StO-Style: Fashion lessons from abroad

When embarking on Term in the Middle East (TIME) back at the end of August, I expected to return home a more educated person, full of worldly insight on culture, gender roles, different religions and how other parts of the world live. What I never expected to learn was how my wardrobe affects how I see myself and even how I experience a different country.

The summer before TIME, I spent a long time assembling my wardrobe, heading to stores like Old Navy and Gap for basic items that would get me through the four month period of rotating out the same clothes over and over again. While packing, I stuck to the prescribed packing list as best as a girl who loves clothes could (a.k.a. I brought with me way more shirts and pants than the list recommended). But no worries, right? I could fit them all into my suitcase, so they were all coming with me.

I brought a few plain crewneck shirts but also brought some fun shirts along as well – stripes, plaid and tribal design shirts all found their way into my suitcase. So did four pairs of linen pants, two maxi skirts, a maxi dress and a pair of jeans. I felt a grand sense of accomplishment at my feat and the fact that my suitcase ended up being just under the maximum weight (49.5 pounds when I checked into the airport at Minneapolis. Talent).

While I felt that I had assembled the perfect study abroad wardrobe, I was quick to discover that I hadn’t gotten it exactly right. I also learned a lot about self-image, self acceptance and letting go. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned over these past four months in relation to packing, clothes, image and the like. 

1. While you may think you really do need to pack all those clothes, you REALLY DON’T. 

I packed 12 t-shirts and two long sleeve shirts. Did I need all those tops? Absolutely not. While they might have been nice to have in terms of variety and saved me from doing laundry all the time, I could have gotten away with ten or less. They would have taken up less space in my suitcase and I wouldn’t even have missed them.

2. Make sure to bring clothes that you really truly love.

This idea was hard for me, because at the end of TIME I anticipated that most of my clothes would be ruined from constant wear and I would have to get rid of them anyways to get all my souvenirs home. While the latter is still true, most of my clothes have held up pretty well. Knowing this now, I wish I had brought a few of my favorite pieces with me, number one being my favorite chambray shirt. I can’t tell you how many times I opened my suitcase in the morning only to lament the fact that I didn’t bring my beloved chambray. If there is a piece that you truly love, it might be worth bringing it with you so you can get dressed and still feel like yourself.

3. While paring down the amount of clothes to bring with you, make sure that the clothes you bring along are quality so that they last longer.

My Old Navy shirts have held up fine, but they’ve all gotten a little stretched out of shape. I wish I had sprung for some nice Dri-fit shirts or something a little more durable. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into when you buy something, and inspect every seam and stitch before you buy. Is the fabric thin? Is the stitching loose? Pass it up. If you choose to buy linen pants (perfect for hot climates), make sure the linen is thicker or else your favorite pair may be full of holes by the time you’re two months in (this happened to me!).  To find higher quality items at low prices, scrounge around the sales wracks of more expensive stores – that’s how I found my black maxi skirt from Express, which has held up extremely well during this entire trip. When you think about cost-per-wear and how little clothing you will actually take with you, spending a little more money on quality clothes is worth it in the end.

4. Wherever you’re going, you’re probably going to stand out anyways – make sure you’re wearing culturally appropriate clothes so you don’t attract more unwanted attention than you’re already going to get.  For the Middle East, I brought long pants, maxi dresses, and shirts with crewnecks so I wouldn’t be showing any cleavage. While dressing to fit into another culture may cramp your style a bit, it’s worth it in my mind – being a pale white woman in the Middle East got me a lot of attention anyway, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I had been dressed less conservatively.

5. Make sure what little clothes you have work with each other. I stuck to the rule of having neutral bottoms paired with bright tops and it worked out well for me. Try everything on together and make sure each piece works with at least five other pieces you’re bringing with you. But also…

6. Remember that you won’t always look your greatest, and that’s absolutely okay. I remember at the beginning of my trip I put a significant amount of effort into my outfits (as much as I could with a limited wardrobe). Now? I throw a t-shirt on with a maxi skirt and call it good. I’ve abandoned the concept of looking ‘perfect’ on this trip, and I feel better for it. It’s not my clothes that I’ll remember while on TIME – it’s the great memories I’ve made with a great group of people. Cities don’t care what you wear when you explore them. Museums, monuments and ancient ruins also don’t mind if you happen to be wearing a bright green shirt with olive green pants. Once I stopped worrying about the clothes I wore and just wore them, my trip became all the more enjoyable. Props to you if you’d like to go abroad and look constantly fabulous, but it’s kind of fun to throw caution to the wind, wear whatever the heck is clean and just go out and get lost in a cool city.

This is my last Sto-Style post for the semester (and coincidentally, my last few days on TIME). Thanks for supporting Her Campus St. Olaf by reading my articles! I’ll see you next semester with more posts about trends, fashionable Oles on campus and the like!

Have a great winter break and stay fashionable, St. Olaf!