twelveofour

In the 70s, the inimitable Jane Birkin was photographed and famous for toting around a hand woven basket for day time, night time, whatever time. Being that she's Jane Birkin and people are pretty much obsessed with her at all times, and being that in 2017 anything retro (70s, 90s, 00s) is now back with a vicious fury, many people will be seen toting around similar bags this summer. I myself have been interested in a wicker/straw bag since last year's summer emergence of this admittedly lovely trend (lovely for it's budget friendly potential!), but true capitalism has caught up with the times and this relatively cheap trend can now cost you upwards of $300 if you're careless. Just type in "Birkin Baskets" to Google and see for yourself that there are plenty of Etsy options for this bag, in many sizes, that will pop up before the hundred dollar options from Barneys.

Let me tell you: do NOT buy this at a Barneys, department store, or anywhere trying to somehow own this design by slapping a covetable designer label on it. These hand made baskets are best purchased on Etsy, Goodwill, or little vintage shops. If it has a designer label in it you're being had. Just search for a well-rated seller on Etsy and buy it there.

For about $60 bucks you can get a bag online or if you're patient enough you can find it for like $10 at a local market or craft fair.

Me? I'm not above this trend. I think next paycheck I'm going to get one from Etsy, likely in the small or mini size because anything bigger just seems disproportional to my 5'3" height.

If you want me to get a commission for finding the Etsy store I recommended wanna click this link before checking out? Referral link — Otherwise, don't worry about it. I'm equally wary of affiliate links myself. You do you, bb.

I've tried the 100% cotton Levi's resurgence thing. It's been the look du jour for about half the jours in a year already and I still am waiting for it to blow over. Why? Because my body just doesn't suit this trend.

This trend by nature requires a slim-hipped woman, with essentially meatless thighs to be able to let the denim just effortlessly hang straight down. On top of that, the waist line has to be flawless in order to achieve the subtle tuck of a tiny baby tee. For a woman with a hefty butt, thighs, and sometimes a little bit of stomach (I'm not a model, I live my life!) this is a non starter.

Here's official documentation of an attempt to squeeze my curvy butt into a pair of jeans that by nature do not have any ounce of give or stretch. It was painful, physically and at times mentally. I spend my time ingesting inspiring images and a lot of those include women wearing the trend of straight leg skin-tight Levi's with chelsea boots, leaving me wondering if and how I can pull it off.

The reality is that this trend is not for me because my body is just not meant for it.

But let's be honest with ourselves for just a minute and just understand that not all trends are suited for our bodies. Why? Because we are all unique little snowflakes with different body shapes and different tastes which makes it so obvious that one trend can't be one size fits all. Furthermore, just because a certain influential people are all wearing the same damn thing in the same way doesn't mean I have to. (And I mean "influential" in that those certain people have a lot of visibility either by social reach or by nature of their public job, not necessarily implying they have any style — burn, I know, sorry #notsorry.)

Ok. So what do I do now that I have to wait for the hysteria around the skinny Levi's look dies down? Well, I'm going to spend less time worrying about molding my body to fit this trend and more time finding what really makes me look great as is. Personal style is just that: personal. So I'm going to use my time experimenting a little bit more and finding my own personal sense of what is cool, regardless if other people are wearing something else entirely.

Isn't that the whole point of this whole thing anyway?

The Birkin Baskets Trend Returns With a Fury (Don't Spend a Fortune)

Hang In There, Baby (or, When Your Body Isn't Suited For A Trend)

Red, Red, Red