Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Style

I Let My Roommates Dress Me For A Week: The Story of a Recovering Fashionista

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois State chapter.

Roommates Pick My Outfits Every Day for a Week

            I am a simple dresser and aim for comfort. This is a year-round occurrence except for the occasional “fancy” dress up moment. I stick with sweatshirts and leggings most days. Recently, I have noticed that my roommates put an effort into their appearance every day. I decided that I had to try looking presentable for once. So, I asked them to pick out my outfits every day for a week to get me out of my comfort zone.

Meet the Stylists: 

Zoe: Zoe dresses nicely for comfort but adds a zing to all her outfits. She is not afraid of breaking fashion norms and loves different patterns and colors. She doesn’t care about what everyone else thinks when it comes to her own fashion choices and even though sometimes she may stand out more than others, she still rocks the runway. P.S. She has dinosaur leggings and they are AWESOME!

Jill: Jill is prepared for anything with the classy and chic variety of clothes in her closet. Her style is very fresh and modern. She has a keen sense of style when it comes to current trends. Jill takes time picking out stylish clothing to create a fluid, sophisticated, and cute ensemble. Jill will go out on a limb in the name of fashion. She steps out with an amazing look on the regular. Her closet is the one to visit when we need inspiration. She’s always on point.

Rules:

  1. I have one veto for a specific item
  2. Stylists must pick out the outfit together the night before
  3. I have no say and cannot be in the room when the stylists pick the pieces
  4. Stylists pick the top, bottom, shoes, undergarments, socks, accessories, hair, and makeup
  5. Stylists must get me out of my comfort zone but must consider my style
  6. I must act as I would in everyday life when in the outfits
  7. Stylists can use clothing from my closet and their closets
  8. I must wear the whole outfit for a minimum of two and a half hours
  9. I get one “I wanna wear”
  10. Stylists cannot change the outfit after I see it

Day One: Monday

Events: Class, Her Campus Meeting

Outfit Name: Bohemian Blues

Clothing Items: Red Tank Top, Blue Jeans, Blue Cropped Sweater

Shoes: Brown Booties

Accessories: Colorful Fuzzy Socks, Silver Statement Necklace

Hair Style: Red and Pink Flower Crown with hair down or half up half down      

Make Up: Natural 

Why they chose this outfit: My stylists chose the outfit because they thought the outfit was cute. They kept calling it an outfit for a “casual chick.” The flowers were picked to push my boundaries and to bring a fun contrast in color. The floral band was picked to make the tank top pop, and the top was baby blue to go with my eyes. They had also never seen me wear it.

Experience: I liked today’s outfit. It was comfortable. It was something I would not have put together for myself but may consider it. I usually wouldn’t wear the sweater with a tank top, but I didn’t mind. I hated the flower crown though. But, I did not veto it because it was my first day. I got a lot of weird looks on my way to class. Some classmates did complement the flower crown. In my nonverbal communications class, I volunteered for a demonstration because I always volunteer. In the demonstration, my classmates were analyzing my voice tone as I talked. I was supposed to talk normally but apparently, I didn’t because the prof stopped me and said, “You don’t sound like yourself today Mimi. Is it because you are speaking in front of an audience?” and in my mind I screamed, “NO IT’S BECAUSE I’M TRYING TO NOT DRAW ATTENTION TO MYSELF BECAUSE I’M WEARING A F@&%ING FLOWER CROWN!”

Day Two: Tuesday

Events: Working Out, Job Fair

Outfit Name: Werk it Girl!, Catching Interviews

Werk it Girl!:

Clothing Items: White Tank Top, Grey and Black Striped Leggings, Purple Sports Bra, Black Pull Over

Shoes: Black Nikes

Accessories: Pink Head Band

Hair Style: Head Band and Pony Tail

Make Up: None

Why they chose this outfit:

Werk it Girl!: My stylists chose the white tank top because they thought that the rope on the back was cute. They paired it with the purple sports bra and the pink headband for a pop of color and the leggings brought a subtle pattern. The black shoes are my indoor work out shoes and ended up looking great! They matched with my black pullover.

Catching Interviews:

Clothing: Black Blazer, Navy blouse, Black Slacks

Shoes: Black Heels

Accessories: Silver Statement Necklace

Hair Style: Down and Straight

Make Up: Natural with Berry lipstick

Catching interviews: The theme was classy, modern, workaholic babe. The outfit was meant to be modest. But the heels were chosen as a power move. The blazer was chosen to make me look sexy and smart.

Experience: I loved the outfits my roommates chose for me! My work out outfit gave me motivation to go to the gym finally! It felt really comfortable before the work out in class, and during my work out when I was running around the track. I usually go the class in leggings and a sweatshirt anyway, so it felt like a regular day. Later, I went home, showered and put the boss babe outfit on. I don’t have many professional looking clothing, so Zoe let me borrow a pair of pants and a blazer. The heels were mine and super fun to wear! They made the outfit whole. I felt great in the outfit and very professional. I rocked the whole career fair one stride at a time!

Day Three: Wednesday

Events: Class

Outfit Name: “Snaps!”

Clothing Items: Grey and Black Cropped Sweater, Black Sleeveless Dress, Black Tights

Shoes: Red High Tops

Accessories: Diamond Earrings, Choker Necklace, Grey Socks, Barrette

Hair Style: With the Barrette, Half Up, Half Down, To the Side in A Braid, or Just Down

Make Up: Red Lip Gloss

Veto: Diamond Earrings

 

Why they chose this outfit: My designers described this outfit as “hipster, punk, chic”. They put the sweater and the dress together because the skirt would flow out of the sweater and highlight my waist. The barrette would make the outfit artsier. The choker and earrings were meant to add subtle touches to accentuate the outfit. The red high tops added color to the outfit. All together the outfit was inspired by a poetry reading, at a metal concert, in Paris.

Experience: When I saw the outfit for the first time, I went back into the hallway and screamed. The outfit is very much out of my comfort zone. The whole thing was too much to look at. I would never consider a sweater over a dress with a barrette. I liked the choker and the shoes but not with the rest of the ensemble. The earrings made me uncomfortable being a random spark of light, and the fact that I haven’t worn earrings since 2017. I ended up using my veto on the earrings. They were just too much on top of everything else. I was late to my first class, so I had to walk in the room and walk in front of everyone. I felt really weird. I dove into my seat as soon as I could. The hat felt like it was growing bigger and bigger on my head. As class went on and I kept moving throughout the day, I grew more and more comfortable. No one was staring, and no one asked questions. I ended up loving the outfit even though I would never consider it in the first place and I will never where it again. (But I may steal Zoe’s Barrette!)

Day Four: Thursday

Events: Class, Casual Interview, Date Night

Outfit Name: Everyday Essentials

Clothing Items: Oversized Grey Knit Sweater, Oversized Red V-Neck Tee, Jeans

Shoes: Brown Leather Riding Boots

Accessories: White Long Socks, Blue Flowered Scarf

Hair Style: Down straight

Make Up: Natural

“I wanna wear”: Red and blue striped shirt, grey cardigan

Why they chose this outfit: My stylists were half asleep when they picked this outfit and were in and out of my closet very quickly. They tried their best. They told me the oversized look is in right now and would look good with the boots. They also thought that the outfit was cool and would be versatile for the full day.

Experience: I was compelled to use my “I Wanna Wear” card. I swapped the oversized sweater and V-neck because it just didn’t feel right. The outfit seemed too sluggish for class, an interview, and a date. Luckily the rest of the outfit was part of the outfit I was envisioning for myself all along. It’s my favorite outfit for looking casual and nice. I love the contrasting patterns. Together, my striped shirt and flowered scarf are super soft. I feel comfortable and cute. I heard them talking and I knew Jill was trying to find my favorite jeans and she succeeded! They are new and fit in well in all of the right places. Class was a breeze. My interview rocked and led me straight to date night. My boyfriend LOVED my outfit and commented many times! So, you could say my outfit was a success!

Day Five: Friday

Events: Class, Hanging Out with Friends

Outfit Name: On Fridays We Wear Red!

Clothing Items: Striped Leggings, Red Alert Back the Birds T-shirt, Jean Jacket

Shoes: Red High Tops

Accessories: ISU Spirit Socks

Hair Style: Up In A Ponytail

Makeup: Reggie Tattoo

Why they chose this outfit: Friday is spirit day at ISU and my stylists are very dedicated to the tradition of wearing red on Fridays. The wanted me to represent ISU in the most fun ways possible. Zoe, being apart of the marching band had a lot of red bird swag. I wore her shirt, her socks and applied a Reggie Tattoo that she had in her desk. Jill handled the style and added my sporty leggings and red high tops to pull everything together. They really wanted me to burst with ISU pride.

Experience: When it comes to repping ISU, I’m all about it. Red is my power color and I love me some school spirit. I found the outfit fun and exciting. I probably would never get this decked out with as many ISU pieces, but it was fun getting into the Redbird spirit. I was able to stay comfy in my leggings and t-shirt. The socks and high tops just added magic! Like Michael and his jeans on “The Office,” my high tops matched with my jean jacket make me feel really confident and awesome no matter what they are paired with, so I added the jean jacket for fun! The Reggie Tattoo was the icing on the cake. It was cute! I would totally wear this outfit again.

This week has been great fashion-wise. I was apprehensive about a lot of the clothing items my stylists picked for me but I’m glad they did! I got out of my comfort zone and learned different ways to dress and express myself. I learned that I can look good with certain styles I have avoided in the past. While I still hate that flower crown and tights, I am happy I tried them. They may make another appearance but with different outfits. As for everything else, I ended up liking it all. My favorite day was Day five! Repping the birds was so much fun! The piece of the week that I totally fell for was my gray and black cropped sweater. It was super cozy, and I had forgotten about it! I had a lot of fun working with my friends and having them challenge me. It was a great bonding activity that just brought us closer. It’s all about fun!

Mimi McNulty

Illinois State '20

Hey there! I'm Mimi McNulty. I'm 22 years old and I am a Public Relations major at Illinois State University. Writing has always been a passion of mine and I want to turn the world upside down by telling it like it is. If I were to give a TED Talk it would be about how to sustain a wild heart. Please keep reading my pieces to receive your daily dose of hilarity, security and as much knowledge that I have to share! I'm here to say we've all been there. Shine Bright
Contributor account for Illinois State