I'm about to get way existential regarding hats here... fair warning.
Every now and again I like to push my own boundaries. I like to take a second look at something I may have immediately deemed death wish list - worthy. A huge part of what makes fashion fun are the risks you're willing to take. This doesn't necessarily mean dressing outrageously or trying to stand out in any way - it means you're allowing yourself room to grow. Experimenting is the only way we realize our tastes may have changed.
So a big boundary pusher came for me in the form of hats. The snapback trend, to be specific. Initially something I would rather have stuck forks in my eyes than wear - I tried to show them a little love this week and see how I could tailor something I had previously found foul to my own aesthetic and taste. You'll see further down some photos of snapbacks that are worn in a way that I feel matches my own tastes more closely (Seriously, can Rihanna do any wrong?!)
And what a lovely little reality check it was! Though I will always feel like a tool when wearing pretty much any hat, I decided I liked how I looked. I often find myself in the position where I'm wearing something and questioning it incessantly in my head as I'm walking down the street. For some, this may feel like an indication that you just shouldn't be wearing what ever it is. But for me, I get a sense of excitement and pride. I can't be worried weather or not people are staring at me if that was my goal in the first place. My newfound appreciation for snapbacks has opening me up to a larger feeling of freedom and security. I do believe my last few remaining f**ks have been given
The snapback I picked up for myself is the "Hollywood Forever" hat from Weekend Society. The underside of the bill is green and thankfully this beaut' still manages to fit my massive 24" head.
I left the sticker on for the photo but removed it later. I can't bring myself to be one of those 59/50 type sticker keeper people. I'm not 'bout that life.
Buying my first snapback from a label like Weekend Society was an easy choice too. Initially the cool name caught my attention, but after reading into their mission statement and aesthetic, I was impressed.
Weekend Society is a Los Angeles based clothing company that started in 2012 through the creative collaboration of Andres Andrieu and Jason Joyce after the two met in college. I caught up with Andres as he shared with me a little more insight into the company's inner workings:
1) "The weekend is a state of mind.." As part of your mission statement, I loved this phrase. How does this attitude manifest itself in your clothing?
Our tag line- Never Grow Boring- is a furthering of our mission and underlines all the pieces we craft. The weekend mindset manifests itself in our clothing through our focus in creating quality pieces that are comfortable and stylish, so people will want to wear them for a long time. We've always kept in the back of our minds that it's not about the clothing as much as it is about what you do when you're wearing the clothing; though it doesn't hurt if you also look good while doing what you love to do. We want to share some of the text and imagery we feel relates to adventure and embracing those things that bring you joy and daily fulfillment, but want to do so in a way that isn't overbearing or too loud. But at the end of the day, we have fun creating brand new pieces that may or may not push boundaries so we never box ourselves into just one style or dismiss an idea when it comes up in brainstorming. As we continue to build the brand and people learn what we stand for, that will give us that much more freedom to experiment and collaborate with others.
2) For those of us up here in Seattle - where we like to think of ourselves as exceptionally "green" - what does Weekend Society do to minimize their footprint and maximize their sustainability?
Thanks for even asking this question! This is one area we are definitely passionate about and take strides to make our company as sustainable as possible, but don't much get to talk about it. Currently we have three main areas of focus when it comes to being green. First, we use as much recycled packaging as possible when shipping out online and wholesale orders. Often times we like to leave little notes on our packages so customers know that we are indeed recycling them and to give a bit of explanation as to why they're receiving very random boxes in the mail. Anytime we have to buy envelopes and other packaging outside of what we pull from recycle bins at the post office, we make sure those are also made from recycled materials. Second, we try to leave as little a footprint as possible with the small, daily tasks we do. This means walking to the post office or bank or printing business documents on both sides of the page or on scrap paper. Lastly, we look to use eco-friendly products/raw materials for our clothing. For example, we tried out a brand new fabric for two of the pieces in our summer line that is gentler on the environment. The fabric for both our Stars tank top and Stars hoodie was spun using as little water as possible and crafted through other processes that leave less waste and make less impact than do standard methods of creating our blanks for printing. While we plan to continue these practices as we grow, we also want to incorporate new practices as we become big enough to do so and plan to keep up on new developments in the green industry as they become available and can positively effect the fashion world.
These guys are so rad that they even gave me a personalized discount code just for all of you extra special readers! Be sure to enter PHANTASMAGORIA at checkout to get 10% of your purchase from http://wkndsociety.storenvy.com
[Target pointed toe flats]
Aaaand irrelevant, but this is the new tattoo I got, right after.. so it's almost healed now. Someone told me that I have Angelina Jolie/Megan Fox -esque tattoos, which made me feel really cool. I wish.
