When I was in college, I only felt that I needed to be somewhat fashionable and “put together” when I went out to the bars. I’d buy a nice pair of jeans at the beginning of the school year, a couple of basic going-out tops and a lip gloss. I looked at everything that I spent my summer savings on and somehow thought, “yes, this is fashion.”
Looking back now, that was the furthest thing from fashion.
In my defense, I was broke and buying cheap tops that I could wear with anything. I sported a variation of the same look every night and thought nothing of it. I was going out with the same friends to the same bars. I didn’t really care what I was wearing as long as I looked decent –– believing that everything looked good as long as my hair was blown out.
During the week, I was looking pretty bad. In class I would wear leggings or sweatpants and a sweatshirt. My hair had been air dried and I hardly ever wore makeup. But this wasn’t just me –– this was most people. We all had an understanding that what you wore to class didn’t matter. Maybe this is just a state school mentality, but I wasn’t bothered by it –– I embraced it.
Some girls wore matching sweat sets, which were basically elevated pajamas, and that was about as classy as it got in Penn State classrooms.
Now that I have a paycheck and am saving money, I have a little extra to spend on clothes. I began my post-grad fashion journey by shopping online –– scrolling through the countless pages of clothing each site offers. In the thick of online racks I realized that I have no idea what my style is nor where to find it. The sites I was looking through just weren’t doing it.
Before, I would buy a couple of tops off of Edikted and a pair of jeans from wherever a stranger from TikTok would recommend. Now I find myself googling “where do 20-somethings shop?”
How am I supposed to dress like Paige DeSorbo if I don’t even know where to find a solid pair of jeans?
I feel like I’m back in middle school, trying to figure out my style after ditching my Justice apparel.
I ended up finding a few items on Aerie. I even invested in a sweatshirt that doesn’t have “Penn State” or my old sorority letters written across it. I felt like this was a big step for me and can literally feel my frontal lobe developing.
As someone who loves to look through Vogue and watch red carpets, I’m excited to embrace this new challenge of finding what my true style is. Discovering this facet of myself can be something to look forward to, especially when post-grad days sometimes feel heavy. Perhaps looking through street style trends and store sales can help me as I revamp my everyday style from sweats to… well to be determined.
Let me know your thoughts, comments, questions and fashion advice by emailing me at gingerlyons23@gmail.com or typing down below.
Educated Guesses 