Have you ever had those mornings where you wake up and cannot seem to make a decision between two favorite items of clothing? I often feel obligated to arrange the elements of my look into a particular category: edgy or feminine, classic or trendy. This school of thought can be extremely limiting when it comes to making a fashion statement, and so last week, while feeling quite indecisive, I resolved to piece together cut-offs and a sheer dress. Maybe I’m just extremely boring, but wearing a completely sheer outfit over cropped blue jeans is potentially one of the riskiest moves I’ve ever made, fashionably speaking. I snagged this piece ($29) during an Urban Outfitters sale hoping it would function as a fun addition to my limited “going out” wardrobe, which currently consists of a backless bodysuit my sister grew tired of and an old black skirt from Zara that has become “mini” since I’ve grown taller over the years.
When I first tried on this dress with merely a black bralette and high-waisted underwear underneath, the outfit looked like a Halloween costume or beach cover up gone wrong. I also realized I wasn’t quite willing to “bear it all” by going completely see-through. So I turned, instead, to mid-rise jeans. As a more modest and comfortable choice, I was surprisingly pleased with the way this combination turned out. Pairing the look with gold zodiac-inspired jewelry and navy suede boots made me feel equal parts witchlike and refined.
While I do harbor a fondness for the Midwest, I am not looking forward to zipping myself into a sleeping bag of a coat and bracing the cold as I go back to college in a couple of days. I know that winter in Ohio is going to leave me longing for the gentle San Diego weather that enabled me to leave the house in a sheer, diaphanous dress and jeans. Like in years past and in the semesters to come, I will survive… even if it means breaking out my puffy, ankle-length Lands’ End coat that drags in the snow as I walk from one heated campus building to another.
