Your own personal style tells a story every day to everyone that sees you. Some people obsess over what others will think of them, whereas some people claim that they really don't care what anyone else thinks of their appearance. Either way you're always sending a message from the way you look and it's not just about your fashion sense. It's your attitude, your hairstyle, and your accessories, even piercings and tattoos.

Tattoos actually have a pretty large correlation with fashion - it's just another way to accessorize and personalize your own look. Fashion is a form of art, and so are tattoos. They have definitely increased in popularity in the past decade and the stigma towards them is decreasing. I remember people warning me before I got any that it could affect job offers, and I was a little worried as to what my parents would say too. But, believe it or not after less than a year that I got my first tattoo, I was on my way to the tattoo shop with my dad for his first.

I think maybe people are finally starting to drill in that age-old saying that you can't judge a book by its cover. It does make me wonder, however, what designers think about hiring tattooed models and if they would be more or less inclined to do so. I think it definitely depends on the particular line, the tattooed image would be perfect for a rock ‘n' roll or punk influenced line rather than classy couture. The problem might be that very prominent tattoos on a model can make them very recognizable, and usually designers want a selection of models with a similar look to increase the cohesiveness of the line. Designers that like to get a lot of attention for a particular garment sometimes bring in celebrities or even athletes to showcase a certain garment and I think this could be the same case for hiring an overly tattooed beauty.


Tattoos are also making a splash into fashion in a literal sense- tattoo flash printed right onto clothes, shoes, and jewellery. Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier has been raking in billions over the past few years with their bold brightly coloured printed tees, sweaters, jeans, shoes, etc. I've found that most people either love it or hate it. I don't mind Audigier as a designer, and I love Ed Hardy as a tattoo artist, but I can't say I own any Hardy merchandise myself. The way I see it is that it is often way overdone; the clothes are so busy and bold that they really need to be toned down with something simple, so my advice is to never construct an outfit consisting of more than one Hardy piece.

Fashion is cyclical but always changing, things we used to wear we look back at and laugh about now- I wouldn't be caught dead in bell-bottom jeans now but that wasn't always the case. If you're thinking about getting a tattoo because it's cool at the time or fun for the moment you might want to slow down because later on in life it'll still be there unlike a pair of jeans that you can hide in your closet or give to Goodwill. Put some real thought into it and also make sure, regardless of meaning, it looks physically appealing on your body!

Some things in fashion will always be hot- like the perfect little black dress. Think of that when choosing a tattoo; get something timeless that will always look good on you. It's going to represent you to others for the rest of your life so make it worthwhile and think of what message you want to portray.