Hello blog! Long time no see. While I used to reserve this space solely for random bits of extracurricular literary analysis, my creative energies are pulling me elsewhere these days. These days are slow at the beginning and quick at the end; these days are both the most exciting of my life and the most normal and the most difficult. Many things are true at once. One particularly true thing is that clothing has become a real tool for accessing delight, cheer, inspiration, and fun in all of the generally unfavorable circumstances of everyday life, like the gloomy weather sweeping Northern California right now and the predictably frenzied atmosphere on campus ("Last semester," the girl next to me in the Free Speech Movement Cafe said to her friend, "I was crying in Moffitt, like, every single day").
Anyway. Clothing: a practical, functional, joyful tool. A non-malignant, non-mechanistic coping mechanism. Of course, as with most tools, there is a bit of a frameworking involved. What I have found helpful recently is to be explicit and deliberate about this framework. As of now, this is the trusty and deeply comfortable combination of:
A tee (any color, any shape, for insulation and a little bit of visual interest),
A soft collared shirt (again, lots of flexibility here, so long as it is un-ascetic and you can move in it; below are examples with flannels, silk blouses, a denim shirt, and also a white button down to be proper; sleeves need not be rolled),
A "grandfather jacket" (here I will note that this does not have to be from your grandfather — it just so happens that several of mine are indeed from my maternal grandfather Alfred. So long as your blazer or sport coat or trench looks like it could have been owned by someone's grandfather at some point, it's all good),
A pair of relaxed-fit jeans or pants (generally speaking, the bigger the better, so as to balance out the proportions of the blazer and all the layers up top),
A fun or nice sock (must keep the ankles warm), and
A slimmer shoe (although a chunky sneaker would work here as well, for nuanced looks that are interesting despite the template, it's good to go with something a bit unexpected and even pretty to avoid skewing too strongly mannish or American father, though I have nothing against men or American fathers).
Exhibit A: vintage Pearl Jam tee; vintage Classiques silk button down; vintage green trench coat with a zip-out houndstooth pattern wool lining; a pair of overlarge old DKNY jeans from Goodwill; J.Crew wool sock; Tod's patent leather loafers. Oh, I was also carrying a gray-brown cashmere cardigan from Naked Cashmere (thanks, mom!) that functioned as a scarf / hood later. I liked the gray tee underneath the gray pearlescent buttons of the shirt. The shirt's rounded collar is a nice foil to the trench's sharp collar. This look is thoroughly relaxed but it maintains the balance that I'm looking for, and I felt good in it, which is all I can really ask for. Also, loafers forever and everywhere.
Exhibit B: Everlane white tee; Todd Snyder LL Bean flannel (thanks, dad!); vintage pinstriped navy blue wool blazer from Goodwill; vintage Levi's; very fun sock from Japan (thanks, parents!); blue and silver Onitsuka Tigers also from Japan. This was great because the flannel alone is not something I reach frequently for but it was instantly more balanced (and more me) with the addition of the blazer and the tee underneath. I felt soft and strong and comfortable all day.
Exhibit C: Uniqlo white tee; vintage blue silk shirt bought at Mars Vintage in Berkeley when I came to visit after being admitted my senior year of high school (nostalgic!); navy wool blazer from my grandfather (thanks, grandpa!); the same DKNY jeans as before; red Martiniano glove flat. The silk and wool kept me nice and warm. The shoe is just so fun and sweet. The blues working together here were really nice and were punctuated well / broken up by the red and the white. Lowkey patriotism is sometimes a good vibe.
Exhibit D: Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood tee from the New Beverly Cinema (thanks, dad!); Kapital denim shirt with insane leather laces up the sleeves and pearly buttons; tweed-y blazer with red, blue, and brown accents from my grandfather; the same Levi's as before; bandana printed and slightly sheer sock (thanks, mom!); GH Bass brown patent leather penny loafers that I've had since freshman year of high school. Woah! The laces swinging outside of the jacket were, I admit, perhaps a bit much for someone who intensely gesticulates while speaking. But I loved it and felt sharp, smart, and a little rugged.
Exhibit E: 1992 Lollapalooza Red Hot Chili Peppers tee from Space City in Little Tokyo; Comme des Garcons white button down; vintage striped gray cashmere blazer from Goodwill; 90's Girbaud black viscose-y trousers; no sock because to be real I was out of socks; vintage Prada Sport velcro strap mary janes. This felt a little crisper than the previous examples but it got me through a long day with back-to-back discussion sections and back-to-back lectures. It was focused enough to bring a certain focused energy to my activities, but it didn't sacrifice on ease or warmth. Also, I made an exception for these cuffs because it was warmer and sunnier and I wanted to show some wrist.
So there we have it! I find that this combination can be quite literally anything you want it to be and can fit into quite literally any combination of aesthetics that you want it to, from cowboy-tenured-professor to corporate-fairytale-princess to lumberjack-businesswoman to pretty-grunge-professional. It's all in the softness of the shirt and tee, the hardness and straight edges and strong shoulders of the outerwear, the leanness and big-ness of the proportions. It's effortless. It's capacious. It's fun! We should be having fun. I know I am —
Karissa
Cover: Detail from a woodcut by Edward Munch
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