#i know straight fitting jeans are trendy for some but they’re not for me i don’t think

[weeping-laurels]

What do e and n look like? -🛍️

You can stop reading once you reach the cologne descriptions if you don’t wanna bother with all the added praise and fluffiness.

E: 18, 5’10, broad shoulders, stocky, strong and slightly chubby, his slight tummy is adorable. Brown hair that’s straight and short but fluffy, parted just slightly to the right, soft hooded brown eyes, a round face, medium brown skin, a short beard, he’s Mexican Filipino, oh and very hairy which is incredible. Wears mostly light colored t-shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts, often paired with his two favorite corduroy jackets or his varsity jacket which is burgundy and tan and looks so good on him. White trendy sneakers. And linen pants, or khakis, almost never jeans or cargo pants like most of us, oh and he has this pair of chinos that badly make me want to sit on his lap whenever I see him in them. And his cologne is like this smoky Texas cedar that’s reminiscent of burning wood or leather paired with like this smooth, earthy patchouli that’s like soil when it rains or even dare I say like chocolate, and also sweet vanilla and a citrus like bergamot that balances out the raw bold woodsiness so well but whatever formulation is used for the synthetic cedar, I have to know, because it’s the only one I know that doesn’t bother my nose and that I haven’t gone noseblind to despite being around E all the time. Anyway I’m rambling. HE SMELLS WONDERFUL. His hugs are amazing, his hands are big and holdable, his voice is deep and he’s soft-spoken and has an accent (Spanish is his first language). He has the tendency to get very close to me and whisper something right in my ear that he thinks we should keep between us (usually just jokes, but when he curses I imagine something else entirely). When we walk the crowded halls to and from class he’ll keep close and put his hand on my lower back to help guide me since I’m claustrophobic in crowds. He has a promise ring on his finger, a couple of braided boyfriend bracelets on his wrist that bring me back down to Earth when I remember why they’re there. Sometimes I’m appalled when I realize he might see me as a little sister because of the way he always pats my head, ruffles my hair and calls me short or the things I do cute. He’s playful and a tease and sexy. He likes when I get flustered over something, but can’t bear to see me upset. He cries when I cry. Laughs when I laugh. Stares when I stare. And stares, himself. He’s Catholic (but very progressive) and he keeps a tiny Bible in his bag and his friends make fun of him for it. He likes to read it from time to time in Spanish, and keeps a rosary in his backpack. He says I look like how he’d imagine La Virgen and honestly I’ve never blushed more. To say I look like the mother Mary, the prettiest, most beautiful woman in the eyes of Catholics, goodness it makes me weak. He’s always curious when I buy a new indie perfume and likes to bend down to my neck and guess what it is. Swoon. Then he’ll look up at me and go “um, is it an ancient library? A cabin in the woods?” “It’s called Hallows’ Eve Museum Heist.” And he’ll close his eyes and breathe me in again til it clicks for him. He’ll tell me he gets it with the most satisfied look on his face.

N: 30s, I would estimate 6’1. Slender, very fit, muscular, does a lot of working out and lifting and running. Has the nicest ass. Dark blonde hair that’s wavy some places, curly others and that I can best describe as like Christian Bale’s long, but not longest hair. He’s saying he should cut it. I’m begging him not to. God. His wife wants him to cut it. He’s now saying he’ll hold off. He’s white. American. Light skinned, but tan too because he’s out in the sun a lot. He’s often half naked whenever I happen to see him… otherwise it’s t-shirts, tight long-sleeves with the sleeves always rolled up, paired with unbuttoned flannels he can barely keep on and cardigans and long coats. The occasional district meeting button-up. Jeans. Always jeans. Shirtless? Better be with jeans. Big boots, Converses. If I’m lucky, a tan cowboy hat. He wears this pretty belt a lot that I can picture tied around me, and his wedding ring is always on. My favorite outfit of his? His concert black. His all black suit… oh, it must drive all his band girls wild. And while E smells like cedarwood, it’s funny because N’s signature base note is sandalwood: rich, smooth like butter or soft wood, so gently, effortlessly sensual. Creamy, milky, like ambrosia of the Gods, paired with something fruity and somewhat floral like fig, as well as myrrh for an incensey handful of dried fruits under the sun. And again, some bergamot for a hint of spice and earthiness that reminds me of our backyards. Maybe some cocoa, but I can’t quite tell—all I know is he smells like the best cafe I’ve ever been to, where they had a stage with an unknown band always playing. So, so comforting. And his voice is so sexy too, so confident and calm, and he constantly has the cadence of how you’d imagine saying “you’re such a good girl, aren’t you?” And he does. “You got an A on that essay huh, good girl.” “That’s a good girl.” “Attagirl.” More recently, “there's my girl.” And I die a little bit each time. He likes standing behind me and holding my shoulders when talking to someone else about me, when praising me. He loves to take me to his music room and have me sit on the couch while he plays me something he’s really proud of, usually on his guitar or piano. His concentration and skilled fingers really stir me, and he likes to watch for my reaction and smile when he sees me enjoying him, before getting all focused and intense again. In the corner of this room he also has an easel with a shelf full of oil pastels. And he’s so damn messy with these, he manages to get the colors all over him. He gardens outside… spends a lot of time on his hands and knees. He’s such a good cook, the few times they’ve invited me for dinner he insisted on cooking. Sometimes I’m worried he sees me like a niece, with the way he likes to treat his kids and me, the way he talks about me to his wife and the way he’s so comfortable around me and with me being in his home. I know the whole layout of their kitchen and their house, and borrow things from them all the time. I even have a spare key. They’re Protestant but he he’s managed to let me know he doesn’t really practice and that he believes firmly in sex before marriage, which is hilarious. Completely unrelated, but one thing I appreciate that he never does is invite his students over to his house. The closest is me. And I’m very okay with that. In October he went for a long evening run so I watched his kids, when he got back he was panting and sweating and said “thank you Daphne” in the best possible way. I waited with them for him to finish showering, he stepped out from the hallway with wet hair (oof) wet shoulders (oooof) and a towel around his waist, then apologized because he forgot his clothes. His daughter giggled at a face I made when he walked away and when he returned in a t-shirt and sweatpants she told him about my face seeing him “naked”, and he laughed and said “Sarah, we should leave Daphne alone to her thoughts” while looking me straight in the eye.

Ugh, I’m so fucked knowing these men.

In any case, I tried to be as thoughtful as possible so you can hopefully know them too. Thanks for the ask!

[postmodernbeing]

Shingeki no Kyojin Headcanons: 104th training corps (College AU - Outfits pt II)

Part I | College AU HCs

Part II of the outfits/aesthetics headcanons - College AU that would (kinda) be included in the oneshot I'm working on.

IMPORTANT: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin nor the trend of this outfits-displays, only this HCs belong to me. // Contains spoilers (for the icons that I used in some characters) // English is not my first language, so I ask for your patience and understanding.

Historia Reiss

She has a huge wardrobe and so well organized by color, textures, and sizes. From halter tops to maxi dresses, our queen really dresses like one.

Forever in love with skirts and dresses with patterns and/or pastel colors. But don’t get confused, girl has range.

So, one could see her wearing monochromatic ensembles one day and the other, she’s all dressed up with some bright color pieces matching a patterned shirt.

Also owns a vast collection of jewelry and accessories both original and classy. And let’s not forget the shoes: sneakers, heels, boots, sandals and cute little anklets to match. I swear she can make crocs look boujee.

Contrary to what people think, she doesn’t support fast fashion industry. Aware of her privilege, she knows she has the money and time to buy from small businesses and keep herself trendy.

Last but not least, and kind of clothing related: Historia loves taking Ymir to thrift shopping dates and later go eating at some indie cafeteria. The lifestyle is also part of the outfit, alright?

Ymir

Her wardrobe consists in comfortable clothes and not giving a fuck. All her clothes give Rockstar lesbian vibes (stan this queen). Her designated color palette is based on dark shades, so it’s a real contrast between her outfits and Historia’s.

Loves combat boots and her wasted Converse TM, although her favorite pieces from her apparel are bomber jackets, coats, sweaters, and hoodies.

Ymir also wears a fair amount of stainless-steel accessories, mostly chunky rings and chains. Moreover, is common to find her listening to music, therefore, earphones are a fashion statement really.

Speaking about must-wear, this girl likes to paint her nails black but due her anxiety she tends to scratch the painting off so it gives this grunge look (don’t romanticize this fellas).

Historia would suggest her some trends or give her advice about color, but being honest, Ymir has a very well-defined style at this point.

Now, about her dress style: She won’t dress like a metalhead nor grunge (at least not intentionally). And she wouldn’t define her style as dark, it’s just what it is.

Reiner Braun

He wears lots of denim in jackets and jeans but also owns a couple of dress pants that combines with beanies or simple caps. Also, has plenty of plain simple shirts that fit his strong body.

Reiner usually wears opaque shades of all colors. Another fact, he’s not a big fan of patterns unless we’re talking about sweaters. He also wears jackets yet avoids cardigans and hoodies.

A very important thing to know, Reiner has a lot of gym clothes, he works out daily so don’t be surprised.

Most of those clothes are joggers, pants, shorts, and t-shirts that look as if he ripped them off or something.

Actually, a lot of his clothes look like they’re about to be ripped apart due his huge ass pectorals (please, Reiner, let me rest gently on your pecs). Just kidding, his whole wardrobe fits him perfectly.

Finally, if Reiner had to define his style in a sentence, he’d probably acknowledge that he gives the impression of a rich a-hole, but really, Rei just likes to be comfortable and presentable at all times. So, rich white guy it is for now.

Bertolt Hoover

Bertie is that one friend that always carries a cardigan or sweater just in case, also because he tends to lend his clothes if a friend of his is in need. So thoughtful, our big baby.

His wardrobe is amazingly well organized, and its color palette is unmatched. Lots of blue, brown, beige, white and black.

We know he’s tall enough to call everybody’s attention every time he enters a room. And being as shy as he can be, he avoids brilliant colors or striking pieces. Instead, he chooses simpler outfits.

Bertolt follows this formula every time: pants, shirt, sweater. Everything clean and discrete.

Now if we must talk about his shoes, Berts prefers some white sneakers or modest dress shoes. He wouldn’t say he owns a vast collection, rather, he keeps a fair amount for different occasions.

No tattoos nor piercings. Speaking of which, it’s so rare to see him wearing any accessories at all. Maybe he'll carry with him an analogical clock, and that's it. Although if someone gave him a friendship bracelet you can be sure he'll wear it all-the-time.

Annie Leonhart

Lots of denim for her jackets and jeans. Hoodies, bands merch and graphic t-shirts.

Her clothes’ color palette has range but nothing too pastel or colorful. Instead, she gets all the opaque version of the pieces she likes.

Not that Annie hates dresses or skirts, it’s just unusual for her to even think about wearing them. She prioritizes being comfortable, and tight/short clothes can’t provide her that feeling.

Hates slim clothes unless it’s a tank top or something similar. She just prefers oversized hoodies and mom jeans. Also, if Annie can avoid skinny pants, you can be sure she will.

Owns a fair amount of gym clothes because she also likes to train but most of the times, you’ll see her running around campus, really. She’s a simple woman with simple pleasures.

Annie is the personification of ‘looks like she could kill you, is an actual cinnamon roll’, from her attitude to her clothes. So beware, for she’s the queen of looking rude with her chains around her belt, and her ring to match but don't let her fool- holy shit, that thing can actually stab someone. As I was mentioning, such a sweet gal, isn’t she?

Hitch Dreyse

She can make it boujee with so little effort (and money), lemme tell you. Wears her clothes with such an attitude and class. Hitch's an actual wine-mom, or aunt maybe? she gives those vibes.

People have the impression from her style, that her parents are rich, but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s just that Hitch knows how to dress. (Also, we know that for a fact sis has a scholarship, okay?) ANYWAYS,

Miss here is forever in love with white and baby blue. Owns plenty of jeans but also dress pants and culottes that wears with blazers or shirts that make her look like a princess with a diversity of fabrics such as satin, silk-alike texture, and cotton.

Hitch is the queen of heels. Although she hates very high ones, she rocks shorter heels and walks in them with little to no effort. Or at least looks like it. All of her shoes are classy yet unique.

Now, let’s talk about her collection of accessories. Hitch likes her jewels in gold and only buys signature pieces: rings, earrings (for her four lobe perforations, two in each ear) and necklaces, of course. Yes, it is gold but in modest designs. Sounds fair, right?

Marlowe Freudenberg

Our big boy in here thinks that he should look presentable at all times since he’s the Chief Editor of the History student’s academic journal at Paradis’ Uni. Not that he cares a lot of his appearance, really.

And that’s actually cute because he puts effort into his outfits. Marlowe would be one of those straight guys that are hygienic and know how to dress and has no fragile masculinity.

Cologne is a must and part of his attire just like handkerchiefs are, because at the same time, he was raised to be the classic gentleman TM.

Marlowe dresses in all colors; he can’t choose a favorite one or a never-changing palette. He’s aware of season colors too and plays that at his wardrobe favor.

Yet for his outfits he’d follow few simple rules: oxfords (cleaned), dress pants (somewhere between slim fit and straight leg), some polo/dress shirt/cotton thing-y for top and a sweater / cardigan / blazer if season demands it.

Finally, our favorite student-editor spends some time of his routine shaving his face and styling his hair, albeit wouldn’t consider himself a vain guy nor full of himself. Lowkey expects Hitch to notice his appearance. Such a sweetheart.

[remakethestars]

CABIN 10 — APHRODITE

Headcanons.

❝I want to apologize to all the women I have called pretty before I’ve called them intelligent or brave. I am sorry I made it sound as though something as simple as what you’re born with is the most you have to be proud of when your spirit has crushed mountains. From now on, I will say things like, ‘You are resilient,’ or, ‘You are extraordinary.’ Not because I don’t think you’re pretty. But because you are so much more than that.❞ 

— Rupi Kaur

Headcanon masterlist.

They’re the camp hairdressers. You need a trim? You want it cut? You want it died? You want to shave it all off? Hit ‘em up.

The type of people that will straight-up chop their hair if it doesn't match their outfit. Somehow, it always works out? I'm looking at Micarah Tewers.

They also run a secret ear piercing — or anything else you need to pierce — parlor.

Okay, but consider: children of Aphrodite that grow up to be models.

They can charm speak the photographers into letting them pick their own poses & not make them do seductive ones if they’re not comfortable with them.

Some create clothing lines that represent sustainable fashion & have big names but small carbon footprints.

Some are spies.

Think about it! They know how to switch subtle bits of their personality to fit in with everyone they come across, when & when not to use their charm.

The hide outfits under other outfits & can slip one off in public to reveal the other & lose a tail.

And they'd probably be great at disguise makeup. Add a prosthetic chin, contour their nose differently, pull off their wig, & they're a completely different person.

Plus, their combat training at C.H.B. makes them the perfect agent.

The floor next to their bunk is scattered with fabric cuttings, pins, needles, their sewing machine, serger, & measuring tape.

The number of times someone's gotten a needle or pin in their foot's a tad concerning.

Will absolutely not wear a top with an overstitched collar. Fast fashion is so tacky! Understitch is the way to go, the staple of a quality garment.

Vintage is better. Not because it's in style (that's a plus, though), but because the seams are big enough for you to let out, & it's made to last.

Experts at thrifting. Not just 'cause it's trendy or whatever, but because they're excellent at upcycling & far too many perfectly good clothes go into the land fill each year.

Make stunning dresses out of Good Will table cloths & curtains.

Or stitch two items together into one better whole.

They iron their clothes; they're not animals.

Really good at getting stains out?

Totally in on the corset bustier top trend, but they're using spiral steel boning in place of zip-ties. Because, again, they want things to last & they're not tacky.

Pass each other tips. Like to tuck your top into your tights to avoid the bulge under your skirt.

Some found big-name, organic makeup companies that don't test on animals. They use packaging that can be recycled or that's biodegradable.

Borrow their clothes, sure, whatever, but double-dip in their makeup & die. The bacteria will give them acne. (Or is it the oils? Either way, you'll perish.)

Happy to drop their skincare routine, though.

You need to cover up that tattoo you got from C7? They got you.

Flawless makeup on a budget. Expensive doesn't always mean better.

They're taking you to the pool for a first date? Take a seat, C10 knows just the stuff. They use what Disney Princesses use.

Can guess the right shade of foundation/lipstick for you on the first couple tries.

A lot of them invest in magnetic lashes because glue's a b¡tch.

Reusable makeup wipes.

Rick says C10 kids just sit around the lake & check their reflection, but consider: working out gets them their dream bod. So, yes, they do, in fact, train.

They just do it with intricate braids/hair gel & stylish sportwear.

And if a potential partner finds it unattractive that they’re “too muscly,” they’re no longer a potential partner.

Weapons disguised as jewelry or chapstick/lipstick.

Thalia had a mace canister that turned into a spear, & I gotta say, I.D.K. how she planned to get that through security. Imagine, alternatively, a tube that appears to be full of bright red lipstick when the T.S.A. agent opens it, but actually turns into a spear when opened by a half-blood.

(I have a headcanon that Riptide would just be a pen in the hands of a mortal. Bounced around for years as random objects until Poseidon nabbed it & took it to Chiron — recall that pen you lost?)

A pink, velvet choker that turns into a kopis with a dove embossed in the handle.

Many choose to train in heels. Might as well wear in training what they’ll be wearing when attacked in the street.

They’ve got no time for internalized misogyny. 

“C10′s weak ‘cause they like being pretty!” Good way to lose a kneecap, Annabeth. You’ve grown up in this camp, you knew Selina, & you should know better.

They confront Piper’s misogyny pretty early on after The Lost Hero, but Piper still takes some time to get over her bias toward pink.

Are we not gonna talk about Rick’s fashion choices for Piper throughout the series? “She looks so fashionable.” To whom, Rick? To whom?

You couldn’t’ve done a little internet surfing just to see what was in style? I never leave the house in anything but jeans, Converse, & a graphic t-shirt from Walmart, & even I know she’s dressed like a middle-schooler! Probably because that’s how I dressed in middle-school… That’s not the point.

The point is just because a character likes makeup or fashion or the color pink, doesn’t mean they can’t/won’t fight for their lives & the lives of their friends if/when the time comes. And it doesn’t mean that they’re stupid or judgmental.

I don’t know a lot about makeup. Hades, I don’t even wear makeup — you can’t rub your eyes or scratch your face; it would drive me crazy. I don’t know a lot about fashion either. I don’t understand it, but I can respect it.

❝‘Jesus,’ Sara says as Branley walks past us. ‘Too cold to show off cleavage, so instead she goes for jeans so tight I can see her thong.’ ‘She looks nice,’ I say, and she does. Branley always looks put together in a way that tells me she spends hours in front of a mirror before going outside. And while I don’t understand that, I can respect it.❞

— Alex Craft, Mindy McGinnis’s The Female of the Species

According to The Lost Hero, all children of Aphrodite intuitively speak French. Cool, cool, cool — but consider, all of them also intuitively speak the language of flowers. 

They see a red rose, and they just know it symbolizes love & passion. They see an orange lily, to contrast, & they know it symbolizes hatred. 

There’s a copy of The Language of Flowers in their cabin, and it’s full of annotations, like, So-and-so gave these to so-and-so for Valentines Day! And, So-and-so gave these to so-and-so after their kiss on the Fourth of July; they obviously didn’t do their research! 

They work together with C4 (Demeter) to provide flowers for funerals & the like.

C10 bookshelves also contain a lot of romance novels. 

Beaten up copies of Pride & Prejudice & The Fault in Our Stars with faded highlighter over the beautiful lines & annotations in the margins.

The outside walls are a dusty pink, & the wood’s stained a dark brown that goes surprisingly well with the pink.

Inside, the walls are covered in faded wallpaper.

The southwest wall has a bay window with extra storage in the seat. (There’s not a body in there; they swear.)

(That’s an Arsenic & Old Lace reference, for you youngsters.)

The curtains have one chiffon layer closer to the window & a thicker floral fabric for inside. The thick curtains are replaced based on the season & whether or not someone’s decided to make a romper out of them.

They have a real bell jar with a real rose in front of the window. Legend has it it’s from Aphrodite herself.

Said window is a stained glass image of a dove.

The chaise lounge was probably beautiful when it was brought it, but it’s got fingernail polish & makeup stains on it now. Honestly, someone should really have that thing cleaned.

As you might have noticed, I placed a gif of swans at the top instead of a fancast for Aphrodite. This is because I think, as I believe most Percy Jackson fans do, multiple people should play her. I'd cast Arden Cho, Camila Mendes, Candice Patton, Diane Kruger, & Gal Gadot to start with.

Visit my Aphrodite cabin Pinterest board or my headcanon masterlist.

DISCLAIMER ━━━ I know I got a tad political with this one, but I didn’t & don’t intend to offend anyone. ━━━ These headcanons are what I consider to be canon in my fanfictions. They may be others’s headcanons I’ve subconsciously filed away in my noggin. If one’s yours and you want it removed or credited, please send me your post and let me know.

[hoochy-coo]

oooh! since devon was inspired to do her 21 outfits video from emma chamberlain's, what do you think of emma chamberlain's outfit video?

Ok, here we go (I’ve never watched one Emma Chamberlain video so I’m only finding out now that she’s got her own coffee brand???! Do people actually pay for it? And is it any good?!? Someone let me know pls):

Outfit 1: Zoe Kravtiz would wear this but the pants wouldn’t be draw-string. Details people! I say all of this but the babes at Fitzroy has run this outfit into the ground about 2 years ago. 

Outfit 2: I’m too old to find any merits in this fit but my friend’s sisters in middle school would totally wear this

Outfit 3: Kaia Gerber says she wants her whole look back. The colour blocking is honestly kinda cute but she also looks like a children’s toy so idk. I like the first bag for it, not the cheetah one. 

Outfit 4: Ok, I like this! I love myself a basic fit with a massive pop of colour and print. The sunglasses tie into it super well as well! 

Outfit 5: Switch out the pants and we’ve got a Princess D-inspired look here. I don’t love the shoes but I don’t hate it. The fit of the barbour jacket is actually really great on her - not too oversized but just big enough to sag a little. I can already tell by this outfit that she’s a Brandy Melville kinda gal. The LV bag really aged the look imo.

Outfit 6: This is the worst one so far. It looks like it came straight out of a 2000s Delias lookbook. Not a fan of those pants but props for having the confidence to rock ‘em!

Outfit 7: “I can already feel the judgment through the screen” Yeah, basically

Outfit 8: She looks like Stussy sponsors her, but I know for a fact those pants are from Holiday the Label. I mean it’s cute, but it’s been done.

Outfit 9: I feel like she could have gone full prep and done a ponytail with it. It’s cute - it’s like a relaxed approach to dressing like a Ralph Lauren model from the 90′s. Again, she looks like she shops from Brandy. 

Outfit 10: Throw that Von Dutch cap away and you’ve got a trendy outfit right there. Rue from Euphoria would wear this, half of LA would wear this. 

Outfit 11: This could have been a serve if she swapped that top out for something else. I love myself a colorful outfit but that print doesn’t go with the rusty palette she’s got going on with this outfit. 

Outfit 12: I was going to complain about the cow-printed purse (the other suitcase bag isn’t any better tbh) but I see the vision here, she’s trying to give us some lowkey western/cowgirl vibes. Find another bag, like a cute crossover or even the one from outfit 3, and throw on some chunky platform boots to really commit to the lewk, Emma!

Outfit 13: Kendall Jenner would wear this to go get coffee with Luka Sabbath and co. I hate it. 

Outfit 14: I can see myself loving every component of this outfit separately but when put together, it just doesn’t look right. I know I don’t need those platform knee-high boots from UNIF but my god, do I want it!

Outfit 15: There’s a weird 6-month cross-over style period between the end of the 80′s and the start of 90′s where people couldn’t quite commit to normcore and she’s channeling. I’d do a different shirt and keep everything else. This honestly could have been such a cool monochromatic look tbh. 

Outfit 16: NO. NO. NO. NOT A PAUL FRANK T-SHIRT OVER A LONG SLEEVE. I’M CRINGING AT MY 10-YEAR-OLD SELF BEING FORCED INTO THIS OUTFIT

Outfit 17: ...I don’t get it? Am I just getting too old to get it?

Outfit 18: Nothing special but it’s cute in a basic way, I guess?

Outfit 19: This is the part of 80s fashion that I can’t get with. I really do appreciate her matching the collar of that Heaven by Marc Jacobs baby tee with the jeans. That’s a cool idea but ditch the puffer, please?

Outfit 20: I see Hailey Bieber wearing this and getting dragged for it. So in saying that, I don’t like this outfit. I know patchwork jeans are coming back in trend but these ones look tacky tbh. 

Outfit 21: I’d be exhausted after all of that and change into something cozy too. 

In summary, I’m beginning to realize where all my friends’ little sisters and cousins are getting their style inspo from. I used to see them in outfits like 16 and 13 and be confused as to who/what they're trying to channel and why they’re doing it but I get it now. I think I’m too old to enjoy her sense of style but I actually do think that she’s got a really creative vision, she just doesn’t know how to execute it to its full capacity or without being too messy. I think with some time and a few trials and errors she could really be a solid dresser!

[tsohl]

A bit of fun...

An Interview from village magazine. 2005

A model life

Monaghan-born Caitriona Balfe was recruited shaking a charity box outside a Dublin shopping centre. Now she is Ireland's most successful international model. Based in New York and the darling of some of the world's top designers, she talks to Ailbhe Jordan

It’s just after five on a Tuesday evening in Soho. Streams of harassed-looking people scurry in both directions along Spring Street, seeking escape from the mayhem of midweek Manhattan in the form of the nearest taxi or subway station.

Nobody but me seems to notice a tall, thin young woman leaning against the wall of a grey building. We have never met in person and a curtain of long, tousled brown hair obscures her face as she flicks through a notebook, but it’s definitely her.

Since Derek Daniels of Assets Modelling agency spotted her six years ago collecting money for charity outside the Swan Shopping Centre in Rathmines, Caitriona Balfe has quietly strutted her way to the upper echelons of the fashion industry.

Nineteen years old and intent on becoming an actress at the time, Balfe modelled part-time in Dublin for a year until a visiting scout from Ford Modelling agency asked her to work for them in Paris. She decided to take a year out from her drama course at the Dublin Institute of Technology to pursue the opportunity.

In her six years as a model, Balfe has strutted down the catwalk for every big name from Gucci to Marc Jacobs. Vogue are big fans too; the fashion bible has put her on the cover of its US, French, German, Spanish and Italian editions.

After Paris, Balfe moved to Milan, where she became the darling of Dolce & Gabanna, who still hire her to work exclusively at their spring and autumn shows. Three years ago, she moved to New York to work for US based Elite Modelling agency. One of her first castings was for Cuban-American designer Narciso Rodriguez, who was so impressed, he made her his muse.

Balfe is, without a doubt, the most successful international model Ireland has produced.

On this evening she looks up and smiles, revealing a heart-shaped face, with sharp, pixie-like features and bright blue eyes. Wearing not a scrap of makeup, she looks younger than her 26 years. Her complexion is pale, clear and spattered with light brown freckles.

She is around 5ft 10”, but seems smaller because of her narrow, thin frame. Dressed in a loose, taupe-colored top, skinny blue jeans that are not as tight as they should be and red flats, she personifies that casual glamour look to which all the downtown hipsters aspire.

She suggests we go to Balthazar, a French Bistro beloved of New York models and celebrities.

As we walk, she assumes a posture so elegant and so straight it looks as though she is leaning backwards slightly.

Balfe’s family comes from Tyvadet, a small town in Co Monaghan. Her accent is neutral from years of living abroad, but every now and then, the Monaghan dialect peeps through – when she says “cool”, for instance, which she says a lot.

Weekend reservations at Balthazar are nearly impossible to make if one is not famous and has not booked at least a couple of weeks in advance.

“Go on ahead,” she says, holding the door open. The hostess directs us to a small table at the window. Balfe glides into her booth without pushing the table out first. “I’m going to have some cake,” she says, lowering her voice.“I got my wisdom teeth out on Friday, so I’ve basically been eating soup all weekend,” she adds quickly, touching her jaws with both hands.

“I was supposed to go to LA today, but I cancelled that because my face was still a bit swollen.”

Conversations between any two people renting in New York City inevitably turn to apartments and – more importantly – locations. Balfe lives in Greenpoint, a trendy Polish neighbourhood in Brooklyn. “I was about three years in the city but I love Brooklyn,” she says.

“It’s just really cute. It’s kind of European, like most of the streets are all mom and pop stores, there’s not one McDonalds. They’ve got all cute little vegetable stores, there’s a meat market and a fish market.”

She pauses to take a sip of coffee.

“We’ve got the ground floor of a building. Its got like a back garden and a basement, which is really cool. My boyfriend has his studio in the basement.”

The boyfriend she refers to is Dave Milone, a guitarist with the band Radio4, who are releasing a new album in New York this week.

“I’ve been with him for three years, he’s from New Jersey,” she says rolling her eyes as New Yorkers often do at the mention of their neighbouring and, in their opinion, less cosmopolitan state.

“It’s a bit of a cliché, I know, a model and a rocker. It’s good though.”

At 26, Balfe has said she considers herself to be one of the “grannies” of the modeling industry.

“Of my five really close friends whom I started with, there’s only one whose still modeling,” she says.

“The rest have gone off to college or have real jobs. I still feel like I’m at college,” she says, stirring her coffee and putting the spoon down on the saucer with a loud clink.

“When I see some of these younger girls who are starting at 17 or so, it’s like being at school, you know. You’ve a bunch of girls who are like, teenagers and of course everyone’s like: ‘is she doing better than me?’ and all that. I was a little bit older when I started, I was 19 and I never really experienced that. I mean, you’re always going to come across a bitch but there’s nothing you can really do about that. I’m getting older now and it does feel weird when you come across someone who tries to intimidate you in that really high school way. It’s like: ‘why am I feeling insecure because of this?’ And it’s funny, because it’s all based on weight, it’s like: ‘you put on a few pounds,’ or something stupid.”

At this point the desserts arrive.

“I feel like the girls are getting very skinny again,” she says, following the movement of the plate with her eyes as the waitress places it in front of her.

“When I started it was like, a lot of the Brazilian girls were around, it was all about being voluptuous and I think in the last couple of seasons there’s been a lot of really, really skinny girls again. I mean, you can tell when somebody doesn’t eat, you can tell by the big rings under their eyes or when they’re kind of quiet, they’re whole personality is kind of...” she slouches down and drops her tongue out in a display of lifelessness.

She picks up her spoon and digs it into the cake, then turns the plate around and spears the scoop of vanilla ice-cream that is perched on top.

“I’ve always been thin, you know?” she says, while her mouth is full.

“My aunts and uncles will be like, ‘oh do you eat?’ but I’ve always been lucky that I can. I eat more than Dave. I go through very, very sporadic, once-in-a-blue-moon fits of going running and stuff, but I’m so lazy. When shows are coming up I just do some exercises at home and maybe not have so much chocolate cake the week before. A few more salads, that kind of thing.”

Next week, Balfe expects to be working in LA for a couple of days, from where she will fly to Miami for a photo shoot, before returning to New York on Sunday to do a shoot for Spanish Vogue.

“It sounds glamorous, it’s not though, it really isn’t,” she says, holding another spoonful of cake up to her lips.

“I am moving towards retirement now – from this,” she continues. “Every year I’m asked and I’m like, ‘oh another year or two.’ But, if I’m still doing this at the end of the next two years, somebody shoot me, please. I mean, it’s really good and it allows me to live a good life. I’m building a house in Monaghan, I can do stuff like that. I can set myself up for the future and stuff. But being an actress was the thing that I always wanted to do. Before I ever started modelling.”

Balfe has not yet found her perfect role, but played a convincing seductress in 2002 when she modelled for lingerie company Victoria’s Secret during their catwalk show, an annual TV spectacle that that has propelled models like Gisele Bundchen and Heidi Klum to international fame.

“Oh God, my poor Da,” she groans, cradling her head in her hands.

“I think it was the Sun or the Mirror back home had this headline: ‘Garda’s daughter goes und-y-cover.’ I wondered what I was doing in there, this pasty little Irish girl amongst all these Brazilian goddesses. I’d gotten a spray tan and they put full body make-up on me but I was 10 times whiter than anyone there. It took very little clothes and quite a lot of champagne to get through that one.”

She shakes her head, smiling at the memory. “Its funny you know? Normally when I’m out, I don’t really dress up. It’s amazing how people will absolutely not even notice you until they hear the word ‘model,’ and then they’re like: ‘Oh.’ And I’m like: ‘what?’ Two seconds ago, I was nothing, you know?”

[sonipanda]

I’m having a lazy one at home today, and even though I am… I still like to be in hosiery. I had this pair sitting in my basket for a short while, and I fancied popping them on the legs today and doing a review – making myself useful 🙂

A lot of you won’t know this, but I wore these in my Femme Luxe Clothing Review Part 17 review on YouTube. Mind you, it’s only small glimpses of it!

The Spec

Colour: Black

Size: S-M

Denier: Unknown

Materials: 82% Polyamide, 18% Elastane

Price: £8.39

Website: Amazon – CALZITALY Vintage Fishnet Hold Ups with Back Seam | Fishnet Stay Up Stockings | Black, Skin | S/M, L/XL | Made in Italy

My Outfit

So slouching at home entails oversized jumpers and whatever hosiery I can get my hands on. I was feeling some fishnets for a change instead of sheer tights, so on they go. I paired up with my Vans when I was heading out.

My Deets

Jumper Dress: Cameo Rose

Holdups: CalzItaly

    The Review

From The Website:

Fishnet hold ups made of high-quality resistant yarns with back seam and a silicone band on the top lace which keeps them in place. Very elegant vintage seamed stay ups perfect to feel and be amazing on your special occasion With nude toes.

COMPOSITION: 82% Polyamide, 18% Elastane 04648AR

BAND: Decorative top band, plain or decorated with various patterns, and with inner silicone stripes. NUDE TOE: Invisible toe, perfect to wear with sandals or peep-toe shoes COLOURS AVAILABLE: Black SIZES AVAILABLE: S/M, L/XL

|| FISHNET BY CALZITALY || It is Fishnet Time! The trendiest look nowadays requires fishnet: large fishnet, micro fishnet, socks, tights, knee-high socks, hold ups, Calzitaly offers you a wide range of choices perfect to satisfy every need, occasion and style. Style our Fishnet with your ripped jeans or your dresses and follow our tips. You will always be trendy and fashion during your extraordinary days/nights. With more than 50 years of experience in the hosiery sector Calzitaly offers you a 100% Made in Italy products made always with love and passion!

| Calzitaly advice: body lotions and creams may affect the performance of the silicone bands, therefore do not use them on your thighs before wearing this garment | ✨ High Quality MADE IN ITALY with love ✨ | All CALZITALY products have the STANDARD 100 CERTIFICATION by OEKO-TEX

  The Packaging: well I have to say their packaging is pretty simple. I quite like to show the model wearing them so I know what to expect inside at least. This has a small window in the top right corner showing you the nets through it. When you flip over, you find out more about the sizing guide, hosiery care and just a little about the company. There isn’t much regarding the holdups inside.

When you get in, you will find these packed in plastic with card inserted into 1 leg. I have to admit I always giggle when I see holdups this small. It just means they’re packed with plenty of stretch, but it looks like it would fit a baby!

  Getting Them On: these had no foot or leg shaping to them, so I set the toe seams flat across my toes and then made sure that I kept the backseam straight whilst I was rolling them up.

I took extra care going over my anklets to make sure they don’t get caught.

  On The Legs: I love the netting on this pair. I reviewed the Levante ones not long ago, and these remind me of them, but as holdups not tights. The netting is pretty small (also know as micro-netting), so you get this darker look on the legs but also an amazing look!

I always find this shapes my legs so well!

The backseam design is a little twist, which I like. You don’t get many pairs that are like this, and especially in a pair of holdups. But I quite like it. It makes it look more elegant compared to a normal pair, and these can be worn with almost anything. It also makes it easier to wear with heels too!

The quality of these are really nice; these were super stretchy, they fit my legs so well and I can see these being durable as long as I treat them well. I nearly managed to catch them against my desk, but it was a lucky escape and no damage was done.

The fit of these are true to size, and trust me when I say even a size medium could easily wear these. They are super elasticated so you can sit these high or low on the legs, and they cater so well for thicker thighs (like mine) – winner here!

The feel of them are slightly rough to touch, but nothing that would irritate the skin. I felt these could have been slightly better in terms of it feeling grainy, as these would stop dresses and bodycons from swishing past it – instead it would be clinging on a little. Apart from that, I do like them!

  The Toes & Ankle: well I have a good amount of photos to show you what they are like on the feet. The seams sit on top / just under the toes, and that is also where the backseam starts too.

I had plenty of wiggle room in these, and no pressure was added during the day either. I will say these aren’t reinforced so do be careful with sharp nails as you could easily rip these if you have stretched them a lot around the feet.

The feet and ankles have a lovely fitted finish, and no wrinkles in sight (as long as you haven’t gone 4 sizes bigger!)

  The Bands: now to really set the nets off, you have this lovely band. I haven’t come across a design like this before, and I really like it. It makes a change from the floral lace you normally get in so many variations.

The band itself is a little shorter than what you normally get, but I actually like that. It means you can have that extra play room to sit them higher without the band being exposed. A shorter band means more room for nets!

These have a double silicone band sitting at the top where it has the scallop design to it, and stays up so well during the day. I did tug at them, pull them up and down the legs  pinched them away from the legs to test out how well they stick each time – and they passed. Their hold isn’t lost at all which I like!

Oh let me mention that the backseam works right up to the band as well – so you need to make sure it doesn’t go wonky when you set them again!

  My Thoughts?

I really like this brand – they did well for my 1st pair and now I cannot wait to get my hands on another to see if they’re just as good!

CALZITALY Vintage Fishnet Hold Ups with Back Seam I'm having a lazy one at home today, and even though I am... I still like to be in hosiery.

[lances-middle-toe]

Passing tips for ftm teens of color.

Aight listen up trans men of color, I know some of y'all probably have difficulty passing and see all these passing posts directed towards white trans people and see tips that don't/won't necessarily work for you and I gotchu.

Hair

Go for hairstyles that are trendy rn. Things such as dreads, hightops, waves, or even an afro. Braided or twisted hairstyles are also really good! Don't listen to that whole "tapered sideburns make you look more feminine" thing either. Cause that's a common thing for people with straight hair. The majority of my guy friends who are poc have tapered sideburns because it's trendy for us. Also guys have messier hair, so sponging your hair is a great way to get that look.

Face

If your face is very round try working out or drinking more water. Drinking water helps you lose some of that fat in your face, and working out in general with cardio will help you lose face fat as well. Or you can do jaw exercises to make your jawline sharper and your jaw muscles larger to give your face a more masculine look.

If you have peach fuzz shave it off, most cis guys don't have peach fuzz. Use castor oil mixed with coconut oil on your top lip, brows, or anywhere you want thicker hair. It works, trust me I have actual eyebrows now. Or you can use minoxidil. I follow a guy who grew a full beard pre-t using minoxidil.

Body

In general working out can help give you a more masculine physique but it's not for everyone. If you want a flatter chest and some nice pec muscles BENCH. Bench press a lot in your workouts, it will help make your chest smaller and easier to bind trust me. If you want a V taper focus on building your shoulders and lats, it'll make your upper body much broader. If your heavier focus on doing cardio to lose some fat but also work on building muscle. Keep your nails trimmed as well, shorter nails make your hands look more masculine.

Clothes

In general try to avoid wearing brighter colors as they look more feminine and make your chest stick out more. Try to shop at stores like Vans, Pacsun, H&M, American Eagle, Zumiez, or other trendy stores like that. Please wear shirts your size since bigger shirts don't actually help with hiding your curves and can even accentuate them more. Also go on Pinterest or look at other black mens outfits to get inspiration for outfits. You can never go wrong with a hoodie and some shoes that are the same color if you want a simple outfit.

Wear an undershirt or tanktop under your shirt. Its really popular for black men to do this (along with wearing basketball shorts under pants lmao) plus it helps hide the outline of your binder.

As for pants Pacsun is the best place to buy them, it may be more pricy for some of you but if you can afford it they have perfect sizes for shorter guys and their jeans fit better. Try to avoid skinny jeans unless you get them in a size up or even 2 sizes up so they're looser and don't hug your curves straight cut jeans are your best bet. Joggers, sweatpants, and sweatshorts are amazing for hiding your hips, plus they're super comfy and trendy. Also sagging your pants can help hide your hips, just don't sag with your pants below your ass.

For underwear try to stick to briefs as they're the comfiest and most common. Good brands for comfy briefs are Champion, AND1, American Eagle, Fruit of the Loom, and Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger. Try to get the spandex ones or the sports style ones as they're comfier and don't feel as scratchy. If you wanna pack while wearing these you can do it without a harness with certain sports boxers since they're made to be tight and hold everything in place.

For shoes try to stick to Nike, Adidas, and Vans. In general just try sticking to sneakers. Wearing shoes of other brands isn't really that common for POC but if you wanna wear other brands or styles of shoes you can. Or you can wear slides with socks, please never wear your slides without socks. If you're self conscious about your shoe size you can go up a size or two and just stuff the front of the shoe.

Mannerisms

I'm sure you already know the basic stuff like don't swing your hips when you walk, try not to swing your arms as much, don't slouch and stand proud but there are other things which can help you pass as well. Learn how to dap people up, it's a common thing for black men to do and it helps you blend in and not look as akward. Try not to raise your voice at the end of a sentence and keep your voice more monotone. Also talk out of your throat voice, I know people always say guys speak out of their chest but they don't. Their voices usually just carry more depth which makes it sound like they're talking from their chest. Speaking from your lower throat is the best way to get a more masculine voice. Try not to use your hands when you talk unless your showing the size of something. Girls tend to always talk with their hands and guys just don't.

That's all I really have for now but I hope it helps a little bit.

[fashionreplacementtherapy-blog]

Clothing tips for trans men

Ever found clothing you like but when you put it on it just doesn’t look or feel great at all? If you’re trans like me that probably happens way too much. With these tips I hope make choosing clothes easier for those who might not fit into the limited body types off the rack men’s clothes are made for.

Mainly I’m going to talk about how to dress more masculine with a feminine body shape like mine. I’ll talk about what I look for in clothes and how to hide or emphasise aspects of your body for a more ‘traditionally masculine’ look.

Maybe you’ve already found pieces you love, but do you know exactly why they work so well? If you do, it makes finding more like it much easier.

First, a disclaimer:

One of the most important clothing tips I can give trans men is that you like what you wear. It should make you feel more confident and true to who you are. People are able to tell when you like your clothes, that you belong in them, so to speak.

I talk about masculine and feminine looks or clothes, but that’s purely about how that’s generally perceived. Not at all to say what you ‘should’ wear as a man, or anything along those lines. Wear whatever you like. If it’s from the men’s or women’s section of the shop doesn’t matter, as long as it works for you. My personal style goal is on the masculine side, for now.

Above all, it should make you feel better about yourself. I’m two years into transitioning medically and am still misgendered 99% of the time. But I’ve reached the point where people are starting to read me as male at first glance. My face and voice give me away, which I doubt will change until I can grow a beard or my voice deepens enough, no matter what clothes I wear. Finding the right clothes that make me closer to what I want to see in the mirror helps an awful lot in how I feel, however.

Body shape

That first glance where people read me as male for a split second is in part based on my silhouette. Whether my body shape is instinctively assumed to be male or female.

In general men tend to have a more top heavy, blocky or rectangular silhouette than women. Think wide shoulders and a body that tapers down to the waist, like an inverted triangle. Others are more straight up and down, or carry more weight in the stomach area, above the waist. Women tend to have narrower shoulders and wider hips. They tend to carry more weight around the hips and thighs.

Now broad shoulders and narrow hips may be the male ideal for some, but a blocky, more rectangular silhouette is easier (and plenty) to aim for using clothing. You can emphasise your shoulders and de-emphasise hips, for example, with the type and fit of clothing you pick. Use them to create a more blocky, ‘male’ silhouette.

I have narrow shoulders, a short upper body and wider hips. I carry weight mostly on my hips, bum and thighs. These are also the parts of my body I’m most self-conscious about. So what I aim for is to create a more rectangular silhouette by adding bulk around my shoulders, creating straight lines to my hips, de-emphasising my hips and lengthening my upper body. I also would like to look taller. While I’m not particularly short (5′8″), I do live in the Netherlands where a lot of people are Very Tall.

So, what do we need to pay attention to?

Fit

A good fit is hugely important. It’s easy to go for baggy hoodies and jumpers because they’re comfy and hide you, but baggy clothes also tend to make people look smaller and younger. We trans guys often look young enough already! If you’re a larger person, baggy clothes might make you look like you’re carrying more weight.

Clothes that fit well don’t need to be tight or uncomfortable either, they just need to be proportionate to you. If they fit well and are proportionate to your body you’ll avoid looking like you borrowed dad’s clothes. A feeling I’ve had far too often!

As my goal is a more masculine look, I tend to go for clothes from the men’s section. This isn’t always necessary (the blue hoody below is from the women’s section), but women’s clothing tends to be tailored to make people look cute and small. It tends to emphasise curves and a narrower waist. Of course this does depend on the style that’s trendy at the moment.

Here are some questions I ask when I’m trying on clothes:

Shirts, jumpers, jackets etc.

Do the shoulders fit? This is often the most important as the shoulder area is hard to adjust.

Is it loose enough around the chest / waist that it doesn’t emphasise curves? Masking the hourglass dip of a slim waist will do a lot to de-emphasise wider hips.

But is it still slim enough that it’s not baggy?

If going for oversized, does it look deliberately oversized and not just baggy?

Is the length right? If it ends at the widest part of the hips it will emphasise that width.

Are the sleeves fitted; not too tight or too loose? Baggy sleeves make arms look smaller, too tight and they’ll be either be constricting or emphasise skinniness as well.

For example, this blue hoody fits me well. The shoulders fit, it’s not too long with the hemline sitting on my hips. It’s not tight around the hips either. The band at the bottom of the hoody doesn’t cinch in like other hoodies do. It doesn’t emphasise the width of my hips, or bunch up around the stomach. I like to push the sleeves up because it makes it look like there’s more bulk up towards my shoulders.

This black tunnel neck sweater is a little too small. It fits just fine around the shoulders but is too tight around my hips, which means it has a tendency to creep up and bunch up around my middle. The body of this sweater isn’t roomy enough to hang free, so it doesn’t create as straight a line down as the blue hoody above.

This knit hoody is too big and too long. It makes me look shorter and does little to de-emphasise my hips. The bottom hem cinches in a little and with the pockets there it adds bulk around the hips. Exactly what I try to avoid.

This Star Wars sweater is deliberately blocky. The design is relatively wide with shoulder seams off the shoulder, but it’s not too long. The bottom hem falls above the widest part of my hips and overall this sweater gives the impression of bulk to my upper body, especially with the sleeves rolled up.

Trousers, jeans etc.

Are they streamlined around the hips & bum, but not too tight? I want to minimise bulk around the hips, but also not have them be so tight that everything’s on show.

Do the trouser legs give the silhouette I want? Personally I like trousers to be snug around the thighs and calves, and tapered below the knee. They follow the lines of my legs but don’t cling to every curve.

Does the position of the waistband make my upper body look right in proportion with my legs? Low rise trousers with a shirt tucked in makes my upper body look longer.

If going for oversized, does it look deliberately oversized and not just baggy?

The trousers on the left fit around the waist and hips, but the legs are too baggy. On the right a pair of the same trousers in a different colour where I took in the legs a bit. They look more slim and tidy.

These are my favourite jeans. They’re low rise, slim fit with only a little stretch and tapered towards the ankle. Snug around my hips, upper legs and calves but don’t cling anywhere else. They’re comfortable and minimise curves without drowning my legs.

These skinny biker jeans hide little in terms of silhouette, but they get away with it as they’re a dark black, not too stretchy, have added detailing above the knee, and don’t cling to my skinny ankles.

Skinny jeans by themselves aren’t ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’, but they do show off curves, which I am self-conscious about sometimes.

Structure

By structure I mean how well a piece of clothing holds its shape. This has a lot to do with the fabric. A denim jacket for example is far more structured than a hoody, because denim is a stiff fabric that holds its shape well.

A hoody made from a thicker fabric that holds its shape a bit is more structured than a hoody made from a thinner fabric that just hangs off you. Even a little bit can make a difference.

More structured clothes make for cleaner lines and make it easier to mask bumps and curves.

This green hoody on the left, for example, is too large and made of a thin stretchy fabric. The blue hoody on the right is a little large but is made of a thicker fabric which holds its shape better. It does a better job at bulking up my shoulders a little and masking my waist.

Woven fabrics are more structured than knits as they tend to have little to no stretch. Denim jackets are more structured than hoodies because of this. And it’s why button up shirts tend to be better at hiding the curve of a waist or binder than t-shirts.

Colour

I’m not going to talk about what colours might be more ‘masculine’ than others because that’s subjective and not useful. Wear what colours you like and suit you! I do have some tips on how to use them to your advantage.

Darker colours hide the shadows of dips and curves better and make you look more slim:

If you’d like to look taller, like I do, then try not to wear contrasting colours on the upper and lower parts of your body. That divides your body into clear sections horizontally, rather than drawing the eye up all the way. The same goes for shoes and belts.

For this example I’m wearing the same trousers and two t-shirts of the same size.

Patterns & prints

Patterns can draw they eye to certain parts of the body. You can use this to your advantage to emphasise and de-emphasise what you want. Blocks of colour at the shoulders, for example, can make your shoulders look wider and draw attention away from the chest area.

This t-shirt does that with the floral print at the shoulders.

Regular patterns such as stripes and checks are best avoided when you don’t want curves to show. Regular patterns make any bump stand out. Irregular patterns on the other hand (floral prints!) mask any irregularity they might be hiding. 

The print on this hoody masks whatever is going on in the chest area a bit.

This shirt’s pattern is also irregular enough to work.  It’s important to keep the pattern in proportion with your body.  Too large a pattern may make you look smaller than you are.

Layering

As you probably know, layering is a trans guy’s best friend. Layer a shirt or an open hoody over a t-shirt and you’re creating straight lines down the front of your body. It masks your chest and any curves you may want to hide. Do this with more structured jackets, such as denim, and those lines will be cleaner.

You’re also adding bulk to your upper body as well. Push up the sleeves to give more emphasis to your shoulders. Make sure the bottom layer isn’t oversized or too bulky, however. That can make it look messy or bunch up around the hips or waist, adding size where you may not want it to.

Tailoring

Everyone you see on TV or in magazines whose clothing always looks great will almost certainly have had their clothes tailored. Since that’s an added expense not everyone can afford, I’ll talk about making do with off the rack clothing as much as possible.

I will however let you know what is possible to have tailored if it’s an option. In the future I’ll write about how to make some adjustments yourself as well.

How to find what works for you

I hope these tips help you find clothes that work for you. The best advice I can give is to try clothes from different shops and brands. Hopefully you’ll come across one where the sizing and fit is somewhat consistently right for you.

Also look for fashion bloggers or vloggers who are a similar size and body shape to you. That way you can see what you like on them before spending any money and they’ll likely be showing clothes that are available in the shops right then.

Feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions or requests!

See my original article with links to some of the clothes I’m wearing, their sizes and my measurements for comparison, here: Clothing tips for trans men

I have some articles that go into more detail published there already as well.

[lady-divine-writes]

Need for Speed:New York - Chapter 2 (Rated NC17)

Summary:

It's been years since high school graduation, and Kurt and Blaine are living the lives of their dreams in New York City alongside their best friends, Nick and Jeff. Car racing behind them, they're working towards the future - Kurt and Jeff at NYADA, Blaine and Nick at NYU. But soon after moving from their tiny apartments to a bigger loft, bits and pieces of Ohio start to weed their way in to their lives - along with some New York grown angst, causing rifts that hopping behind the wheel of a Mustang might not be able to solve.

Notes: This was supposed to upload on Saturday, but I need a little positivity today, so I'm indulging. But there will be another chapter up Sat/Sun. Thank you all for your support <3

Read on AO3.

“A new bed, a new dresser, a new desk, a refrigerator … wait. I thought the loft came with a refrigerator?” Blaine said.

“It does, but it’s from the 50s,” Kurt said, racing down the sidewalk to the NYADA main entrance with his phone pressed to his ear. “It’s retro chic, but I worry about its energy efficiency.”

“Do you wanna get rid of it or …?”

“No way! Are you kidding? It’s too trendy to get rid of. We’ll use it as a show piece or something. We just can’t put food in it. Or plug it in.”

“O-kay. You know, it’s a good thing we’re getting such a good deal on this loft seeing as we’re rebuying every piece of furniture we own.”

“Not every piece.”

“Most of them.”

“It’s a good investment. As far as I’m concerned, the furniture we have is full to the brim with bad juju.” Kurt hurried through the double doors as a throng of other students walked out - a group of theater majors so enthralled in a debate over whether Williams, Shaw, or O’Neill were the best playwright of their time, they didn’t see Kurt until they ran into him. “The dresser’s way too small, the couch cushions are flat as pancakes, and the legs of the bed are shot from moving it in and out of the kitchen all summer long.”

“Are you sure that’s the reason our bed’s legs are shot?”

“That’s the one I’m going with while I’m out in public.”

“And I’m guessing an exorcism is out of the question?”

“I’m not too sure the Catholic Church would be eager to help us. Besides, you honestly think that would be cheaper than a trip to IKEA?”

“Hmmm … probably not.”

Kurt sighed, sliding his messenger bag, then his coat, off his shoulders and shaking out the rain. “I’m sorry. Is this too much? I think I kind of jumped into this without consulting you first.”

“No, no! Not at all! I’m not complaining, I swear! I’m just bustin’ your chops. I think it’s adorable. And it’ll probably be cheaper in the long run to buy brand new stuff than to cart our old junk to the new place.”

“Exactly,” Kurt concurred even though that particular argument hadn’t crossed his mind.

“Plus, I fully support any opportunity you find to spread your designing wings. Speaking of, you’re letting me foot the bill for this shopping spree, right?”

“Absolutely not! 50/50. That’s the arrangement.”

“If that’s how you want it, darling. But you know …” Blaine’s voice slid lower and Kurt grinned, knowing that something suggestive was about to come out of his boyfriend’s mouth “… I could pay the bill, and you could work off your half in trade.” He growled, and even though Kurt rolled his eyes, certain parts of his body rose to the occasion.

“You wish,” Kurt said, willing away the erection that sprang up like a Pavlovian dog at Blaine’s growl, which, at any other time, would be followed by his boyfriend on his hands and knees. That was difficult to accomplish from across town. “Come on, let me go! I have to get to my first class. I’m already late enough to not show up!” Damn Jeff and Nick for not coming home last night, Kurt thought as he carefully folded his soaked coat inside out and draped it over his arm. Since their normal five a.m. shenanigans didn’t wake Kurt up, and his alarm never does, he was late getting ready, late for the train, and now, he’s just plain late for the day.

Honestly, that was on him for linking his circadian rhythm to his friends’ sex schedule.

But late for his first class meant his day was shot, so he might as well go home and keep packing, right?

Sounded reasonable to him.

“Alright, alright, alright! Get to class! Do all the things! I’ll see you later this afternoon, and then maybe we could do a little house warming celebrating of our own.” Blaine growled again, and Kurt re-positioned his sopping wet coat over the front of his jeans so as to not to make a scene.

“You order a pizza and I’ll grab a sleeping bag from the apartment on my way over.”

“It’s a date. Bye, darling.”

“Bye.” Kurt hung up the call. He shivered when the doors behind him opened, ushering in a breeze that spiraled through his damp clothes and straight to his bones. He started down the hall, trying to remember whether or not he’d left a change of clothing in his locker in the costume closet. If not, he could always borrow something. What plays were going on right now? Much Ado About Nothing? Waiting for Godot? Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? There had to be a pair of jeans and a semi-fashionable button-down shirt in there that would fit him. Or he could throw caution to the wind and dress up in a brocade vest, a long coat, and pantaloons. With the risky outfits he wore during high school, period dress was something he hadn’t tried. NYADA seemed like the perfect place to explore those vistas in fashion. Maybe he could start a trend. He was interning at Vogue. He needed to do more to stretch boundaries, be bold, start a movement.

Get dry. Because the longer he waited, the tighter his jeans became. They were tight enough as it was. Squishing his junk was not the fashion statement he needed to start today.

A familiar voice stopped him before he could convince himself to go to his second lecture dressed like Benedick … or Beatrice.

Not just stopped but skidded to a halt, nearly rolling his right ankle in the process.

“Hello, gorgeous. I think you forgot your bag.”

“Sebastian?” Kurt spun around. And as implausible as it seemed, Sebastian Smythe was standing behind him, Kurt’s messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He looked dryer than Kurt, so he couldn’t have just gotten there. But why was he there at all? “Oh my God!” Kurt opened his arms and hugged him without giving it a second thought. “We haven’t seen you in forever! I thought you were overseas! What are you doing in New York?”

Sebastian returned the hug single-armed. ““Haven’t you heard? I go here now.”

Kurt stepped out of Sebastian’s embrace so quickly, he almost succeeded in twisting that ankle. “Wait? What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” He brought his left arm forward, showing Kurt a stack of books he held clutched in his hand. The top one Kurt recognized right away as Intro to Theater. That happened to be the class he was missing this very moment. The second was A History of Shakespearean Dress Making, the elective Kurt had fourth today, and the third … The Beginner’s Guide to Mime? Kurt didn’t understand. Wasn’t Sebastian attending Oxford or something? Why would he be in New York taking theater, mime, and dress making? It didn’t make sense. “Wha---what, are you … did you really … how in the hell did you …?” Kurt went silent, mouth open as a dozen questions clogged up his throat like rush hour traffic.

He flashed back to his own audition for NYADA – the grueling hour spent in the April Rhodes Auditorium singing his prepared musical theater piece and sight reading another. He had to juggle set design, costume, and choreography all at a professional level to prove that he had what it took to go to this school. Jeff, who auditioned in dance, had to prepare two separate solos – one classical ballet and one hip-hop. At an additional placement interview, Kurt had to prepare another musical theater piece as well as deliver a monologue, and Jeff had to come up with three more dance routines – jazz, interpretive, and contemporary.

Kurt knew that Sebastian had music in his arsenal. He was co-captain of The Warblers at Dalton, but that was show choir. They sang top 40 hits and pulled off some synchronized swaying – nothing to the level of a NYADA audition. Kurt attended the last Warbler concert of their senior year with Blaine. Sebastian had a solo. Kurt remembered thinking he had a decent voice – better than decent, actually.

But that was about it.

Afterwards, at a mixed crew going-away party, Sebastian drank three beers and smoked a joint – something Kurt would never think of doing as a performer. His body was his instrument. He wouldn’t do anything that might put it out of tune.

Going to a school like NYADA wasn’t only about talent. It was about passion and sacrifice. Sebastian never said a word about wanting to join the arts professionally. Was he keeping it a secret – maybe from his dad? Maybe his life was like George the janitor’s and he was waiting for his moment to break free.

Could he have actually made it into NYADA?

“Wait, wait, wait! Hold up!” Sebastian juggled the books in his hand to grab his phone and snap a pic. The flash went off in Kurt’s face, but he didn’t even blink. Sebastian looked at the image on his screen and chortled. “Oh yeah! That's a keeper!”

“I still don’t … I don’t … how did you …?”

“I don’t go here, ya psycho!” Sebastian snorted, setting the books down on a nearby chair. “I came here to see you! The tuition here’s highway robbery, and the audition requirements are insane! You really have to commit yourself to a life of suffering and poverty to want to go here, no offense.”

“None taken, you useless walnut. Then where did you get those?” Kurt pointed at the books.

“I borrowed them from the library. I thought it would give me provenance, help me look the part.”

“A-ha. So you came here looking for me, and when you couldn’t find me, you went to the library and grabbed those books to pretend you go here on the off chance I’d walk through the door and you could pull this elaborate prank on me?”

Sebastian shrugged. “Worked, didn’t it?”

Kurt chuckled. “Yup. I guess it did. You’re one lucky bastard.”

“That, and I ran into Jeff about half an hour ago. He said you’d probably be along soon.”

“He should know. He’s the reason I’m late, the jerk. You still haven’t told me what you’re doing in New York?”

“Yeah …” Sebastian glanced down at his feet, worrying the linoleum with the toe of his sneaker “… well, after a few laps around the world, I got bored and decided it was time to settle down for a while. So I thought I’d come back to the states, go to school and finish my degree.”

“What degree?” Kurt asked, deciding he could afford to miss one Intro to Theater class to catch up with an old friend. Besides, this information was bordering on gossip, and Kurt wasn’t one to kick gossip out of bed.

“Originally, I was going to go into law. Become a states’ attorney like my dad. But it seemed empty to me. So I gave it some thought and asked myself – when was the last time I really enjoyed myself? The last time I was really happy? Aside from driving, the answer to that was music. And since I didn’t see myself becoming the next Dale Earnhardt, Jr. …”

“Mmm … probably not …” Kurt teased.

“… I applied to the music therapy program at NYU.”

Kurt’s nose scrunched. “The same program Blaine’s in?”

“Yup.” Sebastian’s eyes sheepishly found his sneaker again. “I’ll admit, I got the idea from his Facebook posts. It looks like something he really enjoys. Something that adds value to his life. That’s something I need more of – value.” He pinched his lower lip between his teeth. “That doesn’t make you uncomfortable, does it? I mean, I know we all have a past and everything but …”

“But we’ve gotten over it,” Kurt said. “I swear. Color me a little bit shocked, but that’s all. How big of an asshole would I have to be if I said ‘I know you finally found your purpose in life, but you need to give it up and leave’?”

“Pretty big,” Sebastian agreed.

“That doesn’t mean it’s open season on my man or anything.”

“Dammit!” Sebastian snapped his fingers in mock disappointment. “I’m heading his way now, and I was hoping for a little bathroom bj action.”

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest. “Nice.”

“I’m kidding! Kidding! Please, don’t hate me … or murder me in my sleep.”

“Hmph! I’ll think about it.”

Sebastian nodded, the last dregs of laughter fading in his throat. “All joking aside, I wanted to connect with you first. I wanted you to hear from me instead of Blaine that I was here.” Sebastian looked Kurt up and down, but not in the way he used to. Not in a way that made Kurt’s skin crawl. This was a different Sebastian Smythe. A new Sebastian Smythe. Kurt hoped this one stuck around for a while. “You look good.” 

“Thanks,” Kurt said, grateful that Sebastian overlooked the drowned rat aesthetic he was still sporting. “So do you.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. You look happier. More ...” The first word that jumped to Kurt’s mind was mature, but he thought that would make him sound conceited “… put together.”

“It helps when you leave drama behind you and get your shit straightened out. Maybe now I can focus on the important things.”

“If you need anything, let us know,” Kurt said, offering Sebastian one last hug.

“I will.” Sebastian wrapped his arms around Kurt’s torso and gave him a squeeze. He slipped Kurt’s bag over his shoulder, adjusting the curled strap for longer than necessary. “I have to go. Time to head over to NYU and bug your boyfriend.”

“He’ll be at lunch in about an hour. You can catch him at Kimmel Marketplace. Oh, and if you see Nick, do me a favor and punch him in the shoulder for me. I have to hunt down Jeff and do the same.”

“Of course, but why?”

“Oh, they know what they’ve done.”

***

“So, you’re moving, huh?” Green eyes narrowed to judgmental slits, waiting for Blaine to answer.

“Uh … yeah,” Blaine replied, fishing through his bag for his notebook. He was supposed to have three, but he could only find two. He smirked, wondering if Kurt had grabbed it by accident, seeing how distracted he was when he ran out to catch his train this morning.

Blaine felt slightly guilty for that one. Kurt blamed Jeff and Nick’s absence for his lateness.

But Blaine had been doing the distracting.

“And whose idea was that?”

“My boyfriend wanted to move and I thought it was a good idea, so … yeah.” Blaine grunted, pulling out each item one by one and stacking it neatly on the cafeteria table. “That’s pretty much how that went down.”

“I see.” Paul brushed a lock of blond hair out of his face and sipped his coffee, perturbed by this recent development. The apartment Blaine lived in (though Paul had never been there) was only a few subway stops away from NYU. Everything Blaine could ever need was here on campus. Everything. So he didn’t need to move. But apparently that wasn’t Blaine’s decision to make. His boyfriend did.  “Where to?”

“A loft out in Bushwick.”

“Bushwick?” Paul’s whole face crumpled in disgust. “Where the hell is Bushwick? It sounds like a slum.”

“It’s in Brooklyn. It’s actually a pretty nice neighborhood.”

“But what about all that travel? It’s still Brooklyn.”

“It’s not that big a deal. Besides, it’s worth it. You should see the place. It’s enormous!”

Paul smiled, the piercings in his dimples mirroring the glint in his eyes. “Is that an invitation?”

“Sure. I guess. I mean, I should step up and host study night now that I have the space. I’m sure Kurt won’t mind. I can probably connive him into making some snacks. He’s an amazing cook.”

“I’ll bet,” Paul said dryly. “You know, the course load only gets harder from here on out, so I hear. You really should consider living closer to campus.”

“I don’t know if you’ve been looking at the classifieds lately, but places near campus cost an arm and a leg. I’d like to keep mine for now. I’m not even in grad school yet,” Blaine said, chuckling at his own joke.

“Maybe you could find someone to bunk with during the week,” Paul suggested, sliding closer while Blaine had his back turned, head deep inside his bag, “and go to your loft on the weekends. I know a couple of guys who do that.” He snapped his fingers as if he just came up with a genius idea. “I have a fold-out couch. You can bunk with me whenever you’re working late, or you’re too tired to ride the subway … or you don’t want to go home.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d miss my boyfriend too much.” Blaine yanked out a handful of letters from Kurt and piled them on top of his text books. Paul watched, his lip curling once he noticed the flowery handwriting. “I can handle the extra commute. I’m a big boy.”

Paul grinned, looking Blaine over behind the safety of Blaine’s back, stopping when his eyes reached his ass. “I’m sure you are.”

“Anderson! Hey, Anderson!”

Blaine grinned to his eyebrows before he looked up. He’d recognize that voice, booming his name, anywhere. He’d heard rumors. He didn’t know if they’d be true.

Apparently, they were.

Walking through the cafeteria crowd came Sebastian Smythe, sauntering toward him, reminiscent of the first day they met in the commons at Dalton.

God! That simultaneously seemed like yesterday and ten years ago. Where had the time gone?

“Are you kidding me? Where in the hell did you come from?” Blaine leapt out of his seat and into Sebastian’s arms. “Last I heard, you were in London? Madrid?”

“Paris,” Sebastian said, lifting Blaine up a foot off the ground just because he could. “I just came from NYADA. Had a little fun scaring the shit out of your man. He said you might be here. Speaking of …” Sebastian’s smile dropped like a lead balloon when he caught sight of the guy  with the bottle blond mop and garish crayon red tips glaring daggers at him, as if he and Blaine had been enjoying an intimate lunch and Sebastian was intruding “… who the hell is this?”

“This is Paul Johnson,” Blaine said. “He’s my lab partner this semester.”

Sebastian didn’t offer him a hand. Paul didn’t offer one either.

“Yes,” Paul said, “but we’ve known one another since freshman year, so …” He left it open-ended, as if there were a whole history of him and Blaine understood within the invisible brackets bookmarking that unfinished statement. It was pretentious, and as a once pretentious person himself, it rubbed Sebastian the wrong way.

Blaine, however, didn’t seem to notice.

“Paul Johnson?” Sebastian huffed. “That sounds like a stripper name. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Stripping is a noble profession.”

Paul’s jaw locked tight. Blaine clapped Sebastian on the shoulder.

“Play nice,” he said. “So, what’s up? Did you get your books and shit? Do you know what classes you’re taking?”

“Haven’t got my books yet, dad,” Sebastian teased, “but I have my course list.” He handed Blaine his phone with his schedule listed on the screen. “According to this, I’ve got to get myself one of those …” He gestured dismissively at Paul.

“Too bad you weren’t here a few weeks ago. We could have been partners.”

From the corner of his eye, Sebastian saw Paul grimace.

“Wouldn’t that have been a hoot? Then I could have kept you out of trouble. Now I’ve gotta stalk your ass.” Another glare from Paul, but this time Sebastian matched it and held it, not blinking until Paul backed down … which he did, returning to the task of sulking inside his coffee cup. “Hey, do you happen to know where Nick is?”

“Uh, I think he’s at his internship already. Brown, Smith, Simon, and Kent on 5th Avenue. Why do you ask?”

“I’m supposed to punch him. Per Kurt’s request.” Sebastian pounded his left palm with his right fist and side-eyed Paul. “I could punch you instead. Something tells me Kurt would approve.”

“Ha … ha …” Blaine stepped between Sebastian and Paul and gave his old friend another hug. “It’s good to see you again, man, but unfortunately, we’ve got to get back to work.”

“Yes,” Paul said, his smug smile replacing the perma-glare on his face, “we’ve got to get back to work.”

“And I’ve got to swing by admissions,” Sebastian said, ignoring Paul, “but we’ll get together soon, right?”

“Absolutely! Did Kurt tell you about the new loft?”

“Nah. We only had time for a small make-out sesh. We didn’t get that far.”

Blaine raised an unamused brow. “You’re full of the jokes today, aren’t you?”

“He’s full of something,” Paul grumbled.

“Just excited to be back. And tryin’ to keep you on your toes. I’m harmless ... mostly.” Sebastian bumped the table with his thigh. Paul’s coffee cup tipped, sending him scrambling to catch it before it could fall off the edge.

“Right,” Blaine said, mildly confused. “I’ll shoot you the deets and you can come by for dinner. Otherwise, we’ll see you around campus?”

Sebastian threw a look over his shoulder, and since Paul had been boring holes in his back the whole time, willing him to move the hell on, he was in prime position to catch it. “I’m looking forward to it.”

[smokycaramel]

This fucking episode right here made me want to spit nails, and i will tell you why, because the asshole writers to the show including fox network were intent on shaming Nicole and the character she plays on national television. Having one of her long time friends co-star/ actor(Lance Gross) be the one to deliver this despicable message; There’s no room for supporting players on the Abbie Mills show. This was a personal shot at the fans. I remember right after the finale of season three going on the internet , trying to find any sort of statement or comment made from Lance or Jessica Camacho, and there was nothing. It was as if what happened, didn’t actually happen. i wonder sometimes how he managed to deliver that line. How it made him feel to be put in a position to do it, and how he felt after. How did Nicole feel during that scene. i don’t care if this show is no longer on the air. This show definitely did one thing. It left a lasting imprint on what black women don’t want seeing done to their favorite black female characters, and that is sidekick, or forced off a show because White Becky simply can’t deal with seeing a black woman being seen as not only sexy, but powerful and worthy of love.

 I was debating on whether or not to talk about this now or in another post, but i decided why not now. The term ‘WOC’  seemed to be trendy amongst white people back in 2015-2016 in regards to television. Especially after black women grew tired of the blatant misuse and abuse of black female characters on shows like The Vampire Diaries and The Flash. Hollywood loves to hire the biracial actress as the romantic interest rather than use one of a darker complexion. Yet at the same time those who are biracial or half black also get the short end of the stick, because if they’re the token amongst an all white cast,they are then put in a position to prop up other whites characters, and the chances of them even having a love interest on the show becomes irrelevant. I’m beyond tired of white people, white America,taking the reigns and having the audacity to decide and define to me as a black woman what a black woman ought to look like.  Sleepy Hollow is a prime example of  how white people want a woman of color to look. Biracial is a must. Wavy, spiraled, or straight hair. Light to medium in complexion. A WOMAN OF COLOR. because we asked for, and demanded to see more women of color on television,not realizing we were shooting ourselves in the foot. Hollywood answered with;

                                                  HIRE THIS

 Don’t have a problem with the actress, but the show’s reason for hiring her was transparent. I liked her as a friend to Abbie, or for those of us who were hoping for her to be Crane and Abbie’s daughter from the future, but the truth is she was to be Abbie’s replacement,and it didn’t take too long to figure that out after the 2015 fall finale.

Below Actress Maya Kazan who is Greek, but i guess she was hired as a woman of color, not to mention a temporary block from keeping the black woman meaning( Nicole) in her place as the so called platonic friend of the man who was head over heels i love with her.

 When a show runner/ so called television writer Raven Metzner gushes in an interview just how hot she is, and that he couldn’t wait to see her sexed up and looking hot. This was completely unprofessional. White female fans were clamoring for her to be paired with ichabod instead of Nicole who played the eldest sister/witness, and had hot chemistry with Tom Mison. Smh.

Actress Caroline Ford. I can honestly say i couldn’t remember where i had seen her prior to her temporary role on Sleepy Hollow playing a succubus. It was the tv show Once Upon A Time as Red Riding Hood. I thought she was white. She looks white. Her mother is Trini, Scottish,Chinese and her father, English. But white fans of the show used this as their argument against black women in defending this as a woman of color while treating darker skin actresses like trash. This is who they would rather see as our replacement.

Nikki Reed hired to play Betsy Ross on Sleepy Hollow. Some thought she was Latina due to the fact that she was supposed to play one on the O.C, but she in fact is not. Once again White Hollywood taking someone who has dark European features and having them slide into a different ethnicity they don’t even belong to. This show hired her as a woman of color. Her background is flat out European. Ashkenazi Jewish, German, British Isles,and one eighth Italian.

When the show chose this

When we all saw this bullshit coming. Black women, even some white women saw this coming when they hired Janina Gavankar. Sleepy Hollow thinking once again; Well as long as she looks like she has black in her background or could maybe pass herself off as a black woman. Only she’s not. She is half Dutch and Indian. Nicole’s replacement on the show. Somehow Tom Mison needed her as his love interest. White female fans of the show applauded this. After all the excuses the show gave for not putting the original two leads together, and there were many. He’s married, they’re witnesses, they have an apocalypse to fight. Abbie cares about his marriage. Abbie is all about her career, etc. After killing Katrina off . The show found every way to throw someone white or light Crane’s way.But the idiocy doesn’t just stop there. Black men in Hollywood behind the scenes or in front are also responsible. Her once again;

Janina Gavankar, walking, talking this way because i guess that’s how all of us as black women act and behave. “Oh look cornrows. Well if your’re going to play the part. Black men will have and find every excuse to accept this.

                                  DON’T HIRE WOMEN WHO LOOK LIKE                                                                THIS,BECAUSE IT MAKES WHITE TV                                                                   VIEWERS UNCOMFORTABLE

 The fabulously talented and most gorgeous woman on the planet. Nicole Beharie. “Oh white women noticed right away,that’s why they acted and behaved in the way that they did. She’s a head turner. Not to mention she has chemistry with every male actor she’s played with onscreen. Including Mr. David Boreanaz from Bones, when they did the crossover. I remember a white woman taking to social media and commenting on Nicole’s wardrobe on the show. Her comments were this. Is there a reason she has to dress in such fitting clothes. Doesn’t she know how that makes her look, and that is not the way she should carry herself. A  white woman was bothered by tight t-shirts, tight jeans, heels and a leather jacket. I guess outfits like that should only be worn on white women. Isn’t it funny how the rules change when we’re dark skinned and gorgeous.  Us wearing bathing suits whether one piece or a bikini sets them off.  Or going sleeveless like our favorite first lady; Ms. Michelle Obama.

When white women couldn’t stay in their own lane, and understand that slavery is over. Black women don’t owe you an explanation on how we should dress.

White women, white people were up in arms over this. 

Played her sister on Still Star Crossed. So of course you know pissed. To be dark skin, and beautiful is to be invisible and ignored by everyone. Yet they have questions as to why we always look so young. “Oh that would be the very complexion you hate.

White women; “Ughhhh why is she just so damn beautiful. “I’m so jealous of her skin. “Of course you are. You like how smooth and polished it is, and you probably wouldn’t mind the skin tone either, but that comes with a cost, and we all know you don’t want that! And then there are the black men who use the excuse that black women don’t wear their natural hair . Yet when they do, they’ll still find another excuse or reason to side step the idea of dating a woman who looks like her. 

[karolatea]

How to fashion?

tldr: Maybe someone here can help with a conundrum I'm having: I do have an idea of what my style is/what items I like... or well, styles. My issue is that depending on the day I'll want to wear vastly different things. Say, on one end there's punk/grunge and on the other a very proper Victorian inspired style. I'd still like to be able to wear both, without needing two completely separate wardrobes. So ideally having some pieces that fit into both styles, depending on how they're combined/accessorised, probably? I don't really know *anything* about fashion, and never really bothered much about building a wardrobe one way or the other, so absolutely any pointers would be welcome, if someone here has managed to deal with a similar situation :) Here’s a lil (long) rambly video elaborating a bit: https://youtu.be/5BCGEeCff-k

Where I come from: I’ve always struggled finding clothes that fit 100%, which kinda taught me to settle for compromises or not bother looking for what I want from an early age. I was never one of the cool kids, and didn’t try to be, so that ‘social’ aspect didn’t really push me into fashion, and I wasn’t really interested in current trends either. As a rebellious teen I started wearing lots of black, band shirts, that sort of stuff. A bit later I discovered Lolita, the first time I really got interested in a ‘fashion style’, and started wearing skirts and shirts, eventually abandoning jeans entirely for over a year. I did sew one Lolita outfit, but decided that while I love the style, it’s not one for my personal everyday life. My family brought me up with a mindset of avoiding wastefulness, so while I was never a full minimalist, I do usually keep my clothes quite long, until they break/don’t fit/I REALLY don’t like them anymore. Which leads to me still having items from when I was like 12 years old (almost 15 years ago), as well as all the styles I tried along the way. As I started buying my own clothes and becoming more conscious of the world I got into sustainability, so I try to only buy eco-fair or second hand clothing. While second-hand clothing exists in all sorts of styles (if you can find it), eco-fair clothing is usually quite limited in style (usually basic/hipster/minimalist). 

Where I’m at: I know very little about fashion. My wardrobe consists of mix-matched pieces, a few of which I really like, but most are just functional. Pretty much none fit 100%. There’s a bunch of plain t-shirts (mostly for work), jeans are a staple, then other random bits. Colours are mostly black and grey, with just a few colourful items. Aside from t-shirts I don’t need any clothes for work, as we have a uniform I change into. So my daily needs are entirely dictated by my leisure activities… which I currently don’t have any of (*the situation*) and had very little before as my last job didn’t leave much free time. However generally I tend to not ‘do’ much. Just walk to the shop, maybe walk to a sport club (and change into gym clothes), if I ‘go out’ it’s usually just sitting at a pub. I do still love both the rebellious teen as well as the fancy shirts and skirt style. But I don’t really have many items to form full outfits for either of them. On any given day I tend to feel either like dressing up full fancy, or full raggedy. A mix of that is also cool, but not usually what I’m in the mood for. Given that my interests have changed so little over the past 10 years (as in, I still like both grunge-ish and victorian-ish fashion) I’m fairly confident it’ll also stay that way for a while, or at least similar. 

What I want: I want to build a wardrobe that I love or at least like all of the pieces and outfits in. (Probably excluding functional wear for gym/work.) I want to be able to create several outfits in each of the ‘major’ styles I like, the victorian-inspired and the grunge-ish, so that I could wear each of them for at least a week straight without needing to wash. At the same time I want to keep the space used up by clothes small, so ideally most (or many at least) pieces would work in both styles depending on the combination or accessories. I’m ok with getting rid of old things that I don’t like (anymore), but I don’t want to contribute to the fast fashion industry, so I’ll be striving to get everything second hand. Since I’ll put all this effort in, I want the pieces to actually fit and also last. So I want to get things from physical shops where I can try them on to make sure they properly fit and look good on me. I’ll probably also be honing my sewing skills for alterations, or maybe even make things from scratch. 

What I don’t want (necessarily): While I do not want to need two complete wardrobes, I’m not necessarily striving for a full minimalist/capsule wardrobe. I just want to be fairly efficient. I don’t need to be ‘unique’. I just want to wear the styles I like, for myself. If a thousand other people happen to wear the same things, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t need to be ‘trendy’/’normal’ either. There’s definitely times I’d like to not stick out, and for those I will keep my jeans & t-shirts. But I’m used to being a little odd, and I’m ok with that. 

What the plan is (so far): Actually research some basic fashion. - How to combine things? - How to be efficient with wardrobe building? Look into the styles I like. - What do I like about each style? - Any commonalities? Collect pictures. Collect ideas for pieces that could work for both styles. Think of combination methods. - Also for a ‘hybrid’ style or various occasions (funeral/family gathering/casual work?) Go through current wardrobe and sort everything by: - Love. Definitely incorporate into new wardrobe. - Like. Keep, try and incorporate into new wardrobe if it works for now. Maybe replace with a better item later on. - Like for functionality. Keep, don’t bother incorporating. (Gym clothes etc) - It’s ok. Keep wearing for now, try and replace with actually nice things. (random t-shirts) - Get rid of. Things that have not been worn in a year and probably won’t ever again. Make a list of how many items needed (eg. 14 tops, 4 bottoms etc), see what’s already in the Love and Like pile, see what’s missing. Make a list of specific items to get. (eg. black, slightly oversized shirt with poofy sleeves). Think of at least 5 outfits for each item, preferably for each style. Possibly visualise. Go out and get stuff. - Buy second hand. - Go to physical stores and try things on for perfect style and fit. (aka wait till after covid) - DON’T COMPROMISE! Take your time. - If need be (and it will be) alter things. - Possibly even sew from scratch. Actually wear things. - Start wearing new things asap to figure out whether they were a good pick and to get more of them or maybe if the next piece should be a bit different.

[daveywankenobie]

(Part one here)

July

The seventh month of the year is a big one and starts with me in unfamiliar territory.

My teens.

I haven’t managed to time travel to the 80’s – instead I’ve just about managed to creep into the 19st bracket, and I’m fighting to stay there.

My efforts to power through small slump this are self evident though – and I decide that it’s time to really see how far I can go. One morning (for no reason other than to see if I can) I decide to get up and walk from Warwick to Solihull (link).

It’s fifteen miles and I’ve never tried to go this far in one day before.

Although it was essentially just an exercise in determination and distance this was and still is a very important achievement for me – because it truly meant that there was practically no-where any more locally than I could drive to and get stranded in (a big fear in my mind that was always with me) because of weight related mobility issues.

If my car ever broke down in Solihull and I needed to I could now walk home.

Transitioning mentally from a man that originally couldn’t walk to the end of his street to one that could walk to Solihull was both profound and emotional. Even more upsetting though, during the journey my Apple Watch was pronounced sick and in need of repair.

I leave my fallen comrade with Apple and I’m without it for over a week.

At home I’m still working on the garden and have finally managed to turn it into a welcoming (rather than impassable) space.

My ongoing dissatisfaction with items in my house also results in the death (by hacksaw) of an old armchair and the purchase of an Ikea Poang chair – which is a step in the right direction – but also something I’m too scared to sit on in case I break it (link).

As I continue to prepare for Snowdon I look for more challenges – and revisit Burton Dassett via a longer walk from Avon Dassett (link). I’ve also got Apple Watch back, and although the gap without it has left a big hole in my stats I couldn’t be happier.

An important milestone arrives when I suddenly realise that I can now get into charity shop clothing – and I buy my very first wearable item from one (link) a Penguin jacket (which I was reliably informed was rather trendy).

I take this item of clothing (and quite a few others) to Snowdonia where on Saturday July 22nd at around 19.5 stone I climb Mount Snowdon with a friend (link).

It’s one of the proudest moments of my life – and is both very emotional and extremely symbolic. I’ve come a long way – and it’s a superb reminder of how much can be achieved!

Mostly because of this strenuous activity Supercoat (which is now way too big for me) is given to my father (link).

I’m also suddenly in 40in waisted Jacamo jeans (link) and shortly after getting my 15.5 stone certificate I also climb Thorpe Cloud (link).

August

The start of the month is excellent (link) and my HbA1c level has now dropped further to 28. My diabetic nurse tells me that if I was re-tested at that point I would no longer be diagnosed as type 2.

My diabetes appears to be in full remission.

I’m once again preparing myself for a potential return to work by buying interview clothes. The physical changes since the last time I went about this around six months before are readily apparent (link).

On August 14th I start another job (link) in the hope that this time I’ve made the right choice. It’s different mainly because I can walk to it – so therefore I can build exercise into my every day routine without feeling like it’s unnaturally forced.

Initially my feelings about the job are really positive and I’m happy. I take the long route to work whenever possible and I’m loving how fit I feel.

I’ve come a long way in terms of body confidence too and have started posting comparison shots like this on Instagram to spur me on.

It’s working – because by mid August I have my sixteen stone certificate and my the end of the month realise that I’ve walked (since April 2016) the cumulative distance from San Francisco to New York(link)!

September

The weather in September is great and although I’m working again I take advantage of it as much as I can in the evenings and weekends. I’m wandering over hill and dale with my camera and trying to capture as many pretty things as I can.

Quite out of the blue an unexpected watershed moment arrives on the way home from work and (as has happened many times in the past due to my weight) I get abused by a bunch of teenagers whilst walking through the park.

However – instead of calling me a fat c**t as I pass by (a previously preferred moniker such people had for me) they instead all shout ‘BALDY!’ (link) in unison – both stunning me and leaving me with a lot to think about.

If they don’t see me as fat any more and the worst they can come up with is an insult about my hair line – do I now look ‘normal’?

I’m forced to admit that my self perception is now seriously at odds with reality – and to further underscore this I slowly approach a significant ‘Rubicon moment’ (link).

I’ve slowed down a little – but I still have my 17 stone certificate.

However – not all is going well – and once again I realise that the job I’ve chosen isn’t for me. I decide to leave (link) and once again I don’t know what this says about me to my friends or what it means for the future.

Without warning again I feel like a complete failure.

Something does manage to cheer me up towards the end of the month however – and I attend something I booked with a few friends the year before. It’s an event I probably couldn’t have gone to easily when I said yes to it – but my hope was I’d lose enough weight to make it a reality – and I did.

I’ve always wanted to go to EGX gaming expo at the NEC but was never fit enough to stand for the time required or capable of comfortably walking the distances required around the NEC.

When I finally made it I really geeked out!

October

Largely because of a my own sense that I was losing my way a little with my diet October was dominated by #onplanoctober (link) which kept me on the straight and narrow.

I calorie counted every last morsel of food that passed my lips for the entire month.

If I’m honest this really tested the limits of my patience – but I’d promised that I’d do it – and by the end of the exercise it paid dividends because in the space of 5 weigh in’s I managed to lose 16.5lbs.

Mid way through the month I get my 17.5 stone certificate and I’m also handed a little cardboard bauble for a Christmas tree. I write something on it and then largely forget about it…

This also means that my Rubicon moment has finally arrived — and on the 7th of October I’ve finally lost more than I weigh. I make myself a Club 50 award. Over half of my original body weight has now gone.

In the first weeks of the month I start speaking publicly at Slimming World meetings (link) about my weight loss. In total I do nine of them in Warwickshie – and they’re all a humbling experience – but also very rewarding.

To see how far I’ve come in the pictures I pass around and hear the gasps in the room when I put on my old clothes is quite emotional.

I also return twice to (the now colder) Malvern Hills  (link) and Ilmington Downs (link) for more attempts at both – and I’m struck in these locations by how much easier things are getting.

Although I still have weight to lose I’m pretty darned fit at this point – and I barely get out of breath on the ascents.

I finally get around to compiling a list of non-scale victories (link) which I read to my friend for the first time and both of us start crying. In response to this I realise how important the recognition of these accomplishments is and I make a regularly updated site page (link) and add something new each time it occurs.

By October 28th I’ve lost a staggering 28 inches from my waist (link) and my photographic diary of February 2017 to October is showing some serious progress.

Furthermore I’m also able to fit into my very first LARGE items of clothing (link) and ever since I mention the word LARGE at every opportunity I get. This means that since getting into a LARGE I’ve said LARGE a LARGE number of times.

November

November kicks off with me getting an 18 stone certificate and a Mr Sleek award – which is a bit embarrassing – but also a really nice pat on the back!

My public speaking has also been received positively, and because of it I’m offered some work at a local company in a temp role – which comes in very useful as it manages to stem the outward flow from my bank account and promises to make Christmas a little less daunting.

On the 6th of November I start my job and find that (being something I’ve never done before) it makes me feel quite alive. I also get to walk 3 miles there and three miles back every day which means that I can keep up my now regular average distance of 10 miles walked per day (link).

It’s getting colder though and it’s not only the floor thats frozen – my hands and feet are too.

I keep up the walking however – partially because I rather like my new place of employment. I like it enough in fact to apply for a permanent position at the company (link) for which I’m accepted.

It’s also another thinly veiled excuse to dress up for a job interview, which underscores just how much I’ve started to enjoy clothes shopping and looking smart.

It’s my new thing!

November ends with another first and I meet a fellow blogger (link) who comes to visit for the very first time! I have a real live internet friend with a face and a body and everything!

December

The final month of 2017 finds me in an unusually festive mood and after no small amount of agonising I decide to do something for the first time in my adult life.

I buy a Christmas tree (link) and I put my little October cardboard bauble amongst it’s branches. It’s hastily scrawled words are now a reality!

I’m also now officially into 36in trousers, meaning 30 inches have been lost from my waist’s starting point.

I get my 19 stone certificate (link) on December the 9th – which is quickly followed by another unusual event.

I go dancing (with Angie and my Slimming World group) for the first time since the 90’s – and I have a fantastic time. All in all I’m on the dancefloor for around two and a half hours (completely sober) and I’m so pumped and full of energy I virtually skip home afterwards!

December seems to content to keep supplying me with firsts as well – and on the 14th I’m featured in the local newspaper (link).

This is followed soon after by an offer to appear on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Radio (link) which is very exciting indeed (it’s due to happen this Friday 29th December at 10-10.15am) – but for some reason I’m more preoccupied with my washing machine – which is completely broken.

Priorities eh?

That pretty much brings us up to date. I had a fab Christmas – and after discovering earlier in the month that I suddenly love red (link) and wearing geek things I did pretty well for presents!

So – thats 2017 almost at a close!

I hope you enjoyed reading the second part of this retrospective as much as I did writing it internet! Join me again in a year (if you’re not already sick of me) and we’ll see what comes out of the next twelve months!

Thanks for sticking with me – it’s a genuine pleasure to write something that people like to read and comment on.

You guys and gals make it all worthwhile xxx

Davey

2017 retrospective (part two) (Part one here) July The seventh month of the year is a big one…

[fafsernir]

I’ll be There for You

Title: I’ll be There for You

Fandom: Torchwood (Janto, Ten/Rose)

Chapters: 1/?

Summary: Jack and Ianto don't exactly start off on the right foot. It doesn't mean they can't be friends, right?

Read on AO3 or FF.net

Note: (long note, I know, but please read to know about the AU)

Ooookay a bit of context needed for this (ahem, again) AU fic! For those who follow me with my other Torchwood fics, you know I've been away from the Torchwood fandom since I've watched Friends, and one thing I did while watching Friends was, apart from shipping really hard Monica and Chandler, comparing my favourite couple to Janto. Because Janto is never very far in my mind ;) So, yeah, I found similarities with Janto & Mondler, and @mika-pirkaf (go check her, she's awesome) also did. we started talking and as often (when an idea has been on my mind and I finally talk about it), I ended up writing a fic, because why the hell not. And as ALWAYS, it got out of hands and now I want to write a whole chaptered fic.

Okay, moving on to what you need to know: Do you need to have watched Friends? Nope. It sure will help getting references, but it's not necessary, it's still a Janto story. It's basically scenes between Monica and Chandler, but modified to fit at best to Ianto and Jack.

Things you might want to know or else you won't understand: Yeah, Ianto has Rhiannon in canon, that's true, but for this story I (actually we, because mika-pirkaf helped me a great deal!) decided to change who his sibling was. For this story, the Doctor is Ianto's older brother, and he's named John, otherwise it was weird/harder to write. Ianto's (and John's, therefore) parents are named George and Mary; and Ianto's best friend is Rose. Try and stop me. Other Torchwood characters will appear later on ;)

Oh, and it's set in the 90s for this chapter. Jack's and Ianto's behaviours are not the same as I plan them to be later in the story so don't worry, it will fit the characters more later. (For now, Jack's in his first year of College and Ianto is in his last year of high school)

Ianto flattened his shirt nervously, then pulled at it to take it out of his pants. He looked down at himself, pouted, and tucked his top back in his jeans. Yeah, it was definitely better. As thin as his brother was, the clothes he had inherited from him were surprisingly big. Way too big. The fact that he was anxious didn't help him feel good in them.

“Did you clean your room?” his mother asked as she walked pass him.

He mumbled affirmatively, only for his father to flick the back of his head. “Behave yourself, your brother is coming.”

As if Ianto wasn't aware of that. His brother and some friend of his' from College were about to arrive, which was the main reason why Ianto felt nervous. He didn't like people that much. Well, he did, but he wasn't that good at interacting with them, especially lately. He only had one friend and he was fine with it most of the time. Other kids said he was weird and it hurt him too much to want to be friend with them. Not that he had ever said so to anyone, not even Rose.

The doorbell rang and Ianto smiled, flattening his shirt one last time before almost running to the door.

“Merry Christmas!” he said excitedly to the young girl on the other side.

Rose smiled at him and walked in. They had known each other for so many years – their parents were friends so they had become friends – and Ianto could tell she felt a bit down.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “I'm just worried about my mum.”

She was spending Christmas with the Joneses because her mother was working on Christmas Eve – her father had died a long time ago. She knew everyone in the family rather well, so she quickly moved to the living room to greet Ianto's parents.

“George, Mary, great to see you again.”

“Oh, Rose, I'm glad you're here! How's your mother?” George enquired, a genuine smile on his face.

Ianto sighed. He loved Rose, but sometimes he was jealous of how much his own father loved her as his daughter. Ianto knew he'd have rather raised a girl, but he got a second boy and he never had much interest in Ianto. Well, of course he had, especially when Ianto was failing, or that he needed to put John on a pedestal. He really never missed an occasion to put Ianto down. Ianto was pretty sure George had already said more than once that Rose was like her second child.

Ianto shifted his weight, his hands in his pockets, waiting for the conversation to die out so he could talk to Rose and feel a little less shitty about himself.

The doorbell rang again, and George abandoned all conversation to greet his prodigy son. At least, Ianto could talk to Rose now. He still glanced at his brother and his friend, because as competitive as they had been only a few months earlier, now that John was off to College, Ianto missed his presence.

He was standing next to a boy that Ianto didn't notice right away. No, he first saw that they both were wearing way too big embellished jeans – ugly, oh so ugly! – and tainted glasses. They looked pretty stupid in Ianto's eyes. Sure, it was trendy, but he was pretty sure it wouldn't be for long, and as far as he was concerned, it wasn't always good to follow the trend. Just like those awful jeans.

Then he really took a second to look at their faces and he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. John's friend was a bit taller than Ianto, he had dark, half-short, half-long and half-curled, half-straight hair – he wasn't sure what he had tried to do with his hair, but it didn't look that good – and the most beautiful eyes Ianto had ever seen, even through the tainted glasses. He had never really stared deep into someone's eyes. His mother's were beautiful and he loved them, but it was his mother's. This boy's eyes – Jack, as John introduced him a few seconds later – were just mesmerizing. And his smile was just so handsome.

He was so handsome, no matter how ridiculous his clothes looked in Ianto's eyes.

And he was back with that uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong, that he was wrong. He wasn't supposed to feel that way towards other men. He had tried to repress it, had thought he had gotten over it, because he had felt it with girls. But it was back. If he had panicked about the feeling at first because he couldn't even name it, by now he knew it was attraction. The problem was that he still panicked when he was attracted to other boys, and it seemed strong with Jack.

He wasn't even paying much attention to Ianto. Ianto wanted to talk to him, ask him questions, but each time he stood in the same room, he found himself opening and closing his mouth, or doing a weird, embarrassing noise.

At the end of the dinner, Ianto couldn't keep count of how many times he had blushed or make himself a fool by being a mess. On the bright side, Jack didn't seem to care much. On the way less bright side, Jack didn't seem to care at all. For once in his life, Ianto wanted someone to notice him. He wanted to impress him, or him to be interested, whatever; he wanted a reaction from Jack, hopefully a positive one.

He even made him coffee, after babbling some more, because how in God's name was he supposed to make himself interesting enough for someone like Jack? Coffee was the only thing he knew he was really good at. What was he even supposed to say? He'd asked what he was studying, where he was living, and that was pretty much all. He hadn't dared to ask why he didn't like Christmas much. He only knew, thanks to John, that he didn't. But Ianto guessed that whatever reason he had to hate it, he probably didn't want to share, so Ianto didn't ask, even if it meant having no subject of conversation.

The dinner was done, everyone going their own way – the parents in the living-room, watching TV, the two youngest talking together, and the two College students doing the dishes – and Ianto thought that he should try at least one last time to befriend Jack. He walked into the kitchen, hoping that maybe he would magically find a subject to talk about.

“Are you trying to ditch me on Christmas?” he heard Jack say. Was John going to leave?

“You can stay here, my parents won't mind.” Ianto sure wouldn't mind either.

“What, and leave me alone with that weird brother of yours?”

“Hey, he's not weird.”

Ianto didn't even listen to John's defence. He gulped, his vision blurred, and he silently turned on his heels, almost running upstairs. Jack thought he was weird, too. He wasn't different from the others, and Ianto had tried to be interesting for him. He had tried to be something he wasn't, apparently. He was just a weird guy, as everyone seem to be thinking and telling him.

“What happened? I saw you disappearing upstairs,” Rose's soft voice said, not long after.

Ianto had almost forgotten about her presence in the house. She had picked up that something was different about Ianto the whole night, but she hadn't been able to guess what. She was just worried, and Ianto felt guilty. He had been less with her just to try to talk with a guy that didn't care about him. What was up with him?!

“Nothing, I'm fine,” he shrugged.

“Yeah, right,” she scoffed. She walked to his bed, sitting at the end and smiling at him. “Come on, you can tell me.”

He knew he could trust her; he was his only friend, and even if she sometimes gossiped, she could keep secrets. So he did tell her, as briefly as possible.

By the end, once the shock that Ianto was something between gay and straight passed, she jumped on her feet, her hands on her hips, looking outraged. “That guy's a jerk! You deserve better than that! I can't believe he said that. You're not weird!”

“Thanks, but they're all saying it...”

“Well, I don't think you're weird, okay? Doesn't my opinion count?”

“It does, but...”

“You're a great person, and Jack doesn't know what he's missing. Now you go downstairs and prove him wrong,” she cute him, looking way too motivated.

“How? I've been making a fool of myself all night already,” Ianto shook his head, not as enthusiastic about proving Jack that he was wrong.

“We're gonna figure it out!”

“Well, I'd rather figure it out before going downstairs,” he shrugged.

Rose tried to think, then concluded that they didn't need to get back at Jack now. Ianto didn't know if he would ever see him again to do it later, but he agreed nonetheless. He didn't even want to get back at him or anything, he was just feeling down because of his words, despite Rose's attempts to cheer him up.

Except that maybe he did want to get back at him, and every one that had ever stated that he was weird. He wasn't weird.

If you enjoyed, please let me know so I know if I have to keep putting the entire chapters or if I can just share the link. (I’ll be tagging the updates for this fic ITY )

[avecorviidae]

Fic: Aubade - Chapter Two

Fandom: Mob Psycho 100 Rating: M Relationship(s): Kageyama Ritsu/Suzuki Shou Word Count: 4828

Ao3 Link

Spirits and Such hasn’t changed much. It’s never, in Ritsu’s memory, been dirty, per-se. Well, alright, it’s been battered, wrecked, and burnt to the ground, but it’s never been grimy. Just… a little run-down. The walls are a shade of beige that Ritsu thinks might have been white once, the laminate tiles of the floor are uneven and scuffed all to hell, and there’s always something that’s jury-rigged, a bedsheet functioning as a curtain, or a dictionary shoved under an uneven table leg. A faint smell of smoke lingers in the air, despite Reigen kicking his habit for the most part. The building has its fair share of dings and dents as well. “Did you know there’s a hole in that wall?” He can’t really stop himself from asking. He’s been staring at it for about the last seven minutes, seeing as that’s about the only direction that Teru is allowing him to look. It’s not huge–probably only about the size of a golf ball, if you were to measure it. He keeps finding himself zoning out in its direction, though, a miniature black hole marring the otherwise uniform plaster. Teru makes a noncommittal hmm noise close to his ear as he leans down to snip at some stray hairs. He’s entered into a mode of pure concentration, one that Ritsu can only equate to when he’s reading a good book. In other words, Teru is more or less lost to the world. Mob, on the other hand, looks up from his phone in the direction that Ritsu is facing. “Oh, right,” he nods when he notices it. “A client was angry with Shishou, so he threw a stapler.” Ritsu moves to look fully at Mob, but a sharp tap on the side of his head reminds him to keep looking straight ahead, so he ends up directing his incredulous look at the hole in the wall. “He threw a stapler… at the wall? Not at Reigen?”

“Well, he was standing over there at the time. He was performing an exorcism.”

Ah, well that explains it. Teru, rummaging through his little hairdressing kit balanced on a nearby stool, glances over at Mob. “Speaking of that hole, when’s it getting fixed? Reigen said he was going to plaster it up months ago.” He finally comes up with a little black piece of plastic, which he fits to the head of the cordless clippers. He tilts Ritsu’s head forward, ordering, “Look down, please.” The ground is a welcome reprieve from the hole. Ritsu follows the path of a spider across the floor with his eyes while Teru takes the clippers to the back of his head.  

“He’s going to fix it,” Mob says earnestly, “He bought the plaster and everything! He just hasn’t had the time.” “Sure,” Teru says airily, “Just like he’s already bought oil for the door and a new latch for the window. All we’ve got now is a hardware store in our desk drawers, a hole in the wall, a door that sounds like the screams of the dying, and a window that’s held closed with duct tape, rope, and prayer.” He dusts some stray clippings off of the back of Ritsu’s neck and runs his fingers through the long hair at the top of his head. He grabs a few strands and starts to play around with them, flipping his bangs from one side to the other, pulling them back from his forehead altogether.  “Are you sure you won’t let me do anything different? I swear, Ritsu, half a decade` I’ve known you and you’ve never had any fun with this mop.” Ritsu sighs, batting Teru’s hand away. “You mean I’ve never let you have any fun with it?” Teru comes around to stand in front of him, crossing his arms and scrunching his face into a ridiculous pout. “Exactly! There’s only so much that I can do to myself, and Mob won’t let me do anything with his either. I swear, you two really are brothers.”

Well, he’s certainly pushed the limits of what he can do to his own hair, Ritsu thinks, glancing over Teru’s haircut. It’s longer than Ritsu remembers, with the blonde strands braided along his head and pulled into a bun at the top of his head, but the entire lower half seems to have been shaved close to the scalp, and there are little designs and patterns buzzed into the undercut. It’s certainly not the weirdest that Ritsu’s seen out of him, but it’s probably the most elaborate. “I liked the haircut you gave me,” Mob volunteers hesitantly, “I just… prefer this one. It’s simpler.” It had actually barely been different, Ritsu remembers, Teru had just shaved his undercut a little closer and changed his parting so that it was less of a uniform line down his forehead. Ritsu suspects that at least part of Mob’s discomfort with it had to do with the fact that people kept mistaking him for Ritsu when he forgot to brush it down. “Exactly,” Ritsu agrees. “This is easy to maintain.” He’s spent most of his life being able to roll out of bed without touching his hair, moreso now that he’s not living with a mother telling him to comb his hair all the time, and it’s a lifestyle he’d like to be able to continue. Life is hard enough without having to spend energy on styling that nonsense every morning. Teru rolls his eyes and mutters something as he turns to pack up his clippers, but it’s good-natured, the fond sort of grumbling that he adopts around Ritsu and Mob. When Reigen arrives, they’re all cleaning up the office, shoving the stool and the hair kit back into their rightful places and dragging out the ancient, barely functional vacuum cleaner in order to hoover up the piles of black hair scattered around the floor. They’ve been bickering about lunch for about the last three minutes, which is about enough time for Ritsu and Teru to have turned it into a full-on friendly shouting match, half to match the volume of the vacuum cleaner, and half because Ritsu has a deep moral objection to eating at any establishment that’s calling its food ‘experimental’.

Ritsu actually doesn’t notice him entering until he loudly clears his throat, making the room fall silent for just a moment before there’s a discordant mixture of greetings, a bright “Shishou!” from Mob, a slightly sheepish “Hey, Dad,” from Teru, and Ritsu gets caught somewhere in between, a weird mixture of ‘Reigen’ and ‘Dad that comes out as more of a general greeting sound that’s lost in the noise of the room.

Reigen just sighs as he strolls into the room, one hand in his pocket and the other ready to reach up and pull Ritsu into a one-armed hug. It’s a little awkwardly positioned, due to Ritsu being a bit taller than Reigen, but he still leans into it, letting Reigen reach up to ruffle his hair as he says, “Hey, looking good, kid! Not too shabby at all.” Ritsu steps out of the hug, before Reigen ends up sending any stray hair clippings flying. “Wow, thanks, I look exactly the same as I always do” he says, and it’s meant to be deadpan but he can’t stop himself from laughing just a little. Reigen claps a hand on his shoulder, saying, “Nah, I mean you don’t look very dead inside for someone who just took finals. I remember college, kiddo. It’s not a fun time.” Ritsu bites back any number of retorts ranging from Didn’t you drop out of college in your first semester? To I always look dead inside, instead settling on, “Dad, tell Teru that we’re going for Ramen.” He’s long gotten over the embarrassment of accidentally calling Reigen ‘dad’. It was inevitable, considering how often they’ve all being doing it since they were in middle school. By this point, he’s learned the strategic advantages of doing it on purpose. Case in point: it’s a surefire way to get him on your side in an argument. Reigen squints at Teru. “As opposed to?” Teru gets about three sentences into his explanation of his strange, obscure, trendy restaurant before Reigen cuts him off. “Mob, is the food there any good?” Teru’s taste in food famously cannot be trusted, whereas Mob has proven to be decent, though he’s pretty easy to please. He’s usually the deciding factor in these decisions, and any argument beforehand is just for the sake of routine. Mob hesitates, clearly caught between being honest with Reigen and not hurting Teru’s feelings. He eventually seems to decide on, “Their milk was nice…” and Ritsu’s guessing it’s probably the only neutral statement he can actually make about the place without lying. Reigen claps his hands with the air of authority and finality that’s basically the only thing that puts him in charge of this business, and says, “Alright, ramen it is!”

-

Something is up, and Mob is in on it. Ritsu’s not sure it’s a bad thing, but it’s definitely a secret from him specifically, because Teru keeps shooting him these knowing looks, and he’s trying to send conspiratorial grins in Mob’s direction, but his brother has stuck to Reigen’s other side, half hiding behind him, clearly trying to avoid eye contact. Reigen seems oblivious to the whole thing, but then again, you could never really tell with him.

Still, if it were something negative, Mob would probably look a lot more stressed, so Ritsu decides to leave it be. Despite how reserved he can be with his emotions, in many respects Mob does and always has worn his heart on his sleeve, and even if Ritsu hadn’t been able to read his brother’s emotions easily, it would probably be a simple matter to tell if he were upset or guilty. They probably make an odd group, walking down the street. Ritsu and Mob are on either side of Reigen, taking up most of the sidewalk, so the obvious solution for Teru is apparently to take a few steps forward and walk backwards so that he’s facing them. Reigen and Mob have warned him every time he’s almost bumped into poles, boxes, assorted street junk, or a dog, but Ritsu is keeping quiet, mainly because the pure comedy factor of Teru falling flat on his ass would be a beautiful, beautiful thing. Also, if he were on the ground, Ritsu wouldn’t have to look at that shirt anymore.

It’s a decently styled shirt, sure, loose and wavy where it’s tucked into his high-waisted jeans and hanging off of one shoulder, and Ritsu thinks it might look like soft material, or at least, it would if it wasn’t neon fucking yellow. The glare of the sun off of the damn thing is enough to make them all squint at Teru as he talks, telling some story about one client or another, throwing his arms out as he trots backwards (and almost hitting a streetlight with his hands about every ten seconds) and messing with the brim of his cap about as much as Reigen plays with his tie.

It’s a quick walk, since they’re just going to the nearest ramen place to the office, and it’s a relief to step out of the rapidly warming morning sun and into the cool shade of the building. Teru immediately slides into the booth next to Mob, so Ritsu ends up elbow to elbow with Reigen, once more staring Teru’s atrocity of a shirt right in the face.

Once they’ve ordered, Reigen says, “‘Fraid I can’t stay too long, I’ve got an exorcism in an hour or so.” Teru’s been typing on his phone since they sat down, with Mob resting his chin on his shoulder in order to read off of his screen. “That’s fine,” he says lightly, not looking up from the screen, “we were just going to take a walk around town anyways.” Ritsu raises an eyebrow at him. “We were?” “Yep! You need a new shirt.” Ritsu looks down at the shirt he’s wearing. He’d grabbed a white, kind of blue-ish button-up from his closet, basically the kind of thing that he could throw on comfortably and still technically be dressing like an ‘adult’. It wasn’t exactly a new shirt, but it wasn’t dirty or in disrepair, so he doesn’t really see why he’d need a new one… and knowing Teru, he’ll probably try to stick Ritsu in something neon, florally patterned, or both. Mob glances up to smile at Reigen. “Be careful, Shishou. Call us if you need any help.” Ritsu snorts quietly. You mean if it turns out to actually be a spiritual thing? Reigen nods, putting on his air of adult authority as he says, “Of course! I’ll probably be fine, though. It didn’t seem like something particularly dangerous.” Because you’re such a brilliant judge of that.

He feels his phone buzzing in his back pocket, and shuffles around in the booth until he can pull it out to look at it. FROM: YOUR FAVORITE ;) WHY ARE CHILDREN LOUD THIS KID HAS BEEN SCREAMING FOR LIKE AN HOUR RITSU WHY

TO: YOUR FAVORITE ;) Same

FROM: YOUR FAVORITE ;) I MEAN ME TOO BUT I USUALLY KEEP IT TO MYSELF

TO: YOUR FAVORITE ;) No you dont Everyone within a 5 mile radius knows your problems FROM: YOUR FAVORITE ;) SHHHHHHH LET ME COMPLAIN

TO: YOUR FAVORITE ;) STOP SCREAMING

FROM: YOUR FAVORITE ;) NO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Teru snaps his fingers under Ritsu’s eyes. “Oi, stop smiling at your phone and agree with me already!” Ritsu narrows his eyes. “About?” “Kale.” “No.”

-

“No!”

Ritsu shoves the hanger, shirt and all, back into Teru’s arms. Teru fruitlessly tries to push it on him again. “Come on, Ritsu, it suits you perfectly!” Ritsu pinches the bridge of his nose, reaching out to lean on the clothes rack for support. “Okay, one: yellow. Two: elbow patches.”

They’ve been in this store for about half an hour and they’ve already had this exchange upwards of ten times. Ritsu had learned after the first time not to try on everything Teru handed to him, but Mob is somehow still falling for the “We won’t know until you put it on!” speil, and well. Ritsu has a few moral standards, but he isn’t above taking pictures. He’s sent a few of the choice ones, including one shirt that seemed to be made out of woven strips of plastic bag, and a pair of pants that were just straight up bell-bottoms, to Shou, and has received various levels of incoherent gibberish in response.

Mob, helping to sift through the clearance rack, holds up another hanger. “Oh… this is nice?” Teru glances over. “Let’s see it, then!” He brings it over to them, holding the sweater up for Teru’s inspection. It looks… not too bad, actually. It’s a light, faded shade of green, nothing like the abrasive primary colors that Teru has been shoving in his face all day, and it looks comfortable. Teru reaches out and pinches the hem between his fingers. “Is this…? Oooh, cashmere! This is clearance?” He takes the hanger from Mob and hands it to Ritsu. “Put this on.” For once, Ritsu actually agrees, so he starts towards the changing rooms, but only makes it a couple of steps before Teru snags him by the elbow. “No no no,” he corrects, “I mean over your shirt.” Ritsu raises an eyebrow, but complies. “Alright…?” It’s soft as sin, and it looks warm, but it’s thin and light enough that even in the middle of summer, the heat isn’t overbearing or too uncomfortable. Teru walks around him slowly, scanning him up and down with a thoughtful expression. He steps into Ritsu’s space and starts fussing with the him, pulling the collar of his dress shirt out to the front and reaching under to untuck his shirt so that it pokes out from under the hem of the sweater. He smooths the fabric over Ritsu’s shoulders and takes a few steps back, looking over him again before scrunching the sleeves of the sweater up to his elbows and rolling up the sleeves of the dress shirt over them. It actually makes the heat quite a bit better. Teru gives a satisfied nod. Mob smiles at him. “That suits you, Ritsu.” Teru walks around him, and Ritsu feels him tugging on the price tag at the back of his neck. “Oooh, cheap too.” Ritsu pulls it over his head, agreeing, “Yeah, I like it. It’s the only thing I’m buying though, alright? I’m not exactly made of money here.” His parents still send him a monthly allowance for meals and such, and he still has some money saved from the last time he’d helped out at Spirits and Such on a job, but he still prefers to be careful with his spending. Mob and Teru stay over by the clearance rack while he’s in the checkout line, and he can see them both hunched over Teru’s phone, talking to each other hurriedly. Teru grabs the phone from Mob’s hands and starts to make a call, but Ritsu can’t try to catch any more of what’s going on before he’s reached the front of the line. It takes probably less than two minutes to finish buying the sweater, but by the time he walks back over, Teru’s already hung up. “Who was that?” “Nobody important,” Teru says, far too hurriedly. “Really.” Ritsu raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. Apropos of absolutely nothing, Mob comments, “We should get ice cream.” Teru pounces on the idea with an enthusiasm that makes Ritsu think that something is definitely about to happen. He manages to sweep the three of them out of the door, get Ritsu to put his new sweater back on, offer to pay for everyone’s cones, and get them walking towards the nearby ice cream place before Ritsu can even register that it’s happening.

The conversation drifts around as they walk, from some of the weirder clients Mob and Teru have gotten at Spirits and Such, to the most annoying little shits Ritsu has ever had the displeasure to sit next to during a lecture, but as the ice cream place comes into view, they switch to flavors.

Mob is, with dairy products, by and large without a flavor preference and almost always chooses vanilla, so he’s mostly excluded from this discussion. Well, less discussion, more Teru telling Ritsu about unusual flavors and Ritsu being boring and judging him for it. “Kiwi.” “Eugh, what? Why? Who took a look at a fucking kiwi and decided to make it into ice cream? That’s so unnecessary.” “It’s good, though.” Ritsu doesn’t even dignify that with a response, just gives him a look. They’ve been in the ‘obscure fruits’ vein for a while now. “I’ve got to say, I’m with Ritsu on this one,” Shou says as he falls into step on Ritsu’s other side, “Kiwis look like balls, dude.” Ritsu stops dead in his tracks, and the other three stop with him. About a thousand and one thoughts cycle through his head, and he wants to say how long have you been following us and wow I didn’t realize that I missed you until literally this exact moment and he wants to punch Teru in the fucking face because that smug grin says that this is what’s been going on all morning, and his brother’s little smile only corroborates, but he only manages to grit out, “You asshole,” before he grabs Shou into a hug and squeezes. Shou’s laughing at him, but he also immediately reciprocates, wrapping his arms around Ritsu’s waist and pressing his face into his chest. Come high school, Ritsu had grown. Shou… well, less so, enough that Ritsu can rest his chin on Shou’s head. It’s. Well, it’s a lot of things, almost tight enough to be uncomfortable and definitely a little too warm, and Shou’s hands, fisted in the back of his sweater, are definitely going to leave some crumples, but god, it’s nice, just to stay there. Mob says, “Ah, Teruki, they’re…” Teru laughs, saying, “Yeah, they sure are. Alright, you two, let’s go before your auras start being indecent.” Ritsu starts to say what’s that supposed to mean? But he gets distracted by Shou stepping out of his space quickly enough to leave Ritsu feeling unbalanced, but oh, and then he gets it because he can actually feel Shou’s aura clinging to him, indescribably warm in the way it sits on his shoulders, trails down his arms and threads through his fingers. It’s withdrawing fast though, following Shou as he steps back, running fingers through his hair and grumbling about gel and ruining his style. It leaves Ritsu feeling oddly cold, considering that the sun is beating down on them relentlessly. Ritsu’s pretty sure Shou’s hair was a hot mess even before the hug, and the rest of him is looking a little dishevelled as well, just something about the vaguely blurry way Shou’s blinking at them and the rumpled look of his clothes makes him think… “Did you just come straight from the airport?” It probably sounds more accusatory than he intended, but Shou looks dead-walking, with the beginnings of bags under his eyes and a slight sway to the way he’s standing. Ritsu doesn’t even know where he’s just come from, didn’t even know that he was coming. His face is tinged an angry pink, making the freckles on his cheeks stand out in stark contrast, and he’s wearing a red tank top that shows that the light sunburn trails down his shoulders as well.

Shou crosses his arms, laughing a little sheepishly. “Well, yeah. The plan was, I’d have time to go back to the house before we met up, but I got laid over big time in LAX, so I basically just got here.” Shou, who seems to have a deep seated moral objection to staying still for any length of time, starts to walk in the direction of the ice cream place again, and the rest of the group automatically starts to follow. He doesn’t so much walk in a straight line as he weaves, vaguely between Mob and Teru and then in front and behind them, but manages to end up back at Ritsu’s side, falling into step beside him easily for the rest of the short walk. As predicted, Mob gets vanilla. Shou gets one scoop of chocolate and one of vanilla, and Ritsu gets mint chocolate chip. Teru gets kiwi purely to spite him. They sit at a little white table outside of the shop, with a bright pink umbrella shading them. Teru had told off Shou for putting his feet up on the table, so he’s got them resting on Ritsu’s knee as he tells them all about the storms in New York, falling asleep in some other gate in LA, sprinting halfway across the airport to catch his flight.

Ritsu knows that all of this was probably pretty stressful at the time, and that travelling is kind of hell, but Shou always tells airport stories in this ridiculous way that leaves them all doubled over laughing, Teru’s loud snickering almost drowning out Mob’s giggles, muffled into the sleeve of his shirt. By the time Shou’s halfway through retelling his layover in LAX, Ritsu’s laughing so hard that all that’s coming out are near-silent wheezes, and he’s bent over at the waist, gripping at his burning stomach. When he can breathe again, he notices that Shou’s fallen silent, and looks up to see that he’s staring at him, this kind of soft, open smile that makes Ritsu grin back at him even as he’s asking, “What? Is there ice cream on my face?” Shou shakes his head slightly, says, “Nah, but look! I made you laugh!” He almost says These stories always make me laugh but Shou wouldn’t know that, would he? He wouldn’t really know that Ritsu always snorts every time Shou sends him a picture of something gross he found in an airport bathroom at three in the morning, or that he has to bite the back of his hand to stifle his laughter when he’s in lectures, staring down at his phone as Shou sends paragraph after paragraph complaining about the weird German guy he met in customs who kept offering him various and dubiously legal meat products.

Mob’s phone rings before Ritsu can say anything, and he gives a quiet “oh,” before putting it to his ear and saying, “Is everything alright, Shishou?” He’s silent for a few moments, listening, before he says, “Ah, I see. I can come. Yes, I’ll be there soon, text me the address. Please be careful.” Ritsu raises an eyebrow. “Spirit?” “Yeah.” Teru nods thoughtfully. “Well, that puts a bit of a wrench in our plans. Hmm…” He fiddles with his cap for a moment, considering. “Here’s the new plan: Mob and I go help Reigen with the exorcism, you two hang out, we all meet up for dinner. Sound good?” Ritsu shrugs, nodding in agreement. “Sure.” Everyone else follows suit, and as soon as Reigen texts them the address, Teru threads his fingers through Mob’s and the two set off at a brisk walk, with Shou shouting, “Tell Pops hi for me!” at their backs. Ritsu finally sucks up and asks the question that’s been eating at the back of his mind. “You’ll be able to tell him yourself, won’t you? I mean, depending on how long you’re in town.” Shou blinks at him once, twice, then says, “Oh! Right, no, yeah,” and it’s hard to tell because the umbrella has washed Shou in pink, but he looks almost embarrassed, and he thinks he might be blushing, “I’m back for good. There’s other business, and stuff, but I can do pretty much all of it online now.” He tries for a laugh and makes it most of the way, but it’s just a little shaky. “Modern technology, it’s pretty cool.” Ritsu finds himself breathing a sigh of relief and realizes that he’d been worried, that Shou was going to disappear again, show up in the country again and then go on another year-long trip, slipping out of his life like the threads of his aura slipping through Ritsu’s fingers. Because, it’s, well, it’s not like the texting and the calling and the Skyping wasn’t nice, but, well. They’d been practically attached at the hip since middle school, and this past year hasn’t been fun without him. He’ll still be a ten hour train ride away once Ritsu goes back to Grain City in a couple of weeks, but having him staying, living, in the country makes something nervous settle in Ritsu’s chest. “Oh, cool. So, you’re moving back into your mom’s old house?” Shou nods. “Yeah. I haven’t been back there, but it’s probably kinda gross now. It was never the nicest place to start with.” “It’s huge. Shou, it’s practically its own estate.” Shou’s eyebrows shoot up along with his arms, and he stands up, pacing as he answers. “Exactly!” There’s no way to fill up that many rooms! It always feels empty and weird, like there’s ghosts everywhere!” “You’re psychic, Shou, you would be able to see any ghosts.” Ritsu is leaning on the table, resting his chin on his palm and watching Shou bounce around with a bemused smile. Eventually he comes to a standstill, thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his washed out grey jeans. Somehow he’s managed to put away two scoops of ice cream and about half of Ritsu’s in less than half an hour, whereas Ritsu is still munching on the cone of his. “Wanna walk?” Shou says, and he’s been still for all of three seconds but he’s already bouncing on his toes. Ritsu stands as he shoves the last of his cone into his mouth. “Mhm,” he says, fixing his sweater and readjusting the sleeves. They start down a random street, without a real sense of direction, just like they’d done in school. Shou’s tempo only matches Ritsu for steps at a time before he’ll suddenly trot a few steps ahead, or get distracted staring at a shop window and drag behind, but it’s a comfortable rhythm, well established and easy to fall into. They walk in silence for a block or so, and Ritsu would usually wait for Shou to start the conversation, knowing he’ll take them down some strange, arbitrary philosophical track like ‘How scared shitless must the caveman who accidentally made the first fire have been? Wild,’ that’ll last them most, if not all, of their walk, but Ritsu has a jab he’s been meaning to make. “So, screaming children on planes, huh?” Shou stops dead on the sidewalk, burying his face in his hands and groaning from between his fingers. “Please, god, no, never again.”

[iamandco]

  PHOTO: COURTESY NORMAN SEEF/ I AM & CO  Fashion never dies, it just hibernates. Still, without evidence, it’s difficult to remember that everything we’re wearing has been done before. When brands unveil their latest collections our oohs and ahhs are really odes to foregone fashion eras. We’re okay with that. I can’t think of anything people love more than nostalgia. The millennial generation has been focused on body inclusivity and sustainability. Jeans that accentuate our butts rather than flatten them is innovative. Oh, and make sure you upcycle your denim and use ethical labor. We’re not rocking the boat with new designs - no design is ever new. Our gift to the fashion world is offering plus-sized and curvy collections as a standard. Yes, future generations will thank us for fixing the problem with limited bra sizing. The latter end of this decade will be forever known as the era of “Clothes That Actually Fit.” While we’ve achieved a lot of good, some subtle fashion shenanigans have gone under the radar. We’re currently in a pants phase that I like to call “ankles be damned, and it needs to be addressed. Every single pair of pants on the market is cropped, and with little protection for our ankles, I don’t know how they’ve survived the last three seasons. My ankles have tan lines that look like the opposite of house arrest. In fact, these tan lines speak to house freedom and the mosquito bites on my ankles prove I’m just a buffet in Mother Nature’s ecosystem. This experience causes me to mentally escape to a time when jeans may have been pin-rolled, but ankles were protected by several inches of thick white socks. I escape to the 80s when fashion-especially denim- was inconvenient. This was a time when Cher and Diana Ross danced all night in jeans that weighed as much as them. Still, I have to believe that if they knew then what we know now they’d opt for the more ethical pair and they’d support brands that made trendy jeans available to everyone. These are the 80s jeans your favorite 80s style icons would’ve totally worn.   CHER, STUDIO 54 1977 - GETTY IMAGES     Grey Mom Fit Jeans $60 at time of publication Buy At Shop.Mango.Com This photo of Cher vibing at Studio 54 illustrates how I want to feel every day. If I could ask “studio 54 Cher” what her recipe was for looking so overtaken with joy, I’m sure she’d say it was 100% the denim and nothing else. Well, maybe the suspenders as well. I, too, lose it over a well-styled suspenders. To copy this look you’ll for sure need these Grey Mom Fit Jeans and make sure you don’t forget the suspenders . These 80s jeans are available at shop.mango.com .   MADONNA, 1988 - GETTY IMAGES    PHOTO: COURTESY AMERICAN EAGLE  Ripped X-Long Mom Jean $50 at the time of publication Buy At AE.com This photo convinces me that Madonna invented airport style. Airport style is a skill. Not everyone has the forethought to put together a high-key trendy outfit that’s low-key comfortable. A loose fit basic tee, leather biker jacket and thick white socks ( because planes are cold) and trendy jeans are the go-to airport ensemble. Still, I think given the option I think Madonna would opt for a ripped Mom Jean for even greater lightweight comfort. Oh, and the x-long style is a must for a commanding cuff. These 80s jeans are available at ae.com .   LISA BONET    PHOTO: COURTESY EVERLANE  Women’s 90s Cheeky Straight Jean $78 at time of publication Buy At Everlane.com Lisa Bonet (Lilakoi Moon) might very well be Mother Nature in the flesh. And, last time I checked, the enchantress still looks exactly. like. this. For Bonet, a good pair of jeans needs no embellishment beyond the natural curve of a woman’s body. Everlane’s new cheeky jean accomplishes just that with their tapered waist design and butt-lifting pockets. Add to them Everlane’s sustainability practices and you have the perfect jean for Bonet. These 80s jeans are available at everlane.com .   TINA TURNER    PHOTO: COURTESY RIVER ISLAND  Mid Blue Straight Ripped Jeans $90 at the time of publication Buy At US.RiverIsland.com Tina Turner is one of the greatest Rock & Roll performers of all time and she definitively has the best legs of all time. So, when she trades in her signature mini-dress for ripped jeans, a basic white tee, black booties, and stringed pearls - for a touch of class - it’s a statement. This look is pure rock and roll and River Island’s straight ripped jeans make the perfect statement jean. These 80s jeans are available at us.riverisland.com .   DEBBIE HARRY, 1978    PHOTO: COURTESY LEVI’S  Levi’s Medium Wash Wedgie Fit Jeans $98 at the time of publication Buy At Levi.com In one of many captivating Debbie Harry performances, she sported Levi’s classic yet lesser-known 505 style. In a Telegraph interview , Levi’s historian, Tracey Panek said the 505 was dubbed the “coming of age jean.” “ The sea of denim we see in archive pictures of Woodstock festival are there because young people were so enamoured with denim as democratic, affordable clothing that everyone could share.” — Tracey Panek The design of Levi’s 505 was largely a convenience play. The straight-leg silhouette was the same as Levi’s Original 501 but rather than a button fly the 505 used a zip fly which was more flattering and convenient. Debbie Harry adored the 505 and wore them repeatedly during performances. But, if Debbie Harry had to do it all over again we’re certain she’d wear Levi’s Wedgie Fit Jeans. They’re lighter weight, would flatter Harry’s waist and butt and come in a variety of sizes. These 80s jeans are available at levi.com .   DIANA ROSS, STUDIO 54 1979 - GETTY IMAGES PHOTO: COURTESY REFORMATION  Willow Jean $128 at time of publication Buy At TheReformation.com Oh to be a fly on the wall at Studio 54 while Diana Ross danced all night long in her sandal sling-backs, ripped tank, and perfectly tailored jeans. Reformation’s brand is built on effortless femininity and celebration of the female form. Divinely feminine describes Ross and her legacy perfectly. Well, that and a relentless proclivity to boogie. Reformation’s Willow Jean has an inseam high enough and a waist tapered enough to facilitate Diana Ross’s best dance moves until the sun comes up. These 80s jeans are available at thereformation.com .   PAMELA ANDERSON    PHOTO: COURTESY SHOPBOP  Unif Twerk Jeans $120 at the time of publication Buy At Shopbop.com Of course Pam Anderson made boyfriend wear sexy in the 80s. Those jeans were not just distressed, they were in a full-blown panic state and so was every teenage boy, and girl. Not just any pair of jeans would’ve worked for her. No, they needed to be comfortable, they needed to be cheeky. They needed to look like she rolled out of bed impossibly stunning and threw on a pair of her flavor-of-the-month’s jeans. They needed to look like Unif’s Twerk Jeans. These 80s jeans are available at shopbop.com .   CHER “I’d RATHER BELIEVE IN YOU” PHOTOSHOOT    PHOTO: COURTESY ToPSHOP  Washed Black Raw Hem Straight Leg Jeans $30 at the time of publication Buy At Topshop.com Could Cher have known how much of a statement her “I’d Rather Believe in You” photoshoot would make? Each camera flash bore a new subtle movement. Still, the shoot was so iconic that even Kim Kardashian felt compelled to recreate it . That image is a reminder that merely existing is beautiful, especially when you’re Cher. The Washed Black Raw Hem Straight Leg Jeans from Topshop are the perfect affordable jeans to recreate the look. If these jeans were available then, Cher would totally go for them. These 80s jeans are available at topshop.com .   SARAH JESSICA PARKER   High Rise Rolled Hem Mom Jeans $60 at the time of publication Buy At UrbanOutfitters.Com Sarah Jessica Parker came out of the womb a fashion icon. No matter the decade, no matter the trend, she’s never missed a beat. The woman can’t get it wrong. When you find a throwback photo of SJP leaning against a red vintage drop-top in a tuxedo jacket, pill rolled jeans, white sneakers, and thick, socks you just nod and take it in. These 80s jeans are available at urbanoutfitters.com .   BROOKE SHIELDS    PHOTO: COURTESY LEVI’S  Levi’s 501 Original Dark Wash Buy At Levi.com No list of 80s jeans could be considered authentic without Levi’s 501 jeans. The 501 jean is as much of an 80s fashion icon as Brooke Shields is. And Brooke is no stranger to the power of a good pair of jeans. You may have seen her throwback Calvin Klein jeans campaign.   PHOTO: COURTESY RICHARD AVEDON  Well, it caused quite the uproar in the 80s. A then 15-year-old model, Brook Shields, appeared in Calvin Klein ads in a revealing button-down shirt and their straight leg skinny jeans. Some Americans were none too pleased. The commercial was pulled from airing in CBS’s and ABC’s New York market. If Brooke had to do it all over again, I’m hoping she would but in Levi’s 501s since the Original Calvin Klein jeans are no longer available. These 80s jeans are available at levi.com .   JANET JACKSON - PHOTo: COURTESY GETTY IMAGES    PHOTO: COURTESY TOPSHOP  Grey Pleat Mom Jeans $80 at the time of publication Buy At Topshop.com Before Janet invited nasty folks to call her “Miss Jackson,” she sang a song called “Young Love.” The chorus went like this: “Young love Ring around the roses Young love Searching for a heart so true Young love A pocket full of posies Young love All adds up to me and you” Who needs love? Am I right? Nobody can hug you tighter than a pair of good jeans. I like to imagine that rather than young Janet searching for love, she searched for these Grey Pleat Mom Jeans to complete her look. These 80s jeans area available at topshop.com .

[browanger55-blog]

Why velvet tanks are the new perfect fall layer

Top: Madewell–(comes in other colors too! Runs big, size down!) I also love this tank version that comes in tons of colors–and this slinky camisole is amazing! If you prefer sleeves, I absolutely ADORE this version that also has buttons down the front! Jeans: American Eagle–you saw them first in my fall weekend capsule wardrobe! They are seriously amazing! They run big though, size up! If you aren’t sold, I also recommend Everlane’s Modern Stretch jeans–I have their cigarette leg version and I am obsessed!

Coat: J.Crew–runs TTS but go a size down if you’re in between (it’s the camel color but it really looks camel-mustardy in person!) It runs TTS but it’s definitely a fall, not a winter coat–if you’re looking for something warm–I highly recommend the Cocoon coat (runs big) or the Lady Day coat (runs on the smaller side) Shoes: Marc Fisher (from DSW! Under $100!) if you want a lower heel I love these adorable scalloped pumps. Bag: Chanel (I know, you didn’t know I owned a Chanel bag–scroll down for details haha!) For a budget-friendly version, I always recommend the Rebecca Minkoff Quilted Love bag! It’s the same classic look for under $300 and is a really high quality bag!

Happy Friday guys!

It has been a WEEK, man. So busy! I have so many projects in the pipeline I admit I’m getting a bit overwhelmed but they’re all great things–so get excited!

Today’s post is going to be short and sweet because I’m already late getting this post up, but today we’re talking about one of my favorite trends–velvet! Do you own anything velvet yet? (I own some velvet leggings and they are one of my favorite fall/winter obsessions!) You know I’m always hesitant to jump head first onto any super trendy bandwagon, but I think velvet adds a perfect twist to a classic piece and is seriously made for winter wardrobes.

This is the exact outfit that I wore out to dinner at Bavettes (one of our favorite Chicago spots!) when we did our anniversary staycation celebration. (See my Chicago Staycation Itinerary blog post!) We stayed in the Gold Coast at our favorite hotel, the Waldorf Astoria, and were walking around and casually perusing the shops on Rush street–I stopped into Madewell and fell in love with this velvet buttoned camisole! I love the button detail and the fact that it’s super versatile like any other camisole, but with a velvet touch!

A note on fit:

I wore this with petals if you’re wondering what kind of bra I wear with it. If you are a girl that has more on top, I would probably suggest going with this velvet tank instead!

It was the perfect thing to pair with black jeans and heels–I particularly love how the Mary Janes add a little bit of retro sweetness to the outfit–but they would also look perfect with classic pumps like my go-to Sam Edelman’s!

The color of this coat was also not usually a combination I would think to put together, but it ended up really working–I love that it’s camel-ish with a mustard hue–seriously the most beautiful fall color and it’s one that looks good on so many different skin tones! Note for my Chicago/East Coast girls–it’s definitely not a *winter* coat–if you’re looking for a winter coat, I highly recommend the Cocoon coat (runs big) or the Lady Day coat (runs on the smaller side). I have a try on session with both on stories right now if you’re curious!

Also–worth noting–yes:

I am wearing a Chanel bag in these photos 😂It has always been the only designer bag I’ve ever wanted (granted, I thought it was something I would get when I was much older!) and Neal surprised me with it for my 30th birthday in July. I cried and wanted to murder him for spending that much on me, but he always gets me things I would never splurge on myself. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime purchase–but it’s my favorite thing in my whole closet–I’ve never felt more classic than when I’m wearing it.

I admittedly haven’t worn it on the blog yet because it felt weird–my blog is very much built on the notion of everyday, attainable style for the everyday girl and Chanel obviously doesn’t fit into that–so I almost changed my bag for the photos–but also, I love it, and it’s part of what made this outfit feel so special, and it feels so “me.” So, long story short, I guess I’m just saying this to reassure you–I’m not turning into a designer label snob, I promise! 😂

ANYWAY–back to velvet tanks! They really are the perfect layering weapon–they add another textural element to your outfit and can often feel a lot dressier than your average tank top–they’re such an easy way to spice up your go-to outfit formula! Here are some more favorite ways to style yours:

First, shop all the tanks: 

Now, how to style them:

With a skirt: 

That would look so cute with a leather skirt and OTK boots or knee high boots! (I’ve heard really good things from friends about these Steve Madden OTK boots and you will wear these Blondo waterproof suede boots every day in the winter!) I probably wouldn’t pair it with a suede skirt though, as the textures are too similar.

To the office: 

Layer your velvet tank under a plaid blazer or even better–a sweater blazer! (I’m obsessed with the Sophie blazer from J.Crew, but their longer Juliette blazer is amazing too! Both are 25% off!) I’d recommend pairing with a tailored trouser–these from J.Crew that are 25% off! I also love Everlane’s “work pants” that are made of this super stretchy material that is really figure flattering, comfortable, and they don’t wrinkle! (Almost like a ponte pante, but thicker almost?) A pencil skirt would also be super cute!

With faux leather leggings: 

Layer it under a cardigan with a pair of leather leggings and loafers (these are my favs aside from the Guccis!) for a casual weekend or get together with friends–or, dress it up, with the same leather leggings, a pair of pumps or heeled booties, and that same blazer from the office!

With a leather jacket: 

Take the same outfit formula I’m wearing here, but add a leather jacket! This same outfit would also look super cute if you swapped skinny jeans for straight leg crops–this Everlane pair and this J.Crew pair are my current favorites! Both look really cute with heeled booties (I just got these from Madewell–currently 20% off!) or if you are wanting to make a statement, I’m in love with these leopard booties! 

What are your thoughts on velvet tanks? Hope you have a great weekend!

Source: https://thegoldengirlblog.com/why-velvet-tanks-are-the-new-perfect-fall-layer/