How Do You Fall Back In Love With Life?

How do you fall back in love with life?

clean your room. clean space, uncluttered space, space that doesn’t have miasma clinging to it can work wonders. clean the dishes. sweep. take out the trash. peel the clothes off the floor and wash them, and then actually fold/hang them. take a long shower. scrub behind your knees. brush your teeth. (this can be utterly exhausting, but try to get it done in a day, if you can. the end result is worth it.)

pull out your notebook. it doesn’t need to be a new notebook, but preferably one that you don’t usually write in, or that you haven’t touched in a while. fuck moleskins. the yellow legal pad will work fine. sit in your room, or in the park, or in the library, and write a list. count clouds. describe all the colors that you see, and note patterns that arise. sketch the cracks in the walls. note the shape light makes when it enters a space. talk about what the air tastes like, smells like. what sounds are there? even the white nose, break that down: air planes, fans, cicadas, anything. remind yourself that you are sitting in the middle of a space brimming with detail. remind yourself that you are not in nothingness and emptiness. your world is fathomless. it has potential.

drink cold water and try to eat something that isn’t processed. it does not need to be fancy. buy yourself an apple with the change between your couch cushions. eat it outside. if you’re someone who walks, walk somewhere afterwards, just to stretch your legs. take your fucking meds. remember that its a good thing that you are inside your body. your body is a fantastic and endlessly intricate machine, and even though society has smacked a bunch of poisonous ideas on it, that doesn’t change its inherent worth and splendor. take care of it.

read a novel. underline your favorite lines, and write phrases that twist your heart inside your chest on the back of your hand with an ink pen. read a novel like it’s poetry. read poetry, something decadent but unpretentious. watch a movie you haven’t seen before. if there are free art galleries near you, walk through one. take your time. let yourself bask. if there are patterns in what makes your soul ache, write those patterns down – marbles arches or soot crumbling bricks or dandelions or descriptions of dresses or whatever it is, write them down.

your chosen family is important. remember, they picked you as much as you picked them. the love has no obligation. it is given freely and it is given from a place of compassion. you are not a burden. if you need to breathe, take a minute by yourself and just exist, but remember to go back to your people. when they need you, listen and be gracious. always be gracious. the universe sometimes remembers things like that.

listen to new music. link jump on youtube or related artist jump on spotify or ask the chap beside you in the cafe what their favorite band is, and listen to that. listen to something that you don’t usually listen to. we tend to tie up a lot of memory with music. we are falling in love again. the soundtrack needs to be specific to that.

allow yourself to indulge in romantics. press flowers in old books. play movies with subtitles and mouth the words. dance in your room. wear something that makes you feel good, even if you wouldn’t wear it in public. write your chosen family letters, even if you hand deliver them. write poetry, even awful poetry. revel in its awfulness. eat dark chocolate and when your chosen family want to go out, try to go out with them sometimes, even if its just to the market.

Summer Dark Academia Fashion

The forecast says it’s going to be almost 80 degrees this weekend. It is time to leave your cave. You go to your closet and open it to find racks of wool sweaters you have collected over the past eight months. There is a single t-shirt balled up in the corner. You are me.

Tops

Turtlenecks are no longer an option.

Suit vests. You don’t need the oppressive heat of a button down to wear suit vests. If your vests are a little more low-necked then you’d like, wear a tank top or something with short sleeves underneath. I’m wearing a suit vest in this post, if you want to see styling ideas.

Silk button downs. Obviously short sleeves are preferred, but long sleeves are still possible in the summer. With a material like silk especially, because it feels cool and also helps to keep your skin safe. You just need loose sleeves. That is the theme with this post: loose. If you want to continue dressing long sleeves or long pants in the summer, tight clothing is not an option. You need to be able to get airflow to your skin.

Cotton. Cotton is a great material for heat; tops or bottoms. If you have a long sleeve button down, you can roll up the sleeves and tuck it into something high waisted. Add suspenders (optional, but highly recommended), and that’s summer dark academia right there you mad lad. Short sleeves or no sleeves work just as well.

T-shirt or tank top. Yes, even a basic t-shirt can be “dark academia” if styled right. Granted, you’re likely going to end up looking more like a “Milo Thatch from Atlantis” kind of academia, that’s hardly a bad thing. (Look up Cole Sprouse dressed as him and thank me later) A simple white top in black bottoms is reminiscent of a suit, while tan bottoms looks more “Lara Croft on an archaeology dig”, which is fun.

Camisoles. If you want as little fabric on you as possible, silk camis are the way to go. Plus, you can find tons for super cheap in the pajamas/underwear section of most thrift stores. Is it weird to wear shirts people probably had sex in? Kind of. But if you’re cheap like me, you move past that quickly. Tuck into a pair of high waisted, loose pants that are black or tan, and you remain dark academia and without heatstroke (drink water).

Bottoms

Unfortunately, they must be worn.

Shorts. Best material is linen, and you can find a lot of options and styles on Etsy and more high-end online stores. However, they’re also more expensive, so here are some other keywords for shorts: pleated, high waisted, paper bag. Look at ASOS, Express, or SHEIN for cheaper options. Jean shorts can also work, but they should be dark and definitely not cutoffs. A belt can also help to make the outfit seem more together. And, as always: high waisted, unless you want a more masculine fit, in which case avoid high waists.

Trousers. It’s trouser time baby. Suit pants are out. Skinny jeans are (unfortunately) out. We want loose, flowy material. Pleats are excellent. Actually, pants like these are pretty easy to find these days, and not just on the internet. Straight leg trousers look more streamlined and put together, whereas wide-leg are a bit more roguish. Tuck in a white top of your preference, add some suspenders, and drink water. You’re set.

Skirts/Dresses. Oh to be a wandering poet, running through fields and wildflowers in a flowing linen dress as the sun casts a crown above your head, and the wind gives you countless kisses on cheeks and hair. Wait! That can be you! Stop fantasizing and start doing- get a pale dress, linen or cotton is best. Pale colors are preferred for summer. Find a field. Frolic.

Shoes

Please put away your oxfords.

Mary Jane sandals. Mary Janes are pretty much the oxfords of summer shoes. Especially if you can get them in leather with low heels, it looks very classy.

Gladiator sandals. When in Rome. Or, when you’re into an aesthetic that really likes latin. Either way, these shoes are pretty much string and a sole, so they’re about as cool as you can get, temperature wise.

Ballet sandals. I mentioned these in my unique dark academia fashion post, but I’ll do it again for summer. They’re similar to gladiator sandals in style, but I think they look fancier. Plus, you can tie them in little bows, which is adorable.

Accessories

You know what I’m going to say. Say it. Out loud.

SUSPENDERS. Ten bucks on amazon, and I promise they’re the best investment into your wardrobe you could make. They’re magic- take your boring shorts and shirt, add suspenders, and POOF. It’s dark academia. So classy.

Sun hat. Cottage core and dark academia have pretty much moved from distant cousins to siblings at this point, might as well embrace it. Get something with a black bow out in. Have a picnic and read Keats.

Watch. I feel like a nice classy watch would be a great accessory that doesn’t involve adding fabric to your body. I mean, I don’t have one, but I feel like it would.

Hair. If you have long hair, do yourself a favor, buy a french comb, and learn how to do a french twist. It takes a few tries to get right, but there are youtube videos and it is one of the easiest hairstyles that looks like it takes so much effort. I have pretty much switched ponytails out completely for french twists, and especially for the summer it’s great to get all your hair up and off your neck. If you have short hair, feel free to gloat.

Feel free to add your own in the tags, and stay hydrated!

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bloodfromleeches

4 years ago

hey love 🌛 what are the must-have and basics for dark academia fashion for a trans boy? thank you 💌

Hello darling!

In no particular order, here are what I think your staples would probably be:

A pair of black slacks - low waisted, to bring attention away from hips. They also go with almost every outfit. If you can't find black, a coffee or tan colour would work too.

Tweed trousers - look fantastic with a black poloneck and long overcoat. I really feel they bring a dramatic flair to an outfit.

Large polo necks - these can be a little tricky, as polo neck jumpers can cling your chest. However, a thicker material and larger size should fix this issue. Colour wise, I'd go with black, dark grey, tan, burgundy, or forest green. Avoid white, as it may cling or show a binder through it.

Cable knit jumpers - great at hiding a chest, very cozy, and perfect for the aesthetic. These can be worn on their own, or with a button up shirt beneath them for an extra scholarly look.

Oxfords/brogues - two different types of dress shoe that are traditionally worn by men. They finish off a DA outfit in a very classy way, and their pointed toe gives the illusion of larger feet. Never underestimate the power of a classy pair of shoes. Go with dark brown for daytime, black for more professional events.

Button down shirts - a crumpled white button down is obviously a DA staple, but you can really get creative with these sorts of items. Cotton is great, but you can play around this other materials too. This can also be where you can inject pattern into your wardrobe, as I would recommend keeping everything else listed in block colour. A black floral shirt can inject an androgynous touch to your outfit, while a striped shirt makes it look more interesting and appears to flatten your chest. However, I would highly recommend avoiding flannel.

Long overcoat - Another staple of the DA genre, and I feel like everyone is looking for their perfect coat. I'd recommend getting this in dark grey, black, or tan, to ensure it goes with all of your outfits. A long overcoat also flatters your body shape, hiding any curves and making your shoulders look broader.

Tweed blazer - hard to find, but very much worth it. Bonus points if it has elbow patches and shoulder pads.

Satchel - a weathered old men's satchel is perfect for carrying around your books and school supplies.

I hope you find some of these tips helpful!

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bloodfromleeches

4 years ago