Thrifts Essentials 21'
Essential is a word we’ve heard a lot during the COVID pandemic, but I feel like we still use it very loosely. However, like many of us, this word made me ponder and question, what has really been essential to me this year that I couldn’t live life without? So, of course, in order to find this answer, I had to write it out and turn it into a post. These items are only a few, but I truly use them every day, and they help me do what I do. While typing, I realized that I never mentioned my writing journal or MacBook Air, which I probably should have included, so now this list is totally flawed. Just pretend you never read that, and I hope you enjoy it all the same.
Supreme Plaza Sunglasses
No matter the season, sunglasses are always necessary! I always have the worst luck with keeping a pair, but I truly believe God finally had mercy on me and spared me from losing these Supreme Tortoise Sunglasses I copped on Grailed two years ago. Aside from elevating your look and avoiding serious eye contact, sunglasses come in handy for my early café runs in the city. I use sunglasses to shield my true identity when I show up in a wrinkled Uniqlo tee with joggers and no socks. I probably already told you too much.
Bodega Beanie
Every gentleman should have their go-to hat, and mine is a beanie—the bodega beanie to be exact. No hat, in my opinion, is more versatile than the bodega beanie. It’s a hat that you can easily dress down with a black tee, a leather jacket and a scuffed pair of Adidas Sambas, but for some reason, it can easily look good with a three-piece suit! Not to mention it’s a great option for a bad hair day, which is another reason why I stay with a beanie. When it comes to any staple piece, I will always plea to invest in quality, but for the beanie, the reverse is true. While there are a lot of great brands that offer premium knit quality for a beanie, I stand by the 99-cent bodega beanie! It’s reliable, durable, and come on, it’s 99 cents!
LV Pouch (Because Wallets are for responsible individuals)
I’m in my 30s, yet I still have a real love/hate relationship with wallets. Maybe I’m traumatized from the big bulky ones that felt like you were walking around with a Nextel phone in your back pocket! (Kids, Google that reference.) Today, we live in the era where no one hardily carries cash (unless you live in Brooklyn). Apple Pay, Cash App, and Zelle are available for wireless transactions. To avoid the backpains of sitting on a text-book size wallet, I just opted for a Louis Vuitton pouch that’s small enough to house my IDs, debit cards, and a carwash coupon that’s been expired for some time now. I really just enjoy the sleekness of the pouch even though I know the day is coming where I will have to upgrade to an official wallet that offers more real-estate as kids and things pop into the mix. But, for now, the pouch is getting the job done!
Black Denim
As a personal stylist, the one staple piece I always recommend is a pair of black denim! A pair of black denim is worth its weight in gold if you invest in the right pair. I never feel like I’m undressed when wearing a pair of black denim, which speaks to how confident a pair of black denim can really make you feel. Of course, my pair has a few…well, more than a few coffee stains on them, but it just adds character to them.
Disposable Coffee Cup
My last essential if you know me shouldn’t come as a surprise, which is a local cafe disposable coffee cup. This opinion may be radical and controversial, so brace yourself, but I truly believe a disposable coffee cup can elevate your look to new heights. I realized my best pictures are ones where I’m holding a cup of coffee in my hand. Maybe it’s because I just don’t know what to do with my hands in pictures, but I stand by my theory! With fall comes new coffee flavors, which is the perfect opportunity to occupy your hand with a disposable coffee cup filled with java!
These are my everyday essentials that I am guaranteed to have when stepping out. Everybody has their starting five when it comes to essentials that help keep your life together. If you have a strong starting five, drop them in the comments below. I just hope that coffee has a place somewhere in your line up. Coffee cheers!