H A N G E R // H I A T U S

[hangerhiatus]

xoxo I've Moved > www.forgetthenight.com

[hangerhiatus]

Monterey & Clarissa: Love affair

-DTrain

[hangerhiatus]

CULTURAL CURRENCY x BIRKENSTOCKS (Psst! I've moved!)

Let’s start with a premise: The goods you buy (the ones you wear, that adorn your home, the car you drive — anything that can be discussed with a group of gal pals over brunch) present a definition of your self within the social contexts of economic and cultural hierarchy. You choose to place yourself within the stratosphere of this complex “lifestyle” web, and can therefore choose to buy more exclusive things that associate you with a different cultural class than you are currently at, or perceived at.

Simple. We all know this to be true on some level. That’s why trends exist. It has been said that women dress for other women, not for men… when it can equally be said that women dress for other people in the know than for simply looking “good”. Good is not good enough. If we all dressed to flatter our bodies, I daresay we’d find the perfect silhouette, color and fabrication and stick with that from day to day.

But we are finicky. We covet novelty and at times a little romance, a little weirdness, a little nostalgia. Which brings me to contemplate my recent purchase of two pairs of Birkenstocks. One nude patent leather Arizonas (x J.Crew) and the other all-black-everything “Montereys” that were on sale Stateside at both Nordstrom & Nastygal for no longer than it took Sophia Amoruso to coif her bangs in the morning.

Did I buy these two particularly elusive pairs to fit in? Or did my feet feel as though these Birkenstocks reflected the spiritual and physical understanding of myself?

I like to think that Birkenstocks’ cultural currency is sizable at this point: the “Birk cray craze” has peaked, but shows little signs of waning. They are the double-strapped favorite-child of comfy #normcore and sportif minimalism, which to me are the two movements in fashion that started out as anti-cultural currency.

Normcore allowed the wearer to slip into a no-frills persona that blurred the reading of one’s cultural standing. Everything was platonic and accessible. Minimalism seemed to be the same — albeit more elegant — as the clothing didn’t so much as enhance the wearer, but allowed the self to be more pronounced. Cultural currency under minimalism shifted from the clothes one wore to the taste in other things that were, hopefully, less materialistic (I.e a focus on the body, on character, on taste in actual culture etc.)

I will say that had I no consideration of how these two pairs of Birkenstocks granted me the specific cultural currency that I wanted, I would’ve went with one pair. Suede. Zurichs. Taupe, no questions asked.

But look at me now… two pairs in and am I cozy enough in my purported cultural and consumeristic niche?

These are just thoughts I battle with while trying to reduce the volume of things I own (WHICH ARE ALL CULTURAL CURRENCY. Have I said that combination of words enough for you? Cultural Currency. Cultural currency. Clitoral buoyancy. One more time: Cultural currency) and validating my fashion savviness for my own gain. How do you balance it all?

Just a reminder, I've moved.

http://forgetthenight.com/

[hangerhiatus]

Hi, it's me. Although there may have been some epic and wildly ingenious speculations regarding my abrupt silence post Euro-trip (and trust me when I say I'd like to hear them all, particularly the ones involving I AMsterdam's red light district), I have the distinct displeasure in telling you that nothing much has befallen me but a change of heart. I hereby have ended my self-inflicted Hanger Hiatus after ten straight months of refrain. Although just two months short, I hope it doesn't disappoint my reader too much, simply because I think I have learned everything I needed to learn from this period of time. So it goes. To keep it brief, I have relocated to a new digital stage and will continue my conversation there. I look forward to posting about wardrobe distillation, outfits (finally, some summer love) and my thoughts on the general fashion zeitgeist. I will be sure to cover my impending trip to Hawaii this summer as well. Hopefully my new blog can take on a more person-centric stance and grant you a more rounded aperture into my world. Thanks for eyeballing my pics & prose. It's been fun. As Brad Pitt once said, ARREEVADAIRCHEE P.S. -Wonder what the first thing I bought was? -I am getting my second tattoo on July 31. -Meet me in Hawaii August 8. -I just bought a Clarisonic. Expect reviews. -Yes, my new blog's moniker is courtesy of The Doors "THE WASP" Www.forgetthenight.com

[hangerhiatus]

TEDIUM OF THE PACKING LIST Unveiled. Trip to Amsterdam & Prague. 10 Days. One backpack. High humidity, low sixties (F). TOP COVERINGS // -White linen crewneck t-shirt (Forever 21) -Grey linen v-neck t-shirt (Target) -Reversible black/grey cami (Express) -White tulip-back cami (Express) -Black cotton tank top, as sleepwear (H&M) LAYERS (AS IN SANDWICH LAYERS) // -Black waterfall cardigan, light (Mango) -Black suede fringe jacket (Mango) -Black moto leather jacket (Madewell) MODESTY KEEPERS // -Black skinny jeans (Madewell) -Black drapey crepe drawstring pants (H&M) -Black leather shorts (Madewell) -Black lace tap shorts, as sleepwear (Urban Outfitters) LADYTHINGS // -Black long-sleeved embroidered dress (Express) -1 soft bra (black) -1 underwire bra (black) -An effusion of panties FEET CAPSULES // -White low-top sneakers (Golden Goose) -Sporty black flats (Adidas) FROU FROU ADORNMENTS // -Silk scarf, patterned white/taupe (Alexander McQueen) -Blue Bandana (Denim & Supply) -Yellow silk scarf (Target) -2 pairs low-top socks (H&M) -Black braided belt (Men's Lands' End) -Sterling silver screw bracelet (Miansai) -Rings (6 total!) -Disc stud earrings (thanks Jaqui!) -Two tortoiseshell hair clips (JCrew) -Gaffas de sol (Ray Ban) TECHNOLOGIC // -Nook       -How To Find Your Way without a Map or Compass       -The Goldfinch       -Gone Girl       -Swann's Way       -Lessons from Madame Chic -iPod Shuffle (Red) -iPhone -Instax Mini "Polaroid" Camera + film (Fujifilm) BOREDOM CHASERS // -Rubik's cube -Small notebook -Biro -Hanky TOILETRIES // -Hair straightening iron (for curling!) -Pret a Powder dry shampoo (Bumble & Bumble) -Hair spray (non aerosol Bumble & Bumble) -Sea salt spray (Bumble & Bumble) -Deodorant -Red lippy (x3 a matte balm, a glossy lip stain & a matte lipstick) -YSL sheer pink lipstick -Matte taupe eye shadow (Bobbi Brown) -Frosty white eye shadow (L'Oreal) -Mascara (Arbonne) -Liquid Foundation (Bobbi Brown) -Setting Powder (Neutrogena) -Blush (NARS) -Brushes -Brown eyeliner (Maybelline)

----------------------- Find me on Instagram for the next 11 days :-) -DTrain

[hangerhiatus]

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT I am going on a trip and this is… What I Want to Look Like… What I Think I Look Like… What People Actually See… Yep. I am ugly cat with pineapple. -DTrain

[hangerhiatus]

10 DAYS IN EUROPE. 1 BACKPACK.

I cannot help but feel that this week-long trip to Europe may be a small but remarkable watershed in my life. I know that clothes transformeth not the wearer, and a bit of backpacking in Amsterdam and Prague this coming week changeth not the traveler. Needless to say, I am almost at the point of weeping after this long winter, and a scary feeling of despondence towards my current surroundings, circumstance, social nebulous, and career path has settled upon me like a foggy shroud. Who am I to look for alleviation in escape? What ungrateful person am I to cast down my comfortable existence and dream of romantic get-aways? Well, the tickets are bought and the hostels, couches and mattresses are booked. I will leave my cat and the burgeoning Midwestern Spring behind in search of a little grace and clarity. Final packing list and photos to come. Just ordered a curd-yellow Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera 8 off Amazon to replace the white 7s I picked up on a trip to New York last summer. You can find my photographs here. -DTrain

[hangerhiatus]

DISTRESS TO IMPRESS Get Physical With Your Denim I was craving the dropped, frayed hem look that Chimala and Point Sur popularized for me to the point where I got out an old pair of GAP's that I hardly wear anymore and took a stone, a mason jar and an x-acto knife to it. And I quite like the results. If you're going the DIY route, it's as easy as… -Using the blunt end of the exacto to push through the warp of the denim. You want to expose the white weft that runs from side to side, not slash through that as well. -Unceremoniously releasing the hem seam of its duty and let your fray flag fly. -Rubbing a stone along your old-hem's crease line with Queens of the Stone Age or the Rolling Stones in the background for maximum punny-ness. -Slipping a tin, lipstick case, zippo, old phone or pack of cards into your back pocket, and rubbing the blunt end of your x-acto along its profile to immortalize its frame into your denim. -DTrain

[hangerhiatus]

SHOPPING FOR SEPTEMBER How to shop for “a year from now” ---   Pt. I   --- For those of you who have just joined me here on this blog, a thousand welcomes. I have been thinking long and hard (like a stale baguette, you pervs) about this post for a while now, and I’m still fuzzy on the conviction of how to plan a purchase far enough in advance for the items-of-lust to remain relevant, while keeping in mind that many things won’t be for sale in a year or so. Granted, my timeline has thankfully shortened, and I will be able to purchase my first item of clothing come the first of September. I’ve had heaps of help along the way (blessings, truly) and have been naughty just once over a certain handbag… But before I trip over my list own egregiously inflated wants, I want you to know that I reigned it in somewhat after taking this post on the weakness of minimalism to heart. I am what you would call a Materialistic Person, and this journey has lead me to understand a few momentous truths (that a, may come across to you as obvious but for me are only so in retrospect, and b, that these truths only apply to people of my economic and social circumstance. Certain clothing styles may make or break another’s ability to experience certain watersheds in life, but for me, I have everything I need. Now I am left with only wants.) Allow me to divulge my hard-earned learnings: ONE. OBJECTS WILL NOT TRANSFORM ME. Often times I receive more utility from the novelty, essence and chase of an object than from the object itself once it lands into my furry grasp. A pair of boots won't make me the cowboy I long to be. I can only fake it til I make it, but from the inside out.  If I were a true cowboy, I'd still be a cowboy whether my boots were on or not. TWO. OBJECTS TAKE UP BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SPACE, AND CLUTTER LEADS TO ANTISOCIAL TENDENCIES. Yes, anxiety surrounding the maintenance of belongings (storing, organizing, cataloging, cleaning, selling, transporting, valuing, comparing, hunting, bargaining for, etc.) can amount to a shift in social habits, leading one down a more hermetic hole. Excessive clutter drains the mind, can create stress and even shame that draws you away from others…  takes up time that could be spent having adventures, highlights how much time you're spending with objects over people. It makes you lonely. And quite pitiful, if you ask me. I understood this on an innate level, but I never directly linked the words clutter with antisocial before. THREE. MONEY LOOKS BETTER IN YOUR BANK THAN ON YOUR FEET. This one is taken directly from #GirlBoss. The month before I went on this year-long hiatus, I dipped into a spending frenzy. I'm not proud of it, but there I was, on the precipice of "rounding out" my standing wardrobe and effectively cheating myself out of risk. That left an initial dent in my finances that I wouldn't have had to recover from had I not embarked on this journey — you have been warned. FOUR. THE BEST KINDS OF THINGS LOOK BETTER OLD THAN NEW. (With exception of white cotton t-shirts, delicate silk underthings and cars.) FIVE. CHASING A "MINIMALIST" LOOK IS A BIT NONSENSE. LESS-IS-MORE IS A LIFESTYLE, NOT A PINTEREST BOARD.  There is no magic number of garments you should or shouldn't own. Minimalism for the sake of minimalism can get stale and uninspired, not to mention impractical. It's all about introspection and mentality, not necessarily editing. And with those tidbits, I leave you. I am off to pin down my actual list of wants for this September! Oh, that and getting the final stage of my lobotomy scheduled. -DTrain Ph. Here

[hangerhiatus]

LOOKALIKE: Mango x Saint Laurent & Isabel Marant Looks like Mango's got a fever it can't design out.

Both Mango looks are Women's SS14 styles, directly referencing YSL Men's 14 & Marant's Resort Collection 14 (in silhouette, not print). -DTrainPh. Mr. Porter, here, here and here.

[hangerhiatus]

A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them.

— Sir Hardy

[hangerhiatus]

CAREY MULLIGAN x FLAUNT Magazine

A little editorial pleasure for you this Friday morning. -DTrain

[hangerhiatus]

THE CULTURE OF BEAUTY A Quick Review of The Book You See Above Trolling through Anthropologie's brick & mortar on Saturday left me in awe of their patterns, their abundance of polyester (everything is so sheer and so drapey!) and sadly, their prices. I exited the store with a vague feeling of smugness for not being utterly seduced by so many beautiful but acutely expensive things. This is one of those times that my self-imposed limitation becomes my thankful advantage. I did succumb to a book purchase however, and promptly sat down (not on the sidewalk, although I was tempted) and devoured the thing in two hours. Over a beer. At the Great Dane. By myself. Though I am more into reading Nabokov, Kerouac and Morrison (yes, of The Doors) than so called "beach reads" (books that are put to best use atop your face as SPF 300, or however many pages it contains) but I caught a whiff of this whimsical tome on a faint Parisian breeze, and alas, couldn't resist. Within, I was surprised by how strong the mini interviews of stylists, designers and tastemakers were. Of my favorite excerpts: "Dressing allows us to sublimate ourselves and to have fun doing so. I am disgusted when I see articles, or films like Sex and The City, that regulate women to the status of idiots, thrilled by the latest handbag…we should understand women's vulnerability, not laugh at it, and help them to feel seductive & secure." (Christopher Lemaire) More than ever, I am struck with the realization that to focus on lifestyle, over certain goods, is key. French women have a laissez-faire approach to dressing and sometimes grooming (compared to their impeccable American, flamboyant Italian, & eccentric English counterparts) because they are in the business of seducing and charming, rather than wowing, showing and one-hit-wondering. Hence, it starts with the self. I love that the book purports an introspective, almost feminist approach to French-style dressing and lifestyle. A worthy beach read if ever there was one (perhaps on the coast of Marseille, non?) -DTrain *Hopefully I do not come across as a literature snob. I simply prefer to revel in coming-of-age, beat-style, melancholy and epic works with faint hints of black humor and magic than anything else. Victor Hugo and Garth Nix are two of my favorite pillow-fellows.

[hangerhiatus]

WHO IS YOUR SUNNIES MUSE? Lena Dunham Be My Gaffas Gal

Ph. here, here, here and here

[hangerhiatus]

ATLAS SHRUGGED Remember when I was one-upped by the Pink Phenomenon & the White Sneakers Wave? Even the time when I noticed Saint Laurent was rocked by Free People. The one piece of jewelry I have worn for over 2,900 days straight (that's right, 8 years! Excuse my melodrama) is my Tiffany Atlas Ring. The fact that there is a resurgence of the design, and in rose gold none the less, tickles me pinkish! Today both the Business of Fashion and Camille Over the Rainbow supplied equal doses of glee. Today is another one of those days. Will you do as the Romans do? DTrain

Ph. Camille, The Business of Fashion & DTrain

[hangerhiatus]

ON CULLING MISTAKES Via The Nife en L'Air

I love finding posts that give me a clearer and stricter definition of minimalism, with regards to a personal wardrobe. To prevent the idea of minimalism from becoming a nebulous buzz-word that does more harm than good, it is important to recognize what I've found to be its leading downfall. I've been culling items I already own only to covet similar items of greater quality… and price point. The following article (an excerpt) resounded with me on this exact phenomenon. Read on at your own apparel's peril...

Using Minimalism as an Excuse for Unnecessary Upgrades: "I adhere completely to the common "quality over quantity" minimalist philosophy, and a lot of my purchase criteria and habits are linked to it. I prefer to save until I can afford a proper quality item, rather than buy a cheaper one now. I prefer to buy 1 quality item rather than 3 poor ones. However, wanting to have a "perfect collection of items", I ended up culling perfectly useful items just so I could buy one with a better material, or a higher end brand instead. At some point, it even became a sort of justification for buying new, high quality items: "but it's part of my simplification process". The problem was, I was right into the discarding > replacing loop of consumerism, which is not my definition of simplifying my life. Besides, it made me devaluate my items, just on the basis that I should have higher quality standards, whereas they were just adequate for my needs.  See, the basic principle of simplicity, at least in my vision, is to buy less as a whole and make the most of what we own. Yes, part of the simplification process is to curate a smaller selection of items of higher quality, but this should happen over years, as needs arise and we meet them my purchasing a higher quality item, not by "creating" the need by culling a useful item just to replace it with a better one. Learning: In my opinion, culling is a consequence, a side effect of simplification, not the main action of it. If your goal of simplification is to own less, spend less money and purchase less items, then culling shouldn't become an excuse for new purchases. It doesn't mean you are not allowed to upgrade an item if you find a higher quality one you really like, it just means simplification shouldn't be an excuse for doing it." -------------

-DTrain (Ph. DTrain)

[hangerhiatus]

"I think tattoos are horrible. It’s like living in a Pucci dress full-time" — Karl Lagerfeld

I've gotten to the point were feeling the need to shop or spend money on clothing for the sake of novelty seems futile. I drift past racks in the mall, fingering cheap materials and perusing fresh Spring displays with a wary eye. I attest part of this to the numbing effect scoring high-end fashion sites has on one's psyche and how my valuation of clothing items has reached echelons well beyond my income. For something to be a worthy buy, at this point, it is really meant to be something "for life", and must basically fit in with everything I own. I think it was Coco herself that said, "The best things in life are free. The next best things are very expensive."

That said, it's still grueling... my perpetual window shopping. They say that the anticipation for a purchase elicits a far greater high than the transaction itself, and they are right. It's draining. Is September here yet?

Oh, but be not disheartened dear readers. I don't mean to sound all this dreary. This blog has reached a point where even though I haven't posted in a week (or two. Sincere and utter apologies!) new readers still find me and choose to follow my adventure. Thank you so much for that. It really keeps me going. I post this quote because tonight's the night that I get my first (three) professional tattoos. A post tomorrow is sure to follow. And with that, I leave you for now.

-DTrain in the membrane