Beanies never used to be my thing
I do a lot of fashion confessions on this blog (had the name not already been taken, this blog would likely be named so). I'm going to recount my journey to beanie-dom.
Yes, before I met Alex (my [oh, so very] significant other), I had never considered wearing a beanie as part of an outfit. Beanies were for keeping your ears and head warm in the snow, right? I didn't think they could be part of my style. "Timeless" is my foremost style adjective -- how could a beanie possibly classify into that description?
Early in the fall of last year, we went to the beach with some of his friends for a fun weekend getaway. It was windy, my ears were cold and he offered me his beanie (like a true gentleman); I was surprised how great it looked with my outfit. At the time, my hair was really short from cutting it pixie Mia Farrow-style early that summer so I was very susceptible to the cold (more than usual [I'm almost always cold]) and loved the warmth it gave me.
Others started commenting about how I looked like a robber because I'm so often wearing all black. I guess to most people who don't wear black all the time think black beanie + black outfit = robber. Pretty hilarious for a chick like me who's super into ethics. But I found other's "robber" comments about me oddly empowering. I was working downtown into the night and taking a (few different) bus(es) with a lot of sketchy people; it was a liability to not look tough on the bus and there was only so much all-black outfits, headphones and bitch-face could do -- adding a beanie oddly ensured extra safety for me (at least in my mind). As Yohji Yamamoto (one of the best avant-garde designers of all time) said: "... but above all, black says 'I don't bother you -- don't bother me'" which is my perfect bus (/fashion life?) motto. (Let me reiterate: I'm a friendly, introverted recovering germaphobe, so the bus is especially tough for me.)
While this beanie isn't all-black (it's b&w with grey), it still toughens up my look. Even though I'm wearing a 1950's (delicate yet heavy) black velvet opera coat, it still works together to top-off the effect while balancing vintage and modern in harmony. Everything else in the outfit, I decided, would need to be era-neutral to keep the outfit timeless. That's basically the "secret" to a timeless look: balance modern and vintage together. Who knows if some form of this outfit wasn't worn in the '90's? There is nothing inherently too modern in this look, which is my utmost personal style goal because I want my outfits and fashions to last... and for me to look back on them and not think "what was I thinking??"
black 1950s velvet vintage opera coat :: vintage :: red light vintage pdx ::
black petite mock-neck cutout keyhole back three quarter sleeve top :: inc :: macy's ::
blue high-rise jeans :: bdg :: urban outfitters ::
half-moon nail wraps :: go scratch it ::
Photos: Alex Baumann
Copyright: Amanda Hatheway / Styleynn
2014
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