Shining a Spotlight
Hello hello! In the past couple weeks, I’ve discovered a ton of super awesome Black-owned brands and would love to highlight a few that I’m absolutely obsessed with right now. Please consider shopping with small, BIPOC-owned businesses to help keep them afloat through this pandemic!!
Luxe Loungewear
NURIA OVERSIZED BLOUSE - LOCAL EUROPEAN
Literally everyone on Local European’s Instagram page epitomizes aspirational quarantine living — lolling around in sun-dappled apartments or frolicking in Egyptian cotton sheets, looking sleek and bored and effortlessly cool. Founder Alexandra Bunch’s elegant streetwear line includes comfy biker shorts, sweet silk slips, and slouchy cropped crewnecks, but what I’m coveting the most is this extremely oversized button-up, perfect for pretending that your boyfriend is in bed with you and not 100 miles away (😢). I can just imagine throwing this on over lingerie and doing a facemask while listening to Ichiko Aoba. Too bad they’re currently sold out — guess I’ll just have to wait for the forthcoming restock.
Flower Power
LARGE ARRANGEMENT - OAT CINNAMON
“I must have flowers, always and always,” so said Claude Monet. I’m no Monet, but having spent the last three months haunting the same sixteen square feet of space, I have realized the paramount importance of surrounding yourself with beauty and nature. Thus, I’ve taken to frequenting florist Ryan Norville’s social media accounts for her brand Oat Cinnamon, where she displays her achingly beautiful floral arrangements. Bursting with peonies and pampas grass, her bouquets are so delicate, so fragile and exquisite, they kind of make me want to cry. Combined with my record-time binge-watch of Netflix’s The Big Flower Fight, I’m just about ready to start digging up my backyard.
Thrills and Frills
RUFFLE FACE MASK - SLASHED BY TIA
Look at these face masks! Are these not the dopest face masks you’ve seen by a LONG shot?! I’ve been really into Victorian aesthetics lately (high collars, lacy blouses, corsets), so of course I’ve fallen head over heels for Parsons graduate Tia Adeola’s ruffled face masks. Ugh, I can’t articulate why exactly, but I just love everything about this mask — the ribbed fabric, the sheer ruffles, the two bands wrapping around the neck and the head that serve as a collar and crown, respectively. You will absolutely TURN HEADS on your weekly Trader Joe’s run.