"I have nothing to wear, I need to go shopping, but what to buy..?"
Maybe this note will be of help to someone who needs to get things straight in their head in a situation like "I have nothing to wear, I need to go shopping, but what exactly should I buy…?"

If there's no positive understanding of what you should buy, you can at least clearly define what is a no-no, even if you like it very much.
I'll do without the course terminology now and try to make it clear for everyone.

There's only one thing you will need to do: draw up your descriptive self-portrait according to these 4 points below to see what clearly isn't your thing and why:

1. Contrast

2. Graphicality

3. Femininity

4. Amiability


So!

1. If you took a look at my b&w photos where I have no makeup, you would see that my appearance is quite contrasty (there will me many hues on the photo from light to dark), but there will be no black, and if there's black next to me on the picture, it will steal the attention from me.

That's why I'm not going to buy anything black, and since I've stopped loving contrasts in clothes, I'm not buying anything in light-tones either: my appearance demands contrast for the light tones.

So the clothes I buy will be within the range from midtones to darker shades. With the darker ones being more preferable.

• Collect a few pictures of yourself and see (b&w ones can be more demonstrative) - what catches your eye, what makes you more noticeable - when you're wearing darker or lighter colors?

(This is related neither to the season, nor the mood or fashion).

2. If we define appearance as either painterly or graphical, I'm closer to the latter group: my portrait will look more convincing if made in charcoal or ink, as compared to watercolors.

My head, face, jawline and eyebrows are more sharp-edged and remind of the Soviet quality mark, the lizard's head and other things around that five-angled spirit. So these are the lines I have to keep in mind if all of a sudden I fall in love with an item that has soft draping that would turn me into a guttering candle, or any accessories - be it glasses, bags or shoes.

Each and every item in my closet has to have angles, and the sharper these angles, the lighter and more delicate my image. And more feminine… by the way. So, whatever my mood may be, I will never buy an item with some romantic floral print if I'm going to actually wear it and not just bring it home and bury forever in the depth of my closet. I'll also abstain from other obviously feminine garments: they would only emphasise my androgyny in the most terrible way and make me look like an elderly cross-dresser.

• Is your appearance rather painterly or graphical? (What do people around you say about it?)

If an artist would rather draw your face and shape using straight lines, better stick to them. If you're all about curves and rounds, follow this fluidity. If your portrait can be done with the help of triangles and zig-zags - support it with the respective prints, lines and details.

3. If we try to find a place for me on a scale from Marylin Monroe to Tilda Swinton, it is obvious that I couldn't be farther from MM with her curves and dimples. But as for Tilda, I would be much closer to her for the reason above (androgyny). I.e. if we look at people's appearance (regardless of biological gender) as being girly, boyish, male or female, I'm the closest to boyish.

And this is what I have to remember about if suddenly I feel drawn to lace stockings, high heels, tulip skirts or shawls. All of this is no good for me. My fabrics must hold their shape, even the finest ones.

• Who are you closer to on this scale? Look where you would place yourself on it. It is important. Both Marylin in an angular suit and Tilda in a floral ruffle dress would look equally ridiculous.

4. I'm not a kind-hearted soul, I don't notice attention coming my way and I'm not afraid of it, but I'm not interested in communication and whenever I go out, most of all I long for peace and quiet. So I'm all for it, if the way I look draws attention but keeps people at a distance at the same time. That's why I choose unusual combinations of colors, dark shades, sharp details and maxi length with provocative cuts and slits in unexpected places.

• If someone keeps on telling you that you need to be simpler, check: what is it in your choice of clothes and words that makes people think they have the right to come up to you with advice like that?

If you are a soft and kind-hearted person, take a careful look at the garment you intend to buy - is it funny, simple, easy to take care of?

...I've failed to write this note the way it was intended to. But I'll repeat from the beginning: first of all, identify your color saturation.

Even if you don't know your seasonal color and you're not sure whether you need a warmer or a cooler hue, knowing your optimal degree of darkness is already a lot. In addition, there are also temperature-neutral colors, I'll look for some examples to add in the comments.

Now the post office is finally opening (the sponsor of this post written during one hour of waiting)))), so I'll update it later.

For now I'm leaving it as is, without proofreading.

The main thing you should just keep in mind: you are free to break all of these rules. If you know how. And what for.

Continuation #KachuraOnAir

As for the first point (about the color) - if you feel good in black, then it is very likely that it's not just good for you, but actually the best. And you're the lucky one that can buy black only and look gorgeous. They promise this refers to everyone. But in fact it refers only to you.

Add silver to your full-on black uniform (in accessories) - and if you are a strict, or despiteful, dominative, rough or misanthropic person by nature - you will immediately become recognizable in this consistency.

But if you are a woman (and not just a human, yes-yes-yes) who is passionate, temperamental and active - complement the silver accessories with red, lemon yellow, sky blue or even orange - be it shoes, bags, glasses-belts-scarves-hats - and you will be permanently shining in your total black outfit.

White is difficult because of the teeth, but see for yourself… I personally wouldn't go for it.

To my mind, having a total black wardrobe for all seasons and events is incredibly cool. If black suits you, it is really beyond competition.

As for the painterly and the graphical - if you have sharp collarbones, cheekbones, straight hair and long fingers (naming the first things that come to mind), it's all about graphical.

A few words about androgyny.

If you dressed up like a boy or a man - would that be convincing? Or like in the Ballad of the Hussars or in the Ordinary Miracle? (*Old Soviet comedies)

About the body lines. Take a picture of yourself in a swimming suit, trace the contour. Are there a lot of curves, are they clearly visible?

Since we've all been taught that "a woman must…", it may be difficult to look at yourself objectively, of course… Intuitively, the majority would prefer to be a warm seasonal color, have an oval face, smooth round thighs and all that… and people somehow keep pushing the rope, making believe in something that is not there.

And in that case there's probably no way to help at a distance. Anyhow, it didn't help me when many years ago Simona Shulman suggested the androgynous type in me and offered to try on men's suits: those were the times when I was striving to smoothen my angles, hide by straight thighs under several skirts at a time and change the proportions of my lizard head with the help of palatine turbans. Also beautiful, for sure. I like the pictures from that period...

Try different things. Search. I've tried to give you a few hints about what exactly you should pay attention to.

And one more thing.

When you're buying an item (any item), keep the picture of your apartment in your head: when everything is from the same fairy tale, every new thing you bring into the house will fit into the already arranged company. If your apartment is not about you yet, if for now it's just a rented place with the enforced collection of objects you didn't get to choose, then keep in mind the mood board of the apartment of your dreams (yes, it's something you need to do - that's what once led me to the redecoration, and the result was totally worth it).

And the last thing.

If your archetype is the Artist, forget everything you've just read and create in your own style, you don't need anyone's advice.

(the pictures: me in 2008 and 2016)
Russian version there

Drawing by Evgenia Dvoskina