Hi all!
Continuing our series of various formality levels, this week we are going to discuss formalwear and special occasions!
Is it a challenge for you? Or an exciting opportunity to wear something different? What impact did the Style Key have on your approach?
We already talked about work outfits and loungewear in the past weeks!
Edit: is there a topic you would like to see featured in these convos? We are open to suggestions!
I just felt depressed saying in my pjs for washing dishes and making breakfast, so I went back to my closet like, okay. What's calling to me. And it was this blouse that I got on instinct months ago but never had the guts to wear?? So shiny?? And so it suddenly became a great opportunity to wear my antique earrings, my favorite MLBB lipstick, a new skirt thats shiny but in a subtler way, and...my house slippers I guess?
I think I had way more shame hiding in me than I realized and even the thought of it being okay to literally dress exactly how I want to has caused some really immediate, interesting changes...It still makes me nervous to do that initial "check in" with myself but truly. Whats the worse that can happen?
The other night I was looking at the outfits from the last few months that have given me the most delight. Hardly any of them used very much situational awareness, truth be told...The intensity is debatable, but it also makes me feel full of wonder to think about: how far will I go, now that Im giving myself permission?? Of course not in a, "let's create the wildest looks imaginable" type of way, but more like, "what's going to happen when I just say yes to what actually EXCITES me?"...which is exhilarating for me..! It feels real and vulnerable but I feel more ready to take on the challenge now.
I had been so avoidant of looking too deep within, probably because my mental health is iffy sometimes, I have traumas that have majorly affected me, Im more than likely ND, etc.-- you know how it is. And to top it off, Im a rushed SAHM, plus Im not really surrounded by the most...stylistically eccentric people, lol. Quite the opposite. Theyre kind and lovely but its not like its already a "thing" around here. Its one thing when you're a teen in school, its more expected. But now in my late 20s with a toddler it's like...I definitely had some rules in my mind about what's acceptable, etc. But honestly rules have never worked for me so I dont think itll be THAT hard to shed the fear...its just strange? And I feel the need to share with others who understand 😅
Slide 2 outfits are some of the more expressive ones, while slide 3 outfits were more careful, cozy, comforting ones, generally. I dont think theres one single aesthetic, really..? But Im surprised to see that there are some recurring themes. Still pondering it all. I def dont always dress FG, SSu, ICN, etc. 😅🤣
Thank you for reading and happy Friday 😊
Hi lovely people!
So, I’ve followed Rita’s system for a couple of years, but for a while I fell out of the habit. Lately though, I have made the conscious decision to stop giving much credit to conventional (patriarchal) notions of “flattering” or “palatable”, and I have never been happier with the way I look. I do exercise some strategic thinking when it comes to things like color season, I don’t wear my season (spring) but I do incorporate one aspect of the season into my look (brightness or warmth).
I have previously jumped from pretty much quadrant to quadrant, but most recently I typed myself as a Ruby. Now I think I was potentially mistaken and may in fact be an Enigma. I relate to the ambiguity around being seen, I want to feel both visible and protected. I do find some importance in how people perceive me and it’s almost painful if I’m perceived the wrong way. I realize now that I have personally been making myself smaller by choosing a down quadrant. I’m still very much in baby shoes when it comes to upness, but I’m excited to explore it.
This look features a clothing item that is very dear to my heart - it’s called an angel armor and it comes from a two person operation in Italy (upcycled and completely painted by hand). The artist is called Kidsa1nt. This is not intended as an advertisement but rather as an acknowledgement of the incredible talent and hard work of a real artist. The angel armors are intended as protective items for people who have been through traumas and rough experiences in life. It also features my trusted chunky combat boots and my recently acquired eyebrow piercing, which I love with all my heart. It’s not the most up look in the world but it makes me feel happy, cool and protected. On another day I wore the same items but included a dark lipstick, something I always wanted to wear but never did because I knew it would be considered unflattering - but I honestly think I completely pulled it off.
The keywords I would choose for this are: enveloping, intriguing, gravity and mysterious.
Thank you for reading 🖤
My apologies for posting back to back like this lol😅 but today was one of the strangest yet easiest getting ready experiences ever!
After Upness came up on my last post, I was like, huh. Wow. Hmm. So today, my challenge was to go full send on both Instinct and Intensity, to the best of my ability. I just let it rip potato chip, and it was actually quite a rush 🤭 And so far today, I actually do feel more bubbly and less shy, paradoxically! Like, "yes, here I am!"
I have always loved to feel that Im being expressive in my style, but it's sometimes felt a little bit high risk, high reward? Since I do feel hypersensitive to my clothes, and I do need them to be "just right" for me, I initially assumed I must be very Down. But now Im re-thinking that, because maybe, my clothes affecting me so much means that I can lean on them to help me come out of my shell, rise to the occassion, show up as my best self...and maybe that does lowkey mean being a little more Up in my best approach than I realized? 🫣 and maybe my best starting point is the internal landscape going on. It all seems to come down to being expressive on MY terms, listening to that voice within etc. I really dont mind being a little "extra", and actually I love it, as long as it's FULLY "me" and in harmony with what's going on within me. I know that my essences/look is sort of on the delicate side and that if my outfit feels loud in the wrong way, Im a mess. But maybe the right kind of loud is going to be an even more fulfilling vision to reach for?
I was a little scared of intentionally listening to that inner voice before, but I think taking the leap has made me feel really happy. Because the voice is there, and I do naturally want to share it with others. I just need to make sure it's done in a well-calibrated, intentional way, it seems. I'll keep taking things one day at a time and trying to learn more and more, but I feel like Im maybe onto something that will be key for me, moving forward.
About the outfit itself-- In my mind, I felt very "doll" today. A touch severe (for me), but also fun and sweet. Pleasant, but somewhat stern. All the pink does feel like color fun for me. And my new pimples are giving this sort of "pinched" look to my face, which somehow feels like natural makeup, like perfect for the mood/vibe? 😅😂 Im leaning into it, so only went for mascara and lipstick. And no necklaces felt like additional intentional vulnerability, while the earrings felt like owning the Ingenue in me. The hairstyle is again my (perhaps subtle) version of "edge", and the puffed shoulders, visible socks and super wide barefoot sneakers all feel like my way of taking up a little extra space. Thanks to the appraoch of looking within and creating the effect I wanted, this look ended up feeling like such a statement of myself, who I am, and how Im feeling. And so miraculously, I dont feel overstimulated at all! Just uplifted, less shy, and a little more confident. It's very energizing and I already am looking forward to tomorrow, which is huge for me 🌸
Hey Hey,
Trying to make it short: I feel and look my best in soft summer colors. Mostly the medium dark to dark colors of that season. Some colors I really like on me tho are closer to soft autum. Like my sage green that I adore. Not even talking the black, that I still wear, even tho not close as often as months before. Which I can get away with, but I know it's not my best.
So, I added this outfit flatlay, with those brownish burgundy clogs. Is there a universe, a way, where those colors could look good together and make sense? I guess bc the colors, like the blues, the taupe are more neutral, it could work, bc it's not too far away from those reds? Or am I wrong and it would look better with a more pronounced contrast. Help :D
I have been looking for this japanese color combo book a while ago. But the thing is, color combos making sense in theory and than making sense on me is a bit of a different thing I guess.
Tia
So still trying to work out my exact quadrant but I know I am Up... and this topic just fits. Honestly if my Seamstress hadn't cancelled last minute I would be giving you the up to date photos of what should be an 80% complete dress.
So I am TECHNICALLY not meeting the 'create an outfit' rule yet... its not all together. But its in progress and I think that counts.
So lets start with a story of a thrift: This is a tuxedo jacket, vest and bowtie I found at the thrift store and in the language of men's fashion its weird.
(I promise this won't take to long to explain. The exact rules and messages of Black and White tie are tedious and I would have to throw myself out a window if I spent to long on them.)
So Tuxedo or Dinner Suit. Defined by Satin on the Lapels and Fabric buttons.But externally this is a very understated Tux. The Lapels are not Shawl Lapels as tradition should state a tux should have. Instead its Notched, normally associated with more standard Lounge Suits (aka standard everyday business Suits). The Satin in turn is very thin when normally the entire Lapel is Satin, and it has a vest, which while less uncommon on a Tux then a suit is still an extra level of formality and seriousness.
But look at that lining. That lining is beautiful. That Lining isn't subtle or refined or trying to remain unnoticed. The contrast in personality between the Iridescence lining and the suit became my inspiration. I had to have it and I had to do something with it.
But that lining is wasted on pants, right? You'll rarely see it on the jacket and the vest, but you will see it. Its made to be seen. But no one is seeing it on pants. And so I brought it home and came up with the concept of "Colour on the inside." It evolved into "Colour on movement" but the underlying idea is the same.
The Dress was originally going to be black... then white... traditional suit colours, but as luck would have it the Seamstress left out a beautiful Eggplant Organza fabric in the open that another client was using and I took one look at that and knew it would be perfect. Combine with a purple layer below it its going to be a very mutted purple BUT when I move every fold and curve of the dress is going to catch the light.
(Picture 6 just the underlayers but helps get the shape of the dress better.)
But this is still understated... not the bright colours of lining.
The dress will be slitted up both sides and underneath will be Azure Blue tights. Maybe they will be ombre tights like the pictures after 6 show... but the shoes are important to answer that question and I want to leave the shoes till the Dress is done. Just straight Azure Blue tights would work if the boots are tall enough.
The whole outfit makes me so happy and the whole outfit sings out to the ideals I am trying to break out of. Because the inspiration is a Tuxedo. Its bound and wrapped in the ideals of The Great Male Renunciation, to stop wearing colours and impractical clothing. To all but defined by Breau Brummell's quote, "To be truly elegant one should not be noticed." If that vest and jacket remain buttoned up and its paired with the intended pants, you are one of many.
Go one layer deeper and it gets a dress back... a hint of that impracticality we have lost... back but the colors are still mutted, the outfit still somewhat subdued. Brummell would make a snide remark about missing the point but he probably wouldn't got much further.
But go a step further... and under it all is the colours I wanted, the rules and limitations about what mens outfits and what formal outfits should be like shattered... the kind of outfit that would make Brummell have a fit.
And yet it remains... a structured, defined outfit, The box is broken... but its still there.
All that inspired by a subtle glance at Iridescence seen in a Thrift Store rack.
Edit: As to the question of where I want to wear this... I feel like the only answer I can give is "Honestly... no plans, only when I think it will be fun. No event I go to in Australia is formal enough to warrant a Tux so I have known from the start this outfit will always be overdressed... and thats half the fun."
I've been hunting for this shade of violet since forever (it could be smudge warmer but whatever) and in my mind it goes with green and blue so I had to make this outfit with it. I know I'm the first in line to say stuff like "Color seasons aren't the boss of me!" but sometimes I do enjoy wearing outfits in soft grayish colors like this one (even though the violet is rather winter deep and creates harsh contrast with the spring-y skirt).
Lately I've been craving more warmth & cosiness - some of it is certainly the wheel of the year turning, bc I've always been fond of fall and winter and do associate it with softer light, cozy knits & interiors, fairy lights and clear starry skies, but also the sharing of food, light and warmth between humans that was so important for surviving as groups.
But some of it is also, I think, relaxing into my placement, and wanting more softness for myself. In the Style Roots I use both Moon & Earth, and my version of Moon has always been more mysterious & playful than edgy and sharp. I think Earth gives it warmth and grounding, and I do love more earthy tones and warm woods. For some reason I really backed myself into a corner by confining myself to a winter palette, which ended up very restrictive bc I basically don't like any pastels, icy or bright colours on myself.
Someone in the Style Roots sub suggested that I might benefit from more autumn colours, and it kinda resonated with me. I started out thinking I was either Deep Autumn or Deep Winter, bc deep colours are really what I tend to be drawn to, and I generally like colors to be a little more muted.
I looked at the yin & yang boards and the yin & yang parties that I made for Kibbe months ago, and what strikes me is how warm & softly luminous they are - muted, deep but not cool. Earthy in a gently magical way, serene but not in a minimal way, more in a contemplation of beauty kinda way. And I think that's something I want to convey more in my style, for myself and others (and I think this is what Rita was trying to tell me with her shimmering lake in the late afternoon analogy - serenity, beauty and depth).
I'm probably incoherently rambling, sorry, but I thought I would share!
Had to think a bit about “fun”. I have fun, lots of it, don’t worry, but fun isn’t much of an active style priority most days. I’ve been experimenting with neon a bit which is maybe officially on the fun side? but my neon outfits are more in a mood of “quietly strange”.
But fun: the combination of red and pink. Or maybe different pinks, like today. Plain black tights not pictured. Was going to add magenta socks for the red and pink idea, but somehow ended up with these and liked it even better. (The yellow green is one of my truly very worst colours, as I just said in response to Altruistic_Ad’s amazing use of this colour, but a little bit of sock showing between shoes and tights I can live with.) I also liked how this was a little autumnal but also not. 😈😈
Before adding in the colour challenge and the “fun”, i was trying to get at a sense of “fragile human creature lost in open space”, untethered and vastly insignificant but with a distinctly human little soul. i realise the colours in the accessories add something else, but to me the original idea is still there (though not necessarily legible, which is fine).
Looks like we’re seeing a lot of red and pink and purple in the “fun” challenge?
Hi all, after such kind encouragement yesterday (thank you!) I thought I would have a crack at this challenge. I feel confident that I am a right-down but am keeping an open mind and experimenting when it comes to archetype, until I learn more. This is pretty boring compared to other outfits I've seen posted, but it is very 'me'.
This outfit is right in that my starting point is always, what is appropriate for my day/circumstances, etc. - this is pretty much non-negotiable for me although I am perhaps prepared to allow more of a spectrum than I initially thought. It is down in that this is a very comfortable formula for me, both physically and psychologically.
Although this colour is bold and I'm not typically, it is a favourite that I am consistently drawn to (since I was a kid tbh) and so happy it's been more available lately! I've seen it styled with light blue a lot lately so I chose these jeans to play with the colour combo in a subtle way. I think my approach here aligns a lot with the Curator archetype - instinct-led comfort within the context of the quadrant. No shoes even because I'm just puttering at home! :)
I am open to correction on anything I'm saying here! Thank you for reading; sorry it's long but trying to think through the process :)
So for this challenge I decided to basically show off a bit of colour theory. since this challenge is about fun colours, and the mere fact that I've been adding more and more colour to my outfits over the past year or two, and have basically been playing with colour theory in order to spark some new life to my wardrobe, and to also provide a fun twist to the typical alternative fashion that you tend to see out there, I've decided to showcase a few outfits that I have done recently that Illustrates this. And each of the outfits are sorted by colour harmonies.
So starting things off, I made an outfit that uses the split complimentary palette. technically the split should be between green, orange, and purple, but since I don't really have a lot of orange in my closet, I replaced it with yellow instead. so technically it's a hybrid of split and classic complementary colours, and together I find this colour palette to be quite pleasing to the eyes. And this was such a fun outfit too! My favourite part of this outfit besides the graphic tee would have to be the bat tights, the donut crossbody purse, and the little ghost earrings that I personally made myself! I really thing it ties to the theme quite nicely and to think that this outfit all started in my head and me obsessively staring at the donut purse and the green top and having me think of a idea to put together something that is cool and fun and a bit playful, and true to me.
Next up is the complimentary colours and here I did purple and yellow and red and green. surprisingly, I actually like the red/green combo? especially when balanced with the black? it makes it look perfectly alt and less Christmassy since usually this colour combo evokes that feeling but here, I just see it as just another bold colour pairing choice! and though I do prefer the yellow/purple combo since one of my favourite colours is purple!! the red/green isn't too bad! I also find it funny how the two colour combos also creates this type of artist vibe in my head if that makes sense? perhaps its the hat? or maybe it's because of the fact that we are playing with colour theory here, but I feel like the red and the green creates more of a bolder, funky and a somewhat rebellious vibe where as the purple and the yellow creates more of a dreamy, sensual and radiant vibe. and yet somehow she's a bit more mischievous and a prankster compared to the red and the green!
And then we have the triadic colours. specifically purple and (mint) green, and red and yellow. the purple and mint green creates a dreamy feeling and appearance; like a colourful and mythical gothic princess that stepped out into the real world... just to go do some grocery shopping! 😂 No joke, I actually did wear this out to run errands in because that's what I was in the mood for on that day, and also I was curious about how the purple and the mint green would look together!! but this can totally be worn for a night out as well! Meanwhile the red and yellow combo evoked a powerful feeling! very rock n roll and punk all mashed up into one with a touch of glam and a sprinkle of spice on top! this was one of the few times that I've actually paired red and yellow together since I don't have too many red items in my closet and most of my yellow items are tops so this combo doesn't really come up too much but when it does... *chefs kiss* it's passionate. it's bold. and its unapologetic!! it needs to take up space!! I don't wear flares much because I'm vertically challenged (😭), which is a shame because some of the flares and baggy pants that I see out there comes in these bold colours and prints and it's like I would love to experiment on them some more and see how else I can style them and such! but yeah long story short, these two outfits were also fun to put together and is also one of my favourites!!
And finally, we have the monochromatic colours. and at first I thought it was analogous until I did my research, and it turns out that these are actually monochromatic, since we are adding the white to the red to make pink! so anyways this pairing was quite unexpected! I didn't expect to fall in love with this colour combo and I'm quite please with how it turned out! though with this particular pairing, it felt a little blah for some reason? (see the very last slide to see what I mean!) like it needed something else to add some more pizzaz to the look. and so i reached for a fluffy black fur coat and at first it felt like it was a bit much so I took it off before realizing that the outfit was missing something without it. it needed some more life added to it and so I tried it again with the coat and then added in my accessories and some sunglasses and a beanie to finish the look off and I ended up creating something that I can only describe as urban? I know it's not just urban, like its probably something like an urban diva or something like that? or I guess someone who is casually punk that decided to dip their toes into some glamour while rolling around in some grit and toughness! my favourite part of this outfit besides the coat would have to be the alien choker since it not only adds a pop of colour to this technically monochromatic look, but it's also a slight nod to the complimentary as well.
I had fun with this challenge and going through some of the outfits that I had created recently that would fit right in with this prompt! Please let me know what you guys think!