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

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

Falling into Comfort // Living Stephen

Hey!

So now that Fall has officially began, and my wallet is officially empty from buying Halloween decorations, I thought I'd give a little bit of insight into what I'll be wearing around this time between summer and fall.

Around this time of year, I always feel a little bit weird with my clothing decisions, mostly because it is still warm enough to wear a t-shirt during the day, but once evening hits, its cold enough to wear a jacket and a scarf. So for this look, I kind of went for a little bit of both. I decided that sweatshirts are one of the articles of clothing that I like to wear around this time (For some reason, I feel cooler in sweatshirts..) On top of it being perfect for this time of year, the sweatshirt I'm wearing today is SO comfortable. I love the fact that I can still wear something that I love and I think it cute, while still feeling really comfortable. 

I'm also super obsessed with the new style of sweatshirt that is going around right now. The hood isn't really a hood, it's more of a hole. Like, the hood couldn't go over my head, but if you pulled it up, it'd cover my face. It reminds me a lot of infinity scarves. It is a perfect mixture between a pajama hoodie, and a really nice sweater.

I paired the sweatshirt with a pair of skinny black jeans (that are also super comfortable), and some of the boots that I have had for forever. I also added a pair of glasses to the look, just for something a little bit different. With men's fashion right now, I haven't really found any kinds of accessories that I really love wearing, so it's always nice to through on some glasses to change things up. This whole outfit just feels so comfortable and autumn-y, and now I want to nap and eat pumpkin cookies.

I'll see you soon!

Stephen

 

Olive Sweatshirt: Forever 21 (same)

Black Jeans: PacSun (same)

Brown Chukkas: Cotton On (similar)

Glasses: Urban Outfitters (similar)