Our generation of budding creative minds and prospering artistic outlets have brought tattoos to new heights, with people everywhere joining the growing group of inked up lads and ladies.
Through her vibrant body art and style, Berlin-born fashionista Ricarda Schernus makes herself noticed as a high fashion grade school teacher and blogger at CATS & DOGS.
She has shown off her colorful bod in a number of fashion shows and photo shoots and was Girl Of The Week in Teen Vogue’s Snapshot Blog. Lucky for us, Ricarda shared what every tatted up beauty needs to know about hiding and emphasizing body art, along with an inside look at her tattoos.Tell me all about your tattoos. How many do you have? Which is your favorite and why?
Well, I have tattoos on 4 different parts of my body: upper left arm, lower right arm, upper left leg and lower right leg. Kind of nicely symmetrical, isn’t it? But on my right arm, there are two different ones and on my right leg, three different tattoos merged into one over 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.
Are you planning on getting another tattoo? What would you get and where would you get it?
Yes, absolutely! This year I’m planning on a new one, but I’m still deciding between complete floral upper arm coverage (old roses and other flowers that my parents have in their garden) and a Chinese lucky cat. Then there are many others I still want to get, but it’s all a question of money of course!
Do all or any of your tattoos have a deeper meaning behind them?
Not really. Well, maybe. I really like ice cream, so that’s why I got my famous ice cream cone tattoo. I’m into tarot card reading and that’s why I got the moon. The bunnyfish is really just a crazy fun tattoo and it was the first one I tattooed 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. At some point I want to 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.
Do your tattoos help express who you are and where you come from?
Absolutely. I think people shouldn’t be afraid of showing a bit more of who they are through pictures on their skin. I think it’s a beautiful way of expressing oneself.
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?
Yeah, well. 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 is slowing discovering the potential that tattoos in connection with clothes can have.
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?
I’ve never really given it any thought. I don’t think there is a problem with wearing anything when you have tattoos. It doesn’t really matter. There are no colors that wouldn’t fit my tattoos. They’re like part of my skin now. Sometimes I don’t really see them for weeks, [and I] totally forget that I have them, haha.
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?
No, I don’t do either. 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. I’m an elementary school teacher and nobody there has a problem with tattoos. My kids love the ice cream tattoo, especially in summer.
How can a tatted fashionista like yourself show off her tattoos in the best way possible? What kind of clothes make for the perfect amount of tattoo exposure?
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 swimsuits, but I’m not that much of a beach kind of girl.
What’s your favorite outfit to wear that struts your tats?
I used to have a pretty denim dress that made my tats really stand out. But somehow I lost it. Too bad.
Are there certain colors, cuts or patterns that help enhance your tattoos?
Personally for me, 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.
Honestly, though, I don’t think too much about it. I mean, yeah, if you have a bunch of colorful tattoos then maybe wearing a bunch of different colors might be a little much, but it’s not like you sit in the tattoo parlor and think “okay I can’t get this because that paisley dress in my closet won’t look good with it.” If you have to think that much about it, stick to black and grey tats and you won’t have to worry about anything clashing.
What if your profession insists that you hide all noticeable ink? What is the best way to stay classy without having to come into work in a full body suit?
I don’t have that kind of job, and if you’re planning on getting that kind of job then you should definitely double-think your tattoo locations. 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. It all depends on where they are and how many. Wear outfits that cover up what you need covered, but don’t lose your personal style in the process. That’s very important.
What article(s) of clothing cover tattoos up the best?
I don’t need to cover up my tattoos, so I don’t have any special clothing for that. But well, if you have to hide your tattoos and it’s winter, I guess you’re lucky, just wear knitted jumpers and nobody will know. And in summer, just throw on a light denim jacket or a blazer.
What piece of advice would you give to a girl with tattoos who is simply lost when it comes to dressing for or against the exposure and accentuation of her tattoos?
Just don’t worry so much about it. Any kind of clothing will look great with your tattoos, I’m sure. 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. She even designed her own fashion line, which quite nicely underlines tattoos in a very special way.
Feature Photo via CATS & DOGS