I first met Levi Portillo just a little over a year ago at, appropriately enough, a fashion meetup with Pattern at the Circle City Industrial Complex near Mass. Avenue. I remember it was a gross, stormy weeknight (I forgot an umbrella and was soaked by … Read moreHOOSIER DESIGNERS: LEVI PORTILLO
Social distancing, but make it fashion.* *For the record, these photos were taken before COVID-19 came stateside. PHOTOGRAPHY: Chantal Dominique PhotographyMAKEUP: Merle NormanLOCATION: Flat Fork Creek Park, Fishers
Forgive the dramatics, but these are the kind of days when it feels like the world’s crashing in on us. (Even if it isn’t.) And it’s compounded by seeing others who feel the same way, who validate our anxieties. Sometimes it’s easy to get all … Read moreBEAUTY OF THE STORM
Did you know that two of 2019’s top music sensations — Post Malone and Lil Nas X — have an Indiana fashion connection? They’re linked by a particular old-school style of Western gear and a Hoosier who makes it. Jerry Lee Atwood’s journey to creating … Read moreHOOSIER DESIGNERS: JERRY LEE ATWOOD
Puffy jackets and lace-up boots one day, shirtdresses and sandals the next. The whiplash-worthy paradox of Indiana weather negates any need for a strict seasonal wardrobe, and although online memes that prey upon our pride to be unique may suggest otherwise, it’s not just a … Read moreWINTER GAMES
What were you doing over the winter holidays when you were in high school? I don’t remember exactly what I was doing 15 years ago — probably wasting time on AOL Instant Messenger — but I can definitely tell you it wasn’t dedicating myself to … Read moreYOUNG HOOSIERS: ZAIRION & ELLA
And just like that, it’s 2020. (Seriously, how? Sometimes it feels like it wasn’t that long ago that we were getting ready to celebrate a new millennium. That was when I was 11, and New Year’s Eve meant hugging my parents at midnight and toasting … Read more2019: YEAR IN REVIEW
Next week, 2020 begins. The prelude to a modern Roaring Twenties, perhaps — hopefully without the predecessor’s reality-check chapter in economics. Indianapolis alone is host to several 1920s-themed New Year’s Eve galas and house parties this year, and as I’m searching through racks of fluttering, … Read moreWORD OF 2020
In the height of a season known for fantasy and visual deception, I’m going against the typical and focusing on identity. (For at least this blog post, anyway.) But I’ll first ask you: Have you ever had a passion for something unpopular? My father-in-law tells … Read moreLOVE FOR THE (SOMETIMES) UNPOPULAR
I’ve never considered myself an “influencer.” (Mostly because level of influence is something that can only be determined by those around you, not yourself. Then again, I’m a linguistics nerd who reads a lot into nuances, so that might just be me.) Fashion blogger. Writer. … Read moreTHE STORYTELLER’S LIFE