Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.  — Khalil Gibran

Today and yesterday (1/18-1/19) are days with a special meaning to me, and because of that I thought I'd share a post with a darker look today to sort of reflect on the significance these couple days hold for me. I was debating on doing this for a while but decided to just go ahead and be real and raw with you guys because sometimes the darker, scarier parts of your past are the important bits that turned you into the stronger person you are today, and that's really what this is for me. In some of these images, my scars are visible, and I do have a tattoo right nearby them that isn't quite visible in this post on my inner arm stating this too shall pass (an adage indicating that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary). This look is not only a physically layered look, but also a way for me to share a story beneath the layers and a bit of who I really am.

I absolutely loved this long, loose tank from Tobi so much that I got it in both colors. It's not only super comfortable, but fun and versatile to style. Here I decided to go a bit edgier and style it with a variety of all black layers. Because "I own too much black" was said by no one ever.

For warmth as well as pattern and texture, I first threw on my ripped faux garter tights to the 'fit. I then added my American Apparel disco shorts to add some curves as well as to keep the main focus on the uniquely cut top. I really wanted to showcase the variety of layers that comprised the look, and here you can see the oversized snood (scarf-hood) from Zara and boxy-fitted cotton Moto Jacket from Urban Outfitters which made up my final top layers and definitely added enough heat to keep me comfortable through any cold front.


I completed the look with this crazy bralette underneath which I absolutely love because of the sort of diva/dominatrix vibe it emanates. Though I found this one at a small store in Los Angeles, they do carry an extremely similar one at Tobi as well as in Nasty Gal I believe. It helped rough up the look which was finished off with my distressed black JC Litas.

What I love about this layered look is how this can easily transition from something slightly more conservative and covered with the layers, maybe something for the daytime, to then strip down into something edgier and rough that can also come out to play at night. Since the look spoke loudly enough on its own, I just used a few flash tattoos to subtly accessorize.


This was the perfect look to reveal my personal story with because one thing about my scars as well, is how I used to be ashamed of them and cover them up. Now I wear them with pride and bold outfits like this which somewhat showcase them are something that I am no longer afraid of.

Scars are a symbol of the darkness and the wars we went through, a symbol of our strength and our ability to overcome any given obstacle. I spent the better half of the first couple years after I first made these scars trying to erase them with any possible means. Until I finally learned this amazing truth about the light that comes from the deepest parts of ourselves, and really accepted my dark past and used it to become a stronger more enabled and ennobled woman.

Cheryl Rainfield touched upon this subject in a most comparable and humanizing way in her book Scars, “Other times, I look at my scars and see something else: a girl who was trying to cope with something horrible that she should never have had to live through at all. My scars show pain and suffering, but they also show my will to survive. They're part of my history that'll always be there.” 


Thank you for letting me reveal a more personal layer of myself. My hope is that this post has at least slightly encouraged anyone who's been through some tough times to step out of the darkness and to truly take the light out of your situation, and use it to empower you. The most important relationship you'll ever have is the one you have with yourself, and I encourage you all to take the time to really maintain that relationship because sometimes it's the one we tend to forget about first. And of course, as always with this blog as a whole I hope that my personal style story of today has inspired you and your wardrobe as well.

Be sure to check back in soon! Without revealing too much, there's a lot of exciting things to come and you definitely won't want to miss out.