I’m going to preface this article by saying that I own way too much clothing for my own good. This is my official confession: I am a shopaholic, I spend too much of my bi-weekly paychecks on clothing and I will not let anyone shame me for it except myself! With that being said, I realized that I often neglect the clothing in my closet that I once had to have when I saw it on that rack in whatever store I was perusing at the time. So, in order to get a grip on this issue of mine, I decided to ask my boyfriend, Brandt, to pick out my outfits for the week. To this question, Brandt simply replied “sure” with a mischievous look that forced me to clarify that the point for him was to actually try to dress me well and not like a crazy person which clearly made this challenge a lot less appealing for him considering he is the first to admit that he’s not the most fashionably inclined dude. Other than that, the only guideline was to dress me according to the weather forecast because Florida’s weather seemingly changes on a day-to-day basis.
Overall, I have a pretty eclectic personal style that can range from grandpa-chic to Boho flower child to preppy and polished and back to grandpa-chic again. My friends make a game out of walking through stores pointing out clothing to ask if I’d ever wear it, to which I almost always reply with a yes. Like most college students though, I tend to wake up and, out of habit and absolute laziness, throw on a sweatshirt and a pair of leggings. In all honesty, there was no way that Brandt could mess this up. So, Brandt chose my outfits for the week, I wore them all day for each of the five days, and I made a final decision on how I felt about each outfit.
Day 1:
Monday was a little chilly in Tallahassee, especially when trudging to my 8 a.m. French class, so Brandt chose a classic pair of dark wash, high-waist jeans paired with a plain white V-neck shirt, a neutral, multicolored sweater that he bought me for my birthday two years ago and a pair of white slip on sandals. My overall impression is that Brandt must pay at least a little attention to what I wear because I have definitely worn a version of this outfit before. I would probably wear a tank top with this cardigan because the sleeves of the shirt bunched up under the cardigan sleeves throughout the day, and I would also never wear those shoes anywhere but around my house ever again. The white sandals matched really well, but they also gave me blisters on the sides of my feet because they’re certainly not made to walk back and forth across FSU’s campus all day.
Day 2:
Tuesday was as normal as any day could be, and Brandt decided to pair some basic colors and patterns together. He chose a pair of olive green joggers that I’ve had since probably my senior year of high school, a black and white striped knit shirt, a pair of strappy black buckle sandals and a jean jacket to top it off. When he took the joggers out of my closet, I visibly cringed, and he almost shoved them back into the closet before I told him to just go with it. To my surprise, the joggers still fit me and they paired really well with the shirt he chose. The sandals added a girly feel to the sporty look of the joggers and the jean jacket was handy for the draftiness of Strozier Library throughout the day.
Day 3:
Wednesday was a beautiful day, so Brandt decided on a maroon and black flower patterned dress that he said gave me an “earthy vibe.” He paired the dress with my oldest pair of brown studded booties. As is probably evident in the picture below, this was my favorite outfit by far just because it was so comfy and flowy. I also haven’t worn the brown boots in forever, and I had forgotten how much I loved the sound they make when I walk. One thing I would say is that I typically would pair this dress with a pair of black shoes or booties, but I didn’t mind the brown at all!
Day 4:
On Thursday, Brandt picked a pair of distressed blue jeans and paired them with a darkish dusty rose sleeveless top and my go-to burgundy velvet slip-on sneakers. Since I purchased those sneakers on sale over winter break I have literally worn them out so, this outfit was definitely a win on Brandt’s part. It was comfy and it mostly matched. The only thing I would’ve changed would be to wear a lighter pair of “mom” style jeans with the shirt he chose.
Day 5:
The final outfit that Brandt handpicked from the depths of my closet was a dark, button-down jean skirt, a sporty black muscle tee and my white high-top Converse. Overall, I think this outfit is super sporty and lax which is perfect for a Friday in my mind. In all honesty, I had completely forgotten about this shirt and that is such a shame because the red and white lining on the sleeves is really cute.
My takeaways from this challenge are that 1. Brandt picks up on a lot more about my personal style than him or I give him credit for and 2. I really have some cute clothing hiding in my closet that deserves to see the light of day! When I asked Brandt about his strategy for choosing my outfits, he said, “If you didn’t look disgusted by what I pulled out, I just went with it.” That’s what we all do right? Brandt’s final takeaway was: “I’ll never do it again.” So, there you have it, folks.
All photos courtesy of Tawnie Simpson.