Going to school in the valley has its upsides: the beautiful view and sunsets. However, it also has its downsides: crazy hills and the razor-sharp, below freezing wind that attacks from all angles. Due to this, I usually end up having to put on a crazy amount of layers, leaving no skin uncovered for fear of frostbite. Although I feel sufficiently covered before heading out, my neck and face always seem to be under attack the second I walk outside.
In order to fix this situation, I have recently to go back in time and bring a somewhat “famous” item into my daily wear. Taking inspiration from Banana Republic’s fall 2016 ready-to-wear collection, I created this outfit using the theme of turtlenecks and neutral colors. The collection is made up by multi-layered outfits, which feature many high-collar turtleneck sweaters in simple colors, such as: gray, creme, dark blue, black, brown and red.
I made this collection my own by switching out the oversized, high-collar turtleneck and work slacks for my gray mock turtleneck and my favorite pair of black jeans. The mock turtleneck holds onto the vintage feel of this piece while incorporating the modern style of low-collar shirts. These simple changes turn this high fashion look into an everyday outfit for a college student like me, who needs a little extra neck coverage. Going with the neutral, simplistic theme, I made sure to finish off my look with my natural texturized hair, a simple silver pendant, a rose taupe lipstick from LORAC and my classic combat boots.
Turtlenecks are versatile and symbolic, and have remained prominent statement pieces that can be dressed up or down throughout the decades. This is presented in the contrast between Banana Republic’s collection and Prabal Gurung’s fall 2016 ready-to-wear collection. Just like these two designers, I wanted to bring this piece back to life within my generation, which is why I chose to rock the mock.
Get My Look: 1. Any mock turtleneck. 2. Simple black jeans. 3. Silver pendant. 4. Taupe lipstick.
