Moving is insane

It is, there is no doubt about it, but it gets about a thousand times worse when you’re moving countries and you have a limit of two suitcases.

Because you see, you end up finding things you thought you’d lost forever, and you start to wonder if you’ll need a dress you haven’t worn in four years (yes, I should be more diligent with spring cleanings) and eventually you find yourself looking at a closet full of stuff without knowing exactly what to pack.

A little background: I’m moving countries in two weeks.

Between trying to choose a sensible number of books that I can carry without overloading my bag and getting all the documents I’ll need, I have kind of put off packing my clothes. Not because I don’t want to do it, but because I think I’ll have about 5 identity crisis while trying to choose what to take with me.

Clothes are weird companions, and some have become oddly comforting items. So, yes, while I haven’t worn that grey dress in four years, I’ll also miss looking at it every time I open my closet.

It’s weird, I know.

It’s also a reflection of my fear. Fear of leaving home, of going far away and of not seeing my family or close friends in person for at least a year. Because moving means I’m an actual adult, who has to go out, get a job and do adult things, without the safety net I’ve gotten used to.

Besides, I’m kind of terrified of failure.

For now, my clothes will remain in the closet, my hugs will get tighter and I might stare at old things a little bit longer, but in the end, it will be fine.

Making the Case for Overdressing

These days I was watching a TV show in which the hostess lives with a different family each weekend. She’s opinionated, loud, funny and always overdressed. And as I watched her and her outfit changes, I started thinking of how lazy I am when it comes to getting dressed, at least most of the times.

Though lounging in my house like this would probably be too much.

It made me feel really boring.

So, I’ve decided to make the case for the unapologetically overdressed. I have a friend who, no matter where she goes, gets out of her house looking like she just came out of a 1950s moodboard (in a good way), and I know people who won’t leave their houses without a full face of makeup. I admire both of those things, since it involves planning an outfit, time to put on makeup and then assert that you like everything you put on before leaving.

Although, realistically, I’m never going to wear a faux-fur jacket draped over my shoulders as I go to the grocery store, I started thinking of ways I could “overdress” in my daily life, if only to feel it is a little more glamorous. Then, I’ve decided to commit to giving my outfits a little more thought before leaving the house in them.

I sort of want those purple pants, though… too much?

As the self-proclaimed queen of comfy-casual, this is gonna be tough.

So here’s the stitch: for one week, I will wear clothes I consider ‘going out clothes’ for common stuff such as grocery shopping, going to the mall, and, occasionally, just lounging around in my own house (okay, this one is because I’m lazy when it comes to changing once I get home, though), then by the end of the week I will write how I felt about it.

This is also a conscious commitment to try and feel less self-conscious about my outfits, my body and how others see me. Which is why I’ll be delving deep into feelings of inadequacy at the end of the week, probably. However, I can’t wait to start!

Let’s overdress.

Cool Girl style: the leather jacket

For many years now, the leather jacket has been a staple item in any cool girl’s closet. I can understand why: it’s versatile, which makes it perfect for “off-duty” days and times when you’d have to dress it up a little bit and it evokes a sort of rocket-chick-chic mood that girls like Behati Prinsloo and Dakota Johnson pull off so well.

Dakota Johnson being the ultimate rocker-girl-chic (Photo taken from Vogue)

It is also the perfect mid-season attire. Spring and Fall have the perfect not-quite-warm-not-yet-cold weather that calls for a light perfecto, skinny jeans and some worn-in leather boots. Those easy, yet alluring style choices have had my heart since I became aware of them, and I started to search for the perfectly loose, stylish jacket for myself.

While shopping for them and searching for inspiration pictures, though, I have stumbled across a number of articles selling exactly the “quintessential cool girl look” I wrote about previously. And it is cool! I too want to look like I could hop on a motorcycle and ride through some seaside road in Italy, or like the badass member of a girl-gang, or an off-duty superheroine.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a jacket that actually makes me feel like either of those things. Between my love for comfortable clothes and my lack of confidence when it comes to looking badass, buying a leather jacket hasn’t been a fructiferous task. However, this is such a beloved article of clothing that I nearly feel guilty for not having found one yet (at least not one I can afford without feeling extra-guilty).

What I like about this trend, though, is that it feels like something I can pull off (even if I haven’t exactly the perfect fit for me yet). Unlike some passing trends that seem to require a perfect bikini body, a fat bank account or unlimited access to second-hand clothing (and time to scan through them in search for perfectly conserved brand items) the leather jacket looks good in different types of people, it’s pretty much genderless, and it just seems easy to pull off (and friendly to vegans, since faux/vegan leather has already reached the market).

Searching for a leather jacket will probably turn into a saga (I can be especially annoying when it comes to certain items of clothing), but I can only hope that somewhere out there there’s a jacket that gives me that effortlessly stylish air I’m seeking (even if, along with it, I’m wearing age-old jeans and a white t-shirt).