VAGABOND

Those of you who've been reading this blog for a while know that I have a "thing" with road trips... specifically ones in which I drive out to Los Angeles. No, I don't have a license so I'm never actually the one behind the wheel, and while not being able to plan my own exodus on my own terms is inconvenient, getting to put my feet up on the dash in the passenger's seat of someone else's car makes up for it tenfold. I haven't traveled in a while because my (not so) recent breakup 1) spurned an irrational intimidation of LA (and of everything in general, I now realize... heartbreak is unnecessarily humbling) and 2) sent me careening into aforementioned "quarter life crisis" in which I am essentially too crippled by perennial cliches (WHO AM I?!?!) to satisfy my sequestered wanderlust. Every day I wake up and wonder "is it over yet?" -- can I go back to being my comfortable, collected self? My sister says that you can't force personal harmony. You'll know that you're 'healed' when you feel your proverbial chakras align. Neither of us really buys into the 'new age anatomy' idea, but it doesn't matter -- something within really does 'click into place' after enough time has passed. And it is my understanding of (stupid, idiot) love that nobody gets to decide how much time that is. 

I'm hoping that sporting a look that reminds me of traveling West will get me back in the vagabond groove. You learn so much more about yourself when you're on the road, in between two cities, meditative with your forehead pressed against the window glass. No time at 70 miles an hour to concentrate on the canyons and cacti that pass you by, and too much solar glare through the dash to see the horizon in focus. You're stuck in your own head, but you're in motion. Having a novel destination means that something 'important' by virtue of being unexpected will happen whether you anticipate it or not. That confidence, that trust in the literally illuminated unknown, is the most incredible sensation in the world. It is an unspoken flavor that will save my life. I'll always have the road, even if I have no one waiting for me at the other end. 



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Hat - Zara
Headchain - Funny People Co.
Fringe sweater - CHICWISH
Ladder necklace - Vanessa Mooney
Leopard leggings - Wholesale Orders
"Funky Booties" - Pink & Pepper
Fringe bag - CHICWISH

Many thanks to Funny People. Co (the makers of my beloved turquoise headchain) and Vanessa Mooney who understand the need for jewelry to compliment a look to compliment a Mach 1 Mustang to compliment a restless lifestyle. Not sure where the idea to pair a headchain with a wide-brim hat came from, but it came, and I acted on it instantly. Praying that I'll have a chance to debut the couple - and maybe even a similar leopard and leatherette fringe ensemble - on a trip West sometime this spring. 

I've written about my love affair with travel before... In Love With Dusk.

Still my favorite photo of a random LA sunset in a random LA Walgreens parking lot.



Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

ROLLER RESORT

My obsession with tying a blouse around my waist probably dates back to an evening in December when I was wearing a matching polyester dress and legging set and needed to break up the blending turquoise graphic with some sort of... horizontal accessory. I was in LA and hadn't packed a single loose button-down, so I asked one of my dude friends if I could scour his closet for a potential saving grace of the long-sleeve dress-shirt variety. Eureka, I found a denim button-down and threw it around my waist for one extra layer. It looked grungy and spontaneous, which is just the attitude I needed for an otherwise extremely zany and thought out "aqua ensemble." For those who wonder, this was the outfit. Ever since, I've been tying a shirt around my waist for extra oomph. Also helps that I feel less awkward about how obvious and huge my butt looks in leggings. ^-^



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Beanie - 99 Cent Store (the BEST)
Satin jacket - 9 CROW STREET
White blouse - ROMWE
Diamond print leggings - ROMWE
Sneakers - Jeffrey Campbell
Beach clutch - COZBEST

The satin jacket is a pastel staple -- perfect blend of street and fairytale. I got it from 9 Crow Street, the same off the charts rad vintage retailer that gave me the skirt I wore here. And maybe you remember the three collages I composed a few months ago spotlighting their styles! If you're curious, yes, their stock is still kicking ass in every department. Especially outerwear. Duh.

I'm rocking a pair of "diamond cut" leggings from Romwe (you can place an order for them here) with Jeffrey Campbell Gio Sneaker Wedges c/o my Solestruck pals. The metallic motifs in the leggings' icy print work so eerily well with the silver mesh insets that there's no way this isn't evidence that fate is legit. My beach print clutch -- which I might point out is a Tumblr wet dream for any 'pastel' and 'tropical' bloggers -- is too on point to even be real. My love and gratitude to the power of infinity goes out to Cozbest for hooking it up.

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

DEPRESTON

It’s been a rough winter for all of us, some more than others. ‘Seasonal depression’ is a pretty common phenomenon among us lot of uber sensitive, unnecessarily emotional creatives. We need the physical comfort of warmth to remind us that life is real. We need long, summer days to trick us into believing that we’re not running out of time. We need barbecues and pool parties to distract us from the imminence of death and other stupid melodramatic existential shit (things that only privileged people have the free time to think about). Winter, obviously, is an overt threat to our sanity. We whine, mope, weep, deck ourselves out in monochrome and refuse to remove our circle sunglasses in public, flattering ourselves with the masturbatory paranoia that other people will want to make eye contact with our sorry asses. We’re perfectly sad. Pristinely depressed. Depreston.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Hat – Secondhand

Sunglasses – DAISY POTION

Silver cuff necklace - OASAP

Fringe coat – OASAP

Gray mini-dress – OASAP

Loafers – Swaychic

Many thanks to OASAP for the necklace, dress, and coat! I’d be naked and unaccessorized without you. These are the material wonders that keep me alive and inspired in the treacherous emotional valleys of winter gloom… I will survive. And look like a very posh, very tortured soul while doing it.

I guess I'm in that embarrassing "quarter life crisis" phase where - with no tinge of irony - I don't know who I am or what I want to do, all I know is that my current routine is NOT working. I find myself toting textbook knowledge like a trendy handbag, and subconsciously it's trivialized everything I know because I am too eager to share it with other people. I can't outsmart my unspoken ulterior motives - that "knowingness" will help me gain membership into some community founded on chic theories and artistic revolution. Maybe I'll find peace this Spring. I want to live every day not thinking about the future. I think I've sort of been through this before... a sadness onset by "competitive culture." Only people who are winning are happy; the rest of us are made to feel worthless and doomed. We can either join our oppressors in the Elite Climb, or we can find happiness elsewhere. Like in a beam of light.

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

STREETS ARE CALLING

Harem pants and a Hawaiian tee make for a pretty strong last minute look. Me and my sister shot these photos at a choice time of day in an accidentally not-so-choice part of town. In fact, the brick alley we unintentionally 'glamorized' in these pics was so riddled with trash and filth that my sister feared a "disaster tourism" theme would taint the entire photoshoot. Rest assured that no matter how many sick "but piles of discarded furniture and styrofoam are abstract installations" jokes I make, I recognize that poverty is real... and not a conflict to fetishize. To keep things positive, I'll direct your attention to mah beanie from The Streets Are Calling store and gradient shades from Foster Grant! No better distraction from the Real World than Retail right lol peace love fashion commerce xo!!!!



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Beanie - THE STREETS ARE CALLING
Sunglasses - Foster Grant
Mexican blanket jacket - Secondhand
Hawaiian tee - Secondhand
Harem pants - YES STYLE
Hidden wedge sneakers - A&E
Backpack - YES STYLE

"Depth of field blur" exclusive to fancy SLR cameras effacing the focus of an abandoned shopping cart as a metaphor for a system of economic oppression and fashion trivialities... meta. 

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

IN UTERO

...Figured that since I have intense dark roots now, I should go hard with the Kurt Cobain look. I couldn't bring myself to wear low-top black Converse so I opted for my favorite Skechers work boots instead. I might look super 'grunge-derivative' but ultimately my outfit isn't meant to be a costume. The love for an oversize flannel, boyfriend jeans, and a striped tee is real. And I rock hair grease like an accessory. 



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Sunglasses - Buffalo Exchange
Oversize flannel - YES STYLE
Striped tee - American Apparel
Boyfriend jeans - YES STYLE
Boots - Skechers 

I don't usually tote Kurt Cobain as an 'aesthetic inspiration' because I feel like, ironically, people fetishize Nirvana, the grunge movement, and clothing style in a way that is actually offensive to its anti-mainstream principles. So out of respect, I try to keep it offline. Sorry for breaking my streak today, Kurt. I'm sure you understand because you know that at the core we're the same fucking person. Love ya bud.

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

Leave Me Like You Found Me

The sadder I get, the more inclined I feel to wear minimalist looks. My idea of minimalist is one statement piece and black everywhere else. I chose this camel coat from OASAP as my centerpiece for this outfit -- the delicate flare of the waist, the tiered hem, the way the belt cinches my waist and defines the silhouette -- it's all enough to command a presence without going overboard on the accessories and layers. I had a pretty classic "beat poet" look on underneath, which felt a little cheesy as I was reading in public, but. You know. Wardrobe black like my soul.



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Beret - YES STYLE
Circle sunnies - DAISY POTION 
Sweetheart coat - OASAP
Stallion booties - Wanted

I just got back from the MAGIC tradeshow right here in Vegas where I joined about 30 other fashion bloggers for a 3-day session of content generation, exploration, discussion, and discovery. Hundreds of instagrams... from scoping out the convention floor to partying hard at the Palazzo... I'd be a fool not to share them with ya! Keep your eyes peeled for my coverage next week. Infinite thanks to Kelsi Smith and the Two Point Oh! LA team for making my attendance possible! :)

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva