There is nothing like expressing yourself through clothing. From the moment we wake up, we decide how we want to tell our stories—our personalities—by mixing and matching pieces, adorning ourselves with jewelry, and finishing off with the right pair of footwear. We can't deny that fashion is part of everyone’s life, especially for fashionistas. It has the ability to bring joy, celebrate individuality, and uplift people’s moods—even for a short time.

While exploring oneself through dressing is definitely a fun journey, people sometimes take their passion for fashion to a whole new level that they, unfortunately, become fashion victims. For a long time, the term fashion victim has been used in the industry with different meanings depending on who you are talking to. Fashion editor Nina Garcia wrote a chapter about it in her book. While designers like Donna Karan, Vivienne Westwood, and Gianni Versace gave their own definitions of what makes a person a fashion victim.

For our very own style darling Heart Evangelista, fashion victims are people who religiously follow fads and don’t allow themselves to explore their personal style. “If you are a true-blue fashionista, it should be innate,” the actress tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “You don't need anybody to dress you up. You have to dress according to how you feel because it will automatically look good.”

As someone who is a big part of the fashion community, Heart knows the value of individuality when it comes to dressing up. Highlighting one’s personality through clothing doesn’t just provide a unique look, it makes the wearer feel comfortable about themselves and gives them a positive attitude. To present a clear view, she used her look at Zalora’s 11.11 Party, which is an all-black look courtesy of YSL and the online shopping platform finished off with a dainty floral neck scarf, as an example.

“It’s one of the first steps to feeling good,” Heart muses. “Kahit hindi ka feeling good, ‘yun ‘yung armor mo (Even if you’re not feeling good, that’s your armor). Nobody has a perfect life. We are all trying to fight the struggles, the real issues in our lives. For me, magsusuot ako ng bulaklak kasi nakaka-happy (I’ll wear a floral scarf because it makes me happy). It is important to embrace your fashion sense and not to conform sa kung anong uso lang (to what’s on trend). Kung anong gusto mong suotin, ‘yan nakaka-happy (The things you want to wear will make you happy).”

Interview by Jessica Pag-iwayan

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