Grade School Essentials

Skort: Zara (black)  // Shirt: Rails (similar) // Shoes: Topshop // Necklace: Blo Jewelry // Aztec Ring: House of Harlow // “Love” Ring: Wired for Freedom // Watch: La Mer Collections // Backpack: Topshop

Skorts and backpacks, isn’t that really all you needed to get by when you were 9 aside from your New Kids on the Block tapes and Lisa Frank trapper keeper? Oh how things come full circle when you’re a real life adult and your new favorite accessory, a Giant City Balenciaga bag that is also aging gracefully, is giving you major back problems. That hasn’t happened to me or anything, I’m just saying if it did, that would be the perfect time to reintroduce backpacks into everyday life.

This Zara skort, which has been produced in basically ever colorway imaginable (and now onto leather) is perfect for anyone who wants to dress cute but lives an active lifestyle. I am constantly bending, schlepping, tripping and running on set in between takes at work (where I am then bending and tripping in front of an audience) so it’s not cute if my outfit gets in the way of my job. In this colorful Zara garb, I don’t have to worry about reaching over to pin a dress and showing off my latest Cosabella finds, but still get to illusion of the skirt when I look in the mirror. Whoever invented the skort was genius. Because this piece rides so low on the hips, sometimes finding shirts that work with it are difficult. I almost always walk on the sloppier side with a tee or button up loosely tucked in but it also works with a fitted shirt that hits just below that asymmetrical waistband (not as easy to find as it sounds). Dress it up with a blazer for a fancy meeting, throw on strappy heels for a night out, or stack on your vintage slap-bracelets if you’re feeling overly nostalgic.

images by Allen Zaki