Acne Studios
Acne Studios introduced the medium Musubi and renamed all the previous iterations of it and I think they must have been listening when I said, “the mini is too small, the regular is too tiny, and the maxi is just so huge.” I’m going to check this out at the store to see if fits my laptop, because if it does then we are in business people. This could be a nice work bag that doesn’t have to look like such a lame work bag.
I’ve been a fashion blogger for over a decade. Let that settle in for a minute: I started this in my early twenties and now I am fast approaching my mid-thirties. I started my blog when blogging was this strange hobby that some people took upon themselves to post on the internet. I never propelled to crazy fame like some of the other bloggers (the majority of which I believe have lost their creative way in the shiny land of fame and fortune), and while my own formula for this blog did change over time because It was at some point intoxicating to get attention, comments, likes, and invites to things, I eventually pumped the brakes when I felt I was drifting from my authentic self. I just go too caught up and I frankly did not like the person I was, glued to my phone constantly, playing a game that fed my own anxiety and insecurities. I keep it up now for me; I do this on my free time, and take up my husband’s time (and occasionally my sweet mom) by asking him to take photos of me.
I was an Art Director in advertising back when I started this blog on blogspot. My career was just starting out, I was flat broke, a new college graduate, and at that point aspiring to own lots of pretty things and document my acquiring and wearing those things. I was wrapped up in creating my brand and I was wanting to do so with a mix of high and low, sticking close my roots as someone who was definitely not born with money but worked, clawed, cried, fought, and hustled to make a good living now — by the way, thank you family and mentors! I could not do it alone, ever, never.
Back then I didn’t post to my blog because I thought it would ever bring me press (even though it has!), or job opportunities with famous people and brands (oh boy, that too!), or for the free goods that once came flowing in like a joke (it was insane!). I always posted for me. Even today, I look at some of my past posts and outfits and cringe, but also love so many other posts that show me that in some dark periods where I wasn’t even close to my own biggest fan (too busy comparing myself to others) I found in hindsight that I am not bad at all. That what I have right here is a living breathing autobiography of me to date. Yes, it’s got a superficial wrapper of consumerism around it, but I still firmly believe you can be frivolous and substantial at the same time. My posts are also interwoven with stories of my life—the deep seeded stuff at the center of me and my brain that shape the fluffy top decisions—and I’ve shared select stories openly in the hopes of connecting with someone going through the same good, bad, ugly, or the nothing.
I keep this up now because I want to document myself for my own vanity I guess, too. But it’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that this decade long focus on a creative activity is ultimately good for me as a designer, an artist, and a professional in the creative industry. Because I know my point of view as a creative and that only came with time and growing my confidence by sharing my thoughts openly with everyone.
So a decade later my formula hasn’t really changed much; I will wear my own clothes, that I bought with my hard owned money, and I will be honest and open when something happens to be free or I make a mistake. I’ll also share stories too, because the most rewarding aspect of this project has been the interaction with people relating to me over time. You, the person who is spending your free time reading this, is too without an agenda. And I think it’s pretty wild for me to find an audience of strangers that ultimately cares about reading about me, a person with shared interests, and can also relate to the silly mistakes in the pursuit of my stylish life.
Acne Studios top, skirt
Saint Laurent sunglasses
Target sandals
BCBG belt
Oh to have a personal style blog in 2018. I find myself wearing things that are more about being comfortable these days instead of following what’s trendy. I used to follow trends religiously and feel more than a healthy bit of excitement when I saw the Lewks for Less® at places like Zara or H&M. Zara and H&M are the biggest shopping traps of our time. They promote such fucking wastefulness and the concept that individuals are meant to have “dream” wardrobes made of polyester and plastic.
Are these opinions this a symptom of age? Perhaps. I feel like my style is so crystal to me right now. I can see it. I finally see! I enjoy color, but still enjoy the literal ease of getting dressed when the color palette is muted.
I also love routine. I love the concept of no more than half a dozen favorite looks at a time that I will repeat like Doug Funnie until I find a new configuration of clothes and accessories that excites me. I like selling clothes sooner rather than later — I have no business hoarding clothes or having a giant closet.
Does this mean I subscribe to a capsule closet? Fuck no. That is another scam to me that seems to promote that women and men shop entire new wardrobes each season instead of knowing themselves better and shopping for a few integral pieces to swap out now and then. If you find success with a capsule closet, go you. But to me it doesn’t work because my brain just doesn’t function that way.
Right now these Acne Studios pants are doing the most for me. They are straight leg, which is flattering, and a bit pleated, which allows me to minimize my hips when I don’t want to be all out there with stretch pants and what not. The rest of the look is legit Target. The top is a men’s white t-shirt and the sandals are also Target brand. The scarf is Toteme, which was a little bit of a splurge, but this little square of silk can be a neck scarf, a belt, or a headband. Options, people.
Is this outfit new? Novel? Worth talking about? Not really. But then again it kind of is because of the state of social media requires that everyone post what’s new, fresh, and fucking trendy every week. People, don’t do that. Digital followers are meaningless. Do you.
I typically love an all-black wardrobe and this is no surprise here on my blog. But every so often I find something lovely like this Acne sweater to pull me out of my comfort zone of all-monochrome all-the-time and live in what is known as Girl World. This wool blend garment has the complete appeal of what fashion types call the "statement sweater" — the voluminous sleeves, a boxy man shape — yet looks like spun cotton candy from afar. (Disclaimer: this sweater is quite itchy, if you're allergic to some kinds of wool like I am, you will to best to skip this splurge as I eventually had to unless you want o live your life with a rash — yuck). What is it about this shade of pink that makes it so irresistible and almost punk to me? I think it's the fact that pink seems like an unapologetic color because it screams girl and there is no confusion about it. You can't hide under shades of black or act too tough in pink. You just have to wear it with confidence.
I grew up as the middle child and the only girl in the family. This meant that all my older brother's friends were cool older boys who loved to roll in the grass and play baseball, and my younger brother's friends were all silly young boys playing in the dirt. There was little room for pink in this adolescent equation and all I wanted to do was fit in. I tried so hard to be one of the boys, but I was secretly pining for girl stuff, like dresses, or delicate ballet tutus, and even Easy Bake Oven bake offs. My mom, in her all-knowing mom-wisdom, must have known my secret need for these girl things when she bought me the pinkest, princess-iest bike in town: the Huffy Secret Treasures bike. (You're welcome for the ad, BTW). There was no hiding my glee for it when I opened the box. It was a bike that only I could ride, because it was so pink, so girly, and so perfect.
This Acne sweater is the equivalent to that bike. You take it out of the box and wear it with confidence, no matter how boxy or voluminous the shape is.
Beauty note: The beauty gods smiled upon me last week because the cool gals at Refinery29 asked me what I thought of Maybelline's Color Elixir lip gloss and sent me a sample to try. You know what? I loved the Scarlet Red color. The deep red tones blend in with my natural lip color, but with a slight sheen (hard to capture in photos above), to produce a berry stained pout. I find this combination just the right amount of pink to compliment such a prolific Acne sweater moment.
