Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Series - In Style: Laura Hollis & Carmilla Karnstein of "Carmilla" [Contributor: Rae: Nudson]

Rae recently debuted a new series at our website titled "In Style" in which she creates look boards inspired by some of her favorite television fashionistas. This is her contribution for the web series Carmilla!
I'm a total Carmilla. I was the messy roommate, I hate volunteering for things, and my fridge was always empty. And when it comes to my own closet, I much prefer a black leather jacket to a brightly colored dress.

I also need a Laura. I need someone to make be braver, to cut through my cynicism, and to bring some color into my life.

Laura's style has always been about practicality. She has investigations to run and conspiracies to uncover, and she looks put-together and ready to get to work. She wears flats –– you can't very well run away from a giant angler fish god in four-inch heels –– and she wears layers to take off or put on as needed. Her style changes a bit in the second season, after Carmilla lifted some unused clothes from other dorms and gave them to Laura. Laura's a bit dressier now, which could be as much about trying to look nice for Carm as it was about her new TV broadcast role for the university. The fabrics she wears are soft and romantic. Her most romantic look, though, is the ruffly shirt from season one that Carm says makes her look like a virgin sacrifice.


Laura's clothes are as adorable as her personality, and the patterns she wears are refreshing and fun, without being too cutesy. Whether it's polka dots or giraffes, patterns bring whimsy to her wardrobe when her life definitely needs something uplifting to balance out the darkness. My favorite Laura looks are pattern heavy. Her blue polka dot dress and the dress with deep red and green plaid are resplendent.


Carmilla's wardrobe, however, fully reflects the darkness she feels. In blacks and deep purples, reds, and pinks –– like blood and bruises –– Carmilla is all punk and edge. Carmilla, in her leather corsets and leather pants and leather everything, is sexy. Seduction and charm are part of being a vampire, and Carmilla has that seduction on lock.

One of my favorite looks of Carmilla's is her robe. It's unexpectedly bright, but it's still red, and it's covered in leopards –– a jungle predator that could maybe run as fast as Carmilla.


My other favorite look (for obvious reasons) is she corset and leather pants she wears on her and Laura's disastrous almost-date.

If you consider yourself to be more of a Laura, I want to help make sure your style is on point while you are doing your best to save the world. So I have some examples of what you could add to your closet:


I'd recommend dressing in soft fabrics and grown-up patterns (think extra small or extra large prints, or something sharp and graphic so the pattern doesn’t skew too twee). You should always dress like Laura when you need to overthrow an evil plot, go underground and in hiding, or feel hopeful about a great love.

For the Carmillas out there, I have some inspiration for you, too! My recommendations are that you mainly wear black and have the perfect pair of leather pants and crop tops for a night painting the town red. You should dress like Carmilla when you are fighting with your mom, planning revenge, or falling hopelessly in love.


The style of both these women add to their characters by using their clothes to portray parts of their personalities. But Laura's sweetness and Carm's edge are only a parts of their whole selves. To learn more about these wonderfully complex women, check out Carmilla on the VerveGirl YouTube channel.

0 comments:

Post a Comment