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Meta
Author Archives: Lady of the Manners
Of Goths, P.E., and “Is It Dark Enough?”
Hello, Snarklings! The Gothic Charm School mailbox has been receiving a steady stream of letters from babybats with fashion questions. Which is no surprise, because as fledgling spooksters, of course they’re looking for guidance on how to express their affection for all things dark and shadowy. The Lady of the Manners feels that she should take a moment to point out some previous Gothic Charm School posts about gothy fashion, as it is a topic the Lady of the Manners really likes talking about. (And oh goodness, the Lady of the Manners probably should do another post about prom, shouldn’t she?) But! The current crop of correspondence did have a few fashion-focused questions that have not turned up before. Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, Growing Pains
21 Comments
Returning to the Spooky Life (Back to the Crypt)
Every now and then, Snarklings, the Gothic Charm School mailbox sees a gently flurry of correspondence from older readers asking about returning to their gothy roots. How should they dress? Where can they find other older Goths? Are they too old to seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade return to the velvet-shrouded gloom? Continue reading
Posted in Elder Goths, Growing Pains
16 Comments
Polyvore – Romantic Goth Winter
romantic goth winter by theamaia featuring word wall art Free People lace sleeve dress / Free People military style jacket / Free People long black ruffle skirt / Free People lace stocking / Free People leather bootie / Genuine leather … Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, Polyvore
4 Comments
Yet Another Polyvore Fashion-y Thing!
Look! Another gothy Polyvore doll from Thea Maia! Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, Polyvore
5 Comments
Don’t Drink, Don’t Smoke – What Do You Do?
Dearest KittyPirate, and any other Snarklings who may have been wondering about this: it is absolutely alright to be goth and not drink alcoholic beverages! Now, the Lady of the Manners understands how the confusion would arise, as a lot of goth social life is focused on going to night clubs and fancy events. Not to mention the fact that many of the historical roots of goth are strongly entwined around the notions of being transgressive, redefining what is beautiful, and being terribly, terribly decadent.
However, it is possible to embrace all of those notions while not intoxicated! And that in some ways, being a part of the goth subculture while not drinking is a more daring and rebellious viewpoint to hold than the alternative, because it means that your thoughts aren’t blurred by anything other than your own visceral reactions. Continue reading
Fashion-y Things!
One of the Lady of the Manners’ dear friends is Thea Maia, a fabulous artist who spends a lot of time on Polyvore. One day, during an afternoon of tea and working on craft projects, we talked about her creating gothy fashion dolls on Polyvore, to aid you Snarklings in finding all sorts of fashionable fripperies and spooky stylish things. So with no further wittering here is the first creation! Continue reading
On Surviving Family Gatherings During The Holidays
This may be a surprise, but the Lady of the Manners is quite fond of the winter holiday season. All the twinkly lights, the giving and receiving of gifts and tokens of affection, sugary treats, and people trying to be a little more considerate of each other are all wonderful things, even if the theoretical ideal of them sometimes gets lost in the real world practice. But the holidays can also be difficult, especially for people who are striding along to a darker drum than the rest of their family and friends. So! The Lady of the Manners is going to pull up a previous Gothic Charm School post about dealing with the holidays, because (in the Lady of the Manners’ opinion) it is just as useful now as when she wrote it a few years ago. But now, that advice is dressed up with some additional new suggestions for coping with the holidays: Continue reading
Nocturnal House: Interview With The Vampire: Claudia’s Story
The setting: a dimly lit room, with a wingback chair upholstered in black and white striped fabric, next to it a small table holding a silver tea pot and a delicate china cup with a pattern of black lace and roses painted on it. The silence is broken by the sound of a door creaking open, and the Lady of the Manners walks into view, carrying a candelabra full of flickering candles. Even though she is wearing a floor-length, high-collared, and extravagantly ruffled white Victorian-style nightgown, her black eyeliner and burgundy lipstick are impeccable.
Goodness, it has been ages since I’ve visited the Nocturnal House, hasn’t it? It was so quiet and peaceful in the crypt that I must have dozed off for ”¦ much longer than I had planned. But no matter, I’ve returned to the library of vampire books just in time for Halloween to talk about one of my favorite books of the past year: Interview With The Vampire: Claudia’s Story, adapted and illustrated by Ashley Marie Witter. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Nocturnal House
13 Comments
Of Being Who You Want to Be, and Not Knowing What the Future Holds.
Snarklings, it appears it’s again time for a discussion of how to continue being the person you want to be. There are so many letters from you darling odd creatures out there fretting about how to stay true to your gothy inclinations! Continue reading
Posted in Growing Pains, Serious Matters
12 Comments
Responding to Insulting and Mean Comments
Hello Snarklings! This time at Gothic Charm School, the Lady of the Manners is going to deal with a subject that both she and goths everywhere are sadly all too familiar with: people directing unkind or mean-spirited comments at you. Ophelia sent in the following question: Continue reading →