Monday, January 26, 2015

Back to The Ol' Grind // Living Stephen

It's now late-January, and now is the time that most people would still be on their "New Year's High." You know, the one where you are still kind of going to the gym enough to feel like its still worth it, and you're still not drinking as many beers as you used to. Unfortunately for me, all of those habits died early.. and now I'm just lazy and tired all the time. I've tried to keep up with the eating healthier plan, which is actually going well! I've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, and have been rather successful at eating less Starbucks pastries (they are just so damn good, yo!).

Although the beginning of the New Year brings significant change, with going from working out and feeling better, to the days where you just want to sleep in and binge watch Friends. (I'm not talking from experience or anything...) I think one of the things that keeps me feel better about my lack of commitment is getting ready for the day, and feeling confident. I've noticed that my biggest issue with my confidence is that I let it show on the outside, which doesn't help the inside at all. I'm starting to realize that I need to spend much more time learning about myself and making the decisions to wear what I want, without worrying about what everyone else thinks.

So the other day, I went to the Waterfront with Tyler and we snapped a couple of pictures of one of the outfits that always makes me feel good about myself. Hopefully you have a few items in your closet that make you walk outside being like.. "Damn, I'm a hot piece of ass."


So as you probably have guessed, I went for a neutral look again. I always just feel a little bit more comfortable with dark tones and simplistic layers. It has been a cold couple weeks in Portland, so layering up seems to be pretty important, especially being this close to the Waterfront.


As for my coat, I'm wearing a really warm parka from Urban Outfitters. (It's on sale right now, so if you can afford it, definitely snatch it up!) I have never been the biggest fan of anything faux fur, or any fur for that matter, but I think the color contrasts with the parka perfectly, and isn't too big or obnoxious as to take away from the rest of the outfit. Also, it lines the entire inside of the jacket, so it's perfect for a cold and rainy day.


The shirt I'm wearing is also another one from Urban Outfitters. I am a huge fan of layering whenever possible, so I think that having a simple "go-to" collection of plain colored button ups is a must. I have probably about five or six plain colored shirts, so I have a shirt for whatever I'm wearing. This shirt seems to be one of my favorites (don't tell the others!!) . I think denim shirts is so clean looking, and matches with pretty much anything. Also, (even though you can't see in this picture) it has a really good length, which is perfect for people like me who struggle with height issues.


Now, I have NEVER been the kind of person who wears very much jewelry. I usually add a scarf or hat to my outfits to add more dimension, but I honestly could not find anything that I liked that went well with this look. I bought just a plain watch from Urban Outfitters, not thinking too much of it, thinking I would possibly wear to work or to school, so I don't have to keep my phone on me. Little did I know, I absolutely fell in love. I love how sophisticated it makes me feel (Damn straight.) and I think it brings that extra something to the look.


To this day, I still have yet to find the perfect pair of pants/jeans. This pair is from Levis, and it has come super close to the kind I would want. I love the fit of Levis jeans, but I think that their variation between the "same size" is off. I'll order a pair that is exactly the same size, fit and style online, and I'll get two completely different fitting jeans. Fortunately, this pair do fit exactly the way I want, and they do fit my lengthy body pretty well!


Now onto the shoes. I have been an anti shoe buyer for the longest time, and I am slowly coming out of my hate for them now that I work for Urban. I have always worn a pair of TOMS with any outfit, and I'm trying to slowly reach out and buy more boots. Luckily, H&M has a pretty good range of inexpensive boots, that feel and look expensive. I have been obsessed with the color of these boots since I bought them and (after I clean the mud off) I'll be wearing them all the time!

I hope you guys have a good rest of your January! I'm hoping to be posting at least once a week, now that I'm back onto a normal schedule (maybe twice, if I'm lucky!)

Stephen

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