I hate admitting it, and I’ll probably deny it if you ever claim that I wrote this, but I’m as basic as you can get. I’m talking about skinny jeans, crop tops and white vans basic. As I’m sure anyone would agree, my American Eagle outfits don’t exactly eat. In fact, I left too many crumbs for comfort. For those who resonate with this, let me clarify that there’s nothing wrong with dressing basic. As someone who loves fashion though, the girls that fill my Pinterest boards send fits of mocking laughter at me every time I open the app. I used to shrug it off, thinking dressing how I wanted was too out of reach on a college budget, but this year I realized how terribly wrong I was. Since this school year started, I’ve come a long way in switching up my style. Here’s my advice to you.
I owe every compliment I’ve ever gotten on my outfits to my pants. When I first started heading down the road on my fashion journey, switching up my pants was the first and best thing I did. Once you find pants that suit your style, everything else will follow accordingly.
Experimenting with pants is super fun once you get out of the mental block that a lot of us have that our bodies look the best in fitting skinny jeans. Mom jeans are a given at this point, but there is so much more to explore. Khaki pants were personally my favorite to start wearing. You can match so much with them and you instantly look cooler. Khaki pants are also a gateway to my favorites: brown corduroy pants and dickies. A lot of people think it’s so hard to dress cool, but I get compliments anytime I pair the most basic top with any of those pants. The other thing is that they’re a neutral piece that can be paired with whatever look you’re going for. Big t-shirts, cropped t-shirts, hoodies and more: any top you can think of looks cool with those pants.
There are so many other fun styles you can try if straight-leg pants aren’t for you. Since flare pants have come back, there are so many different types, from colorful and pattern-filled ones that are perfect for those of us who love the 70’s to black ones with cutouts and strings that aspire to look like Euphoria’s beloved Maddy.
That was the end of my pants-obsession-rant, even though I could go on for so much longer. Another important fact, I realized the biggest cheat code when it came to finding cool tops: Goodwill. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been thrifting for years, but it was always for hoodies and oversized shirts. Here’s what I failed to remember: thrift stores are the best place to find items for layering. For winter, I bought a bunch of men’s sweaters that gave me the Rory Gilmore look I was aspiring to, but also tucked them into my bra to wear with my khakis. The men’s sweaters always provide the most unique finds like cool patterns and argyle prints. On the other hand, as it’s getting warmer, I’ve been obsessed with men’s collared button-up shirts to layer over a crop top and shorts or with mom jeans. Goodwill is also a gold mine for flannels. You can also find cool baby tees in the little boy’s sections or slip dresses in the woman’s section that could be used as dresses or tank tops. The options are endless.
Having a cooler style isn’t something that happened all at once but over time. Starting off with basic staples like a pair of cool tops or a few new pieces to layer with is a gateway to the rest of your more fashionable life.
Pinterest is my favorite way of staying ahead of trends. If you have trouble knowing what’s in before it’s already halfway on the door, scrolling through the app will diminish your problem. The thing about trends though, as I mentioned in Emma Chamberlain’s Take On Micro-Trending, trends come and go. Once I realized how fast micro-trends come in and out of our life, I started shopping simpler. I bought more timeless pieces and basics that I could still style in fun ways.
Though I’m not at my dream wardrobe entirely yet, I’m a lot closer than I have ever been, and I hope this inspires some of you too. If I can do it, so can you.