Style POV
We are here to examine our relationships with style and aesthetics. The goal is to learn to trust our fashion instincts, develop a unique style POV, and find strength through style.
Style POV
Dark Aesthetics with Silky Mochi
In this episode, I dive into the world of moody aesthetics with YouTube's dark muse queen, Silkymochi. Also known as Melyssa Mochi, she talks about her Dark Muse series, a captivating exploration of gothic edge and dark aesthetics. We break down the inspirations behind each muse—Vampire, Witch, Siren, Haunted Doll, and Fairy—and how these can be tailored to real-life fashion. Melyssa shares her personal journey, tips for transitioning into dark aesthetics, balancing professional attire with moody elements, and even integrating astrology into your style. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone looking to embrace a mysterious, elegant, and authentically dark style, or anyone looking for creative next steps in their personal style building.
More from Melyssa, Silky Mochi
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Dark Muse
00:24 Meet Melyssa Mochi: The Queen of Dark Aesthetics
00:35 Exploring the Dark Muse Archetypes
02:09 Vampire: The Dramatic and Opulent Muse
03:18 Witch: The Natural and Earthy Muse
04:40 Siren: The Minimalist and Alluring Muse
06:03 Haunted Doll: The Soft and Unsettling Muse
07:26 Fairy: The Colorful and Playful Muse
08:23 Misunderstandings and Real-Life Applications of Dark Aesthetics
10:19 Building a Dark Aesthetic Wardrobe
13:50 Fashion as a Narrative: Personal Style and Storytelling
22:23 Transitioning to a Dark Aesthetic
33:59 Exploring Siren and Fairy Aesthetics
34:21 Designing with Mischief and Allure
35:18 Combining Modern Medieval Looks
36:02 Personalizing Your Creative Process
36:50 Generating New Ideas and Inspirations
39:37 Astrology and Style
40:39 Incorporating Dark Aesthetics
47:59 Fashion and Illustration Journey
53:37 Perfume and Archetypes
55:45 Astrology Style Guides and Consultations
01:00:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Disclaimer: The Style POV Podcast content is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own. Gabrielle Arruda is not liable for any errors or omissions, and listeners use the information at their own risk.
Gabrielle: [00:00:00] Okay, you know when you see someone's outfit and it just has the vibe. It's dark, it's cinematic, it's effortlessly cool. That's today's guest. You probably know her as Silkymochi, the queen of the dark muse series on YouTube, where she makes looking mysterious and elegant feel ridiculously natural.
We're going to be talking moody aesthetics, gothic edge, and how to actually make dark aesthetics work in real life. Melyssa Mochi is here and I cannot wait to dive into this. Let's go.
Hi, Melyssa. I am so excited to have you on the podcast today. You have this wonderful series on YouTube called The Dark Muse, and it's all not just about the dark aesthetic, but also about the archetypes. Can you give us like a summary and overview of that system?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yes. The Dark Muse series was curated and created because one, growing up, I had a hard time.
Curating my own style with an affinity for a dark aesthetic but
also I found that it was really hard to get inspiration from celebrities and mainstream media [00:01:00] and There were very few celebrities that had like a dark aesthetic besides goth musicians or Morticia Adams And I felt as though you can inevitably achieve a dark aesthetic if you aim to dress like a vampire, a witch, a siren, a haunted doll, or a fairy.
And I wanted to create a series that was ethereal and abstract so that you didn't have to rely on These celebrities who may disappoint us or influencers or just people in your life. It's something a bit more abstract and it also ties in with my background in fashion design because that's how we were taught and I'm sure you're familiar with that process too.
Gabrielle: Yeah.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Of how we were encouraged as designers to take inspiration from things that were more abstract,
like the ocean or. Fall, and that's what the Dark Muse series is, and I narrowed it [00:02:00] down to five for very particular reasons.. So I wanted the muses that I narrowed it down to be pretty broadened and not too niche. Starting off with vampire, there is so much vampire media, folklore and stories and gothic novels that we can literally take inspiration from. And I was loosely inspired by the Kibbe body type and Kitchener essences.
But very loosely, I actually did fall in love with those systems because they helped me understand my style and understand the face I was born with, the body type I was born with. But the Dark Muse series, I wanted it to be more of a choose your own adventure. But still, you can borrow inspirations from either one, no matter what your face looks like.
So Vampire is close to dramatic. It's very sharp lines. It's Opulent. It's maximalist. It's taking inspiration from like this idea of a vampire who's been around for ages and [00:03:00] has collected riches, and they're living in a castle
Gabrielle: yeah. There's like an opulence, this like luxurious moment where power comes through.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Exactly. And the obvious color palette is blacks, reds, very saturated colors and luxurious fabrics. Witch is going to be very close to natural, like the natural essence, natural kibbe, but it's not always that. But I was more so inspired by like the idea of what magic partitioners do. No matter what magic you practice, it most likely will take inspiration from nature.
Gabrielle: Like grounded in the earth.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yes, like very earthy. So the silhouettes I had in mind for witch is very natural, like linens, cottons. Yes, there's dark colors, but they're a bit more natural. Like it's going to be like maybe washed out charcoals or foresty greens, like my pillow. And the silhouettes, I'm thinking of flowy Bishop sleeves [00:04:00] kind of clothes that you'd see.
Gabrielle: Stevie Nicks dancing in,
Running through a forest on a lunar eclipse, some sort of eclipse, and the fabric is moving, the energy is in tune with the earth,
Gabrielle: I love it.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Exactly. That's actually the muse I personally resonate with the most, because I like loose fitting clothes, I like things that have an organic shape to it.
Yeah. And looks simply witchy, or, it draws back to witches we see in media, like practical magic, or witches of Eastwick, I There's a long list of movies,
Gabrielle: We are never lacking for inspiration in film, which we'll get to first, but I want to hear all the archetypes.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yes okay, Siren. Siren is gonna be the most minimalist out of all of the muses. I love Siren as well. I definitely feel like I fall between somewhere between Witch and Siren. Siren is I would picture it like when you envision a siren, you picture this alluring figure in the ocean, and most likely they're not, fully clothed, and [00:05:00] it's not just that, I'm thinking like 90s slips, very sleek silhouettes,
It's like alternative, but minimal it's subtly sexy, versus vampire is like overtly sensual, siren is like subtle, mysterious.
Gabrielle: Nuanced.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yes, exactly. And I feel like if it was to be compared to Kibbe in essence, it would be close to maybe romantic sometimes, but definitely more so classic. Because classic is often not really thought about when it comes to dark aesthetics all the
time.
And so I thought Siren was like, Oh, this is like the answer to a classic face or a classic Kibbe.
See that though, like there's such a balance to their face and it's so mesmerizing how everything works with this beautiful Symmetrical beauty and like this beauty that just feels very stable But then it's somehow alluring and I feel like the siren embodies that you know, it's like this like simplicity But somehow you're just [00:06:00] like drawn in and it's like a magnet that you just like
Haunted doll so I love haunted doll even though it's so far from what I dress like but I feel like people forget, Lolita styles in Japan, or the sickly Victorian doll, Nosferatu, Crimson Peak these are all still dark aesthetics, but they're soft, they're pastels, they're very feminine with the ruffly ribbon details.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: It's dark ballet core. It's like the softest out of all of the archetypes. But it's still dark, and when I talk about Haunted Doll in my videos, I talk about how it is cute, but unsettling. It is feminine, but there's something off about it. And it's literally a haunted doll.
Gabrielle: It's cute, but then you're like, ooh, do I want you in the corner of my bedroom?
I don't know. You're a little creepy. Like you're giving me like a little chill.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Exactly. I was also slightly inspired by how [00:07:00] some people would wear wedding dresses as like ready to wear, but it was done in a dark and alternative way and You mess up the details of the wedding dress it's still beautiful, but oh, something's off, and , it draws a fine line between coquette, or ballet, or these very typical feminine details and styles, but it's still dark, and it's still very welcomed in the dark aesthetic umbrella.
Fairy is the last one. I interchangeably say Fairy, Fae, but I basically just wanted an archetype that represented the most colorful, the most saturated dark or alternative styles like the 2000s emo styles that were super neon and super bright mixing patterns.
I was also thinking of Nana Osaki, I don't know if you're familiar with the manga, so like that punk inspired styles where you have mixing leopard and plaids or
Gabrielle: so cool,
Melyssa, Silkymochi: unexpected details. It's very ripped up. [00:08:00] And but yeah, it's colorful. And I thought of, I landed on fairy because fairies are unexpectedly cunning and devious.
But they're still seen as this colorful, bright, sparkly being.
Gabrielle: Yeah, there's a playful quality that's being mixed in there, or unexpected, something exciting that you're like, Oh, I didn't know that was there. Okay, so we have our archetypes. What do you think is the most misunderstood thing about the dark aesthetics in general?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I feel like the most misunderstood thing about dark styling in general is that You have to dress disharmonious with your features, or that means you have to go against what you're supposed to. You can do both. I think dressing dark and alternative is this beautiful mix of breaking the rules, but you can also still be harmonious with your face type or your body type or your color season.
You can be dark while being harmonious [00:09:00] or not, depending on your choice. And I just wanted people to realize that dark aesthetics isn't just one thing.
Speaker 2: I love that because like when you were talking about how you only had a few celebrities to choose from and as inspiration, that's like really narrowing and it's also those are how they express their dark aesthetic that's tailored to their expression like yours opens up a framework so that people can be like, Oh, I am a true spring or I am a fairy and I want to combine these things But I still want to have my point of view I still want to be that like playful dark fairy out in the real world And I also think it's super interesting how you talk about like you can dress for your body type for your season all of those things while still maintaining that because I think that sure people can go for intentional contrast and you might want to do that on halloween, you know You're , , like I just want a cool costume that makes me look like xyz But if it's going to be your style that you want to express out into the world, like you do want to look your best.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: You do want to go out every day and feel like the clothes are representing you. And obviously if you [00:10:00] want to dress as costume, that's a totally valid and okay route to go. But a lot of people are like, I love this aesthetic, but I want to look my best too. Can you speak a little bit to how someone might start that journey of combining it in a way that feels both authentic and makes people look their best?
First and foremost, I always tell people, think about realistically what your lifestyle is. Do you have to go into a corporate office? Do you work from home? Are you a mom? Are you depending on what your lifestyle is, do you walk a lot? Are you in a walking city? Think about, first your lifestyle.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: And then think about the practical basics that have to do with that lifestyle. For example I do work as a graphic designer in a corporate office. So I do have to dress in somewhat tailored outfits. I can't go to work in yoga leggings or something.
And with that in mind, okay, I have to wear a button up probably.
I have to wear slacks. How can I still make this expressive? I think of slight [00:11:00] details that darken it up or add a bit of edge and oomph to it. And I feel like accessories is a great way to slowly build up your dark aesthetic after you look at your basics. Is it like unconventional necklaces? I am a huge fan of harnesses.
I know that's like a little controversial depending on where you work.
Gabrielle: I love it.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yeah, I think harnesses are just like, it's like a belt with suspender straps. Yes. It's not just that. It has a very rich history, but I feel like it adds an unconventional detail that does add an alternative look.
I think adding piercings and accessorizing your clothes is also like subtle ways to darken it up. I know wearing black is like the obvious way to dress dark. And it is. I feel like it can work. Wearing all black is definitely one way, but it's not the only way to dress dark.
Gabrielle: It's like level one, it's if you've never done it before, putting on something [00:12:00] dark is probably gonna be an easy okay, I got it. And then you can fine tune it.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Exactly. You got your basics, whether they're black or not, and then you accessorize. I think also makeup, even though I'm not a makeup person, but I do find when I wear red lipstick, I have a bit more of a darker look versus when I wear a nude lipstick.
Gabrielle: It adds that drama,
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I think experimenting is super important of what, oh, does this make me feel a bit darker? You need to have that time to play and have fun and experiment and be forgiving of yourself as well because you're not going to get it right away and you shouldn't spend all your money all at once while fighting this dark aesthetic.
And the dark muses really do help because it helps when you have some kind of pinpoint or some kind of reference of Oh, if I want to dress like a siren what can I look for that feels a bit darker or vampire and what media can I watch that [00:13:00] inspires me? Oh, maybe I should try out this detail in my outfit.
Gabrielle: Yeah. And it can be small details too. Obviously different dark aesthetics are going to be responded to differently in different environments, different locations, right? Like New York, you can pretty much get away with whatever you want. Everyone's going to be like, cool outfit.
Awesome. In a more traditional workplace, maybe people will be like, Oh, okay. That's interesting. So I say look around and examine where people are getting creative and then try to find your own dark version of that like nails for instance like no one blinks twice at dark nails sharp nails as long as you can do your job or like you know do what you have to do you could go spiky with crosses on it or dark cloudy swirls you know there's so many little touches I feel like you can add in to help you like create that picture I love how your archetypes form a narrative around these things.
So let's talk a little bit about it. Do you view it as a fashion narrative and the story you're telling? Are you fixed with one archetype? Can you change? So let's [00:14:00] dive there.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: That's a good question.
Gabrielle: Okay, sorry. Two,
two questions. Sorry.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: That's a really good question because I get so confused whenever I see in my comments Oh, I, I love witch, but I want to be siren, or I love witch, but I also want to be fairy.
And I'm so confused, because I'm like, you could be all of them if you want to. And I think that was a misunderstanding because they're archetypes, that you have to choose one or two. And the thing is, they're interchangeable. You can be a combination of all of them, if you really want to. If you really want to.
There, there's going to be obviously contradicting details, but you can switch around.
Gabrielle: Maybe that's like level 100, master your first ones, and then once you get there, you're like, I know exactly how to balance these all out.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: There was, I won't take credit for this one, but there was someone else in my comments that said, oh, I'm a different muse based off of the season.
They're like, I'm vampire in the winter, I'm witch in the fall, I'm siren in the summer, and I'm fairy in the spring.
Gabrielle: Oh, that's an interesting evolution, yeah.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I think that's a good one [00:15:00] because they're all dark. But they all they all fit within the season. Like the amount of layering you have to do, the fabrics you have to probably wear during that time of the season.
And, so it is interchangeable based off of where you are in life as well. Maybe when you were a young corporate boss girlie in your early twenties. You're more siren and vampire, where you have a corporate goth look, you're wearing tailored blazers with harnesses. But then maybe later in life you become a mom, and you want to wear things that are a bit more relaxed.
Then you can transition to witch, if you want, because it's more loose, natural clothing, it is interchangeable. That's why I always emphasize it is a choose your own adventure and the dark muses are just tools to help you if you feel like, oh, this doesn't feel dark enough because that's what I struggled with.
And it's the reason why people want to dress dark is because it's a part of who they are. It's part of their, Inner child or inner personality and sometimes what up here does [00:16:00] not translate and that's what the dark news is like Guiding you.
Gabrielle: Yeah, it's like helping you pinpoint Okay, dark is the overarching theme and it's a wonderful personal style Framework that allows you to keep a very consistent look over the years and really feel like yourself Especially if it's tied to that inner being of I want to be dark I want to be this alternative beautiful magical mystical creature coming from the earth or whatever which one ever you choose and It's just like captivating but what's interesting about your system is I think it really makes it very attainable you can look at so many different clothes and pieces and be like, Why doesn't this billowy sleeve work for my look or why didn't it have that intended effect?
And you help people break down. I want to look like this. This is my version of dark This is my expression of that and I think it's just amazing. So I know I hit you with two questions. So let's go back to Fashion as a narrative. Do you think that's ingrained in your [00:17:00] system? Do you how do you approach that personally?
Let's talk about it
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Okay, think , it happened subconsciously, so I studied fashion design in college and it was ingrained of like, when you either wear something or you design something, you need a reason why. My professors were really big on, don't just do something because it's pretty.
There has to be. A reason why. Also, my school really focused on sustainability, so there was also like a huge Morality and ethics that were attached to what you design. And I think, when I created the Dark Muses, I was very focused on yeah, fashion narrative and storytelling. I also wanted all five to be very liberating in their own way.
Empowering. Vampire It embraces maximalism because I know sometimes minimalism is more embraced and it's okay to wear everything all at once. It's okay to be extra. It's okay to be super sultry and out there. Because some people are like, oh, you're so extra. Aren't you [00:18:00] overdressed?
Gabrielle: Never.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I know right? Especially if you're not in a major city like New York or Cal, or just if you are in a growing up my whole life my family would be all like, are you going to a business meeting? Why are you wearing a button up?
You're like 16, why are you like Vampiric Styles is meant to embrace that extraness and unapologetic maximalism. Witchy is like embracing maybe a little bit of the opposite of that, of Being natural. I was really inspired by Gabriette.
, I know sometimes her looks like her makeup style gets a little controversy, but I really appreciated that she has literally a no makeup, no eyebrow look with a grey lipstick and it's just embracing you don't always have to go all out to look dark. You can look natural, but also alternative.
Gabrielle: Sometimes it's taking away things to draw the focus elsewhere, like we don't always need to add things to achieve a look sometimes it's removing things or [00:19:00] paring it down and creating a very like direct focal point and I think she does that with her makeup very well. We both come from design backgrounds.
Did you feel like when we were taught to design at least. When I was doing it, it was like, yeah, you get this like abstract concept and then like you create these drawings and you croquis And you go through things But you weren't ever really thinking about the person who was gonna wear them in Chicago, Illinois, yeah, it was like this big thing, and if you were imagining your clothes, at least for me we were like imagining them down the runway Alexander McQueen style the sets, and the embodiment of the design, And I think what style systems helped do, and yours included, was to bring them to a way to take this abstract concept and then actually personalize it to the person.
This is now in their hands. They get to do the same thing that we did when we were designing this abstract concept and putting out clothes. They get to take those clothes and then take it a step further and be like, Okay, you gave me this billowy sleeved black organza. Beautiful top [00:20:00] like now how do I take this and make it siren or how do I take this and make it witch. Did you feel like that was a similar process? Were you thinking about that at all?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: So one of my favorite things about fashion school was this creation of a muse and That was like I think an entire like year of just who is your muse? And I love that process so much. We got to mood board and like essentially get scrappy and get conceptual ideas.
And that is what I want people to do when they think of what muse are you most drawn to? I want you to think of this very conceptually but then make it your own and make it more attainable to base off of your lifestyle. And yeah, I agree. When you're in fashion school, you. You're thinking of this higher being almost like it's the view.
Yeah, and there's a difference between Like when you're a designer as there's a difference between your muse and your customer like that is two different things And that actually took a while for me to understand because I [00:21:00] thought they were the same thing
Gabrielle: Yeah,
Melyssa, Silkymochi: but your muse is this higher ethereal being and your customer is probably wanting to dress Like your muse as well And that's why they want to wear your clothes.
And that's like what the dark muse is. Cause I think people, not to bring in celebrities again, but they Idolize celebrities too much and don't get me wrong. I also like fan.
Over some like I'll see it a runway outfit or a Jenna Ortega Plaid dress and I'm like, oh my god, I want a plaid corset now But I want people to not always rely on celebrities and just think more Conceptually.
Gabrielle: Yeah, I think that celebrities are fun and It's a creative expander for people, because sometimes if you didn't see that plaid corset on Jenna Ortega, then you're, you might not have thought to ever Want that so it's like an interesting inspiration And I think it can be creatively Stoking, but ultimately I think you have to stoke that fire [00:22:00] yourself and be like, okay now How would I wear the corset?
Like how would it work with my archetypes and these are all just like guiding factors that help you Narrow in on What is your plaid corset gonna look like? What, how is it showing up in the world? How is it expressing you? Because Jenna Ortega has already taken that version. You don't want to take hers.
She's already consumed that space. That's her message. Create your own kind of message with that. For people who are just getting started with the dark aesthetic, where do you think that most people go wrong or feel like they go wrong?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: So the biggest one, and I feel like this is going to make me sound like I'm chronically online, but there's this thing where people say Oh, you look like a copy paste alt girl.
And that's like ultimate insult. Because you don't want to be a copy paste alt girl. of anybody, and I think that's where it goes wrong, but it's unintentional because you're like, Oh, I want to dress dark and alt. I'm going to dress like her. I'm going to dress like [00:23:00] that person or this artist. And going back to what you said it's Where they go wrong is they don't make it their own initially.
They don't think about what makes it personal to them. They're copying it verbatim. I think it also goes wrong when they only take inspiration from one thing. And this applies to designers and artists in general. You should never take inspiration from just one thing. You should take inspiration from a plethora of things, so that when you make your own outfit it's unrecognizable of where you got that inspiration from, almost.
Gabrielle: Yeah, so creating a mood board of music, film a celebrity, not just the celebrities, not just the influencers. You're looking at photographs, paintings, like the words associated with it and crafting your world. Like it is in I think style in general is world building.
You're imagining your world if you were in a movie, if you were in a book what would be around you, where would you be [00:24:00] walking, how would people be interpreting you, what would the author of your story, just, how would they describe you, and it's, I think it's so well connected to that where would you tell people to start gleaning those
Melyssa, Silkymochi: nuggets of information that like really should go on their mood board should be their world building experience Like how did you do it? You have such successful dark style. It's beautiful. It's enchanting. It's amazing.
I started a Pinterest board called just My Outfits, like super simple.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: And anytime I would scroll and be all like, Oh, I want a thrift I want to find something like that at the thrift store. So pin it. And that's the beautiful thing about Pinterest. It's the most obtainable way to visually mood board. And they have a collage system now.
I have in front of me my journal. I'm a very analog person. I love it. So I have my sketchbook, but I also have A mood board and I still, let me flip to the page, like I still get scrappy, This is
Gabrielle: beautiful. This is what Pinterest would have [00:25:00] as a journal of beautiful, dark, aesthetic mood boards.
Yes, I love it.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: , I feel like it's cathartic, therapeutic. there's just something really relaxing about having physical media in my hand and having it also like, Portable without having to look at my phone. I still collect magazines. I still, collect scrapbook material, I get inspired by video games as well.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Ooh, that's a good one.
If there's like a video cam character that I like, fall in love with, I print out their picture .
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I cut 'em out. There's this video game called Elden Ring and. There is a witch in there, her name's Roni, I think, and she has like this giant witch hat, but she's all white and blue and I I fell in love with it print out a picture, cut it out, and then put it in my collage of forest and pictures of Enya.
I'm a huge fan of Enya. She's Oh,
Gabrielle: who isn't? It's magical.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Everyone loves Enya.
Gabrielle: But I love that idea, and I think it's cool too to have that visual collection of thoughts too, and even to integrate your own outfits. Like maybe you print out one of your daily [00:26:00] outfit photos and you put it into it and is there harmony?
Does this person look like they belong in the forest running through, so when we talk about dark aesthetics, I think that some people get caught up in the transition. They're unlocking their personal style and they realize that this is like true to them and they're like, I've always wanted to do this.
But the transition can be hard, right? Because if you have a lot of trends in your wardrobe or you've been doing, light colors for a really long time, like, how do you make that shift and are there any things you should be wary of trying to do it too fast, too slow?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Okay, I can speak on this from experience because I did have that transitional period, so aesthetics ever since I was in third grade, and I watched the black and white version of Adam's Family.
I fell in love with Morticia Adams, and I loved how she was this elegant, soft spoken, but dark queen of the night. But even though I liked all that doesn't mean that's how I dressed. I just always liked that in the back of my head. And I went [00:27:00] through a turbulent style of journey.
In high school, I dressed super Forever 21 Charlotte Ruse. Whatever was on the rag and poke. My mom was super trendy, so I borrowed her clothes. And when you dress too close to the trends, you're borrowing other people's styles and it's not yours.
And so eventually it was only in college when I started dressing darker. But then I stepped away from that and I started working for a company that is so far removed from my styles.
They're super preppy. They're jeans, t shirt and they encourage you to wear flip flops. To work. And it was so far removed and I felt almost pressure to dress like them I worked in men's graphic tees, so they were like, oh, you should wear the t-shirt you designed, you should wear the new thing that came out.
I lost my dark aesthetic that I started gaining in college. So after I was no longer at that company, I was like, I miss my old self. I miss that dark [00:28:00] style, but how do I get back into it? Cause all my clothes is filled with this company that I got freebies from and used my discount out of pressure. I had to slowly do it, and sometimes you have to because that's what you financially have to do, because it's expensive to start a wardrobe over again.
What helped me was finding places that actually would buy my clothes, like Plato's Closet Crossroads Uptown Cheapskate, like actually get your money back, or get credit so you can, Trade in that super trendy swirly dress you bought that was like TikTok viral and trade it in for a black button up or a mesh tank or like whatever it is that you're into or donate your clothes and Slowly build and I think it should be done slowly because like I said dark aesthetics is so vast It's not just wearing studs and spikes.
It can be. It's whatever you want it to be. But I think you need to do it slowly and I think [00:29:00] you need to conceptualize what it is you're going for before you purchase a lot of things.
Gabrielle: Of course. And I think that that's what your system does so well is it Removes the boxes like the box of just like dark aesthetic is black.
You're like no it can be all these other things Take time, but I resonate so much with what you said and I think that a lot of people will that finding your aesthetic and you getting back to the dark look is was like a key. It was like unlocking that introspection and like your voice again.
And it was like, okay, I'm here to show up in the world. And I'm like comfortable to do that, which I think that's what personal style is all about. Do you think that people can go wrong or when I say wrong or feel like they go wrong with an outfit if They try to if they're a little scared to commit to it because sometimes people are like, oh, I'll just throw A harness onto my preppy Ralph Lauren outfit and yeah, maybe it's not working and it takes a lot of skill to blend those kind of like disparate style elements?
So like it's just That's going into the dark look. [00:30:00] Maybe you don't try to get too tricky with it, but do you want to talk a little bit about that?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yeah I understand that. I do have to say you have to have those awkward experimental moments because You don't know until you try and you don't know if something works or doesn't work until you try it and I know I talk a lot about harnesses.
I'm pretty sure it probably sounds like, yeah, throw a harness on everything and it looks dark. It's easy. Yeah, it's easy. It's not just that. You have to experiment because there is no right or wrong answer and it still has to be genuine to you. Dita Von Teese would talk about how, because a lot of people are like, oh, I want to be sexy like you, Dita.
I want to be sultry. And she goes, you can, but , it has to be genuine to you. And she was like, the lingerie or the burlesque. Clothes that she wears is genuine to her. She's always liked that retro sexy lingerie look. She said, I would never wear a schoolgirl outfit or
Gabrielle: Yeah, no.[00:31:00]
It's her brand of sexy.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Exactly. And that really resonated with me of Oh, just because it works on someone doesn't mean it's going to work on you. You need to try many things until you realize what feels right, like that epiphany.
Gabrielle: So let's go down that rabbit hole then. Authenticity.
And so is it when you're choosing your first muse, let's say, or your first archetype to explore, should you be factoring in your personality? Should you be factoring in how people perceive you? Or should it just be, I'm drawn to this one, this is where I'm going? Or is it a little bit of everything?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: It's a little bit of everything, but we'll I'll go in order of what I personally think works best.
I think Your gut feeling is so important. Your intuition is there for a reason. So if you are automatically drawn to one of them or two of them, you need to go with your gut. There's a reason why. And then if you are drawn to one of them, think about why. If I was new to the system, I was [00:32:00] immediately drawn to the witch muse.
Why is that? And it's probably because I always wanted to be a witch on Halloween. I was obsessed with Hocus Pocus growing up, and it's close to my heart, and it feels like home. Versus someone who grew up with tea parties and porcelain dolls may be , Oh, haunted doll feels like home to me. So go where it feels like home, and it feels natural.
Now let's say you like all of them and you don't you're like I'm not drawn to one or The other I just like this whole thing. So then you can go by your personality
I would
say if you are someone who is over stimulated gets overwhelmed with too many Clothes like I have a friend who cannot wear scarves.
She said it freaks her out.
Or heavy fabrics like they're very Overstimulated I would say go for siren is dark Minimal and it's still sultry and it's there's so I love siren but if you're like, I love dark aesthetics, but I cannot like Get rid of color. I [00:33:00] love it makes me so happy.
They probably grew up with Lisa Frank stickers and Care Bears, like what colorful things. And it's then go for Fairy. I feel like Fairy is so experimental. Yeah, go for your personality and then go from there and experiment.
Gabrielle: I love that. I think that's a really good guiding factor because I think sometimes we get hung up on oh, I'm bubbly, but could I be siren? And you're like this is a , mix and match adventure at the end of the day too, and so I love the Venn diagram that you have when you talk about these muses and you have nature, night and supernatural and they all kind of overlap.
And we'll link the video so everyone else can. dive into that. But I'm curious, if you are drawn to two archetypes, let's say you want to do fairy and siren, and you're like, how would these work together? Would you recommend doing your own Venn diagram of here's what I think fairy is, here's what I think, and then finding the connection points?
Like, how would you go about merging two? Is it [00:34:00] experimentation? Deep diving.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I, okay, I'm so visual, so that's why I do those Venn diagrams, it's like
Gabrielle: I love it.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: A lot of my videos are like, a window into how I think. And I think a Venn diagram would be a great way to start.
So think about Siren, and then think about Fairy. And what do those two have in common? So both are I think mischievous and devious in their own way, like siren is very alluring but they're doing it. In a not so obvious way, but in a way fairies also lure you in without letting maybe the
Gabrielle: cheekier about it.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: A bit more flirty, a bit more like sparkly versus siren is like come here. Yeah. And so they're both alluring, so we got that in common. The siren colors, I envisioned something a bit more muted, a bit more. Like dark stormy ocean waters and fairy is a bit more colorful.
Maybe it's
Gabrielle: an accessory or something that's peeking out or [00:35:00] unexpected or a little playful that you know She's lured you in and then there's a little trick up her sleeve or something
Melyssa, Silkymochi: yeah, like a pop of color Or you can't see it. Like you have to like brainstorm and have fun with it.
Like I think sometimes People forget you need to have fun with this don't take it so literal think about, oh, this could work. And so if I were to combine Siren and Fairy the first thing I think of is, I automatically think of the modern medieval look.
I think of the bards,
I think of the colorful tapestries. I would take the colorfulness of fairy and maybe dull it a little bit more, like subdue it, put a filter over it. So maybe you could take the silhouette of a siren, like a long, silky slip.
But
maybe the slip is in like a blue plaid, like a very subtle plaid.
And then
have like a lace trim detail. You can play around with it. And yeah experiment.
Gabrielle: I love hearing you design like something just off the top of your [00:36:00] head. My brain works the same way, so I love it. But I also think, people need to play to their skills and their interests.
Like we're both designers, so like we love like designing an actual dress. Like how would this show up? What would the sleeve look like? Yeah. What would the print be? Think about what you love to do, what you're drawn to do, like your analog collages, speak to your like visual nature.
. I also love to write like, so in my world I was like, maybe I would like create a world and create a little short story about like. Where is she? What does she do? What, how do these two qualities work? What's she wearing? How are people perceiving her? What world is she building into?
Or maybe you're a musician and you compose a little ditty about these moody two things coming together. It's play to your strengths and how you naturally gravitate towards this expression. And build a world where these exist. And then compare it and personalize it to your own expression.
I think this is just so amazing and you are so popular in like my audience and my Facebook group So we actually have a little question and answer [00:37:00] list that people submitted So the first question is what's your personal process for reach researching and generating new ideas for your work? So people love you.
They want to know more.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I love you guys, too I can't believe it. Okay, I have to bring out the journal again, this thing is my bible
Gabrielle: I love it!
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I have four different notebooks in here but one of them, the one that's gonna interest you guys the most, is my YouTube notes.
And the first page is this ongoing list of video ideas, so
Gabrielle: Wow, it's just filled to the brim.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: It's filled to the brim, and I even left a couple of pages whenever I'm at a loss for an idea I first think of, oh, is there an incomplete idea of the videos I've done in the past? I feel like my videos is just a multitude of series, everything ties back to the dark muse.
I still need to finish my dark aesthetics for the different seasons, , or like different aesthetics and how to make it darker. Like I want to do a dark ballet core video like how I did the dark [00:38:00] academia. So once I think of those ideas, I like break it down and I just like free range think What I want to include and I always carry this notebook with me or I have my like my notes app on my phone and So I have those ideas in like the back of my head, but then let's say Like the other day I was watching the Video Game Awards, or like some kind of video game video, and there was this new video game coming out that takes place like it's a southern gothic video game.
And I was like, oh, let me keep track of when this game comes out, let me see what outfits are in there. I'm like always jotting down ideas, either physically or in my notes app. And then, once I get those ideas as like a rough idea, then I go to Illustrator. And I make the mood boards that a lot of people see in my videos, and then I refine it so that it's understandable to the public,
and then
I use that as my script.
Like those mood boards on my illustrator. So when I'm filming my camera's [00:39:00] usually right here, my laptop's right here, and my mood boards are here, so I'm like, recording, but I look over at my illustrator file, and I'm like, okay, that's next. Okay, that's next.
Gabrielle: Oh my god.
I love
that.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: And then I edit.
Gabrielle: . Fascinating. That like an image is your script. That I love that. See? This is, that's so interesting.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yeah. I get so confused with if there's too many words on a screen, I just blank out. And so I use pictures with a little tidbit underneath and that's my script.
Gabrielle: Wow, I love that.
The next question is, what topics or concepts are you excited to explore next?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Let me look at my notebook. Okay I've done this before, but I feel like it's a very incomplete idea, and I need to keep going with it, and it's my astrology series. I did actually hold astrology style readings last year.
And because I work as a graphic designer, I got overwhelmed and I had to stop that. And then when I stopped [00:40:00] that like those services, I also stopped doing astrology videos. I want to go back into astrology videos and explore. What it means to dress like each of the signs, if that's in your birth chart my practice is very like tropical astrology at Western astrology, but I also want to dive more into other astrological systems, but also I just want to just learn more and also incorporate those in my videos.
Gabrielle: That was one of the questions is when are you going to bring it back? Is it coming back in the future? So I would get that done. I think that's so cool to tie those elements together. And I think that it's like a natural kind of extension of what you do. Yeah. So we'll make sure that we have the link in the show notes so for people who want to dive deeper into that when you're ready So how can someone with a lighter seasonal palette or softer essence embrace darker aesthetics without feeling washed out or costumey?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Okay, so I did already do a video on this but to shorten it. I would look [00:41:00] into Victorian inspired horror films like Or Crimson Peak. I know I used to say Crimson Peak a lot, but Crimson Peak was like top tier costuming. I know. And was dark.
Gabrielle: It's up there for
a
reason.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: She didn't really wear black. And that was such a beautiful way. Sleepy Hollow is another great example of costuming where she mainly wears white. She mainly wears these soft details. And I think it is diving into Haunted Doll. Dark Muse would probably be the easiest if you have a softer color palette where you want to be dark without.
Going against your color season.
I think also maybe Dressing in witch but just like with lighter colors that match your season also works. So you're not you don't feel too washed out And also you could just embrace it embrace being washed out Washed out is such a subjective term. I don't the idea of what's flattering and what's not is so subjective,
Gabrielle: Of course, and I'm going to add to that on both fronts, is that [00:42:00] one, I think that the color palettes get stereotyped. Everyone gets lights, darks, neutrals, and brights in their palette. And if you look at your palette objectively, like even bright spring for me, I get some navies, I get some dark purples, I get grays.
If I wanted to go darker, that's where I would go. And in black it's like a sister season. Does it make me look a little paler? Sure, but maybe that's the effect I'm going for. Maybe I do want to look a little bit more vampiric than normal,
Melyssa, Silkymochi: you look good in black.
Gabrielle: I like the color. Yeah, but it's it's also a balancing thing too.
So it's not like you can't do this. It's just How does it relate to your palette and where might you want to break the rules? And how are you consistently keeping because if you keep it all black if you do black Maybe that goes really against your palette. But if you do black with a bright spring lipstick, maybe that's balancing it out then, you know So it's all about finding What intention you want and what look you want and I think that yeah, don't stereotype the seasons everyone gets their dark colors, too, if you want to wear
darks, even as [00:43:00] a light.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: And accessories, too. I noticed you're wearing a gold necklace, right? Yeah. I think a lot of I'm presumably a dark winter, and I do naturally gravitate towards a lot of silver jewelry, but, and a lot of dark aesthetic jewelry tends to be made in silver, but the thing is, There are rosaries and dark jewelry that's made in gold and that
can
fit your color season, but still caters to a dark aesthetic.
Accessorizing with gold jewelry can also make you feel like an opulent chapel, like a, how beautiful Catholic. Chapels can be
Gabrielle: totally does. Like I have this video with the four pillars of like your outfits or style and it's color lines, shape, and then like texture details, like color is only one part of the pillar.
If your colors off it and all four of the other ones speak to that, you can still create a dark magnetic. Mystical, celestial look, whatever goals you want. So don't limit yourself to thinking, I have to do black [00:44:00] to be in this world. And that's what I think you debunk and like really expand the topic of dark style for.
So any advice for adding darker moody elements into your style when you have to maintain a more polished or corporate look most of the time? We did cover this a little bit, but any extra tips?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Oh, okay. One thing I did not mention is like the shoes like you don't have to just wear demonias to have a dark aesthetic like I think loafers is a great tailored look that actually does feel dark and there's like a great variety of a buckle so it's all about the little details so You probably can't wear a lot of mesh.
You probably can't wear a lot of the risque type of dark aesthetic looks to an office.
And
Gabrielle: You could wear a little Victorian pair of boots that lace up and those little details that feel a little moodier, a little more cinematic,
Melyssa, Silkymochi: or just looking to the past in general, like Victorian styles, Rococo styles, and I know Rococo is not traditionally dark, but if you were to wear something like a roughly button up to work, that's [00:45:00] pretty alternative of you that's It's not a typical blazer and skirt find little details and layering.
Layering is such a great way don't just put something on maybe layer something unexpected.
And
it could still be appropriate because a lot of dark aesthetics can be modest actually and fit perfectly for an office.
Gabrielle: Yeah, I think that's so interesting. And I also love the idea of like diving into the past a little bit and history and movies and fashion history and design over the years and figuring out what direction your archetype matches with, and deep diving in that way.
So what are your thoughts on the oneric essence and how it interacts with dark aesthetics?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: So this is so funny because I feel like I get requested this at least like every other week. Yeah. Yeah. Oneiric Essence video. So for Oneiric I feel like I can't answer this fully because I need to do more research on it
But from my initial understanding What I so far don't like is that it is almost already stereotyped as [00:46:00] the dark essence
Gabrielle: Yeah,
Melyssa, Silkymochi: And that's not bad.
I think that's actually great But at the same time it almost contradicts It's what I believe in, and I believe every essence can be dark. , I don't think it's fair to say that this one essence is the dark essence. To say Oneric, Dramatic, and Ethereal. Those are the dark essences, if you're not
that.
I don't agree with that. You can still be dark and Ingenue. You can still be dark and these other essences. So I still need to do more research before I Ever to do a true deep dive, but those are my initial thoughts of
Gabrielle: yeah I think I agree with you. I think that it's like Pairing it down into a box and your system allows it to be so much more expansive than this is dark This is what you wear if you want dark.
What if you're dark and you're ingenue then maybe the haunted doll would be much more appropriate for you or something like that, you know How do you feel about combining muses and essences that might seem at odds like someone with a gamine essence wanting to explore the siren muse?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I think whenever you [00:47:00] do something that is contradicting or so contrasting, that's when you get the most interesting outfit.
Gabrielle: Yeah. The
Melyssa, Silkymochi: most like epiphany ideas. So it's gamine essence and the siren muse. I can see how that contradicts like gamine is very fairy
and
Like sharp, dainty details versus siren is a bit more like.
Gabrielle: Yeah. Oops. We already talked a little bit about this, maybe it was just in the back of my brain,
Melyssa, Silkymochi: but there are ways to, I guess in short is you can absolutely combine extremely polarizing, contrasting ideas or things that feel contradicting. And I know I keep repeating this, but you have to experiment and see where they have in common.
And then maybe just what they have not in common just wear it. Just try it out.
Gabrielle: , anything opposing though, it's going to have a messy middle, and you're just going to have some like stinker outfits that you're like, that just didn't work after all, and that's okay.
That's like a learning experience. You, you glean information.
Okay. [00:48:00] How has your background in fashion influenced the way you approach styling and design, especially when pulling from more abs abstract inspiration, like in your muse series?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: I think it just goes back to the mood boarding part of the fashion design.
I think like mood boarding is like the first thing you do freshman year. Of course, after you learn how to sew, but the concept of making designs stems from taking inspiration from something that's intangible. And that was something that was like really ingrained in us early on. Because you know I was in college around like the 2010s and everyone had Lana Del Rey on their mood board Oh, yeah, and my teacher had to rip off little Lana Del Rey pictures And she goes stop taking inspiration directly from people And she was like, look to the ocean.
What do you like about the ocean? Do you like like the waviness, the sheen? That's where, this is where siren is coming from. Yeah. Another big inspiration for me in college was goldfish. I like started making a bunch of collections based off of [00:49:00] goldfish. It doesn't have to be just goldfish, but think about the shape of goldfish.
Like the details of the fins are like a ruffle on a dress. Or how goldfish comes in different colors, like it could be an orange dress with black ink splotches like
I forget not everyone thinks like that And my mind goes like whoa, whoa idea and I think if someone were to approach it in that same way, it's just look at something that is beautiful, that is not a person, that is not a piece of clothing, is it a tree, is it an animal, and what makes that thing beautiful,
and is there
something in a fabric or a garment That mimics that feeling or look
Gabrielle: yeah, I know I forget people don't think like that too because the second you were talking about ocean I was thinking oh we could do this like layered lettuce edge Cascading version of blue with like whites that mimic the tide that comes in and you know It's like taking this abstract thing and pulling the threads to make it a visual representation that [00:50:00] isn't just Like fabric with water on it, like you're like, no, I want to get weirder with it I want to see like what unique thing can I like echo back to the inspiration without it being literal And I think that's what your system does So well is like you're like it's not just literal darkness or literal dark celebrity morticia adams and that's the only thing you can do it's taking these bigger concepts and pulling the threads to find these Non literal like unique to you interesting expressions of them Okay, What was your experience transitioning from fashion to illustration?
How do those creative processes compare?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: This one is interesting because I actually started off as a painter. This is my painting. Oh my goodness. Beautiful. I want to paint over it, but that's a different story. I want something else. I'm a little tired of it. But I started off as a traditional artist.
Like I've been drawing and painting my whole life. And I don't know if you knew this. I went to an art high school. So I majored in visual arts, which essentially [00:51:00] we focused on oil painting and watercolor painting. And when I was in high school for painting, because it was my major, I told my parents I was there for fun, and I was actually going to be a doctor.
And then when college senior year finally came, my mom's don't lie, I know you don't lie.
Gabrielle: I know, I was going to say, did they really believe that?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: She's I will support you. In college, if, and only if, you pick a major that is financially sustainable in terms of art.
And I was like, okay, and keep in mind my mom didn't know, and social media was not that big. So my mom's no illustration major, no painting and drawing major. And the first thing that came to mind was, oh, fashion! You can make money in fashion. This one sounds so bad. But, I was like, I choose fashion design.
I never sewed in my life. The only fashion related thing was I painted a lot of models and people from magazines, like that was like the most fashion related [00:52:00] thing. So I made it in fashion design based off of that conversation, as shallow as that sounds, but that's what happened.
Gabrielle: You pick something, you get a little ping, you go for it, it worked.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: It worked. I was just happy my mom was letting me go to an art college.
Gabrielle: Yeah.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: And I actually did struggle in fashion design. There were parts of it that I liked. I actually really loved my illustration and design classes because I get to mood board. I get to draw people. I actually got yelled at a couple of times because my teacher said I focus too much on the face than drawing the clothes.
She
was
like, You're not a face designer, you're a clothing designer. So
Gabrielle: Can I be both?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Can I draw pretty faces too, though? But with that all saying, it's I struggled in fashion design because my background was in illustration. .
. So me going from fashion to illustration slash graphic design was like me going back home.
Gabrielle: Yeah. You tried on fashion design. It was a version and an [00:53:00] extension of this, but it was like illustration was your home. And that's it relates back to your muses, like you can try on a muse and then maybe you're like, that was fun for a season, but I'm going back to witch, which is my home.
Yeah.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: That's what's fun about style and. Even though I would say like illustration is like where I feel the most at home and painting and drawing style like what we wear Is a wearable art. It's a wearable painting.
Gabrielle: Absolutely Yeah, and there's so many different extensions of what a job or what you're Like career can become and I think that approaching it with like malleable creativity is great that's what I did too.
And it's like you find what lights you up. It's the same with personal style so Any beginner tips for getting into perfumes that might speak to your archetype?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: This is exciting because literally I filmed a perfume video last night.
Gabrielle: Oh my goodness
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Ooh, okay. Perfect timing. So I would actually say I am a beginner in perfume and getting into perfume. To put it very [00:54:00] quickly and I'll dive more into it in that video tonight, but like vampire is going to be the smoky, sultry, sexy scent, spicy scent, witch is like natural, earthy, a little musky, maybe floral, and if it's a fruit, it's like a freshly picked fruit siren is like the fresh scent I know people are gonna be like, oh, aquatic, oceanic, and yes there's a perfume called Squid, and it's a salty perfume, like a salty fresh air perfume.
But Siren is just this idea of like fresh air, , freshly showered. Haunted Doll is I pictured like a tea party, so it's like powdery, maybe a little like the smell of tea cookies and gourmands and vanillas. And then Fairy is like florals, but like with a spunk, so maybe Witch is going to be like a freshly picked apple versus fairy is like an appletini.
So for those sensitive to strong scents, I understand because I am actually sensitive to strong scents. And I would say like of the dark muse scent [00:55:00] profiles, think you need to just buy discovery sets. Do not blind buy. That's just especially with strong scents. I would avoid anything with like oud or those like strong smoky scents. Cause that could be very overwhelming if you have a sensitive palate.
So look for things that Are advertised as something fresh like that makes sense
Gabrielle: Totally. And I think also give yourself time to try those scents, too. Sometimes we're like, let's smell one, let's smell another. If you're sensitive to scents, you're going to be so overwhelmed. You need a day for cleansing your palate of the scent.
Wear a scent, try it for the day, see how you like it, then the next day, try the next part of the scent or, the collection or, whatever it may be. And then our last question, which we touched on, but I'd love to hear more about it. Will you be offering any more astrology style guides or consults?
So do you want to tell us what that kind of service will look like?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yes. So, like I said, I offered it last year. I've refined it a bit [00:56:00] more so that it's a bit more focused. Okay, really quick. I am offering styling services again at the end of March
30th.
Exciting. So my astrology style guides.
What I normally offer you give me your birthday your birth time and I look at your birth chart as a whole I think Styling and dressing based off of your astrological signs is not it's not at all a new thing We see it a lot, but I think a big misunderstanding is people focus on one aspect like I'm a Pisces rising, but it doesn't mean every Pisces rising is going to dress the same.
You have to look at the different houses in your chart. You have to look at what other signs are in your chart. So in my style guides, I focus on three aspects that stand out to me the most in your chart as a total. And then I do a breakdown of so we'll just use mine as an example. So I'm a Cancer Moon.
Cancer energy is, [00:57:00] it's a water sign. It's naturally ethereal, but unintentionally, because cancer rooms tend to be home bodies. They're very introverted. They're very sensitive. I would recommend something that caters to your senses. You probably crave comfort a lot. You probably want to be home a lot.
So maybe, if you're going to wear a silky slip dress, wear like a super thick, chunky cardigan. And that's how I do my descriptions. And then I have a second page where I have a mood board based off of your sign and I have a lot of fun with it. I add different clippings of clothing that I would recommend.
Maybe a painting, like an overall feeling and color palette that matches your birth chart.
And
then the last page are actual sketches that I've done. Just like simple basic silhouettes.
So
I have a folder of all of my past sketches and I'm like, oh I'll use the slip dress that I drew.
We'll use the cardigan. So it's I try to break it down to at least three basic outfits, like bare bones. And [00:58:00] when I did offer it last year, people said that they would keep this PDF on their phone and bring it with them when shopping. So that's what I envision.
Gabrielle: This tool, this little guide, and I love that you incorporate all the houses because I feel like there's just like with the stereotypes of any essence or anything. There's also stereotypes with, your sign I'm a Sagittarius and people are like, Oh, you don't really feel like a Sagittarius.
I'm like I also have a lot of Capricorn and some Scorpio. So it's a little at odds. So what do you ask? You said you need their birthday, their time of birth and their location? Do you need anything style wise, like their style goals or anything?
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Yes. I have everything on my website. It's just silkymochi. com. And when you purchase it, you're prompted to fill out a form. And so like you give me your birthday in the form and I usually have a little box. And it's tell me either your style goals, or any limitations you may have.
If you work in a conservative office, do I need to keep that in mind for your mood board? And [00:59:00] sometimes people, they go all the way with the, that little text box. Like they tell me who they looked up to, their personal style of muse. Yeah. Sometimes I get their life story and I appreciate that.
It's a lot.
Gabrielle: And then sometimes You get three words playful, cool, dark. And you're like, okay, that too, there's always two types.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: That time I got,
whatever you want. And I'm like, what?
What am I going a little bit of something. But I get I don't know. I love that because it gets it's even more personal.
So another thing I'm thinking of incorporating is actual personal consultations, like a zoom call where I talk you through your astrological reading. Or now that I have the dark muse system, like if you just want a consultation of, How to dress like a dark siren and we'll do a consultation and then I'll do a mood board for you after the call.
Gabrielle: Oh my god, I think people would love that. I think people would love that. I think you should offer it. But for now the astrology [01:00:00] style guides I think are going to be such a big hit. Like we're we'll tell everyone where to find that. I want to know. I want to know.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: March 30th. Just on my website, silkymochi.com
Gabrielle: Amazing.
I just think your system is so expansive for people and it really allows them to not be boxed in. You've unboxed dark style and really expanded it to a personal expression that people can take and customize and feel like they have their own voice.
So thank you so much for coming on. This has been amazing. Just wonderful.
Melyssa, Silkymochi: Thank you for having me, and like I said, I've been a huge fan of your videos. Your videos are super enlightening when it came to the Kibbe body type system, and your design background you're rich with knowledge.
I love it.
Gabrielle: Likewise. Thank you again, and everyone, until next time