Thursday.

Every time I listen to the song Marvin's Room by Drake, it puts be in a weird mood. While I don't become depressed, furious or any form of being upset, I still feel a bit empty. I think the song makes me more eager than anything. While many of us can say that we've had our fair share of heart break, none of us can really relate to each other's emotion. However, whenever I hear Drake's voice proclaiming how he deserve's a girls love more than the one that she actually loves, it makes me think just how cool this guy is. The same goes for when I listen to any song by The Weeknd, (which you have to listen to if you haven't already!) or anyone else like them. When The Weeknd is talking about losing his girl to another girl in The Knowing, and how he's discovered her secret, but how he still loves her it just puts me in an emotional grind. As we all know, emotions are not 'cool.' It isn't cool to lose your girlfriend. It isn't cool to be lonely. Tears are not cool. However, the after effect is. Nowadays the brooding, dark and mysterious figures which populate the back of the bars, clubs and taverns are the ones that are the coolest. Falling into habit to fill some sort of void, that is something that we can deem cool though right? I don't know what it is that makes these people cool, but what  it shows us is that happiness is not 'cool.' Which sort of draws a rift between what it is that we want, and what it is that we need. (Haha, no pun intended.)

Anne-Catherine Frey... has no reason to be pictured here. I just want to be her friend. D=
Photo from A Truly Intriguing Subject.

I love my friends, many of them are like siblings to me, and I think that many of them are really 'cool.' At the same time, it was a process to become friends with them. It wasn't easy to become friends with a lot of them, while others was incredibly simple to befriend. I think their 'coolness' comes from their elusiveness. People are  animals, plain and simple. In the social jungle that we live in, being elusive allows one to protect themselves many times. Acting cold to strangers, and being unfriendly to most people prevents one from having to open up, or waste time on people that may either harm them or endanger them. It takes effort to befriend a 'cool' person. However, this self-defense system essentially sacrifices their friendliness. On one side we have being able to defend oneself from the tribulations that Drake and The Weeknd face in their songs, by being elusive and thus mysteriously cool. On the other side we have the opportunity to meet people who we want to befriend, and enjoy the company of people that we can trust. I've had many friends that have betrayed my trust. For that reason, it would make sense to limit my social circle, but it just makes my selection of 'real' friends rather small. There are very few people that really know the real me, and I like it that way. Of course, this isn't because of some sort of hidden aspiration to be the cool guy, but makes me seem either stoic or unemotional. The truth is, it takes effort to know me, and the same goes for anyone that knows the difference between a friend and an acquaintance. Obviously you wouldn't tell your entire life story to a person you meet at the store just so that they could be your friend, right? It takes time to open oneself up to other people. Media makes us believe that the harder it is to crack open that exterior, the cooler this person is, because they know the significance of solitude. Whether that's true is questionable, but I find it fascinating. 

Like minded friends.
Photo from Black Fashion

I guess it also makes friendships more valuable. CONTRADICTIONS.

Leshner.

Photo from Citizen Couture. Meet Fay Leshner. 

Every so often I come across an individual with such profound uniqueness that it subconsciously puts me in dreamlike state. It’s like submerging your body into one of your favorite painting or freeing your soul into music with no recollection of time. The feeling was no different when I came across Fay Leshner... - Jason Jean; Owner of Citizen Couture.

I concur.

Freedom.

Watch in Full Screen.

Platt.

Photo from Citizen Couture.
Meet Lauren Remington Platt. This woman has it all. The face of an angel, remarkable style, an education from Colombia University, CEO position of her own company and most importantly: youth. The founder of the exclusive Vensette.com, Lauren is off to a good start. With the exception of not having accepted my marriage proposal of course.

Archandroid.

All credit due to the owners of this photo.
There's only ever been one person who I've seen dawn a pompadour, and still be considered stunning. That person is Janelle Monae.

McPherson.

Photo from Citizen Couture.

Meet Tamu McPherson, the creator of the very cool blog, All The Pretty Birds (Check it out!). In addition to being a fantastic photographer, and a wicked dresser; Tamu is a heavyweight knockout.

Red.

All credit due to the owners of this photo.
Meet Florence Welsh. When I imagine an angel's voice, it sounds peculiarly like hers. Beautiful woman.

Vespa.

Photo from Anne-Catherine's blog: A Truly Intriguing Subject.

Tuesday.

Today was another hot day, only describable by it's ability to infer itself upon any article of clothing that I wear, and cement itself to me. My pants become ovens, and my shirts become prisons. The heat swarms me when exposed to the sun, and yet I find myself incapable of liberating myself from them. I'm not very fond of random nudity. I'm referring to people with a lack of the two essential articles for proper service: shirts and shoes. For this reason, as well as not being able to wear half of my clothes, I dislike the summer. While not my least favorite season, it is very... challenging to dress appropriately as a young man. As someone who feels that a collar should be mandatory eighty percent of the time, it's near impossible to wear collared shirts in the heat. Sure, tons of blogs, articles and magazines describe ways to 'stay cool' while being professional. They describe the right fabrics to wear, so that when you put on a suit, you won't be that hot. It's all bologna. Regardless of what fabric I'm wearing, I know that garnishing a tie, and a jacket is suicide in the sun. If I don't sweat away all of my natural fluids, my body's going to at least try. Women don't really have the same issue. What I would give to be able to let my legs breathe and still follow dress code. That being said, I guess I'll get to the point of this entry: women'swear. Not just any type of women'swear, but menswear inspired women'swear. 

Helen Weselcouch (above)
Photo from The Style Blogger

I'm no male chauvinist. I appreciate women more than they appreciate each other. However, there is just something so enticing about a woman who uses the same elements in her wardrobe as I do. I'm unsure if I like the idea of her being so creative, or knowing how to stay versatile, but I'm sure that I enjoy it. While the picture above depicts a woman wearing men's formal/semi-formal attire, my appreciation doesn't stop there. Just yesterday, I went to a movie with a friend of mine. While her outfit was very much feminine, I could tell that she was using something that a lot of fashion conscious women don't seem to: a plain white t-shirt. Of course, you might suggest that I'm insane for thinking girls don't wear plain white tees, but allow me to explain. Her shirt was worn the way a guy would wear it. While I'm not sure if the shirt was unisex or menswear, I am certain that it wasn't women'swear. Additionally, the fact that it was her shirt made it all the more interesting! Not many people know this, but a woman's outfit is centered around the upper portion of her body. They create their outfit based on their tops (fun fact for the day!). Men, on the other hand, on their trousers. I loved her outfit just for that reason. Minimalist, fashionable and creative, she knew what she was doing, even if she doesn't realize it! There are a multitude of options for girls to wear like the women in these photos. If you want to visit The Style Blogger, you can even see that half of their outfits are composed of skirts! While a lot of girls feel like they can't wear things like the photos above and below, I'm going to present you with my mantra of four years:

Jenilee (above)
Photo from The Style Blogger

Confidence is your most important accessory. 

France.

Photo from Citizen Couture. 
Meet Anne-Catherine Frey. She's a blogger. I'm learning French for the off chance that I ever meet her.

Crisi.

Photo from Kenya Style.

Pink.

Photo by Guerre.

Wednesday.

So I'm trying to figure out what to wear for the Fly Union show tonight at The Grog Shop (@grogshop). I still have a while to decide, but I'm not entirely sure. I was looking at another one of my favorite photo blogs (might be addicted): Black Fashion. Of course, the majority of those photos are women, it still gets me in the mood to do something crazy. The array of colors that the women on that website exert literally excites me. I'm not sure if it's the way they do it, or if I just didn't think it was possible to even wear those colors, but I'm constantly astonished by the ability of these women to look so great! The greatest part of these images is that there are only a few that are photographs of professionals such as models or celebrities. The majority of the people in front of these cameras are average folk like you and me. 

Unknown Girl ft. Crazy Skirt and Red Dodge. (above)
All credit due to owners of this photo.

That's what makes it all the more possible for me to wear something crazy tonight. While I've decided to extinguish my obsession of sneakers, I still love shoes. Instead of the cliche option of beat up J's, I could wear a slick pair of leather loafers. Then I remember that I'm going to be on my feet, dancing, standing and sweating for who knows how long. This begs the question: Can I wear something insanely pseudo-fashionable like the young men and women of Black Fashion, and still have it be useful? Fly Union, known for their pretty stylish line of MC's, are sure to attract Cleveland's finest style ninjas. There's no doubt that not only will the crowd be covered in sweat, but so will the three-man rap group. So no matter how fly (haha) anyone dresses tonight, it's not going to make them any less capable of perspiring all over their carefully picked outfit.

Fly Union's TGTC (above)
All credit goes to the owner of this photo.

So I guess the best thing I can do is wear something conservative, and take a butt load of outfits that I should have thought about. Expect photos in the future~