Model Envy: Barbara Ferreira

While many idolize the models we see on the runway and at the Met Gala, like Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, Taylor Marie Hill, Jourdan Dunn, the list keeps going, I'm all for finding the ones that are not shown in the spotlight. Maybe new model Barbara Ferreira has not found her spotlight in the fashion world yet, but she sure has found it on the internet.
With today's social media obsessed society (including me), many of the greats are found through the internet. All of those American Apparel models (whom I dearly love) have unique profiles online (like Joanna Kuchta (twitter: @pixiejoanna)), and Barbara is (well at least was) one of them. But she's different than the rest. She brings this daring presence through her countless selfies through Twitter (@boredbarbara) and Instagram (@barbienox) and her huge amount of body positivity that comes along with her beautiful curves that need to be more widely represented in fashion and modeling. The fashion world may not necessarily love her style, but Wilhelmina Models in New York did when they hired her a few months ago. Along with her infamous pout and bold brows, she brings so much more to the seemingly shallow modeling world. Her unique personality and audacious mentality can make her anyone's (including mine!) role model, but that's not all of it. She also has impeccable style, in the mom jeans and Adidas Stan Smiths type of way, which I'm all for. And on top of all of this, she was featured in Nylon Magazine's May issue, which is my favorite magazine, and Petra Collins, my favorite photographer, took a few shots of her for her series about feminism and body positivity. Barbara is the perfect person at least in my world, but she's becoming many "cool teens'" favorites as well. Instead of praising Kendall and Gigi (who have made so many racist comments and gestures to even count), I would start praising the underdogs that are making their way to the top, like Barbara. See her full portfolio here!

by Petra Collins

her infamous Instagram selfies

Jeweled Top

Because it’s my last full day of junior year, I wanted to “dress my best” because I won’t be trying for the next three days (they’re finals days, meaning we have half days with two finals a day). So technically, this is my last post before summer fashion, which will be more laid-back, but I will still be making posts. To achieve this goal on my final day, I wore a simple yet paradoxically formal outfit. This was due to the contrasting styles in the items I wore today. The jewels on my top sophisticate the outfit, yet the top is basically a sweatshirt. I still found comfort in the soft and informal shape of the top, but the jewels were able to make the outfit more formal and they added emphasis to a simple look. To further “formalize” the outfit but still stay simple, I wore my favorite maroon skirt from American Apparel that is honestly one of the most comfortable basics I own. I completed the look with my favorite Topshop sandals. Based on most of the outfits I have worn this Spring, one pattern has been recurring -- simpler outfits are the way to go during this season. Not only is it better for the warmer weather, but with such a short time until summer, we hardly want to put any effort into what we wear (as you can tell by my lack of posts recently). Each outfit I have discussed recently gives a specific method to make simple outfits unique, and in this look, small embellishments are what do the trick. The jewels on the neckline of the top put effort into the outfit, even if it only took me two minutes to plan it. This pattern will definitely continue into the summer due to the even more lack of effort. However, effort is not always equivalent to fashion. Sometimes, the looks that required the least amount of effort are the most fashionable and unique. 

Trend of the Week: Festival Fashion

No, I'm not going to start this week's post with a rant about the best ways to go about Coachella in terms of fashion. There are actually more music festivals than Coachella, and not all of them are three days of glamor. Most of them involve not being able to shower for three or four straight days while having to sleep in your own filth and sweat, and even the ones where camping is not available are still extremely gross. Luckily, the gross factor does not affect me too much, and music festivals are probably one of my favorite things. Being able to listen to good music for three straight days is literally the dream for me, so the crowdedness and sweating for over 36 hours is all worth it. I decided to talk about festivals today because this last weekend, I went to all three days of Shaky Knees Festival, which is a festival local to me in Atlanta that has only been going on for three years. It was probably the best three days of my life, but I'll get into the details later. The first thing I had to do was figure out outfits that would maximize my comfort but also be somewhat fashionable. When the forecast is 85 degrees and sunny all weekend, it's best to dress the lightest possible, even if this involves showing "too much" skin.

Day 1:

Because it was my first day, I wasn't too informed on how my outfit would affect me based on the weather. I knew I had to dress light because of the hot weather. The way I achieved this while still looking cute was by wearing my dress from Urban Outfitters that is extremely thin and loose, making it comfortable and perfect for a hot day. Because it's too short to wear to a festival that involves a lot of moving/jumping, I decided to make the dress a long top and wear my high waisted denim shorts under it. The shorts did get to be pretty hot near the end of the show, but they did prevent a lot of fashion mishaps. Finally, to find a pair of shoes that was comfortable enough to walk/stand in a lot and that would work with my outfit, I opted for my classic cut-out boots from Asos. Although they got to be pretty hot, they did save my feet from getting trampled when I ran through the Mastodon mosh pit to get up front for The Strokes (which, by the way, was completely worth it). My hair is down in this pictures, but it only took an hour of the heat for me to put my hair into a high pony. This mistake led me to wearing my hair up every day after this. 

Day 2:

This day was definitely more minimal due to the issues I had with the heat on Friday. The best part of music festivals is that absolutely no one cares about your appearance -- pit stains, no bra, completely ruined hair, etc. This is because practically everyone looks like that, and the crowd really only cares about the music and experience. I still wanted to bring some sort of fashion to the fest, but in the most care-free way. I wore this extremely simple romper that is made of the lightest material, and it really did save me from the heat (at least a little more than yesterday). The fact that I didn't have to wear a bra with this (even though you can obviously tell) really did save me comfort wise. The only thing I had to worry about was getting burnt, but I made sure to bring a ton of sunscreen. The only issue with this romper was that the tie got to be a little loose in the back, but it didn't cause any major issues. Also, the material was so thin that you could see the places I sweat (if you could tell, I have a weird sweating issue. Probably TMI, but important for making fashion decisions!), but the best part was no one cared. When you're about to pass out during Neutral Milk Hotel because of dehydration, the people around you are going to give you water, not worry about your sweat stains. (Side note: some of the crowd was so nice!! Although the NMH crowd was crazy they were the kindest souls.) As for the shoes, I went for a less fashionable option than yesterday. Because my feet got so hot, I wore Chacos that I only wear for outdoorsy events. They were a good choice for comfort and for the weather, but my feet did get stepped on a few times by The Black Lips and Neutral Milk Hotel crowd. However, I would rather wear Tevas (which are definitely making its way into the fashion world) because the arches are not as intense, but also because some styles are actually really cute. I pulled my hair into a simple french braid to keep it out of my face, and when it got really hot, I wrapped the braid into a low bun. This style was just as effective in keeping the immense amount of hair I have off my body but to also add a unique look to the outfit. 

And as for day three, I didn't even take a picture of the outfit because it was so simple and also because I was in a rush. After two days of trying, I decided to still try but to take it down a few notches by just wearing my high waisted denim shorts I wore on Friday with a bathing suit top that looks like a small crop top (it went all the way up to my collar bones). This was probably the best choice I made all weekend because the bathing suit is water resistant (no sweat stains!) and it was the least amount of clothing I had to worry about. My only regret is that I forgot to put sunscreen on that morning, and the results are not pretty. 

As for the festival, it was probably the best weekend that I've had in an extremely long time. I was able to see three of my favorite bands (The Strokes, Neutral Milk Hotel, and TV on the Radio) up front in the span of three days, and I was able to be front row for other shows like Tame Impala, Best Coast, Wilco, and Mac Demarco. I completely lost my voice and I am so sleep deprived, but it was so worth it because next to fashion, music is probably my next biggest passion. That's what I love about festivals -- it's an opportunity to combine my two passions. 

In summary, each show/festival will depend on the conditions. With an indie festival like this, most people won't care about the little things that could alter your appearance in a negative way. Dress light and simple, but add a touch of cool to create unique looks that everyone at the festival will compliment you on. Wear shoes that will get you through seven hours of waiting at the same stage, but that will also get you to other stages when the lineup doesn't work out perfectly. The biggest priority is the music, but for some (like me!), fashion comes to be a close second. By this weekend, I figured out that it is possible to fit all of these conditions while also dressing in a a fashionable sense. 

Trend of the Week: Stripes

(dress -- Loft; top -- Urban Outfitters)

This week's trend may seem outdated and even over-the-top for some, but the use of stripes in fashion will always be acceptable. The "rule" that horizontal stripes don't flatter anyone is really just a lie because stripes will make any simple color ten times cooler. Plus, they can make you look like you just got back from a month long trip in Paris, which is always a perk. Obviously, we've seen stripes before, whether we like them or not (at least the I part of we is a huge fan of them). But in today's ever-changing world of fashion, we always have to find new ways to carry on old trends. Instead of blending two completely different patterns (which is extremely difficult and rare to pull off), why not blend two of the same patterns, just with different color schemes? That's what I did today by pairing my striped dress with a simple striped cropped tee. The original dress has a bottom of thin vertical stripes using white and tan, and the top, which is a simple racerback, uses thicker and horizontal stripes. The difference in the stripes gives a cool touch to the outfit, but it still is not unique enough for the look I was trying to go for today. To add unity and even confusion to the eye, I paired a top that has horizontal stripes like the top of the dress, but the stripes have the same width as the ones on the bottom of the dress. This brings unity to the outfit, but the different direction of the stripes brings just enough difference to where the two don't clash. Also, the dark scheme of the top balances the light colors in the bottom. One person even told me that my outfit looked like an optical illusion, and that's honestly what I was trying to accomplish today. Combining two types of stripes makes the overrated trend of stripes way more appealing, and it's possible in more ways than this. Pairing pin-striped pants with a subtly-striped top or even wearing a striped skirt with striped socks peeking out of ankle boots can still have the same effect as this outfit. In times especially like May, chaotic patterns and florals can get to be overdone, so it's best to try something new and wear stripes in a new way.