Evil Queen Inspiration: Sophia Amoruso is the Head Bitch In Charge

Words cannot express how obsessed I am with Sophia Amoruso.

Sophia is the founder and CEO of NastyGal.com, which has been named the Fastest Growing Retailer by INC Magazine (2012), and is basically one of those GET ON MY BODY e-commerce retailers. I've been a huge fan for years and am constantly thinking, I want to be a Nasty Gal. I want to dress like this 24/7. I want all of this shit, just take my damn money already. And Sophia is the brains of all of that, so basically, she owns my soul right now.

First off, dis bitch just turned 30, she never went to college, and she owns this hugely successful company - not to mention, she is now a New York Times Bestselling Author with her debut #GIRLBOSS book (yes, the hashtag is part of the title). #GIRLBOSS is half business bible and half autobiography, all about how Sophia beasted her way to the top of her game. She starts off by saying how the first thing she ever sold online was stolen - and goes on to explain how rummaging through dumpsters and second-hand stores became a hugely successful ebay store, and then eventually Nasty Gal as we know it. It's some pretty punk shit. She is the epitome of "Fuck The Man" - she did things her own way and still came out on top, despite everything being against her.

And to me, that is the ultimate definition of an Evil Queen - she took matters into her own hands, and did her own thing even though people told her no. She used natural creativity and instinct to guide her, and got what she wanted by taking life by the balls. If that aint some boss shit, I don't know what is.

Oh, and check out her closet on The Coveteur too. Bitch got swag, for real.

A #GIRLBOSS is in charge of her own life. She gets what she wants because she works for it.

-Sophia Amoruso

And yeah, I'm totally in love with her. Like a crazy, follow her around like a lovesick puppydog kind of way. I want to be her and be with her. I want to follow her around and just like, carry her Starbucks or something. I'd give my left arm to work for her. I'd move to fucking Los Angeles to work for her. 

But I guess for now I'll just have to give her all my money. That's love, right?

Dresses from Nasty Gal

What is an Evil Queen?

I probably should have written this a long time ago, but the truth is, I'm not quite sure where to start. 

In my last editorial piece about dressing on brand, I talked a lot about how my style has effected my life. I've always tended to be more of a weirdo - I've been called everything from "goth" and "punk" to "edgy" - which is basically the fashionista word for grown-up goth. And I did try to be a little more normal, I really did. I bought those fucking polo shirts and birkenstocks and I wore them to school. But I always felt like an impostor. I always knew it wasn't really me. 

And there came a time in my life where I didn't want to pretend anymore. 

Being an Evil Queen means embracing the darkness within. 

I know I'm weird. I like being weird. I like looking different than everyone else. I don't want to compromise and I don't like being told that I'm wrong or that I shouldn't like what I like. 

I think a lot of people who care about the way they look and craft themselves through clothes and makeup feel the same way. It's always hurtful when someone points out that you're different - and of course, different is beautiful. But it doesn't always feel like that from a personal perspective. It feels like you're being singled out and stared at. It feels like constant whispers of "oh my god, what is she wearing?" It feels like you stick out like a sore thumb, and it makes you regret putting on those six inch heels or that perfect black dress that you spent so much money on. It makes you want to hide behind polo shirts and Ugg boots. 

But there comes a time in everyone's life - at least, anyone who's experienced the feeling of being 'different' - where you just can't care anymore. It takes so much energy to think about what other people want from you rather than just doing whatever the fuck you want and getting on with your life. It's so time consuming and stressful to try to "fit in", and at one point, it just isn't worth it anymore. And it took me a long time to get to that point. I had small break throughs in high school but it didn't happen for me fully until college. I was 20 years old by the time I decided not to care anymore. Think of all that time I was crying about being bullied and not eating and spending money on clothes I didn't like just so that I wouldn't be made fun of anymore. That's years of my life that I gave to other people. I dedicated all that time to people who didn't like me, when I should have just loved myself for what I am and moved on. I could have been so much happier. And I'm so glad that eventually I did get to that point. I don't want to feel like I have to change anymore. I don't want to be concerned with dressing for other people anymore. I want to be happy with the way I look and the way I feel. And I don't want to have to fucking explain myself to you, because your opinion about me doesn't effect my life. Not one little bit. 

Being an Evil Queen is being unapologetic.

But I know I'm not perfect. I'm not perfect for me, and I don't think I ever will be. I've always viewed my personal style as an evolution. Building my closet and my look is a constant process - I always make purchases based on what will add to and enhance what I already have. Sometimes I feel like my closet is missing some essentials, and I will hunt for months until I find perfect pieces. I always look at myself and find ways I can improve. And it isn't about pleasing anyone but myself. I want to be able to grow into the woman I want to be, I want to be able to create myself. And yes, I do that through clothes and makeup and taking care of myself, but I also do this in my career and in my life. I want to constantly be learning and evolving and making myself a better person, because for me, the worst thing a person can be is boring. I don't ever want to be static, I don't want to get stuck. The thought of being locked into one thing forever - whether that be a look, a job, or where I live - is terrifying. That means I don't have any free will, and I want to always be independent and autonomous. I want to be in control of myself, which means that I always have to be better. I'm not perfect yet, but that's okay. You know who's perfect? The good guys. You know why? Cuz they have to play by the rules and are bound by expectations created by others for them. That's fucking boring. 

Being an Evil Queen means breaking free of the rules in order to evolve.

And I do draw inspiration from a lot of places. I think it's okay to emulate other women as long as you're not becoming a copy. When I went to go meet Dita, there were quite a lot of vintage-wearing, winged eyelinered Dita wannabes. And I get that, I totally do. She's gorgeous, who wouldn't want to look like her? And obviously I do my winged eyeliner and Russian Red lips too. But I don't want to be a copycat. I want to be able to incorporate the things about her and other women I admire into my personal style while still being me. So these women I look up to have qualities that I want for myself - class, style, and poise, of course, but more importantly intelligence, independence, and an air of badassery. The women who I want to be like are trailblazers - when Dita rose to fame, no one else was doing what she did. No one else does what Daphne Guinness does, no one else does what Gwen Stefani or Sophia Amoruso does. These women are singular. And yes, that means a lot of hard work, constant evolution, and probably a shit ton of haters. But that's what makes an Evil Queen - rising above all that and being a fucking badass anyway. 

Being an Evil Queen means making your own path. 

Above all else, I think being an Evil Queen means not giving a fuck. To me, being an Evil Queen is squaring my shoulders and putting my bitchface on and getting my shit done, even when people tell me I can't or I shouldn't. It's about getting what I want even when it seems impossible, and taking opportunities to improve myself. It's about buying those six inch heels because they make me feel like I can conquer the world, like I can stomp on anyone who gets in my way. It's about making my own way in the world and not letting anyone hold me back, and not depending on anyone else to live my life the way I want to. Being an Evil Queen means using the weapons I have to create myself, to take care of myself, and to make myself singular. Being an Evil Queen is having the confidence to know that I can do all these things and not compromise my integrity. 

And above all else, being an Evil Queen means being happy and confident and completely myself. 

Every day. 

Evil Queen Inspiration: Dita Von Teese is an Actual Goddess

Dita Von Teese is my Ultimate. She is my Supreme. She, for me, is the Be All and End All of Beauty. She is not someone whom I'd call a "Bad Bitch" or an "Evil Queen", because to me she is more of an angel. She's untouchable, completely unparalleled. And she's so sweet and soft and just ugh, okay, I'm in love with her.

Probably her most famous quote is "I advocate glamour, every day, every minute" which comes from her book Burlesque and the Art of the Teese, and that basically describes her very well. She's the ultimate in retro glamour, having amassed quite an army of red lippied, winged eyelinered ladies if the Bloomingdale's event I attended is anything to go by.

By trade she is an all-star burlesque dancer, but after gaining quite a reputation in the fashion industry, she is also now a model, muse, purfumier, and designer, with a lingerie line of her own and an apparently foray into sunglasses coming soon. Essentially, she's a full time beautiful person. And she really is stunning.

The thing that I love about Dita, besides her absolute and constant poise, grace, and femininity, is that she is an advocate for alternative glamour. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune last year, she discusses her look: "Old Hollywood (beauty), for me, it seemed easier to attain that kind of beauty because I could paint it and wash it away when I'm done. When I look at the cover of Sports Illustrated … I appreciate it and admire that kind of beauty and think maybe in another life I'm going to come back as that kind of beauty. But, actually, I'd rather be me, because I have an affection for anyone that has arrived to a different kind of substance with hard work and dedication." 

It's always really wonderful to me to see women who, though they may not look like super models, do not bring down those who do. Instead, Dita manages to promote finding a glamour that suits an individual personally. It's not about what other people tell you is beautiful, it's about what makes you feel beautiful. 

I think there's a power in that, a power that is untapped in most women. Dita helped me, along with countless others, realize that being "trendy" or looking like what is in a magazine is not the only form of beauty. 

"Growing up, I tried to conform to the more traditional, American look a few times…but it never worked. When I would dress modern, people would tell me that I have such a retro look, and I would tell them that I was trying to wear something new! [Laughs] What I remember most was being made fun of by people on the street for my style and for wearing red lipstick and black eyeliner. I was sixteen when I started doing my cat eye; it was really subtle then. When I was seventeen, eighteen, I really started going for it. I wanted to be the next Bettie Page. I started hanging around more alternative people and drag queens, and I was working in the LA underground scene. And back then, there was no E! True Hollywood Story: Bettie Page; it wasn’t trendy. So I just remember people not having anything to equate with me, you know? People love to point at you and say, ‘You remind me of this.’ I would get a lot of Dracula and Elvira. And when Pulp Fiction came out, people were like, ‘You’re the girl in Pulp Fiction!’ People have a really hard time just looking at you for you; they have to point out what they think you remind them of, which I think is a very strange phenomenon."  - Dita to Into The Gloss

""I would tell anyone that she could capture the spirit of what I'm about, that she could find her own confidence in her own way. My aesthetic is not for everyone. … I feel like I've been called beautiful and ugly in different measures. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is very true. You have to remember that. You can't listen to what people say. It's like water off a swan's back." - Dita to the Chicago Tribune

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Dita at an event in New York, the launch of her Dita Von Teese lingerie line in Bloomingdales. And LET. ME. TELL. YOU. She is so flawless, I saw her out of the corner of my eye and thought she wasn't real. I swear to you I thought it was a mannequin or something. She is just so poised, so careful with her movements and delicate it's like she's made of glass. She was flawless from head to toe in her Zac Posen, and she was so sweet when I talked to her. She signed my copy of her book and took a photo, as well as complimented my clutch bag. It was really the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so in awe of her. 

These are the photos I took at the event:

Dita Von Teese and EQB! 

Evil Queen Inspiration: Daphne Guinness Could Probably Kill You

"Her appearance is so interesting it suggests that her appearance is the least interesting thing about her." - The New Yorker on Daphne Guinness, Sept 2011

Here's the thing about Daphne. She's the daughter of the Guinness brewery heir (and therefore heiress herself), and Diana Mitford of the famous Mitford sisters. She was friends with Lee McQueen and Isabella Blow, and recently saved Ms. Blow's clothing collection from going up for sale and instead made it into an exhibit. She's done collaborations with MAC, worked with Chanel, Philip Treacy, and Gareth Pugh. FIT hosted a gallery of her couture collection. She is all at once heiress, model, muse, designer, collector, and supreme bad ass bitch. And she wears gigantic shoes that make you feel like the underling you are, and clothes that cost more than your soul, and looks consistently like she rules the world by day and sacrifices things to the devil at night. And I love her. 

"Fashion is not just about trends. It’s about political history. You can trace it from the ancient Romans to probably until the ’80s, and you can see defining moments that were due either to revolutions or changes in politics. At the end of the Roman era, there was this whole move against togas, because that was the signifier of the Roman Empire. In the same way, the ’60s were a reaction against the ’50s and so on. But now we’ve been feeding on a sort of cadaver. At the moment, we’re just endlessly recycling the past." - Daphne to Interview Magazine

Wearing Alexander McQueen for Vanity Fair, then at Lee McQueen's funeral