BE▲†NIK

I recently received a question in my formspring inbox that questioned my propensity to leave the house in something simple and effortless, as opposed to something calculated and eye-catching. The truth is, every outing is an opportunity to create something that other people can appreciate. I love art, creation, and productivity. I love any material that can be manipulated into an original work. I love the pride associated with accomplishment. And that's what I experience when I deliberately craft an outfit. Why would I deprive myself of the sensation of fulfillment when it is so readily available to me? The idea of 'effort' doesn't scare or repulse me. So, to answer that person's question, I really don't have days where I throw on whatever's clean and accept the fact that people will pay absolutely no notice to my passing existence.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T HAVE DAYS WHERE I JUST WANT TO FEEL COMFORTABLE. Yesterday was one of them! Yet instead of stepping out in my favorite pair of maroon drawstring sweats, I put on two sweaters and a loose pair of pants. And I still committed myself to a theme; the beat generation.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Glasses- from a terrible store in suburban Las Vegas called "Tilly's". Its top exports are checkered Dickies backpacks, DC skate sneakers, Famous Stars and Straps t-shirts, and multi-color aviator sunglasses. At least one good thing came out of being temporarily condemned to Hades; these prescription-less wayfarers.

Cardigan- Gap, secondhand (gift)

Striped sweater- Vintage, Avalon Exchange (gift)

Pants- Seven For All Mankind 'Gwenevere', cuffed to preferred length

Flats- Target

Bag- Rebecca Minkoff

Journal- Valentine's Day Gift in 2008, STILL UNUSED AND THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE

I'm not sure if I've ever before divulged this information, but I've been 'the writer of the family' since I became literate. I wrote crazy poems in elementary school, most of which were about colorful characters feasting on strange and inedible foodstuffs. As I matured, I penned short stories about my then-present love life. I grew progressively more animated and politically impassioned at the onset of high school, so I took to scribing rants in a composition notebook titled 'Enigmatic [Expletive]'. I'd bet my life that every teenager goes through a rebellious phase during their freshman year of high school. Human nature demands it. So, my desire to write inspired my mother to buy me this beautiful notebook for Valentine's Day many years ago. I loved it so much that I couldn't bring myself to write anything in it; every word seemed to undermine the journal's grandeur. My expressions were too pedestrian to compare to the supple leather, the pages' creamy complexion, the ever-satisfying crinkle of bending the book's spine backwards. I tucked the gift away and have since 'saved it for later'.

If you have any ideas on what I should write in this notebook, PLEASE provide a tip. Also; my wonderful friend Roya found this incredible necklace at a thrift store in New York City and I, again, would like advice on how I can honor it for all its worth. I think it deserves its own outfit, no?

Yes, it is a ~tiny~ pair of glasses attached to a gold chain. /squeals /twirls

Everything is infinite!

Bebe Zeva