By way of introduction and explaination ~
Having recently re-discovered my darker side, I have set about re-styling my wardrobe and personal space. Being a more mature woman, employed in the television software industry, I have a need to wear clothing that is professional. Reconciling these two issues have sent me on a journey of discovery. I hope that sharing my experiences will help others who have encountered the chasm between personal style and professional need.
Several years ago, I transitioned from using software to training people on it's use. From there, I began to develop professionally toward training as a carreer. With a background in education the transition seemed natural, and I built upon my knowledge base to develop presentation skills for adult learning. I worked as a trainer in a cable television uplinking facility in the Denver, CO suburbs. Unfortunately, in times of corporate streamlining, trainers are expendable, and I was laid off. Within six months, I was employed with a television software company based in San Francisco. I now hold the position of Implementation Specialist, which means that I travel across the United States training new users on the software. Many of my clients are sales professionals, and dressing for success is the byword.
I am very serious about my role as a teacher of adults, and take a great deal of pride in that role. As a trainer, I believe that dress is an important part of the job. Although people may not remember what you said, they will remember what you wore. Additionally, the dress-for-sucess gurus will say that one should dress for the position to which one aspires. These two concepts have a huge impact upon what I choose to wear in the workplace.
I wish it was easy. Over a year ago when I was just beginning this job I went to Dillard's and Foley's to assemble a professional wardrobe. Some people will say that I must love to shop, since I spend so much time at it. That's not it; I just can't make up my mind. Part of the problem is that I never created a personal style. I've always wondered what that style was - all I knew was that I was never completely comfortable in most "professional" clothing. Nevertheless, I purchased a wardrobe which I was assured by the saleslady would be appropriate. Appropriate, maybe. But not me.
Fast-forward to Halloween 2005. For two years, I've intended to make a Gothique outfit. With a lot of experience sewing historical clothing, I tend to use Halloween and Harry Potter events as a more creative outlet for my apparent need to express myself sartorialy. This year, I had the time to do it right; I created NightShade. I knew what I wanted - a sexy, creepy look. A look, as my husband put it, of a thing that goes "bump" in the night. I loved it! I loved making it, and I loved wearing it. Chris (as a Gothique vampyre)and I perambulated around the neighborhood following a very normal-looking Spiderman (our 4-year-old son), and scaring the pre-teens. My fondest memory was the boy peering around his mother at the dark creatures lurking at the end of the driveway. Of course, Chris had offered him a "bite" when he'd come to our house trick-or-treating. He was worried; I was charmed.
Being NightShade took me back to my college days, when my mother would berate me for the predominance of black in my wardrobe. That, and the weird hair. I loved those clothes, that look. And it occured to me that what I was looking for - what made me feel like me - was Gothique style. I have no problems creating play clothes, but how to incorporate Gothique style into a professional wardrobe? And where to find the clothes and accessories?
This web page is about that journey. There will be pictures and sources named, as well as some directions for creating items. I'm no self-proclaimed expert, but I feel like I have achieved some measure of success in creating a corporate Gothique wardrobe. In the beginning, I asked for advice, and finding it lacking, I thought that there might be a need. I'd love to hear your feedback.
meta4 is a professional mom living in Denver, CO. Yes, I'm older than most Gothiques. I gave up Goth style in the 80's for the SCA (the hair really isn't compatable) and am now struggling to balance fashion, historical interpretation, and career.
Oh, by the way - You will note that I use two spellings on these pages, "Gothic" and "Gothique". This is because I need differentiate between two very different parts of my perosnality and interests. "Gothic" refers to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in western Europe, and anything that is strongly influenced by or recreates those centuries will be designated as such. (See my SCA pages for Gothic clothing and dress accessories.) "Gothique" might be more properly termed "Neo-Gothic" or the modern Gothic aesthetic in self-expression. Self-expression might be art or music of course, but also fashion and the decor of personal spaces. Interestingly enough, the Gothic and the Gothique mindsets have remarkable parallels, such as the preoccupation with death and religion. They also hve some dramatic departures, the need for self-expression being one of them. Personally, I find it interesting that the Renaissance was fueled by the human need for expression and enlightenment that was so absent inwestern Europe during the previous thousand years. But I digress....