black clothes (or dark gem tones like purple, burgundy, forest green...). My fallback goth clubbing garb is a black, dark blue or burgundy dress with a black corset over it. Dark eyeliner and lipstick don't hurt either. No need to go stereotypical with black lipstick, it doesn't look good on, well, really *anyone* and a deep congealed-blood red is just as goth without making your teeth look as yellow.

eta: bonus goth points for velvet, lace, leather, vinyl, fishnets, or flowy silken-type fabrics. Heck, or black jeans with a tshirt. You can make just about anything work with the right attitude.

Steph, goth is going to be easiest. You have corsets, right? Go with the flow on what people think Goth is. It's a party.

Yep. Corset, some sort of flowy skirt, and a lacy or velvety top. Hang on, let me go look at your flickr and I can probably give you more specific answers.

No need to go stereotypical with black lipstick, it doesn't look good on, well, really *anyone*

Yeah, there are about ... maybe five or six people I've seen in the goth scene over the years that look good in black lipstick.

Flickr is thwarting me; I can't find any wardrobe photos of you right off the bat.

Anyway, yes. Go with a corset, worn over a black or dark jewel-toned dress (or skirt & blouse). Black nail polish (and Wet & Wild make a decent black quick-dry creme formula for $1.50 if you don't have any), dark eye makeup, and dark lipstick. (Again, if you don't have any dark lipstick, W&W has good dark shades for cheap.)

(Also, let me beg of you: please don't give into the temptation to draw squiggly lines on your face with eyeliner. I mean, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't, but my ElderGoth status requires me to say it.)

Tie a piece of black lace or ribbon around your throat for a choker, and wear a big pendant on a long piece of ribbon. Ta-da! A perfectly acceptable goth outfit.

This skirt: [link] this shirt (but in black): [link] and a black underbust corset?

(Also, let me beg of you: please don't give into the temptation to draw squiggly lines on your face with eyeliner. I mean, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't, but my ElderGoth status requires me to say it.)

But...I *want* to look like The Crow!!!

friends don't let friends dress like The Crow

smonster, sorry about the job. Too bad about B, too, that's hard. I will call you in the morning and we will mumble and groan at each other, okay?

Steph, those pieces will work very well.

But...I *want* to look like The Crow!!!

You're trying to see if I suddenly develop magical powers of teleportation through making my head explode. I don't think it works like that.

You're trying to see if I suddenly develop magical powers of teleportation through making my head explode. I don't think it works like that.

Damn, my plan was too obvious!

Total topic switch here, because ARRRRGH:

I'm still having moderately bad social anxiety, but managed to go to a small party last night with only a middling amount of anxiety (until I knocked over a lamp literally as I was leaving -- I snagged my foot on a throw rug, which made the throw rug flip over, I bent down to fix it, my purse swung across my back and knocked over the lamp, and the lamp knocked over an oil diffuser next to it; I swear the Three Stooges could not have scripted it better).

And I even went to a birthday party at Dave & Busters today without flipping out.

So 3 minutes ago a friend of ours sends me an email that reads, in its entirety:

I like you. I wish we could interact when we meet in real life.

And all I want to reply is "You know, the anxiety is bad enough; now I have to worry about whether or I'm meeting YOUR expectations of me?!?"

I get that it was meant to be a nice gesture. Though slightly creepy because of its brevity. But really? This fellow even *knows* I have social anxiety, and yet he still busts out with an "I wish we could interact" email? SERIOUSLY? Gee, buddy, I wish I could interact with ANYONE some days.

Grah. I get that it was meant to be nice, I swear. But it was executed poorly, because now I'm irritated and slightly skeeved.