Today, I’m taking you on a trip through the closet of one of MSA’s own fashion icons: Victoria Jerde!
I conducted this interview similarly to the last post in this series with Stephyne Weathersby, in which I asked her to choose some of her favorite outfits and I asked what the inspiration behind each ensemble, her process of putting together an outfit, and other relative questions. Here’s what Jerde had to say about her notorious wardrobe:
“Well, with all the things that I wear, it kinda stems from just looking and matching bc I’m a really big color-coded like I can not mix match.”
With this first look, she says, “So, I think with this one, it was coffee house night, and I was like, ‘Well, I wanna dress in coffee house attire.’, so I was like, ‘A turtle neck is essential.’ and then I was like, ‘Let’s mix it up a bit, and I put on, um, this like “granny gown” or whatever. And then, the skirt.’ I was like, ‘Oh, prints— let’s make it floral’, and then I added the belt… The black boots kinda just went with it, so yeah.”
“This was like when it was in winter, but it was like fall going into winter, y’know. It was cold, but not too cold. And um, I really hate winter. It is like the worst season, in opinion. (Ditto!) But spring is like my favorite season, so I made this outfit because I had the headscarf, but it was still cold outside, so I put on this cute sweater, but still wanted to make it spring-like. I just kinda dressed it up a bit. But I guess my love for spring inspired this look— I missed spring. (Don’t we all.)
I interrupt this fashion blog to give you insider tips about Jerde’s skincare and how she gets the flawless skin we see her rockin’ every day.
She says, “Um, usually, I try not to put foundation on my face. My skin breaks out so easily.” (IDK about y’all, but Jerde has DEF been fooling me. 2020 Goal: Have skin so flawless, it looks like I’m wearing some 24-hr full coverage foundation when I’m NOT!) “Um, I used to do a lot of product and then it messed my skin up, but now, I use an exfoliator, like a natural one every night, with some fash wash. Then, I tone; toner has saved my life because I have really red skin. And then, I’ll do like a sheet mask every once in a while. And then, I also have this other stuff, that I stopped using because it’s such a long process— it takes like an hour. But, it’s, um, Indian healing clay, and I found it through TikTok, and it works!” (LOL) “I swear by it. It heals a lot of my acne, and um, it’s like $10 at Walmart, and you mix it with water. ” For all you out there who have sensitive skin, or even if you don’t, I highly recommend trying some of Jerde’s skincare regimens because I see her on the daily, and they WORK!
Okay, with this outfit, I HAD to know how she rocks such chic looks without being dress coded! Here’s what she said, “So, I’m just like naturally kind of a rebellious type person, so what I like to do, I’ll stay in dress code, for the most part. Unless it’s like a simple thing where no one really cares, like maybe, a tiny bit off of my fingertips, but what I’ve noticed is that, if it looks classy, sometimes it can slide… sometimes. Not all the time though, but if you’re not flashing anything or doing anything too bad, y’know, it’s okay.”
So, I was scrolling through the ‘gram not too long ago, and I came across this picture of Jerde, and I was like, ‘Another fabulous look by the Queen’, but then I zoomed in and saw that my girl had on SOCKS with HEELS. I was shook because that’s not a trend right now, that’s not what’s poppin’ right now, but I liked it! I knew that I could never pull it off, but I was not mad at it at all! Jerde says this about that outfit, “So, I really love trying new things and experimenting because you’re never gonna know what looks good on you unless you try it. And I— this is my favorite color, that baby blue, so I, like, I got that headscarf, my favorite of all time that I got from a thrift store in Columbus. And I paired— okay, so I used to hate that button-up so much because I didn’t know how to style it, like it was so hard for me. And then, I was playing around with it, and I was like, ‘Huh?’ so I put it on over this basic tank top and jeans. And I was like, ‘This is okay… it’s kinda baggy.’ So, I grabbed a silver, chain belt, wrapped it around it, instead of under it. And it gave me, like, Princess Cinderella vibes. And then, with the sandals, I was like, ‘Me wearing just high heels with my toes out and everything, it just doesn’t do it, y’know. So, I just tried some socks, y’know. And a few people said some mean things to me about it or gave me mean looks, but at the end of the day, it was really experimental. I mean, I knew that people would look at me weird, but I got out of my comfort zone, which is always good.”
Although this is one of Jerde’s simpler looks, it’s one of my personal faves because everyone knows that to create a great ensemble, you need accessories! And I really loved how she chose to pair this cute, girly hairstyle that frames the face, the little dainty necklace, but with the really masculine, camouflage pants. In response, she says, “These pants, I don’t know why, but every time I see them, I think of Bratz dolls. So, I wanted that sort aesthetic and vibe, but with my hairstyles, I’m kind of limited because I don’t have the longest hair. But, with everything, the best accessory is confidence. I’m serious, all you gotta do is have confidence. And if you don’t have confidence, fake it ’til you make it. It works! And people respect you because we stompin’ on necks.” (PERIODT!)
I LOVE this look! It’s very 90’s vibe, it’s layered, it’s pink, she’s got the Filas; I mean, this is a ‘FIT! AND, Jerde confirms, “Polly Pocket was the inspiration” behind this look! Iconic!
Contrary to popular belief, Jerde is only 5’3, guys! I mean, you probably could NEVER tell from looking at this photo, but it’s true. And with this particular look, I noticed that Jerde pairs some of the same few items in many of her outfits, but just like her height, you can’t tell! She says, “So, you have like your basic pieces, and then you have your statement pieces. Those are ones you don’t want to wear all the time.”
Closet of a Butterfly Girl
Jerde has another blog outside of her literary blog called, Closet of a Butterfly Girl, where she focuses on fashion. I am a loyal and proud subscriber, and you should be too; it is well worth it! Click the link above to support Jerde through her endeavors as an up and coming fashion journalist.
Speaking of which, Jerde is also working on a fashion magazine, which I am SUPER excited about. She spoke a little about that to me, as well. Here’s what she said, “I started my blog in late September/early October. It was a spur of the moment type thing. I’d always wanted to do it, but never committed to it. So, I said, ‘Alright, let’s do it’. Then, I was planning on posting every week, but then I didn’t because about a week later, I realized that I needed to be a fashion journalist. I was like, ‘That is my thing. That is what I love. That’s what I’m good at.’ And that’s when I was like, ‘I need to make a magazine,’ not for anything else, but just for myself. It’s a big goal to complete, y’know, it’s gonna take 7 months. So, I started it and it’s been a really long process. It’s a really big commitment, and I’ve gotten a lot of support from it, and I’ve never gotten that before. And that kinda stuff really pushes me and keeps me going. I mean, if I didn’t have support, I probably wouldn’t still be doing it because I’d get in my head and think that it’s all for nothing. But, it’s going good; I’m 15 pages in. It’s very busy. It takes up all my time, but I love it. And it’ll be out April 20th, which is also my showcase, so come to that! I’m sharing it with Morgan Crosby, so come see her too. But I plan on starting up my blog for real, doing it weekly, after the magazine because I’ll have a lot more time on my hands, so yeah, definitely look forward to that. So just wait and see; I promise the magazine is not going to disappoint because I have been working so hard on it!
I hope you enjoyed a peek into the closet of Miss Victoria Jerde. Make sure y’all subscribe to her fashion blog and get her magazine on April 20th, on the day of her showcase. The theme is Lepidopterology, which is the study of butterflies and moths, definitely fitting for this butterfly girl!
And read next week’s blog featuring Michael “MJ” Coleman Jr.!
I love this fashion series you’re doing! I love fashion, so it is so interesting to see fellow peers styles. This blog was really fun, and your voice is just lovely (as always):)
We love our fashion queen! Your journalism skills are greatly improving maleigh! Keep it up!!
Maleigh, I always look forward to your blogs. I am so glad that you continued this series because I honestly love it. Although I am not complete strangers with the people you showcase, I never talk to them about their wardrobe. Vic has one of the best styles here, so I think you made a worthwhile decision to feature her on your fashion blog. Lovely pictures, formatting, thoughts, etc. I look forward to your next blog, as usual. (: