I adore picking out and wearing an outfit that makes me feel comfortable and chic. I live by the motto “Look good, feel good.” However, whenever I’m at school, the effort I put into an outfit goes way down. BUT, they always stay cute (at least I think so). Being a college student, picking out something that’s comfortable is a must — whether it’s sitting through a full day of lectures, or studying in your room — you need to be comfortable, and most of the time, it never hurts to feel good while doing it. I’m most definitely a lazy girl when it comes to picking out what to wear in the morning. It’s too early to think about something other than what I need to get done that day. I would rather literally throw something on.
Luckily, I’ve discovered a few hacks over the past year or so that have made my closet look ten times more desirable.
When it comes to making an outfit look cute, I’ve discovered that it comes down to only three key ingredients: basics, accessories and comfortableness. Once you achieve a perfect balance among these, you’ll almost never find yourself staring into space peering into your closet and muttering the words, “I have nothing to wear…”
Most of the time when we say that we have nothing to wear, it’s one of two things (or both): It’s out of style or uncomfortable. Whenever I shop, I stick by two must-follow rules: it absolutely, positively needs to be comfortable and have a sense of timelessness to it. Timelessness meaning that it’s not too “out there” or follows a trend that you can’t see outlasting the following year. Of course it’s fun to have a few on trend items in your closet. However, if it makes up a majority– you’re doing it wrong. I can honestly say that most of my wardrobe, or my favorite pieces at least, have been ones that I’ve worn since freshman year (or even earlier if I’m being honest).
Here are my shopping tips for being a stylish lazy gal:
Items that scream whisper,”So crazy soft.”
I will never buy anything that is not soft. If it has an itchy, uncomfortable material, most of the time it’s poor quality and SUPER uncomfortable. There have been times where I buy a shirt that has been made with uncomfortable fabric, but because it’s adorable I buy it anyways. However, I never wear it more than once or twice because the material drives me crazy! The other day I was in Aerie shopping for sweaters. Upon walking into the store my eye caught a spicy orange sweater. It was truly one of those shopping moments when you hear angels singing in the back. I didn’t even cross my mind to think that it would be anything BUT soft — after all, Aerie’s brand is all about comfort. As a sales associate set me up in a dressing room, she said, “Oh, just so you know, that sweater is a little itchy so if you’re skin is sensitive I wouldn’t recommend it.” While I appreciate the honesty, being a sales associate myself, I was still incredibly disappointed! Going into the room I had other things to try and wasn’t going to even try it because I loved the color so much. Although that was annoying, I knew that I would have opted out of picking that out of my closet to wear because the material would have driven me up a wall. UGH the worst.
Favorite soft brands: Lou & Grey, LOFT, Brandy Melville, Madewell and Aerie (but stay away from the spicy orange sweater).
Invest in shoes and jackets.
Shoes and jackets make or break an outfit. Think about it: when you’re walking to class you need to have comfortable shoes and a cute, warm jacket. Without those two things, game over– your feet are getting blisters and you’re freezing. Now, think about it further: the first thing that people see are your shoes and jacket. This isn’t to say what people think should matter, but a large part of developing your style comes from what you wear the most, which are, shoes and a jackets. However, going back to the timelessness aspect, invest in shoes and jackets that are versatile (can be worn with almost every outfit), and are high-quality.
When it comes to shoes, I know that when I wear my shoes, I wear my shoes. I have more than enough shoes in my closet, but I know that I get use out of most them. When shopping for shoes I follow 3 rules: they MUST be comfortable, can be worn mostly every day and casually, and is somewhat a higher quality (sorry Forever 21 and H&M).
Jackets should also be something that are both functional and cute. I must admit that I definitely have more jackets than I currently need in my closet. However, I wear at least 3-4 every week; a black leather one for going out, a lightweight winter jacket, heavy winter jacket and an anorak. To me, those are the only ones you really need.
Favorite shoe brands: Steve Madden, UGG, Vince Camuto, ALDO.
Favorite jacket brands: Target, Anthropologie, Calvin Klein, Francesca’s.
Basic tees for days.
If you go through my closet, I have tons of basic tees; ranging from long sleeve to short sleeve, from bright red to black. My absolute favorite are my oversized ones. Who likes to wear a tight tee? Again, going back to comfortableness, T-shirts must also be super soft and higher quality. I wear tees all year round — whether it’s being used to layer under a scarf and jacket, or tied in a knot to create a cool look with high waisted denim shorts. It’s easy to make any basic tee look styled to a 10; all you need is a cute bralette and some accessories (which I’ll get to later).
Favorite basic tee brands: Artizia, Brandy Melville, LOFT, Urban Outfitters.
You need dark wash jeggings.
I’ve worn my favorite pair of jeans (they are called jeggings but look just like jeans), since junior year of high school. And yes, obviously they stretch. They were given to me by a friend because they were too short on her and I swear, the day I lose or damage those jeans, will be a day filled with sadness and grief. They are from American Eagle and I’ve bought two or three more from there in the past– and they’ve been great– but nothing compares to a pair that are the perfect color wash and are as comfortable and sweatpants. Because they fit like a skinny, they go awesome with oversized sweaters in the winter, and cute blouses in the Spring. Additionally, dark wash jeans are always the way to go. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice light wash, but dark washes always seem to be more flattering. I really have nothing more to say other than to go out and find yourself the perfect pair of dark wash leggings ASAP!
Favorites: American Eagle, LOFT, Madewell.
Stack ’em and layer ’em.
From necklaces and chokers to bracelets and rings– stacking simple yet unique accessories are necessary to elevate any outfit. My favorite thing to do is to take my favorite long white beaded necklace and wrap it around twice to layer it. This is especially a great look with a plain T-shirt and cute jacket! This also goes for beaded bracelets and rings. Jewelry is something that I love to collect and use to give my outfit its own flair. And, you can find most jewelry in packs or sets where they are already layered — it’s great to mix and match. 🙂 Going back to layering accessories with a cute tee — invest in bralettes! They always complete a layered/ stacked look.
Favorite jewelry: Francesca’s, LOFT, Henri Bendel, boutiques (fav go-to for jewelry) .
Hope you enjoyed and that these were helpful! 🙂
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