On the whole, this one is pretty basic. I have on a black lace twist dress, lace-up black riding-style boots, black velvet gloves, and a fitted, princess-seamed black velveteen coat that I got from Newport News. That magnificent hat, which has a pintucked satin band, crystals, and a spray of feathers, came from J.C. Penney--yes, that's what I said. The beautiful choker is made of ribbon, point lace and beads with a ribbon rose, a creation inspired by alt.gothic.fashion poster Elsworth. I look like I'm about to go do something unspeakable to someone with a saucepan, don't I?

Makeup for this was simple but critical, since I was trying to create the look of a Gorey drawing. There's a ton of black shadow on my lids and around the eyes, along with plenty of black liner and mascara. Lipstick is a dark purple-toned burgundy; although black lipstick would have been appropriate, I thought it might be a little too obvious and opted for this shade instead. As for that lovely Goreyesque pallor...well, thank nature for that: I was deathly ill with the flu that day.

I walked around handing out Easter eggs in this creation; you'd be surprised how reluctant people are to take an egg from a scowling Gorey drawing come to life. On the other hand, I had a woman tell me that in this outfit, I was "a perfect goth." It's always nice when a costume really works.