My Black Friday Picks

Originally Published in Clover Letter

I’m an actor/comedian/filmmaker currently living in Austin, TX. I would describe my personal style as “eclectic,””colorful,” and “vaguely concerning.” I own two bolo ties and multiple thrifted World’s Best Dad! t-shirts. I like clothes that make me feel comfortable, happy, and expressive, and as a result I tend to branch into multiple styles, instead of sticking to one. I try to buy second hand for more fun statement pieces, but I spend a long time looking into brands when I want to get good, versatile basics or specific looks. If I could dress like any fictional character I would definitely go with either Duckie from Pretty in Pink or Harper from Wizards of Waverly Place.

Blundstone boots size AU 61/2 (US 9.5-- I sized up a half size, which I recommend)
I love a versatile boot, and Blundstones are, I truly believe, the epitome of versatile boots. This summer I wore these boots every day while traveling Europe, and whether I was walking on cobblestones, hiking sand dunes, biking on dirt roads, walking through mud, or just going for a drink, these boots kept me on my feet. They’re easy to slip on and off, but they’re supportive

enough to wear all day. They look great with shorts and a tshirt, but they also dress up well with nice jeans in a blouse. I’d honestly wear these with anything-- scuba suit? Clown costume? Nothing but socks? Doesn’t matter, because these babies were made for walking.

*wear long socks while breaking these in to avoid ankle blisters!*

Gap straight leg high waisted jeans size 28
There’s a reason the Gap has endured decades of fashion trends, and I believe their jeans are that reason. These high-waisted black jeans are cute and classic, but they fit like a glove, if a glove was big and intended for your legs. I get frustrated with super-stretchy jegging-type jeans because they aren’t especially flattering on me, but I am equally as frustrated by super-stiff jeans with zero range of motion. These jeans land somewhere perfectly in the middle-- movement- friendly but they hold their shape, even after multiple washes. I’ve had mine for over a year and they haven’t faded into a sad gray either, which is super rare for black jeans. These aren’t the cheapest, but they hold up well, and hold me up well too.

Target High Neck Long Line Sports Bra (I wear a L in this even though I’m generally a small in Target tops-- what can I say, boobs.)

Two facts about me: I love to be active, and I have a VERY DIFFICULT time finding sports bras. I have a large chest and a smaller waist, and many sports bra companies have decided that my proportions don’t, you know, exist. I like supportive and compressive-fitting bras, and this is both. My favorite part of it, though, is that it is a sort of sports-bra-meets-crop-top. I wear this both to exercise and day-to-day as a cute top with a pair of high-waisted shorts. Meaning I can exist in the world wearing just one top layer! In the godforsaken Texas heat! And not be in pain every time I take a step! This well-priced sweet-breasted miracle of fabric is available now for less than the price of 1⁄5 of a pair of lululemon leggings. I continue to love Target and all she does for me.

Levi’s Denim Jacket (I got a M for more room)

The year is 1853. Your name is Levi Strauss, and you just had the idea to make clothes out of denim. People say hey, we like this idea, this is a good idea, my body is more durable now that I have clothes, which you made out of denim, please take my money. Flash forward to 2019 and here I am, wearing a Levi’s brand jacket, feeling comfortable, fashionable, and appropriately warm. There are a million versions of denim jackets available in the world, and probably at least a dozen of them are wearable, but this jacket is a classic for a reason. I wear it with pretty much every item in my closet. I personally sized up, because I like to know like I can button it up if I need to, even though I literally never need to. Finally, as someone who typically wears tragically pocket-deficient women’s jackets, I am deeply satisfied by this jacket’s inclusion of not only the typical outside pockets, but two INSIDE POCKETS. Perfect for snacks, or secrets.

Casio Watch (I have creepy-small wrists and the watch face doesn’t look too big on me, which is nice. Band is adjustable!)

I, like many people, am incredibly busy pretty much all the time. Therefore, it is important that I know the time. However, when I check the time on my magic portable computer box (phone) I tend to get sucked into the whirlpool of social media and lose at least 5 minutes from when I wanted to know the time in the first place. This is why I like wearing a watch-- there’s no Instagram on my wrist. (Yet.) I wear this watch every day-- I like the look of the analog face and I like the functionality of the digital time display for when I am too lazy to read the analog time (always.) It also shows the date and day of the week with the push of a button. You can even set alarms, but I haven’t bothered to figure out how. Casio is great, super user friendly, and you don’t have to worry about replacing the battery for ten years. So even when the robots take over in 2025 and we must forget everything but the constant and merciless commands of our overlord Siri, you’ll still know exactly what time it is.