Personal Style - Tumblr Posts

I am a monochrome babe by force. I simply struggle to make different colors work together in one outfit so I settle for one (usually black).

I wish I could put those cute colorful outfits together but it’s like my brain short circuits trying to make it work

“I can see your nipples through your shirt” first of all stop being ungrateful.

Fun fact thats my other blog

Goth inspired formal dresses

Apologies for the horid lighting and pictures

A hot girl's guide to fashion and style (pt. 1)

What is one of the first things you notice about someone? For me, it's the way they're dressed. The clothes you wear may just be pieces of fabric, but they are also items that can change people's perception of you, as well as your own perception of yourself. I know that for myself, I'm at my most confident when I'm wearing something I like.

There is so much to cover in this guide, since there is so much that goes into fashion and style. Part 1 will cover shopping, since i have a lot to say on this topic.

Let's get into it!

Chapter 1. Buy less, shop more

The way we shop is extremely important, not only because it is the way we curate our closet, but also this can be the step where we are most likely to waste money and participate in consumerism/fast fashion.

When shopping, we should be looking for articles of clothes that we absolutely adore, because these are the pieces that we are going to wear for a long time. But, in my opinion, just adoring a piece isn't enough. You have to also make sure that the pieces is constructed to stay beautiful and be wearable in the long run. Here, we come to a little discussion on fabric composition and stitching.

With the rise of fast fashion, the production of clothes has been accelerated and the quality of clothing has diminished. Why is it that when you look at a skirt from a high end brand and a skirt from Shein, you can always tell them apart? It's because of the fabric of the skirt and the way it was made. Different fabrics have different properties and are suitable for different types of garments. The fabric composition of a garment has to be stated somewhere on the clothing and is usually found on the same tag as the washing instructions. I'm going to break down a few common ones here, but there is plenty of information on it online.

Before that though, let's talk about natural vs. synthetic fabrics. From the viewpoint of the construction of the garment, here are the main differences. Natural fabrics (cotton, linen, silk, wool...) do not stretch, have a set stiffness, are breathable and do not retain odour. Synthetic fabrics (rayon, polyester, nylon, acrylic...) are stretchy, some have waterproof properties, and are wrinkle resistant. These are only a few of the properties, but they are important to understand what type of material you should look for in different types of clothing.

Activewear: synthetic fabrics, you want something that is stretchy

Jeans: 100% cotton, or cotton with some synthetic fibers. If you want a jean that has stretch, look for a pair of jeans with some synthetic fibers. If you don't, look for something that is 100% cotton. This fabric is very strong and durable.

Sweaters: natural fibers, such as wool, cashmere or cotton. PLEASE do not buy acrylic sweaters. They may look good in store and feel soft, but they wear super quickly when washed.

Suits/suit type clothing: wool. wool is what is historically used in suiting because it has a good drape, but it is also structured. if you want a clean and sharp look, wool is your best bet.

As a general rule, if you need something that is stretchy, go for synthetic fibers. If you need something that holds its shape and is stiff, natural fibers are your best bet.

Alright, now that we've covered fabric, let's talk about stitching.

When you're looking at an item in store that you're considering buying, take the extra time to look at the stitching on the clothes. Are the ends finished? Is there extra thread hanging off? Is the stitching even and solid? Does a raw edge look intentional? If any of these things are off 1) the clothes may not have been well manufactured and they will not last long, 2) the clothes may look flimsy or cheap when worn.

Another thing to check while you're still browsing is the condition of, not only the garment you picked out, but also the other same garments. If they are starting to pill, there are loose threads from the fabric or there are any other problems with them, leave the piece where it was. If that's how the garment looks in store, how do you think it will look when its worn and washed?

Once you've checked the fabric composition, the stitching, and the condition of other pieces of the same garment, its time to try on the garment. When you're trying on the garment, make sure you don't just look at it for 2 seconds and decide to buy it. The way I look at it, if there's even one thing I dislike about a garment, I do not buy it, because that one thing could be the deciding factor of if you actually wear this piece of clothes. What's the point of spending money of a garment if you never wear it, or wear it for less than a year. It's extremely wasteful.

When you're trying things on, ask yourself some questions. Do I like the way this fits? Do I like the way this feels on my body? Do I have clothes in my closet I can wear this with? Is this something I'll be wearing for a long time or is this something that will be out of fashion next week? Am I realistically going to wear this?

If the answer to any of these questions is negative, leave the garment.

And what I think is the ultimate questions to ask yourself: If I don't buy this today, will I be thinking about it a week from now? If you have the option, you should wait a week before buying the garment. If, at that point you are still absolutely sure you want the garment, then buy it.

Another question to ask yourself when a garment is on sale or you're second hand shopping: Would I buy this if it were full price?

With this question, don't consider financial means, since some would always answer no since they don't have the financial means. Consider if this garment is WORTH the money. Your consideration should be just as rigorous, even if the price is marked down.

Now that we've considered standards for the clothes themselves, let's look at the standards of the brands we buy from.

Personally, I am a fast fashion hater. I think that with fashion sector producing 5-8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and being a major player in the contamination of waterways and textile/clothing waste is unacceptable.

On top of that, I believe that the people making our clothes should, at the very least, work in a safe environment and be paid living wages. If you look at the production chains of a lot of major fast fashion brands, they do not properly manage their environmental impact and they do not assure the aformentionned standards in terms of working conditions in their factories.

Let's call out some brands, shall we?

H&M

Zara

Shein

Nike

Uniqlo

And there are many, many more.

Now some of you may be confused because don't most of these companies have sustainable initiatives? On paper yes. In practice, not really. A LOT of fashion brands participate in greenwashing, which is when a brand claims to be doing something to help lessen their environmental footprint, but in reality are doing very very little. Also, a lot of companies will not mention the conditions in their working factories, or if they do they will not allow a third party evaluations of the working conditions.

I'm not telling you you can't shop at these stores. I understand that sustainable and ethical brands tend to be on the more expensive side, and some are not able to afford it. I also don't think that buying a bunch of clothes from sustainable brands when you still have a lot of perfectly good clothes isn't sustainable at all. Although the clothes we can afford are different, what's important is using what we already own and, when we do need something new, being extremely selective and only buying things we know we'll cherish for a long time.

At the end of the day, the way to be the most sustainable is to wear clothes you already own, accept hand-me downs and shop second hand.

I think it's also important to understand that your standards for what an item of clothing should cost have been completely messed up by the fast fashion industry.

Let's compare the price of Levi's jeans in 1975 compared to the price range of jeans from H&M today.

A pair of Levi's jeans (entirely made in the USA) were 13.00$ USD, adjusting for inflation, this would be around 75.00$ USD today. The average price for jeans at H&M today is around 44.00$ USD.

The reason I'm not comparing Levi's today to Levi's back then is simply because, while Levi's supply chain isn't completely transparent  today, they are still known for making extremely durable and good quality jeans.

This just goes to show that jeans are an item of clothing that, when made sustainably, are worth between, at the very least 80.00-150.00$ USD.

Once you realize that good clothes is expensive, you also realize that you should properly take care of (read the damn care instructions) and cherish the garments you already own. You also understand that you shouldn't buy an excessive amount of clothing and you should only buy items you KNOW you are going to wear, and love for a very long time.

Just a little something to chew on, for the next time you go shopping <3

You may be wondering now, "Well, I already have a closet full of clothes, but I can't seem to make outfits I like". Part 2 of my guide will start to cover style, so be on the lookout for that. Now let's part with something I always say,

A person with true style can make even the ugliest garment look like a great part of an outfit.

avec amour,

Ève

the psychology behind cutting your hair

my hair is living - like overgrowth on a grave cinnamon wine cleans my eyes foxglove stare the perfume veering wildly in my bedroom the mirror complicates my reflection and reminds me of a necklace in the silver coffer that lays forgotten i'm wearing you around my neck today you're etched into my soul the same overplayed CD i carved your name in each petal of my rose a white rose from adam she drunkenly takes off her top and poses in the mirror devoted to neurosis far too young to live the lamppost that forgets to turn off fresh air trapped between two blades so blunt, so dull she tattoos herself to never go out again barbed wire, northern lights i salivate salvation backing away from the mirror, my feet tremble over the pile of detached hair i am fatally female