Slip Out of Summer

Here's an update on my life:

I moved this week!! To a new living space, a new city, a new state, even. Actually, I take that last statement back -- D.C. isn't a state so I'm going to be officially stateless.

With this strange transition, from a state to a district, from a home to a dorm, from home cooked meals to microwaveable mac & cheese, comes a lot of GOOD. And by this term I mean way too much freedom and an actual routine that was lacking during the summer. But this routine is different than what I'm used to! This time, I'm forced to make my own routine, and this sort of ties back into the whole freedom thing, and we come full circle. College is strange (strange is good.) How does this tie into fashion? It took me a while to figure this out, too.

I could say that this new ~transition~ can also be a transition in fashion and my personal style which forces me to go outside my little fashion box. But in reality I wanted to be punny, as always, and use the term slip in more than one way. Slip -- a dress-length undergarment or slip -- to escape with ease. What a perfect time to use these definitions!

Slip by Urban Outfitters. Shirt by Loo Gray. Shoes by Urban Outfitters.

I felt the most fitting way to slip out of Georgia was to wear a slip. Pretty obvious, right? Such a simple piece to symbolize such a weirdly simple move (I'm only freaking out a little bit, that's all). I layered it over a shirt that is also art to stick to my personal style and I continued this familiarity by tying a bandana around my wrist. Once again, this seems pretty symbolic of everything in my life -- a slip to represent the changes (this is my first time actually wearing an undergarment as actual clothing!!), but the rest to represent the things that will always stay the same -- the fact that I'm actually continuing this blog through college, I get to go to school with my twin, etc. Isn't it awesome when fashion can translate to real life?

And this transition has also led me to want to start a fashion revolution. Try the impossible. Blog more. Turn a hobby into a career. And here's the best part: expect a lot more from me this next semester, this next year, these next four years. 

It's a bit funny how a barely-there piece with a few lace embellishments can inspire so much.

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All Aboard the Denim Train

Summer is almost over! Well, not in the weather sense, but in the sense that productivity will finally return to our normal routines and the excuse of "But it's summer!!!!" will not be used when we're just too lazy to complete any task. This new feeling of efficacy and being motivated to actually do something has allowed me to return to my blog (It's been more than two weeks!!! I'm not even on vacation!!) and also return to a fabric that I will always come running back to when my ideas are depleted due to the hot, draining sun. You guessed it: denim!! I called this the magic fabric a year ago, which I still claim to be true 365 days later. I've taken a break from it due to all the other wonderful fabrics out there: corduroy! Wool! Jacquard! Velvet! I didn't want to make any fabrics feel left out, obviously. But there comes a time when the familiar is good, when we need to revisit what we love to remind ourselves that it will always be there for us when we're feeling down. Denim is my pint of ice cream after a breakup, my best friend to talk to after a rough day. And that breakup is summer. I still blame everything less than decent in my life on this season.

I call what you're about to see in the next few seconds "denim two ways," like that thing chef's do when they make a dish like seared Ahi tuna with a tuna salad as an appetizer and they call it "tuna two ways." I've been watching too much Chopped.

Dress by Anthropologie (or try this dress from Topshop). Shorts by Gap (or try a similar pair from Mango). Shoes by Urban Outfitters. Bucket bag by J. Crew (similar here).

In this first denim scenario I wanted to wear a ~fancy~ piece but didn't want to actually look fancy for a casual evening downtown, so I let denim save the day. I've sort of attempted the shorts + dress look here but my "dress" wasn't really a dress, so here's round two. And instead of pairing cut-offs with a mini, I opted for a midi to make the trend look even more dramatic. I'm serious this time. The trick to this take on denim is to only show a peek of denim, maybe even a touch of tummy, to de-sophisticate the dress. I buttoned one of my favorite dresses (that actually belongs to my mother) only halfway, leaving the bottom open to show off the goods (which are either my legs or the denim. you decide.) It's like a reverse mullet: business in the back, party in the front. Someone following me would never know that my legs are actually bare on the other side. I guess I like to reserve a lot to the imagination. I slid into my slides, not solely because they would help the outfit but because they're literally glued to my feet (it's summer!!!). And that's it for denim 1st way, or the way that involves almost little to no denim. The next way is on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Jumpsuit by Madewell (similar here). Neck scarf by Urban Outfitters.

I've taken a complete 180 and went from little denim to ALL denim. The first example was the whipped cream + cherry on top of the ice cream, but this is the whole gallon of your favorite flavor (chocolate chip cookie dough, please). I've been searching for a piece that requires nothing but said piece and that is also 100% denim, and I've found it! This one from Madewell came with a chambray belt to tie around the waist which I switched for my favorite floral scarf (but it's on my neck instead!) that also seems to be glued to my body just like the slides. Here I actually strived to be ~fancy~, unlike the above look, which is why denim has felt so magical to me all these years. Add denim to be more casual, or wear it to be the opposite. I felt fancy enough to add a red lip, and I'm not even in Paris anymore. 

Maybe I'll go for denim three ways next time and try the perfect amount of the fabric to be, well, in between fancy and casual. Like the Goldilocks of denim.

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Everything in its Right Place

There seems to be this theory that's been floating around since the beginning of time that music can change lives. Not in the cheesy, typical way that all fangirls/boys seem to claim after seeing a band they've only listened to for a month. I mean the real life-changing experiences, the ones where you physically feel like a new person and you completely forgot about the time prior to seeing said artist/band. Like they opened your mind to a whole new universe, and everything feels like it's in its right place. Like jigsaws falling into place, even.

Is it just me who feels this way?

I'll explain.

If you haven't noticed from the multiple references that have already been made in the short paragraph above, I'm talking about Radiohead (if you guessed this before I spoiled you, we should become immediate friends). A few days ago I witnessed my favorite band perform right in front of my eyes for two hours. Two magical hours that I can now place in the category of "The Best Two Hours of my Life". Some may call me an annoying fangirl, but I believe its more than that -- I simply believe in the greater good of music and how it can transform any emotion into another with one key, one note, one lyric. Radiohead happens to be really damn good at doing just that.

Yes, I know I'm a fashion blogger but today I wanted to step away from fashion, like I did here, because there are times when I have things worth saying that should be read by more people than just myself. Before the day of me seeing Radiohead began, I was going to do something like this and dedicate my single day at Lollapalooza to doing real festival things (eating popsicles, spilling said popsicle on the cute outfit I wore to said festival, etc.), but this time was a little different because I was there for one thing and one thing only -- Radiohead. So my story begins here:

A month ago my friend who lives two states over (and who is my reserved "concert buddy") asked me if I was going to Lollapalooza and I'm pretty sure I responded with "in my dreams". A few days later, I'm buying my one day ticket for Friday of the Chicago-based festival because dreams actually DO come true. 25 days later we drive 12 hours just to see one band (among many others, but the sole reason was for Radiohead). People who aren't into music (do you guys even exist?) would hate me right now. As the gates open, we sprint into the festival to the stage where Thom Yorke, Phil Selway, Johnny and Colin Greenwood, and Ed O'Brien would be standing nine hours later. Yes, nine hours of standing/occasionally sitting in the same spot. Our festival experience is already different than most people who attended the festival. Except it's really not! Everyone surrounding us for those nine hours had different stories and experiences with the band but we were all there for the same reason -- the music. The people I got the closest to during our wait had seen the band five times before and they all knew each other online through their love for the band. I was chatting with them and they were shocked this was my first time seeing Radiohead, and all the could say was, "Your life will literally be changed forever. You won't be the same." And man, were they right.

I also overheard other diehard fans (like me) discussing their favorite songs from each of the nine albums, why they would "literally die" if they played a certain song that night, and how they got to know the band in the first place. It was like nothing I have ever experienced. I've never been surrounded by so many people who are so into one common thing, but it was truly beautiful because I felt like a part of something. Being one of the youngest (but still equally devoted) fans there (Radiohead fans usually range from late 20s all the way to 50s), I felt this strange connection to people I have never felt before. The girl in front of me was creating/filming a Radiohead documentary (how cool!) all based on her love for the band and the "switch" that went off in her brain the first time she saw them live. She had tickets to all of their North American shows and festivals this year, and she was determined to explain the powers this band has over their fans through her own experience and the experiences of other fans through a film (fun fact: I might be in it!! Make sure to watch it when it comes out!!). And once again, I realized that Radiohead can really change lives. And this was before their set even began.

And when they actually did come on, after hours of waiting in anticipation (but also dancing to the sets of Foals and M83), I, along with the tens of thousands of people standing next to me and behind me, became mesmerized in various ways -- screaming, crying, simply staring, and I did all three. And just like that, the light switched on. Years of loving this band, shifting favorite albums depending on the phase in my life, getting through my darkest times and happiest times by simply putting a certain record on my turntable all came full circle. I experienced the best two hours of my life, seeing them perform songs that shaped me into who I am and becoming an even bigger fan of songs I never gave a chance in the past (which is a very small number). At the end of the set, the girl who told me my life would be changed forever told me how lucky I was that that was my first Radiohead show. She was crying as she said this. And then I finally realized what life is for in the first place -- to see Radiohead live. At least for the millions of fans in the world.

the idea that music can change lives is 100% true. thank you radiohead for doing just that

A photo posted by natalie (@nataliegeisel) on Jul 30, 2016 at 10:52am PDT

I've now heard my favorite song of 3 years (and counting) live I can die happy

A video posted by natalie (@nataliegeisel) on Jul 30, 2016 at 9:23pm PDT

Picture and video from my personal Instagram.

Do you have any similar experiences with Radiohead or any other band? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!

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