We all know that girl. The one who comes into every class wearing yet another perfectly planned outfit, looking like she’s ready for a photoshoot. Even for morning classes, she somehow pulls off that cute, sleepy look, complete with that somehow perfectly messy bun. You look at her and think “Wow, how does she do it?” While I may not have much authority on looking perfectly styled every morning, I can offer a little advice on the small things you can add to your wardrobe to look just a little more put together every day.
Hair Accessories
Even if you barely have time to do your hair or properly fix your hair from the night before, a good hair accessory can make it look like you did. Throwing your hair up with a cute scrunchie instead of a regular hair tie can give you a noticeably different vibe. Adding a headband or even a few functional AND decorative hair clips can create tons of different looks in minimal time.
Rings
A couple of years ago, I started wearing rings. Now, I can’t go without them without feeling like I’m missing something all day. Whether I wear some dainty, gold rings to feel magical and delicate, or I wear gaudy silver rings to feel like I could win a fight, I go about my day feeling more powerful. While you may have a perfectly curated selection of well-made rings to wear every day, my personal secret when it comes to wearing jewelry every day is to buy cheap. I lose rings constantly, but I can worry about it much less when I know I can find an entire pack of rings for less than $10.
Snazzy Socks
There are few material things I love more than a good shoe-sock combo. Even when you can’t find just the right length or color socks to go with your shoes AND pants for the day, the right pair of socks can help you out. Simply cuffing your pants or even leaning into the goofiest socks you can find can help with one of the most important parts of creating a Look™: looking like you did it on purpose.
(Warning: this look may not be suitable for the workplace or places where the majority of people are over 25 years old.)
A Watch
I own one watch. I’m not saying that just wearing this artsy, cheap watch makes people see me as a smarter, uptown business exec or an art god, but I am saying wearing a watch does make my I.Q. go up at least 20 points. At the very least, I like to think wearing a nice watch makes it look like I’m actively trying to get better about being late.
Statement Earrings
I almost always wear earrings, even if they’re simple. They at least make me feel like I look like a real person for the day. While I’m personally not known to wear a bold pair of earrings, I do know that I ALWAYS notice them. Regardless of what my friends may or may not have done with their hair, clothes, or lives that day, I can’t help but compliment them when they wear a good statement piece. While this is easiest to find in jewelry, I think any kind of statement piece can help spruce up your look.
Layering
When in doubt, layer. Not only does wearing a button-down under a sweater make you feel warmer, but it also makes you look like a dedicated academic who likes to go to coffee shops to fill out grad school applications. Cardigans? Perfect for making you look like a young teacher/librarian who loves teaching kids to read.
Lipstick
There may be plenty of days when you’re lacking the time or energy to put much effort into your makeup, hair, or outfit. If you want to do one thing to give off the impression that you CAN have it all, put on lipstick. This is advice directly from Rihanna. Need I say more?