what to wear when you've lost the plot

not another post about "the perfect white tee"

They say to write what you know.

And what I know is that you can’t go wrong with your favorite pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers.

I’m going back to the basics baby:

1. A white, 100% cotton boys Hanes tee

2. Levi’s, well-worn and lazy

3. And black high-top Converse Chuck Taylors

tabula rasa

When you start feeling stuck, sometimes the best answer is a clean slate.

Go cold turkey and delete your socials. Scrap the lines and loops of code you’ve locked yourself into and begin again. Forget the draft you’ve been toiling over and hit “New Post”. Look at your mess of an outfit in the mirror and think “WTF girl?” Then throw on a plain white tee instead.

A blank slate doesn’t erase history or hurt. But it’s a breath of fresh air that renews your fight against sunk cost fallacies and downward spirals.

atmospheric ambiguity

Going back to the basics feels especially useful in seasons of extreme inconsistency or uncertainty.

Say, Chicago’s noncommittal spring, chock full of false starts. It’s a weird, liminal space— too bright for my dark academia knits and trousers, yet too cold to completely ditch my thermals.

Or more generally, when shit gets confusing.

When you start losing the plot.

When you find yourself trapped in a Groundhog Day-style time loop—

Ground yourself.

Sometimes a really good t-shirt and jeans is all you need.

Some of my other fav tactics include:

• a few chaturanga reps

• a wind-breaking mantra

• and literally laying on the ground

in defense of “the uniform”

The basics, especially on repeat, get a bad rap.¹IMO? Uniforms are a deceptively deep style philosophy. Instead of dressing for a specific day or occasion, you’re dressing for the possibility of anything.

A good uniform provides a supportive base for both physical and mental flexibility.

For example, converse and loose jeans mean that I can break out into a sprint or bust out a cartwheel at any moment (obvi a very relevant daily concern).

Or take, Steve Jobs— king of the uniform AND of thinking outside the box. His Issey Miyake black turtlenecks, dad jeans, and New Balances furnished the mental space to market generation-defining tech.

and i bet you he could 100% do a cartwheel in these too!

A plan is good. But over-planning, whether it’s an outfit, a relationship, or your life can be stifling and pressurized. Think— delicately coordinated top layers, a mini skirt, and platform boots— undeniably cute, but restrictive should plans, temperature, or whims threaten change.

basically any pinspo fits the bill here

welcome, life

Even if you obsessively check the weather, you’ll probably still forget an umbrella on the day you actually need one.

Trying to outsmart nature is futile. So instead of fighting life, welcome it. You might find that the universe delivers exactly what you need, when you need it.

The other day it was pouring and I missed my bus by a single crosswalk countdown. Instead of pouting, I looked up at the sky and broke out into a huge grin. My Daylist was absolutely slapping and I remembered how much I love rain. Then, when another bus came— almost too soon— I was inclined to check if the rain would be waiting for me when I got home.

But I pocketed my phone, reminding myself: In time, I’ll know if this downpour was meant for me.

Inconveniences, viewed in a different light, are opportunities.

And if it’s still raining when you’re ready? Go get wet and get your hands dirty! Climb a tree while no one else is outside and the world feels like yours alone, because it is SO freaking fun. You can always do laundry. The best basics only get better with wear and wash and time.

pleading the 5th

Going back to basics can also be useful when you’re unsure of who you want to be.

Or when you’re not ready to say anything to the world.

When your Substack drafts are piling up but you haven’t posted in three weeks.

Like any thrift rat knows to wear thin layers for trying on clothes, basics let you try on new personas for size. A good uniform empowers you to shape-shift—

Whether it’s an internal pivot from girlypop to gym-bro.

Or a full transformation into Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan for a folk song karaoke night. (add fisherman cap, suede jacket, and harmonica— then swap sneaks for booties)

this was so effective that a drunk girl on the train kept asking for my Spotify, because I must be a singer songwriter!

girl, i’ve always been basic

I’m not here to sell you “the perfect $100+ white t-shirt”. That version of basics/capsule wardrobe/minimalism discourse is oversaturated. At the risk of sounding pretentious, my tees are all ~$3 from the thrift store. And my secondhand Levis, ~$25.

The Converse were a deeper cut. Growing up I treasured my rainbow, tie dye slip-ons. In middle school I wore my white low tops from Tumblr hell to Lana Del Rey cocaine-high waters. In a moment of clarity, I dug my barely worn black high tops from high school out of my closet. I clicked my rubber-soled heels together, and I was at home— in myself.

TLDR; Don’t just go back to the basics, go back to YOUR basics.

Anyways, I’d never actually adhere to a strict uniform. I’m a vibes-dresser who despises rules. Plus, volatile weather calls for a variety of gear.

Luckily, a good uniform is modular. My current go-to mods are:

• my custom mens et manus cap for rain

• my navy Isabel Marant knit sweater for breeze

• and my wool coat for sub-50 degrees

When I crave spice, I opt for my bubblegum pink and butter yellow baseball tee. I ADORE baseball and ringer tees. They just feel so 2000’s cool girl-coded.

1. Lindsay Lohan (The Parent Trap), 2. Kristy (The Babysitter’s Club), 3. Kristen Stewart (Adventureland), 4. Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim)

So ok, I guess I know a little more than I let on.

I know that I like laughing. And climbing trees. And gettin’ caught in the rain (though I’m not a fan of piña coladas).

That I’m a romantic. A story-lover. And a writer.

A brain. A princess. A basket case. And a jock.

A try-hard who cares a whole awful lot.

A weirdo who doesn’t fit in.

I’ve always been.

xx Audrey

the voices in my head^^ (The Breakfast Club walked so that Inside Out could run)

P.S. Returning to your roots does not imply a failure to grow. Like in fashion, the classics always come back— but they return in a new form or styled in a different way— Buffed and reformulated to thrive in the present era and its ethos.

P.P.S. You don’t always have to try so hard. Have faith in YOU and let go.

1. IMO = In My Opinion