I am beside you.

Twinged in a spot of pain. My semi-subconscious head tilt.

Toward you.

I greet the curves of your face. These slopes that I want to slide

and linger

all over.

You are

beautiful.

A conscious notion

that you are

unconscious of.

Maybe.

I am beside you

after all.

And where I am

is where I feel most

beautiful-

not because you

tell me-

but because

you choose to be

beside

me

even if

it’s far from

right.

*Rad jackets make me write true, false-true-truths. Don’t mind me, or keep me in mind, if you want to.

Maryam Nassir Zadeh Alegranza Bomber Jackets in Wood and Chalk

If I had a boyfriend, he’d be a Sandro man. I’d even buy the Thunderbird Vintage Blue Denim Jacket for myself if it was made in an XS.

Note to self: Everything looks more pulled together when you fill the space between.

Images via the Zimmermann Summer Swim 13/14 Campaign.

DSQUARED2 Compact Jersey Ruffle Dress

Vera Wang Collection Off-Shoulder Dress With Tulip Skirt

Zimmermann Floral Slip Dress

DKNY Maxi Dress With Bodysuit

J Brand Ready-to-Wear Gale Sweatshirt Dress

M Missoni Color Block Tie Waist Dress

Text message from my date: I’m worried that my fashion is horrible

My response: I just figured out what I’m wearing and I’m not going to iron the shirt I’m wearing so come however!

This was the exchange I had while getting ready for a first date last week. I had been thinking about what I was going to wear and when I got home, I passed Bec’s men’s red and black checkered button down shirt hanging in the hallway- washed the night before- and grabbed it en route to my bedroom. There, I tied the bottom of the shirt at my waist and because of my low-waisted J Brand Vera Skinny Jeans, allowed a breath of skin to show. With a wavy ponytail and plenty of face framing pieces in motion, I sprinted out of my place in my comfortable Report Signature black heels, as my date had already texted asking for my drink order.

I tend to go pretty casual on a first date. It’s my I’m-not-going-to-try-too-hard-here-because-I’d-like-to-think-I-don’t-need-to shtick. A sunrise-ending date and a few nights later, I was discussing with a girlfriend what she was planning to wear on a first date of her own. While we didn’t get into specifics, we did establish that she likes to wear a dress on a first date.

So it got me thinking about the types of dresses I’d wear on a first date. I discovered I’d wear an array of varying styles- but with one constant that grounds the entire look. For each dress above, the hair would be the defining factor- the balance, or contradiction. If the dress is fancy like the Vera Wang Collection one, I’d wear a more relaxed hairstyle, like a loose side braid. For a casual dress like the J Brand one, I’d wear a more froufrou hairstyle, like perfectly-crafted waves.

And the dresses I chose may not be your ideals and that is fine. Take inspiration in them, or embrace the fact that we won’t be sitting next to each other in the same dress on our respective dates. Because to be perfectly honest, the best dress you can wear is an honest one- that which you feel your most self in.

The styling here is good. When wearing a black and white piece, I often seek my pop by way of a red or other bright colored shoe, but it’s almost a smarter decision to let a neutral stand out. Wearing a neutral, more rugged boot here looks like a deeper, more thought-out move, popping that aspirational effortless confidence.

Styling by FORWARD by elyse walker. Isabel Marant Tilda Hawaiian Modern Silk Dress and Isabel Marant Jenny Velvet Boots.

The only logical thing to do after watching the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tourney at the bar- in a guy friend’s t-shirt because he laughed at you when you showed up in a sweater- was to do some feminine decompressing in my new Zimmermann playsuit.

Camilla and Marc Zoe One Piece

Salt Swim Marlo Top and Ava Bottoms

Can’t wait to bum around in these this summer.

I had anxiously been awaiting the arrival of the Oasis playsuit in Jade Floral. Zimmermann called me yesterday and I shimmied right into it and out the door with the piece I can’t wait to shake everywhere in.

Style With Benefits on the left. Me on the right. In 20 years.

Photo via Lane Crawford.

Last year, I had stumbled upon the Maryam Nassir Zadeh e-shop when searching for my Isabel Marant Haway dress. After a pleasant e-mail exchange, the dress was mine and the boutique was my best find. This abode is a hipster’s paradise- chock-full of goodies from Isabel Marant to Eckhaus Latta- with a site that presents itself in the most direct, genuine way that makes me aspire to be a hipster.

And their next door neighbor.

Susan Cianciolo Hand Made Shoes

Mania Mania Transcendence Bracelet

Christopher Lemaire Leather And Shearling Furred Boots

Suzannah Wainhouse Medium Kyanite Pendant Necklace

Saskia Diez Ultrafine Bracelet

Samma Flat Peak Bracelet

Maryam Nassir Zadeh Hippy Sandals

Damir Doma Pina Leather Trousers

 

As I was coughing so much that I was waiting for my neighbors to bang on my wall to shut up, I started looking at hair inspiration. At 3am. In the dark.

I wish I was brave enough to cut my hair like the first photo.

Watch, hear, recognize, absorb. You do them at the movies, I did them while watching the Oscars. Here’s what’s what-

The cast of the Avengers should have hosted the Oscars [my tweet saying so was retweeted by the Avengers twitter account and was then retweeted 376 times and favorited by 158 people- thanks to Twitter, you don't need to be on a stage to have a voice]– Ted should have been the Avengers’ host sidekick [but his stylist should have been fired for not dressing him in shoes]– Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron were a random dance pair [George Clooney would have been a better match for Charlize]– Joseph Gordon-Levitt should have hosted the Oscars [nearly anyone other than Seth McFarlane should have hosted the Oscars]– to win an Oscar, you needed to be a long-haired blonde male [only natural blondes need apply]– the Jaws wrap-up music was ironic- playing at the moment when a person’s dream isn’t killed, but rather survives the jaws of Hollywood [toward the end of the show, the orchestra played the Forest Gump score- an irrelevant piece, yet one that should have replaced Jaws]– when I discovered that the orchestra plays remotely, I thought that someone’s got to go rogue and play John Mayer’s “Say What You Need to Say” [at least the producers wouldn't be able to immediately get to that person if he did go rogue]– Kerry Washington was so invested in everyone’s acceptance speeches that there should have been a split screen on her and the winners [luckily, she channeled months-prior Jessica Biel and hid her bangs for the night]– the Chicago and Dream Girls performances were irrelevant and stale and took away from Les Miserables [the fact that Catherine Zeta-Jones lip synched should have been reason enough to cut the performance]– loved that Quentin Tarantino declared, “This will be the writers’ year, man!” [I better get on with my screenwriting]– loved when Ang Lee won [but cringed when he thanked "every one of you in the cast- I cannot waste this time"]– the silver lining in Jennifer Lawrence’s fall was the cause of why she was up walking in the first place [see, the dress fell flat and even caused her to physically fall flat]– Ben Affleck’s come a long way since I first saw him in HBO’s A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story and I will be transcribing and hanging up his acceptance speech in my bedroom [I want to be him]– does anyone other than Jack Nicholson ever close the Oscars/any major awards show? [even though I would have rather had Jack as a last image than Kristin Chenoweth].

Leading up to the show I had thought, another year, another chance to prove you’re a little wiser than last. But no, that didn’t happen, Oscar.

I repeat–

You let Kristin Chenoweth close the Oscars.