What They Wore to Coachella

Part of the Coachella mystique is the fashion blog coverage of what the beautiful people wore to party in the desert. There's an entire genre of clothes that now exists, thanks to Coachella and Glastonbury et al: Festival Style. Perhaps it's because we went the second weekend, and all the glam people go the first weekend, but I observed that most people wore as little clothes as possible. We're talking just walking around in bikinis and sports bras. Not particularly fashionable. I get it. It is so hot there. I envied the bikini chicks. Also, this is not a place you want to take a Chanel bag, which I saw in some of the blog slideshows. It's dusty and vomit-y. Fashion people be trippin.

​Here are the main trends I observed: high-waisted booty jhorts, crop tops, floral crowns, disgustingly dirty Toms, crop tops, baby doll dresses, crop tops. Did I say crop tops? I'd like the record to show that I predicted this trend's revival back in 2009. Maybe Coachella is the only place it's really taken off.

​Anyway, before the trip I evaluated my wardrobe for Festival Style and found it lacking, which resulted in a mini-shopping spree. I bought four new things to wear and assembled three Festival Outfits. But then disaster struck, when my flight was delayed and I missed my connecting flight, which caused my suitcase to go missing. Wouldn't that be rich, I thought, if I lost my luggage and had to wear the same t-shirt and pair of jeans every single day. That would serve me right. But thank God, because somehow, against all odds, my little suitcase turned up behind the desk at the Yuma United Airlines counter. 

New for Coachella: Bag from Levi's (similar), Sam Edelman Louie boots (on sale here!)

Here's what I packed for Coachella. Nothing too groundbreaking but I tried. My issue was that I wanted to keep cool but avoid strappy or strapless tops in an effort to avoid getting a sunburn. ​The maxi dress with the cutouts was probably the best choice, in terms of being breezy but covered up. The second day I wore an ultra-light see-through shirt with a swim top underneath, and the last day I wore my boots and a pair of bright blue shorts I bought from the vintage/resell shop Meeps in D.C. I thought, "Yeah, I'm going to get some cool high-waisted vintage shorts to wear to Coachella, look at me." But then I took them home and looked more closely at the label. It read "The Gap." Vintage shopping fail. Bah.

The shorts did come with a neat fabric belt with geometric shapes, and judging by the whip-stitching, it looks like someone may have made it. I also thought that these shorts were ​scandalously short, but damn, compared to the other girls at Coachella, they were practically Mom jhorts. I saw so many butt cheeks hanging out of high-waisted jean shorts. That was standard issue.

And I bit the bullet and bought the fringed boots I was debating in an earlier post. No, I didn't go with white. ​These were comfortable enough to make it through most of the last day, although I was happy to have brought along flip flops too. And the suede survived the dusty, muddy field. Phew! My poor friend Emily was leading the way through the crowd and she stepped in a pile of vomit. That is a very Coachella story, I feel. And that would've been game over for the fringe boots. As luck would have it, Emily had on sneakers so it wasn't as horrible as it could've been.

I tried to look for fashion inspiration from my fellow concertgoers, and don't get me wrong, there were a ton of beautiful people there. They looked good. But it wasn't anything I couldn't see in D.C. on an Urban Outfitters mannequin. Except for one outfit I spotted, which I will try to replicate below:

​PacSun Eyelet Bustier Tank, Minkpink Bustier, Nasty Gal Oversize Denim Vest via R29, N_8 Draped Knee-length Skirt, Steve Madden Troopa Boot, Young Frankk Peak Brass Ring

One girl wore a bustier top with a knee-length mustard yellow circle skirt and a tough pair of boots, and she looked so fresh.  I thought it would look good with a black or white top, and maybe you could throw an oversize denim vest on top of it for some D.C. modesty, and add a streamlined, bold ring to finish the look.

I would love to try to rock this, just need to find a cheaper skirt... Thanks for reading my Coachella fashion post!

Boots With The Fringe

My irrational dream right now is — drumroll please — ivory white booties. Not only are the boots I'm lusting after stain-magnet white, they also have fringe. I've owned white boots before, incredibly, and they were a massive mistake but apparently I've learned nothing.

Sam Edelman Louie Fringe Boots, $160

​OK, I know what you are skeptical. But stay with me. How cute do they look in this Shopbop editorial? The boots go with everything from dresses to rocker skinny jeans, and they almost look practical. If that word can be applied to fringe boots.

​I showed my roommate these boots and she said "They look like a pony in the wind."

Exactly!​

​I consulted with my online shopping buddies, Debie and Lani, and they were onboard with fringe-y boots, but not with the white. Which is understandable. Sugar Rock Catwalk fashion blogger extraordinaire Lani gave me some great suggestions for less spendy boots in darker colors that could possibly withstand Coachella.

​Pink & Pepper fringe boots, $60, Charlotte Russe fringe boots, $19.99, Betsey Johnson Yola boots, $75

She also suggested the leather version of the Sam Edelmans, and unfortunately for my pocketbook, I think I still like them the best. The black version is pretty rock and roll, and via the blog Le Catch, I found a photo in R29 of Lucky editor Elle Strauss wearing the black Sam Edelman Louie boots and looking chic. P.S. Le Catch is incredibly addictive, Marlien has such an eye! I found it this weekend and read back pages and pages. Do you read it already?

I'm still on the fence about fringe boots — Joe is not on board at all — but here are some Clarks taupe lace-up boots I actually purchased last week. I had a very similar pair that I loved but somehow managed to spill bacon grease on while attempting to pour the grease in the trash can. It missed the trash can entirely, missed the floor, and instead landed on my boots. Spot on. A direct hit. Bummer, man. Anyway, the replacement boots are adorable and have all the comfort you'd expect of Clarks, and they (theoretically) look good with dresses too. 

I'll let you know if I pull the trigger on a fringed pairs. As always, weigh in by leaving a comment. Fringe boots: sassy or spazzy?​

Roy Lichtenstein Nail Art

When I went to visit my friend Lani in Chicago this past fall, she asked me if I wanted to get a CND Shellac manicure from her favorite nail artist, AstroWifey. I'd seen Lani's amazing AstroWifey-designed nails in photos before, so I jumped at the chance to try it out for myself. We made a day of our manicure sessions (literally, it took four hours for both of us to get our nails did). AstroWifey had an iPad with hundreds of designs to choose from, but I already knew what I wanted before I set foot in the door. In honor of this fall's National Gallery of Art's Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, I wanted to get a Lichtenstein-esque pop art manicure.

That's all I told AstroWifey, and this is what she came up with:

Isn't this mind blowing? She painted all of by hand! Talk about painstaking work, and some serious talent. Look at the thumbs! That face!  My middle fingers said "Whaam" and "Boom," in case you can't tell.

This manicure is downright amazing. I will admit I was nervous when she started by painting every nail a different color. But the result was cooler than I could ever imagine. She used regular craft paint on top of the nail polish for the designs, using a teeny tiny brush. 

So when I got home to Washington, I had to take my Lichtenstein nails to the exhibit for a comparison.

Pretty spot on, huh? Did you get to visit the exhibit? I've always loved Roy Lichtenstein's work for its boldness and humor, but I didn't realize how many genres of art he tackled with his trademark style — everything from sculpture to landscapes in Chinese style.

As you could've guessed I spent about two weeks staring at my nails. And everyone around me noticed too. Maybe because I couldn't shut up about them. This was my first time getting a Shellac manicure. It held up really well, except for some reason after about a week and a half, one entire nail peeled off without me realizing it. Nooo! Perhaps because there were so many layers of paint. I liked Shellac a lot, overall. While I had the manicure, I used CND Solar Cuticle oil everyday and my nails felt so healthy by the end of two weeks.

Anyway, I can't wait to visit AstroWifey again next time I'm in Chicago with two spare hours. Is there anyone in D.C. who can paint nails like this? If so, drop me a line in the comments, I'm dying to know! And PS: Who What Wear Beauty linked to some gorgeous Vogue pop-art inspired manicures here.

DJ Night Outfit: Honky Tonk Night at Marx Cafe, August 14

Have you been to Marx Cafe in Mount Pleasant?  They've been doing interesting DJ nights for ages.  Way back in 2006 when I was an intern at DC Style magazine, I wrote an article about a monthly reggae night at Marx Cafe.  To be honest, venturing up to Mount Pleasant was a little scary for a sheltered Fairfax kid like me - I thought this was an adventure.  Now flash forward to 2012 and I live around the corner from Marx Cafe.  And this sign in their window intrigued me.

First of all, the $5 (+.50 rounded up for inflation) beer and whiskey shot is a deal.  Fits the Outlaws theme.   And honky tonk sounds like a good time.  So here's my new feature idea: I'll pick cute outfits to wear to various DJ nights around town.  And since Isabel Marant says that Western shirts are cool, we gotta wear a Western shirt to honky tonk night!  Not cowboy boots, I just can't go there. These little heeled booties keep it sharp.  So what do you think?  A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll with the skinny jeans, I hope. 

Honky Tonk Night at Marx Cafe by adelechapin featuring bandana tops

Free People bandana top

freepeople.com

Madewell high waisted skinny jeans

shopbop.com

Sam edelman booties

urbanoutfitters.com

Cleobella cross body handbag

endless.com

Denim Jacket + Little White Dress + Metallic Sandals

So I've been wanting to have more fashion content on my blog, but I feel like a jerk taking pictures of myself and posting them on the Internet (I told this to Debie and she said, "umm, you HAVE seen fashion blogs before, right?"). Also I am definitely not a model.  But despite all these obstacles, I'm plunging ahead with an outfit post.  I put a lot of thought into this particular outfit, and the barista at the coffee shop complimented me on it, so we'll start here.

I admire women who can wear a million accessories and patterns at once and have it look good (like Song of Style), but I try to only wear one or two crazy fun things at once.  What could be more classic than a denim jacket and a little white dress?  The crazy part comes in with the sandals.

I wanted to buy these metallic sandals for months and made a special trek to get them when they went on sale. Love them!  Pretty comfy and you can get them for a better price now.  But if you buy them, whatever you do, do not let your shoes touch each other because the silver can rub off. Oy vey!  Learn from my mistakes.  The shoe department at the Chevy Chase Bloomingdale's hooked me up with a new pair after mine got scratched within four hours.  The new pair is holding up better.

My earrings are supposed to be pieces of coral (well, plastic pieces of coral) but Joe said that they look like chicken feet.  What do you think?  Now chicken feet are all I can see.

Oh yeah, I got bangs! Did you know that, according to the NY Times via Cup of Jo, 2012 is the year of the bang? 

Here's the before picture, where I was rocking 4-inch roots and praying that it looked purposely ombre.  Stefeny at Fringe in Georgetown worked wonders.  PS - her expert tip is to spray a big of hair spray from far away and then curl the bangs over the cylinder of the can.  And yes, I brought in a photo of Zooey Deschanel to illustrate the bangs I wanted #cliche.

I was a little scared about heavy bangs, but as long as I style them it's working out.  Anyone out there jumping on the bang-wagon?  Hahaha, apologies for that one.

Wardrobe Malfunction

This month I set a little challenge for myself: I want to run one mile every day for 30 days.  I'm currently on Day 6, still on track. This might be a dubious goal, however.  It only takes 10 minutes to run a mile.  It takes me longer in general to change into my gym clothes.  10 minutes of exercise is not really a thing anyway.  I will proudly boast to the doctor the next time I get a physical, "Well, I always get in my daily 10 minutes of cardio." I need to bump this up to 2 miles to get anything out of it probably, but as it stands, I like my little goal because it's easily achievable.  So this morning before work, I finished my mile at the Clarendon gym and I looked in my bag to grab my work clothes after I took a shower.  I pulled out the shirt, the shoes and then a sickening realization washed over me.  The pants.  Dear God, where are the pants?  No pants!!! I stood frozen, contemplating my next move.  How could I forget this?  I saw only two options:

1. Ride the metro back home, get the pants and ride back to work for a round trip of 1.5 to 2 hours.  And call my boss and explain why I was late to work because I forgot my pants.  
2. Make do with the swishy gym pants.  Just go with it and pray no one notices until the shops open at 10 a.m. and you can buy another pair of pants.

Dear reader, what would you do when faced with such an impossible choice?  I texted Joe frantically and tried to call my mom for advice.  Joe wrote back,"O.M.G.  That is one of the reasons I always fail to work out before work.  I'm terrified I'd forget socks.  But pants is worse."

Much worse!

Daredevil that I am, I went with option 2, the nice sweater combined with gym pants and sneakers.  I decided the heels would make the whole thing even more ridiculous.  I darted off the elevator to my desk, pants swish swish swishing as I went.

No meetings on the Outlook calendar, phew.  I pushed my chair up as close to the desk as possible, but I thought maybe I should tell my immediate coworkers just to cut the awkwardness off at the pass.  "Peter, I don't have any pants!" I exclaimed.

Wait.  That came out all wrong.

Luckily, the stars aligned and I stayed in my chair till 9:55 a.m., then snuck out to Ann Taylor Loft and was the first person inside when they opened the doors.  I flagged down the salesperson for help.  Here was a guaranteed sale for her.

I tried on one pair of plain black pants from the sale rack and bought them, wearing them out of the store.  And here's where my luck turned around.  Guess how much they were?

$5!

Yes, really.  That fact redeemed my day entirely.  Good ol' Ann Taylor Loft!  Can I be featured in a commercial to tell my dramatic and uplifting tale?