A Follower!

I just discovered that I finally have ONE follower! Hooray!

Sorry I haven't had much to post lately--I've been focused on school and haven't really got anything new to show off.

When Summer hits I'll be sewing new stuff and hopefully have enough money to spend on cool clothes.

So, until then, faithful follower.

Contrast, Repetition, Confidence

I'm not entirely sure why I still do this. No one reads this blog (or at least no one that I know of has read it yet since I don't have any followers or comments) and it makes me sad. Of course, I'm going to continue to write it anyway--I love fashion and I feel like I need to put myself out there into the fashion world a bit, even if all I'm really doing is showing off my skills (I do, on occasion try to be humble about them) to no one in particular. Today, instead of lecturing everyone on why I wear the things I do, I felt like it was time for a few, quick, easy, fashion tips.

First tip: Contrast is key.

Obviously not color contrast in this monochromatic piece, but instead I choose to employ texture and pattern contrast. The black pants (see above photo for all clothing references) are very straight and rectangular and have a similarly straight and rectangular pattern (not a terribly obvious one either). The red ruffled shirt also has straight pleats in it and black patterns to tie in with the pants, but also has contrasting ruffles and bell sleeves which bring balance to the outfit and a hint of playfulness that a straight button-up or a blazer wouldn't have.

Second Tip: Repeated Elements.

You don't want an outfit to look the same whether you're looking at the top or the bottom of it--there needs to be something different and exciting about it in order to achieve great style--but there does need to be a degree of connectivity between your pieces or the outfit will look careless and unplanned and ultimately unintelligent. Now I know that doesn't sound fair--there are plenty of people who are extremely smart that don't know how to dress, however that doesn't change the fact that when people see someone who dresses sharp, or at least has good fashion sense, that they immediately have a higher regard for that person than someone who doesn't even try. It's just fact.

Anyway, what I want to say here, is that in order to achieve a connected feeling in your outfit, you have to have repeated elements. That does not mean you have to wear identical shirts on top of each other, or be symmetrical in your dress (though I usually am), it means that the same concepts introduced in one article need to carry over into the others. For example: in the outfit above, the straight, lined feeling of the pants in repeated in the accordion folds on the shirt, the ribbon choker, the double belts, the princess seams in the grey vest, and even the lines on the back of my heels. All of these lines carry black, (there's even black on the red shirt) which is the color that the whole outfit balances around (and most of my other outfits as well). In order to flesh it out a bit, I add another neutral (the neutral colors are black, grey, white, brown, beige, basically any form of tan, olive and denim blue. In this case I chose grey.) and what I call an accent color (anything that's not a neutral). And that's the basic recipe.

Third Tip: Don't worry so much about what other people think. If you spend all your time worrying about whether you look good, you wont. Worries make you look older--if you want to be confident and beautiful, just tell yourself that that's the way you are and believe it and it will come true. If you still don't think you're beautiful, ask your parents or someone else you trust what they think is most beautiful about you and try to see yourself in their eyes. My biggest pet peeve of all time is when someone beautiful thinks they're not. I've been down that path--and it's no fun. Believe in your self. And have some quality fashion fun.

Sunday Best

Here is another lovely post. Just thought I'd share with you what I wore this Sunday. For those of you who know me well, you already know that I'm a devout member of the Mormon faith and attend church every Sunday in my "Sunday Best". Of course, my "Sunday Best" has always been a bit different from others. I feel that in order to be close to God I must literally "dress my best" and so I put a lot more effort into my Sunday outfits than my regular school outfits.

I also think I enjoy them more since in these occasions it is normal to wear dresses and high heels. (This kind of stuff at school is just a little out there... even for me.) Surprisingly enough, most people appreciate my church wear. I've always kind of thought that people would be disturbed by the fact that there is a lot of regality and power in my clothes and that they would accuse me of not being humble enough--but I supposed there's nothing wrong with being proud with your religion and wanting to dress nice for God.

Anyway, I suppose the point of the point of this post is to show that powerful dressing is actually a good thing. People who dress "weak" come off as weak. People who dress powerfully, people think of that way. Yes, beauty on the inside is important too, but that doesn't mean that beauty on the outside is insignificant.

The outside is what everyone is going to see. So you want what you wear to compliment your spirit so that people can see that too.

I dress the way I do because my spirit is a very regal, powerful thing. I want that to come through, to let other people see the refinement that is there and to appreciate it. I also want to see it to, and I feel better when I dress this way--I feel balanced with my spirit.

If you don't believe in spirits or souls or whatever, that's okay. Just remember that you want what you wear to reflect who you really are, not someone else.

I also believe that when you dress in a way that reflects the inner you, other people notice and will compliment you on those attributes of you that they may not have noticed before. (I get compliments just as much about how mature and composed I am as I do about my clothes) and I think that those are the most cherished compliments because that's what I want others to see.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not here just to brag or suck in compliments -- that's not why I'm interested in fashion. I'm interested in fashion for the same reason painters are interested in paint. It's one of my talents and terribly good fun.

Now everyone always asks: "Where do you find this stuff?" And I respond: "Target, Kohl's and most of my jewelry is home-made." And people say: "I shop at those stores, but I just don't find the same stuff you do." But I don't think that's what they really mean. I think what they mean is "I shop at those stores, but I still can't dress like you do."

And I can't help that. But one of the things I have noticed while making my purchases and trying to decide what craft materials I need to make accessories for myself, is that I'm always looking for the same stuff. It might not look like the same stuff to other people, but everything I wear has the same vibe, the same spirit to it. And I look for that vibe, and when I find it, I buy whatever it is that has it.

I don't know how to teach other people to do that. I suppose you just have to know your inner self very well and listen when tells you that it sees something that reflects it--but that might seem too supernatural to some of you.

I can teach you a few tips (e.g. don't wear baggy shirts if you're a thinner, smaller chested body type, and don't wear too tight jeans if you have thicker thighs) but I don't know that I can school you in personal style. That's something you have to discover yourself.

I'd say the fashion magazines have it all wrong. It's not all about what everyone else is wearing. (Granted you have to understand that capes and man-tights are no longer socially acceptable). It's about expressing yourself.

Clothes aren't just a covering. Clothes are a message board--they tell other people things about you. If you're wearing pajamas, that can say two things about you: either that you're going to sleep, or you're too lazy to change out of them and honestly don't care about your appearance. The latter is not a message you want to send. Sure, you may not care, but laziness makes others think that you're not a very good worker -- and that won't get you very far in this world.

Besides the required credentials, I'd say one of the most important things in getting a job is presence. Attitude, Dress, Mannerisms (they way you behave) and Vocabulary say a LOT. If you dress crisp, have a positive, determined and enthusiastic (but not invasively so) attitude, behave in a refined (that just means well educated and well mannered, not all prissy and stuck up) and speak in a educated manner, you will leave a good impression. If you dress sloppily, sound unenthusiastic, bored or inattentive, behave like an animal (e.g. grunt, whine, make bodily sounds) and barely know enough words not to drop an F-bomb every five seconds... you're employers won't even consider you for the position.

They don't want that in the workplace. You wouldn't either, in their position.

Anyway, just keep in mind that the way you dress is important. If you can't afford thousands of dollars on clothes, don't worry (most of my clothes are under $50, if not $15). Beautiful style can be achieved with any paycheck if you just get to know yourself a little better.

Fun Fashion

Today I got my braces off! I'm so happy it finally happened! I've had braces for TWO AND A HALF YEARS--I got quite tired of them. So, although I'm no master at smiling (or taking pictures) yet, I decided it would be a good thing to share, seeing as this is a fashion blog and teeth are a big part of how your face looks.




(I'm much better at my crazy pout, at least I think so.)



Anyway, enough messing around, here's what I wore today. Nothing too complex, just a frilly shirt, crest choker, grey vest, striped pants, and a few chains. (hey that's not very much for me)

Here's another view--to show you the varied colors of blue in the sleeves of the shirt I chose.

And a little close up on the details: Here is the choker (it's handmade so good like finding one like it)

(And the chains across the vest)

Here are the shoes I wore with this outfit. They're legit vintage shoes (Value Village Rocks) and so they're a little scuffed, but I don't care. They're one of my favorite pairs of shoes (and only cost $10).

So, you might be wondering how I decide to wear this in the morning. I don't--like some people do--plan out what I'm going to wear for several hours before I go to bed and then put it on in the morning, I decide in all of about five minutes in the morning, just throwing together stuff that will look good. My philosophy is, that to get something good looking you have to go for a mood and wear things that correspond with that mood. The outfit I wore today had a very "refined victorian" mood to it, which was what I am ultimately going for. The frills on the shirt, the button-down vest, the ribbon choker and the shoes of course are all fashion staples of the Victorian Era.

Another rule of mine is never wear more than one color. I've tried it before, and--well lets just say it only looks good on me on halloween. Today the color of choice was blue. To add depth to the outfit I rounded it out with grey and black (I consider them neutrals, not colors).

And finally, make sure the patterns you're wearing don't clash. The frilly shirt has a very bold, large pattern thats very intracate. If I had worn something else with an equally complicated, large print, they would clash. But the pants I chose to wear with the shirt had a very small, barely noticable stripe pattern which worked well with the vertical stiches on the vest, and, of course, the vest was plain.

All these things don't really run through my head while I'm picking out my clothes in the morning--I've gotten so practiced at deciding what to wear, I just subconsciously pick whatever I think will look good, always keeping the mood I want to portray in mind (the mood is the most important thing) but because I know the things I mentioned above and have practiced them, I don't even have to think about it.

And finally, style isn't about what everyone else is wearing. It's about conveying your personality, looking nice and having a little fun. Fashion is an art form--so explore it some, find what works for you. Maybe you're like one of my best friends who can make magenta and neon green look good together--I have no idea. But whatever your personal style preference is, make sure it's your own.

Old Rings

One of the things that bothers me the most is when I buy something for the way it looks and then it breaks down in a few weeks and doesn't look that way anymore. This happens, mostly to my jewelry (I've learned how to buy quality shirts, pants and coats and things like socks and tights are easily replacable) and it angers me because it is very difficult to purchase something that looks the same that won't meet the same fate in another week. I've been told by may people that instead of buying cheap jewelry that looses it's silvery look in a matter of days and becomes a coppery color (which actually, I discovered, isn't copper at all, but is probably something else, uber cheap like zinc or even metal-like plastic) and even a gross dark greenish color after a while.

The metal, or whatever it is, is fine, but discolored and has prevented me from wearing my favorite rings for a long time. Here they are, in a very sad condition:

(A close up of the damage on the back of my heart ring)

(See how rusty it looks? Especially on the lower swirls on the side and the dark metal beneath that. Ugh.)

(This one's harder to see, but the tips of everything and the top rim of the heart are coppery-looking too.)

(This is the worst one. Yuk, you can't even tell what it used to look like.)

I actually purchased a bottle of Liquid Silver Plating formula from Medallion Care to try to re-plate the damaged areas on these rings, only to discover that these rings aren't made of any of the metals the liquid solution is supposed to bond with. :( So I'm thinking of buying a Silver Leaf Paint Pen (a pen that paints a metallic silver paint, with actual silver in it, onto any material) to repair them instead. Wish me luck!

New Blog!

Here it is, the new blog I've been telling myself for weeks that I would create! I'm really excited to post my views on all the wonderful elements of fashion (mostly clothes, though I may do a few posts on makeup, jewelry) and to finally have a blog that isn't entierly embarrassing. (I personally think that my previous blogs have been slightly childish, though many of my friends have enjoyed them).

Anyway, I thought you might be wondering why I decided to name my blog a bunch of random gibberish with lots of Vs and Ts. Well, in truth, it isn't exactlly gibberish. Vestimenta Vincent Semper is Latin for "Clothing Alwasy Conquers" which is my personal motto. When I'm feeling lazy or ugly (yes, I feel that way too sometimes, even though I'm not) I put on my fancy clothes, makeup and jewelry and I feel 100% better for it. (I even preform better on my tests!)

But I'm not here to brag or flaunt my style or whatever. The purpose of this blog is for me to get in my daily dose of writing practice, as well as for me to share my sylistic talents with others--and hopefully inspire some people to become more involved in fashion.

I never thought I'd be a fashionista when I was growing up--if you'd told me that in seventh grade I would have laughed at you and said, "I'll sprout wings and fly before that happens." Back then, I had no idea fahsion could be so fun, not trashy, or concieted, just another form of brilliant art that makes you feel and look good. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone.

So to begin this wonderful blog, I'd like to share what I wore today. (Please forgive my lack of thousand dollar backdrops--I'm not a professional fashion desinger just yet.)

(Okay, so I'm not the best at modelling either... I plan to work on that. I'm really a happy person, I just don't like to smile for the camera.)


(Details: Polka Dot Dress, Ruffled Black Heels, Black Bow Headband: Target; Grey Vest: Kohls; Beaded Bracelets: Wal-Mart; Black Choker: Made By Self)

(I also decided to wear a coat with this outfit due to the chilly winter weather. This lovely green coat was from Kohls--my favorite store--and is the most pricey of all my articles of clothing. [I won't tell you how much out of courtesy]).

Hope you enjoyed this post! Please comment!