Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor

...Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief, etc etc etc...

Wait, what?

It's a Radiohead song, duh.

An alternative title was going to be Something to Get You Through the Month Before Summer but that felt so overused, so unoriginal, so I decided to be the epitome of original and use Radiohead's most complex song title ever! The reasoning for this reference doesn't carry much depth; the outfit I wore today just reminds me of this song and its unconventionally long title.

Pants by Madewell. Shirt is Arcade Fire merchandise. Mules by & Other Stories. Sunglasses also by Madewell, and scarf used as wrist accessory by J. Crew.

Do you see the correlation now?

If it makes you feel any better, the sole reason I chose this song was because the word sailor is one of the 11 words included in the song title. The only reason. 

I do look ready to get on a sail boat, no? 

The day the new Madewell collection came out (I have early access, remember?), I saw these striped, lace up pants, realized how good I would look wearing them on a boat over a one-piece bathing suit (this new Reformation one would work wonderfully) and espadrille slides, maybe with these sunglasses used to protect my eyes from the sun (and wind from the boat!) and also to be worn on top of my head as a fun accessory. I immediately put my size on hold and bought them the next day at work, and felt my transition into a cool, Reformation-esque girl who knows how to sail occur in seconds. I wanted to find that one-piece and wear it in a non-beach/ocean setting but realized this wasn't practical--it's not even 70 degrees in D.C. at the moment. I feel like at least the sun had to be out to be full on L.A. beach girl, yet the clouds stopped the sun from being a summer day. Time to ~compromise~. 

I instead threw in aspects of what I want summer to be like that doesn't involve boats and sand stuck between my toes. My summer looks more like two jobs and summer classes stuck in the swamp that is Washington, D.C., so I had to embody something that is more practical for my schedule, which will definitely not see a body of water (besides, maybe, the Potomac River). Instead I paired the Anything Goes pants with my favorite shirt that works with both everyday wear and something I can sleep in--my Arcade Fire band tee. Who doesn't love repping their favorite band in the form of clothing, especially when Rodin's work is featured on it? Remember when I wore this exact shirt inside the Rodin Museum in Paris? Also something important to take note of: graphic tees are such an important staple for the summer, when all we want to do is slip on a T-shirt and be done with our outfits (pants optional). I, once again, slipped on my & Other Stories mules, which definitely would sink into sand but clack perfectly on the pavement of D.C. and still carry that effortless, summer look. So instead of becoming that girl who practically lives on her boat, I was that American vacationing in Greece, or even better, Antibes (aka the town in between Cannes and Nice of Southern France), who was about to hop on a boat for a quick ride, but had to go shopping through the local market right before. For fresh produce, hand-crafted jewelry, and maybe even homemade lavender soap. Clothing can be so transformative! You can be someone you're not, which is so necessary when that last month before summer begins is killing your mood, in fashion and in life. Maybe don't completely disguise your personality, but become your best self. 

It's almost summer! You deserve it.

Photos shot by Maddie.

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A Case for Denim Shorts: Part I

Suns out, legs out??

I know it's supposed to be suns out, guns out, or even buns out (correct?), but this one seems more appropriate, even if it lacks that fun rhyme.

D.C. has finally been blessed, or cursed, with the heat! This is partially bad news for many reasons: a) my sweat glands hate me b) society wants me to shave and c) turtlenecks are banned from my wardrobe for the next seven months. But there are also many good outcomes of this sunny paradise!! Like a) a surplus of vitamin D b) spending more time outside will scientifically increase my mood and c) I technically don't have to shave because societal norms are silly. And the fashion perks to this weather are even greater! Dresses that resemble Reformation's or & Other Stories' aesthetic (like this one or this one) can finally be worn, sunglasses can be used as both an eye-protector and a hair accessory, and thigh grazing shorts are acceptable!! Well, not at professional work environments and your grandmother's house, but I digress.

Denim cutoffs carry these confidence-boosting qualities that transform them into magical entities. Like how killer heels make you feel so much better, but minus the foot pain. So show off what you've got! And if you're afraid to show that much leg, go on and try it, because spring is about ~trying new things~. Right?

Because the denim shorts thing can be really hard to pull off in a ~fashionable~ manner, I'm doing yet another fashion experiment! How fun! This time, I'm trying a few looks with the same pair of cutoffs--a vintage pair of Levi's I thrifted and cut about four inches shorter to the very top of my thighs. Here's my first take:

When you can't afford to travel to the West Coast and attend Coachella (that lineup!!!) so you just dress like you're going:

Shorts by Levi's (thrifted and DIYed). Top and mules by & Other Stories. Tassel cuff by Madewell. Sunglasses by Urban Outfitters. Lipstick by NARS.

I visited the & Other Stories store in its new Georgetown location a few days ago, and my L.A. cool girl dreams came true (and for half the price of Reformation!!). This weather makes me want to immediately fly out to California to pretend to be a surfer even though I'm hopelessly terrible at it and to attend Coachella to see Radiohead for the third time. Unfortunately, my limited funds and time make this an impossible dream (at least I'll be attending Shaky Knees for the fourth time in May!). So why not dress the part! The sun practically forced me to. I decided to purchase this tie-front crop top that reminds me of something Shay Mitchell would wear at the festival; she always has the best style at Coachella (just look at her!!):

Because I wanted to emulate this similar ~care free~ attitude, I decided to pair the top with my DIY Levi's and these suede + heeled mules I also bought at & Other Stories. Definitely not a pair of shoes I would wear to a music festival (I'd immediately swap them for sneakers), but definitely a pair of shoes I'd wear to look like I was ~famous~ at a music festival. Or to look like THE L.A. Cool Girl™ Courtney Trop, as seen below:

Stripes to match my sunburn 😫🦑

A post shared by Courtney Trop (@alwaysjudging) on Apr 2, 2017 at 5:46pm PDT

I continued this look by smearing NARS matte lipstick over my lips, something I haven't done in a while but would like to start doing every day this summer. I also dabbed on some Glossier Cloud Paint (in Haze, if you were wondering) to get that classic summer flush that matches my lipstick and my festival ready 'fit. And I already feel like it's June 21st, even though spring just started! It's all in the magic of denim cutoffs, I tell you. Try it for yourself.

Check back on the blog in the next few days for part II of this post.

Photos shot by Maddie.

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What to Wear When: The Cherry Blossoms Have Bloomed

I've never been more excited for a season, well, ever.

Because flowers make everything so much more fun! Being able to live in the city that's famous for this ~wonder of nature~ makes one of the best seasons that much more enjoyable. Unless you have allergies.

Here are some alternate titles for spring to get you excited:

• The Less Is More season
• The Return of the Bees
• That Season When White Clothing is Accepted by Societal Norms
• The Season of Groundbreaking Florals
• The "Pajamas are In" Season (according to NYFW's predictions)

Leave other suggestions in the comments below, if you wish.

So yes! Spring is actually here! Even if the weather sometimes likes to tease us with a sunny 75 degrees and immediately drops to 40 and rainy the next day, I've officially decided to put away my turtlenecks and oversized coats and pull out open toed shoes, garments that reveal my freshly shaven legs (yes, I shaved for this occasion!), and investment pieces that make this season so much simpler, even though it's already simple enough. I want easy pieces that make getting dressed in the morning a fun activity, not a task, like, maybe this blush coverall jumpsuit, these pleated accordion pants, or this reformation dress that matches my favorite Glossier lipstick shade (Generation G in Zip, if you were curious). And maybe pair all of the above with pastel pink slides? Lately, I've been straying away from feminine pieces–I can't remember the last time I wore a flared skirt or heels, unless those heels are paired with black denim. But now the cherry blossoms make me want to do the opposite! I want more pink items, more items that don't involve a crotch (weirdly worded, I know), more pieces that have ruffles and frills and details that just scream femininity. I want pieces that also make me look good while napping under these cherry blossoms trees, as seen here:

study break: napping under the cherry blossoms

A post shared by Natalie Geisel (@fracturedaesthetic) on Mar 29, 2017 at 4:18pm PDT

Not featured: me getting extremely awkward tan lines due to my bandana bracelet and v-neck dress

Below are two ways that showcase this ~new style~ that truly reveal this strange mood that can only be encapsulated by the above Instagram post.

1. When You Love the Cherry Blossoms so Much That You Literally Want to Become One:

 

Dress, loafer mules, and sunglasses by Madewell (can you tell I'm a sales associate there?). Bandana used as a bracelet is thrifted. 

In my first attempt at spring 2017, I took a literal approach and did the florals thing. Groundbreaking, am I right? 

Sorry. I had to. 

But I match the flowers right above my head! It seemed more than fitting, considering this is my first spring being surrounded by the thing that attracts so many tourists. Luckily, this is a fairly simple approach: wear absolutely anything with florals. Investment pieces like this Madewell wrap dress that resembles Reformation's warm weather aesthetic work especially well, considering the flowers on it actually do resemble the pale pink cherry blossoms. I decided to tie a vintage neck scarf (which I thrifted in Seattle!) around my wrist because I'm trying to break my neck scarf habit, and this way I can still have my fix without actually covering my lovely collar bones. Kind of like those Nicotine patches? I then slid on my loafer slides, a style of shoe that should become the official shoe of spring because they're just that easy (and not too summer-y like open toed slides), and only three steps later, my first spring lewk was complete. Where's my "That Was Easy" button?

2. When You Don't Want to Change Your Androgynous Personal Style Completely but Also Want a Touch of Feminine:

Tank and Denim Jacket by Madewell. Pants are thrifted (or find some similar ones here). Clogs by Anthropologie.

Even though it's technically spring and pants season is long gone, the weather the day after my cherry blossom nap dropped about 20 degrees, so I knew covering my legs would be a necessity. But that doesn't have to mean jeans! I got these Dana Scully-esque trousers that used to go past my toes before I found a pair of scissors while thrifting in Seattle, and they're perfect for this in limbo transition–they still do the same job of pants, but its thin material and ankle-revealing properties make them a perfect spring pant. So even if it is 70 degrees, these babies are your best bet if you can't seem to hop off the pants train. As I said earlier, this new season has only made me crave more feminine styles, so to emasculate the look, I paired them with a red sweater tank, also similar to my favorite Generation G shade, and my blush clogs, which exactly resemble the tint of those cherry blossoms (and Glossier's Cloud Paint in puff, I suppose?). This is a nice way to ~transition~ into spring if you're not really into floral prints or ruffle hemlines because that peep of shoulder and ankle (and arm and chest and foot, for that matter) prove that the sun is about to be out for good. Because denim should be the official layering fabric of spring, I wrapped my arms and shoulders in my new collarless denim jacket (from Madewell, of course) to change things up a bit–collared jackets seem so last season. Minutes after taking these photos, I realized I should have definitely worn socks with these clogs; I guess I got a little too excited for the new season. 

Are any of you guys amazed that I haven't used a spring pun yet? Well, time to end that shock, because spring has officially sprung.

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Basquiat Bash

Graduation is HERE!

No, it's in two weeks. But in senior year terms, it's practically tomorrow.

Some would say that your senior graduation is symbolic of the next steps ahead of you, your future, your career (that word alone is already scaring me). But as a senior, I like to push all those icky topics to when college actually starts. I still have the summer. And what does summer mean? Well, excessive sweat and an extremely lazy mentality, but also freedom, lack of responsibility (in the good sense), and a carefree mentality. That's more like it.

And to celebrate this carefree mentality (no more having to write three essays in under two hours!!!), I dressed like it and also attended the Basquiat Bash at the High Museum, which is just a fancy term for attending the new exhibit of Jean-Michel Basquiat's work.

Dress by J. Crew. Sandals by Topshop (or try these). Bandana is my mom's (please don't spend $15 on one at Urban Outfitters. I promise you will find one somewhere)

Usually when I go to the High Museum (like this time and that other time), I do my best to to look like an artist -- wear the most unconventional items that scream individuality. Corduroy and Adidas? A graphic dress paired with a turtleneck and patterned tights? Now I decided to do the opposite because, well, it's basically summer and your look has to look ~effortless~ to celebrate all your freedom.

Does that make sense? More freedom, less effort.

So you could go the lazy route and just wear a really complex jumpsuit or dress, or you can go the even lazier route -- an over the shoulder dress with sandals and a bandana-choker. While many people are going back to the maximalism philosophy in fashion, I'm going back to minimalism because a) it makes me look très cool or b) it's easy.

The beauty of over-the-shoulder tops/dresses is the simplicity -- shifting those sleeves over your collarbone makes any dull piece look like it came straight out of a famous blogger's Instagram. It's the unconventional nature of the shape that gives it the effervescent style (is this situational irony?). I mean, the straps of your dress are practically falling down your shoulders, of course you'll look set for summer. And then to maybe make your look not fit for a day on the beach, add a choker, like a chain one or a homemade bandana one. That accessory will add a finishing touch to the outfit but also draw people's eyes to your gorgeous collarbones, and that's the whole point of the dress -- to show off what you've got.

It felt fitting to wear something like this to an event for Basquiat because this artist is different, unconventional, and ahead of his time. What I wore was exactly this, for me at least (maybe not ahead of my time, weren't bardot dresses from the '90s?). Basquiat created pieces that were out-there but seemed to resonate with the population, and I'd say that these dresses do the exact same. A trend that seems to be worn by nearly everyone who is ahead in fashion, yet the style is almost, well, strange. But even better, Basquiat and the dress share a lack of structure/sophistication (and that's a compliment in this situation). You'll understand my point when you look at some of his work below, but the idea is to commend our independence, our newfound lack of routine, and the fact that we're not restrained by the public school system anymore (or if this isn't your case, at least you get summer). And we're graduating in two weeks. It's about time to just not care.

All art documentation photos shot by me. All photos of me shot by Kendall.

To all my Atlanta readers -- the Basquiat exhibit will be closed on May 29th, make sure you check it out before it leaves!

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The Lazy Girl's Guide to Fashion

About a week ago, I was driving through my neighborhood to get home after school and I noticed something was missing. The flowers were gone. Vanished. Poof. Is it summer already? Please tell me it's not summer yet. 

It's only the beginning of May. Why were the flowers replaced with bright green leaves that only scream 90 degrees of misery? 

This sad transition unfortunately informed me that yes, summer is coming. And with summer comes heat and laziness and procrastination (and an excess amount of sweat) in all aspects. Yes, that also includes fashion. 

A few weeks ago I brought up the point that the less is more theory is, in fact, not a myth. I wore a minimal amount of added clothing to prove a point, but now I'm doing the same only because I'm actually that lazy. The fashion version of senioritis (which, once again, is not a myth) is finally inflicting me.

I'm wearing this really cool Anthropologie jumpsuit that I would have never worn a year ago when I was first introduced to jumpsuits. A cropped flare jumpsuit with a complex pattern that looks like it came straight out of Jackie Burkhart's closet or a worse alternative, off of John Travolta circa Saturday Night Fever? I would never. Well, now I am. The '70s are kind of gone but this jumpsuit doesn't agree, so I guess they're sticking with me for a while longer. And best of all, this oddly unique piece created my entire outfit. In under two minutes, actually. One minute was reserved for attempting to tie the bow on the back of the jumpsuit (that hasn't been shown yet) with only the help of my hands. 

The heat outside makes it really difficult to keep up with your personal style (I'd rather not wear sundresses every single day), but this magical jumpsuit works with both the heat and personal style factor. It reveals a bit of skin in the back to a) follow that trendy cut-out style and b) to give your usually sweaty back some breeze. And I'd say that the cropped flares exist just to fit in with the trend but actually they freed my legs from the confinements of high temperatures. Basically, this jumpsuit has everything. Pockets included.

My former self used to believe that basics are all you need to thrive in fashion and it just depends on how you use them in unique ways, but when it's humid and 87 degrees and you feel tiny droplets of sweat streaming down your back and thighs you can't just keep working with multiple layers because it's just that hot. This is your chance to save up and buy new investment pieces. Not items that you can wear in 5,297 different ways (except how great would that be?!), but pieces that are out-there. Maybe you can only wear them once every two months but it's reassuring to know those items exist in your closet, because they can save you when your seasonal disease of lazy kicks in, you have a backup plan that does not consist of Nike running shorts. Get a few things -- a jumpsuit (not from the simple category), a dress that is more than a simple shift one (like this, maybe?), a skirt with varying dimensions like this. Wear these alone or with simplistic items that require no effort (a white t-shirt with that Zara skirt, maybe?) to get that put-together look with a lazy girl attitude. The best part is this: no one can see past the insanely cool item to see your true, indolent motives.

Jumpsuit by Anthropologie. Bomber by Brandy Melville (other satin bomber here). Shoes by Topshop (or try these).

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How to Wear Denim Cut-offs without Looking Like a Festival-Goer

I feel like I'm known for extremely, almost unnecessarily, long titles, but I think this one may win first prize for largest number of characters in a single post title.

And the abundant amount of words really works with the subject I'm about to bring up -- it took me an entire month to plan this. Well, at least subconsciously.

Whether we like it or not, we're likely to look like festival-goers if we slip on a pair of denim shorts. Not of the knee-length, or even mid-thigh, variety, but the kind that fall from the beginning of your thigh to maybe the 1/3 mark of your thigh. Technicalities aside, they are a festival necessity. Which makes it that much harder to get dressed in the morning without looking #coachellaready.

I tried this a few days ago, and I thought that sequins would make any outfit more formal and festivals are the furthest away from formal. But then the sequined tank I paired with the shorts you're about to see in a few short (pun intended) moments made me look like I was going to Shaky Boots, aka the country music festival in Atlanta that I never ever want to resemble or attend. Attempt 1: failed. In the beginning of this experiment, I wanted to wear one of those Victorian, long-sleeved blouses, maybe like this one by Alexa Chung's new collection, which I desperately need but have not been able to purchase just yet. 2/2 attempts failed. I don't like the sound of that.

Then I thought, maybe, just maybe, if I paired something that one would never wear with shorts, especially of the denim-material, I wouldn't look like a festival-goer. And maybe it should be an item that one would never even think about wearing to a festival because it could a) get destroyed b) have too much excess material or c) cause too much body heat due to previously-stated excess material. Like, a dress, maybe?

Shorts by Gap. Shirt/Dress by Urban Outfitters (or try something like this). Tank by Gap. Shoes by Steve Madden (similar here).

Or just a shirt-dress-type-thing, that is too long to be a shirt but too long to be an actual dress? Even better. I've worn this item hundreds of times, usually under sweaters or dresses or even over a turtleneck and under a sweater at the same time (the things we do for NYC winters...). This piece has gotten me through a lot, so I thought it'd be fitting to bring it back for this fashion experiment I was obviously struggling with. And do I look like I'm going to a festival in this? 

Absolutely not.

Anything that actually travels past the hem of your shorts would just be silly for a music festival, and also, why would anyone want to wear more than two layers (do you see my tank from Gap peeking out through the sheer material?) to an event where you'll probably strip off the top one in the first five minutes? 

A success rate of 1/3 is better than 0. 

The key to this method is to preferably get a dress/long shirt that has buttons all the way from the top to bottom so you can play with tucking in different sides, showing off the shorts, or showing the under layer on top if you'd like. This one from Madewell would also do the trick. I simply buttoned half of the top, then left the bottom unbuttoned so I could tuck in one side to the shorts and leave the other side hanging below my cutoffs. Playing with dimensions and looking like you actually tried further takes away from that care-free festival feel. 

Figuring out which shoes to wear is also a crucial part in making a non-festival look. Stray away from comfy sandals or Adidas or anything that would be comfortable to stand in for ten hours straight. I went for my chelsea boots, and not the kind that also act as rain boots because those would so work for a rainy festival day.

Even though these shorts from Gap have floral embroidery on them, which seems to define festival fashion in one clothing item, the way I styled them created the opposite of festival fashion. I mean, they were covered all day due to the dress, but you get my point. It's a bit funny because I plan on wearing these to Shaky Knees Festival in May and even showcasing them on the blog to show how to wear denim-cutoffs to look like a festival-goer. This is proof that practically every item in our closets can transform into new styles depending on how we wear them. In fashion, it's not the what, it's the how. 

Tip: wearing shorts with dresses makes it possible to jump without accidentally flashing anyone. How practical. 

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Blue Velvet

Er, black velvet, actually, but my hair is blue. Does that count? 

Well, it's more of a gray-ish color with slight tints of periwinkle blue, but the blue is important in the whole color theme because of David Lynch's (Twin Peaks, anyone?) film titled Blue Velvet. 

Lynch likes to hide really disturbing content in his films with pretty aesthetics, like white picket fences, blue skies, and brightly colored flowers. The movie carries this perfect suburbia theme, kind of like a fantasy world, that covers the disturbing truth of what is really going on in the small town -- the abuse of a twisted woman by a psychopath (and that woman really likes to wear blue velvet). It plays with the contrast between surface and depth, that not everything is really as it seems, but the disturbing, kind of gross parts of the movie don't really relate to what I'm trying to say. All we need to see, as of now, is the beautiful surface of life, because that's what spring feels like to me. Maybe there's some kind of murderous case going on in the suburban town of Milton, but I hope not because the flowers are in full bloom.

Overalls by Urban Outfitters. Muscle tee by J. Crew (similar one here). Neck scarf by Kimchi Blue by Urban Outfitters. Shoes by Topshop (similar ones here).

Velvet seems like the perfect material to embrace this perfect season, and it's not just because of the one movie I referenced. It's soft texture and shiny appearance just makes me excited to get dressed in the morning, and that's something that all of us lacked in the colder months. I even posed in front of bright pink flowers and a (kind of) blue sky to reference Lynch, and those two things seem to make me actually want to get up in the morning. And knowing that yes, it is possible to wear velvet overalls in the spring makes me even more enthusiastic. I didn't think it was possible; velvet is reserved for fall and winter (did you guys see those FW16 collections?), but then I remembered that it's spring, and anything's possible. 

I made this piece work by trading my Stan Smiths for strappy Topshop sandals, my knit sweater for a muscle tee with metallic detail, and my overcoat for a floral neck scarf, which is so relevant because florals and spring are soulmates. Maybe switch the muscle tee with an over-the-shoulder blouse and the strappy sandals with suede clogs if you want more of a Stevie Nicks, free-spirited look. Either way works. I practically changed my top three times in the morning because wearing something that wasn't long-sleeved felt so strange with the overalls, but then Blue Velvet started to play in my head and I had to make the outfit work. For the sake of David Lynch.

Side note: Did you know that this velvet bib has a huge pouch to carry keys, a phone, maybe some snacks or an entire lunch? I felt like a well-dressed kangaroo, except I'd trade the baby kangaroo for some chocolate.

How do you like to style velvet in the spring? Put your thoughts in the comments below!

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