Shida Shares Her Styling Ideas

As third pard of my Personal Development and Working Methodology project I decided to do an interview* with an old friend/fashion stylist/founder of My Styling Ideas ; Shida Aruya. Continue reading to discover how much passion she has for fashion and why it is becoming such a huge part of her life!

*Hi Shida! Please give us brief information about yourself !
Hi there! I am Shida Aruya, 23 years old, currently residing in Jakarta, Indonesia. Last year I graduated from LSPR and officially got my bachelor in mass communication. Right now I am currently working as personal assistant at my uncle’s company and also the owner and a full time fashion editor on my website called My Styling Ideas.

*Tell us about your personal style! And why fashion?
Well, sometimes I could dress up as girly-girl with skirts and heels, but other times I could get away with this very laid-back look ; slip dress, a shirt or jumper over it and a pair of suede boots, so the way I dress totally depends on my mood. I basically just wear anything that makes me feel comfortable (and I think everybody should!)

And why I love fashion? Hmm....I’d say it's because of my mom. Since I was little I always looked at the way she put on her clothes. Where she would wear this cute orange cropped pants with a brown turtle neck knitwear, or an oversized t-shirt tucked in a high waisted shorts and kitten heels, so in short, she was the one who sparked my passion for fashion. I have always been interested in fashion. I subscribed to fashion magazines and I found them to also be my early inspirations. I have always liked playing around with my wardrobe too!

*I could totally relate on “mom’s influence” when it comes to style! I sometimes would snuck my way into her old wardrobe and find my personal treasure.  So, what leads you into finally choose this field as your occupation?
It’s because the passion I have inside this brain of mine. When I look at models’ off duty look, I want to dress like them. When I look at fashion editors, I want to work like them. I have this dream to work in fashion field. That’s why I dived into it & got the first taste of working in this field as fashion intern, two years ago at Girlfriend magazine, and up till now, running My Styling Ideas.

*So how did you start My Styling Ideas?

After I've graduated, I worked as a fashion stylist (or better known as wardrobe team) in a movie production. I was in charge for the overall outfits, fitting with the actors and actresses, borrowing and purchasing clothes, be responsible for the continuity and the care of all costumes, which actually demands more hardwork than what people may think.

But with tight schedule and working hours, I normally arrived home really late, around 1 or 2 am, sometimes even at 4 am, and had to go back on set at 6 or 7 am, which totally drained me out. As much as I loved the job, knowing my body and my limit, I then decided to quit after one movie.

(Taken by Aditya Tirtakusuma)

And I was thinking “What’s next?” I know I had always love writing as far as I could recall. Back in the day I would write some short stories and also have my personal blog (that I made around 2009).

The idea came because I was sure a lot of people (sometimes, including myself!) often are confused and have no idea about what they are going put on. So combining my passion for fashion and writing, and also the support from my parents, I started My Styling Ideas earlier this year to save you a little stress, and sometimes it helps me too!

*In the near future, where do you see MyStylingIdeas?
My Styling Ideas is a site that’s dedicated to give you styling ideas, hence the name. I love to share my ideas that can help people to decide what would they wear, either occasionally themed or seasonal trends. I am so happy that my friends started to contribute on my website and how My Styling Idea starts to get its spotlight.

So hopefully in the near future I can build a cozy tiny office, hire some people to help me run the website, and also ask more friends to join and make my website bigger and better ; keep on helping people to decide what to wear. It would also be cool to have collaboration with some fashion designers!

*What’s the biggest challenge working in fashion field?

There are so many fashion bloggers right now and it’s obviously the biggest challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I love them all! However, I want to be different! So while other people take photos of their outfit and post them on their blog, I pinched my ideas and give it to people. I try to cater my tips for everyone, every body type. I also give styling ideas for men! I hope this can overcome that biggest challenge -- to be different and everything.

*What’s your body-type and what kind of fashion do’s and don’ts you have for it?

I am petite, my height is 153 cms and I only weight 39 kgs. Unconsciously I always wear something that’s cinched around my waist and I realized this is my fashion do’s ; to create an illusion of volume for my petite figure. I love wearing shorts and mini skater skirt that make my legs look longer. If  I wear maxi skirts, I'd add heels under my feet to give illusion of taller figure.

I love patterns, but don’t really wear them, especially patterned-pants that cuts away my height. I only wear patterned tops and also prefer to dress in one or two colour palettes. The best fashion fabrics for petites will have to be lightweight and drapey. But if you want to wear knits, opt fot lightweight knits. Chiffon is great too! My fashion dont’s for petites: clothes that are too tight and say no to flared pants!

*Who are your fashion icons or favourite brands or current trend lust and loathe? (Obviously you can answer all of them if you don’t mind!)

My fashion icons are Kiko Mizuhara, Sky Ferreira, Olivia Palermo, and The Olsens. There are a lot of fashion bloggers that inspire me too, like Natalie Suarez and Marie Myrhoj. I really dig Kenzo, Creatures of Comfort, Opening Ceremony, and Alexander Wang. 
I always love the flared mini skirt trends, as well as B/W and grunge that’s having quite a come back this year with plaids and stuff. Trends I loathe? Hahaha probably when people starts to wear beanie everywhere even though the weather is super hot and also this “sweater for your wrist” ** trend – just weird.

*Style-wise, if you could go back to a certain era, where’d you go? And which countries inspire your style the most?

Well, I don’t think I want to go back to certain era because I love the era I'm living right now. Look at how people dress nowadays, so amazingly fabulous! The contries that inspire my style the most will be UK and Japan.

*If you must choose between having a flying career in fashion, or doing another job (that you’re totally not passionate with) but with 20 times higher pay, what would you choose?
 I will choose the first one, because it is what I love to do. Even if I wouldn't make that much money out of it, at least I will enjoy waking up & love going to work! I once worked in a field that I am not passionate about, good salary, but I couldn't be more sure that I was not happy. 

(Dazzling up her working attire with statement necklace)

*Tips for those who want to start jumping into fashion field?

Don’t take fashion too serious, be spontaneous! Make a lot of friends in this field, because connection is important. Don’t be shy and afraid to wear anything that’s comfortable for you — and share it with the world. Try to take every good opportunities you are offered to because you’ll never know what’s gonna come in the future.

Extra question***, If someone hands you €25.000 in cash and you must pick either KENZO or Comme Des Garçons to splurge with, where’d you go? (I’d totally go for Kenzo, they’re doing exceptionally good under Humberto Leon & Carolin Lim. OH THOSE KILLER PATTERNS!)

Oh you pick the right answer! Of course I’d pick Kenzo too, just look at their SS 2014 and Resort collection!! Who doesnt want to fit their own self inside those amazing clothes?!

Thank you Shida for this interview. Wishing all the best for your future project and endeavours! 

Your very most welcome! Good luck for both of us, love!

(us, loving Martens ; loving flatforms)

Still can’t get enough of her? Visit My Styling Ideas or simply stalk her personal account here.

* No copyright infringement, done & edited by me. Photos from her personal collection.            

** sweater-for-your-wrist : fingerless gloves made out of sweater material                                                                            
*** This question was prepared altogether with other questions, any connection between answers of this and other question is totally unintentional (Although both of us could totally relate to the fact that Kenzo’s currently doing amazeballs collection! See here )

Pas Volé, Mais Perdu

Paris 10th arr, few minutes past midnight. 

My friend and I finished our dinner after few glasses of fermented grapes, 
a cup of tea recommended by our overly friendly waiter, 
and 40 minutes spent waiting for our desserts, 
which I assume were made by order and not some ready-to-serve sweets. 

Everything about our meal was nice except my side dish.
Maybe pumpkin cream pie with orange zest just was not for me.

At the station, I bid her adieu and took a left turn to the aisle where metro line 4 is. 
Metro station performers are always interesting. 
My favourite ones are those groups of tiny orchestras that sell CD format of their performance and those accordion men who often (if not always) play french clichés such La Vie en Rose or La Valse d'Amelie.

But my soundtrack that night was a lady, singing Ave Maria with no instruments, stood beside piles of dull bags. 
The station wasn't crowded nor empty, but her high-pitched voice added a blend of eeriness, echoing through the walls as I kept walking. 

I saw those with tired faces, 
those cuddly lovebirds, 
those travellers who took inconvenient time just to get better ticket fares, 
or even those who were just on their way back home, observing people like I did.

I wished you were there to see what I was seeing & 
I wished you were there, 
literally and figuratively.

Because there are way too many things I'd like to share with you. 

From countless of trivial unimportant stuffs, 
to personal secret thoughts. 

That tender feeling of being connected through words,
like morse codes invented and used only by us.

Where did it go?
Stolen by reality?
Lost in between memories?

It's even harder for me, because I know you're not there,
and yet you're everywhere.

In photographs and in songs.
In books and in films.
In certain conversations and certain scent.
And every time I stumbled across all of those thing,
I was reminded of the agony that you're no longer there.

And as the metro stopped from one station to another,
I was getting more and more overwhelmed by the bitterness of all the possibilities we've lost — and all that we couldn't ever have.

You see,
missing you is not about how long has it been since the last time we saw each other.
It's about that very moment I found myself doing something and wishing that you were there, 

in my life.

So many songs, movies, books, discussions, laughters, inside jokes, secret thoughts and feelings I'd like us to share.

So many more memories I'd like us to create, 
and even so many future-tenses I would add to our life,

Because once, you made me feel as if we were made for each other.

Wounded Space

Have you ever wondered which hurts most?

Saying something and wishing you had not,
or not saying anything and wish you had?

The ticking times I've spent with countless of what-ifs and fear diluted into a pot of bravery, 

in which I'm betting a whole chunk of my heart. 

The thought of spending my life pretending his heart meant nothing for me
was even more frightening than the possibility of getting my heart crushed,
so then I gamble my heart for the sake of his.

Be it a bad luck or a fate,
all that I know that I was sure that I love everything about him and us, 

even parts that I might not understand.

Now I've got to pick up the shattered pieces of my heart. 

In The Blink of An Eye

To her, he was beautiful.
But it was hidden behind an invisible wall.

A wall that not everyone know is there.

Behind the wall there's a heart she'd embrace and say
"Hey, I care. I carry so much of you in my heart. You are loved."

Feelings turned into written words.
A draft full of honest thoughts.

She buries her ears into the calm of his heartbeat,
but she couldn't hear a thing.
She realised that the wall was too high.
The wall that was made out of consciousness, a decision of one part.

Questioning, in pain, and barely understand how could two people who used to share both their happiness & fear, are now being pushed by an invisible wall between them.

From being big part of each other's life, now the wall's putting them back into strangers for one another.

Coming to a realisation that loving someone requires a leap of faith,
and that a soft landing is never guaranteed,
she has now realised that the landing costs her her feelings.