Art of the Compliment
Mood: Nostalgic 💖
Listening to: Perfect Day by Lou Steed
Outfit of the Day: A pair of high-waisted and fitted, blue, black and white tartan pants, a white ruffled blouse, and a dark blue beret jauntily tilted on the side.
Hello my Gems! Hope you are having a good day today 💜💜💜
Thank you for the lovely messages and comments you’ve sent me! They really do brighten up my day.
I’ve been busy designing ensembles for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala. There is so much variety in the guestlist this year! I will be writing a post about some of the looks I’ve been working on once I’m done. And they will be absolutely marvellous, even if I say so myself! 
However, today I wanted to write about something else. And I got the inspiration from my dearest sister, Sweetie Belle.
I was working at Carousel Boutique, when Sweetie came home. She is staying with me at the moment, as our parents are on their yearly cruise, celebrating their anniversary.
From the way she huffed and puffed on her way in, I could tell she was in an unhappy mood.
I asked what was wrong, and she recounted her day. And indeed, it sounded tiresome in more ways than one. She had slept badly, failed an exam, and accidentally dropped her lunch in a puddle.
”And if that wasn’t enough, we helped Dusky Summit with a cutie mark problem. When he overcame his fear of heights so he could do mountain climbing, I was too annoyed by everything else to even smile for him! And now I feel terrible,” she concluded her tale of woe.
”Oh Sweetie Belle! Everypony has a bad day once in a while. Don’t let it bring you down too much sweetheart,” I tried to comfort her.
At that moment the bell chimed, announcing the arrival of a customer. I had to attend to her, so I left Sweetie alone in the kitchen with her mug. There is nothing like hot chocolate with whipped cream to cheer you up! Pinkie Pie taught me that 💕
The customer was an earth pony mare, who needed an outfit for a friend’s wedding. We tried several, until we settled on an ashes-of-rose colored, long chiffon dress with bishop sleeves. It was delicate and feminine, and modest enough for a wedding. That is important when dressing for such an occasion: one needs to look put together, but not like you are trying to out-do the happy couple.
The lovely pastel color looked amazing against her light antique green coat and silvery mane! We spent a good amount of time in front of the mirror admiring her from every angle. She was so pretty, and did the dress so much justice!
Once she left, a voice sounded behind me.
”How do you do that?”
”Oh Sweetie Belle! Please refrain from startling me like that!” I admonished her, ”And what do you mean? How do I do what?”
”Sorry! And I mean, how do you always have something nice to say to everypony? I have never seen you not compliment a pony, even when you are tired or in one of your moods,” she said. ”I didn’t manage to do that today for the colt. So how do you do it?”
The question was intriguing enough to give me pause (and not demand to know what exactly she meant by ”one of my moods.”) I thought back, and remembered something I hadn’t dwelled upon in years.
”I learned to,” I finally answered.
”What, you practiced or something? How does that even work?” She sounded doubtful. ”Did you write down a bunch of nice sounding things and choose one that fits the pony?”
”No, of course not! That would be silly,” I giggled. ”Let’s have dinner and I’ll tell you all about it.”
And the answers I gave her made me think I should write a post about this. Maybe my experiences could give some of you, my darling Gems, encouragement or insight.
The thing is, I wasn’t always generous with my compliments. When I was younger, I was very much aware I was a beautiful and talented unicorn. A bit too aware, if you know what I mean. It is embarrassing to admit, but I was somewhat stuck up and it was much too easy for me to feel superior to others.
I strut around town, basking in everypony’s attention, like nothing and nopony could measure up to me. It is so horrible to remember now, but I used critize others in my mind. ”What a terrible mane color! And that shirt does nothing for your waistline,” or ”Learn to walk in heels darling if you are going to torture a pair of Loubutails to death,” or else ”Nopony is going to date you if you slouch and eat like slob, you slob,” and things like that.
I am not proud of the attitude I had back then 😔😔 And what’s more, others could tell I wasn’t thinking of them kindly, even if I never said any of it out loud.
My big wake up call came when I got my first real job in the fashion industry. It was at Splendour Fashions, a boutique and atelier owned by miss Splendour Spools. She was a great lady, with a decades long career. I was in awe of her, and positively flabbergasted to work so close to a genuine legend and a trailblazer in the industry!
As soon as I stepped into the boutique, she greeted me warmly and took the time to show me around. I could barely speak without stuttering! Here I was, a youngster in her late teens nopony had heard of yet, being spoken to so casually by one of my idols!
She only left me in the hooves of the senior assistants when customers started arriving. They showed me the ropes, and I soon learned the tasks expected of me.
I watched as mares and stallions of all ages came and went. Sometimes they would buy something off the racks, and the shopping assistants took care of them. I never saw anypony leave the shop unsatisfied.
But the customers who came for a consultation or a fitting with miss Splendour herself were more than satisfied.
They were beaming.
Everypony who was escorted to the studio in the back, no matter how homely or worn out or frumpy I though they looked, left with a smile. And, to my eye, oddly beautified and regal, even when they weren’t wearing their purchases! I could not understand it. Did miss Splendour have a spell or a potion or some ancient secret she shared with her customers?
Then came a day I remember like yesterday.
I was on my lunchbreak, nibbling on my brushchetta, and sketching some ideas I had for a ball gown. I was just finished adding notes about the ruffles on the hem, when miss Splendour herself walked in the breakroom.
”Hello miss Rarity!” she said with her warm smile. ”What are you working on there?”
Blushing, I managed to answer. ”Good afternoon miss Splendour! I’m just... umm... sketching a gown.”
”Oh a gown! May I see it?” she asked, kindly.
I was quite overwhelmed when she wanted to see my work, but this was such an honor and an opportunity! So I handed my sketchbook over. She sat across the table, and went through my drawings while sipping on her cardamom chai.
I hardly need point out I was on pins and needles when she scrutinized page after page! She didn’t say anything, just browsed my book, sometimes pausing to look at something more closely.
Finally she closed the book and sat back in her chair. She let her eyes wander the room, seemingly deep in thought.
”Miss Splendour?” I said when I couldn’t take the silence anymore.
”Oh! I’m sorry dear. My mind is all over the place today,” she chuckled.
”It’s alright. I... I just wondered... What do you think? Of... of the designs?” I believe I managed to stutter out.
”Well dear, they are beautiful,” she said, simply.
I was elevated to hear that! But I sensed there was something more to her thoughts.
”Thank you miss! It means a lot coming from you! But is... is there some advice you could give me?” I dared question.
”Hmm. You certainly have great taste and knowledge of fashion, especially for one so young! The details and silhouettes are lovely, choices of color and material show talent and potential. But there is one thing I did wonder about.”
And she looked at me in the eye, and asked:
”Who are you designing for?”
My mind went quite blank. What did she mean? Of course the designs were for ponies to wear! I couldn’t think of an answer that didn’t sound stupid or obvious.
Seeing my nonplussed stare, she giggled and stood up.
”Come help me in my studio tomorrow. It might give you new inspiration,” and she gave me a playful wink and strutted off.
I was thrilled beyond belief at the invitation! I would have the opportunity to follow a true master at work! Such an amazing chance to learn! Obviously she had seen the brilliance in my work, and was eager to help me develop.
So after that day I would accompany Splendour in her workshop, where she received her clients. I helped in whatever ways I could, bringing materials and serving tea.
And I watched her, as she talked with her customers and came up with the designs. Everything she made was perfect for every single pony! Every color choice highlighted their complexions, every silhouette was flattering no matter their size and shape, every material was ideal for the occasion the couture was for!
What was more, she spoke to them like a good friend, and she complimented everypony who stepped into her studio.
At first I thought this was just good customer service. One needs to give a client one’s full attention, and make them feel happy that they chose your establishment, after all.
However, after a while I started to realize there was more to it. Whenever she talked to ponies, she looked at them in the eye and smiled, genuinely. When she gave a compliment or a suggestion on what would suit a pony, she seemed completely sincere. And once they had left, she did sketches and looked over her notes, humming happily to herself.
Also she would give comments like:
”Wasn’t she delightful miss Rarity? What a sweet idea to get herself and her grandchild matching outfits for her birthday!”
Or
”He was such a nice gentlecolt! This chocolate brown pinstripe will look marvellous against that lovely navy blue mane, don’t you think?”
Bit by bit, I started to feel miss Splendour had asked me to accompany her for a reason other than to teach me about the art of couture.
One evening I was at home, poring over my sketches. I had been so proud of them, but now they felt... lacking, in some way.
”Who are you designing for?”
The question shot right through me. I looked at my work again. And that, my Gems, is when I saw it.
Every single design was something that would look best on ME, and nopony else would do them as much justice.
I was shocked. Shaken. Discombobulated.
All this time I thought myself so talented and so wonderful. But I hadn’t even bothered to think of the ponies I wanted to design for! What did that say about me?
I went to take a very long, lavender-scented bath. And I thought, deeply. To my intense embarrassment, I realized how self-centered I was, and how meanly I often thought of my fellow ponies.
I felt terrible, and not just because of what a bad attitude might mean for my career. I really didn’t want to be a [as a lady I won’t use the word that came to me back then], so obviously I needed an adjustment!
So what was I to do?
First thing I did, from the very next morning, was trying to think of nice things about the ponies walking past me. Instead of sniping at them in my mind, I tried coming up with compliments:
”That is a stylish mane-do, I do love when ponies put in an effort in the morning!”
”Oh dear, you look so busy and stressed! I hope your day gets better.”
”You have such a graceful trot! I wonder if you are a dancer.”
And so on. And the more I did it in the days that followed, the easier it became. Ponies started to look so beautiful to me. How had I never noticed it before?
I also tried my best to be nice to others, not just for politeness’ and appearances’ sake, but because they deserved to be treated with kindness and respect.
This, my Gems, was a big turning point for me, both as an artiste and as a pony. I felt better, like a great burden had been lifted. I felt more like myself than I ever had before. And designing was not just interesting to me now, it was utter delight!
The thought that ponies would be wearing my creations one day, trotting out of my boutique with a smile on their face, made my heart positively soar! I started sketching feverishly, coming up with an idea after idea, inspired by the ponies in my life, or even complete strangers!
A few weeks after my revelation, I was wiping the coffee table in miss Splendour’s studio, when something landed on it in front of me.
My sketchbook.
Swiveling around, I found myself face to face with miss Splendour Spools.
”You forgot this in the breakroom. I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of taking a peek at your latest works,” she said, sweetly.
”Oh! Thank you for bringing it to me!” I answered, ”Hopefully you liked the new ones! I have had such fun with them!”
For a moment, she said nothing. Then she walked over to me, and without a word, pulled me in a motherly embrace.
I was surprised, but happy. When she pulled away, she looked at me over her winged spectacles, her eyes twinkling.
”Well done, miss Rarity. Well done.”
And giving me a knowing smile, she turned and went back to work.
It has been many a moon since my time as an assistant at Splendour Fashions. But I have never forgotten the things I learned.
I must admit, sometimes my uppity self does emerge, and I can get overly critical and stuck up at times. Luckily I have good friends now, who are there to talk sense into me when I need it. Sometimes I need to remind myself not to get a big head.
But now I know my greatest inspiration are the ponies I create for. Everypony is beautiful and worthy.
Including you, my precious Gem 
This is my tale for the day. I hope you won’t think of me too poorly, given my behaviour in the past 😔 I am sorry about those things, truly.
As ever, leave a Dear Rarity comment if you wish to ask me anything.
There will be the post about the Grand Galloping Gala ensembles I’ve worked on this season soon! I’ll post it as quickly I am able, so stay tuned!
Hope you recieve and give a heart-felt compliment today!
Kisses and Glitter,
Rarity
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Nice, work as always. Nice new cover too but something I noticed
Accidently paragraph?
It's fine, we all have a bad day from time to time, Rarity. Say, what kind of music do you like? Me, I am more the rock fan, but also have an ear for older jazz music, as it sounds very relaxing And your sister has a very nice singing voice, hasn't she?
Nope. It’s a dialogue, so when the speaker changes, there is a space between them.
Hello!
Yes, Sweetie is a wonderful singer! I was delighted, but not surprised, when her cutie mark included a musical note 💖🎼✨
I enjoy many kinds of music. Mostly I like classical music, like Manezart and Neighkovski. I do like older bands like Pony Floyd and Bridles as well, and I absolutely adore music by contemporary divas such as Sapphire Shores and Countess Coloratura, especially her newer, more artful works.
10453759
If you say so, I just wondered, as it cut off instead of being full like
I can only agree, they are good singers and so is Sweetie. I find she would make a very good jazz singer
10453769
Umm, it looks identical to me. So whatever is happening, it’s because of your screen or something. It looks exactly the same from here.
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/284/456/eef.png
10453775
Okay, maybe a glitch or something, given it looked as I showed in my first comment
Don't worry darling, past mistakes are just that; things of the past.
By the way, while reading this, a question came to me:
Have you ever tailored something for a theatre play? And if so, what did you do?
10453778
And the next one looks exactly like the first one, and both look normal to me. So I have no idea what the problem is 🤔
10453783
Okay then. It looked on my screen as follows
But it should look like this
That you made a paragraph between from and startling
Dear Miss Rarity,
What bad things happened in the past should stay in the past. The only thing you can do is let go of the past so that you can keep moving forward.
One of your precious gems,
Astral Flare
10453780
Hello mr. Beholder! Lovely to hear from you again
And yes, I have worked on costumes for theatrical productions many a time! When I was a filly, I always did the outfits for the school plays, so you could say theater was my introduction to dressmaking! 😄
In my professional career I have taken on costuming work for Hearts Warming pageants, which needed period costumes, helped with outfits for contemporary plays, which is mostly doing alterations to store-bought clothes, and even made all of the costumes for a couple of fantasy plays, with fairies and knights.
Making costumes for the stage is quite different than making couture or casual daywear. The outfits often need to be made so the actors can change them in seconds. Did you know shirts with buttons in plays are almost always closed with pieces of Velcro, and the buttons are just sewn on top to look like the shirt is buttoned up?
Also materials and colors need to be chosen so they look good from a distance. I once made a ”silk” dress from the fine netting used in gardening to keep roots from growing too far, because it looked much more like silk from the audience than real silk!
I do love working on costumes from time to time, even though I am a couturier first. There are always interesting challenges, and it really gets the creative juices flowing! Making period costumes is my favorite, because I love historical garb, and doing research for them is so interesting.
10453784
This is a bit blurry but:
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/4c1cf387-af7d-411e-8ee9-1088eda9c661/de5v8lz-1da9d772-db55-4bbd-a163-689afae9cc59.jpg/v1/fill/w_151,h_200,q_70,strp/46837e6d_ceda_4870_ad37_9785d857ba43_by_mylittlepastafarian_de5v8lz-200h.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD05OTEiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC80YzFjZjM4Ny1hZjdkLTQxMWUtOGVlOS0xMDg4ZWRhOWM2NjFcL2RlNXY4bHotMWRhOWQ3NzItZGI1NS00YmJkLWExNjMtNjg5YWZhZTljYzU5LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD03NTAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.S9n8dTs7E-O0t1SQ41iIiAgfvMgS5PxQUDudcrMi6Pk
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Wise words, mr. Flare
Have a lovely day, my Gem!
10453809
Okay, that's strange
Dear Miss Rarity
I'm sorry Sweetie had a rough day. I drew her something I hope she likes it! It's a picture of me and my friends near the Spike statue in town. They all say thank you for the autographs! I'm the blue filly right in the middle. I'm gonna go as Princess Cadance for Nightmare Night. My Mama is helping me sew my costume I really hope I look pretty. That's so nice of you Miss Rarity! I'd love a dress if you don't mind I can't wait for Hearth's Warming.
I heard someone named Santa Hooves brings us presents? Could you explain that a bit?
Your Friend
Solar Victory!
10454012
Hello sweetheart!
How nice of you to cheer up Sweetie Belle! She loved the picture, and hung it on the wall in her room next to her bed, so she could see it every morning.
I’m sure you will look perfectly lovely as princess Cadence. She is such a pretty princess, is she not? And that is just perfect, for you are a such a pretty young filly yourself! I can tell from the picture you sent
Santa Hooves is a big, jolly, bearded pony in a red suit with white furry trimmings, with a huge sack over his shoulder, full of presents for all good fillies and colts on Hearts Warming night. Or so say the ones who have gotten a glimpse of him! I’m sure he will bring fun gifts for a nice filly like you. But don’t try to catch him at it! His magic only works when all the little ones in the house are tucked in and dreaming
I will make you a beautiful dress for Hearts Warming. I think I’ll add a cute bow for your mane as well! What color would you like?
Have a lovely day, my little Gem!
10453809
It's from mobile? Okay, I that's explain everything, I think you press [enter] instead of [space bar] because in Wide Screen it's enter, ended up in separation in sentence between "from" and "startling" by making a new line. But when viewed in small screen, it's same because not it is, but in Wide Screen not so.
10454808
Well I write everything on my phone, I don’t have a computer. And I’ve never had a problem before. So it is weird
I undid the space between those words and reapplied it. Maybe that helped? It’s still the same spacebar I have on my phone’s keyboard, so I don’t know what difference it would make 🤷
10454816
it's not weird, it's because the pixel screen resolution.
I wish I know how to upload a screenshot.
10454826
Umm, I wasn’t talking about the resolution of the picture 😄
yep it's fixed
10454833
Okay then! Problem solved 👍
You weren't offended right miss Rarity?
10454836
10454837
Haha no! 😂
I am not offened at all either, darling
Another great post, Rares! As previously stated, this is a nice thing to come home to after another grimy day in Manehattan.
10455835
Thank you dear! Glad you enjoyed it
I hear you have a blog now too! I hope it’s going well for you. I shall be reading
10456809
Yeah, it has. Thanks for the kind words.
I'll do my best to update it.
So I know I offered an OC of mine for this story. But I didn't think to ask if I need to read the whole thing to get to where they come in or not.
Or if they've even appeared in the story yet.
10460272
I’ll write a chapter with all the characters people volunteered as one big Grand Galloping Gala feature. But you need to be patient, some people offered several characters and there is a lot of designing and detail work that I need to do. Your character will be there as well
Dear Rarity,
Do you have any ideas on making a home-made costume without using sewing? I want to be able to throw together everyday clothing of some sort for my Nightmare Night costume this year. My daddy's side of the family wants me to dress up as something from a video game to fit their theme, but I have no idea what to do! Can you help?
With a smile,
Fancy Mark
10467777
Hello!
Putting together a costume from everyday clothing isn’t all that difficult
You can add little tweaks and maybe some make up to make you look like the character. Since you are doing a cosplay look, you should take special care to match the colors. Colors are the first thing ponies notice, and what makes your character recognizable. Study reference pictures and do your best to find things that match. Unfortunately I do not know what you have to work with, and I’m not well-versed in video games myself. But here are some video game character costumes I thought of that do not require armor or things that are difficult to make.
Mario or Luigi. You’ll need blue overalls, a red or green shirt, and a red or green hat, black shoes and white gloves. The things that really makes this costume accurate, is the big black mustache, the big yellow buttons on the suspenders, and the badge on the hat with M or L on it. Those are easy glue on, or sew on with a couple of easy stitches, if you don’t want to put glue on your clothing.
Characters from Pokemon. They wear street clothing, do they not? You might need a wig to make the character come to life though.
Steve from Minecraft. He wears a large, teal t-shirt, blue trousers and black shoes. You can put large shoulderpads under the shirt to give yourself the angular silhouette characters have in the game. Steve has very identifiable facial hair, that you can draw on your face with make-up.
For a scarier costume, you might like Slendercolt. You need a black suit and tie, and a white shirt. You’ll need to make a white facemask, but that is easy to do from a pair of thick, white pantyhose.
I saw Sweetie Belle playing a game with her friends, I believe it was called Team Fortress 2? From what I saw, the characters wore mostly casual wear, but had a lot of props. So the clothes would be easy to find, and if you like making belts with granades and things like that, this might be the costume for you!
If you have a hard time finding anything that matches a particular character, the easiest way around that is to take clothes that you don’t use or are already in bad shape, and rip and tear them, and mess with dark paint to make a zombie costume. There are many games with zombies, so there is plenty of reference material available. You’ll need to put on some special effect make up and fake blood, but it’ll be worth the effort!
Hope you find the advice helpful! Feel free to message me if you need more help with your costume.
Have a lovely day, my Gem!
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Thank you so much, Miss Rarity. Steve from Minecraft seems the best easy fit, still allowing me to wear normal clothing, but still be dressed for Nightmare Night. I'll be sure to contact you if I have any more questions.
10468292
Is our dear Rarity alright? Or has the transcriber decided to take a long break?
Miss Rarity are you still around?
10517718
10519547
I’m sorry darlings. I haven’t been in any kind of headspace to write for weeks now. I haven’t forgotten these projects, and I love them, but I’m going through some pretty heavy personal stuff. I hope you’ll read my texts when I’ll write again, because it does lift my spirits and it means a lot you enjoy my writing. And I’m sorry I’ve left you hanging. But I haven’t forgotten. I just have limited energy right now
10520183
Hope you feel better soon Miss Rarity.
10520183
Well, keep being you, and everything should go okay. I hope you feel better soon.
I really hope you can update soon!
10754073
Besides that, I've been more into drawing recently, I've been making a series of pony pics where I take a pony and design a look for them, I call them pony makeovers. If you are interested in that, you can see them on Devianart: https://www.deviantart.com/tag/ponymakeover, and whenever I make a new one, I publish it in the Art for Fanfiction group 
Hi! I'm sorry but I don't quite feel like writing yet