Laundry: Rainbowland

We’re approaching those days in the semester where there’s just too much to do and too little time. Each day has so much for me to experience, and sometimes, I feel like I don’t have the capacity to absorb it all.

For example, college is so fun and I’m learning so much, but every minute I realize there’s more to learn. Every minute I realize that there just aren’t enough minutes. I get preoccupied with one activity, then the next activity comes along too soon. I’m in college to see as many colors in this world as possible, whether it’s through nature or clothing, but isn’t it unfortunate to know that the rainbow exists and we just can’t see it all?

Los Angeles is known for an overwhelming sensory overload, but wow — there are just too many songs to sing and views to see, every day. When I’m asking to take a picture of someone’s outfit, I miss another. The people of Los Angeles dress quite vibrantly. The whole fashion reporting deal is a lot more difficult when everyone is eye-catching.

I see great views everywhere I go. Outfits are no different. I’ve kept busy but every time I turn my head, there’s another cool skirt, a one-of-a-kind t-shirt, or a new gadget accessory. A lot caught my eye these past few weeks, but I’m afraid I couldn’t capture all of it for you.  So here are the ones I had the courage to approach and ask to take a picture of.

Last weekend I went to the Solange concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The fans were dressed as decadently as the show. Everyone looked intentional with their clothing: the whole stadium had certainly planned for their Sunday evening concert outfit. Every person was eye-catching, but here are the few I stopped for.

Paynudeh and Fola (left) are put-together and patterned. Fola’s top is a yellow and blue West African informal dashiki. Natalie (right) wears a modern jumpsuit with stripes for Solange.

I interrupted Christopher and Alejandro’s conversation just so I could ask about Christopher’s light-up bag. I asked if it was handmade. The reply? “Believe it or not, Forever21. I know, right?“

I’m always floored when I go to functions like these. I felt as if all of L.A. was at the Hollywood Bowl that night, and there was a raw sense of community. We were all there to enjoy the show, sharing the same evening purpose, yet we all looked so different. The range of cuts and patterns and shapes and colors reflected every age, every taste, everywhere. The Hollywood Bowl was a cross-section of the whole city.

If I could, I would have taken pictures of everyone — that’s the only honest way that this whole fashion-reporting, social-experimenting thing can work. It’s a bit sad that I can only collect the shiniest things I see, but that just means our world is so rich with color and excitement that we have to be pickier. I hope when it comes to your laundry and life, you can appreciate the rainbow we wear and breathe and see every day.

Who knew that this desert city could glow so bright? I’ve learned that light really is a composite of all the colors we can experience.