fashion – Hanusia's Blog

Life update: the year (so far) in review

Long time, no blog! I hope you’re doing well. I’ve been trucking along with grad school for the past few months, and realized I hadn’t written here in a minute after posting pretty consistently for awhile. At first thought I didn’t feel like anything major has changed in my life recently, but looking back on the first (almost) half of 2021, I’ve done quite a bit. Here are some highlights…and lowlights:

I dyed my hair green! Well, it was supposed to be dark green, and it turned out more of a teal-blue color. Hazards of a DIY dye job, I guess? I loved it while I had it, though (I’ve since chopped off the dyed bottom half), and I’ve been planning to write a blog post about the whole process for, well, months now. Hopefully I’ll actually get around to it soon!

The color right after dying my hair, one month later, and two months later.

I broke my arms. This was definitely a defining event of my winter, for better or for worse—in early February, I fell while ice skating and fractured a bone in the wrist of one arm and near the elbow of the other. It was actually the first time I’d been ice skating in over 10 years, after another semi-traumatic fall happened the last time. So, unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be ice skating again any time soon (though I may try to brave the ice again next winter, provided I’m decked out in full hockey pads). I was pretty immobile for about a week and then slowly recovered over the course of the following month. Although this experience undoubtedly sucked, the silver lining was all the care, love, and delicious food I received from my local friends while I was out of commission—it definitely made me grateful to have such a strong community here.

The initial splint situation (plus a sling I had to take off to drive home from the urgent care).

I started a style-tracking Instagram account. I’ve been following, learning from, and engaging with the sustainable fashion community on Instagram for a long while now, and I finally decided to join in on the fun myself! I post outfits, occasional makeup looks, and lots of thoughts about fashion, sustainability, and my relationship to my closet in the captions. Going forward, I plan to better integrate my Instagram & blog content, delving deeper into the topics I thumb-type in my captions and maybe even sharing some outfit roundups or styling ideas. For now, if you’d like to follow along on this Insta-venture, you can find me here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPtHmxmn6Te/

My latest style ‘gram!

I road-tripped down South. I tagged along with my friends Kae and Katie to dogsit in rural South Carolina for a few weeks, and we had a lovely time. We didn’t do too much venturing out into the world because of COVID, but we walked the dogs a bunch and hiked and watched multiple Shrek movies together and it was great. Also, I was able to get vaccinated while I was there; definitely another highlight!

I was diagnosed with ADHD. This is a very recent development and something I’m still processing, learning about, and figuring out how to live my life with. I’ll dedicate at least one post to talking about this in the future, because it’s been a long journey to even get diagnosed and I’m sure an even longer path of learning, changing, and fitting this diagnosis into my life lies ahead. So for now, let me know if you have any specific questions and I’ll try to answer them in a separate post.

Unrelated to the ADHD thing, I got to see this cool orchid a few weeks ago—the yellow lady’s slipper, *Cypripedium parviflorum*.

That about brings you up to speed on my major life events so far this year. As summer has begun in earnest (if not yet in astronomical time), I’ve relished being outside, seeing friends in-person now that we’re fully vaccinated, traveling a bit, and having more time and brainpower to devote to my actual thesis work now that the semester is over. I hope you have a great summer, and I’ll see you back on the blog soon.

KOTN turtleneck review + 7 simple styling ideas

In the past couple years, I’ve embraced the appeal of turtlenecks. I didn’t gravitate toward them for a while—maybe because I wore them a lot as a kid and they held a childish association for me—but when I purchased a black ribbed turtleneck in a Midtown Goodwill on a whim, I learned to love this timeless cold-weather style. Since then, I’ve acquired a few more turtleneck shirts and sweaters, all from various secondhand sources. This season, I wanted to add one in a non-neutral, but still versatile, color.

Enter the fitted turtleneck from KOTN. I saw this piece on one of my favorite blogs, Style Bee, and thought it might be perfect for what I was looking for. I’m happy to say that it is!

Made of 100% cotton, the fabric is pleasantly soft, and stretchy enough to fit snugly without being too clingy. It’s slightly ribbed, but the texture is subtle enough that I didn’t notice it until I had it on. This top is opaque, but it is thin enough that I could see, for example, the outline of a bra strap or tank top.

Based on the size guide, I thought I should order a small, but I was worried that some pandemic weight gain would make that size too small. Luckily, the small fits just right! For reference, I’m 5’9.5″ and about 160 pounds at the moment. The hemline falls to my hip, so I can easily tuck it into a high-waisted skirt or pair of pants, but it might be difficult to tuck into a lower-rise waistband. The sleeves are a good length for me, too.

I chose the color Deep Sea, a dark forest green. The name made me think it’d be a cooler blue-green, but it’s actually pretty neutral—not too cool or too warm, which makes it even more useful in my wardrobe. I’d say the color as depicted on KOTN’s website is quite accurate to its true appearance.

Below, I’ve come up with 7 outfits I can (and very likely will) wear with this turtleneck. It’s super versatile, as you can see—this piece runs the gamut from formal (for me, anyway) to casual, appropriate for a wide range of weather.

Classic

turtleneck + high-rise skinny jeans + simple necklace + Chelsea boots + crossbody bag

This is a go-to kind of outfit for me: a colorful top; my favorite jeans, cuffed; and sturdy slip-on boots. I’d wear it for running errands, seeing friends (at a distance), or bopping around town.

Cute

turtleneck + checkered sleeveless dress + black tights + lace-up boots

I’ve had this stretchy sleeveless dress for ages and it’s now a bit to short to wear on its own, but luckily it works great for layering over tights and a long-sleeved tee. A short dress with chunky Docs is a classic combo in my opinion!

Collegiate

turtleneck + campus sweatshirt + black jeans + backpack + work boots

Wearing this sweatshirt always makes me feel so collegiate. (Which…I still am, but in grad school, the vibe is a bit different!) Wearing the turtleneck underneath, it only peeks out at the collar, but adds that extra layer of warmth to take this outfit further into the cold season.

Romantic

turtleneck + floral midi skirt + simple necklace + white sneakers (or boots if it’s muddy!)

Who said turtlenecks can’t be sexy? They may cover you all the way up, but I think they have a certain allure. I love this button-front midi skirt because I can unbutton it to show some leg, or keep it fully buttoned for a more modest look. (How many times can I use the word “button” in the same sentence?) I don’t think I have a pair of shoes that matches the vibe I was going for exactly, but I’d probably wear white sneakers if it’s nicer out or brown boots if the weather’s more gross.

Sporty

turtleneck + black mini skort + sneakers + ballcap

Now, of course I wouldn’t wear this top to play a sport, but I’d definitely wear it to watch a sport—assuming things like that were still happening (and I’m sure they will again in the future!). I could see myself wearing this outfit to a football game, or to watch my little brother play soccer. (In either case, the relevant mascot is a mountain lion/cougar. Same as my high school’s mascot, too…)

Scholarly

turtleneck + tweed blazer + jeans (or more appropriate bottoms if you’ve got ’em—I’d probably go for khakis) + oxfords

This vintage L.L. Bean blazer makes me feel like the academic I hope to (someday, maybe) be! The green woven into the blazer’s pattern actually matches the shade of this turtleneck exactly, and the oxfords complete the scholarly look. If I had a more suitable pair of pants, I’d wear them with this outfit instead, but all my dressier pants are gray for some reason.

Cozy

turtleneck + oversized cardigan + leggings + snow boots

The wintriest look of the bunch—this one will be on the back burner for another month or so at least (I hope so, anyway) while the weather stays unseasonably warm. I love the look of this oversized cardigan I scored on mega-sale at a fast fashion store ages ago, but it’s pretty itchy on my skin, so I always have to wear a long-sleeved layer under it. This turtleneck is perfect for that task, so this outfit is one I’d bundle up in whenever I have to venture outside this winter.

That’s it for this post! Let me know if you want more “fashion” content in the future. Which outfit is your favorite?

Note: This post contains referral links to get us both a discount if you choose to shop at KOTN.

Something old, something new

Hello, friends! Long time, no blog. It’s been a busy month so far—I was traveling for a week, and then I jumped right back into classes, work, and NaNoWriMo(!). Balancing all of these commitments has been no easy feat, but this weekend I have a bit more time to relax and decided to get a blog post up.

I’ve bought some new things recently, as I am wont to do, and have been getting a lot of use and enjoyment out of them, both out of town and in. But I didn’t want to do a post dedicated solely to new stuff, so I am mixing them in with three “old” belongings that I’ve been using and enjoying just as much. I’ve had each of the “old” things for at least a year, and bought each of the “new” things within the past month or so. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Old: Doc Martens Vegan 1460

I’ve always loved the look of classic Doc Martens patent boots, but I don’t love the leather they are traditionally made of. Luckily, Dr. M has us vegans covered with a whole range of animal-free boots and accessories. I bought this classic style, the 1460, in black vegan leather over 2 years ago and they show no signs of wear so far. I wear these boots at least a few times a week through the fall and winter, and I look forward to keeping them for many more years.

New: Rifle Paper Co x Corkcicle water bottle

Over the years, I’ve collected a number of water bottles (and lost a fair amount of them). But somehow, I found myself at the beginning of this school year with several bottles, but none that didn’t leak in my backpack. I put off getting a new bottle because I already had a few, but the leaking was getting to me. Then I stumbled upon this beautiful bottle in Birdfolk Collective, a delightful gift shop near me that I will definitely be returning to for my holiday card purchases. The bottle is by Corkcicle, and it’s designed by Rifle Paper Co, a company that can take my money all day, every day with everything they make. (What can I say, I love well-designed, whimsical floral prints!!!) I have had a bit of an aversion to the color pink for most of my life (internalized misogyny, anyone?), but I liked this bottle so much that I decided to go for it. And I love it! It’s so pretty, the shape is easy to hold, and it DOES. NOT. LEAK. If you’re in the market for a new water bottle that’s a bit more elegant than the tried and true Hydro Flask or Nalgene (no shade—I still love those brands, too), check out this collection!

Old: My makeup bags

The first makeup bag I ever used was a gift-with-purchase one from the Clinique counter at Boscov’s when I first started wearing makeup. It was a loud pink-and-orange floral print, and not exactly my style. It served me well for years, but I’ve since acquired a few makeup bags that are much more personal and that I love to use. One is from a gift shop in St. Louis (it’s on the Delmar Loop, but I don’t remember the name!), and it is made of a fabric with animals and cacti all over it. Delightful! (Upon recent, closer examination, the brand seems to be called Danica Studios.) The other was a Christmas gift from a friend while she was in the UK, and it features…wait for it…the periodic table of elements. It’s an unexpected combination, and it tickles me every time I use it! This bigger bag is primarily for toiletries, and I use the smaller, printed fabric one for makeup. They’re the best travel companions.

New: Ilia Beauty Necessary Palette in Cool Nudes

I’ve been eyeing this Ilia palette for months and months, and I finally ordered it a few weeks ago. It’s a wonderfully compact range of shades that I will actually use, and the cool tones are perfect for winter (and for making brown eyes pop!). I appreciate Ilia’s commitment to ethical, cruelty-free beauty, and I am really loving this palette so far. It’s perfect for travel and everyday use. And if warm shades are more your speed, they have a “Warm Nudes” palette, too.

Old: girlfriend collective leggings

Girlfriend makes amazing activewear out of recycled plastic water bottles. How neat is that?! Not only is it a great, sustainable concept, the pieces are wonderful (and come in a size-inclusive size range, too). I’ve acquired three pairs of girlfriend leggings in the past several years—the first I tore a hole in during an overly enthusiastic game of volleyball at the Y, so I bought an identical pair of the standard black leggings to replace them. (I still have that first pair with a hole in them, but I might be sending them in soon to take advantage of the reGirlfriend program. This company puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to sustainability. Oh, and speaking of sustainability, I got both of those leggings gently used on thredUp for a fraction of the retail cost. Score!) The classic black leggings are probably my most-worn bottoms; I wear them at least a couple times a week and they are durable, stretchy, comfy, flattering…truly, what more can you ask for in a legging?

New: Everlane Cheeky Straight Jeans

Like the Cool Nudes palette, I’ve been eyeing these jeans for months. For the past year or so I’ve only had a pair of dark-wash skinnies and a stained, distressed pair of boyfriend jeans in the denim department, and I’ve been craving a middle ground—something that’s not skinny, but still fitted and flattering, but also comfy. These Cheeky Straight jeans from Everlane fit the bill perfectly, and I loved my first pair so much that I got them in another color, too (Washed Black and Sky Blue). I was compulsively checking PoshMark multiple times a day to see if a pair had popped up in my size and preferred color, and luckily, they did! These jeans are versatile; I wear them from the office to the field to a night out with friends, and they handle it all with style and ease.

I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my “old and new” favorite things! What have you been loving lately, whether it’s a new find, a rediscovered treasure, or a tried-and-true standby? Let me know!