I have a secret for you, looking chic is all about illusion when you’re on a college student budget. You don’t have to wear designer labels to look like you have it all together. Fashionistas can kill it in really anything.
Here are some budget-friendly tips and tricks to look chic in almost anything.
Completely forget about how you thought you should wear your clothes.
A major key to looking chic is wearing your clothes absolutely wrong. Think about the blogger favorite of wearing your outerwear over your shoulders or the classic trend of flannels around your waist. When you get ready in the morning, take a look at your outfit and think “how can I take this closet essential and change it up?” Give your favorite pieces a new identity just by the way you wear them. (Photo via @deannacoll)
Don’t totally black out.
I am possibly the biggest believer in all black outfits; I pretty much live in them. However, after watching Anna Wintour’s interview 73 Questions with Anna Wintour, the fashion icon mentioned how she would never wear head-to-toe black. This made me reconsider everything! When getting dressed look at your outfit, pick one thing to take off, and switch it out with something that has color. That pop of color could be a cool sneaker, a purse, jacket, or accessory, like a necklace and earrings. (Photo via @typicaltuyen)
K.I.S.S.
People tend to think in order to be fashionable or chic you must wear super complex outfits. Wearing 27 different items is not only cumbersome, but gives you 27 opportunities to have a fashion fail. Plus,fashion pieces that are unique and draw attention can only be worn a couple of times before they lose their impact. Stick to the basics and layer. Basics are easy to pair together but can also be dressed up for a meeting or dressed down for a casual lunch date with your girlfriends. (Photo via @shelbyshowell)
Accessories are your best friends
Accessories really help to take a simple outfit up a notch and it’s super easy! For this take a page out of the Parisian fashion playbook. Parisian women invest in timeless high-end pieces and spend less on the basic everyday items, this is a great way to slowly move away from fast fashion. Having more high-end accessories can make your outfit look like you paid way more than you actually did for it. So before you leave the house switch out your Converse for your embellished sandals to give your look a little pick me up. (Photo via @sarahdewald)
Wrinkles are never a good thing
College students rarely have enough time to sleep. But properly ironing your clothes is essential to looking put-together. Don’t have an iron (or know how to use one)? No problem! Try tossing a damp cloth into the dryer with your clothes or hanging your top in the bathroom while you shower to remove those wrinkles and look like you have a personal tailor in the process. (Photo via @lovelyykelly)
You’re killing it, girl!
I know it can sound kind of cheesy, but be confident! One of the biggest things to looking chic in almost anything is the way you carry yourself. Walk like you’re wearing Prada and carry yourself like Naomi Campbell. Because regardless of anything, confidence and self love are always in style. (Photo via @maddyhaller)
