Dress 20 : Rip off the wings of a Butterfly

There comes a moment in a girl’s life when she needs to be saved. 

I found myself in this situation when I agreed to attend my first gothic concert at the Lit Lounge in New York.  Mel’s brother’s friend and his band from Australia were in New York performing with his band Virgin Black.  When Mel asked if I wanted to go with her to watch them I was excited to take my corsets and black eyeliner to the streets!

The venue was actually quite cute, a small little bar in the East Village it was dark and atmospheric.  I also met a music journalist this night who has been a great contact over the years. The venue had a bar in the upstairs street level and then a small stair case to the left where you went down to the basement where the bands would play.  Walking down those stairs I entered another world.  There was black everywhere!!!  Mel left me for a brief second and went to get a beer.  Looking around everywhere there was rock and goth people.  There was one guy walking around with a Red Socks baseball cap and jeans and he totally stood out from the crowd as looking like he didn’t quite belong. I wondered if I looked like him or I looked like them. 

I started to feel a little self-conscious sitting there in my Amy Lee outfit and truly felt like I was the Christina Aguilera of the goth world.  The crowd moved apart for a brief second and I saw another person who looked more like me!!  He also looked a little like Keanu Reeves! Not wanting to be alone I ran over to him and sat directly in front of him and said ‘Hi!’.,  He was a little taken back at this girl suddenly appearing in front of him but managed to give a confused ‘hi back’.  When he spoke he had an accent and I also realised he was wearing a Virgin Black T-Shirt.  It turned out his name was Juan and he was from Colombia and loved Virgin Black.  His friend came back from the bar and I was introduced to Alex who was Colombian/English.

Mel returned from the bar and I saw her worry when she couldnt see me as she turned to look for me I managed to get her attention and she came over.  I was like ‘I’ve found some new friends’.  She laughed and we all sat down and had a good chat before the first act came on.  The first act has to be the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life.  As I remember it .. they were two girls in underwear who had rock music playing but spoke and did weird dance movements as they told a story of being attacked by a ghost.  A few years later I’m pretty sure I saw this act again at a Halloween party.

When Virgin Black hit the stage I was very confused!  This wasn’t the goth music I had listened too!  Virgin Black was a lot more musical than the first act but they were again something very different combining opera, heavy metal and screaming!  From the look on my face Juan deduced I wasn’t a fan!  We swapped myspaces (as was the thing done in those days) and promised to get in touch. 

Juan did email me a few days later and this was the start of a great musical friendship.  As we got to know each other Juan made a vow to expand on my Goth / Rock music tastes and try and show me there were many more beautiful singers aside from Amy Lee.  We would meet up in New York to go to concerts together and as he lived in Connecticut I would head to his place and hang out with all of his friends and listen to everything from Flyleaf to Staind.  He sent me mixed CD’s and I would send them back.  We sent links, web sites and texts all about music!

We also liked to teach each other about our cultures and have found some funny moments where we are both lost in translation.  While Juan began to speak Australian and drink Australian beer I started to speak Spanish and eat Colombian food.  Except fish eyes .. that is still gross.  Through Juan I met so many people from South America and watched in amazement at the house parties where the boys and girls would actually dance together properly.  The boys and girls who were covered in tattoos, piercings and black t-shirts were some of the most lovely people I have ever met!

Every time I went to hang out with them in Connecticut it was like a whole group of people who were affirming that what I had changed to was the right thing.  They welcomed me into their group and it was lovely just to go to a park, make a BBQ and just listen to music and talk.  Most of the time they would speak in Spanish so I didn’t know what they were talking about but I made friends with Juan’s roommate who was from Poland so we would speak English to each other and laugh imagining the things they were talking about.

This song reminds me of them because a few years ago HIM were playing in New York and they invited me to go.  Ironically that night another band called We are the Fallen were also playing.  They are a band made up of all ex Evanescence members except for the lead singer.  I vowed to hate them .. but then they played and I actually liked their stuff.  I am always defensive of Amy Lee but sometimes you just need to forget the surrounding controversy and just listen to the music!!

Whenever I am back in New York Juan, Alex and I still meet up to go to concerts and across the oceans we are still swapping music and friendship.  One day I hope Juan and Alex will finally get to visit Australia and we can go to a rock concert here. 

Now todays dress I bought at a council / county fair for $15 in the very big hopes that it would fit.  It is a size 8 and the zip won't do up on the left side  .. but I thought of a way to use it as a skirt.  This is definitely one I have to give to charity as my rule does state if it doesn’t fit I have to give it away … but it does make a very cute skirt!!

Yours in dresses

Skye

Dress Info

Day 20: Rip off the Wings of a butterfly
Bought: A year and a half ago
Price Range: $15.00
From: Diamond Creek Fair
What I like about it: I LOVE the colours and the pattern and the material
Tag Info: Made in China, Alive Girl, Cotton Pollyester
Photo Credit: DWhite