Posts tagged ‘street style’
Summer Beauty: The Hair Edition
There are a few things that come to mind when I think about summer hair. Frizz, volume, waves, beach, envy. But there are certain products out there that can tackle all of the aforementioned issues except for envy, because most of us will just never have Gisele Bündchen’s naturally beachy hair. Accept and move forward.
Begininning with beach and waves, I present you with Bumble and bumble’s new Surf Shampoo and Conditioner. Though the idea of attaining dirty salt water hair with a shampoo and conditioner seems counterintuitive, I was pleasantly surprised with the duos result on my moppy locks. After one use I noticed a new buoyant and edgy texture in my hair that was certainly comparable to post salt-water tendrils. Unlike most shampoos and conditioners whose effect dies down by the end of the day, the oceany texture stayed with me until my head hit the pillow.
Now let’s address volume. Most volume is achieved with hairspray and mousse, both of which I am pro. But come summertime I want the volume to be as similar to Gisele’s voluminous locks as possible. I have been a long time fan of Bumble and bumble’s Surf Spray, which has been around for much longer than the aforementioned shampoo and conditioner. A couple of spritzes on both sides of my head, some scrunching, and if you’re feeling bold, a quick run through with a curling iron and boom bam! your hair is a full inch or two fuller and also has a beachy texture.
Lastly, let’s discuss le frizz. Le evil frizz. I don’t know about you guys, but one percent of humidity and my hair is poof city. I may as well have stuck my hair in an electrical socket, which does tackle my desire for volume, but there is a big difference between volume and frizz. One is voluptuous, the other is like you’re taking hair cues from Bob Ross. After a few years of playing around with different de-frizz serums, most of which just made my hair look like the grease left on the wrapper of a McDonald’s Big Mac, I’ve happily settled on Bumble and bumble’s Brilliantine. A teeny tiny dollop (smaller than a penny), rubbed together in my palms and then smoothed over my hair (avoiding the roots!) and those frizzy fly aways are goners.
Before I leave you, let me touch on the fact that all of these products are by Bumble and bumble. This is by no means a sponsored post where you question my credibility. I just happen to think that when it comes to summer hair, Bumble and bumble knows best (they even have a surf kit!). Now go forth and channel Gisele.
Party All Over
Mullet skirts are nothing new. In fact some trend-obsessors may even deem them vintage at this point. But I am not a trend-obsessor and will forever wear the things I like because I like them, not because they’re “of the moment.” But I’m not here to preach. At least not this time. Aside from my general affection for the high-low hemline, there are a couple of reasons why I’m still keeping the mullet skirt/dress in my closet.
For starters, the mullet hem (business in the front, party in the back) lets you have the glamour of a floor-length maxi while still letting you focus on the visibility of your shoes, which is easily the best part of getting dressed. Those jeans may not button, but the shoe always fits. Know what I’m saying?
Then there’s the superhero effect, which you see me emulating above. Whether you’re intentionally throwing that lower hemline back or are just lucky to be in the midst of a ferocious wind, you will undoubtedly look like Super(wo)man at some point during your mullet hem wear-a-thon. When you realize that your skirt was just flying behind you like a cape, your face will likely look like the one I’m making below.
Elated.
Unlike some mullet hems that are skirts, this particular one I’m wearing is a dress (which I’ve also worn here, should you be interested). On its own, sans shirt, this dress is a real boob displayer and there’s nothing wrong with that. The twins deserve their moment in the spotlight from time-to-time, but sometimes I just don’t want them as the focal point. So, using a crisp white button-down – not unlike Dad’s – I covered up the ladies.
As a result, the overall look is multi-dimensional, tuxedo-esque, and debatable as to whether the front or the back of the mullet is the party. I for one think the whole outfit is a party; cocktail peanuts, martinis, dance floor, et al.
J.Crew shirt | Banana Republic dress (old, similar here) | Zara heels | Kate Spade clutch | Dannijo necklace
// photos by Emily Malan
Dad Shirts
You are probably thinking, “Where are your pants, Sonia?” And it’s a valid question, it really is. But while I assure that I am in fact wearing cut-offs in full never-nude form underneath this oversize button-down, the notion of pants (or shorts) is irrelevant here. What is relevant is my Dad’s giant shirt.
For Mother’s Day I showed you how to style Mom Jeans, or more specifically, my Mom’s jeans circa 1985. But what about Father’s Day? Originally, my plan was to dress like my Dad since we own a few fairly similar pieces: red and white striped button-down, khakis, tassel loafers. But then he showed up at my apartment with one of his old crisp white shirts deeming it unwearable due to a mini hole up near the collar. Never one to turn down a freebie or opportunity to have pedestrians take a double-look as they question whether I’m wearing pants, I gladly took the shirt from his hands and promptly hung it up in the dress section of my closet.
There were a few iconic giant shirt movie moments going through my mind while styling my Dad’s shirt. The first was Risky Business, but since I am not the biggest Tom Cruise fan and have a hard time thinking of tube socks as anything but a teenage boy’s favorite vessel, I decided not to imitate the look to its entirety — though, yes, I did wear wayfarers in true Joel Goodsen form. Then my noggin went to Pretty Woman, when Julia Roberts borrows Richard Gere’s shirt to wear shopping since she can’t very well go out on Rodeo Drive in her prostitute outfit, now can she!? So, she puts his white button-down on and ties the bottom half of the shirt so it sits as more of an oversize crop-top. I admittedly tried doing this but the resemblance to Julia Roberts’ half-hooker half-Richard outfit was too close. So I nixed that. Finally, my mind took me to the memory of when Carrie Bradshaw falls into the pond in Central Park while trying to avoid Mr. Big’s unclear kiss/hug hybrid (it’s the Cock-a-Doodle-Doo episode in Season 3, FYI). She then goes back to Big’s apartment to shower and borrows one of his white button-downs to wear with her stilettos on her strut home. As a forever admirer of Carrie’s style, this was clearly the winner. One pair of red pumps and a few bulky accessories and Dad’s shirt turned into that effortless outfit Carrie wears as if she had intentionally put it on that morning while getting dressed.
So is this an everyday look? Probably not. But for something to throw on quickly while running out the door? Why not! Just add pumps, consider shorts, and go.
My Dad’s shirt | the shorts are irrelevant but they’re vintage Levi’s | Boutique9 heels | Ray-Ban sunglasses | Kenneth Cole watch
// photos by Emily Malan
Isabel Marant x H&M…Oh, YES!
Teenage Dreams
All throughout high school you could find me dressed in flared jeans, oversize sunglasses, and some kind of vintage leather bag. (I wore shirts too, but they’re irrelevant here simply because they were belly-button bearing t-shirts that I stole from my friend’s little brothers.) Not unlike today, I was very much about the accessories — earrings, sunglasses, bracelets, and bags. And while I was content with my handbag selection, there was one bag that haunted my dreams like a lion after you’ve watched it rip it’s lunch to shreds at the zoo (anyone else have this experience? Anyone? Bueller?)
It was a vintage brown pouch with engraved floral detailing that I saw at a thrift store on Haight Street for the whopping sum of $250 — a price well out of range for my 16 year-old self. And so for over a decade my dreams have been haunted. Nights pained with regret, loneliness, and longing. Why hadn’t I just saved up the money and bought the bag? Was it really so necessary that I spend all my allowance on weekly mani/pedis and trips to the Urban Outfitters sale rack? At the time I thought it crucial to my well-being, but in retrospect no. Absolutely not.
As you may have imagined or noticed from the beautiful bag featured in this very post, my dreams have been rescued from torment. My saving grace? Patricia Nash; the creative mastermind behind this Marciano Leather Crossbody with the tooled floral detailing that caught my eye in the midst of my adolescence. (I was a late bloomer, which is funnily coincidental since these tooled blooms were late to joining my life as well. Ha. Get it?)
With a snap closure, interior pocket perfect for things like lipstick, hair ties, and lint, and a very reasonable price of $128, I’d say your dreams have been rescued as well, whether you knew you were having sleepless nights of handbag longing or not.
And with that I’ll just say that I was all too ready to slip back into my high school staples of flared denim and oversize sunglasses, since they really do just look so much better with the proper, vintage-inspired handbag. I skipped on the little boy t-shirt, though knowing my repetitive nature, they could easily find their way back into my wardrobe sooner than I think.
End scene.
Rag & Bone hat | Zara shirt | Textile Elizabeth & James jeans | Isabel Marant heels | Patricia Nash bag | Elizabeth & James sunglasses | 2Bandits & vintage bracelets
