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

New Years Style // Living Stephen

So I know, it's now the middle of January and I am just now posting about my New Years look, but sometimes the days go by quickly, and I can't find the time to go out and take pictures. Luckily, here we are, half way through the month, and I have finally gotten the opportunity to sit down and post!

I decided that my first fashion post of the year should be about what I plan on wearing for the year. I was beginning to feel a little bit uninspired towards the end of 2014, and I thought that with the new year, should come a new way of styling myself. I have always been an extremely tall and big guy. I've been over 6 feet tall since high school, and I've always been a lot bigger than everyone else. Not necessarily by weight, but mostly just my body is big. It's something that I have dealt with my entire life, and something I have always hated about myself. I always wished I could be a little bit shorter, and be just a little bit smaller. With this year, I want to try my best to embrace my body. It's hard for me to find clothes that I feel confident in, but I'll be trying my best to find pieces that I like, that also make me feel good about myself as well.

So to start off the new year, I've decided to go with a pretty standard, winter inspired look. I tried to put a couple of different dark colors together, for the sole purpose that I always feel a little bit better about the way I look when I keep things a little bit more low key. I have also been working at Urban Outfitters, so I'm able to really delve into a lot of the things I've been buying, by being able to see how people style each piece and finding things that I feel would go together.

Like I said, I tried to stay pretty neutral with all the dark colors. I'm wearing a faux leather jacket from Urban Outfitters, that wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It's definitely much better made than I expected, and has a different look than what I thought. It makes me think of a fashionable biker dude.. as odd as that sounds. My shirt is from H&M; it's just a plain Henleys shirt. The only thing that sucks about it is the fact that it's see through (which is the case with a lot of the men's basics at H&M), so I'm always weary about putting the shirt on without any jacket or cardigan over it!

My biggest obsession since moving to Portland is obviously the change of climate. I'm able to delve into a new realm of fashion that I wasn't able to be a part of in San Diego; with it being so damn hot all the time! I am able to buy bigger scarves and thicker jackets, without the inability to wear them. Now, I wear scarves with pretty much everything, including this one. It's from Urban Outfitters as well. It's extremely warm and cozy, and is the best color! It matches pretty much anything, and is perfect for any day in Portland. (Don't have facial hair if you're wearing it though.. This shit gets all up in your beard!)

One of the things I've noticed about Portland fashion is their lack of TOMS. I know it's such a random trend to notice, but I honestly think TOMS is only big in San Diego because its so warm and dry, and almost never rains. Unfortunately for me, all I own are TOMS, and I've learned the hard way that you can't wear them in the rain. Luckily, TOMS has a new brand of shoes that have a pretty big sole and stay pretty dry in the rain. TOMS is also an amazing company, so I'll probably stay pretty loyal to them and continue to buy their shoes.. even if I suffer from wet feet.

I hope everyone is having a good year so far, and staying as true to your resolutions as you can!

Stephen

Welcome to 2015 // Living Stephen

Happy New Year!

I can't believe that 2014 is actually over and that 2015 has begun. It's been an insane year, and I couldn't be happier with the results. I made some huge changes in my life, and I honestly feel like 2014 was a huge milestone. I moved out of my parent's for the first time, which was a lot more emotional than I ever thought it would be. I moved in with my boyfriend of two year, which has been one of the most amazing roller coasters I've ever been on. I moved to a different state and started a different lifestyle completely, which has been one of the most rewarding adventures I have done.

Moving forward, I feel like as great as 2014 was, I need to start thinking of 2015 has a challenge. I challenged myself in 2014 to step outside of my comfort zone, and do things that I never thought I'd ever be able to accomplish. I have always loved the comfort of my own four walls, and it took a lot out of me to make so many big decisions for myself in a year. So, as cliche as it may be, I want to make a promise to myself. (I'm not calling them resolutions, maybe I will stick to them if I don't) I want to promise a few things to myself and everyone else. I want to continue to step outside of my comfort zone and experience different things.

So first off, I want to make it a point to live a healthier lifestyle. I know that this is the main "resolution" that everyone seems to make (but not me, I'm different!), but I think that it is a positive one! I'm not going to say I'm going to start working out every day, or completely cutting out chocolate and ice cream.. I'm just saying, I need to be more cautious of my body. I have had a gym membership since I moved up to Portland, I think it's finally time to start actually using it. As well, I want to start being more health aware when it comes to what I eat. I want to start making things more, and putting more time and effort into prepping and eating correctly.

My second promise is to explore more. Portland is known for it's off the wall vibe, and it's massive array of food options, and it's time that I start taking advantage of them. I want to make it a point to try a few new restaurants, and do more things that I normally wouldn't do. There is literally so many little fun things to do around this area, and I want to start enjoying them.

My last resolution is to this blog. I always love sitting down and writing a little bit about what has been going on with me, and expressing myself through writing and photography. I have already planned out the next couple of months, and I'm so excited to start blogging more. I want to start incorporating more fashion into my posts and start using my knowledge to hopefully help someone else out! So plan on seeing a little bit more detail on fashion and other men's care! Also, I have a better camera (Thanks to T Bum!) so hopefully the quality of the pictures will be better and hopefully inspire any one out there!
I'm hoping that with this idea of spending more time with blogging, I'll start gaining the courage to start a Youtube channel, and start shifting some of my ideas to video blogging! But we'll have to wait and see about that..

Anyways, I'm excited to start the New Year! It's going to be amazing one, and I'm so thrilled to see what 2015 has in store for me!

See you later!
Stephen

Fall Fashion Essentials // Living Stephen

Hello everyone!

Now that we have officially gone into the fall months, and it is officially cold as hell outside, I thought I'd put together a little list of some of the essential clothing you'll need in these colder months. It's been absolutely freezing in Portland, and we actually got a little bit of snow yesterday, so I thought it was finally time to start bundling up for enduring the cold.

It's a lot colder up in the Northwest than it ever was in Southern California. The colder months got down to maybe 60 degrees, at the coldest, but up here, it's been a consistent 30.. and this is only the beginning. Luckily, the weather is still nice enough outside that you can still dress relatively cute without being completely bundled from head to toe.

As you'll be able to tell, I'll be trying to keep a consistent essentials list throughout the next few months, including winter. It's really hard to put money aside from a lot of clothing, so I always recommend recycling your clothes as much as possible, and using different pieces in different ways! Hopefully you'll feel inspired to go out and look cute.. even it's snowing.

1. Hoodies with Leather Jackets

I think this is one of the most important looks to keep in mind during the Fall time. I think sweatshirts can be really dressed up when you throw on a nice jacket over it, and it keeps you really warm as well! Also, pullovers seem to be relatively on the inexpensive side, so it's really easy to change out the sweatshirt, keep the leather jacket, and have a completely different look!

Leather Jacket: Cotton On (similar)

Sweatshirt: Urban Outfitters (similar)

2. Multicolored Pants

One of the clothing pieces I always forgot to focus on at every time of year is pants. I always feel like I end up just putting on jeans or a pair of black pants because I think it looks good with everything. This fall, I want to try and spice things up a little bit and change out the pants I wear. I've chosen a couple of neutral darker colors for this season, like greens and tan, just to kickstart this new "pant revelation" I have. We'll see how I do.

Pants: Urban Outfitters/Levis/Pac Sun

3. Fun socks

I always feel like this is the most random accessory to be obsessed with, but I am in love with socks. I think they are perfect for fall because you can wear them for warmth and for style. I also feel like I usually wear a lot of button ups and nice boots, so it always makes me feel a little bit more fancy having a fun pair of socks that ties my outfit together.

Socks: Target (same)

4. Beanies

One of the biggest struggles I face during fall is finding accessories. I always feel like I wear pants, jackets and shoes everyday, and I don't feel like I ever have an opportunity to accessorize. So I think having a few beanies at hand is the perfect way to add some extra color to your fall style. Plus, you don't even have to do your hair.. which is probably the main reason I think I love beanies so much.

Beanies: Urban/Target

5. Christmas Sweaters

Before anyone thinks anything, I know.. it's technically fall, and I shouldn't even be thinking about Christmas until December. But c'mon. I start pulling out my Christmas sweaters as soon as it starts feeling like winter time. I think these sweaters look good at any time of the year, but it always makes me feel like we're so much closer to Christmas when I put these on. I just love the designs, and they are so comfortable and warm.

Sweater: Urban Outfitters (similar)

6. Layers of Cardigans and Button Ups

So I honestly have a little bit of a problem when it comes to button ups and cardigans. I pretty much wear them at all times of the year, but I think during fall, it makes the most sense. It's just cold enough that you can't just wear a shirt, but it's perfect for when you get inside and take off your big coat. I think having multiple colors of cardigans is essential because they can pair with pretty much anything. I have a lot of button ups as well that I wear all year long, so this is just one way I wear them during fall!

Cardigan: Urban Outfitters (similar)

Button Up: Urban Outfitters (similar)

7. One pair of nice boots

I know, I know. I meant what I wrote, just one pair of nice boots. I think the worst part of fall and winter is that you don't really want to wear all of your really nice shoes when it's rainy and muddy outside. So I recommend having one pair of "go-to" boots that you can wear all season. I always feel like black look really amazing with any look, so I think sticking to a neutral boot takes away the struggle of cleaning all of your nice shoes once it gets warm again!

Boots: ASOS (same)

Well I hope you guys are enjoying the Fall wherever you are in the world! I am absolutely loving it. Just for the record, it's November 13th and I already put my Christmas stuff out.. so I think I'm prepared for the winter.

See you next time,

Stephen