White, Cream
Recommended styles: Lace ups, Mary Janes, Oxfords, Flats, Creepers

7) Skirts. My favorite skirts to wear are A-Line skirts, but almost any could look cool if dressed up correctly.
Recommended colours: White, Pastels (Blue and Mint in particular) Black, Jewel Tones

8) Dresses. Flowy, tight, lace, velvet, etc. Dresses are a godsend, a good 3 dresses are really important (In my opinion) 

Recommended colours: Jewel tones, Pastels, Black, Cream, Patterned

9) Shorts. Yeah, shorts. If you're not comfortable with showing too much of your legs but want to still look cute, wear tights under :) Yay tips. A simple pair of shorts, a blouse, a lace cardigan and some creepers make a perfect summer outfit for the days when even thinking about putting on a jumper makes you sweat... Not many in Wales, but still.
                     KITTY CATS
Recommended colours: Pastel, Black, Dark Distressed, Dark Blue, Jewel Tones

10) Tights. Any type, tights are amazing little things that add class, edge, or cuteness to your coordinate depending on what print you choose.
Recommended colors: Plain black, Nude, Patterned, any light color, pastels


11) Finally, Tees. Yes, tees. Oversized are my favorite but any type or any colour can work, go cray cray with your tees. Another favorite of mine are dress-shirt combo thingys (Such an advanced vocabulary word, some of my younger readers should probably look it up.) But on a serious note, they are super comfortable and can be plain or patterned.

PS. Jeans is obviously an essential, just thought that my list was too long... Same recommended colours as shorts though :) 


My favourite patterns/ prints... Cat prints, Stripes, Polka Dots, Victorian Curtain Print
My favourite colours... Pastel Purple and Black
My favourite fabrics... Lace, Velvet, Rayon, Knit (I know its not a fabric)

Good Links:

Extra things I Like:
-Cameos
-Chokers
-Scarves
-Lace Gloves
-Cloaks
-Jackets

Thanks for reading my first post :)






DISCLAIMER: Not sponsored. I have not worn these items but I have ordered from yesstyle and they were good quality.