OOO #23: Outfits, Ohio, and Other Things I Like
Someone needs to brush up on their fairy tales, baseball is not boring, and my casual fashion forecast
Outfits
Ohio
Anyone who thinks baseball is boring should have watched the Guardians’ last series against the Angels.
Until this past weekend, I had not been to Progressive Field since the franchise’s name change, and I was excited at the very least to see the ballpark decorated with its new logos and branding. Win or lose, that experience, in addition to the general joy of being at a ballpark for the first time this season, was enough to ensure I had a great time.
But the game I saw (Saturday, May 13) was easily one of the best games of baseball I have ever watched. Up first for the Angels was as a brand new player who had been called up to the majors two days before, and during his first time at bat, he hit a homerun—straight over the wall. He maintained a perfect 1.000 batting average throughout the game. It was also his 25th birthday.
The game continued, and it looked like the Guardians were going to lose for a while.
Until the 8th inning.
Josh Naylor made history this past weekend by hitting home runs in the 8th inning in all three games of the series against the Angels. In games 2 and 3, Naylor’s homers were the reason that the Guardians won the game. Josh Naylor was an absolute joy to watch, and I hope to go back to see him and the rest of the team play sometime soon (luckily for me, his brother, Bo Naylor, plays for the Clippers here in Columbus).
On another note, one of the more ridiculous reasons I like baseball is the existence of errors. There is a certain level of pettiness to keeping track of errors in the same spot as hits and runs, just so everyone remembers that embarrassing mistake you made four innings ago. Real Housewives-level petty. A+
Other Things I Like: In Defense of Sperry Top-Siders.
I know they are not the most glamorous shoes, but Sperrys have been my go-to since college. I like them because they last for years, they can get wet and not get ruined (that’s the boat in boat shoes), and have a classic, casual look that goes with most of my spring/summer ‘fits. I’ve had my current pair (Angelfish Boat Shoe in Linen Oat) for about six years now and wear them all the time, and the soles are just beginning to erode. No other shoe I’ve ever owned has had that stamina.
But I also have a sneaking suspicion that Sperry are about to come back in style. I know Birkenstocks have been the go-to casual shoe in the last few years, but I think the frenzy has reached its peak. Plus, trends and aesthetics, which has been stuck in athleisure-wear purgatory for the last five or so years, seem to have shifted into incorporating more formal pieces into one’s casual looks.
I first noticed this last summer with the emergence of the “coastal grandmother” aesthetic. Then, the culture was introduced to the concept “quiet luxury” earlier this year, most notably in Succession and Gwyneth Paltrow's ski trial. However, trends seemed to have swung ever farther away from athleisure wear, thanks to Sofia Richie’s sleeper hit of a wedding last month and the rise of the “old money aesthetic.” I actually cannot escape “old money aesthetic” reels on Instagram (and Pinterest, if I’m being honest)—they are constantly popping up in the way “clean girl aesthetic” peppered my feed last summer, complete with Lana Del Rey audio.
In the next few years, I think we’ll see more men in button ups, polos, and crewneck sweaters instead of t-shirts and sweatshirts, and I’m sure the same will happen with women’s fashion too. Even this morning, I received an advertising email with the subject line “Yacht Girl Summer,” whose contents were full of nautical-themed cashmere sweaters.
Connecting back to my original point: no other casual shoe says “old money aesthetic” like a boat shoe. They are literally designed for days on the boat without a care in the world thanks to one’s trust fund.
Even if I’m wrong, and people keep rocking their biker shorts and birkenstocks (which is fine!), I’ll be happy in my Sperrys. But it’s been about 15 years since they were in (practically eons in the world of trends), and I really do think they’re due for a renaissance.
That’s it! Have a great rest of your week!
Who is the cute Lab?