š tell me about ruby's fashion sense š
When Ruby was born, all translucent skin and bird bones and a wisp of blonde hair, she wasnāt the child Grace was expecting. Sheād had such a good time dressing up her two previous children, she had to admit she was a little disappointed that she had carried this girl for nine months, missed countless opportunities, just for her to look... Like this. But, she bit her tongue, wrapped her in pink blankets, and tried not to cringe at how the colour clashed.
For the first six months of her life, Ruby was dressed in only the most pastel pink designer clothes made for infants, often paired with an overly large bow or hat to cover her still thin hair. And though her hair finally thickened, and her eyes started finally looking less haunted, she was seen in nothing else.Ā
By the time Ruby could start vocalising what she wanted to wear, she was also aware of the fact that her wardrobe looked like Barbieās hand-me-downs, and that Stephanieās very clearly did not. So she went to her older sister and asked when she was allowed to choose what she wanted to wear. Steph laughed, ruffled her little sisterās hair, and told her to be patient, and to let mom have her fun. So she did, and she let herself be dressed in whatever Grace wanted, and lapped up whatever small praise she was given.
By the time she hit twelve, and was finally given access to a credit card, Stephanie took Ruby to every store a preteen could ever want access to, and suddenly Rubyās closet was bursting at the seams with colours and textures. She still let her mother pick what she wore if they were going out, and especially if the media was going to be there, but at home, at school, with friends, Ruby finally had a little control on what she could wear. So she started to experiment, layering patterns and colours, mixing the worst that fast fashion had to offer.
When she finally calmed down and started trying to make outfits that looked good, Ruby found that she gravitated towards darker colours and jewel tones. She liked loose hanging dresses and oversized everything, converse shoes and minimal accessories. Even Grace had to admit it suited her more than pastels, and slowly started letting Ruby have control of what she wore all the time. And it went well. Ruby never took advantage of that trust, and was always dressed appropriately for the event, even if it was in her style.
After the accident, and Stephanieās death, when Ruby started acting out, the clothes got shorter and tighter, and in gaudy colours alongside her jewel tones.Ā She caked on makeup to cover bruises and dark circles under her eyes, and everything Ruby didnāt want to see. Short party dresses and stiletto shoes and sparkling jewellery. And when she finally fell back into her bed, sheād pull on old sweatshirts, and sleep in her dark makeup, and repeat the process again the next day.Ā
When she was sent to Hallās, Grace packed a couple suitcases of Rubyās old fashion in an attempt to mend fences, and while Ruby would never admit it, putting them on was like greeting old friends. She let herself be comfortable again, in midi dresses and graphic tees, loose hanging and relaxed. She felt like she could finally take a breath.
