FASHION & STYLE
WHAT COLLEGE TAUGHT
ME ABOUT STYLE
By KRISTY LEE
I’ve been what you might call a “fashionista” for as long
as I have been dressing myself. “Clothes Junkie” and
“Jewelry Hoarder” may also be appropriate appellations.
I’ve been guilty of buying shoes - not to wear, but to
simply put on display and admire. I keep single earrings
that lost their mates long ago because I have some
strange emotional attachment that keeps me from
parting with them. My close friends and family know
that handbags over a certain dollar value NEVER touch
the floor, even if it means having a nice meal with a giant
bag on my lap. If you find these behaviors relatable (we
should probably be friends), you may sympathize with
the difficulty I faced being a college student on a budget
unable to buy clothes as I always had before.
College was the first time that I was working and did not
have disposable income, as is probably the case for a lot
of people. It was the first time I went an entire season
without buying new clothes, wearing pieces from the
year before. As someone with a normally high wardrobe
turnover rate, it was a very difficult adjustment. This
experience, while somewhat harrowing, taught me a lot
about working with what I had.
I began to look for value in garments and not just
aesthetics. I invested heavily in basic pieces that were
more versatile than what I had already. But the most
important thing I learned to do was dress more creatively.
I was forced to work with what I had, and to put looks
together that I never would have previously considered.
Before, if I was tired of one shirt, I simply moved on to
another instead of finding a new way to wear it. These
new looks I created were usually more interesting and
self-expressive than those prior. Having fewer choices can
sometimes work in our favor. I also held on to garments
longer. That shirt I was sick of wearing looked just fine
layered with a jacket or another shirt. Jewelry became
an invaluable tool in making those basic pieces fit the
occasion, and of that I had an abundance.
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Even now those tricks I learned in college help me
out. My current situation doesn’t allow much time for
shopping, so I still have to be creative with my wardrobe.
I still have some of those basics I bought in college,
and I can still make them look great when I put a little
thought into it. Whether you’re limited by time or money,
or neither, you can look at each piece in your closet and
find a new way to wear it. The combinations are there,
waiting to be made. Taking a few minutes to put together
a new look with what you have might be worth the time
and money you save.
SAVVY I SOPHISTICATED I SASSY