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Fashion Blog: Style VS. Practicality

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

When it comes to fashion, a lot of things just don’t make sense. But if you observe fashionistas on the street, it seems we really don’t care.  There are many things that I want and wish I could wear, but they aren’t practical. Fashion is a form of art and a lot of the products are pieces that probably look better behind glass on a pedestal. For example, the infamous Alexander McQueen armadillo booties are 12 inches tall.


They would look amazing on me…if I wanted to just stand and not move my feet whatsoever. They would probably look better displayed in my closet or maybe as a centerpiece on a coffee table. Maybe I’ll put flowers in them! But wear them out to the clubs or to a party? I think not.

But there are many things that I do own and wear out that can sometimes be a hassle.

Rompers

Ah, rompers are so easy and fun and easy to wear, right?  The name romper connotes that I can romp around the park carefree. I don’t have to be scared of accidentally flashing anyone when I’m wearing a romper! I can do cartwheels, play Frisbee, and wrestle with puppies. I can do anything and everything! But wait a second, I need to use the washroom after oh too many green tea lattes. And there’s the problem. Hopefully, your romper has buttons or is easy to take off like this:


Hard to take off:

I own three rompers and I only buy the ones that are stretchy and fast to take off. You never know when you really have to go.

Capes

I love the comic book world and Batman is my favorite superhero. But since being exposed to space material or inheriting an empire aren’t things in my immediate future, I can only stick with capes in the fashion world. The bad thing about capes is that your arms will probably be cold and it’s hard to carry a bag on your arm.

Yes to fashion:


Little Red Riding Hood!

Me as Batgirl in October 2009:

Layers

Layers are practical, you say! They sure are, but not all the time. When the weather fluctuates so often, especially as of late in Champaign, layers are essential. Throw on a light sweater, a tee, tights, a skirt, a jacket, shoes, a scarf, maybe a hat…whew, that’s a lot of clothing. I find no motivation when I have many layers on to go to the fitting rooms when I go shopping. Call me lazy, but that’s just too much to take off and put back on!

Bodysuits

Bodysuits are great layering pieces (even more to take off now!) and can be incorporated into so many outfits. They can be worn under clothes that have large arm holes or under sheer dresses or blouses. Like with rompers, bodysuits can be impractical to wear when you need to use the bathroom, but many have snap or Velcro closures now. Hooray!

Bags with actual buckles

As if it isn’t already such a hassle for me to search through my big bag for my I-Card, I have a new bag that has actual buckles, not the magnetic ones.


The Cambridge Satchel in its wide array of colors has been popular, especially since spring is here! These are made of actual leather and are old school, so you have to undo the buckles to get to the contents of your bag. It’s a little annoying sometimes, but tolerable because the bag’s level of awesome surpasses the little issue.

Emily Cleary is a 22-year-old news-editorial journalism major hoping to work in the fashion industry, whether that be in editorial, marketing, PR or event planning is TBD. With internships at Teen Vogue and StyleChicago.com, it's clear that she is a fashion fanatic. When she's not studying (she's the former VP of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta), writing for various publications or attending meetings for clubs like Business Careers in Entertainment Club, Society of Professional Journalists, The Business of Fashion Club, or for her role as the Assistant Editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of her school's magazine, she's doing something else; you will never find her sitting still. She loves: running (you know those crazy cross-country runners...), attending concerts and music festivals, shopping (of course), hanging out with friends, visiting her family at home, traveling (she studied abroad in London when she was able to travel all over Europe), taking pictures, tweeting, reading stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers while drinking a Starbuck's caramel light frappacino, blogs and the occasional blogging, eating anything chocolate and conjuring up her next big project. Living just 20 minutes outside of Chicago, she's excited to live there after graduation, but would love to spend some time in New York, LA, London or Paris (she speaks French)!