Reality check. It’s the second semester of the year and next year is in sight. Whether that means you’ll become a sophomore, junior, senior or even super senior, it’s time to take a look at your closet and ask yourself if your it screams “freshman.” Don’t panic if you realize that your closet might not have matured with you—there are a few simple ways to graduate your closet and your style.
Say no to OCTD (Obsessive Crop Top Disorder)
As hard as this might be for some people, crop tops often look as cheap as the $10.00 you payed for them. Let’s be honest, you’re paying 1/2 of the price for 1/4 of the clothing. No need to trash all your crop tops, but use them when appropriate— which does not mean in the tundra that is State College during the winter. The goal here is to be classy, not cropped.
College is a good time to start building a wardrobe that you can have for a while. Stick with classic tops that don’t show your whole midriff. Embellished tops can also make you look like you put hours into your outfit. We want to look put together, not half dressed. You feel me?
The Tailor is Your Friend
As a five foot and a half of an inch tall girl, I have had to face the fact that things do not always fit how they should. If you want to look like you didn’t just throw something on, you absolutely must make sure your clothes fit properly! This means finding your size and befriending a tailor at times. You can be wearing the darn cutest pants or a top that would turn heads, but if it doesn’t fit, well, it just isn’t going to look as nice. Just like a bra needs to fit perfectly (and if you haven’t been fitted for a bra yet, go ASAP—it’ll change your life) clothes do too. You will have to try on things *collective groan.* As tedious as it may be, you will feel 10,000 times better in pants that make your butt look perkier or a top that hits you just right to flatter your curves.
Divide Your Closet
This is another crucial part of updating your closet. Split your closet between everyday outfits, professional outfits and going out outfits. These will be pretty distinctly different sections. Most of the time they will not/should not overlap. What you wear going out normally should not be worn in an everyday outfit and should never be worn in a professional setting. There are the occasional pieces that can fit into more than one section! Building these sections will help you feel less baffled in the morning when thinking of what to wear.
Embrace Your Personal Style
The biggest step for graduating your style from that of a freshman’s is finding your own personal style. Who wants to look exactly the same as the girl next to you on a Friday night anyway? We want to stand out, which is hard to do when every girl is wearing a crop top and tribal print pants. It’s fine to follow trends, but remember to put your own spin into each outfit. This step will create a look that will last a lifetime instead of always jumping from trend to trend.
Chantel Lee, a Junior year photography major, talked about her style and how she reformed it while keeping true to herself, “I’ve always had good style and a very diverse style. One day I was girly, the next hipster, but my style has definitely been refined over the last year because I decided to take a more business casual approach with my wardrobe. So yes, I still have my diverse sense of style and class, but now it’s more refined to look professional, classy and cute with a little bit of attitude.”
As we get older, we have to learn to dress our age and for various situations. But fashion is about having fun, so wear what you like and wear it with confidence!
