XOXO 2024 – Girly Juice

August 21, 2024

I had to take two consecutive flights, spending a total of 12 hours in the airport and on the plane each time, to get to XOXO Music Festival 2024. But it was worth it.

I last attended XOXO in 2019, when my spouse, mb, introduced me to it. It’s “an experimental festival for independent artists living and working online”—hey, that’s me!—and it brings together writers, podcasters, designers, musicians, and filmmakers from around the world (among many others). It includes social gatherings, conference talks by smart people about their accumulated wisdom on the internet, demonstrations of cool games and art projects, and (famously) raucous karaoke parties.

However, the pandemic has not been kind to the events industry, so there hasn’t been an XO in five years. The most recent one, in 2024, was the final one, both a reunion and a last hurrah. I knew I had to be there, and luckily, mb and I both got tickets.

I wore this dress to go out for dinner at Canard’s (always great, highly recommended) after arriving in Portland late Wednesday night. When I travel lately, I like to pack matching, coordinating pieces to maximize my outfit combinations – so you’ll see me in blue and green in this post, which happened to match the decor at our hotel perfectly!

My outfit:

• Green Polka Dot Dress – Second Hand 2015
• Blue cashmere cardigan – J. Crew
• Black leggings – Gap
• Black leather Frye riding boots
• Black leather Coach Willis bag – Vintage on eBay
• Rainbow earrings – an Etsy store called 3DelightfulShop

August 22, 2024

We had a lovely brunch with our friend DJ Pynchon from the hypnokink community, who was lovely, and then I spent most of the afternoon soaking in the hotel room bathtub, letting my fibroid body heal a little after all the traveling.

That evening we had dinner with our friend Epiphora, one of the people who originally inspired me to become a sex toy reviewer all those years ago. She was smart and funny as always.

We then went to the XOXO opening party, and I snuck out to play a few songs at the open mic at the Haymaker Bar, thanks to my very talented and sweet friend Eric for inviting me. It was definitely an incredibly busy day for me, but that’s how traveling works sometimes!

What I Wear (If you want to know the details of her stunning costume, you’ll have to ask MB yourself):

• Green tri-blend vest – American Apparel
• Turquoise pleated skirt – Zhanchtong
• Black leather jacket – Danier Leather
• Navy knee-high socks – a gift from my mom
• Black leather Frye riding boots
• Black leather Coach Willis bag
• Magic Wand Earrings – An Etsy shop called FUELifestyle

August 23, 2024 (morning)

The first day of XO kicked off with a welcome speech from conference organizers Andy Baio and Andy MacMillan, the “Andy Brothers”. (Hi everyone!)

After meeting up with the lovely pen-and-paper enthusiasts at the #stationery meetup, we attended a few sessions on the Indie Media Circus lineup, hearing from creators and founders about how they’re building reader-supported projects that seem more sustainable than the current (dying) mainstream media establishment.

My love just gave me this shirt as a souvenir from WWDC. I love the vintage Apple logo – and the rainbow of course, which goes perfectly with my earrings!

My outfit:

• Apple T-shirt – a gift from my spouse
• Black Modal Robe – Calvin Klein Sleepwear
• Blue cashmere cardigan – J. Crew
• Black leggings – Gap
• Black leather Frye riding boots
• Black leather Coach Willis bag
• Turquoise leather collar – Tiffany’s, a gift from my love
• The ever-chic, go-anywhere XOXO badge/lanyard

August 23, 2024 (evening)

After watching Indie Media Circus, I returned to the hotel and showered again so I could be fresh for the rest of the day, which was mostly social gatherings. I didn’t go to as many parties this year as I did in 2019 because I tried to pace myself to keep my energy high — but I ran into mb at a #queer party, where we chatted with some hot guys, and then we walked over to the Rum Club for a #cocktails party, where we chatted with more hot guys. (My Pina Colada was probably my favorite drink of the entire trip.)

We then had a quick meal at Mucca Osteria before returning to the beautiful Revolution Hall to watch the evening’s “Sideshow,” a series of live podcast recordings. I think my favorite was Never Post, although Depths of Wikipedia was also very interesting.

My outfit:

• Floral print skater dress – American Apparel
• Apple Watch with Hermès band – both from my spouse
• Same cardigan, leggings, bag, boots, earrings and badge as above

August 24, 2024 (morning)

XOXO A slightly more low-key outfit for the final day! This was a true conference day so there were lots of great speeches from some talented people.

My favorite talks included Gita Jackson’s on worker-owned and subscriber-funded media, Erin Kissane’s on the COVID Tracking Project, Ed Yong’s on compassionate health and science reporting, and Cabel Sasser’s quirky story about a mural on a McDonald’s wall that made me laugh, cry, and want to create more art. XOXO is truly an amazing place.

During lunch break, mb and I went to Dimo’s Apizza and had a delicious pepperoni pie and a few Negronis in the sun. It was a perfect day.

My outfit:

• Light blue T-shirt – a gift from my friend Sarah
• Blue cashmere cardigan – J. Crew
• Navy High Waist Skirt – Old Navy
• Black leggings – Gap
• Black leather Frye riding boots
• Black leather Coach Willis bag
• Magic Wand Earrings – FUELifestyle

August 24, 2024 (evening)

I managed to squeeze in another quick shower before heading to the XOXO closing party, which ended with a fitting finale: the two Andys singing the Ghostbusters theme song karaoke. (In 2019, music podcast Punch Up the Jam hosted a legendary live show at XOXO, where they talked about the Ghostbusters theme for an hour and a half. In my pot-soaked memory, it was the funniest thing that ever happened, so I was happy to see it revisited all these years later.)

I danced. I giggled. I sang along. I’m so grateful to have attended XOXO (twice!). I feel inspired to wear more weird clothes, make more weird friends, and post more weird art on the internet. Thank you XO staff and community.

My outfit:

• Blue and green patterned dress – a winner in my opinion? The label says Maggy London
• Same cardigan, leggings, boots, bag, badge, collar, watch and rainbow earrings as above

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