Self expression is the most important thing when it comes to fitting your unique look. One way men and women share their thoughts and creative ideas is through the art of tattoos. For Berlin fashionista Ricarda Schernus’ self expression isn’t a problem. Through her bold body art and fabulous style, she makes herself noticed as a high fashion grade school teacher with her blog Cats and Dogs. Ricarda has shown off her dramatic look in a number of fashion shows and photo shoots. She even won Girl Of The Week in Teen Vogue Magazine’s Snapshot Blog! She shared with us what every tatted fashionista is looking for when it comes to hiding and emphasizing body art. If you’re looking for a way to make your tattoos bold and out there, or hidden and covered, you’re in for a treat:
Reasons to Be Beautiful: So Ricky, tell us all about your tattoos. How many do you have? Which is your favorite and why?
Ricarda Schernus: Well, I have tattoos currently at four different spots on my body: upper left arm, lower right arm, upper left leg and lower right leg. Kind of nicely symmetric, isn’t it? But on my right arm, there are two different ones and on the right leg, three different tattoos merged into one over the time.
I couldn’t really say which one is my favorite, though, they’re all nice. However, the ones I made myself are somehow special because well, I did them myself.
RTBB: Are you planning on getting another tattoo? What would you get and where would it be placed?
RS: Yes, absolutely! This year I’m planning on a new one but I’m still deciding between a complete floral upper arm coverage (old roses and other flowers that my parents have in their garden) and a Chinese lucky cat. I’ll see in summer which one I’ll get. Then there are many others I still want to get, but it’s all a question of money of course!
RTBB: Do all or any of your tattoos have a deeper meaning behind them?
RS: Not really. Well, maybe. I really like ice cream, so that’s why I got my famous ice cream cone tattoo. I’m also a lot into tarot card reading and that’s why I got the moon which also stands for the female.. I’m generally fascinated by the moon and its powers. The bunnyfish are really just a crazy fun tattoo and it was the first one I was tattooing on myself so it’s really special. The fruits and the girl represent my own girl power and the lower leg piece includes my favorite flowers (orchids and roses) and some leopard pattern which at some point I want to let grow up my leg and perhaps my whole side up to my neck. I love cats and the leopard pattern just looks ridiculously beautiful. I also tattooed that on myself.
[pullquote_right]“I also think people shouldn’t be afraid of showing a bit more of what they are through pictures on their skin. I think it’s a beautiful way of expressing oneself.” [/pullquote_right]
RTBB:Can you say that your tattoos help express who you are and where you came from?
RS: Absolutely. I guess I made that clear in the question above. I also think people shouldn’t be afraid of showing a bit more of what they are through pictures on their skin. I think it’s a beautiful way of expressing oneself.
RTBB: Do you think people in the fashion industry should further explore the world of tattoos? Is it important for women to emphasize their self expression?
RS: It’s interesting to see that more and more models (especially male models) carry a lot of beautiful body art. I also got booked for fashion shows because of my tattoos on several occasions. So I think the fashion industry slowly discovers the potential that tattoos have in connection with clothes.
RTBB: Your chic sense of style and bold tattoos have intrigued me from the moment I saw your blog. How does your unique look correlate with your tattoos?
RS: I’ve never really given it any thought. I don’t think there is a problem of wearing anything when you have tattoos. It doesn’t really matter. There are no colors that wouldn’t fit my tattoos I think and since they’re not too many (yet) I don’t really give that matter a lot of thought.
They’re like part of my skin now, sometimes I don’t really see them for weeks, totally forget that I have them. [Laughs]
RTBB: Do you think about the location of your tattoos when you get dressed in the morning? Do you mainly try to hide or emphasize your brilliant body art?
RS: No, I don’t do neither. In winter, they’re completely hidden, anyway, just because it’s too cold to wear short sleeves. And in summer, I just like to show them, my work isn’t a problem there. I’m an elementary school teacher and nobody there has a problem with tattoos. My kids love the ice cream tattoo, especially in summer.
RTBB: How can a tatted fashionista like yourself show off her tattoos in the best way possible? What kind of clothes should one wear for the perfect amount of tattoo exposure?
RS: Haha, well I guess summer outfits. I like to wear sleeveless dresses in summer. They hide almost none of my tattoos so that’s a great way to show them off. Or just go swimming, but I’m not that much of a beach kind of girl.
RTBB:What’s your favorite outfit to wear that struts your tats?
RS: I used to have a pretty denim dress that made my tats really stand out. But somehow I lost it. Too bad.
RTBB: Are there certain colors you stick to when your looking to enhance your tattoos?
RS: Not really, no. But I remember at a fitting for a fashion show the designers really liked my tattoos in combination with some violet and blue/grey colors.
RTBB: But what about if you have an important job in which you must hide your precious tattoos. What is the best way to do so without having to come into work in a full body suit?
RS: Don’t have that kind of job as I said earlier. But when I used to be a waitress, it was forbidden to have tats, so I got a little nervous at first. But then it turned out we were supposed to wear long sleeved white shirts and black trousers anyway, so nobody saw my tattoos. It was easy.
RTBB: What piece of advice could you give for a woman with tattoos who is simply lost when it comes to dressing for or against the exposure and accentuation of her tattoos?
RS: Just don’t worry so much about it. Any kind of clothing will look great with your tattoos, I’m sure. Just wear what you like and carry your clothes just as your tattoos with confidence and everybody will love your look. If you want or need to hide them, though, you’ll always find that tights and a jacket will be sufficient.
My greatest tattoo inspiration will always be Kat Von D and she even designed her own fashion line which in my opinion quite nicely underlines your tattoos in a very special way.
Check out Ricarda’s blog at Cats and Dogs
rtbbmagazine
rtbbmagazine