Sometimes, the hardest thing in the world is coming up with an outfit for the day. There’s so many factors to consider—the weather, the season, your mood—but it makes your life so much easier when you have some pieces that make it easy to throw on a cute outfit without much thought. Here are some of my favorite closet essentials that have saved me quite a few times!
OVERSIZED TEES
This is a no-brainer. I’m partial to band tees in particular—there’s nothing quite like telling the world you listen to a range of music from Deftones to Hozier than on a big ol’ shirt. You can do so many things with an oversized tee-shirt, from going comfy with a pair of leggings or sweatpants, to some baggy jeans or a skirt. And, you can tuck or tie it up to get the best of both worlds.
TANK TOPS
A good tank top can change your life, and I live by that (maybe I should’ve made that my senior quote…). Especially living here in South Carolina, where shorts season starts in March, having a good tank or two handy can really save you. Bonus points if it’s graphic! This goes for slip tops as well, which are light and breezy and can make even just a pair of jeans look elegant. Double bonus points if you layer them as well. There’s nothing wrong with revisiting Y2K, in my opinion. Maybe Britney Spears had a point.
Low/MID-RISE JEANS
Hear me out on this one! I love high-rise as much as the next person, but there’s just something so nice about owning a pair of low or mid-rise jeans. Once in a blue moon that’ll be all I want to wear, and they’re so easy to style. They can be cute with basically any tee-shirt, tank top (my personal favorite is to wear a slip top with low-rise) or even under a skirt or dress, if you really feel like going back in time. This also applies to shorts as well, whether that be just some plain ones or, if you’re like me, some long jean shorts. Nothing elevates your fashion quite like pulling off some jorts.
BUTTON-DOWNS
It’s so easy to style a button-down. Like, ridiculously easy. If you want to look like the Pinterest girly of your dreams, finding a couple cute button-downs will definitely launch you in the right direction. Plain white ones are nice to wear during the summer, like as a cute beach coverup or with a pair of shorts (jorts callback!) but I am partial to patterned ones as well, particularly pinstripe. It adds so much more depth to your look, guaranteed.
LOTS AND LOTS OF SHOES!
I saved this one especially for last, because I wanted to talk about “Wrong Shoe Theory.” Wrong Shoe Theory is just what it sounds like—pairing the wrong shoe to an outfit. And, honestly, this one little piece of advice has completely changed my style over the years. A good way to think about it is imagining formal attire paired with some tennis shoes. It feels so wrong, yet so right at the same time. Having a good selection of shoes (I suggest thrifting for this, you can find so many unique pairs that really up your game) can create a dynamic look to the most simplest of outfits.
