Okay, so as many of you know Hot Topic kind of blows as far as quality goes. Every now and then you find an okay piece. But, its a wear at your own risk kind of thing. My oldest son and I have gone rounds over this. I think he’s finally seeing my side of things. (Sad when your mother is stranger than you could ever hope to be– poor kid) I thought I’d offer up some alternatives if you’re looking for that something special. The people who read my blog come from all walks of life so I don’t expect everyone to like my tastes. In fact, I’d be shocked if any of you do. *grin* Still, I’m sharing all the same. I know the price is higher than HT but honestly, you get what you pay for and I’d rather spend a little more on one nice piece than a lot less on three pieces that won’t last me more than one or two signings. Plus, I’m a firm believer that you buy several great pieces that can be mixed and matched with other things so you get the most use out of them.
Tripp NYC (I love this brand. They have a great site listing for locations that sell their stuff.)
Lip Service (Great site, you can shop from there also, a lot of what they have is offered in plus sizes too. In addition to a great site, they offer downloadable PDF catalogs.)
Shrine (I want to crawl into this site and live there. They have some amazing stuff! I want this dress– Coffin Dress. Its on my buy list for the next public signing or anything I do)
Never forget your local thrift stores/second hand shops. I live at mine. I love them. I swear to the gods above that I have the greatest collection of "old man" sweaters known to man that I’d gotten at thrift shops. They’re darn comfy to toss on while I’m writing and its chilly in my office.
I mix and match to the point my style isn’t one you can actually label. I’ll wear a corset with jeans and a long black sweater jacket out to do shopping and what not. If I’m meeting friends for lunch, I’ll either go with jeans and a thrift store sweater or I’ll dress it up a bit, going with a long skirt (only black and normally layers upon layers of lace), a pair of my high boots and a fun top. Whatever mood I’m in is what I wear. I’m a huge lover of tossing on a vintage band T-shirt, a scarf, a pair of jeans, boots and a newsboy cap. See. I have no set style. For me that works.
