This Quarantine Life: Stylist Brandon Frein on Changing Outfits When She’s Bored, Trying to Find Structure

Welcome to a new edition of This Quarantine Life! This week we check in on stylist, fashion editor, self-described fashion hustler and one of the coolest women in Chicago, Brandon Frein. Brandon is lively and fun, with a glorious gray streak in her hair, and a personality that you will likely not forget when you meet her. She runs the styling agency Kit This (along with partner Arlene Mathews) and does both editorial and commercial work. You can see her fashion pages in some of the top national magazines including Elle, Vogue, InStyle, Chicago Magazine, Marie Claire, Refinery29, Interior Design, Lucky, and many others. Brandon has also done commercial work for clients like Bumble & Bumble, Jil Sander, Gap, Kenmore, Soho House Chicago, and Steven Alan. And to top it all off, she is also an adjunct professor of fashion styling at Columbia College Chicago (lucky kiddos!)

Brandon has been in quarantine since March 13, and much like all of us, has had a rough time adjusting and is itching to get out.

This is her quarantine life.

“Structure is something I need, so this has been extremely hard for me,” she said. “Trying to get myself to stick to a schedule while in quarantine has proven pointless. My major daily accomplishments are getting up, showering, putting on makeup, paying any attention at all to my hair, and putting on a cute outfit.  I don’t give myself a whole lot of pressure beyond this. I wake up when I wake up, I do whatever I do to get through each day, and I sleep when I sleep. I’ve been setting very small goals. Like getting out of bed.”

9:00 – 11:00 A.M.

Wake up. Feed my cat, grab some coffee. Scroll on my phone for an hour-ish, possibly fall back asleep…

10:00 – 12:00 P.M.

Shower, knock out some squats and a plank, get dressed (I definitely think about my outfit every day,) put on some makeup, pay a little attention to my hair, surf a little more, and head downstairs. Get more coffee and work on a jigsaw puzzle or read for a while. Water and spend a little time with my plants — I’ve become a pretty solid plant mom.

12:00 – 4:00 P.M.

Work. I’m still teaching at Columbia College, so I’ll spend some time on that every day. That’s been quite the challenge, for both me and the students.

Zoom/IG Lives: I’ve been doing some interviews and participating in chats with a variety of people. I live for those moments!! Play dress-up: I do spend quite a bit of time in my closet. Not every day, but many days. Dressing up is literally one of the only things that makes me happy. If I’m bored, I’ll change my outfit. Workout: I frequently take pilates, yoga or dance classes online. I’m OBSESSED with the fact that I get to dance with Debbie Allen! DEBBIE FREAKIN’ ALLEN! And of course, I get out and take walks whenever possible.

Dance/Listen to music: It’s been really hard for me to focus – on a book, a show, a movie, my responsibilities. So I’ve been listening to a lot of music and just dancing around. It has been so therapeutic. It brings me joy, and also helps me get in my cardio, ha!

Purge. Ugh, this needs to be done all day, every day. And some days, it is. But I particularly try to set some time aside each day for this. My schedule is no schedule at all, so this happens at many different hours, but typically between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

4:00 – 6:30 P.M.

Cook/bake: I am definitely one of those people who has taken to new hobbies during quarantine. I never really enjoyed cooking before – it always fills me with anxiety – but now that the time-pressure and options are gone, I’m kind of thriving on it. Baking is something I’ve always been terrified to do, but I’ve been making easy things, like cornbread and banana bread. I have a sourdough starter I’ve been feeding religiously, but I’m not quite ready to tackle that one. One more month in quarantine, though, and I’ll do it!

Happy hours/Insta chats/FaceTimes: I am a very social person, so the opportunity to interact with others is one I will not easily pass up. Hence, I am often on a video chat of some sort.

6:30 – 7:30 P.M.

Dinner: I am quarantined with my husband, but we live in a house where it is possible for us to each have our own space. Well, he has his space, and I have the rest of the house. But we’re working on that! Anyway, we always have lunch and dinner together. His lunch is actually around the time of my second cup of coffee, but we enjoy that time while I’m still in my robe and he’s already accomplished 75 things.

And we always enjoy dinner together, while cooking, eating and cleaning.

7:30 P.M. – 12 A.M.-ish

God, who knows? I’m a night owl, so this is when things get crazy. The hubs and I will usually watch a little tv together, but I get so antsy this time of night, that I can’t sit still. I take a lot of FaceTime calls, I get on Facebook and Instagram; I may get myself into some sort of organizing/styling project around the house; I think and scheme and write. The night time is my right time!

12:00-2:00 A.M.

Go to bed. WAY too late.

Shows I am binging:

Currently watching the second season of “Dead To Me” (I loved the first season!) I’ve also started watching “Ozark,” currently in Season 2. Why did it take me this long? Upsides of quarantine! As I mentioned before, it’s been really hard for me to focus, so if the TV is on and I’m half watching, it’s likely “Law and Order,” or some sitcom like “The Simpsons,” “The Office,” “Seinfeld,” “30 Rock,” “Parks and Rec.”

What do I do for self-care:

Love this question, I am all about the self-care! Well, I think the pilates and dance go a long way toward that, but I also have been taking care of my skin. Lots of masks. I love the Peter Thomas Roth mud mask, which I do 2-3 times a week. I also love his cucumber gel eye patches, which I use multiple times a week. And I always finish with my Rodan + Fields face and eye serums. Another product I really love is this facial steam from Asrai Garden.

My quarantine style in three words:

Colorful, comfortable, chic

What have I learned about myself while in quarantine?

Well, it confirms the fact that I get all of my energy and inspiration from physically interacting with other people! Other than that, I don’t know. I’ve honestly had a hard time. Having so much time alone with my thoughts is dangerous for me. I need distraction, and I am not great at creating that for myself. I have been taking joy in the simple things – like gardening and cooking and cleaning. These are all things that for me have always been annoying chores, and now I’ve learned to find pleasure in them. That is huge for me.