Stuff I Like : Tech Shorts But Make It Fashion

brought to you by the letter 'P'

As in ‘Paxlovid’ because two days after returning home from Boston I was a little too tired, my throat a little too sore, and I woke up in the middle of the night coughing. What I had assumed was just my son’s heinous daycare cold (he started getting sick before I flew out) turned out to actually be covid. Such responses to my positive diagnosis included ‘old school!’ (my acupuncturist), ‘covid’s still a thing?’ (my sales rep) and ‘oh shit’ (my husband).

It took me a solid 3 minutes of staring at the results of the precautionary test I had taken to fully comprehend what that second line meant. As if I needed further evidence that the world is regressing, I got covid like it’s 2020. So I spent five days in covid jail, my fifth day of quarantine officially ending two days ago.

Normally I’d be much happier to spend time alone in bed with Netflix and my thoughts had I not already spent two cross country flights doing the exact same thing. But when the universe wants you to rest, you rest lest she give you covid. Quarantining with a three year old in the house who doesn’t understand why he has to give Mama space because she’s sick since he’s also sick (different virus) turned out to be an incredibly loose definition of the word ‘quarantine’. Thank god for the surplus of N95 masks in the house.

I also woke up at 3am Friday morning to discover I had no less than six missed text messages and five missed calls. Two texts were from a friend asking me if she was crazy for liking these shoes (answer : no), the other four were from ADT alerting me that my glass break sensors at the store had been triggered. Four missed calls from an unknown number (creepy) and one from SFPD dispatch asking me if someone could come out and ’secure the premises’. While half asleep and reviewing camera footage like the detective I am not, I pieced together that just past midnight Thursday night/Friday morning two asshats¹ broke the glass on our front door attempting to break in. Good news : they didn’t get in. Bad news : there was a hole in our front door. Matt got the honor of driving up to the store to tape cardboard over the door since he was just a little more awake after his wife woke him up in the middle of the night wearing a mask on her face like she was about to kidnap him.

all i can say is ‘ugh’

Boston feels like a month ago, despite the good time that it was. In a sea of high budget activations, our low budget alternative felt refreshing. After experiencing the scene in Boston + watching London from afar via socials, I find all the big brand attention grabs to be exhausting. So much money goes into a weekend long event, it feels over the top, like a competition to stand out and yet all feel sort of the same. Perhaps it’s the AI-ification of everything, or influencer culture where everything is now considered content, but I long for smaller, more intimate events. Ones that are curated to a more tech-free experience.

Popping up at Neighborhood Wines felt perfect. We had enough product to make for a compelling presentation but it felt like the backdrop vs the main event. Overall it was more about people congregating, connecting + being in community together. There was a sense of discovery when someone came across our pop up; one that felt organic + intimate. Boston attracts a pretty traditional, serious type of runner and I’m curious to see what would happen if we created a similar experience at a race with a more laid back vibe like NYC (food for thought

Lee Glandorf

?)

pruzan has the *best* color palette

It’s been heavy fog and cloudy skies since I got back to SF, which means spring has officially arrived. Prior to my trip it’d been in the mid 60s and sunny, which I discovered translates to hot AF at the store. We’re on the southeast corner of the street and there’s something about the way the light hits post daylight savings that causes it to boil. Good thing I’m part lizard though because I’ll take it. Despite spring maybe not being the season of choice for my family², and despite only seeing the sun from 1pm-3pm this past week, the temps have been warming which means it’s the official start to my favorite time of year : shorts season. Because I am officially Team Shorts.

i had to go up to the store yesterday to do reorders + mail some packages. it was hot in the sun / cold in the shade + the perfect weather for tech shorts. shorts by rytme, pruzan sweatshirt, old adidas sneaks + this ridiculously small + ridiculously cute tote.

So in honor of spring having sprung, and my 120+ hours of new found free time, I thought I’d throw it back with a Stuff I Like post dedicated to running shorts as everyday shorts. Tech but make it Fashion. My go-to warm weather look of choice used to be a pair of Umbro soccer shorts + unexpected top (someday I’ll put pen to paper on my ‘wrong shirt theory’) but lately I’ve been leaning into the authenticity that is a pair of running shorts as I continue my quest to unite both sides of my closet.

1. Everyday Shorts that Just Look Techy

These are non-running, non-sport shorts that are cut in a techy fabric. Think : nylon, poly, mesh. They look overtly techy due to fabrication while silhouette is anything but. Both shorts I’ve been wearing that fit this description are from Japanese mall brands because no one does tech as well as the Japanese.

these are actually a pair of men’s shorts i stumbled across while perusing Muji in boston. ours closed during the pandemic + man i miss muji. at left : a vintage IRO top i bought from the real real for our trip to italy last year that i didn’t wear but kept bc boho’s back // a cropped button down from farm rio i’ve never worn bc it’s so cropped but it works here // zara denim shirt + these jellies // how i’d wear them at the store w a vintage tee + these brooks shoes.

these are from uniqlo as part of their uniqlo:c collection. the tan is sold out but other colors still avail and i’m debating if i need to also buy the blue/grey. left : zara denim shirt + clogs // dad on vacation vibes in an old button down + brooks // if i still worked in an office i would totally wear this - old zara sweater + vintage leather gap blazer

2. Linerless Run Shorts

Perhaps my favorite short right now, these do the double duty I’m looking for. I packed the ones I’m wearing below on our recent trip to Hawaii and I packed them again for Boston. I can wear them as regular shorts all day, again out to dinner, then downgrade them as beach shorts and wear them for running the rest of the week. I wasn’t sure initially how I’d feel about the lack of liner but truth is I don’t mind it at all. It allows me to choose my own adventure + wear whatever underwear (or swimsuit bottom) is required for the day.

at left : business casual with a j.crew cropped button down + fisherman sandals. idk if fishermans sandals are still a thing but i love them. // old zara polo cardigan w jellies // old free people movement sheer turtleneck + these jelly flip flops // same outfit but with a vintage sweatshirt - i love the layered look of this.

3. Actual Running Shorts

The more overt the better if I’m wearing legit run shorts. Give me a split hem, give me a reflective graphic hit. The fact that these look so well suited to their function doesn’t deter me in the least. These looks overall skew more weekend appropriate + I love them as a preppy runnercore alternative to the blokecore trends we’ve been seeing.

far left : these bandit run shorts w the same zara polo cardigan (poligan? cardiolo?) and brooks sneaks. i would 100% wear this to work at the store. // bandit shorts back to a zara home top (if you likedelicate cotton tops, zara home is a hidden gem) // circle run shorts with a different zara home top // circle shorts with an old j.crew tube top. i’m obsessed with this last look as it feels v Y2K/Carrie Bradshaw in the best way.

I haven’t had the free time to mix and match my closet with reckless abandon in what feels like forever and as a result of a morning spent playing, I’m actually a little excited to get dressed again. It could also have something to do with a desire to get dressed period in literally anything that isn’t sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, my prescribed uniform the past few days

*k

1. i read the term ‘asshat’ in a book the other day and it might be my new favorite word.

2. 2 years ago i got laid off, last year matt brought covid back from new york and this year i got covid + the cats got worms. i’ll spare you the details of how i discovered our indoor cats got tapeworms but chelsea was right; bad things happen in threes.