We examine the mechanisms producing departures from ideal mixing for vector mesons within the context of the Hidden Local Symmetry (HLS) model. We show that kaon loop transitions between the ideal combinations of the $\omega$ and $\phi$ mesons necessitate a field transformation in order to get the mass eigenstates. It is shown that this transformation is close to a rotation for processes involving, like meson decays, on--shell $\omega$ and $\phi$ mesons. The HLS model predicts a momentum dependent, slowly varying mixing angle between the ideal states. We examine numerically the consequences of this for radiative and leptonic decays of light mesons. The mean $\omega-\phi$ mixing angle is found smaller than its ideal value; this is exhibited separately in radiative and in leptonic decays. Effects of nonet symmetry breaking in the vector sector are compared to those produced by the field rotation implied by the HLS model.