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[cashmere-kala]

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[darkdevasofdestruction]

Being in a relationship with Kure Raian...

You’d think that Raian, although he’s the black sheep of the clan, would be as obsessed over strong people and fighting as everyone else is - Just like Karla is obsessed over Ohma not because she likes him, but because he’s strong and could produce strong offsprings and whatever - But Raian isn’t that way. 

In fact, even if people like that catch his eye, he would fight the urge to march up to them and strike up a conversation - Rather, if he does find strong people, he might just beat them up.

But there is something that would make Raian all hot and bothered - And that is getting ignored.

Yeah, that’s right.

Raian would literally spontaneously combust if he wants someone’s attention, and he’s getting blatantly ignored or brushed off.

That’s exactly what happened when his younger sister, Fusui, brought over one of her friends. At first, he didn’t care. You were just some pretty face, like many, many others he’s seen... But somehow, your aloof personality and the resting bitch face you were sporting, a complete opposite aura from Fusui, who held the most cheerful grin on her face - Okay, he was intrigued. Not only that, but from what his sister said, you were just a normal person - A cute, little rabbit in a den of lions - Yet you seemed completely at ease and unafraid.

In an instant, Raian found himself towering his large shadow over the spot on the grass where the two girls were having a picnic. He had that psycho grin of his ever present. Fusui greeted him cheerfully, though she sweatdropped, realising that he might be so bored that he wants to scare her friend away. 

Y/N simply gave him a lazy wave of her hand - Her attention was still on Fusui, and she didn’t once break the flow of their conversation. He frowned. Not even a hello? How rude!

Raian’s voice became louder, but also grittier, like the sound of nails scratching a blackboard. He was throwing the most random profanities, and telling Y/N about his latest assassination mission he had, hoping to creep her out with the gore details - Much to his surprise, the small girl casually got to her feet and looked, incredibly bored, into his eyes.

“Hey, Ryan, where did you get this shirt?” Raian blinked, his smile dropping immediately, feeling the girl gingerly pick the hem of his shirt and feeling it. “It feels like cashmere. Is it cashmere? It’s really good quality.” “My name is Raian, you bitch! Get it through that thick skull of yours!” Fusui immediately reprimanded him for insulting her friend - But the insult fell on deaf ears. “Tell me where’d you get it from, Kevin. I kinda want to get one myself.” her hands slowly traced up to his abdomen, but Raian was so flustered up and irritated by getting called such weird names, that he didn’t notice. “I SAID MY NAME IS RAIAN, ARE YOU DEAF?!” he was shouting so loudly, that Y/N could have sworn her eardrums ruptured. “It would be better if the store had an online site - I don’t really have much time to go shopping myself. Actually - Do you think I could have it delivered for Kure Miguel?” Fusui was sure her friend had a death wish, but at the same time, it was kinda hilarious seeing her brother so worked up over his name. “WHO THE FUCK IS MIGUEL?!” his screech was so powerful that he’d put a Banshee to shame. “Dunno.” Y/N shrugged and pushed Raian into the small water pond right behind him. The water barely reached his waist as he was sitting in it, a lilypad on his head. “I’ll kill you.” his voice was so ominous, low, dark, menacing - And solemn, above all else - That Fusui’s heart froze in fear for her friend’s life. “WAIT, NO, RAIAN DON’T ---” but Y/N was laughing so cutely, that Raian stopped abruptly, glaring down at her. Instead of killing her, he threw his arms around her, hearing her groan. “I~ Got~ You~ So~ Weeeeeeeet~ ♪ Babeeeeeeeeeee~♪“ Fusui has never seen her brother like this - She could just stare in complete disbelief. “Technically speaking, I made you wet, Fritz.” the girl put her palm over his face, pushing him away from her. “Now you’ve done it.” Raian grinned widely. Y/N realised his master plan, and she sighed in defeat. “You’re gonna throw me in the water, aren’t you?” he let out a ‘yup’ sound, before he threw her in the pond. If the water was any higher, he’d have jumped with her - But with how little it is, she probably would have barely gotten wet at all. He was laughing so hard, his sides were aching, but he couldn’t stop. She looked like a wet, grumpy dog - Until she, too, started laughing. “Alright, alright, you got me. Good one. Now help me up, psycho.” Raian missed the mischievous smile on her face, and as he crouched down, extending his hand for her to take - Only for her to tug on his hand and have him fall in the water again. “You’re the psycho, not me!” the two looked at each other and started sniggering like two idiots. Fusui just stared at them, perplex, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from them. Did Y/N just manage to tame the Black Sheep of the Kure Clan? Something that not even their Patriarch could do? “You owe me your shirt.” she said blankly, stopping her laughter abruptly. “Any time~♪“ Raian nonchalantly took his shirt off and let it fall on her head. “...Okay, I might have just sabotaged myself.” she sighed, getting up and out of the pond. “I was supposed to have a sleep over. I don’t have any dry clothes anymore.” she stole a glance at the man. “I suppose I can’t stay over anymore. What a pity. Time to get home, I guess.” she shrugged nonchalantly, waving at Fusui and walking towards the exit of the large garden, only to feel herself being picked up bridal style.

Raian had taken her to his room and threw at her all cashmere clothes he had, while Y/N could barely hide her amusement. Clearly, she could wear some of Fusui’s clothes, after all, they’re around the same frame and they are friends - Or she could borrow the clothes of literally any woman of the Kure - Silly boy, so easily tricked. Or maybe he wanted to be tricked? Either way, Y/N found this, by far, the most hilarious situation she ever faced.

By this time, Raian kept bugging on Y/N and Fusui for the whole day, and during the evening, at dinner, Erioh and Karla and her brother had them all eat together. Y/N looked at her friend, her eyes pleading, embarrassed at the get up she was wearing. Suddenly, the whole joke was ruined and she was the one being tricked. How can she possibly go eat dinner with their 1000 year old patriarch and the rest of the family, when she’s barely wearing Raian’s shirt, and albeit long enough to reach the middle of her thigh, it was still improper. Raian didn’t give her any time to beg Fusui for a proper change of clothes, for he grabbed her wrist and dragged her and his sister all the way to the table. He was also still shirtless, so it only made things worse.

Y/N kept her head down the whole time, hoping that her face wouldn’t betray her embarrassment. Karla, Sarla and Fusui were talking casually about their assassin work, Y/N threw some comments here and there, the old man was quiet, and Raian was... Being Raian, and wolfing down a shit ton of food. Until Karla suddenly noticed there was no more water, and the fight for who would be the loser to bring another water carafe started. It genuinely felt like all the Kure children were going to put down the chopsticks and start a brawl to the death - But Y/N broke the tension. “Ah... There’s no more water. This food is so good, but it got me so thirsty... Can you please tell me where the kitchen is, to get more water?” before the old man could blink, Raian had already returned, and was pouring water in Y/N’s cup. “Oh! Thank you, Jericho!” ... Jericho? Erio had no idea what was going on, but he was genuinely impressed by how this outsider managed to quite literally manipulate the most rebelious clan member to do whatever she wanted... And prevented a war. And he was also shocked when he saw Raian placing his small rice bowl over her face, and laughing like an idiot, to the point he was rolling on the ground like a manic.

Y/N slowly removed the bowl from her face and used a napkin to clean all the rice, and she sighed. “Alright, I suppose I deserve it.” her nonchalance was genuinely so weird for all these proactive people. “Your stomach is going to hurt if you continue rolling like that.” she warned. “Also, it’s not nice, playing with your food. What are you, a kitten, Abraham?” Raian straightened up immediately and glared at the girl, watching her continuing to eat without sparing him a single glance. “WHO THE FUCK IS ABRAHAM?! AND I’M NOT A FUCKING CAT, YOU STUPID BITCH!” he shrieked loudly into her ear, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, the hand in which she was holding her own rice bowl slowly made its way to his face. Raian’s whole face had rice all over it, and Y/N wasn’t removing the bowl. “Take this off me, bitch, or I snap your neck!” that is what he said - Or, at least, what he tried to say, for the rice kept muffling him. “It’s not nice to speak like that, especially in front of your family... Or... To me. You really made me sad...” her voice was pouty and upset - Erio couldn’t believe the power she had over him, and as far as he was concern, this was the first time they met. By the looks of it, everyone was still in shock. “Y/N....” she slowly took away the bowl from his face, and with perfect precision, used her chopsticks to take a single rice grain from his face, and taunted him by eating it.

The whole room was quiet. They were preparing for the girl’s funeral. That is, until they saw her turn her head to the side, biting her lip and her shoulders were shaking. Raian’s face also suddenly split in a wicked grin. Suddenly, a few rice grains started falling off his face, and Y/N couldn’t keep herself in check anymore, and she started laughing, and so did the psycho. Y/N took another rice with her chopsticks, and they ended up laughing even harder. “Weirdos.” Fusui smiled wryly, completely surprised that her friend was getting along with her brother better than with her. “Y/N’s going to be our new sister, Fusui! I want to take care of your babies with Raian! I bet they’re going to be so strong!” the laughter stopped, and the atmosphere changed immediately. Y/N looked down, her face red with embarrassment, whilst Raian immediately wiped his face and glared at Karla, shouting at her for being an idiot. After this, no other fun moments happened, and Y/N returned to Fusui’s room.

Surprisingly, Raian doesn’t always act like he’s fucked in the head, nor is his voice harsh and loud. Late into the night, he sneaked into the girls’ room and woke Y/N up, and with a playful smirk, he urges her to follow him outside, and he takes her back to the pond. The two didn’t speak much, and just gazed up at the stars for a while. It was a serene and comfortable silence, though there was a certain tension between them, and neither spoke. It was weird. 

Raian would take off his warm jacket and put it over her shoulders, as she was still wearing just his cashmere shirt - He knew it would be chilly outside. He knew he wanted to see her, but he had no idea what to say. Karla’s comment really threw him off his grove, and it seemed to have done the same for Y/N, who was able to purposely get a raise out of him so many times in a single day, to the point that he was so hot and bothered that he’d have claimed her on the spot. A hundred times, and more. But that vanished completely, and now he annoyingly felt like some kind of awkward teenage boy, and he hated it.

“Hey, Bruce Lee.” Y/N’s voice wasn’t challenging nor provoking, and though it irked Raian to be called by a wrong name again, the softness of her voice only made him grumble. “Do you know how to put 100 babies in a single bucket?” “Huh? What the hell are ya on?” he snapped his head at her, looking with a weird expression on his face.  Y/N turned to face him, and her smile grew, as if she was trying not to laugh at herself for the stupid joke she was about to reveal. “In a blender.” 

Raian stared stupid at her, eyes wide, unblinking - He almost looked as though he was analysing the very milimeters of her ever growing grin. Raian’s humour was shit. Dark jokes that involve carnage, or simply shock value... Maybe even a shit joke, but with a good momentum delivery... And Y/N’s joke seemed to check all the boxes.

His laugh resounded so loud through the Kure village that the two actually heard “SHUT UP” scolds right back. Y/N was trying hard to stifle her chuckles, but to no avail. “You’re actually kinda cute when you laugh.” “What’s big and smells like shit? GENOCIDE!” he was choking from laughing so much, while Y/N’s mouth twitched. Shit joke, shit delivery.  “Your joke was about as bad as your sense of humour, Jose. But it’s fine. I’ll be the funny one of us.” she looked away, shrugging nonchalantly. “If ya call me by another name ONE! MORE! TIME!!! I swear, I’ll fuckin’ kill ya, babe!” he sneered at her with a glare. “Do it, Dennis.” Y/N found herself being roughly pushed to the ground, though her head didn’t collide, as it was carefully pillowed by his palm. She did not see the starry night, but his face - Handsome, and so impossibly close to her own. He sniggered like a mischievous demon. “You’re trapped, babe~♪ What’cha gonna do now~♪?”

Y/N blinked, realising the situation she was in. Not only was she trapped in those big and warm arms of his, but his body was also almost flush against her own. They were so close, that she feared Raian felt how fast her heart was beating against her chest... And against his own also.

But Y/N’s response was unexpected - Gingerly wrapping her fingers into his cashmere shirt... Did he choose it intentionally? - She pulled herself up to plant tender kiss on his lips. For a maniac, he had very plump and kissable lips. Eventually, she pulled away and laid back on the ground, shyly looking at the completely unresponsive boy.

Kure Raian, the Demon, the Black Sheep of the Kure clan - Was blushing like a highschool boy with a crush. How is he supposed to react? What is he supposed to do? Just -- What just happened? He is so lost that he’s making Y/N uncomfortable with how he’s staring at her so intently.

“U-Uh... Wh-What do you call a baby with no arms and no legs in the middle of the ocean?” hearing her voice, albeit, shaky and unsure, unlike before, brought him back to reality. “What?” he breathed out. “...Fucked.” Y/N’s smile was so nervous and awkward. “Marry me.”

Since that night, Raian began his “Marry me” gimmick - And though it was obviously a gag, he half-meant it every time he said it.

Nobody ever believed that Raian would ever have a proper relationship, considering that everyone ostracizes him for being a merciless idiot, but the way he’s unintentionally simping SO hard for you is almost hilarious. How you learnt to tame the beast that he is, it’s a complete miracle. The Clan literally watches you, leaning at the base of a tree, reading leisurely, and you bait Raian into doing whatever you want, like - Make you a lemonade, or have him go get an ice-cream. All the weirdest things.

But if that wasn’t shocking enough, the fact that that boy can actually stay STILL for more than 5 seconds at a time, was absolutely fascinating. The patriarch would sit on the porch of the house and watch Raian sitting with his head on your lap as you absently play with his hair - And he actually stays there, and doesn’t laugh, or speak a thousand words per second, or throws profanities - He’s just laying there, a passive smile on his face, and living in the moment.

What a fascinating creature.

Raian always tells you all the most gruesome details of every mission he goes on, hoping he would creep you out - But you just nod at him dismissively and tell him to go on with his story.

Raian loves to show off when he’s training, knowing perfectly well that he’s attractive, wearing only his fighting shorts, with sweat dripping all over his flexed muscles... And then chases you around the garden to give you a hug, knowing you don’t want his disgusting sweat all over your clothes.

Fusui becomes your literal best friend, though you’re wary of Karla and her obsessive comments - She’s a good girl otherwise. Generally, you get along well with the clan, but both you and Raian agree that you need a break from them, so you crash at your own, away from all the madness the chaotic assassins dwell in.

When you’re hanging at your home, you feel more comfortable to act a bit more intimate. Don’t be fooled by his brashness, if you get together before he’s like - 20 years old, he’d probably brush off the idea of going any further - Unless you initiate it, then he’s game.

He just likes to be the best at everything he does, and while he was born into a family of fighting and killing, being intimate is something completely different, and it annoys him that he’s not a God from the very beginning - Although, he makes up with his eagerness and his absolute love of touching each and every part of your body and teasing you with a ton of kisses. He’s actually a natural, and the cute faces and sounds you make are his fuel, especially when he surprises you.

When you get intimate, he’s not afraid to experiment things and easily picks up on the things that you like and you don’t.

He also loves kissing you until you can’t breathe anymore.

Kisses with Raian are careful and soft at first, but quickly get deeper and more passionate, and he starts kissing and nipping at your bottom lip, licking and sucking on it before pulling you even closer to his body.

The problem is, he loves hugging you from behind and nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck that he forgets he’s not always at home, in private, with you only, and he starts nipping at the soft skin on your neck.

The inside joke of calling him different names continues well into the years, and it confuses most people - The problem is, you often forget what names you used, and he teases you by pointing out you called him the same name twice in a week.

He wants to see you wearing his shirt at home and preferably nothing else underneath, while he stays topless and purposely flexes, to the point that he’s ridiculous.

Raian is incredibly playful, even if it goes borderline genocidal, it’s just how he is - And you always make fun of him for trying too hard.

Years after you met, he gets in the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, and of course, he refuses to go unless you’re with him - And honestly, how can anyone complain, considering you’re the only thing keeping him somehow stable? Though, you sometimes have the bad habit of letting him play around a bit too much.

You also kinda laugh when he’s threatening and playing around with Lihito in the bathroom, though you also scold him for dragging you in the men’s bathroom and unintentionally being forced to see that idiot’s... Privates.  

You’re also a bit irked by his unnecessary sadist show against Mokichi, especially as he’s called out your name, and you wanted nothing to do with him killing the only guardian of a little girl.  

When you scolded and refused to speak to him until he apologised, he got angry as all fuck and went on a rampage, and despite the Kure literally pleading to you to make him stop - You didn’t.  

Surprisingly, though, he was humbled in the second round by Tokita Ohma - And you mentally thanked the brunet for being strong enough and putting a dent into Raian’s ever-going berserk attitude.  

 Though Ohma was in a coma, Raian woke up soon after, and he found in the infirmary, alone with Mokichi and Ohma.

The room was quiet, save for the beeping of the oxygen machines, and you refused to even look at him, which angered him.

But then you explained why you were pissed with him, and also, why he lost so pathetically - And though he wanted to snap your neck for scolding him, he also knows she was right, not that he’d admit.

During the coup d’etat, he threw all of his frustrations into mass-killing, but once again, his bloodlust made him lose focus, and he got injured again.

Though you didn’t say anything, you did patch him up - He was so silent, that it made you realise he was actually reflecting on his downfall.

And you kissed him.

Over the course of almost three years after the Kengan Tournament, when Ohma comes over to the village to life and train with them, you can see Raian focusing more, and though the brutality is still there, he can actually control it.

Ohma became a trusted confidant and good friend of yours, and the two of you could comfort each other with the two Kure obsessing over you.

Raian’s gimmick with the marriage thing was amped up, though it was more or less to make fun of Karla... Not that she’d realise.

Over the years, Raian made sure to actually teach you how to fight to defend yourself, despite priding himself with being being so powerful that she’d never get herself in danger.

When you reveal Ohma to the world and go visit Koga and Ryuki at the hospital, you see Raian had climbed up the 5th floor and was mocking the young boys.

So you went up to him and pushed him off.

Everyone except for Ohma gawked, afraid for his life.

You just show him the selfie Raian sent you, while he was falling - He was pulling an overly exaggerated kissy face.

Dork.

He was a bit annoyed with how empathetic you were, comforting or cheering every fighter (except for Akoya) for their matches, so he keeps you caged in his arms, teasing you with small comments and kisses to your neck and cheeks.

To stop himself from going ape-shit from the wait leading to his own match, he snatched your hands and would absently play with them or kiss them.

Though the whole Worm thing was worrying you - You didn’t want anything bad happening to the family, or these Kengan people. They all looked like good people. 

But then Raian’s match came by and he was fighting Alan Wu, a clear enemy.

You pulled Raian into a kiss, more or less to have the time to warn him not to lose his cool and actually focus on the match, not on his bubbling emotions.

He just grins and brush off your worries, saying he’s a changed man and what not.

But then he gets threatened with a knife, sees Edward Wu in the hallway...

And he rips Alan in two in a split second, running after his arch enemy.

You stare at the mess left behind that was once a person, and you curse out loud - Raian’s lost it and he’s gonna get in trouble.

You don’t care that Alan was killed, but you fear Raian and his impulsiveness might get him in such a tight situation that he might get himself killed.

Even though Erio and the other two are there.

You and Ohma look at each other, and together, you pick Karla and rush to look for Raian, ready to potentially help him in a fight.

Only to see Kure Erio on the ground and dying.

Raian was sitting on the ground, livid with anger, feeling defeated.

They should have won with no casualties! So why the heck did the old fart use himself bait?! And why wasn’t he strong enough to kill those fuckers without the need of aid?!

He was filled with so many feelings of self-hatred and anger, that even your arms around him, or your comforting words couldn’t drown them out.

You held his hand throughout the funeral and comforted him for days on end, but Raian was still bitter.

Since then, you took a more active role in searching for the Worms - You might not have been a fighter, but you were smart enough to come up with plans and do the brain work for them.

Since the patriarch’s death, Raian visibly mellows down, at least around you, and he finally realises how fragile life can be - And if even that old man, who was the strongest man he knows, who was the first Fang of Metsudo and whatever... If even he could die... What about someone like you, who’s such a fragile little bunny? What if he’s not there to protect you? Not that his presence mattered when Erio died. And, worse - What if you’re used as bait to get to him? What if you get killed in front of him?

Being an assassin means that he’s seen and done a lot of cruel things himself, so he puts all the worst in front.

The night of the patriarch’s funeral, you hold his body close to your own, his head on your chest, and you play with his hair, allowing him to vent his anger with any profanity he might feel the need to spew.

But his silence is far worse than all his anger.

During that very night, Raian came to the realisation of a lifetime.

He pulls you into a tight embrace, and hides his face in the crook of your neck, so you wouldn’t see the single tear of sheer self-anger and regret.

 And in the most broken, vulnerable voice, you hear him voice the words that he’s been meaning to tell you for so long, but stopped himself, thinking he’d sound weak or something that didn’t matter anymore.

“I love you.”

---------------

Being in a relationship with Wakatsuki Takeshi... Being in a relationship with Yoroizuka Saw Paing... Being in a relationship with Kure Raian... Being in a relationship with Tokuno’o Tokumichi... Being in a relationship with Kano Agito... Being in a relationship with Gaolang Wongsawat... Being in a relationship with Gaoh Ryuki... Being in a relationship with Narushima Koga... Being in a relationship with Hatsumi Sen

[bitstitchbitch]

fun fact - handmade, sustainable clothing is expensive for a reason! I just spent $90 on cheapish 100% wool yarn that is probably-hopefully enough for a crocheted sweater (I should have bought another 1-2 balls, but planned poorly). This is yarn from a good-sized company - it was manufactured, not hand spun or dyed to my knowledge. Hand-dyed / spun yarn is double that cost, easily. Again, this is just the yarn. A good crochet hook is around $10. Add another couple of bucks for stitch markers and other misc. tools. Patterns can be bought, found online for free, or you can make your own which is what I’m doing. Working without a pattern requires more time - I spent ~1.5 hours today making test swatches just to decide stitch and gauges. Now consider that higher quality yarn comes in hanks, not the pre-wound balls that you usually find in Michael’s or Joann’s. I wind by hand, so that takes 1.5-2 hours to do all six balls. And only once all of this is done can I begin to make my sweater. Which will probably take 20+ hours. So add in labor costs, let alone profit margins and other business expenses and you start to see why most people don’t sell large crochet items. Not many people want to pay over $300 for a sweater (and remember, this is cheapish wool yarn at $14 / 219 yards, not $30 / 150 yards of hand dyed cashmere, so double the cost if we’re talking premium materials).

Hell I made a crochet afghan with cheap cheap acrylic yarn (literally what you find in Michael’s). $75 materials, but it took me 120+ hours of work and the base cost (labor + materials) would be at least $1000 before profit margin. Then consider that it took me over 9 months to finish. I love that afghan. It’s going to last my whole lifetime. I have similar afghans that my great and great great grandmothers passed down to me - it’s literally an heirloom item. I have no regrets about spending all that time and money on it. But holy fuck, it would not be worth it as a business venture.

I guess my belated point is, consider this the next time you complain about the cost of sustainable, ethically produced clothing. And consider that sustainable clothing usually has more longevity if properly cared for. You can usually thrift for immediate needs and save up for those long lasting items! Just never buy crochet items from a store. It’s such a scam. If the price is affordable, it’s probably unethical (small items are still sketchy, but if it’s local business and not a chain you might be okay - some people can make money off crochet if they’re making small items). There are other methods of sustainable clothing production that can produce cheaper items (machine knitting for example, and even sewing is typically faster) but materials are almost always going to come at a premium and hand sewn/ knitted / crochet is going to be even more so.

[passaggiocravatte]

New vintage tie SPECIAL EDITION in cashmere and wool available in our store online www.passaggiocravatte.com

[soie-lux]

Looking Back at My 2022 Goals: Leveling Up Mentally and Spiritually in 2023

As 2022 comes to a close, take some time to reflect. Look back at the goals you set at the beginning of the year. How did you do? What are some things you wish you would've done differently?

My goals for this year were:

I honestly didn't look back too much at this list throughout the year, but I can thankfully say many of my goals have organically been incorporated in my routines and daily life bit by bit as the year went on.

It doesn't matter if you started working towards your goals January 1st or December 1st, all that matters is that you had the discipline to start. To implement every single one of your goal's January 1st can be overwhelming to some, and discouraging when you fail to keep up the habits, which is why so many people drop their New Year's resolutions in the first 2-3 weeks. You don't have to sprint towards the finish line the second the new year begins. Be gentle with yourself. By implementing your goals slowly and gradually into you daily life, you are more likely to keep up with them.

One of my goals for 2022 was to do some form of joyful movement at least 5 days out of the week. I found pilates, stretching, and daily walks worked best for me rather than going to a gym. I want to be able to enjoy life freely for as long as possible and that means taking care of myself and my body. During the summer months, my 5am morning walks and pilates were Godsend. It required serious discipline to get to wake up so early, but it was so worth it! I feel so much stronger and energized! This is a habit I definitely want to carry into 2023. I wasn't consistent with my daily joyful movement it until May, and that's okay! Starting later is better than not starting at all.

Setting limits on social apps has really helped decrease my screen time. I've definitely noticed the less I spent online, the better I felt mentally and my mindset regarding online/media spaces has shifted drastically. I don't feel the need to be in the loop when it comes to the latest trends of what's "in" vs what's "out." No longer am I caught up in the happenings of celebrity and internet culture (the less you check into trending topics and gossip blurbs, you'll find yourself caring less and less about them, trust me). I noticed the more time I spent obsessing over social media and trying to fit into a specific aesthetic, the less I was able to truly be myself. Get off the internet and learn about yourself!! Forget about trends, what do you like to wear? What do you like to do? Don't let the internet fool you into behaving in a way that makes you feel artificial. Since I've learned this, life has become so much richer and simpler.

Quality over quantity has been a big theme for me this year. I wanted to apply this to my closet as well and create a capsule wardrobe filled with high quality pieces rather than fast fashion items. I've always been drawn neutral tones and earthy tones, but recently have developed a soft-spot for navy and burgundy. I've slowly been swapping out my polyester and acrylic items for pieces made of pure silk, linen, cotton, cashmere, and wool. I'm at a place now where I'd rather spend my money on one high quality basic that will last me years and years than numerous fast fashion items of equal monetary value.

Cooking and baking has always been a hobby of mine, but after some mental/health challenges, I found it hard to enjoying being in the kitchen. I don't remember the moment it all clicked, but the autumn months really helped me fall back in love with cooking. All the things I was doing to physically keep my body moving made me want to ensure I was fueling my body properly as well. I spent less time in grocery stores and more time at farmers markets talking to the farmers/vendors and learning about where the food I'm eating is actually coming from!! Organic produce, free-range eggs, grass-fed meats, locally made bread and locally harvested honey as much as possible. Cooking and baking things from scratch instead of buying it processed from the super market. Eating with the seasons. Making my first sourdough starter. Beginning with a few basic ingredients and witnessing something beautiful come into fruition from oven to plate. I'm so thankful I was able to discover an all-new joy for being in the kitchen this year, and I plan to continue to harness these skills in 2023.

I thank God for the way He has helped me grow in my faith this year. Spending time in His word daily. Praying to Him not just as part of my morning and nightly routine, but sometimes multiple times throughout my day just to chat or ask for guidance. Learning to put His will for my life above my own. Learning to trust Him with everything in my life and giving Him full control. Learning to serve others rather than always looking to be served. In the beginning of the year, my goal was to become "that girl," but now my goal is to become the woman of God the Lord wants me to be. I want to be a woman after His own heart. To spreads God's love with the world by being gentle, kind, wise, graceful, poised, soft-spoken, and selfless. I am in no way perfect, but I'm thankful for the growth I've seen this year and I thank God in advance for the work He will do in me this coming year.

[stevenbasic]

GITJ Post 313: The Tale of Queen Angie, p7

Her boobs are growing, and all her little friends? she seethed to herself as she marched down the sidewalk, headed to the shop she’d found online. She’s taller, she’s a fucking She-Hulk at the gym, she’s got some sort of weird-ass hypnotic perfume? she continued to rant, silently to herself, Fine. Two can play at that game.

Angie Wade was not accustomed to shopping in this part of town, the swankiest. But despite being a bit out of her element she held her head up high, strode confidently, some would say haughtily. She’d needed to make an appointment, in fact, to be let into this place she was headed to - ‘Merz Parfumerie’ - which was annoying but whatever. She’d be on time; she’d skipped out of the office an hour early to make sure.

She could feel her boobs jiggling in her too-small bra under her thin, faux-cashmere sweater as she walked. All the extra calories, along with the fenugreek, were starting to do some good, and maybe while she was downtown she’d look into a lingerie store. She’d finally gone up a cup size or two, she figured. Those fifteen pounds had to go somewhere besides my thighs. It was chilly, this early November afternoon, and her nipples were sensitive.

It annoyed her that she even had to be doing this. She’d tried to use AJ, her ex- and apparently some construction-monkey crew leader working on the office expansion, to get her what she wanted. She knew that there’d been adjustments made to the air circulation system in the building, that there was some sort of aromatherapy shit going on, something based on Melissa’s perfume. She knew it had something to do with how the other girls were growing, how spellbound the stupid doctor was by Melissa and her fucking jigglebunnies. Why was it not having any effect on her?!? Why couldn’t she tell him what to do and boss him around like everyone else was doing?!? It was fucking frustrating but she wasn’t about to sit back and just watch, let all these other girls become whatever they were becoming, especially after the elections let the whole fucking world know that there’d be new bosses in town pretty soon - all of them in smart skirts and high heels. She should be the one running that place, not that overgrown bimbo. So, she’d asked AJ to get some of the pure stuff, whatever it was that they were infusing the air filters in the office with, some weird super-strong chemical that smelled like Melissa’s perfume (so fucking weird, right?)…but he proved to be useless. He can’t even do that for me. 

Finally at her destination - she’d had to park a few blocks away, where parking was cheaper - she looked in through the dusky storefront windows of this high-end perfume shop. She squinted, trying to see inside, what she’d be dealing with, but couldn’t make much out. She rang the stupid doorbell and waited. 

A moment later a man answered the door - she was hoping for that. Angie tended to have better luck getting her way with guys than women. But by the way this guy wore that scarf around his neck she wasn’t too sure her normal methods of persuasion were going to be of much help here. Fine, money talks too. The company credit card that she’d been using over these past few weeks, and then surreptitiously hiding transactions for, was in her purse. Working in accounting was helpful. 

“You must be our four o’clock customer. Welcome to Merz Parfumerie,” the thin man with the squirrely little moustache said as he stepped aside, ushered Angie into the dark little shop. He looked her up and down, took note of her cheap shoes and heavy behind as she glanced around, perused, browsing the shelves of exotic perfumes collected from around the world. “Is there anything in particular I can interest you in?”

Angie turned towards him; he’d found his way behind the glass sales counter. She stepped up to him and placed her purse on it. “Yes, thanks. I’ve heard that you can make custom perfumes, is that right?”

“Yes, yes we can,” the man smiled, “a personalized fragrance can be tailored just for you. We have a perfumologist from Grasse, perfume capital of France, who can craft whatever scent you’d like, for any occasion. It’s a wonderful idea. Would it be for you, or is this a gift?”

Perfumologist? Angie scoffed, silently, That’s a thing? “It would be for me, for sure,” she answered, “and I have a particular thing I want...”

At that, Angie unsnapped her purse and - pulling out some gum wrappers and her lipstick, putting a tampon on the counter - removed the three N-95 masks she’d squirreled away, snagged from the exam room earlier this morning. Damn, her whole purse was going to smell like Melissa, now. 

The sales guy watched with cocked brow as she presented the masks to him, placed them on the countertop. His trained nose immediately picked up the scent of them. It was strong. 

“These masks have been, like, soaked in some chemical, some perfume,” Angie began, “I want you to try to duplicate it, but make it…more like me. I want it even more intense.”

As Angie talked the man, with delicate, tentative fingers, lifted one mask from the three and passed it in an arc below his nose. It was not like anything he’d ever smelled before. Feminine, organic, beautiful in its own way. But it wasn’t a perfume, that he could tell. 

“I want to wear it,” Angie continued, “I want to smell powerful. I want people to smell my strength, I want them to gag on it.” She watched the man take another breath of the alluring scent from the surgical mask, considering. “Can you do that for me?”

========================================

[foodfightnovelization]

Things I'm Not Allowed To Talk About Yet; or How I Learned More About Foodfight! Than I Ever Thought I Would

Okay, so I'm just going to come right out and say it; I know a lot more about Foodfight! than I've let on in this blog. Like, a LOT more. Shortly after I wrote my original series of posts cataloguing the novelization and various other Foodfight! trivia, I was contacted online by someone named Ziggy Cashmere. He'd been working on a book called Drawing For Nothing, exploring the history of unfinished and underappreciated animated films (with a chapter on Foodfight! among its many pages), as well as a full-on documentary about the movie called "ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight".

Obviously me being the fan of Foodfight! that I am, I wanted to be a part of it in any way that I could. We talked for a while along with another Foodfight! fan in an internet chatroom appropriately titled "Foodfight Obsessives" and fast became friends. Since then I've been shown an early script I never thought I'd see, videos containing behind-the-scenes footage I never dreamed ANYONE would see, and interviews with people who worked on the movie I never imagined anyone would be able to track down. I've seen so much stuff over the past few months and it's been SO EXCITING... but I'm not allowed to talk about it, share any of it, or show anyone just yet! Gah!

It's been SO HARD keeping quiet about this for as long as I have, but since a trailer for the documentary has been up on YouTube for a while, I just wanted to let the cat out of the bag and preemptively say before it comes out: yes I knew about this, I've seen everything that's going to be in the documentary and it's fascinating, yes I was involved in it (in a very minor sense- I have a small cameo and helped with some of the research, Ziggy did 95% of the work) and it's going to be AMAZING. Ziggy's work on this is streets ahead of anything I've managed to do with this blog- the production materials he's dug up and the crewmembers he's managed to get in touch with are nothing short of incredible, and the amount of work that's gone into this is insane. It's like those true crime podcasts where a journalist talks to the victims of some decade-old crime, but instead of a murder case it's a below-average animated children's movie.

Everything Ziggy has on the movie (documents, video footage, pictures, interviews, the whole shebang) will be released alongside the documentary, so don't feel like you're missing out- you'll get to see everything soon enough, and I promise it'll be worth the wait. "ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight" answers the decade-long mystery about Foodfight! as best, if not better than any one person possibly could, and closes the book on what happened behind the scenes on this enigma of a movie once and for all. I'm seriously SO excited for it to be out so I can talk about all the crazy things I've seen, you have NO idea what's in store for you guys. Check out the trailer here:

And if you can't wait for the documentary to come out, you'll see a preview of the kind of thing you can expect in his book, Drawing For Nothing. It's a fascinating free ebook with behind the scenes trivia and concept art from all kinds of lost and forgotten animated movies from over the years (for example, there's a chapter dedicated to Joe Jump, a Disney movie that eventually ended up becoming Wreck It Ralph) It's genuinely a work of art, and speaks strongly to my passion of films that feel like they deserve a second chance.

There's a fantastic chapter on Foodfight! showing off concept art, storyboards, unreleased merchandise and excerpts from an early draft of the script- it's truly fantastic. For example, check out this concept art for the Asian food aisle! I think pieces like this really show more than anything the strength of Foodfight!'s core concept, and how genuinely phenomenal of a movie it could've been were it managed better.

So I highly recommend you check out the book, and stay tuned for ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight, because it's gonna be one hell of a ride. I'll make a much more in-depth post about it once it's out and I can actually talk about the contents of the documentary, but for now it's Tiffany Amber, strawberry jamming out of here!

[possibilistfanfiction]

hey can I get some advice, if you have any? my friend is getting married and im invited, but I have no ideia what to wear. I'm afab, non binary, and pretty much closeted in all the ways that matter; I've been wearing men's clothes exclusively for a few years, but I only ever get read as female. I'm 26 and have avoided all family weddings so far in huge part because of formal wear, bc I would die if I had to wear a dress but I (so far) have not been brave enough to try wearing a suit, but this friend is the first of the friend group to get married and she actually wants me there (as opposed to getting invited by cousins and such just bc we're related) and I want to be there to support her. do you have any experience in choosing formal wear? in my place, what would you wear? is it better to go to a shop and risk them refusing to give me a mens suit or try to get something online and risk a bad fit? help!

there’s great suiting for dfab people that u can get either online or in store, depending on where u live. i don’t think you’ll get smth that fits horribly as long as you take ur measurements beforehand, plus most places have size consultants. wildfang has cool suits, they’re a little less formal (which can be great!) but easy to dress up/down & in the future wear as separates. kirrin finch is a little pricier but they make beautiful clothes for masc dfab ppl. both have a p decent size range. sharpe suiting & bindle and keep both do like GORGEOUS custom suits, but they’re expensive & u have to book in advance, so that might not be the vibe for this outing.

in store stuff, i actually rly like theory & all saints; theory is expensive but they have all kinds of different womens cuts, so u don’t actually need a mens suit, although like… no one will rly care if u go try one on? for me, either dfab specific menswear or just andro womenswear fits better, so i’ve stopped worrying abt that & just gone for fit. for less formal, cos & oak+fort have some cool co-ord options that could be fun, esp for a summer wedding. bigger department stores like nordstrom will also have a ton of options across price points

i also think an amazing option is to go to a thrift store, especially if you have a queer one in ur area (out of the closet!). they’ll have lots of options that aren’t too expensive, & will be able to help you find stuff.

& then finally, tailor it! tailoring isn’t that expensive at all (tailoring a suit will probably be under $50) & it’s so easy to make ur clothes fit the way u want them to!

also i will say — i actually hate full suits for myself, they’re way too masc for me & i just. never in my life do i rly wanna wear one lol. i like a good tuxedo pant & an expensive tee & a cashmere cardigan or smth, & i also have a few semiformal & formal kurtas to wear to stuff bc my wife is desi, so sometimes those make more sense & are fun n cute. if a full suit feels like too much, u can wear rly nice stuff that isn’t quite as masc or quite as formal, & it’s (arguably) even more in fashion rn

so just yknow whatever ur vibes are, there rly are so many options. have fun w it! clothes are supposed to be fun! definitely don’t let being scared of formalwear have u miss a wedding u wanna go to, i swear literally nothing is that deep lol

[jmdbjk]

Hi i saw you said you could talk about fashion if we were interested. I have some questions they might be dumb as i know zero about fashion. Is there any difference between a global ambassador and an house ambassador?can Jimin weAr any piece from the wome collection if he wants to cause i think he is only dior man? What kind of other things we might see come out of that ambassadorship (commercial? Beauty?) Do you think the current line suits him?

Hey, Anon!

I am not 100% sure but I don't think there is such a thing as a "house" ambassador for a fashion house. There are brand ambassadors and global ambassadors and those two terms might be interchangeable for some of the companies.

Specifying that Jimin is the new global ambassador implies he might be involved in many aspects of representing and promoting the Dior Homme brand. As we've seen, he has already appeared in print promotions with W Korea magazine. By the way, we are to be getting a behind the scenes something or other of this photoshoot tomorrow/today, Jan. 23.

He may appear in other types of advertising/promotion like digital ads, videos, social media, etc. But one of the things he will be expected to do is almost exclusively wear their brand. He's already worn Dior while performing in Taeyang's live performance of Vibe. Maybe we'll see his presence on social media more often because he will be needing to post pics of himself dripping in Dior to fulfill his contract obligation.

We expect to see more of him in the very near future so this ambassadorship and his imminent album release coincide perfectly. I bet they tried hard to make it happen that way.

As far as wearing anything from Dior womenswear? Probably not. There are female global ambassadors for that. (Though I think he could rock some of those designs easily.)

Here is a great article and though written in 2021, it explains why the rise in ambassadorships for K-pop artists has happened and mentions BTSs' partnership with Louis Vuitton. It explains how fashion houses are changing the way they market their brands.

And another published the other day about this season's new fashion ambassadors, including Jimin.

CNN also published this story about Jimin.

I think there are certain pieces that Kim Jones has designed for Dior that suit Jimin's frame and vibe very well. The suit with the cashmere sweater under it that Jimin wore to the show was gorgeous and understated. I would love to see him model that skort/kilt thingy but honestly, there seems to be a lot of pleats on that thing and Jimin's frame might be too slight to play that off well.

But besides the seasonal runway collections there is ready-to-wear (the stuff you buy in a store) which includes that sweater Hobi wore during his NYE performance in New York. I think Jimin's strength in brand promotion will be his ability to sell out any garment he wears that can be purchased online. You can see Dior Homme ready-to-wear here.

I think we saw some footage of Jimin exiting the Dior store after the runway show on Friday. I imagine he just picked out whatever he wanted and they will send it to him. The perks of being global ambassador!

I hope that answered most of your questions, Anon!

[professorpski]

Interweave Knits: Summer 2023

Summer knitting is here which means lighter yarns and shorter sleeves. There are 9 tops and a cardigan in this issue along with an intriguing article by Karen Frisa which has broken me forever from not swatching. She knitted then blocked and also hung four yarns used in this issue; some of them grew in width or length and if you then multiplied out the 2 extra stitches in the 4 inch swatch to determine the effect across an entire garment, you realize how far off your sizing could become. Better to spend some time in the beginning, I now think, than to despair over time wasted in the end.

But on to the patterns. On the cover is the Branchport Cottage Top by Laura Barker which is a top-down circular construction with short rows over the yoke and a shaped waist. its is a full 4 out of 4 for difficulty because of the complexity of the lace stitch yolk. It is made of Elsebeth Lavold Hepathy a blend of cotton hemp and modal, which is a kind of rayon.

I give you a close-up of the front shoulders of the Orlaya Shell in a pale pink by Elena Dimchevska. It is worked in the round from the bottom up with a more solid stitch pattern across the shoulders. It has a very simple shape and then a charted lace stitch. It is 3 out of 4 for difficulty and is made of Drops Cotton Merino which is just what it sounds like.  

Far simpler to complete, but needing care for its eyelet argyle motifs is the Serene Summer Pullover in minty color by Fiona Munro. It is a 2 out of 4 for difficulty and is a bottom up, circular needle project made in Quince & Co Wren another wool and cotton blend.

The pale blue green tee is done with wrapped stitches and called Patio Nights Tee by Debi Maige. It is a 2 out of 4 for difficulty despite having shaped shoulders. The yarn is Shibui Knits Pebble in Crete, a blend of silk, merino and cashmere. 

Cables and a lace stitch that looks like wheat appear in the V-neck Abundant Tee by Blazenka Simic-Boro a 3 out of 4 for difficulty made of Hikoo Rylie in Pearl which is a alpaca, silk, linen blend. While cables always strike me as a cold weather feature, I want to try the lace stitch on something else.

The cover garments is the only pattern here that has waist shaping, the rest are rectangles, so you may want to add your own shaping if you swim in rectangles as I tend to do.

You can find this at your local yarn store, or online here: https://www.interweave.com/product-category/knitting/knitting-magazines/

[passaggiocravatte]

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[nauticonfashionstore9]

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A women's hoodie is a warm, cozy piece of apparel that is usually made of fleece or soft cotton. It is both fashionable and comfy. It can be worn as activewear or for casual events, and it usually has a hood with a drawstring for added warmth. Women's hoodies are available in a variety of cuts, hues, and patterns. They can be worn pullover or zip-up, have oversized or cropped fits, or be embellished with prints, logos, or other motifs. They are a well-liked option for maintaining a casual and carefree style all year round or for staying stylish and warm throughout the winter. Online hoodie in noida. You can visit our store Nauticon wearables.

[whiskeyswifty]

Have you noticed that Taylor doesn’t ever wear designer products on her day to day life? Not a criticism ofc just an observation considering the fact that she’s a multimillionaire and most multimillionaires wear a lot of designer products, especially handbags. She seems to be very low maintenance

ehhhh i'm sorry to burst your bubble, and i hope i can do it in the most reassuring and gentle way. but that's not accurate unfortunately, unless your scope of what makes something "designer" is it has to be one of the major houses (gucci, prada, LV, etc). and that's not an accurate outlook in general any more either because fashion has diversified well beyond the major houses. she seems to have a mix of average consumer stores like Aritizia and reformation and free people (which still run you hundreds of dollars sometimes for a piece of clothing and are arguably not affordable) and the like along with a fair share of Stella and the Row and other boutique brands that have sticker prices of 500 - 1k on average per pair of pants. gucci suits they are not, but they're still high end clothing and very expensive to own the volume that she appears to own. and in my experience, most extremely wealthy people don't dress in chanel and gucci and all that every day. they wear basics just like everyone else, pants and tops and sweaters, they're just very high end basics. like t shirts from james perse or cords from the row and things like that. also in my experience, most extremely wealthy people in their everyday life aren't trying to show off their wealth with their clothing. fellow wealthy people will know the difference between a cashmere and a wool sweater and the cut of a really expensive blazer vs one from ann taylor. little details like the type of buttons and stitching can give away how expensive something as simple as a button down shirt is compared to it's cheap counterpart. those who have money can spot it and will know their equals.

i also want to add that wearing high end clothes or not doesn't make someone high maintenance. a lot of celebrities that you see work very hard to look good when they're in their "everyday life" and that's not to say they hire a hair stylist at 8 am to make their hair look good for a plane ride. it's more general life maintenance things. just for clothing alone, most famous and wealthy people have stylists that act as "shoppers" for them. Every few months, or however often the client insists, they will assemble a room full of casual clothes that they've selected for the client based on the client's personal style. The items chosen are meant to act as a wardrobe, not styled outfits, so the client can feel confident that as they choose their "everyday outfits" all of the items will go together well and make them look polished. wealthy and famous people don't have the time to shop for themselves, or they're not good at assembling a mix and match wardrobe like that so employing someone to do that task and also have good, relevant taste for them is invaluable. yes taylor wears an aritizia sweater but her shopper might have set her up this past winter with a slew of them in the right shades and cuts to compliment her figure and skin tone. she might occasionally shop for herself online, but it's more likely with her busy life that someone is on the payroll to do that for her.

beyond clothing, as far as what it takes to maintain a wealthy and famous person's image, i mean the amount of treatments they undergo on a regular basis to maintain clear skin, tight skin, the perfect shade of hair color, a body type they're trying to maintain, well maintained nails, and so on and so forth. you'll never see it and it'll never be noticeable to you because it's all in the service of coming off "naturally" beautiful. when in reality, a celebrity is using an extensive daily regiment of serums, lotions, and sometimes topical fillers that are personalized by clinicians specifically for them, and often shipped to wherever they are, be it film sets or vacations. they're also undergoing state of the art technological treatments such as routine laser hair removal to keep their bodies hairless, which yes needs upkeep, it's not one and done. or other topical treatment machines that zap cellulite or remove imperfections on the skin like moles and freckles. sometimes even botox treatments to the armpits or other areas that sweat or get odorous so they don't perspire noticeably. there's also the frequent trips to salons or even home visits where they have their roots touched up or undergo chemical treatments to keep their hair texture soft and fluid even on their "off" days. not to mention what they ingest, anything from a fridge full of prepared juices and other concoctions that is kept stocked by a nutritionist to meals routinely prepped and portioned out for them by a personal chef that no doesn't come every day, but will come once a week to prepare their meals ahead of time. all of this is maintenance, and not talked about because it destroys the illusion that these famous and wealthy people are simply "genetically" gifted and therefore we should idolize them for how special they are. when in fact no, they have entire armies of people working in the shadows as architects of their unattainable beauty all so that we look at a photo of them walking to get a coffee and go "wow she's just so beautiful! i wish i was as beautiful as her." but that is not natural beauty and it's so impossible to attain without that army and constant upkeep.

i cannot speak to how taylor swift runs the underpinnings of her life, and she likely will never talk about it in detail, nor will any celebrity as an act of self preservation. Nor is it a value judgement of her as a "good" or "bad" person. it's simply the reality she lives in as a wealthy and famous person with the pressures and expectations that brings. But I can suggest that you think twice when you see a celebrity or wealthy person who looks to be in an "every day" situation and find yourself in awe of how they just.... look like that easily. in reality they spend countless hours and millions of dollars pinching and pruning and tightening and manicuring and curating in the most subtle ways possible to make it look as natural and as easy as rolling out of bed like that. and while she herself is likely not be the kind of bratty, snotty wealthy person you typically would call "high maintenance", i can assure you her overall life is, in every possible way, very much high maintenance.

[avonsalesbyflormarie]

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[caalowrites]

Things I Wish I Used In A New York Winter

This past winter I studied in NYC for university, which most of you may know from previous posts. I cannot say that I truly loved or hated New York (a review on the city coming soon) but I will say that as the Fall turned to winter, I learned the importance of dressing for the weather. In my hometown on the West Coast, dressing poorly for the weather bares the consequence of you being slightly cold in 60 F weather or slightly warm in 90 F weather. Unless you are out in the nighttime, in which case you would only be slightly more uncomfortable. In New York, dressing poorly for the weather (especially as a commuter student/worker) means you have to walk between buildings with cold fingers and chilly air breezing through your jeans. Without much of the proper attire pre-planned, I found myself in a pickle as the cheapest department stores were sold out of gloves and thermal leggings. I ended up buying online, but had to suffer 40 F weather for an additional week 'till my stuff arrived. Lesson learned: Don't be like me! Anyways, here are my most recommended winter items for people studying in cities with cold winters. They are geared more towards women, but of course, I think anyone can wear whatever they like.

A Balaclava - Heat escapes from your head! A solid beanie is work appropriate for people not looking to make a scene, but I think balaclavas are even better because they cover your ears and face, too.

Knit Balaclava $23 - Etsy - shorturl.at/lHIT3

Recycled Cashmere Beanie $44 - Nordstrom - shorturl.at/ehlo3

Side Note: The bright blue options on both of these is an excellent way to brighten up your day and soothe passer-byers on your daily stroll.

A Real Wool Coat - I cannot emphasize enough the *real* part of real wool. It bothers me so much to see brands charging $200-300 for wool blend coats that are mostly plastic anyways. You can find them for $500+ on Nordstrom, or search for them secondhand on Etsy, Mercari, and Postmark for the best sales.

Touchscreen Gloves - A no-brainer is to cover your thinnest limbs from frostbite and the general cold. I recommend touch-screen gloves so you will actually use them and not disrupt your daily feed-scroll on the way to class.

Water Repellant Touchscreen Gloves $25 - MUJI - shorturl.at/iryCJ

A Warm Perfume - Buying yourself a new bottle of perfume is such an ingenious way to brighten up the dull winter months. You don't have to buy yourself a full-bottle either--I just bought a travel size and I've barely made a dent since November (I only use it for dates/nights out/bad days so half the week).

Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break $76 1 oz - Nordstrom - shorturl.at/ekxGL

[bdsmsub67]