Blogger of the Month: Pia Gloria

This month, we’ve been dazzled from across the pond by fashion blogger Pia Gloria. Based in Brighton, England, Pia’s young and modern aesthetic is evident throughout her range of topics featured on her blog, Beauty and Ruin. Her minimal style and eye for monochromatic details are showcased in each of her posts that she shares with her readers. From lifestyle to inspiration pieces, Pia hones in her personal style in each one, making her work specifically represent who she is as a blogger. Pia focuses on style being one’s personal representation of themselves, whether that stems from how you are feeling on a particular day or an extension of your personality. She isn’t afraid about coloring outside of the fashion lines within the industry, but instead stays true to her own signature style that makes her pop and remain elemental. Youth and edge are two key factors in what she represents, making her blog truly “now” and within our fresh age. 

Cliché: What inspires you to create content on Beauty and Ruin?
Pia Gloria: I’ve been reading fashion blogs since I was about 12 or 13, and personal style posts were always my favorite! I love seeing how different people style different garments, so I wanted to give it a go myself. I still consistently check up on my favorite bloggers to see their personal style posts, so I would say that definitely inspires half of the content on my blog! I’m also an editor for an online retailer, Thomas Gun, which is streetwear and menswear based, so I spend a lot of time reading up on streetwear and menswear brands. I would say that inspires the other half of the content on my blog as I have really developed a love for menswear as a result of working for Thomas Gun.
What do you believe is the key to feeling confident in what you’re wearing?
Wear what you want to wear! There’s absolutely no point wearing something that you feel like you have to because it’s “on-trend” if you’re going to feel uncomfortable and therefore unconfident. Dress for yourself—that is what will make you feel empowered and confident.
How would you describe your personal style?
It changes day-to-day depending on how I’m feeling, but mainly monochromatic and understated, occasionally channeling menswear with a hint of the Olsen twins.
If you could give our readers one tip to channeling their personal style, what would it be?
Don’t feel pressured to stick to one style. Wear what you want, when you want. I definitely went through a little dilemma a few years back where I was like, “Oh god no, I can’t wear that because it doesn’t fit in with the style I want to portray,” which is ridiculous. You can’t force yourself to be a style because that wouldn’t be personal. If you want to dress minimalistic and urban one day and like Debbie Harry the next day, then do it!

Scenario time! You’re attending a small, intimate wedding later on in the day after running some errands. How would you style your hair and makeup?
My makeup rarely changes, so it would be my usual winged eyeliner with nude colored eyeshadows on my eyes, a matte bronzer to add a hint of contour (I am nowhere near skilled enough to actually contour properly!), and then for the wedding, I would add my Max Factor lipstick in the shade Burnt Caramel just before the wedding. Wearing lipstick all day means it never looks as nice when I re-apply for the evening. With regards to my hair, if I straighten it towards the end of the day, it ends up flicking where it hits my shoulders and I doubt I would magically have some straighteners on hand! So I would probably wash it in the morning, put it into a deep side part, spritz some sea-salt spray in whilst it’s still wet for some soft waves, and just dry and style the bits that fall around my face. For the wedding, I would pin one side of my hair back to make it look a little more “done.” Et voilà!
Do you have any fashion idols?
The Olsen twins would definitely be the first on my list as style icons. I love their oversized silhouettes they often create, including oversized sunglasses! Plus they are professionals at layering. They always look effortlessly incredible. One of my favorite pieces of clothing in my wardrobe is my leopard print faux fur coat. I love wearing it with pointed black courts, ripped black jeans, a tee, and red lipstick. I wonder where the inspiration for that outfit came from… Kate Moss, of course! She’s probably quite a cliché fashion idol, but I love her. Another of my fashion idols, who inspires the slightly more clean-cut and simplistic aspect to my style, is Swedish fashion blogger Victoria Törnegren. She makes the most minimal of outfits look stylish and fashion forward.
What are your go-to items in your wardrobe and makeup bag?
The first would have to be my faux leather jacket from H&M (I’m still saving for that dreamy All Saints one…) because it goes with pretty much anything! The second is my Topshop Leigh jeans which I DIY ripped them at the knees, and lastly would probably be my eyebrow pencil. I have a really bad habit of pulling out my eyebrows just with my fingers when I’m bored or stressed, and patchy eyebrows are not a good look.

Where do you love to shop, and where do you find the best bargains?
I love ASOS and Topshop for those trend-focused items to keep my wardrobe up-to-date throughout the seasons. For those one-off pieces, such as my black Levi jeans or my woolen turban, which bring something different to my outfits, it would have to be Beyond Retro! I live in Brighton in the UK, which has an amazing, huge, warehouse style store, but they also have a store in London and online. The best thing about it is that it is so cheap! No need to spend unnecessary amounts of money on vintage pieces with Beyond Retro about!
What’s one item you just can’t live without?
I can’t choose just one because I wear all three of my absolute favorites every day! The lipstick would be Max Factor in the shade Burnt Caramel because it’s nude and pretty subtle, but makes my lips look a bit fuller. For eyeliner, it would be Collection 2000’s liquid eyeliner. I’ve been using it for years and never found anything better for such a cheap price point! And bronzer-wise, I use Sleek MakeUP’s contour kit because the bronzer is the perfect color for my fair skin and is completely matte!
What do you hope to create and spread on Beauty and Ruin?
I blog on Beauty and Ruin because it’s something I genuinely enjoy. Even if no one was to read it, I’d still probably carry on because I love having that little creative outlet. I occasionally got nasty comments about how I dressed and even about the fact that I blogged when I was in school. This really got to me sometimes and made me stop blogging about things I’m interested in and even made me change how I would dress around them, so I’d love to be able to inspire others to start blogging and motivate them to be themselves and express themselves via how they dress.
Read more Style Columns on ClicheMag.com
Blogger of the Month: Pia Gloria “Blogger Spotlight: Beauty and Ruin” originally appeared in Cliché Magazine’s Oct/Nov 2015 issue. Photographs courtesy of Josh Fletcher