mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Feb 8, 2012, 4:42 pm
For romantics of taste from a sexier, darker sensibility, bland bonbons from Godiva will not do this Valentine's Day.  Whether you want to send a deviant message of lust or hate, do it with good quality chocolate, but in a more morbid form.... Sweetly Demented is an online chocolatier ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 28, 2012, 12:32 pm
Rookie Mag had a real treat this week.  They posted an article from the edgy, occasionally goth-inspired designers of Rodarte.  It turns out, in addition to loving "Living Dead Dolls" Kate and Laura Mulleavy loved the vampire fighting show as much as I did. ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 21, 2012, 9:12 pm
The color black takes center stage to make monochrome a dramatic effect in Radha Dumra's debut collection.  The London-based designer uses a mix of leather, lace and mesh to create striking pieces inspired by surrealist ideas and...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 7, 2012, 2:25 pm
Have you checked out Google today?  The title graphic is honor of Addams Family creator Charles Addams.  It would have been his 100th birthday today. Charles Addams first introduced the dark quirky family in cartoons of The New Yorker magazine.  It soon led to a beloved t...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 7, 2012, 12:16 am
  Sleek, chic and elegantly Goth, Yaniv Persy unveiled his collection inspired by an Oscar Wilde fairy tale. The palette is very simple, black and grey.  However, the designer uses a mix of silk chiffon, mesh, taffeta and leather to achieve a curvy, dramatic shape to the ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Dec 9, 2011, 10:57 am
Did Justin Bieber effectively kill Steampunk for the rest of us?  The teeny bopper prince of junior pop has taken the look mainstream and happy for the masses.  While I love some of the sets and costumes, (kudos to the designers) I just feel that Steampunk was always a movement f...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Nov 28, 2011, 1:13 pm
One of the most influential designers of our current times gave an informal talk at the Museum at F.I.T. recently.  Olivier Theyskens, at a young age was appointed creative director at the House of Rochas, followed by artistic director at legendary couture house, Nina Ricci. Â...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Nov 20, 2011, 5:45 pm
 Stroll into a historical financial building in Tribeca and enter a macabre fantasy.  The New York Mercantile Exchange building is currently hosting an elegant, unusual exhibit presented by the Malborough and Steinitz galleries. The unique show ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Nov 11, 2011, 3:30 pm
I am totally geeked.  I admit it.  Along with millions and millions of fans on Twitter, I have to gush about how much I loved the new trailer for upcoming Snow White & the Huntsman movie. It has an elegant, exciting, Goth/elegant looks to the production and c...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Oct 26, 2011, 11:20 am
I love New York Comic-con.  It's like Halloween came early, but with better cosplay and outfits.  There was no shortage of Lolitas and their darker counterpart, Gothic Lolitas.  There were several panels that addressed the nuances of the style and brought out a bunch of f...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Oct 23, 2011, 11:40 pm
What kind of haunted house guest are you?  Blood and gore?  Guts and psychological torture? New York City has plenty of that (with or without the haunted house).  If you want a little elegance and steampunk with your Halloween outing, look no further than Third Rail Project's ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Oct 11, 2011, 12:50 am
So what are YOU doing for Halloween?  If you're looking for sexy, vampy fun, check out the Dracula Ball in Philadelphia.  The chic band Psyche Corporation and The Last Dance are headlining.  The organizers have wickedly themed parties every few months, but Hallo...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Oct 3, 2011, 1:12 pm
The weather is cooling down and I am indulging my love of baking. One of my favorite food blogs just posted a wickedly good red velvet cake... Perfect for any Gothic gourmet gathering, Heather Baird of the baking blog Sprinkles Bakes has created a visual masterpiece honoring...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Sep 18, 2011, 10:18 am
Betsey Johnson has always stood for girly flirtatiousness.  She had a darker, more rock n' roll edge for Spring with playful takes on skulls and skeletons.  A rib cage was embroidered for a trompe l'oeil effect on corset dresses, a rose adorned skeleton was used in ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Aug 23, 2011, 1:17 am
Legendary NYC nightclub, Webster Hall (it used to host the original Surrealist balls with Salvador Dali) hosted the Anachronism’s Steampunk: Visit to Edo event.  The event had a fashion show, several music acts, dance, art demonstrations and even a cosplay burlesque showcase.   Vendors offered...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Aug 17, 2011, 9:50 pm
The Fuse Gallery recently hosted a show by Othelo Gervacio in NYC.  The art was a mix of inky Gothic calligraphy, moody grim reapers.  Skulls incorporated into religious icons or poetic death images collaged on the walls. The artist has a great blog on Tumblr showcasing his work as well as his pas...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Aug 5, 2011, 11:53 am
NYC has been hit with record high temperatures and unbearable sun.  Those are not exactly the ideal conditions for Gothic fashionistas, but it didn't stop them from supporting Gareth Pugh's launch of his M.A.C. cosmetics collaboration. The season-defying black-clad guests at the New Mus...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jul 20, 2011, 10:11 pm
If you're on the West Coast, San Diego Comic-Con has all the fanboys and girls all giddy with anticipation.  However, London's Comic-Con has set the bar really high...A fantastic viral music video of cosplay characters is making the rounds set to Pink's Raise Your Glass.  I love the ene...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jul 10, 2011, 1:47 am
Posh, chic and macabre.  Not exactly the style one would associate with Dallas, Texas.  However, if you find yourself down South, Urban Flower/Grange Hall is a must-shop store with a gorgeous collection of jewelry and home decor.  Witty porcelain skulls (with a gold tooth), delicate treatments on...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jun 21, 2011, 10:55 am
It's one of the biggest displays of Gothic fashion in the world.  2000 20000 fans converged on Leipzig, Germany for Europe's most popular Gothic music festivals.  The most impressive spectacle of course, was the fashion on display last week. Almost every sub-style was represented at Wave Gotik...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jun 6, 2011, 12:22 am
Those of you who know Steampunk, know that it is a mix of history and science fiction.  Fans of this site love the aesthetic and beauty of the eras the costumes portray and marvel at the craftsmanship.  Fans of the literature love the historical detail and fantasy.   How much do people really fo...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - May 20, 2011, 12:10 pm
Looking for some Goth gourmet?  NYC has the best eateries for whatever you might want.  The big "nose to tail" trend of using the whole animal has come to Chef Todd English's Cross Bar.  The new restaurant is housed in the legendary former church turned Limelight Nightclub (now Limelight Marketpl...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - May 4, 2011, 2:59 pm
Shocking, visionary, artist, a true designer.  Alexander McQueen's death shocked and saddened many of the fashion world, but his creative legacy is eternal.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC launches Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty today.  The extensive exhibit is one of the most elabor...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Apr 22, 2011, 11:45 am
This is a little cheery and white to be Gothic Fashion, but it was avant-garde and I loved it.  Russian Fashion Week took place earlier this month.  One of my favorite designers was Venera Kazarova as part of the ContrFashion show in Moscow.   The clothing was sculpted and the models vamped it up...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Apr 11, 2011, 5:43 pm
Does a good night out for you involve being plunged in the dark and being surrounded by ghosts? Do you year for the old midnight spook shows of decades past?  Are you a fan of the more twisted half of Penn & Teller (he created the show with performer Todd Robbins).   The new off-Broadway show take...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Apr 1, 2011, 11:36 am
In business for only six years, the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte have been one of the most lauded and respected fashion designers of the current generation.  Honored by Michelle Obama with the Cooper Hewitt Award, celebrated by the fashion elite, the label is now being honored at the Muse...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Mar 24, 2011, 10:41 pm
How often do Belgians go Native?  As in Native American?  While the Fall 2011 shows in New York showed collection after collection of Americana with tribal influences.  Avant-garde designer Ann Demeulemeester put a dark twist on what was going on overseas.  The jet black feathered hairpieces wer...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Mar 20, 2011, 6:42 pm
Are you looking to redecorate?  How about something classic and futuristic at the same time?  I visited the Architectural Digest Home Decor show in NYC and found some beautiful objects for the boudoir. Art Donovan is a Steampunk artist and new author.  He debuted his upcoming book at a sign...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Mar 18, 2011, 12:33 am
Is there a bigger fan of Gabrielle Chanel than Karl Lagerfeld?  The atelier has millions of fans around the world.  Coco Chanel's story has been played out as a pop history fairy-tale in movies and books many times over. British journalist Justine Picardie wrote a new biography of the designer tha...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Mar 10, 2011, 11:59 pm
How can you not love a lusty fairy tale where the title character is clothing?  This romantic/sexy rendition of the childhood story is hitting the theaters making a play to take "hot werewolf" away from Team Jacob.So far, the reviews have been less than kind.  Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Mar 8, 2011, 11:23 pm
Lady Gaga’s longtime fashion collaborator Nicholas Formichetti was appointed creative director to the Mugler brand and brought it back to the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week. The show was a mix of Gothic fetish evolved from the slick spirit of classic Mugler.  The backdrop was a stage of pointed ca...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Mar 1, 2011, 9:45 am
 Earlier this month, amid the chaos that was NY Fashion Week, the Museum at FIT hosted the Lolitas, Cosplay and fantasy hair and makeup at the Tokyo Fashion Festa. A fashion show was presented featuring manga, cosplay and Gothic fashion.  There were makeup and hair demonstrations to complet...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Feb 27, 2011, 12:23 am
Fashion designer Thierry Mugler has a few teaser images floating on their website.  The alien-inspired jet black photos are there to entice you to watch their March 2nd fashion show livestream from Paris.  The collection is called "Anatomy of Change" and can be accessed on their Facebook page.   ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Feb 21, 2011, 9:29 am
The clothes had a lot more color that Gothic fashionistas are used to. However, the edgy sensibility was there at the Fall 2011 Betsey Johnson fashion show in corset-styling, the jet black Louise Brooks hairstyles and blood red lipstick. Black lace trimmed dresses, shoes and neck chokers.  Draped h...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Feb 16, 2011, 10:46 am
There weren’t a lot of designers who showed Gothic sensibility this season at NY Fashion Week.  Guishem showed an edgier, sharp, pieced collection that was reminiscent of the witch in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. The collection was a little bit of punk, a little bit of Goth, part insect and a lot ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Feb 10, 2011, 11:09 am
Let the sentimental fools make their little dinner plans.  Those who want real fun are rejecting the commercial Valentine's Day and partying in Downtown NYC at the Endless Night Vampire Ball on Saturday, February 12, 2011.   There will be performances by the darkly glamorous Libertina Dance Com...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Feb 6, 2011, 11:35 pm
How does a tiny little shop in the East Village inspire top fashion designers and its own reality show?  By having the most interesting collection of antiques, oddities, Victorian funeral photos, mourning beads and bizarre taxidermy that reaches beyond the imagination.   Owner Mike Zohn had a love...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 31, 2011, 12:01 am
Are you a fashion geek like me and followed Jean Paul Gaultier through the years?  If you did, you would have loved his most recent Haute Couture showing.  It mixed the elaborate silhouettes, miles of silk tulle and dramatic head pieces he is known for. This collection had some punk influence, s...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 21, 2011, 11:46 am
Simply gorgeous.  Lex Machina is a Detroit, Michigan based digital artist and photographer.  She loves collecting antique portraits with quirky details.  She styles for fashion and events with a distinct shadowy palette and sexy, dark aesthetic.   Checkout her blog and re-caps of SteamCon and ot...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 17, 2011, 10:46 am
Gareth Pugh is one of my favorite edgy fashion designers.  He presented in Italy for the the first time at Pitti Immagine #79 by showing a haunting fashion film he created with Ruth Hogben. The images draw from religious iconography and Florentine opulence, and the film was projected onto the ceili...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 13, 2011, 11:49 pm
 I know many of you are entrepreneurs, artists and crafty individuals.  I also know the economy isn't helping many of us.... It's nice to know that you can get decent business tools at reasonable prices.  Vistaprint has been around for awhile, offering free or low cost business cards, stationery,...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Jan 2, 2011, 1:18 pm
Elegant NYC department store Bergdorf Goodman rang in the new year with a set of elaborate, Steampunk-inspired windows.  The gorgeous clothes are framed in dramatic scenes of science fiction-tinged travel fantasies, inventors and exploration.  The 'wizard' behind the displays is David Hoey.  Some...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Dec 29, 2010, 6:12 pm
Otakaon, one of the largest conventions of anime, manga and Asian pop culture honored a featured a fashion designer as their special guest this year.  Naoto Hirooka has blended Gothic Lolita, Punk, Anime and Cosplay into his collections of fashion/art since 2000.  A multi-talented designer, the ma...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Dec 21, 2010, 10:04 am
Inspiration from the East?  Avant-garde or Super-sweet?  Gothic? Anime?  What do you think of when you think of Japanese fashion?  The current exhibit at the Museum of FIT investigates the tipping point of Japan as a fashion heavyweight in the 1980's to current streetwear influences.  Edgy de...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Dec 13, 2010, 10:04 pm
What do you buy new parents or the young little bloodsucker in your life?  I came across a couple at the NY Comic Con with the most adorable booth.  Vamplets are cute vampire dolls you can adopt.  Cuddly with a bite, they have names like Evilyn Nocturna and Burton Creepson jr.  They have wicked ...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Dec 6, 2010, 10:32 pm
Black Swan, the dark, ballet thriller by Darren Aronofsky opened Friday.  In fashion, all of the buzz has been going to the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte.  They designed the edgy, Goth-chic costumes for the stylish movie.  The theme of "duality" played out on stage and off.   For Prince Siegfried'...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Nov 26, 2010, 11:37 am
One of my favorite movie directors launched a social media experiment recently.  It's an online version of the 'Cadavre Exquis" game.  Traditionally, a writer starts a story and other writers jump in too add different parts to it.  These days, the media calls it 'crowd-sourcing'. If you want to j...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Nov 24, 2010, 10:49 pm
Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you are having a cozy holiday with your loved ones, or at least enjoying the holiday, period.  I am ecstatic that I do not have to cook this year.  My sole responsibility is to keep everyone from getting thirsty.  I found a bunch of fun libations for entertaining:  T...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Nov 19, 2010, 9:42 am
I started my holiday shopping at the One of a Kind Show in NYC last weekend.  The event brings together artisans from all over to present everything from jewelry, clothing, fine art and gourmet items that are made by hand.  One artist stood out for me.  John Borrero had haunting paintings that lo...
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mariana macabre posted an article on The Courtesan Macabre - Nov 13, 2010, 10:49 pm
  The Belgian designer created a chic collection appropriate for the craziest among us.  The black, white and print presentation had many pieces with straitjacket-like straps and a sculpted bondage feeling.  There were many one-legged looks that may be too avant-garde for most wearers.  H...
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