ON GROWING UP (SO FAR)

Me in 2008

Hello! 

I used to think that the epitome of 'growing up' was leaving everything behind— Moving onto bigger and better things in bigger and better places, and adamantly denying that you could ever be reduced to a box as small as where you came from. That's how I functioned for my first year of college, as a product of a person, far removed from the factors that made me who I was. As well as I did socially and academically that first year, I found myself confused when it came to my values and self concept. When I tried to fulfill my commitment to myself and change for the better, I didn't know where to start.

REFINISHING: A KLIMT INSPIRED SECRETARY DESK

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I spent this past summer gradually collecting pieces of furniture for my first apartment in Philadelphia. After living in a dorm for a year, I was eager to move into a space that was uniquely my own. (It's a rite of passage for people around my age) Part of my room planning process was figuring out how to style the things I already had alongside the pieces that I picked up from thrift stores or inherited from relatives. To take part in the quarantine tradition of starting new hobbies, I decided to refinish the pieces that I found within my budget to create personalized items that I could love. Refinishing is always a great way to give new life to old things instead of creating more waste. What better place to start than the place I'd spend the most time during my college career? 

STYLE HISTORY: AMERICAN TOURISTER RE-INVENTS LUGGAGE

 

1965

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    There are certain accessories, brands and garments that are so iconic to a style era that they can evoke the feeling of a decade just by making an appearance. There are definitely instances where our culture latches onto items after the fact and overstate the stylistic importance of them during the time, (I'm looking at you flapper dresses.) However, there are just as many pieces that were equal in popularity during their heyday and in our attempts to recreate the style era. My favorite example of this is American Tourister Luggage. In this post I'm going to discuss the rich history of the brand, and in the next I'll write about my affinity for spotting these pieces in media and how they can be symbolically meaningful depending on where and how they are used.