Ahh middle school, the good ole days… NOT! I’m speaking for most of us girls when I say “MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS THE WORST!” Braces, awkward-ness, and a whole lotta questionable style decisions. I cringe when I look back on photos and question why my parents allowed me to leave the house. Despite this, your favorite styles from middle school don’t have to just be a cringe-worthy memory. Below are some more “grown up” ways to revamp your favorite styles from the days of good girl Miley Cyrus and High School Musical.
1. Hair Ribbons
I went to a private school for middle school, so that meant: UNIFORMS! Needless to say, I was pretty miserable 5 days out of the week being told what to wear. To spruce up my mongrammed polo shirt and khaki skirt, I would always wear a different color ribbon in my hair. However, ribbons in hair have kind of become a thing of the past… unless you’re a cheerleader. A super cute update on the old school hair ribbon is the hair-bow-bun hairstyle. Here’s a super easy and quick tutorial on how to master the look.
2. Embellished Jeans
Saying that I was obsessed with bedazzled and embellished jeans in middle school is an understatement. When I got to wear what I wanted on the weekends, I ALWAYS went for some snazzy jeans with rhinestones, sequins, big flowers, patches; you name it, I wore it. These subtle lace and studded jeans from White House | Black Market are the perfect grown-up version!
3. Graphic Tees
I don’t know a single girl who didn’t go through the stage of wearing graphic tees, especially from Aeropostale, ALL THE TIME. If your shirt didn’t say “Aero” or “87,” you were way behind on your fashion game. Despite the fact that they are not really age appropriate if you’re over the age of 16, there are great substitutes like this adorable dalmatian graphic tee from Banana Republic.
4. Denim Skirts
When I wasn’t wearing my bedazzled jeans, I was wearing my denim skirts, usually with leggings. Thanks to the Duggar girls (19 Kids and Counting), denim skirts have not become totally obsolete. Since the traditional denim skirt can look a bit frumpy and dated, what better way than to re-vamp the look than a different style denim skirt! This denim circle skirt from American Apparel is a little bit retro and a whole lotta cute and trendy!
5. Sequined Purses
These little sequined mini purses that came in every color were ALL THE RAGE in our days of taking style inspiration from Lizzie McGuire. I personally couldn’t get enough of these and am pretty sure I still have my baby pink one stuffed in the back of my closet. However, I don’t want to say that these bags are tacky, but looking back… they’re pretty tacky. A more sophisticated version with just a little bit of bling is this super cute cross-body clutch from Nordstrom Rack.
Whether your middle school years were your golden years, or you’re still trying to forget them, we can ALL learn and grow from our style mishaps to create looks that are fresh and chic, and still pay homage to the awkward years.