About Fantastical Beauty Subtypes and Marilyn Monroe

Let's talk about Fantastical Beauty subtypes for a minute. Subtypes, mentioned in this post, have generated a lot of interest, and I suspect a few misconceptions that we can clear up today.

1. Does everyone have a subtype?

Not exactly. A subtype is shorthand for conveying a specific established flavor. It's a way of further personalizing your type in a way that is still categorical. If you find the idea of finding your FB archetype (which of the 9 fantastical beauty types) enough of a challenge, or thoroughly satisfying as an end point in your Fantastical Beauty style journey, that is perfectly fine. You do not need to fret about a subtype- they are simply there to play with if you find it helpful and/or enjoyable.

2. How many subtypes does each archetype have?

In a fantasy archetype analysis with me, you are given a unique moniker (e.g. Nina: The Scarlett Siren). This in itself can be seen as a personalized subtype. It's a very specific vision within one of the 9 Fantastical Beauty archetypes. Because of this, the number of subtypes possible is essentially limitless.

Some of the established subtypes can be found in multiple base archetypes, but the end result is different. For example, a Maenad forest witch is different from a Nymph forest witch, because they emerge from the mood, colors, and style lines of separate base types (see the type guides for more on lines as well as the pinboards for more on base mood). 

3. Celebrity examples and subtypes?

Typing is a personal journey, and therefore it's extremely difficult to assign a base type to a celebrity, let alone a subtype. Celebrities are given distinct looks, often many different looks throughout their careers, and you rarely get the sense that you're seeing the core of the person. It can be fun to muse about their potential truths and archetype leanings, but this is done with a spoonful of salt.

4. Marilyn Monroe is a celebrity example who was requested in discussion of leanings and subtypes. Specifically it was asked that I do "A breakdown of Marilyn Monroe's looks--are they Seer leaning Angel or do they veer into being completely Angel? Can she have Angel as a leaning or would she be a specific sub-set within Seer?

Those of you in our Fantastical Beauty Facebook group know that it's usually better to call a line than a type (and when trying to help one another, we stop at a grouping of four potential types). Monroe's line is indeed Angel / Seer. We would have to be able to talk to her directly to call which side of the line her base truly is.

That said, for the sake of playing, I'd guess her to be a Seer leaning toward Angel. The Three Fates are a subtype possibility for both Seers and Angels, and that might be something to explore for her. In a modern Seer leaning Angel makeover, we'd return her to her natural hair color, let it grow a bit and add waves. We would follow the Seer type guide for at least 60% of her look, and adding up to 40% of the Angel guidelines. 

Part of the question was a request to breakdown not Monroe herself, but the different looks she was seen in- for various movie roles or otherwise. 

Looking quite Seer here in the red.

This (photo above) would be Angel.

It's hard to see here, but the above image looks to be Angel leaning Seer.

Which image of Monroe's (above or seen elsewhere) do you like best for her?

If you want to link Monroe images in the comments and have me comment on them, you're welcome to do so.

FB Guides Update: COLOR!

In response to requests for more information on each of the 9 Fantastical Beauty Archetypes and the unique ways each of the types approach color, I've greatly expanded the color sections in the type guides. There are now three pages of color information in each guide.

The first page is a longer discussion of the type's color scheme (is it bold or blended or contrasted? are there specific colors to focus on?), with a few notes on subtypes (more extensive discussion on subtype or leanings impact on color schemes and choices will be addressed in their own specific guides or blog posts). 

The second page shows sample palettes for each of four seasonal bases (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter coloring), with four sample palettes shown for each seasonal base (16 total sample palettes). 

The third page shows sample color combinations with two sample outfit color combinations shown for each of the four seasons (8 total sample color combinations shown). 

With these suggestions, you have a lot of guidance to use in application of color to your own wardrobe. As added fun, you can customize and apply color to the ensemble illustrations in each guide for your type. You can print out the pages and try your hand at coloring in the outfits using your own best versions of the colors to see how it might look. You can add in your own best prints if you're feeling artistic.

Other updates: For now I've removed the Paypal buttons. You can still use Paypal, but rather than a button, email me with what you'd like to order (products/services), and I will create an invoice and send it to you. Checkout using a card is still available site-wide.  

If you previously purchased a guide and are itching to get your hands on the updated version with detailed color ideas, for a limited time only I’ll update yours for $5 per guide. Email me with your details to take advantage while you can.

On the Value of Wardrobe Budgeting

While part of the appeal of learning your best style is self-expression, another largely appealing aspect is the potential of saving money. Let's run through a few questions to see if you could have put your clothing budget to better use.

• How much money have you spent on clothing you never wear?
• How much of your wardrobe do you regularly wear?
• Is it a problem of Fantasy vs Reality and you've bough items too far out of your comfort zone hoping to push yourself into style growth? Did you buy something on a whim because it seemed really fun, but it turns out it would look much better on someone else (maybe you even had someone in mind in the back of your head)?
• Did you buy something because it was one sale and seemed like a good deal, but isn't actually something you want to wear for any number of reasons?
• Did you buy something because the cut was amazing on you, but the color wasn't, and so you don't wear it as often as you otherwise would? Or vice versa?

You get the idea. There are probably a few culprits in your closet. Even knowing my best style, colors, and so on, I make an unwise clothing purchase here and there. It can be really difficult to pass up $5 whimsical pants that don't really go with anything else in your wardrobe (or whatever your version of this is). I find that people tend to commit the same fashion budget crime again and again. You may know that you aren't going to wear those little black dresses more than once a year, but you still collect them anyway.

One of the worst culprits for poor budgeting is shoes. How many pair do you have in your closet? How many do you wear and how often? Do you regularly choose your one or two pair of flats over a dozen heels options? A survey found that women generally only wear 1/4 of the shoes that they own, with 64% saying that a reason was the shoes aren't comfortable enough and 55% saying that the shoes were difficult to match with an outfit. 86% admitted to owning at least one pair of shoes that they've never worn. I'm not entirely opposed to buying a pair of shoes that you never wear, because some of them are more akin to art than footwear, but in that instance, please display them somewhere you can regularly enjoy their beauty.

It's really good to know what you are and aren't wearing and why. One of the ways to evaluate how well a purchase was made, is to calculate the cost per wear of the item. If you spend $600 on a coat, but wear it 200 days a year for 5 years ($600 / 1000 days), you're looking at 60 cents per wear. On the other hand, if you buy a $60 coat and only wear it twice, you're looking at $30 per wear. I had a coat given to me for free that was not particularly flattering, but served a very specific function and was worn many times and very much worth the space it took up.

Cost Per Wear:
Cost of the item divided by the number of times you've worn it

Space in your home is another cost that isn't often considered. There is a square foot value for your dwelling whether you rent a single room in a shared house or own your own mansion. The more stuff you have, the more space you pay for to simply house your stuff. If you have possessions that you aren't using, you're essentially paying a storage fee for them, because you could otherwise live in a small space. There is a limit to this of course, because even if you own nothing, you require more than 25 square feet to live in., but we're talking about space beyond need. What if you already own your dwelling, you ask? Ah, my friend, but you don't own the land. Property tax is rent you pay to the government for the pleasure of living on their land. The more things you have, the more space you need, and the amount of space you own is a factor in the calculation of taxes. Space is also involved in the calculation of the value of your home. If you have few items, but live in a big house, you could rent or sell the big home in favor of one that is a better fit for the amount of stuff that you have, and then you'll have more money for a really high quality pair of practical yet stylish boots (wonderfully low cost per wear).   

Other important consideration of the value of purchasing choices are environmental and labor concerns. There is a cost to the environment (materials grown/harvested to make the garment, dyes/machinery/pollution to create the garment, planes and trucks to transport the garment, etc) and a cost of labor (humans involved in the production and transportation of the garment- Were they treated and compensated well for their labor?) to consider when you aren't buying secondhand. There are many interesting considerations bundled up in this (class, social currency, green capitalism, etc), that deserve their own articles. For the extent of this article, I'll say that it's a good value to maximize savings (cost per wear) in terms of environmental and labor concerns as well. 

The point of this discussion is evaluative. I'm not interested in making rules or encouraging guilt- I'm interested in increasing beauty and making choices feel easy. If we know how much we want to spend (yearly budget, cost per wear, space for items, global considerations, time shopping, time creating outfits, time diggings through closets), then we are in a very good position for evaluating our purchasing tendencies and knowing how to budget. If we can figure out where there is room to improve our wardrobes, we can make our budgets and our lives that much better.

Stay tuned for a post on how best to budget for a wardrobe over a year.

How to put together a minimalist / modern wardrobe with personality

If you saw my article on the usual, horribly boring, capsule wardrobes, you know I have a bone to pick. Minimal wardrobe can still mean maximal style, and here's how to do it to avoid the dreaded white/grey/black, tshirt/jeans, pop of red, one stripey shirt/dress, capsule. 

If you want to stick with white/grey/black you can and you can do it fabulously. If you want to stick with tops and jeans, you can and you can do it fabulously. The more your wardrobe contains neutrals and casuals, the more oomph and interest those items need to have (or have added to them in the rest of the outfit equation).

Personally I go through periods of loving color, and then needing a break from it, but there are still loads of ways you can work with neutrals. White on white prints are even a thing, and it still doesn't feel overwhelming (when you're seeking minimal/modern out of overwhelm) because it's still just white. 

white on white by inaglassforest featuring a vera bradley backpack

Any choices you can make to push it away from being plain- plain t-shirt, plain jeans, plain skirt, plain shoes, will elevate the look immensely. The following are some possibilities to elevate: 

Texture

satin
course knits
cashmere
(p)leather
suede
vinyl
velvet
fuax fur
fringe
boucle
tweed
embroidery
embossed
tapestry
popcorn
lace

Print

paisley
leopard
floral
stripes
zebra
fronds
gingham
houndstooth
plaid
polka dots
cabling

Color

color-blocking
two tone
brights
pastels
metallic
monotone
neutrals

Design interest

knots
twists
ruffles
layers
pleating
asymmetry
scalloping
necklines (sharp v, mandarin, funnel, queen anne, cowl, etc)
bell sleeves
sheer panels or other texture
one sleeve
piping

 

One Piece Swimsuits for the 9 Fantastical Beauty Archetypes

Fantastical Beauty One Piece Swimsuits 2016 by inaglassforest featuring one-piece swimsuits