Meg Ryan is my spring style inspo

February 25, 2022

Oh, Meg Ryan. We all know and love her by her iconic lead performances in timeless rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle. Due to this, we may associate her with the chunky sweaters, shoulder-padded blazers, and high-waisted jeans that came with her 80s film career. This look is doubtlessly iconic. Tiktokers even went so far as to claim fall 2021 as “Meg Ryan Fall”, taking inspiration from her normcore look in When Harry Met Sally. Yet, I have grown an obsession with Meg Ryan’s style through the lens of a different era: the 2000s and 2010s.

One fateful day, there she was on my Pinterest feed: Meg Ryan. Though I’m unsure of which particular Meg Ryan street style moment first struck my heart cords, I can envision the silhouette that often characterizes her outfits. With loose and oversized pieces for bottoms and well-fitting neutral t-shirts for tops, she pairs her too-cool-to-care pieces with the perfect accessories to create an androgynous aesthetic.

In this era, Meg evidently repeats her staple accessories and garments, making the recreation of this style sustainable and supportive of basic pieces. Meg Ryan is all the inspiration I need as spring rolls around. Let me break down her street style in 5 photos so you can help recreate her looks too.

Look #1:

Here is a classic Meg outfit in which we find her sporting many of her staple pieces. She wears a neutral, well-fitting t-shirt paired with loose dark wash jeans held up by a thick black belt. She pairs green athletic sneakers with her classic black messenger bag, silver jewelry, aviators, and a newsboy cap.

Look #2:

With this outfit, we begin to see how Meg recycles pieces in her closet. She continues to belt oversized dark wash jeans and pairs them with a t-shirt, this time an olive green color. Over her r-shirt, she layers with a brown leather jacket, which matches her brown Dr. Martens. Meg accessorizes again with her classic messenger bag, aviators, and paperboy cap.

Look #3:

In a look suited for warmer weather, Meg is spotted in an all black outfit with belted, baggy pants, a simple black t-shirt, and black Nike Huaraches. We see her messenger bag and aviators make another appearance, but paired with a small-brimmed straw hat that breaks up the monochromatic look.

Look #4:

Riding down an escalator, Meg wears variation of her staple dark wash belted jeans. She pairs them with black clogs and a zip-up brown leather jacket. Alongside her messenger bag she wears narrow glasses.

Look #5:

Lastly, in a fit perfectly suited for the ambivalent spring weather, Meg wore a neutral toned outfit with black accessories. She belted oversized beige trousers and wore a loose-fitting cream top. With all-black dad sneakers, she added her classic messenger bag, paperboy cap, and sunglasses.

In the next months, I will surely be taking a page out of the Meg Ryan street style playbook. Unafraid to repeat and recycle, a review of her outfits always inspires me to recreate paired-down, carefree vibe.

Featured image via Pinterest.

Poetrybounding: How Should You Dress Based on Amy Lowell’s Bath Poem?

June 1, 2021

Here we go again, everyone. This is a new installment of my series called Style-based Poetry: Poetrybounding. If you are new to this series, fret not. In poetrybounding, I try pushing the boundaries of written poetry as a medium of emotional expression into the visual reality fashion presents. There are so many similarities between the aspects of poetry that display the personal language of a writer and the potential of fashion as a visual medium that conveys a person’s image based on who they are and who they want the world to see, that I was able to make a whole series about it, one that could even reach its fifth entry. I tend to pick poems with a lot of imagery because a visual backbone translates nicely into various looks and garments that receive extra meaning from the source material, and this post’s featured piece is no exception.

In this post, I will be looking at Bath by Amy Lowell and how she recreates a relaxing scene invoking the colors and light dynamics of water reflecting the morning sunlight in a bathtub and the fragrances of a summer’s day. This poem does not feature many different metaphorical devices to present transitions between visual scenes, so it does not provide a multifaceted composite album that can be segmented and assigned to various garments. Instead, what Lowell does with Bath is choosing one single space and transitioning between variations of the images presented through her different actions engaging with light, water, and the bathtub. This approach to poetry by action and perception grants me a new challenge to the overall look creation, but one that leaves my “design work” less constrained to the formula I have been using so I can focus on an idea more than all the minute details that make them, and opens more possibilities for those who want to perform poetrybounding themselves.

Here is Bath:

“The day is fresh-washed and fair, and there is a smell of tulips and narcissus in the air.

The sunshine pours in at the bath-room window and bores through the water in the bath-tub in lathes and planes of greenish-white. It cleaves the water into flaws like a jewel, and cracks it to bright light.

Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling; a stir of my finger sets them whirring, reeling. I move a foot and the planes of light in the water jar. I lie back and laugh, and let the green-white water, the sun-flawed beryl water, flow over me. The day is almost too bright to bear, the green water covers me from the too bright day. I will lie here awhile and play with the water and the sunspots. The sky is blue and high. A crow flaps by the window, and there is a whiff of tulips and narcissus in the air.”

— https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42993/bath-56d221a8c0d0c Source

The poem starts with a gentle rhyming sentence, setting up the atmosphere of the whole bathroom scene through water-related words like “fresh-washed” and the scent of tulips and narcissus, a smell that is later brought back at the end, cyclically encompassing the poem as to infuse its essence in the sensory experience the piece provides. The second paragraph/verse of Bath depicts an almost purely visual scene where the sunlight coming from the bathroom window shines into the filled bathtub, but the way Lowell describes it grants power to the sunlight and the quality of jewelry to the water, encasing the whole scene in diamond or nacre. Words like “pouring,” “bore,” “cleave,” and “lathes” create vivid imagery that pictures the refraction of sunlight dominating the bathroom atmosphere and being concentrated into light beams that perforate the water surface, coloring the spotlight it forms greenish-white, while words like “jewel” and “bright light” serve to qualify the subject of the severing as gems that upon being subjected to light, break into a myriad of shiny reflective pieces. Because of the aquatic motif, I tend to imagine the reflectiveness of pearls more than diamonds.

The third paragraph/verse is more comprehensive, so there is more to uncover. Lowell commences it with a glaring contrast to the previous paragraph/verse. The sunshine is not a powerful force now, but tiny dancing flickers in the water, ephemeral and delicate. I would see this representation of light due to the scattering of sunshine in the gem-like water surface. The sunlight is also reflected in the ceiling, described in an unmighty manner, with the funny wobbles of waves and the playfulness of the lyrical persona interacting with the water. After she starts interacting with it, the poem describes the color of the water in jewelry terms, beryl being the chosen gem. Emeralds and Aquamarines are beryls, so the idea that water acts like a gem, being both precious and shiny, is further exemplified. And then, the lyrical persona mentions that the water becomes a blanket, covering her from the brightness, or the vehemence and vigor of the day, creating this relaxing and fun environment she can stay hours in. Finally, the poem ends with remarks regarding menial things about the day, like how the sky is blue (always a sign of peace and calm) and how a crow flies close to the lyrical persona’s bathroom window, something that grounds the reader in a shared state with her while she is laying in the bathtub, before going back to the scent that closes the cyclical pleasing atmosphere.

So, what will I extract from this poem to bring into the final look? I chose Bath because of its refreshing and relaxing feel and the aquatic theme. It is a spring to summer kind of poem, resorting to scent notes that can be found in both spring and summer perfumes and the healing and fun nature of playing with sunlight and water. Therefore, I will pull from a beach kind of style to build a look that anyone could wear during the day in a city, but that fits much better with a pool/beach/vacation situation, relying on green-white hues, a soft and light feel, glistering touches (when called for), and wavy shapes to invoke the poem’s atmosphere relayed through its imagery.

Firstly, starting with the upper and lower body areas, because of the poem’s approach to imagery describing the bathroom scene in a more open-ended manner with not many specific visual words, besides beryl, the flower scents, and crow (more on them later), I found three different ways to represent the calming, soft sensations of a body surrounded by water.

The first is to build a look with a nude/nacre-colored chiffon or viscose fabric blouse and a mint/seafoam maxi skirt. That would play with the idea that in Bath, the lyrical persona’s body merges with the water, so the nude color would represent, in an abstract way, the human body interacting with the mint colored skirt representative of the liquid, and depending on the blouse’s shade, it could even look like a rose pearl’s nacre. I could be reaching a little in the pearl part based on my perception of the gem line being this aquatic “stone,” but interpretation is the real crux of the exercise, so whatever you find proper concerning the poem’s atmosphere and message goes. The skirt then would be maxi to fully encompass the lower body, almost like a tail formed by the water, and its chiffon fabric both provides the wobbly grooved pattern representative of waves and the soft and light sensations of the body covered by it. The mint/seafoam hues are not emerald or aquamarine, but they are closer to white-green than those beryl hues, so I picked them as the outfit’s base colors.

The second and third ways I approached the upper and lower body sections were to flip the color dynamics, finding both a seafoam-colored organza dress covering most of the body and an off-the-shoulder mint blouse that covers much less. The dress pattern style that you can see above is probably unique, so it may not be easy to find another one that replicates the same effect the mesh details create, which resemble a more grounded version of the specks of light Lowell alludes to when she writes “little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water” (the refracted light only creates a minor tint change in relation to the rest of the water).

Therefore, a more accessible look involves a crop top, off-the-shoulder tulle (or any other soft and light fabric) blouse that can be paired up with either shorts or skirts since the water is now being represented at the top instead of the bottom, so there is no need for a long garment covering the legs. The choice of an off-the-shoulder blouse works more towards the idea of summer heat and that the water can be perceived as more of a side piece to the body depending on how much of it is covered by the liquid. My first choice of skirt leaned into the nude/nacre proposition I made before, just to create the opposite configuration from the first style, and because the rosy nude/nacre/beige color tonality is very accessible, works with almost all hues, and combines with the summer palette very well. Still, I also wanted to picture Lowell’s depiction of the water as jewel-like, so I also found a shimmer midi skirt that could exacerbate that imagery. The problem with most silver or shining skirts is that they are both heavy and too strong/vivid of a vesture, so instead of promoting the healing and soothing atmosphere, they try to dominate the look and present too much information. Moreover, they are not very day or summer-forward, even if they do shine brightly in the sun (some may look cheaply made even if they are not), and thus I am not as confident about the mint blouse and shimmering skirt set, even though it may fit with Bath.

The “male version” of the costume could follow suit with the three types of style I laid out before (fully green, green above and different colors below, or nude above and green below). But, for the sake of time and your interest in this post, I will only depict two. I learned something new about male shirts researching this post. I had a summer shirt type in my mind, but I could only search for Hawaiian shirts, which would not fit the poem’s more individual/personal perspective as they usually are too out there for it. So, after entering a cycle of repeatedly finding gaudy patterns, I decided to search for shirts using fabrics as the independent variable. That was an excellent idea because I ended up finding the exact style of garment I wanted, the Cuban short sleeve shirt or guayabera. They are lightweight, worn outside the pants, and fitting to the smoothness felt in Bath. Most constitute linen and cotton, but as seen above, the one I found is made of viscose rayon. Then, onto the lower region, to create the monotonic sensation of the “full-body” covered in water, mint/seafoam green shorts would do the trick, and to replicate the pearl/sand summer palette, “glossy” beige/nacre shorts would fit nicely as the counterpart to the female design above. It is hard to find chiffon, viscose, or organza shorts, so cotton and even polyester are fine here if they don’t weigh down in the waist.

Finally, I should discuss what shoes and accessories could be suitable for the look. In the shoe category, funny enough, I discovered “Tulip flats” from the brand Ilse Jacobsen, which are eco-friendly shoes made out of recyclable microfibers. The light green color is precisely the mint/seafoam hue I have been seeking this whole post, and it features a wave pattern, so serendipity is real. However, the brand is not very accessible in the US, so any mint/seafoam-colored sneakers or sandals would function in this style exercise.

And in the accessory category, the items I found to complement the overall look are much more optional than anything. I believe jewelry is almost necessary to the poem, so I will begin there. On the one hand, replicating the more delicate nature of the reflective brightness of the water surface, a silver narcissus or tulip necklace could be apt for the costume. On the other hand, if you wish to have the crow featured as part of the outfit since the animal is semi visually important to the poem, a bracelet would be a stylistic choice that, even if not very cohesive with the atmosphere presented by Bath, would be more faithful to its contents. Yet, if you are not interested in wearing a crow bracelet, I found a crow-pattern ocean green bandana perfect for the outfit’s summer vibe (it even has embellishments in beige/nacre). Unfortunately, currently, it is sold out. Other options would include pearl jewelry, but most rings and necklaces could cost twice more than the outfit itself, so this is under your discretion. Lastly, of course, perfumes are probably the only medium that could genuinely invoke the scents of the poem to fully complete its atmosphere. To do so is to be a dedicated fan of poetrybounding, but here is a suggestion nonetheless: Carat by Cartier, which features middle notes of tulip and narcissus, a rare combination on itself, entwined with other various flower scents, but that is just subtext.

In sum, the spring/summer outfit I designed this time around benefits from not being singular, following the more scenic approach I took to analyzing and translating Bath, a poem that is as visual as the atmosphere it creates. The driving color was the mint/seafoam hue that I interpreted as the greenish-white tint of sunlit water Lowell mentions, crucial for constructing the bathroom scenery when coupled with the soft fabrics I also picked intended to tactually translate the lightweight and soothing touch of water. In contrast, the secondary colors inside the beige/nacre/nude spectrum and around shining silver, based upon my interpretation of the poem and its visual appeal (pearls, diamonds, the human body, etc.), were less critical to the overall look. The accessories are a mix of different configurations the look could take, which also benefited from the more arbitrary nature of Bath, and because of the Pandemic, any monochromatic mask made with the colors mentioned in this post goes. I was even able to almost fully develop a “male” outfit for this interaction of poetrybounding, which goes to show how many possibilities style-based poetry may present. In the end, a poem can be, and many times should be interpreted differently by each reader, so my guide is only a glimpse into the realm that connects both fashion and poetry.

Cover Image Via

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cameliatwu/5...

Poetrybounding: How You Should Dress Based on Marjorie Pickthall’s "Daisy Time"

April 21, 2021

Style-based poetry is an experiment. This post is the fourth installment of an interpretative and opinion-based series, and therefore should be read as an entertaining thought exercise. However, if after peering through this post, you find yourself interested in replicating the outfit I will outline or having a go at poetrybouding other poems, thank you for finding my ideas worthwhile.

So, if you are new to the series, style-based poetry is the culmination of connecting fashion with the eponymous literary form. Fashion is a form of visual expression that, in one way or another, conveys a particular image about the wearer, and poetry is the ultimate medium of raw emotional expression through words. However, because a poem is usually bound to pen, paper, and voice, several constraints prevent it from becoming more than feelings made into words made into feelings once more. Thus, because fashion shares a similar effect with poetry regarding personal expression, the former’s visual power has the potential to push the latter into new territories to transmit emotions through stylish conceptualized images represented as clothing. And if you are already a follower of poetrybouding, welcome back!

Daisy Time by Marjorie Pickthall is a romanticist poem that conveys the freshness and bliss of spring with highly evocative imagery of nature through flowers. It is not a difficult piece to comprehend, and its message of nature’s power to provide wonderment and elation is more steeped in a dream-like quality with singing winds and dancing daisies. Still, I believe that a little fantasy is necessary for people’s mental well being after a year of a “dwindling” yet still on-going and dangerous pandemic, especially when the heat of spring is soon arriving to melt the snow and revitalize those that were affected by the frost of winter. The poem even reads like a song, with its three stanzas all having the ABCB rhyme scheme and with lines intercalating between 7 and 6 syllables, something that provides Daisy Time with a heartwarming and silly tone that invites people not to take themselves very seriously sometimes and praise those that surround them.

Here is Daisy Time:

“See, the grass is full of stars,
Fallen in their brightness;
Hearts they have of shining gold,
Rays of shining whiteness.

Buttercups have honeyed hearts,
Bees they love the clover,
But I love the daisies’ dance
All the meadow over.

Blow, O blow, you happy winds,
Singing summer’s praises,
Up the field and down the field
A-dancing with the daisies.”

— https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44866/daisy-time

The poem focuses its first stanza in painting a picture of daisies as beacons of light in the grass. The metonymy of stars grants this family of flowers a quality of celestial proportions, hyperbolizing its appearance as simple white and yellow flowers into stars with golden cores and white rays of light. The figurative language applied in the first stanza mystifies daisies and depicts them as beings of influence that stand out from the uniform green grass. The sun and the stars were seen as gods by many civilizations, so comparing these flowers to the utmost natural power using a color representing wealth makes them objects of prestige. Moreover, to have a heart of gold is a metaphor for an individual that is courageous and kind. That comes to show that Pickthall is arguing for the idea that daisies have the vigor and attractiveness to entice people, grabbing their attention and influencing their emotions, but also that they are kind-hearted at that.

The second stanza is a comparison between daisies and other flowers in the eyes of the lyrical persona. From the first stanza, it is apparent that the daisies enthrall them. The line “Buttercups have honeyed hearts” provides a fitting choice of words as honeyed means both covered in a honey color, a reference to buttercup’s yellow-orange hue, but also sweet and flattering, a prosopopeia that signals to the flower’s personality as sweet like honey. For the lyrical person, buttercups represent kindness. The line “Bees they love the clover” then personifies the bee to describe the clover by proxy. It grants an active quality to the clover by attracting bees with its scent and vivid purple-pink colors in a symbiotic relationship. Pickthall writes “bee” in its plural form while writing “clover” as a singular unit, pointing to the flower’s dominant nature over the bees, being sought after by the insect. Thus, clovers represent allure and desire for the lyrical persona, but because the flower also represents luck, such wanting could be related to a wish for prosperity to bring good feelings. However, when the subject mentions in the following lines that they love the dance of daisies, they are not speaking of a general attribute but what enthralls them about this family of flowers. It is no longer about how a flower looks or who likes them, but that the lyrical persona loves daisies (as also written in the first stanza), which becomes more relevant than the other species.

Finally, the third stanza depicts nature as kinetic art through a dreamy and whimsical pathetic fallacy where the wind’s movements sound like a song of warmth and the daisies dance to such melody, a direct allusion to feelings of joy and peace a person may feel while in a field of daisies sensing the warm (summer) breeze touching the skin. It is a hidden element of Daisy Time, but because the lyrical person says “See” in the first line of the poem, they directly interact with the audience while also signaling us to visualize the physical meadow, which points out to the idea that such field exists and that the lyrical person has been there. So, recapitulating the importance of daisies in the poem, these flowers are paragons of prestige, allure, and kindness, topping such qualities of other species, and when daisy’s rays of white and heart of gold move with the warm wind, their bodies appear to dance because of the way their appearance affects how the lyrical persona perceives them. And as such, the dance is depicted as magical and fantastic to mesmerize audiences into seeing nature as a constant that brings elation to those that contemplate it.

Now, you may be imagining that I would build an outfit solely based on the daisy motif, with gold, white, pink, and yellow hues all around daisy patterns. That is a fair idea and if you want to outfit yourself with these regal and happy colors, suit yourself because it can look amazing. Or it can look silly and fun, like the RIPNDIP Daisy Daze collection for men and women. But I want to explore the whole poem and how other aspects of it, like the bees and the other flowers, can serve as supporting actors to a central daisy motif to form a caricature of spring both in appearance and general vibe.

In that venture, I found myself drawn towards the clover flower color. The purple-pink hue is perfect when looking at an outfit made mostly of a yellow complementary tone, especially in a season when most flowers with the brightest and boldest of colors bloom again. In general, the colors featured in the poem include golden, white, buttercup yellow, and clover purple-pink (the green of the four-leafed clover will make the outfit look like Brazil’s flag, and the cloverleaf does not represent a flower). Colors, however, are not the only important aspect of Daisy Time that can depict its joyful whimsicality and represent spring in a wholesome way. The bees are quintessential aspects of the season as they pollinate the blooming flower, and the four-leafed clover is still a striking image that can be depicted in the outfit in a novel way (I will get to that). Moreover, as mentioned before, the floral daisy pattern is the most significant aspect of the piece, its prima donna, and because the dance of the daisies is an essential motif to Daisy Time as a way to convey the elation that spring begets, I need to depict this dance in my outfit creation. A dress does that superbly, as it can be flowy in the wind to resemble a harmonious, choreographed movement.

Above is an image that depicts what I think is a suitable example of a white and golden daisy dress. It is lowkey, loose in the arms, and fresh, but it also doesn’t have a big skirt, making it perfect for any moment in the day, especially in a park or meadow of flowers. However, as seen above, if you do not like wearing dresses, I found a shirt with the daisy motif with loose balloon sleeves that can also interact with the wind subtly and fittingly to the poem. And if you are planning on ever making this outfit and chose to wear the daisy shirt, I found an almost muted, very appropriate set of pants that feature buttercups in a combination of yellow and orange. These flowers are relatively uncommon when it comes to clothing, so wearing buttercup pants is a rare possible form of the outfit. Still, if you are not comfortable with this option, buttercup yellow pants are a more approachable and standard solution.

Speaking of buttercups, buttercup-colored shoes (mainly flats and broad heels) are my next suggestion for this poetrybouding outfit. It may sound cheesy, but kindness is the root of mutual elation; empathy is the grounds on which a fulfilling and loving relationship is based upon, so a shoe that, contextually speaking, portrays this idea as the clothing item that envelops the base of the body is suitable to the aesthetic power of what we are building. The images I use above represent one alternative of the many possible shoe styles in the buttercup hue. And the second secondary character in the look with the buttercups is the bee, but because of the insect’s more adjacent and supporting role as the pollinator (figurative joy spreader), I will not feature it prominently. I find insects/arachnids and jewelry a peculiar but stylish aesthetic combo, especially those that look either endearing (butterflies and bees) or fierce (scarabs, spiders, and scorpions) in jewelry form, so a simple honey bee or bumblebee bracelet suffices as this minor accessory with a fundamental yet hidden meaning. There are various bee bracelets out there with different qualities and metals (gold goes better with the yellow and golden aesthetic, but silver may combine with the next piece of jewelry), so this accessory is the easiest to find and style.

Finally, it is time to explore how I may tailor purple into the yellow/gold and white color palette of the outfit. Purple not only serves as a complementary color to the yellow/gold motif, but it appears in the form of clove flowers that, like buttercups and bees, work in a secondary role being a “character” of Daisy Time made to bolster the importance of daisies through comparison. Yet, clover’s allure and relationship with luck and prosperity, even if not part of the poem’s overall message, are intrinsic aspects of spring as a season of new beginnings and life born anew through vivid colors (the lively grass and tree greens, and of course, the blooming flowers). Therefore, an accessory fits the job description as a nonessential item that drives attention, but is there purple clover jewelry out there? It was challenging to find, but I managed to unveil a few purple clover bracelets and necklaces that anyone can wear in the look. The clover necklace below is not even close to being a must, but it still functions as a side character that can interact nicely with the bee bracelet; but again, jewelry can be worn in different places of the body, so styling the outfit, for example, with bee earrings and purple clover bracelets is open game.

However, purple still needs to be part of the outfit in the absence of jewelry (based on my interpretation), so a purple belt functions as the perfect midpiece that completes its palette. For the shirt and pants look, a normal-sized purple belt with golden or silver buckles serves as a bridge between the daisy shirt and the buttercup yellow pants. But for the dress look, I believe a skinny belt is more suitable because it reflects the delicacy of the dress. Purple is naturally eye-catching and bold as a royal color, which mirrors daisies’ depiction as regalia, but it may try to dominate the delicate dress with the powerful golden hue if featured prominently in a thick belt. A thin version provides a slight touch of purple to decorate, not conquer, the overall look.

In sum, the outfit I created encompasses clothing with daisy patterns in white and gold that interact with accessories in purple and golden and bottom pieces of buttercup yellow to build a picture of spring that conveys the ideas of boldness, joy, and a tad of whimsicality. For a spring pandemic look, this creation and its connection to Daisy Time brings a little fantasy and light into a time characterized by uncertainty and affliction, and adding a purple or yellow mask to it makes the outfit apt for the current environment. Still, I didn’t even go in-depth into what a more masculine version of the look could look like (maybe a more graphical daisy-pattern casual shirt with buttercup yellow pants and shoes, purple mask, and another purple accessory), which goes to show how many possibilities style-based poetry may present. In the end, a poem can be, and many times should be interpreted differently by each reader, so my guide is only a glimpse into the realm that connects both fashion and poetry.

Cover Image Via

Spring Trends: Colorful Buzzcuts

April 29, 2020

The weather outside is just getting warmer. Sure, it’s always fun to think about how to switch up your wardrobe to bring in the new season, but what about a different kind of change?

Hair is something many people have a complicated relationship with. There are exceptions, of course, but sometimes it’s hard to remember that hair grows back. Why not do something fun this year?

Buzzcut art is in right now, an ode to the styles prevalent in the 90s punk revival. Here’s some spring inspiration dedicated to one of my favorite retro trends.

FEATURED IMAGE VIA JANINE KER

3 Books to Read This Spring Break

March 22, 2019

Whether you're escaping the dreary Chicago weather and spending spring break on some faraway beach, or returning home to an equally cold and disgusting climate (me), books that you can actually read for enjoyment (what a novelty!) are so important for your upcoming week off.

Personally, my ideal book to read for pleasure is one that I cannot put down, but also find substantive and meaningful. Here are some of my top recommendations!

The Power , Naomi Alderman

Science fiction with a female empowerment twist. The Power is a novel set in a world where gender roles are reversed, and women hold all the authority. Women's power rests on their ability to release electrical jolts from their fingertips.

The book has two intertwining narratives: one is a historical account of the time when women across the world developed the power to release electricity and the other is an account of the experiences of five young women, 5,000 years later, who are navigating a rapidly changing matriarchal society. This may sound strange, but trust me, this book is so, so good.

Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah is the perfect blend of love story and an important conversation about race and immigration. Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love as high schoolers in Lagos, Nigeria, but go their separate ways in college; Ifemelu to study at Princeton, Obinze as an undocumented immigrant in London. Americanah tells both of their stories (which, spoiler alert, do overlap in the end).

The Girls, Emma Cline

I could not put this book down. Literally, I read this cover to cover in one long sitting, it was that good. The Girls follows the story of Evie, who is persuaded into joining a cult similar to that of the Manson family. Inevitable drama and danger ensue.

Emma Cline is a beautiful writer and somehow perfectly captures the anxieties of being an adolescent girl, and in the process, sheds light on the ways in which cults capitalize on those anxieties for their own means and ends. Few other books are both bone-chillingly suspenseful and comfortingly relatable.

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Spring/Summer 2019 Fashion Month Trend Report

October 9, 2018

From cowgirls to clowns, or Drag Queens to the Queen of England, from stoop labor to a real post-show birth and labor, the past four weeks of Fashion month have been completely saturated with a wide array of wonder in anticipation of Spring. It truly seems like designers across the board are celebrating and honoring the craft of fashion and focusing their creativity towards garments that are not only fabulous, but wearable, refined and comfortable as well.

With the growing presence of global activist organizations carrying conversations about social issues around the world, it seems like fashion has placed itself at an interesting crossroads. It’s impossible for fashion to separate itself from what is going on around it, yet the way these issues are tackled appear to fall under two main categories.

On the one hand, we see designers focusing on addressing reality head-on through powerful imagery and straightforward statements, such as with Kirby Jean-Raymond of the brand Pyer Moss; conversely, we see designers focusing on escapism and a rejection of urban life, perhaps as a means of subversively discussing messages about society while still hanging onto the brand aesthetic, as with Stella McCartney’s 90’s revival show.

It seemed every show paid incredible attention to the handmade elements that make fashion special. From hand-knitted crocheted sweaters at Sonia Rykiel, to an evening gown made completely out of paper at Dolce & Gabbana, we’ve been given an insight into fashion and creativity at their finest.

The tangible elements of the garments felt secondary to the needs of the person who would be wearing them, and it’s so uplifting to see designers truly honoring their customers rather than just the clothes they wear. For the woman who values comfort, there’s Jeremy Scott’s flannel kimono or Chloé’s cozy knits; for the woman who wants to stand out, there’s Marc Jacob’s infinite ruffled gown or Gucci’s sexy snakeskin slip; and for the woman who lives in her workout gear, there’s Off-White’s chic Nike collaboration with matching ball-gown skirt and custom Nike sneakers.

In the end, it seems that the greatest take-away from this season is to just be present in who and where you are. Designers appear to be projecting a message of finding strength in individuality when difficulties arise. It truly feels like fashion is taking a stance, declaring: “this is who I am, take it or leave it” and it’s wonderfully refreshing to see.

And with that, here are our top trends straight from the runways of Fashion Month Spring/Summer 2019.

White-Out

While spring is normally saturated with vibrant colors and bold prints, another way to make a statement this season is by donning full-monochrome white. Notably, Virgil Abloh at his Track and Field show for Off-White demonstrated the strength in monochrome mobility. From Sarah Burton’s white knights in leather at McQueen to Jeremy Scott’s six-man wedding gown at Moschino, the message is clear: you don’t need vibrant pigments to show your true colors.

Ruff and Tumble

Ruffle up! Prepare for spring’s most dramatic trend! Marc Jacobs sent down a battalion of models in huge, dramatic, clownish ruffles that still managed to maintain an eccentric chicness in their grandeur. Whether they’re multicolored, stacked and spotted (Dolce and Gabbana) or more minimal (Prabal Gurung), ruffles are a fun way to add some playfulness to any look for Spring.

Lunatic Fringe

Whether you’re a disco queen or looking to take a walk on the wild side, embrace fringe for spring! Longchamp’s 70th anniversary show showed that fashion and movement go hand-in-hand and what better way to embrace the dynamism of style than by venturing into fringe. Long strands (like at Jacquemus) or short (at Oscar de la Renta); made of suede (Coach) or sewing needles (Moschino), keep the party going and allow you to shimmy into spring with a little bit of music and a whole lot of attitude.

Loose-Knit

Leave it to Angela Missoni to show us how to rock a sweater for summer. Keep it loose, keep it casual and above all, keep it comfy. Young houses like Eckhaus Latta and Gypsy Sport are embracing the craft of knitting and crochet, yet done in a way to keep us cool for the summer. You can layer loose knits over a swimsuit à la Chloé for a beachy, St Tropez vibe, or throw them over a dress like Louis Vuitton for a more sophisticated look; but it certainly seems like sweater weather is no longer limited to fall and winter.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Come as you are: out in bloom or confined in a heart-shaped box. All apologies, but grunge is back for spring! Flannels, distressed denim, band tees and sneakers: we can assure you that spring is going to be a laidback season. From the runways of New York to Paris, designers seemed to really have comfort and attitude on their minds. Jeremy Scott showed us all how to update check for the contemporary era, while Junya Watanabe took denim to places where it has never been before. The most grunge-tastic interpretation of the trend had to be from VFiles, who somehow managed to combine all the angst of 90’s grunge with the contradictory chicness and exuberance of Cher Horowitz, from flannel jumpsuits to a denim wedding gown: for this gift, we feel blessed!

Scale-Up

Animal prints seem to be perpetually circulating in fashion and it appears as if something scalier will be slithering its way into our wardrobes this spring. Tom Ford showed us sensual crocodile-skin coats and corsets while Saint Laurent plastered snakeskin patterns on shorts and boots, perfect for festival season. Outstanding looks also included Virgil Abloh’s neon green snakeskin patterned puffer jacket and Armani’s chartreuse snake-skin blazer, adding a wild touch to sportswear for spring.

Beach, Please!

Summer isn’t summer without a trip to the beach and it seems like designers from all over were adopting that ethos. Simon Porte Jacquemus took fashion week to the French Riviera, while Karl Lagerfeld brought Paris to the C-Side at Chanel. Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent revealed a bold new line of swimwear and Thom Browne set sail for a beach with some very peculiar inhabitants. There were wonderful straw hats, headscarves, beach ball bags and sandals perfect for a day trip to the shore, and even a gown or two with nautical and aquatic motifs for a sunset stroll by the sea. And if we’re taking a note from the Etro show, which featured professional surfers Victoria Vergara and Maribel Koucke, it seems like the general consensus for spring is to grab your board and bikini and hang ten!

Beyond the Veil

Perhaps one of the more romantic (and random) trends for spring, veils and masks have been popping up all over the runways this month. From Rodarte’s ghostly beauties at the New York City Marble Cemetery to Gareth Pugh’s voguing creatures at the Two Skin Club in London, it seems like facial obscurity is running rampant for spring. Who can blame these designers? At a time like this, sometimes the best remedy for dismay is to keep oneself protected beneath a mask. Or perhaps anonymity is simply a gateway into exploring and revealing a completely new and unfamiliar persona!

All images courtesy of Vogue.com

5 Easy, Breezy Summer Cocktails

June 11, 2018

This is by far the most difficult post that I have worked on for the Blog and not just because I am a little tipsy after testing a couple of cocktails recipes. In fact, the hardest aspect of this piece was choosing just one cocktail to encapsulate the summer season! It's the time of the year when we dine outdoors, drink with friends at picnics on the Point, and enjoy our well-deserved break–so what's the perfect beverage to accompany these serene summer days?

In the spirit of making my life easier, I have made a collection of five recipes that you can pick your favorite drink(s) of the season from.

All of the recipes are from Serious Eats and NYT Cooking. There are many more refreshing cocktails on their websites waiting for you to explore. Enjoy the weather and drink on!

Moscow-Mule

I might be biased, but vodka is probably the most common spirit in a college dorm or apartment. If you don't already have a lonely, half-empty bottle sitting in your "home bar," stop by Kimbark on your way to Hyde Park Produce for the following concoction.

This is a great option for those of who are not typically keen on vodka but would love to finish up that bottle. Squeeze 1/2 lime to the serving glass, add ice and 2 ounces vodka, pour 4 to 6 ounces chilled ginger beer over to your taste. 3 ingredients, 1 minute, there you have it.

Strawberry-Mint Sparkler

Start off your day with the combination of strawberry, mint leaves, and lime. It's a little bit more complicated to make but absolutely worth the effort.

Ingredients:

about 5 medium-sized strawberries
1/2 oz. simple syrup: 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar cooked over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved; cool before using
the juice of 1 lime
10 mint leaves
2 oz vodka
2.5 oz club soda
lime/strawberry/mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Method:

Muddle the strawberries, simple syrup, and lime juice in a shaker. When the berries are dissolved, add 5 mint leaves and gently combine everything.
Add vodka and fill 2/3 of the shaker with ice. Shake for about 15 seconds.
Fill the serving glass with club soda and ice; pour the cocktail (strain the ingredients in it) in the glass.

In-Sandiary

If you are feeling fancy and want to put in more effort, this simple, refreshing watermelon cocktail developed by the American Bartender of the Year in 2012 Joaquin Simo is for you.

To rim the glass: first, dip it in 1 oz fresh lime juice; then dip it into the mixture of 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
Juice 1 cup of cubed watermelon or muddle it in the shaker; strain the solids
Fill the shaker with ice, add 2 oz watermelon juice, 2oz tequila, 1/2 oz lime juice, and 1/4 oz simple syrup. Shake vigorously.
Fill the serving glass with ice and pour the cocktail over. Serve, no, DRINK immediately.

Traditional Sangria

Dear wine lovers, I know you might find the idea of dumping fruits into red wine unappealing, but who said cocktail is spirit-only? Taming the dry Spanish red with some rosé and orange soda, refrigerating it overnight (preferably), and serving with fresh cut apples and oranges–there you have a Sangria that not only preserves, but also showcases the complexity of the wine. Sangria is also perfect to make in large quantity.

Find a big container. Combine 1 bottle dry red wine, 1/2 bottle dry rosado (Spanish rosé), 6 ounces orange soda (preferably not too sweet), 1/2 ounce Torres orange liqueur or Triple Sec, 1 ounces Romate or other Spanish brandy.
Stir with a wooden spoon; let it sit for 5 minutes. Then add sugar to taste.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Serve in glasses filled with ice and fresh cut apples and oranges.

Paloma

I highly suspect you'd also have a bottle of Tequila if you've made it this far. Find a tall glass, (optional: rim the glass with salt), add ice, 2.5 oz tequila, lime juice and top with grapefruit soda. Give everything a gentle stir and serve with a lime wedge.

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MODA Blog Favorites: May 2018

June 2, 2018

After the end of a grueling month of p-sets, essays, and juggling who knows how many other responsibilities and obligations, MODA Blog brings you a refreshing list of favorites from our bloggers and photographers to fill you with inspiration and energy for the next month.

Olivia

Palace

I can't remember if I've hyped up Palace in a previous Monthly Favorites yet, but if you haven't already taken heed, listen to them asap! The London-based band has been releasing music since 2012 and you've likely heard hits like *Live Well* and *Bitter* at some point. Their last album, "So Long Forever" came out in 2016 so it's only a matter of time before they're touring stateside.

*The New Yorker* crossword puzzle

*The New Yorker* recently launched its very own weekly crossword puzzle and it's become just as addicting to play as *The New York Time*'s classic iteration of the game. I tried my hand at the first puzzle the other day and it was really hard, so godspeed and have fun delving through all the quirky, obtuse and quintessentially *New Yorker-*sounding prompts!

Glossier Cloud Paint

I was definitely skeptical about Cloud Paint when I first experimented with the product back in Glossier's NYC showroom, but I finally caved earlier this month after a constant barrage of perfectly staged Glossier ads and Instagram posts. I purchased the shade Dusk, which registers as a light tan rather than a blush on my skin–something I don't entirely mind. It's definitely going to be a staple for me until I get some real sun and I think the shade's subtlety is perfect for summer when you're looking to pare down your makeup look.

Images via here, here and here

Kardelen

Platinum blonde hair

The best move I ever made. This is my final form, truly. Go see Kelly at Nomobo Salon in Wicker Park. Buy your purple shampoo, ask for Olaplex, and never, ever look back.

Platform sandals

I like summer because then I can stop wearing black jeans all the time, and wear black rompers instead. What can I do when I have to put away my combat boots, though? I turn to these little strappy babies and hope to high heaven I can still maintain whatever edginess cred I pretend to have. Akira is a WONDERFUL place to cop these.

Weleda Skin Food

Do not think that summer means that your skincare woes are gone! Dry skin can still plague your dewy effortless spring quarter lifestyle, so I thought I'd continue to follow every word of skincare advice that @katiejanehughes offers me and purchase this cream for the dewiest post-mask skin of my life. Buy from Amazon or Target depending on its availability.

Images via here, here and here

Olinka

Eyelash Curler .jpg — Sephora Eyelash Curler

Unfortunately for me, I was born with extremely straight, hard to curl eyelashes. Because i've never been able to find an eyelash curler that gave my lashes a stunning, long-lasting curl, i've always resorted to heating my eyelash curler. After a reccomendation from a friend, however, I decided to pick up Sephora Collection's Show Curl XL Lash Curler. This eyelash curler is truly my new holy grail beauty tool; i'll never heat my eyelash curler again! It's the only eyelash curler i've ever used that curls all of my lashes, makes the curl last, and doesn't pinch my eyelids.

Zara Pants .jpg — Lightweight Pants

Since the weather has been warming up, I've been switching up my usual jean and blouse ensemble for something a bit more interesting: pants! I love wearing pants in the autumn and winter, but have never integrated them into my summer wardrobe until this season. If you're a newbie like me, try a simpler pattern, like this one from Zara. Throw them on with some casual sandals and cool sunglasses, and you'll look effortlessly fashionable.

hoop earrings .jpg — Statement Earrings

On a similar plane as my new pants obsession, I've increasingly become a big fan of statement jewelry, specifically earrings. Lately, I've been pairing my more casual summer outfits with some statement earrings to really elevate the look. If you're in the mood to try out this trend, I reccomend browsing on ASOS for some cute, yet affordable, options.

Images via here, here and here

Emily

a cup of jo.jpg — Cup of Jo

To be honest, this motherhood-turned-lifestyle blog has been a longtime favorite of mine, but its subject matter reflects the coexisting elegance and whimsicality of Spring in its range and depth. Joanna Goddard and the rest of the blog write about everything from how to write a note of bereavement to funny comics they saw this week to the beauty uniforms of their friends. Check the blog out (and its consistently robust comment sections) at cupofjo.com!

the ordinary white tortoiseshell oval hoops.jpg — Subtle Tortoiseshell Hoops

Hopping onto a recent trend of this season, I've been a big fan of tortoiseshell earrings--but especially these white ones from The Ordinary Co. Visually striking but subtly pale, I can easily incorporate them into any outfit but they still retain their own personality.

nyx jumbo eye pencil.jpg — NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries

As someone who has little to no skill with makeup, this eye shadow stick has been a lifesaver for nights out, with French Fries giving noticeable but subtle depth to my eyelids. Clocking in at less than $5, it's definitely worth a try.

Images via here, here and here

Feature image via

MODA Blog Favorites: April 2018

May 5, 2018

Olivia

Tom Misch_ Geography.jpg — 'Geography' by Tom Misch

Tom Misch's most recent album *Geography* is INCREDIBLE!!! This latest work is filled to brim with references and rifts that pull from jazz, R&B and funk–a handful of Misch's most cited musical influences. Songs like "Lost in Paris" (feat. GoldLink), "Man Like You" and "You're On My Mind" are perfect for vibing out to, summer drives and late-night dinners. Other collaborations feature Loyle Carner, De La Soul and Poppy Ajudha.

COSRX-Oil-Free-Ultra-Moisturizing-Lotion-2_1024x1024.jpg — COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion

I've been on the hunt for a good moisturizer I can use at night that doesn't have SPF (otherwise, my usual go-to is the Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 50+). COSRX's formula is super lightweight and refreshing. The oil-free product melts seamlessly into your skin and works for all skin types. Vitamin and antioxidant-rich birch sap is an essential ingredient of the formula, with purported health benefits that help clam and nourish irritated skin. Buy it here.

Whole-Wheat-and-Zucchini-Spaghetti-with-Brown-Butter-Hazelnuts-and-Kale.jpg — Zucchini spaghetti

Cooking and meal prep can be such a hassle on a tight schedule and I often find myself resorting to pasta when I'm inevitably running short on time/energy/willpower. Interspersing "zucchini spaghetti" has been an easy way to add some greens into my otherwise routine, blah-tasting pasta dishes. If you're already annoyed by the thought of shredding endless amounts of zucchini, you can be lazy like me and buy them pre-shredded and frozen at Trader Joe's :)

Images via here, here and here

Kardelen

Jumpsuits

With spring teasing us to no end, I have decided to still live in denial and buy spring clothes anyway. I picked up this sweet jumpsuit from Aritzia and am happy with its ease of wear.

Court Junkie podcast

I am a little too into crime podcasts, so a new one is forever welcome. Thorough and captivating, this is for fans of Sword and Scale, or Casefile. Find on iTunes or Spotify!

MAC Prep and Prime Spray

This is for people who like to foil their shimmery shadows and set their makeup in one fatal swoop. Lauded by makeup artists everywhere, this product can be found at Ulta or MAC.

Images via here, here and here

Yeju

Oyster Bah

As a sister restaurant of Shaw's Crab House, Oyster Bah holds its own in Lincoln Park. With its quaint, nautical decor and and wide selection of oysters that vary from day to day, this is the perfect weekend spot to drop by and grab a bite that you can't have in Hyde Park. While you're at it, make sure you don't forget to get a bowl of the clam chowder. 10/10 would recommend.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray

It would've been a tragedy if I didn't have this product in my artillery of makeup drawers, since I recently ran out of MAC Fix+. This spray feels lighter, smells great, and is the perfecting boost of hydration - especially in this rude, snowy, dry, and cold spring. My personal favorite is currently the aloe, cucumber, and green tea infusion. It'll remind you of the summer you're waiting for.

F*ck Trump Matte Lipstick

For my birthday, my darling roommate bought me this fitting matte lipstick that encapsulates the daily feeling I have when I check the news to see which cabinet member has been fired, what country the administration is being incredibly racist toward, or when I think about how Twitter has never been the same. Even though the product comes in only one shade, it's a beautiful dark-pink with reddish undertones that works just perfectly for me.

Images via here, here and here

Feature Image via

5 Spring Fragrances for 5 Different Moods

May 3, 2018

Adventurous

Where would we be if we didn’t include Louis Vuitton’s Le Jour Se Lève? The name means “daybreak,” and the citrusy notes are invigorating. There’s something I love about the idea of a juicy mandarin against a bright blue morning sky.

Sweet

Dolce & Gabbana’s Dolce Garden Eau de Parfum is creamy, floral, and girly. It feels sunny, like sauntering through a blooming garden.

Wild

Reminiscent of the deserts that were its inspiration, Proenza Schouler’s feminine fragrance Arizona includes white cactus flower, a flower that actually has no scent. Then what does it smell like? The sun and dust of its namesake. Try it for yourself.

Sexy

Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle Eau De Parfum Intense is a classic scent redone with “extreme” amounts of patchouli and amber.

Experimental

I’m always skeptical of beauty products that “uniquely adapt to your skin,” which is what Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 claims to do. It’s like saying tight clothes “adapt to your body.” But this scent claims its aroma "super-molecule" is a pheromone-like game changer. If that's a little too out there for you, the notes of sandalwood provide a comforting counterpoint.

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Source: http://stylenoted.com/pastel-hair-colors-s...

Chicago Spring Concert Schedule

March 28, 2018

Spring in Chicago calls for warmer weather and a jam-packed concert schedule–what more of an excuse do you need to get out and go see some of your favorite acts? See below for our roundup of the best acts coming to the city this spring!

3/24 - Mura Masa - The Mid

3/27 - Lorde - Allstate Arena

3/27-3/28 - Justin Timberlake - United Center

3/30 - Wolf Alice - Metro