It is pretty obvious to any collegiette that college and middle school fashion come from entirely different worlds. In middle school, it was all about the name brands and wearing what the popular girl wore. (Shout out to you, Hollister.)
Luckily in college, everyone has gotten over this “popular” frenzy and you can create your own style.
Just for fun, I had my “fashionista” younger sister (who is in middle school), Marie, pick out my outfits for five days.
Day One: Friday – Lunch and Shopping
Out of the five, this outfit was my favorite. This outfit was for going out to lunch and shopping with a friend. It consisted of a long teal peacoat, black booties, black leggings, an oversized graphic tee and a large purse. Normally I don’t wear leggings as pants so the long coat made me feel a bit more comfortable. I wouldn’t have put this together on my own however I thought it looked pretty good.
Related: 15 Things You Shouldn’t Say to Girls Who Wear Leggings as Pants
Also, don’t mind the mirror pic. There’s going to be a lot of them.
“TGIF. This outfit was picked for being on the move with friends but still looking cute doing it.” – Marie
Day Two: Saturday – Football Game
This fall look was for going to the Notre Dame football game. I wore my Notre Dame scoop neck shirt, vintage Ralph Lauren jacket, black leggings (again) and Nike Roshe shoes. This outfit was a lot more out of my comfort zone. Leggings without a long shirt or jacket? No scarf with my scoop neck shirt? I wore it all day and got a few compliments on the jacket. However, I don’t think I’d wear this exact same outfit again.
“I picked this outfit because it is sporty yet casual and perfect for going outside and visiting friends.” – Marie
Day Three: Sunday – Running Errands
Surprise! I’m wearing black leggings again. Apparently black leggings are a staple piece to every middle school stylist’s outfits. For this outfit, I wore my black and gold Vans, black leggings, black and white striped shirt, white scarf and a maroon dress shirt for a pop of color. Other than the leggings, this outfit is more similar to what I’m used to. I also had never worn a dress shirt in the way that I normally wear a cardigan.
“This outfit was comfortable but cute at the same time. Perfect for going to church and running errands round town.” – Marie
Related: 9 Celebs Who’ve Worn Leggings in Public (& Looked Good Doing It!)
Day Four: Monday – Back to Class
For this outfit I wore short lace up boots, black skinny jeans (not leggings for once), a mustardy yellow blouse and a black bomber jacket. I also liked this outfit since it was comfortable and featured a pop of color. I normally only wear my blouses for business, but I liked using this one in an everyday school outfit.
“Mondays are the worst. So we are starting the week on a good note with an outfit that’ll give you a confident attitude towards the week.” – Marie
Day Five: Tuesday – Night Classes
Every Tuesday I have a lecture from 7 pm to 10 pm. It’s awful. Usually by the time I get ready to go to class I’m just feeling tired and lazy. Per Marie, I wore a pair of military style boots, black leggings (duh) and a baggy Mick Jagger graphic tee. No fancy scarves or makeup. Just throw it on and walk out the door.
“This outfit is made for a lazy day. Super casual and super comfortable. You can’t go wrong with all black.” – Marie
Final Takeaways
I normally don’t just dress the way my sister dresses me. I’m a fan of black skinny jeans, long cardigans and band tees. Sometimes I’ll throw in a solid-colored tee with a scarf. I gravitate towards my cut out booties every single day. I’m a fan of finding a comfortable piece of clothing and wearing it a few times a week until it wears out. I have a pretty lazy fashion sense and don’t “put together” a cute outfit more than once or twice a week. Through this experience, I was able to try out new styles with clothes that I already have in my closet but don’t regularly wear.
One thing I did get out of this experiment was a newfound respect for leggings. Although they were uncomfortable at first to wear as pants, they turned out to be not so bad. Even after the five days of styling, I would consider wearing leggings more often since they don’t stretch out throughout the day like a lot of my skinny jeans do.
Related: 9 Outfits You Can’t Get Away With in the Real World
I also was able to use some of my business casual clothes in my everyday outfits to get more use out of them. It turns out they can be pretty cute when used as pops of color in an outfit. Who would have thought my little sister would be the one encouraging me to get use out of those business-y pieces?!
Overall, I still think there’s quite a difference between college and middle school styling. However, with the carefree fashion attitude of a university, you shouldn’t be afraid to try something new. Even if that something is wearing something your little sister picked out.
Renae is a college senior from the Midwest who normally blogs over at www.tealaholic.com.