A soft launch into 2023

ch-ch-ch-chaaaaangessss and the birth of the jubilant, sumptuous baby.

I find it hard to put into words the ennui that comes with the post holiday hangover and the slow, tantrum stomping entrance into my absolutely least favorite month. January always feels like a big, ugly grey monster under the bed, creeping around in the shadows of warm, holiday fuzzies, its ugly, dead brown grass, lifeless tree branch tentacles waiting to swallow you whole when you aren’t looking. Down down down the winter season rabbit hole, the days feeling achingly long even when the sunshine is depressingly short and a slow, ticking clock chiming louder and louder, persisting, “new year, new me, new year, new me….”

As a detrimentally nostalgic person, I have a hard time looking forward. While I certainly like to reflect/improve myself, January brings an uneasiness that sits right above the deep pit of my stomach. When you’re suddenly staring down the barrel of “oh, we’ll see next year” — a date that now seems tangible, only months away. An actual “deadline” on goals, hopes, dreams and big big scary adulting.

But we're breaking the cycle this year. These are “old year, old me” mentalities. If the archives of this newsletter aren’t enough to prove it, I am constantly fighting with the insufficient feels of just being. An internal, epically Middle Earth-esque battle to have just one goddamn ounce of confidence - less weenie, no fucks given. It’s time to stop wishing and washing about it and take some action. Caution will be thrown to the wind this year. Risks will be taken. I will let someone take my photo without making a face or telling them to delete it. We’re tackling the crippling self doubt that has prevented me from pursuing absolutely everything I’ve always wanted to achieve in my creative meets professional life. Too long have I held myself back with fear of others observing me and heaven forbid, having opinions of me. As my dear friend Meredith says, “we’re screaming-crying-shitting-pissing-throwing-up our way through it, but doing the thing anyways!” It’s not going to be pretty, and it definitely won’t always be easy, but it will be worth it. Say goodbye to being a big dumb baby, say hello to being a jubilant, sumptuous baby.

The world is aflame but we will be cool, calm and collected. This year we’re channeling ✨opulence✨. We’re going to have fun, goddammit. We’re going to get dressed and let the world stare. We’re bringing back the joy in expressing ourselves through our sartorial choices. Everything will be luxurious - even the most silly of adulting. Life is simply too short and I am simply too tired to waste another minute, hour, day, month, year, decade of energy wondering if people like me, hate me, think I’m a big ol’ bitch, whatever.

Surely this is all very easy to say and likely very challenging to do, but we’re in this together now. And because this is a big, colossal, monstrous shift, I’ve decided to make it festive and fun with a challenging challenge. Behold, my resolution for this new year:

In 2023 I’m focusing on all handmade, secondhand, and completely vintage for my wardrobe.

The guidelines I’ve set for myself are as follows:

• All newly acquired wardrobe pieces that I purchase this year will be handmade, secondhand, thrifted, or vintage - either in person or on eBay, Etsy, auction sites, flea markets, thrift stores, etc. etc.

• General Exceptions will be: undies, socks, true basics like white t-shirts and shoes. (While I certainly shop secondhand for shoes, I’m allowing myself new purchases because I put a lot of wear on my shoes/can be picky about quality for my sad feet that worked retail for far too long.)

• Special exception: Three pairs of good jeans. I’m going to try my best to buy secondhand here, but my body has changed a lot since pandemic life/regular exercise/etc etc and I think this will require trying on many a style and being able to return what doesn’t spark joy/feel comfortable. I consider jeans one of the biggest investment pieces in a closet so I will have laser focus on quality and longevity.

• The energy of the item must always reflect my lizard brain mindset of jubilant, sumptuous baby✨

Given that Junior Year is slowly morphing into a community to talk vintage, pre-loved, and one-of-a-kind, I’m sharing this goal with you all so you can be a part of this kooky little experiment. I’ll do monthly round ups of what’s on my treasure hunting list, what I’ve purchased, how I’m shopping my own closet, and the feels and emotions that come from saying “no” to mainstream shopping. I would also like to extend the invitation for you to join in, even if only for a time frame that feels exciting and challenging/works for your lifestyle.

(A quiet reminder that many people shop secondhand for a variety of personal reasons. For some, a luxury and for others, a necessity. There’s a lot of imperfections in the secondhand industry and a lot of overconsumption, price gouging, and hoarding being flaunted across every social media platform. Don’t be lame!)

For me, this is about developing personal style in this new era of my confident, jubilantsumptuousbaby lifestyle. It’s time to wear things that feel good, even if they come with stares and whispers. It’s time to only purchase pieces that feel special, worthy of being worn and loved for a long time to come. It’s time to bring back gloves, hats, and black tie glamour to every day life! (A topic I plan on covering in great length this year.) It’s time to make my wardrobe feel like a collection, an exhibition, worthy of my tiny little personal museum home. I so easily succumb to discount codes, flash sales, and free shipping - that glossy eyed, lost in the dopamine hit of adding to cart, adding to cart, adding to cart. This is about restraint, flexing my creative muscles, topped off with a small baby bandaid and hug to mother nature, but most importantly, growing out of my junior year pandemic funk of wearing pajamas until 2pm every day (It is currently noon. I am in pajamas. Baby steps, baby steps...)

What do we think? Can I do it? Can I resist those deliciously juicy end-of-season sales and the barrage of double/triple/quadruple discount sale codes I get emailed every hour of the day? Let’s find out together.

Did you make a similar resolution? Are you looking to treasure hunt for some one-of-a-kind pieces this year? Let me sleuth around the world wide web for you. Leave a comment and let me know if you’re on the search for any specific pieces for your wardrobe - I’ll be back in your inboxes on Friday with some of my picks for whatever you’re looking for🕵️

Maybe it really is a happy new year, new me, my friends.

Until next time,

xo,
G