1 Moodboard, 2 Looks

 1 Moodboard

    Moodboards suggest a glimpse into someone's thoughts and more so what they have been getting a lot of inspiration from. Mine, per say, is exactly that considering that I've been obsessing over people. No, I'm not a crazy gay boy stalker and no I will not apologize for being overly attentive and intrigued by the lives other people lead. Let's face it, these people must of been the same way I was, gushing over someone else before they themselves became the people other people gushed over (does that make sense, it does in my mind.) I desperately have a craving, dare I say, appetite to be an artist in every sense of the word. My favorite definition of Artist is "a person who is skilled and passionate in the works he/she chooses to partake." Regardless of what you do, what you want to do, who you are or who you see yourself becoming, don't be afraid and don't let other people splash fear on your face telling you you can't do something or say you cant be a certain way or go a certain place. Find what your passionate about and practice, practice, practice- one things for sure, never give up. Here are some of the people I am currently, okay, s t a l k i n g....

Twiggy: I appreciate her modeling work and I can't pinpoint why but for some reason when I look at her photographs, I feel like an ultra hip 60's princess.

Alexa Chung: My sister showed me her and her book and I'm so glad she did because I cant even.

Grace Coddington: The creative director of vogue. I want to read her memoir so desperately. She's the epitome of cool, the definition of infinite. I want her to be my third Grandma.

Taylor Swift: Ummmmm, I don't think I need to say why.

Cher and Dion from Clueless: Best Friends, ultra chic, F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S.

Anna Wintour: Editor in Chief of Vogue. I want to climb inside her mind and sleep there.

Stevie Nicks: Always. Forever. If you haven't listened to her, I suggest you drop everything and do it now.

Winona Ryder: In all her films she takes on a fearless character and let's not forget her amazing style.

LORDE: I need to just take a moment. Her music (not just royals exists, so listen to the rest of her shit you basics *lol me until Austin City Limits) is my best friend and therefore Lorde and I are best friends and she knows this, duh.

Amy Pohler: I'm going to start reading her book soon and Parks and Rec just premiered yesterday! She's bold, she's brave, she's HILARIOUS, she's gutsy and she's Leslie Knope.

Lena Dunham: GIRLS just premiered and let me just ask, how in the world does one write, star in, direct and executively produce their own show of which they created. Help, I must be her lost long gay brother. Her book is like having a conversation with her while eating at an Ihop with an infinite amount of banana and strawberry pancakes.

Elvis: The King. I am trying so desperately to work a pompadour, it's not easy at all.

2 Looks

   Many people hate the grunge look. I, for one, am all for it. The juxtaposition of a feminine silhouette along with an oversized shirt or tapered-fish net top definitely brings in the definition raunchy but also elegant and very, very chic. Plaid is a big part of the world of grunge. You can imagine that being as obsessed with Clueless as I am, that plaid had to be a part of todays looks.

The 1st Outfit: An oversized plaid button up shirt with a solid perforated mini is a look that is the epitome of edgy. Pair it up with some Doc Martens and baby, we're in business.

The 2nd Outfit: This is so Cher. I paired a fuzzy solid gray sweater with a black, white and gray plaid skirt. I added a purse (by tod), a beanie and some cat-eye sunglasses to bring the look all together.

The Third Outfit: What I went for here was two possible looks. The first look could be the dress by it self with the brown leather gloves and some maroon docs or if you wish to be edgier instead of classier, go with the second look. Start with the dress and then throw a sheer tapered fish-net top over it.

   Denim is sooo much fun. It can be girly, it can be tomboyish, it can be played up to be so many different looks.

The 1st outfit: I love the look of overalls with a turtleneck sweater. Here I used lighter pallets but you could definitely go for darker shades.

The 2nd outfit: A little bit more edgy like but also still a bit girly. Doc Martens are just the best, you got to get some girl/gay.

xoxo,
Jacob

What’s Hair Got To Do With It?

Hair and Us

Hair. It’s on our head. It’s our signature look. It’s what we spend a few extra minutes on in the morning. It’s what we touch-up when we come across our reflection on someone’s car window. A mane that helps us attract mates or intimidate predators. For some of us, it’s just there. For others, its’s not there at all. Whatever your relationship with hair is, you’ve probably had a ‘Bad Hair Day’. But so what?

Hair and Me

Well, I learned on January 1st, 2014 that hair has so much to do with how satisfied I am with my appearance. On that day I had no idea that asking my auntie to cut off my medium-length, heat damaged, and bleach-abused ombre, would be the best decision I made that year. After she blow dried it to perfection I could not stop swishing it around in front of the mirror, admiring how effortlessly it moved, how perfectly it framed my face, how it felt both heavy and weightless at the same time. It was angled perfectly, as though my aunt had crunched out some geometric calculations on a piece of paper before lifting her scissors. I had found my signature look, reached my final form, and It. Felt. Amazing.

Hair and Confidence

Well ever since that magical moment, I’ve been searching hopelessly for that same feeling of blissful harmony. My hair grew out. Lost it’s edge. Literally. The angles were miscalculated, the edges unflattering, I was off balance. My hair is still short because that one haircut convinced me that I’m okay with never having beautiful mermaid hair as long as I can feel the way I did on January 1st, 2014. But somehow no other haircut has matched that one. I know now that having a good haircut has so much underestimated power. I found that while I had a good haircut I felt unstoppable. And when you feel unstoppable about how you look, you feel unstoppable in what you do.

Hair is like armor. And not in the way that you can hide behind it. But in the way that it can make you feel equipped to do anything. I’m not sure what it is about my bangs falling just the right way that makes me feel ready to conquer. Everything else about my look could be on point but if my hair isn’t right, then nothing is. That’s what’s so great and frustrating about hair.

Hair and Happiness

A line from a book I read a few months ago seemed to touch on this hair phenomenon as well. In the young adult novel The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George, narrator Esther shares, “My mom always said that you can make someone a better person by giving them the right hairdo. She thought that a lot of people were depressed just because they didn’t know how to do their hair right.” So there you have it, literary proof.

I know it sounds silly. That hair could ever have anything to do with your level of happiness. But there’s something about hair that has of way of making everything right or everything wrong. So hair?? More like AIR, amiright?? Jk. Too far.

Hair and Change

From the media I have seen a pattern within people and their relationship with hair. Usually people change their hair after a major alteration in their lives or while facing a crisis. Whether you choose to shave your head like Britney Spears did while facing a difficult time in her life, 

OR you dye your hair blond like Ryan (The Office) after going through a major identity crisis,

OR you get a little bit of highlights like Ann Perkins (Parks and Recreation) after a breakup,

altering your hair may be your own form of acknowledging the complicated moments of life.

That’s not to say that if you’ve ever dyed your hair blond, it was probably a way to cope with the panic that time is fleeting and the world will one day inevitably END. Sure, you may have been using your hair to mark the end or the beginning of an era, but sometimes we’re just feeling experimental. I mean just because I have purple highlights doesn’t mean I’m going through a crisis….does it? Well, maybe…But for me change is not only good, it’s necessary. Life is full of routines and routine can dull out our senses. One of the things I can constantly change is the way I look. A new haircut can put a new spring in your step. Parting your hair a different way can make you feel like a brand new person.

I’m not saying hair is everything that defines you. Or that looks define us, because they don’t. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t change our aesthetic, or play with our looks (or should I say locks) to find what makes us feel awesome.

If you’re not 100% happy with your hair at the moment, GET IT CUT or try something new. It will change your life. I guarantee it. And if for some reason your new haircut turns out to be a hot mess, just listen to Regina Spektor’s words in ‘Ghost of Corporate Future’, “It always grows back, hair grows even  after you’re dead”

Wishing everyone a good hair week,

Kristal