city of oakland | Chic Vic

Even a casual outfit can be charged with electricity.

It may come as a shock to you, but as a child I absolutely loathed the zap of static electricity. The source of this unfortunate encounter was often in the family van, a huge brown Toyota Hiace.

That trusty van held many memories. It was our main mode of transport for family outings, whether it was a trip to the mall, out to dinner, or grocery shopping in Chinatown. I took naps in that van. My siblings and I consumed many a Wendy’s bacon cheeseburgers in that van. There was something about the fuzzy interior of that van that charged up the electrons in my body – I am positive of that. As a result, static shock ensued when one reached for the sliding door handle. That is one memory I do not miss at all. As ugly as that van was, it was stolen twice. When the unknown scoundrels ended their joy rides, they left the van abandoned and intact on the other side of town, newly minted cigarette burns and all.

My mom often boasted of the van’s amazing turn radius, but unfortunately, we got rid of it before I was old enough for drivers ed. It was replaced by a much cooler sedan. Vans get a bad rap thanks to soccer moms, and I’m sure I’ll opt out of one even when I start a family. If I’m gonna have a van, make that a pair on my feet.

Lately I’ve got my Vans on but they look like sneakers. Perhaps it’s my preference for comfort, my casual work environment, or just general style slacking, but I’ve gradually been trading my pumps in for lower heels, flats and – gasp – sneakers! No chiffon blouse here – just an urban tee that I simply cannot be neutral to since it is positively electrifying. Hardy materials of faux leather, denim, and canvas coupled with a dark color palette means I’m ready to head into the city in search for an electric street hole cover. Or better yet, make that a manhole cover. That’s where they keep men, right?

Fashionista, blogger, writer, doodler extraordinaire – I’m proud of my body of work. Perhaps I should add light weight lifter and yogi to the list. After all, that’s what keeps my body electric.