If you’re anything like me, you’re full of school pride but never rock your college gear. Something about throwing on a UCLA hoodie and jeans leaves me feeling unfinished and uninspired. In an attempt to find a use for the pieces I bought at the UCLA Store freshman year, I polled our Her Campus team to answer the age-old question, “How can I style a cute outfit using college merch?” And the ladies definitely came through with some practical and easy tips to up your collegiate fashion game. Here are our Feature Writers’ top recommendations for fun UCLA merch fits (featuring handy Pinterest inspo):
- Chic Layers
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Contrary to popular belief, it does get cold in LA! On chilly Westwood days it’s always a great option to pop a white collared shirt under your standard UCLA sweater. The result is a polished, preppy look for practically zero extra effort. You can dress down this fit with simple jeans and a black handbag, for the perfect go-to, on-campus outfit. Or, you can go all out with a preppy mini skirt and frilly socks to integrate your merch into a lowkey Wednesday-core look. The options are endless, and you likely won’t have to drop any extra cash on new clothing items.
- Textured Skirts
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While jeans or denim shorts are everyone’s go-to choices for styling college merch, our HC at UCLA girls agree that pleated skirts can be fun alternatives. When building outfits around college items, you’re kind of boxed into a neutral color palette. So, leaning into texture and volume by wearing skater skirts, tennis-inspired skirts and other flared styles is a great way to complexify your look. Picking skits with fun waistband designs or buttons is an additional way to bump up the uniqueness of your merch outfit. Bonus: owning a few neutral-toned mini-skirts will also totally come in handy when putting together last-minute costumes for parties!
- Corset Tops
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We all know that UCLA’s classic blue and gold colors pair perfectly with white t-shirts. But, have you considered leveling up your UCLA merch by trying out a white corset top? Hear me out: a corset top adds a touch of elegance to your basic UCLA-themed outfit and helps define your shape. Also, pairing a white or cream-colored corset with more casual merch items, like baseball caps, is an easy technique for capturing LA’s laid-back yet glam aesthetic. If corset tops aren’t your thing, you can still stylishly juxtapose merch with other structured elements like blazers.
In the spirit of spring cleaning, it’s time to unearth the old UCLA merch pushed to the back of your closet. I promise that with a little bit of creative thinking, you can work these items into fresh looks that you’ll actually feel excited to wear around campus. Feel free to use our Pinterest ideas as jumping-off points to think even more outside of the box and unleash your inner stylist. Now, go on, shop your closet!