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New Years Resolutions for the Aesthetically Minded
By Destroyx | January 2, 2009
Instead of coming up with the usual new years resolutions like exercising more and eating healthier I thought I’d come up with some new years resolutions for discerning aesthetes.
Inspire yourself
Visually stimulate yourself as much as possible.
- Visit your local library and pour through costume history books and back issues of Interview magazine.
- Be inspired by Japanese Fruits magazine or street style communities and fashion blogs. My favourites include Haute Macarbe, Lookbook.nu, The Sartorialist & Facehunter.
- Go to art galleries and events. Keep your eyes open for interestingly dressed people on the street
Above: Some of my MAC pigments which you can mix your own colours up with. I’ve recently become interested in experimenting with different colours. Before that I really only ever wore black/red/white/grey makeup.
Try something different
Experiment and challenge your personal aesthetic and style sensibilities.
- Spend time experimenting with your makeup.
- Wear your hair differently.
- Wear dangerously red lipstick.
- Try out makeup tutorials. Let these people show you how it’s done- Petrilude, Leesha & Doe Deere.
- Buy racy lingerie and wear it all the time.
- Don’t wait for that ’special day’ to wear your favourite clothes.
- Screw ‘day time’ and ‘night time’ looks, just wear whatever you feel like at the time.
- Wear your red glittery shoes to work or school.
- Embrace that which you hate, who knows what will happen?
Above: Racy lingerie rules! It can make you feel pretty damned special.
Dress like you mean it
Wear clothes that make you feel confident.
- Pay attention to small outfit details like jewelry, hats and hosiery.
- Plan your outfits in advance and get excited about them. Get a notebook to jot down your outfit ideas.
- Save up and buy something amazing, don’t splurge on cheap stuff you don’t need.
- Wear skyscraper high heels that give you nosebleeds (it might hurt sometimes… but it’s worth it!)
- Most importantly… have fun with your clothing.
Surround yourself with beautiful things
Make your creative environment your own.
Above: This is what my desk in Berlin used to look like. I like being surrounded by inspirational images & quotes… oh and I like heart shaped fairy lights and antlers too!
- Pin up your favourite inspirational images and quotes around your desk.
- Forget beige, try coloured furniture.
- Go and buy some original art. It’s not always expensive and it’s always uplifting to look at. My favourite artists include Nubby Twiglet and Antigirl.com… and hopefully I’ll have some of my art prints to share with you in the near future.
- Get hold of the most interesting furniture you can find. Last year I got this replica Panton Heart Chair because every time I sit in it I feel like an evil dictator commanding an armada of space ships!
- Have mini exhibitions at home to celebrate the beauty of your favourite objects. I have a bright red shelf from Ikea where I display my precious objects. I theme my ‘exhibitions’ and rotate the objects on display, if I didn’t do this, most of my stuff would lie dormant in my wardrobe.
Above: My current mini exhibition of my favourite corsets and shoes of the month.
Do it yourself
Create your reality
- Don’t hold yourself back and constantly think ‘what if I had the money to buy this..’ Making your own things can be intensely satisfying, so get crafty!
- Make a burlesque fascinator or a bow tie.
- Buy cheap second hand clothing and make it your own.
- Go crazy with swarovski crystals and feathers.
- Modify that band t-shirt you bought and never worn that’s 10 sizes too big for you.
- Learn how to make your own latex clothing.
- Make hundreds of origami flowers.
Above: Making bows, something I’m currently obsessed with and hundreds of origami flowers I made for a friends wedding.
Do you have any visually related New Year’s resolutions?
If so, please share them!
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:12 am
Your list is awesome! I agree with displaying your favorite items. It’s fun to buy big, basic white shelving and curate mini exhibitions of favorite shoes and accessories. Is your heart chair comfortable? I’m dying to get one!
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 am
Hehehehehe…..It’s so cool that the flowers you made for my wedding got featured in your blog!!! :) We shipped the bouquet back from London - It’s sitting on the bookshelf next to me! :D
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 am
I absolutely love this post! Just had to say that! I’ll be sure to follow the advice :)
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:38 am
try this site ! http://streetstyl.es/
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:42 am
Hey Nubby! Thank you for visiting my blog! You are such an inspiration to me for starting this blog so it fills me with a lot of glee to see you here!
Yeah I noticed that you also put your shoes up on your shelves! I mean they are works of art and you need to give them the glory they deserve.
I LOVE my heart chair. I couldn’t get the real one in Australia, so I found this importer that did a mighty fine replica. It’s not like your regular lounge chair because there is no head rest because that bit forms the dip in the heart shape. However it is still very comfortable. You can even sit sideways in the chair and put your head on one of the side bits. It’s good for curling up and reading a good book in. The cone chair is also really comfortable and is more conventional (but who wants conventional, when you can get the heart chair!)
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:55 am
Oh, wow. I’m jealous of your MAC collection.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I adore that lingerie! its so cute! <3
a coke zero fan I see too…XD
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Purr_Dee_Fae- YAY! It makes me so happy that you shipped them home with you. That’s awesome. I thought that you would have thrown them out, but it fills me with great happiness that you didn’t =)
Vixel- Hey there! Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you liked the tips, I hope they can help you out. BTW.. I checked out your blog and it’s sweet. =)
Murderfreak Ray- That’s fantastic! Thanks for that Ray. I have never seen that one before!
Aillecks- I know… I’m a bit obsessed.. I haven’t had a chance to play around with it all yet, but I’m looking forward to using it.
Kara- yeah.. coke zero is awesome. I used to drink normal coke every day, but I think it was probably ruining my teeth so I switched.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
This has to be my favorite blog thus far.
It was fantastic. You give great style tips. Thanks to you, I’m hopefully on my way to a much fiercer looking me :)
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:06 pm
My visually orientated resolutions are to display more of my art (in my bedroom, at school *if its deemed suitable;)* )
great post DX
x
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:23 pm
One of my New Year’s aesthetic resolutions is to get more and break myself into higher-heeled shoes (over 3″). I’ve lined up all my shoes at the front door for all to see.
Where did you get those black-and-white button boots? I feel like I’ve seen them or ones similar to them somewhere. I think they’d go well with this jacket
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I like the list ^^ Inspiration is the key! :D
I’m planning to buy a corset (just like the one on the 1st picture), Demonia boots (here’s a picture: http://i44.tinypic.com/xp8tnd.jpg ), and make a crazy haircut ^^ I’m going to have a blue frange, and black-and-blue dreadlocks ^__^
DX, how was your New Year’s Eve?
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Oh, and I forgot to tell you, that my blog’s (in French) name was inspired by your band! And more precisely, its name is a-la-mode-a-la-mort :D
(I have it since beginning of may 2008)
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 am
link massacre for ms lingerie queen
http://www.miodestino.co.uk/boutique/
http://boutiques.petite-coquette.co.uk/
http://www.emeraldpillow.com/
http://www.lascivious.co.uk
http://www.figleaves.com/uk/home.asp
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:47 am
PVC- Thanks sweetie! I’m glad you are inspired!
Videokid- Ohh.. that’s a great resolution. More art is always a good thing.
Lisa- YAY for heels.. the higher the better… you can do it!
My boots were from Steve madden, but there are a lot of cheaper ones out there with similar styles.
Murdercute1994- That plan is great, you are going to look amazing!
My NYE was a bit uneventful… but the people next to us had an insane house party with a noise band, so it actually turned out cool =)
Yay for your blog!
k0mmissar- YAY! Thanks for that dude… but… it could be a bad thing, more lingerie? NOoooooo…. My bank account will suffer!
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:59 am
That’s cool that you got a nice NYE evening :D mine wasn’t that good… I had to stay with my parents in my house, and for the first time my dad gave me a dose of champagne like for an adult - so there’s no suprise, that I was pretty drunk. That’s good that it all end up with zigzag walking, and falling quite fastly asleep (but I was concious all this time and there was no “cut movie” syndrome)…
Oh, and here’s the adress of my blog:
http://a-la-mode-a-la-mort.skyrock.com/
Even if you won’ understand much, it’ll show you a bit of my interests etc. (I love putting pictures in the articles).
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 am
awesome blog DX I love your exhibitions, awesome resolutions aswell, mine were the usual “eat better” and “exercise” but i know ill never do it lol ill try some of yours instead =P
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Oh, I agree with everything! I’ll need to wear dangerously red lipstick someday, it looks good on me but I don’t think I can use it, whatever.
I envy your MAC collection, it seems great.
I really liked your bows and the origami flowers, they are so cute!
I really love your blog, it’s really inspiring. I come here everyday.
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Loved your shoes and corsets that were on display. The oragami flowers look so pretty. I’m not patient enough to sit and do oragami. When I do end up starting a oragami project i end up getting so frustrated because I can’t get the fold’s right, haha. You have a lot of MAC pigments. I hadn’t thought of mixing them before, though. Your blog is very inspirational to me. =D Thank you!
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:46 pm
This post is brilliant. I love the idea of putting your favorite objects on display gallery style. I totally need an evil space dictator chair.
Thank you for this!
January 4th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
This blog is an absolute feast! The tips are great, and the visual stimulus is something I can hardly take my eyes off.
I really admire your fashion aesthetic. It’s so refreshing to see someone out there with an aesthetic that blends so many looks and doesn’t firmly ride the coat-tails of any pre-existing and worn out fashion ideal.
As a fashion student, I often get put down or harshly judged for my love of ‘darker’/'alternate’/whatever fashion. Unfortunately the fashion world (as much as people refuse to admit it) is frequently conservative and repetitive. It seems fashion students (and tutors) will rave over Vivien Westwood and how ‘bold’ she was in the 70s and write many papers on her, yet if someone is standing before them and not dressed in the latest Bardot or Stella McCartney attire, they’ll take you down (or at least try). However, not every fashion lover and student is like that.
I perhaps went off on a minor tangent… What I’m trying to say is, with a blog like yours, it’s inspiring to not give up and give into what everyone else would like you to be. It’s certainly inspiring to maintain my own aesthetic quirks, and to not ‘tone it down’ to suit my peers like I sometimes get tempted to do.
Also, I definitely have material envy ;) Do you buy most of your fabric in Australia, or offshore?
I love making my own accessories, too, but trying to find good material around my area is one heck of a task!
January 4th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Ohh My!
I’m very jealous of your MAC selection!
We only recently got MAC where I live, and Im trying to save up as much as possible to buy pretty much everything!
*already spent about £60+ there already!
I think this is a wonderful way to reflect what you’re going to do in the new year!
and It’s given me plenty of ideas, too!
so thank you very much! :)
xx
January 5th, 2009 at 3:55 am
Wow! love the MAC collection. So envious.
thanks for linking the tutorials, learned some new tricks.
One of my resolutions for this year is very common, that being to lose more weight. However I also want to try my hand at making some of my own clothes. I’ve been looking at some online tutorials on making corsets.
January 5th, 2009 at 4:11 am
you are freakin awesome…i wish i could be half as inspired as you are…you go girl!!!
January 5th, 2009 at 5:09 am
Ooh :) The bows are so cute. How do you make yours?
January 5th, 2009 at 10:07 am
what a great post, beautiful… i agree with every single statement.
but one question: do you have some advice for working with latex? like what kind of glue, where to get the best latex? any ideas or tips???
one of my favourites is this stunning designer:
http://www.highglossdolls.com
January 5th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Ah, just what I needed! A healthy dose of inspiration and tips to get even more of it, just in time after the first day of school this year. You just saved me from another boring day. Now I’m going to get my make-up to experiment a little
…And I really want to make latex clothes.
xoxo
January 5th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Rie Rie- Exercise more and eat better are probably the best resolutions to have.. I am doing those ones too! =)
Myca- Try wearing red lipstick… it will change your life! People look at your differently in the street, it’s pretty cool. Thanks for visiting my blog, it means so much to me!
Ashley- Thanks for your comment sweetie. Yes origami requires patience, but it’s worth it because they turn out so beautifully!
Jami- Yes.. everyone needs an evil space dictator chair! BTW I checked out your magazine and it’s fantastic. Thanks for commenting, otherwise I might not have found out about it. There are some really nice artists on there!
HeartGrenade- Thanks so much for your kind words and for visiting my blog! I know exactly what you mean about your fashion design teachers attitude to being ‘alternative’ . This is the reason I actually did not do fashion design because I knew I would come up against that kind of barrier, so I did visual communications instead. I would just encourage you to be yourself, because honesty shows through your designs!
I buy my materials from a lot of different places, but mostly in Australia if I am making stock because I need it to be able to be sourced locally in case I need to make more. But for one off pieces, I always try to get unique stuff on my travels. In Paris I found the most amazing fabric from Monmarte… ! If you are in sydney, I can give you suggestions for excellent wholesalers.
Blitz - I know! I have a lot of MAC… but it’s worth it because it stays on, even when I’m sweaty when I perform =)
Persephone66- Good luck with your corset making sweetie!
Mind Destroying Angel- Thanks Jeannie!
Madeleine Wench- I hand sew them… and sometimes I rivet them in the centre.
marie- I’m just starting to make my own latex stuff.. it’s pretty hard. You’ll need to get special glue. I bought a book about it actually http://www.amazon.com/Making-Latex-Clothes-San-kate-Mooney/dp/0896762513
It’s good for the basics. I love high gloss dolls! I bought a few things from them… GREAT quality.
The best place to buy rubber from is 4d rubber or radical rubber in London or online. http://www.radicalrubber.co.uk/
Lady Hypocryte- I’m glad I could inspire you! Yay for experimentation!
January 6th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Thank you so much for this post, DX, it is so wonderfully inspiring! And i stumbled upon it at the absolute perfect time! i’ve really been wanting to re-vamp my style and apperance, and so its become the closeset thing to a new years resolution as that gets, i suppose. deciding this and then reading this post really helped reinforce my determination….
…to the local MAC store! Away!!
January 8th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Thanks for replying, DX. Unfortunately I live in Brisbane, however I am planning on taking a few trips down to Sydney at some point, and I have a few friends who can buy for me. Any suggestions for fabric stores will be greatly appreciated!
January 8th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Rae- Determination will get you anywhere! I wish you all the best for your style reinvention.
Heart Grenade- Email me at amelia @ destroyx.com and we can chat about it! It’s much easier than on the blog
January 8th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
[...] New year’s resolutions for the aestetically minded courtesy of [...]
January 8th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I did make some visually-related New year’s resolutions, like dying my hair more colors than one at the same time, start wearing fake blood as (part of my)makeup, learn how to make corsets and also finishing the graphic novel I’m currently working on.
I hope you manage to keep all of your resolutions :)
January 10th, 2009 at 4:27 am
<3 ^_^ This blog was very inspirational!
I admire your creativity and this blog made reminded me that I never care about what others think about me, so…
Why not experiment? :)
Now, I don’t just paint my nails..I do fun abstract designs.
I like pink…but I now wear purplish sugarplum red (my caramel-y skin makes a normal red hard to stand out) or burning hot fuschia for lipstick!
I cut my own hair, but because of my natural wavy-curly hair, it’s hard to notice.
And academically, I’m getting more creative with projects and it’s more wonderfully appealing to the eye now.
Thank you for your inspirational insights!
XXTyphoid <3
January 10th, 2009 at 6:22 am
i was reading inspiration quotes and saw this one and instantly thought of Amelia…she is a leader in her own right…a leader of the fashion revolution!!
If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more,
you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
January 11th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Mahlin- Ohh.. those sound great. I wish you all the best with your resolutions!
Typhoid- Hey that’s awesome you have that attitude. It took me a long time to figure that out for myself too.
Mind Destroying Angel- Awww… that’s a fantastic quote and it’s lovely that you thought of me. I really appreciate it sweety!
January 11th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
The only thing I’d add is…forget red lipstick if it’s what you ALWAYS wear. To be really different, try green or silver or bright purple, yellow or orange… Be non-conformist in your lipstick colour, just as you are in other areas, people!
January 12th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Here Here! What a cracker of a list. I practice many of things daily myself, but there are some top tips here that I will have to add to my life. I have only just discovered your blog and *LoVe*. xx
January 12th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Trashtastika- That’s a good point actually. I have to try and get some more lipsticks. I’m also experimenting a lot more with other eyeshadow colours too, so I must not forget the lipstick.
super kawaii mama- Hey there! Thanks for visiting this blog. I must admit I am a fan of your blog and youtube videos! I hope these tips help you and I look forward to reading more of your comments. =)
January 13th, 2009 at 9:27 am
This is such a fantastic list. Ahh, love it! I love most the idea of curating your own little mini displays. Must incorporate!
January 19th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Love, love, love the ideas! Needless to say, I am very inspired now ;)
xx
January 20th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
[...] rethink them now, while 2009 is still in its babyshoes? Miss Amelia Arsenic has some very inspiring New Years Resolutions for the Aesthetically Minded for [...]
February 17th, 2009 at 4:56 am
i love these ideas! they give me ideas for what to do with my room now! ^^i have been having porblems on what style and theme i wanted to have in my room^^
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
destroyx you seriously inspired me. i always want to do some DIY but then i get lazy but you’re right i mean im always thinking i dont have money but instead i can make things myself. and embracing things i thought i hated before sounds like a good idea. or maybe just creating it into your own style. personally my fav colour scheme is purple black and white xD but i love your colour choices. oh and by the way i also like to adorn my special stuff as a little “exhibition” out on my desk just to represent some of the stuff im about ;D i adore your blog! keep writing!!!<3