Safety in Style: Why it’s Chic to Be Cautious Right Now

This pandemic has caused pandemonium. CNN reported that 44 million people in the United States have filed for unemployment since lockdown, over 100,000 people have died in the U.S. from COVID-19 already, and for three months, our country turned into a ghost town on steroids. That was, until the country began to slowly open up this past month.

As I’ve gradually emerged from hibernation (my biggest step was a day trip to San Francisco with my family over the weekend), I noticed a dissonance of people walking the streets six feet apart with a mask on versus handfuls carrying on as if Coronavirus never happened. It makes me wonder… do some Americans believe that COVID-19 has taken a summer sabbatical? Guess what? The answer is no!

Just today, Governor Newsom announced that all Californians going forward will be required to wear masks in public or “high risk settings,” according to The LA Times. CNN recently reported that certain states may have to slow down opening, or go back on lockdown. As is evidenced by the fact that China has experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, causing Beijing to go on lockdown again, this is a very possible reality for us Americans. It’s our worst nightmare realized.

If you ask me personally, I’ll be wearing a mask in public going forward so we can get back to normal, as opposed to the “new normal” faster. Here are some ways that I plan to make sporting a face-covering equal parts chic and cautious.

Change the Connotation:

Spoiler alert: no one wants to wear a mask. I recall the first time I left the house a couple weeks into the pandemic and felt like I was going to pass out in my mask. Eventually, I acclimated to the foreign feeling of a face covering and reminded myself of why I was wearing one: Doing so is an act of kindness to yourself and those around you. It’s a huge step toward saving lives, especially for the elderly and immunocompromised. Remember, over 100,000 people have died from this silent killer already. Sure, masks are uncomfortable, but the virus is a far worse alternative. My next mental decision was to find ways to make mask-wearing more fun. My recent interview with Fashion Psychologist, Dawnn Karen is a solid resource for how to reframe how you look at mask-wearing during this time (questions about wearing masks are toward the last 15 minutes of the interview).

Make Face-Coverings Fashion Forward:

Think of face masks as the latest accessory! I actually planned both weekend outfits around my solid-black mask for a monochromatic feel. There’s a plethora of places to buy stylish, reusable masks to pair with your accoutrements (make sure to wash in between uses). I paired it with black bike shorts, a long blazer (on-trend from last fashion week) and a scarf-turned top for Saturday brunch. My Sunday best included a long sleeve off-the-shoulder knit paired with high-waist Bermuda shorts reminiscent of the ‘90s. The skinny Kenneth Cole belt cinched at the waist is even from that decade! I enjoyed traipsing the steps of the St. Ignatius Cathedral in these avant-garde strapped sandals with a faux snakeskin block heel. Check out my LIKEtoKNOW.it  page to shop the look.

Plan a Photoshoot(s) To Commemorate Your “New Normal”:

Our future children and grandchildren will ask us one day about the Coronavirus Pandemic that they learned about in history class. As a content creator and fashion blogger, I plan to show them these cute photos I took to boost morale during a rather bleak time. In addition, I plan to journal alongside these photos to demonstrate the thoughts and feelings I experienced so they have a personal account.

I hope these tips helped! Keep your distance. Keep your mask on. Keep it Krischic.

Keeping it Krischic,

Kristin Vartan

Also Check Me Out On: Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, E! News, Darling Magazine, Pepperdine Graphic, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok!

Follow Me on BlogLovin

Follow Me on LIKEtoKNOW.it to shop all my latest looks!