The Lie We’ve Been Told About How We Dress

“A succulent wild woman is one of any age who feels free to fully express herself in every dimension of her life.” 

― S.A.R.K., Succulent Wild Woman

As a society, we assume women are a certain way if they like certain things. For some reason, we take people less seriously when they enjoy small talk, simple pursuits and materialism. Whether we realize it or not, we judge people who like to talk about fashion, makeup, celebrity gossip, the latest reality tv show. Some of us assume that those who delight in lighter topics have little else to offer or that they have less depth, less intelligence. Their values just not at the same “vibration” as ours.

But since when is dressing stylishly a reflection of one’s intelligence?

I think a lot of women are afraid to dress cute because they don’t want other people to think they’re less intelligent, have less to offer. It’s like we want people to believe that there is more to us, more depth than just our physical appearance. In the movies, it’s always portrayed in the same way: the smart girl dresses down and doesn’t care about her outfit. The mean or popular girl, is stylish and feminine and maybe a bit flashy with her style. It’s always the more ditzy character that wear rhinestones and bright pink.

Somehow we’ve started subconsciously believing that to care about how you dress is superficial.

We’ve started to believe that it’s shallow to care about how you look. To put on makeup. To want to feel fabulous.

But that’s the lie we’ve been taught.

We’re taught to not to draw attention to ourselves, to not wear the colors and fabrics we love because we’ll stand out.

How you dress is important

How you dress affects the way you feel. Without question.

When you wear clothes, textures, colors, and fabrics that feel joyous to you, you stand taller. You feel stronger. You sit in your power. And the amazing thing about style is that everyone’s unique preferences are different! Style is how we can easily express who we are, offer a glimpse of our inner world and what we feel in the current moment.

You may feel that you are most confident, most yourself, when you wear yoga pants, a sweatshirt and a bare face. Or maybe you feel the most authentic ✨you✨ in a pair of jeans and a blazer.

For me, I feel total alignment with my highest self when I dress in color, when I swipe on a pair of lipstick, when I wear a pair of earrings. I feel more confident in a dress than pants. More confident in an A-line skirt than jeans. I feel more myself in vibrant hues over neutrals. I feel stronger in a leather jacket than a sweatshirt. I feel like the world is my oyster when I wear bold hats. When I have perfume on. When I have a bunch gold bracelets on my wrist.

Self-expression is how we play and playing with style is one of the simplest ways to do that. Not following trends, not following the latest fashions or what appears to be popular in that current time. (just a surefire way to look like literally everyone else).

Style is how you express and feel connected with your truest, most authentic self.

So allow yourself to feel fabulous!

My Favorite Clothing and Jewelry Brands (for the nostalgic romantic….)

And with that, I wanted to compile a little spot on my blog where you can find my favorite clothing brands! Whether you like a more feminine style or more vintage, nostalgic looking, I hope this is a helpful resource for you in data-collecting and learning about your current style and aesthetic! Shine bright, be you! ☀️

Also, fun tip: your venus sign in your natal chart reflects your aesthetic, what you’re attracted to and your style / design preferences. Isn’t that interesting?!

What sign do you have your venus located in?

So with that….here’s my list:

Miss Patina – My Favorite Clothing Brand

Miss Patina is my #1 favorite place to shop for clothes. While I love to thrift and find a lot of my best pieces from thrift stories, I have to be honest with you: 80% of my closet is Miss Patina. 

And here’s the thing: I’m an extremely discerning shopper. I have high standards and I’m picky about what I allow into my life. Anything I consume or buy needs to be an accurate reflection of 1.) who I am a core level and 2.) a reflection of the highest, purest version of myself. And for me, the quality and texture matters just as much as the aesthetic. 

And so while I am very picky, when I find a brand that I love, I am a loyal customer until the end. And Miss Patina is THAT brand. I’ve been buying dresses from them since I moved to France in 2018 and I always feel like my most authentic self in their dresses.

 

Miss Patina is a U.K. based online shop for the whimsical, vintage-loving, nostalgic romantic. Clothing with an air of sweetness but with enough quirk to stand out in a crowd. If you love cottage core, the victorian era, tea and cats, you’ll love their wide selection of outfits. I personally love their collared dresses, all of their assessors (particularly their necklaces, cat scarf, lace stockings, and their classic boater hats here and here. While I prefer clothes in pastels and brighter colors, if you enjoy more of a dark academic style, they have a whole selection of neutral pieces as well! Their yellow cat coat and cat collared shirts are my personal fav! The above 60s inspired flower dress is here!

Tip: When you find a piece of theirs that you really love, make sure to order it while it’s available because some outfits go out of stock and never return! My favorite dress is a “Alice Tea Time dress” which I purchased back in 2019 and I’m so glad I got it then as they don’t sell it anymore. There are other dresses I’ve had my eye on for years but only have a size small (and don’t like they will update their stock) – which….is just the saddest feeling for a Taurus sun / Leo moon.

MY FAVORITE CLOTHES FROM MISS PATINA

Use my code “Helena17” at checkout for 17% off your Miss Patina purchase!

» cat collar shirt 

» yellow cat coat

» cecila dress

» striped top 

» prairie dress 

» black French girl dress 

» swing daisy dress 

» glamis dress

» pembroke dress

» trench coat 

» jaquelyn top

» sommerville cream top

» windermere top

» colette top blue 

» purple ripple skirt

SHOP MY FAVORITE ACCESSORIES

» cat scarf

» pearl necklace 

» black choker necklace 

» boater hat

» floral lace tights 

» butterfly clips 

 

Son de Flor

For the longest time I dreamed of twirling in linen dresses by Son de Flor. I’d see dreamy photographs on Instagram of girls in flower fields and have been wanting to try their dresses to fulfill my cottage core dreams! Plus, linen is just the most magical texture. As I get older, quality has become so important. I no longer want to own pieces that won’t stand the test of time. It’s a waste of money in the long run. And linen is something that is always worth the extra investment, so needless to say, I’m a big fan of their linen dresses. 

Tip: I’ve owned their wrap dresses, but I find the dress never stays closed no matter how tight you tie it and I have to keep tightening it throughout the day, which led me to sadly donate it. 

Also, you might want to buy in a size down. I’m typically a size medium and even after taking my measurements and getting the correct sized, the dresses I’ve gotten from Son de Flor run a bit big and they look very loose on me. While they look so cute, they don’t look fitted, which I prefer. In the future, I’ll be getting dresses in a size small, just to ensure that it’s a bit more fitted, especially in the arms.

You can find their beautiful linen dresses here!

Catori Life ethical jewelry

This is a recent find I’ve become obsessed with! Over the years, as with clothing, I’ve also found myself transitioning to buying less but better. 

And this means putting an end to my earlier habits. Meaning? No more cheap, fake gold plated jewelry from Monoprix and Claires! Instead, I own fewer pieces that I’m absolutely obsessed with. I now opt for quality brass and bronze pieces. The golden hue reminds me of the sun!

Catori Life is an all woman owned, ethical jewelry brand with a mission to support the healing & restoration of our planet. Their jewelry is made from all ethically sourced and recycled materials, and 20 trees are planted for each piece of jewelry sold!

If you’d like to get some quality pieces for yourself, use my link here to get $20 off your purchase! This is not an affiliate code, but if you purchase from my link, we both get $20 off their jewelry! So fun!

Simple Retro

Simple Retro has the cutest pieces for feeling nostalgic, romantic and old-fashioned! I specifically love their “yellow knit wool sweaters” and floral dresses and they were kind enough to gift some pieces to me! My yellow wool sweater is so cozy and I’m always wearing it this winter. I’m obsessed with some of their dresses like this darling blue dress, this pink floral dress  , pastel floral dress and then also this cute, feminine handbag! So sweetly feminine!

I asked them to give me a discount code for you, and you can get 10% off your purchase with my code HW10 – these links listed above help to support my blog and creations (at no extra cost to you) so thank you in advance!