Crazy Famous - Bette Allotte

Announcing Fail at Yankees Game

Daily

Sometimes, I have to wake up before the sun has come up. My eyes are half-closed and I’m feeling around my room to find the door. I’m certainly not awake or functioning, so how could I be expected to make any decisions (important or not)? That’s right - I can’t be. Therefore, when I comes to dressing myself, I must have a “go-to” outfit that I know looks good and that is “easy, breezy, beautiful” (to quote Cover girl...can’t believe that I just typed that) without the danger of looking the way I feel (just rolled out of bed).

Here it is:

It’s pretty simple - Black H&M jeans, some shirt that I found on sale at Urban Outfitters several years ago, and my beat-up shoes that look as if they’ve been through Vietnam.  I cannot forget my favorite sunglasses (origin unknown as they were being thrown out by my mother and I saved them from the trash) and my everyday scent, CK One. It’s such a lovely scent mostly because its feel changes quite drastically depending on the wearer. Also, it's unisex. I don’t know why I like that fact, I just find it interesting and it complements my androgynous tendencies. 

Six-year-old boots

As for my hair and skin, if you are at all curious, I don’t do much of anything. I like to wash my hair the night before and it just dries in its haphazard way. I use Suave shampoo because it’s cheap and it works fine on my crazy curls. I do wash my face with cleanser twice a day and moisturize...even when I’m not functioning in the morning. Sometimes I wear make-up (not those mornings, though) which just means a small amount of eye-liner and mascara, or a little lip-color but NEVER both. I'm not quite sure who would be interested in this vague description of my primping but if anyone is interested, don't hesitate to comment and ask.

iPhone 7 Commercial

Commercial for the iPhone 7

Buy Less.

If those of you reading this blog are anything like me, then you are probably young, hopeful, and incredibly broke. You have very little to spend on frivolities like clothes, jewelry, shoes. That’s fine...well...that’s fine if you budget and prioritize. In other words, think about what you really, really, really want. For example, I am currently saving up for a decent pair of sunglasses. Ones that aren’t $5, break immediately, and then need to be replaced. This process ends up being more expensive than just spending a bit more once for a quality pair.

Club Masters

Furthermore, If you make the effort to buy fewer items (1-3 pieces) per season (3 month grouping), you will end up with a wardrobe full of good quality and well thought-out items. Choosing what to wear in the morning will be so easy. You’ll just pick out anything and be confident that it’ll look good. Oh, I almost forgot - fabrics. Pricer clothing is not just made better (not by three-year-old Vietnamese babies), but it is also made out of better fabrics. The difference between polyester and organic cotton, for instance, is incredible. Wearing nice fabrics makes you not just look good, but also feel good. This is a good thing to keep in mind particularly for people with sensitive skin. Some fabric blends can make one’s skin break into a rash. I know that the previous example was a bit extreme, but I assume that y’all get my drift. 

Muji

When I lived in London, Muji was my favorite store. It was a few blocks away from my apartment and when I wanted to go out for a walk in the chilly and grey London weather, I would seek refuge in Muji's warm and minimalistic environment. Muji is the essence of the relationship between style and technology because its products are simple, made of sturdy materials, aesthetically beautiful and serve an incredible number of functions.

This is what Muji has to stay about themselves:

"MUJI is not a brand whose value rests in the frills and “extras” it adds to its products.

MUJI is simplicity – but a simplicity achieved through a complexity of thought and design.
MUJI’s streamlining is the result of the careful elimination and subtraction of gratuitous features and design unrelated to function.
MUJI, the brand, is rational, and free of agenda, doctrine, and “isms.” The MUJI concept derives from us continuously asking, “What is best from an individual’s point of view?”
MUJI aspires to modesty and plainness, the better to adapt and shape itself to the styles, preferences, and practices of as wide a group of people as possible. This is the single most important reason people embrace MUJI.

MUJI – in its deliberate pursuit of the pure and the ordinary – achieves the extraordinary."

Today, while in Manhattan, I saw that there was a Muji location in Chelsea and, incredibly excited, I nearly tore through the glass doors separating me from the haven I so craved. The interior is beautiful. Not because of any decoration or opulence, but because the arrangement of the products is so pleasing to the eye. The colors are neutral and subdued and the prices are quite fair. My purchases included:

$6.75

A lovely box to keep small pieces on my dresser in order.

$6.75

A file organizer for my desk.

$2.25

A pencil case...self-explanatory I hope.

$3.25

A pen/mechanical pencil duo. Very cool.

$1.25

An acrylic travel case.

Photographs