Showing posts with label Aerosoles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aerosoles. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Some Things I Learned From a Long Trip - Baggage
Before I begin, let me say one thing - 2013 has felt like the year of packing poorly - and I have always been a pretty efficient and smart packer. But this year, so far, has made me rethink that.
So, the first thing I have realized is that a) you'll always need something and b) you'll always have at least one item you don't wear. How is that helpful? Well, it's not, by itself; however, let's take this a bit further and use it to make a guideline.
(Stay with me here; there's a little background/digression coming, but I swear, it'll all come around to my point.) As you know (if you don't, pretend), clothes are very important to me, and while in Berlin, I did have a bit of a crisis around my wardrobe and feeling like myself. I won't go into too much detail except to say that my clothing and how I dress is an integral part of my identity (I have ideas for an article around this). How can one pack for a trip longer than a week or two and maintain one's sense of self (I know, pretty intense) without carting, say, five suitcases? (By the way, our extra suitcases cost us €50 each, which is already pretty expensive, but the person to whom I paid the fee told me that if we'd flown out on Saturday, the rate would've jumped to €150 each! He went on to say that American Airlines made something like $8billion in excess baggage fees alone last year.)
Now this is a work in progress, but I have an upcoming 5-week trip to put it to the test. What I think would work best for someone like me is to start with some key pieces, like a dress that always looks fantastic and that you can dress up/down and wear in multiple temperatures. I would've had that with my Patagonia dress (the one of the traumatic day in Marrakesh), but I had jettisoned the hoody I wear it with when we were in the "lightening the load" frenzy before we flew to Berlin. This time? Dress and hoody.
These key pieces should be distinctive but malleable, and this is where I plan to do more experimenting. For example, I almost never think about wearing a skirt over another dress to create a different look. This technique has great potential and is quite versatile. I tried a variation of it with a long white shirt over a fully pleated skirt, and it was pretty cool. Also, the jeans that fit you perfectly should be packed.
A number of my friends had said to me, "You'll buy clothes in Berlin," and I've already discussed one of the issues with that. Nonetheless, there is something to be said for not packing and getting basics like t-shirts, for example, where you land (if possible). While there can be issues with that approach (spending money, buying things made in China, etc.), it can also save you the headache of the "lightening the load" frenzy one might be engaged in to avoid paying €150 for an extra suitcase. To make this really work, I'd suggest donating whatever basics you've bought abroad to a charity (I doubt you want to pay €150 to bring some t-shirts home). I did end up making a number of items including a t-shirt and a skirt, which I have yet to blog about.
So, the first thing I have realized is that a) you'll always need something and b) you'll always have at least one item you don't wear. How is that helpful? Well, it's not, by itself; however, let's take this a bit further and use it to make a guideline.
(Stay with me here; there's a little background/digression coming, but I swear, it'll all come around to my point.) As you know (if you don't, pretend), clothes are very important to me, and while in Berlin, I did have a bit of a crisis around my wardrobe and feeling like myself. I won't go into too much detail except to say that my clothing and how I dress is an integral part of my identity (I have ideas for an article around this). How can one pack for a trip longer than a week or two and maintain one's sense of self (I know, pretty intense) without carting, say, five suitcases? (By the way, our extra suitcases cost us €50 each, which is already pretty expensive, but the person to whom I paid the fee told me that if we'd flown out on Saturday, the rate would've jumped to €150 each! He went on to say that American Airlines made something like $8billion in excess baggage fees alone last year.)
Now this is a work in progress, but I have an upcoming 5-week trip to put it to the test. What I think would work best for someone like me is to start with some key pieces, like a dress that always looks fantastic and that you can dress up/down and wear in multiple temperatures. I would've had that with my Patagonia dress (the one of the traumatic day in Marrakesh), but I had jettisoned the hoody I wear it with when we were in the "lightening the load" frenzy before we flew to Berlin. This time? Dress and hoody.
These key pieces should be distinctive but malleable, and this is where I plan to do more experimenting. For example, I almost never think about wearing a skirt over another dress to create a different look. This technique has great potential and is quite versatile. I tried a variation of it with a long white shirt over a fully pleated skirt, and it was pretty cool. Also, the jeans that fit you perfectly should be packed.
A number of my friends had said to me, "You'll buy clothes in Berlin," and I've already discussed one of the issues with that. Nonetheless, there is something to be said for not packing and getting basics like t-shirts, for example, where you land (if possible). While there can be issues with that approach (spending money, buying things made in China, etc.), it can also save you the headache of the "lightening the load" frenzy one might be engaged in to avoid paying €150 for an extra suitcase. To make this really work, I'd suggest donating whatever basics you've bought abroad to a charity (I doubt you want to pay €150 to bring some t-shirts home). I did end up making a number of items including a t-shirt and a skirt, which I have yet to blog about.
Labels:
Aerosoles,
Berlin,
Birkenstocks,
Blundstones,
fashion,
hats,
Morocco,
shoes,
Some Things I Learned From a Long Trip,
tights,
travel,
Trippen
Thursday, November 22, 2012
What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: I Know Where This Story's Going
(Yes, I live in Canada so turkey day will have to wait until tomorrow - but stay tuned! There's a 19-pound turkey involved.) Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family in the States.
Dress: Chaiken
Scarf: Hermes
Tights: Wolford
Shoes: Aerosole
Book*: Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
*If I were really reading, I'd be wearing my glasses.
Dress: Chaiken
Scarf: Hermes
Tights: Wolford
Shoes: Aerosole
Book*: Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
*If I were really reading, I'd be wearing my glasses.
Labels:
Aerosoles,
books,
Chaiken,
Dorothy Allison,
fashion,
Hermes,
teaching,
Thanksgiving,
Wolford
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Love is a Battlefield
Full disclosure - classes started on September 8th, but I'd grown tired of my photos. Now I'm enlisting my lady friend and trying to switch up the background.
Skirt: Comme des Garcons
T-Shirt: Hanes
Leather jacket: Gucci
Shoes: Aerosoles
Bracelet: From Mex-I-Can, our local Mexican restaurant
Skirt: Comme des Garcons
T-Shirt: Hanes
Leather jacket: Gucci
Shoes: Aerosoles
Bracelet: From Mex-I-Can, our local Mexican restaurant
Labels:
Aerosoles,
comme des garcons,
Gucci,
hanes,
Mex-I-Can,
Pat Benatar,
teaching
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)



