"Simple" School Chic

With school, comes normal routine. And with normal routine, comes regular, scheduled posting. Finally. I'm not the biggest fan of going back to school, but at least it somehow gives me more inspiration for everything. My writing, my photography, and of course, my posts on here. I thought I would celebrate (or maybe dread) the first day of senior year with an outfit that exemplifies some sort of "school chic" aesthetic. I did not plan this at first, but after taking photos for this post, I realized that it really worked. And don't worry, not in the plaid skirt, knee highs, and blazers way.

The typical "school chic" look always consists of one thing: collars. As a huge collar enthusiast, this made my work fairly easy. I own several tops and dresses that consist of collars, and all of them would work for this aesthetic I was trying to reach (well, I technically didn't realize I reached it until the day was over... but that's beside the point). I decided to wear my new collared and sleeveless dress I got from Lou & Grey a few weeks ago. What's even better than collars? Sleeveless collars. What's even better than sleeveless collars? Denim sleeveless collars. Yes, this dress is deceivingly made of denim. Maybe it's a softer, bleached out type, but that makes the denim approach more subtle. The sleeveless collared nature of the dress made it a traditional school outfit, but the denim fits in with a more modern style, making my "school chic aesthetic" not ordinary. I completed the school look not by pairing the dress with the typical penny loafers you would see paired with knee highs, but with the more cool-looking shoes that are still worn with school uniforms -- the Doc Marten oxfords. I changed the bare-eye and bare-lip tradition by wearing subtle eyeliner and pink lipstick to, once again, fit with my personal style just like I did with the denim. School girl chic is a thing, but there's never a reason to go full out, unless you're dressing up as Cher from Clueless for Halloween. 

Dress from Lou & Grey. Shoes by Doc Marten. 

Photos taken by me (and sadly, not outside. It was raining.)

Summertime (Is Over) Sadness

Summer coming to a close is the exact reason why my blog hasn't been too active in the past few weeks. The favorite season for some is almost gone, at least for the students like me, and it actually pains me to think that I'll be going back to school in 10 days. I've been cramming summer reading, my AP art work, and the end-of-summer required dance classes into the last few weeks of summer, so I've had no time to even think of ideas for a new post, or even go outside the house to find inspiration. And on top of all of that, I have to start preparing for school. Not by going to Staples and buying school supplies (I am way past buying those things before school starts; remember, I'm going to be a senior), but by preparing in the fashion sense. I'm one of the few people at my school who actually cares about "dressing well" for school, but it's still a major problem for many of us. This is also an issue for college students because many of you would rather not show up to every class in your pajamas. With the stress of mentally preparing for school, preparing your wardrobe adds yet another stress factor. I'm one of those people who plan their outfits for the entire first week of school, and this can be tricky when I haven't even had the chance (or money) to shop. Instead of buying all the newest (and most expensive) clothes, figure out what the latest, and even better, still unknown trends are, and use your current wardrobe to satisfy these trends. There are a few staple items that are almost necessary to buy in this back to school preparation, but other than that, leave it to your seemingly outdated wardrobe and brain to create a new look, just in time for school.

Here are a few tips:

Try some DIY action. This is the oldest trick in the book when you want your old wardrobe to look newer than ever. This is especially good for warmer weather (aka the first few months of school), because it is way easier to transform cold weather items into warm weather ones rather than the other way around. Take your favorite (but outdated) pair of jeans and cut them to make a homemade pair of denim cut-offs, and even distress them yourself instead of paying way too much for a small (and destroyed) amount of denim. Cut a maxi skirt into a midi skirt because we all know that midis are taking over the skirt world. And midis are also perfect for those schools with strict dress codes -- they're definitely long enough, but they're still in style and few people who are still in school attempt to pull them off (For some reason, they think they'll look like a grandma, even if they compliment you on wearing them... I still don't get it.) DIY is the free alternative to spending money on more clothes to pile into your closet and letting old ones stay hidden in the back.

Mix and match old basics to cater to new trends. This is another old trick in the fashion book, and this is definitely one I use the most. Many people think I'm constantly shopping, but I really just know how to reuse items to make them look new. All it takes is wearing them in a different way than you did before, and this may sound tricky, but it is pretty simple. For example: last year, I always paired this black sweater with jeans and boots in the colder weather, but once it started to warm up, I began wearing the same black sweater with skirts and sandals (seen here) to both cater to the higher temperature and "light layers" trend. Then there's the new "all blue" trend, which can easily be satisfied by pairing your blue items together instead of buying a new outfit just for that trend. No one but you will truly recognize that what you're wearing isn't new if it's worn in a completely new way. Just research the new trends, and use your current wardrobe differently than you used to to have a brand new look just in time for school.

Try switching up your beauty/accessories routine. Just a simple change in your makeup or accessories will make you look like a brand new person, regardless of the clothes you wear. Buy a few new lipstick colors to transform your look, or completely stop wearing the eyeliner you wore every day last year. Stop wearing those outdated earrings, or start wearing a few bracelets with every outfit. Just the small things can make all the difference, and it is way easier and cheaper to change this than to buy a whole new wardrobe.

And finally, go out and buy the things you actually need. Sometimes, it's not possible to completely transform your look with the things you already have. Using the above tips will add a change, but getting a few new things will definitely help. However, it's best to splurge on unique items that you will use frequently. Shoes, backpacks, a few special dresses, but that's it. It's okay to save up for a new expensive pair of sneakers, especially when you don't even own a single pair of sneakers (like me!). I've wanted this pair of shoes for forever, and after saving up, this one item can completely alter my entire wardrobe. The same goes for bags or backpacks -- one look at your new and trendy bag will make people fall for your entire look. Anything like this UNIF backpack will do the trick, and it's definitely worth the money. Rather than spending all of your money on new clothes, spend some of it on the stuff that really matters.

Double Denim

Yes, the time has come for me to do some experimentation. This month's denim issue of Nylon came out a few days ago, and I read the entire thing from front cover to back. I was inspired. Maybe it was the provoking cover story on Zoe Kravitz, aka the coolest girl ever, maybe it was the excessive amounts of fashion spreads that fit every style ever imagined. Maybe it was the fact that Nylon inspires me every month I get it in the mail, but I do believe it was the concentration on denim. Every year, Nylon has a denim issue (just like how they have a music issue the month before), and the magazine manages to make almost everything in the issue about the beloved fabric. Nylon devoted some stories to how denim has changed over the decades, how Nylon staff experimented with DIY denim projects, and how the high fashion world is dealing with this fabric. They even somehow managed to incorporate denim into every photoshoot, from Kravitz's wardrobe to the fashion incorporated in "The Scenic Route" spread. All of my regular readers should know by now that I am obsessed with denim, but honestly, who isn't? Obviously I would love an issue devoted to "the magic fabric" (as Nylon says), so I wanted to make my own tribute to this issue and the wonder that is denim.

Two nights ago, I went to the 5th Harmony concert at Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta. This was the first pop concert I have ever been to, and it was either filled with middle school aged fangirls or the parents that drove them there. It was a little strange because I was probably the only one there that actually drove myself, but it ended up being a really good concert -- the girls are so talented, and they even had their own choreography. I'm used to seeing a band play instruments and just sing into a microphone, so it was a cool experience. Because it was a "girl group" concert, I decided to channel my inner cool '90s girl. And to incorporate denim into this look, I mastered the look a lot of people are too scared to pull off -- denim on denim. I don't know who decided this look was tacky because I have seen so many examples of people who really worked it. Once again, this comes down to an inner confidence (like I talked about in my jumpsuit post). If you feel great in it, you will look great. It's just that simple. However, in the fashion world, there are a few rules to follow. It'd be a bad idea to look just like Britney and Justin in their coordinating denim disaster (see here). Sure, use this iconic look (iconic does not always mean good) as an inspiration to do all things denim, but don't completely follow their looks unless you want to end up on the "what not to wear" section of every tabloid magazine. Instead of literally following the head-to-toe denim trend, start out by being more subtle. The biggest thing I achieved in this look was contrast. I took my light-wash denim skirt and paired it with something that was dark wash, which ended up being a dark chambray shirt. And yes, chambray is still considered denim if you don't want to be too drastic in your denim on denim look. The contrast between the two made the look more appealing to the eye but also less tacky to try for the first time. I could have paired the skirt with my light chambray top, but I wanted to try double denim in a subtle way. As I

continue denim on denim, I'll probably try pairing two denim items in the same wash. It is achievable, but it's definitely a reach. To make this outfit "concert appropriate" and still follow the cool 90s girl look, I only used this chambray top as a layer and wore a halter crop top. Simply tying the shirt around my waist still carried that denim on denim look. I completed the look with my grid socks peeking out of my cut-out boots and thick, winged-eyeliner. Also, if you haven't noticed, I dyed my hair lighter a week ago, which definitely fits in with the look I was trying to achieve.  

Halter top from Urban Outfitters, skirt from American Apparel, chambray top from Gap, socks from American Apparel, and boots from Asos.

City Lights Bookstore

Once again, this is not fashion related, but I still wanted to share a few things about my San Francisco trip that I wasn't able to mention in the last two posts.

Another huge passion of mine, next to fashion, is literature. I didn't really get into it until high school, unlike my twin (who has been reading Harry Potter since she was in 1st grade), but it is still in the list of "Natalie's favorite things". Literature is similar to my other passions (music, art, fashion, etc) in the way that it makes a not-so-amazing reality a beautiful one, even if it involves tragedy. This is why I'm more into the arts and aesthetics than math and science. Math and science consists of things that have already been proven in the real world, but my passions are things that must be created to make the real world even better. And books are definitely one of those factors that create a beautiful reality.

To get to my actual story: about two years ago, I was determined to read all of the excellent classics in literature before reading new books. It was not due to a longing for the past, but it was just a goal of mine to read the great books every English professor and book fanatic obsess over. With all the school work and books I have to read, I obviously haven't come anywhere close to finishing this goal (currently, I'm about to read Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, and I still have about ten books lined up on my bookshelf that are in my "book queue"). So I still live in this classic literature world, filled with the angst of living in 20th century America (see J.D. Salinger and Sylvia Plath) and the dark satire that came with the world wars and negative view of life (see Anthony Burgess and Kurt Vonnegut). Along with these authors, I've recently become obsessed with the Beat generation -- the period after World War II that brought a unique culture that included spontaneity and individualism. This included Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, among many others. The weird part about all of this is that I've become more fond of the authors themselves than their books. The only work I truly love from this generation is the poetry of Allen Ginsberg, which includes the infamous Howl and Kaddish. I am more fascinated with the authors' lives -- how they dropped everything just to travel across America, how they did things only out of spontaneity, and how they created legendary (but usually plotless...) works based on their own intricate experiences. I have basically watched every movie there is on this generation (which is far too many), and I've come to realize that if I could meet any dead author, it would be Allen Ginsberg. So this weird obsession was created, and coming across this bookstore in San Francisco definitely satisfied my nostalgic needs.

These photos are just shots I took of areas around City Lights bookstore -- I couldn't get a good photo of the actual store due to awkward angles. But as you can tell, that bookstore influenced the entire area. 

Jack Kerouac, one of the most famous authors of this era (you have probably heard of On the Road) travelled from the East coast to the West by hitchhiking with his author buddies to come all the way to San Francisco. He wrote about these travels in On the Road, but he never talked about himself in first person (he used different characters to represent him and his friends). I loved vicariously living through him by reading this book, but what was even cooler was to be able to step into the actual place he and other authors had literary meetings in. This meeting place soon became a publishing company, called City Lights. Now, City Lights bookstore is in that building. The store was filled with photos of Kerouac and other famous authors who have been published by City Lights, like Charles Bukowski. It was like a novelty bookshop -- everywhere you turned, there would be another shelf of newly discovered novels or old classics that were both of equal quality. My favorite part was going upstairs to the poetry room, which was less hectic and a quiet, spacious place to read. It included some of my favorite poets (like Ginsberg, Plath, Cummings, etc) and newly discovered poets that I had never heard of. It truly was a magical place, 

maybe even more magical than the famous bookstore in Paris called Shakespeare and Company. All my literature dreams came true in the short time we were able to spend in that store, and I can tell all my book-loving friends that I was in the same place that Kerouac had scintillating literary discussions in. To celebrate the moment, I bought Kaddish and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg, because he and Jack were definitely writing buddies before Kerouac left for his road trip. This post really makes me sound like a nerd, but I'm not kidding when I say how much I love books. Yes, the "materialistic fashion girl" loves to read. Maybe it is ironic, but the whole passion of reading does go along with my passion of writing.