Carson Myntti

where fashion and comedy collide

costumes

Stripes for days

/ Blog+ Styling

Hi hey hello!

It’s Carson, back at it again, here to talk to you about stripes! Stripes of all kinds: nautical, clashing, yellow, brown, pink, the hamburglar kind, oh and have you found Waldo recently? (I think he has a tv show now). But before we get into it, I do want to keep you updated on my name change feelings because this blog started as a way to process new information out loud and I’m not trying to forget my roots!

So, I’ve been feeling a sense of melancholy. Here comes the grief, the inevitable feelings of loss that follow change. It hasn’t been a wave, just a few short cries here and there, a sort of slow stream of woe, something that feels like a tempered release of pressure. The source of this sadness became clear to me recently because I’ve been overhearing people talking about/to other Carson’s. I’ll be clearing a table at my serving job and hear a loud, “When’s Carson coming?” from a couple tables over. Clearly they aren’t talking about me, I’m already here, but it does immediately distract me and put me in my head. Wait what? Oh right. Don’t forget about this life-changing decision you made! So the name feels a little foreign at times because it doesn’t only belong to me, like the last one did. But I have to remember that this was kind of the point. I’m unique enough as it is (flips hair), and in my very social lifestyle, I wanted a name that was simply easier to use and more gender neutral. It has made my life more efficient! (I promise this isn’t nazi-coded). Plus, I personally love the new branding (you can call me a sell-out though).

They say it’s about the journey or something right? I’ve enjoyed the process tremendously and it’s made me less afraid to pursue my business plans because I know I can handle paperwork, which feels like the extra long route to a pretty short shot, but we all have our ways okay! I do believe this sensation will lessen, and I will just smile at the loud shouts of “Yo, Carson!” thrown across the room by a twenty year old Georgetown student I’ve never met. Or so that’s what the Kate’s of the world tell me.

Cool, YAY! Thanks for listening to me reassure myself and reiterate my motivations for this decision. NOW LET’S TALK STRIPES ~

Let’s begin with some history and instantly recognizable examples stripes throughout pop culture.

Once upon a time, when I was living in Larchmont, I was walking down the street and a man looked me in the face, then told his toddler son, “and that person looks like an old timey burglar.” I thought it was was kind of funny, but he was not laughing. So rude and annoying because then I couldn’t wear that striped shirt and black baseball cap combo anymore without seeing it.

Upon further review, the zebra stripe’s relation to burglars & thieves dates back to the middle ages, but were popularized in the 1820s when the black and white horizontals were introduced as the uniform of prison inmates in New York. It made them stand out. Then the Hamburglar furthered the idea in 1971 when he joined the McDonald’s universe. In my defense, I didn’t grow up in the states so how was I supposed to know?? Do you know this McDonald’s jingle? DIDN’T THINK SO! Jokes on him though, because I burglared tf out of his four bedroom house that very night.

the t-shirt in question

Moving on…

Next up, we have “Where’s Waldo?” Remember Waldo? Wait, where is Waldo?

Oh sick, found him.

The red and white striped shirt with blue jeans bring back such a specific visual memory. Sometimes it’s harder to place, but add the beanie and there he is, instantly recognizable. WALDO! I’m not sure how relevant this reference is anymore but I saw a TikTok about it, so I will believe.

Okay yay for historical evidence! Now here are some more modern day examples of how to style your favorite stripes.

I see you Laura Kelly Trexler

Clish clash, this woman is having fun!! And we love to see it. The stripe clashing works because the size of the stripes vary, differentiating them enough not to overpower the eye with too much of one thing. Plus the denim relaxes the outfit some.

Side note: vests are back in??

Zara coming through with the pin stripe skort

Look at this incredible styling of a rugby shirt. Move over soccer jerseys, give me a heavy cotton rugby shirt to get into it, thank you!!!

from pinterest

Lightweight beach stripes! These are so cozy for the beach. I need a vacation.

pinterest
or alternatively these OAS linen shorts, mmhhhmmmm, let’s never leave the color butter behind

Staying with the nautical theme, look at this beautyy. Fancy rooftop pool party when?

I’m obsessed with this dress because it’s so clever and well designed! It combines the masculine bold stripes with the frayed edges to give it a more relaxed look. Then the line down the center offsets the horizontal emphasis of the stripes to bring it back to a more feminine look. And the low draped belt to lead the eye to the hips, or whichever part of your waist you personally want to highlight on your own body, is just perfection!! It’s hard to create shape with full body horizontal stripes, but somehow Proenza Schouler did it.

So to summarize:

  • Avoid hats while wearing stripes unless you want to go full costume.
  • Nautical themes and stripes pair very seamlessly. This probably has something to do with all the flags they use in maritime traffic.
  • Relax those stripes, babes. Too straight and narrow makes me sad, at a certain point it starts to feel like an order. Luckily there are plenty of ways to loosen the outfit up through silhouette, fabric, fit, and color.

Okay I <3 you guys, gals, gays, and theys!! Now, I go move in silence for another two weeks in order to herd all the pieces of this business into place.

xoxo

Carson

6 foot slay

/ Blog+ Styling

meditations on some good outfits after a long month

Heyyo

Happy Turkey Day, how is everyone doing? ?? ???

Let’s address the elephant in the room and get that out of the way: America is in a real tough spot these days! Our defining characteristics of individuality and consumerism are looking more and more like narcissism and a lack of accountability every day. Then on a global scale we continue to be really into firearms, yippee!

The trauma is blunt force y’all, do you feel it too? Do you feel like you’re getting hit on the head with a really heavy and sort of rusty hammer? There’s not a person wielding it, the hammer just follows and floats above you, smacking your forehead when you least expect it.

I wish I was able to inspire some type of confidence and hope into you readers, say “Don’t worry! I’m your superhero now!” But particularly in times like these, my number one power remains dissociation, so I’m finding it hard to string the words together with much conviction. I want to provide you with smiles, but if I’m not dissociating, I’m mad. Who am I mad at? The institution that raised me? No, the jackass who is taking advantage of the institution that raised me. Let’s be real, the institution also has it’s flaws. And the federal government did not raise me, my mother did. So I’m defending myself against my fellow Americans who voted a certain way? That doesn’t feel right though either, because I feel relatively safe in my day-to-day. Like most people, I live in a bubble, and to be honest I feel attached to my bubble because I created it for myself. America!

As you can see, I’m feeling a lot.

My plan: Take an art class, pick my battles wisely, and keep showing up to work.

Let’s hope those public servants use their bureaucratic talents to file specifically those anti-abortion and anti-lgbtq+ bills as slowly as possible. There’s gotta be some other problem that we can focus on – solar panel permits! Probably!!

Before I leave you, I would like to wax poetic about some clothes and hope that helps the pain go away.

Outfits that I find inspiring:

I’ve been watching a lot of basketball to calm myself (thank you basketball). And those tall people sure do know how to dress. Or at least have fun with it.

These pants are wild. The denim looks super comfortable. The green bag, with the touches of pink and Timberland brown. It’s a great rainy day outfit, I want to wear it.

There’s something about men’s basketball, the NBA, that really holds my attention. The WNBA makes me way too jealous, I cannot sit still and watch it. I’m working on it, okay! Still grieving the other timeline where I’m living my best life playing women’s sports professionally, jeez give me a second.

The non-women though! The consequences of the high-rolling athlete life are so far removed from mine I’m able to focus purely on the aesthetics. Plus, my body type is just close enough to Nikola Jokic’s that I can make up fantastical gay dreams about them. I provide the entire emotional arc, and it’s the perfect recipe for escapism.

Here’s a different version of the same style of pants By Adam Small. The silhouette is pleasing, and the textures pair well.

In reality, the way sports broadcasts so effectively use consumerism to distract from shady politics is really bumming me out at the moment. It’s hard to focus on aesthetics when the scales of who we are watching and who controls what we see are so tipped.

But these men carry a lot of bags – like large hand bags. Some briefcases and some backpacks. But Bottega Veneta and those crossbody bags sure do keep me on a treasure hunt.

Eric Bana in a crop top battle outfit.

Have you watched the 2004 action epic Troy recently? A star-studded cast that hold vivid memories from my childhood.

It’s a cropped armor vest and a mid-thigh skirt with fringe. Blues, greys, geometric shapes, and he fights like a professional in it.

Let’s bring back war skirts.

I would also like to highlight Brad Pitt’s hair/wig combo. What color is it? Pure gold.

Sorry to objectify men so much this month, it just feels like the right thing to do.

My struggle right now is figuring out how to find meaning in this shallow society we’ve built for ourselves. But a dear friend reminded me that you don’t have to trust everyone to put something back into your community. You just have to make the first move and follow your gut.

Happy Holidays!

Carson