2-23-2025 MY WEEK: layer up, punk!

 happy sunday! 🜲

    i stuffed myself with italian food all weekend. typing from food coma at the moment. it's been getting a bit warmer lately and by warmer i mean it's not in the negatives and the snow is almost melting. my looks of the week are going full grandpa/layer style, is it laziness and i'm just stuffing shit on top of me? is it comfort? or is it just the cold? i'm a true fan of androgynous styling and often will go googly eyes for shapeless pieces, think antifashion and older margiela, ann demeulemeester, or yohji yamamoto pieces (all of these designers are on my wishlist if anyone is feeling charitable while reading...).

    monday we went grocery shopping and decided maybe we'll get more running shoes because ours have been wearing out from treadmill use. so we went to ross because we've been lucky getting good quality and nice shoe brands for the fraction of the price. the shoe gods blessed us, not so much with running shoes, but with three amazing pairs of doc martens for half off. sorry running shoes, we'll come back in the spring!

    thursday night sib and i went downtown to the cleveland accelerate event where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to sponsors and the public, and best pitch gets a monetary prize for their startup. it's a great place for networking and getting inspired, and also for the finger foods. i thrifted a pearl tie necklace maybe a year ago, and it was a very impulsive buy, but i knew one day it will come in clutch (pearl pun?). the tie was a great conversation starter. 

a moment for sib's fit 

the networking charm?

 

    

    friday night we went to the vinyl vibes which was harder to find than we thought. located in the slovenian home downtown, in a totally hidden bar space, sib, boyfriend and i were very much the youngest in the crowd of ex-yugoslavian rock lovers. i'm hoping this even will gain more traction among the younger crowd. first of all, the music of the time is so underrated, and the punk/rock and disco scene could easily compete with the british and american counterparts of the time. i may be saying that because i'm biased and grew up on it, or maybe i because i am growing tired of the same old songs currently played during social events. this was something different, something that ties our cultures, a reminder that we don't have to shun each other completely. especially when people living in our ex yugoslavian areas (our homelands as we sentimentally call it) live somewhat peacefully together, just now as separate nations. yet here, in the diaspora, we forgot to move on from this hostility. and i'm not saying to forget the bitter history and sing kumbaya together around a photo of tito, i believe we can accept the differences of the past, but also as youth understand how similar we are in our cultural upbringings. to conclude, i just think the imaginary enemies of today and hate toward each other is growing old and stale. y'all know we all listen to each others' music all the time?

    saturday and sunday were unintentionally on an italian food kick - saturday we visited bestie abby to her boyfriend's newest restaurant cavoli's on the west side, where she made some beautiful cocktails - pineapple daquiri and pomegranate mule - and her boyfriend mitch (head chef!) baked a spicy ricotta pizza. the restaurant felt spacious and also intimate, and you didn't feel overcrowded even though it was busy. needless to say we will absolutely make another visit. sunday afternoon we ventured eastward, and i met up with some work friends at joey's grille - this time opting for pasta and many sides like onion rings, pickled fries and garlic rolls. i am happy to say that with the amount of leftovers we will not have to rush to the stove or meal plan for the start of the work week.

    if you remember, we have been patiently waiting for the drag show, that once again got canceled. sib and i agreed that waiting for a perfect saturday and canceling other things in vain just wasn't for us. i'll be on the lookout for drag shows in the spring again. i'm a bit bummed because my outfit in mind was very campy, but i'll save it for just as a campy event in the future...

my weekly fits

monday at work i layered with a turtleneck crop top and a ralph lauren shirt and slacks.

layers no. 1 of the week.

tuesday at work i opted for that vera wang top that has grungy holes, and a white tee underneath. styled with some purple slacks, i really don't know why, and breaking into the new doc martens boots. 

layers no. 2 of the week

wednesday at work i am one again layering with a work t shirt and a cardigan, piling a hat and scarf as well. 

layers no. 3 of the week

thursday at work i wore a vintage christian dior sweater on top of my mom's vintage blouse, and those recently thrifted jeans. 

layers no. 4 

i use a bangle to hide my apple watch
 

thursday night for the accelerate event i took the opportunity to wear that pear tie and the doc martens loafers i got on monday. added a vintage black button down blouse, guess coat, and diane von furstenburg pants. 

friday at work i wore another christian dior sweater on top of a sandy liang jumpsuit.

layers no. 5

friday night for vinyl vibes i wanted to execute a retro vibe, so i wore a black blouse with puffy sleeves, bellbottoms from american eagle, layered a ton of necklaces (including my vivenne westwood choker necklace because who is more punk than her?), and i added the other doc martens (more punk but look at those cute hearts), and a long vintage leather coat. 

saturday for dinner i wore faux leather pants from forever 21 (my faves but they're starting to fall apart and this may have been the last wear), red cardigan in pair with a distressed beatles t shirt i got from the rock and roll hall of fame, vintage fur coat, docs, and borrowed sib's uniqlo bag. 

layers no. 5 of the week

sunday lunch i opted for an h&m grey t shirt with an oversized american eagle plaid shirt, and black calvin klein jeans. paired again with the uniqlo bag, doc loafers and a leather jacket.

layers no. 6 of the week. i live in layers.

    the weather mostly dictates how layered i'll go, and it provides comfort, because i can wear t shirts and not freeze. this week was fully influenced by grunginess and punk, possibly because of the music, or the shoes i bought...

i haven't been making anything lately but i am very intrigued by painting on t shirts. i bought rit dye recently, but i am not sure if i could actually paint the clothes without making a full mess. i might look into buying fabric medium since i've got a ton of acrylic paint.

vintage tattoos are always a good inspo

great button down idea

graphic design, or tongue-in-cheek phrases are also on my radar

what am i looking forward to next week?

    other than end of month work rush, the end of this coming week, aka the first days in march, i am selfishly happy to say my bestie victoria aka vg is coming back to the usa after an 8 month long journey in europe, and exploring the life in croatia. it's so inspiring to see my friends travel, explore, work and just live life and experiencing the highs and lows of youth. i'm looking forward to hearing her stories, and possibly plan out a skiing trip to live my aprés ski lifestyle because she is a skiing instructor (this girl gets certifications left and right, constantly on side quests).