Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CMU chapter.

We’ve all been there: Walking into a store with the intention of buying one of those fill-in-the-blank trends that everyone seems to be wearing. Though it’s easy to enter the dressing room giddy with hope of exiting runway-ready, our reflection is sometimes not quite what we’d had in mind. (“It looked good on the mannequin… Why doesn’t it look good on me?!”)

It’s easy to assume that there’s something wrong with us: that because trend XYZ doesn’t hang perfectly on our bodies, we need to change ourselves. But before you leave the store crestfallen and empty-handed, remember that trends disappear as easily as nail polish, and it’s impossible for every up-and-coming-thing to flatter all body types.

So, instead of hanging your head in shame after trying on every crop top or wild-patterned pair of leggings, invest in timeless basics. Whether this includes a fitted blazer, skinny jeans, or an LBD, find what makes you feel good about yourself. Generally, wardrobe “basics” are flattering to most body types, which is partly why they’ve been in style for ages.

After investing in flattering basics, accessorize! Jewelry, scarves (hello, fall!), and cute shoes look good on everyone and can be a great way to express personal style. Accessories also allow you to follow flashy trends without compensating flattery, so you can look great while you don cute statement pieces.   

Investing in timeless basics is so much better than trying to pull off a crop top and asking your roomie if you look fat all night. After all, style is about making you feel beautiful, not precisely emulating the people in Vogue and on Pinterest. Stick to what works for you and be a fashion mogul for yourself!

Photo credit:
http://weheartit.com/entry/784…

Sophie is a senior studying creative and professional writing at CMU. She loves good restaurants, traveling, and anything French. When she's not writing, Sophie can be found doing yoga or catching up with friends over a good cup of joe. She loves producing content for HC and hopes to make feature writing into a career.  
Laura Stiles is a Creative Writing, Professional Writing double major at Carnegie Mellon University who will be graduating in May 2014. In addition to being Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Carnegie Mellon chapter of HerCampus.com, she is Co-Prose Editor of The Oakland Review, Carnegie Mellon’s literary-arts journal, a manuscript reader for Carnegie Mellon University Press, and has copy-edited for Carnegie Mellon’s newspaper, The Tartan. She was also Communications and Arts Management Intern at The Hillman Center for Performing Arts in summer 2012, and is ecstatic to be studying abroad in Sheffield, England in spring 2013. In her free time, she enjoys singing along to music on long car rides, spontaneously kicking off her shoes to explore lakes and creeks, and curling up with a soft blanket and a captivating book. She was also recently pleasantly surprised to discover that she has a taste for sushi.