Allison O’Brien – CollegeFashionista

STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK: Coral Coordinated

As I search through fashion accounts on Instagram, People Style Watch magazine and multiple different blogs, I have noticed that simplicity is becoming very popular. Don’t get me wrong I love a good print, but I am definitely on board with this less is more trend! You can catch Kendall Jenner rocking cute jeans and a plain top while maintaining to look effortlessly chic. The end of the semester is a busy time of year and being able to throw together a cute, easy outfit is a must!

This Fashionista is on point with this trend. She is wearing a coral, knit top, which is a great color to transition us into summertime. The uneven hemline also adds a little flare to the look. She pairs it with a simple pair of jeggings. You can really never go wrong with a basic jegging pant because they will go with anything.

This Fashionista sticks with simple accessories to accentuate her look. She wears a round-faced watch with a tan leather band. Watches are not only convenient, but they take a look from casual to sophisticated. Her diamond studs also add a little sparkle to the ensemble. Her tan, J.Crew tote looks great with the coral colored top and is just the right size for a girl on the go.

What is your STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK? “I think it is important to be comfortable in what you’re wearing. I love finding outfits that I can pretty much do anything in while still looking cute.”

BEAUTY BAR: Braids On Braids

With winter coming to an end and spring just around the corner, we can expect lots of wild weather conditions. Some days it is still snowing, some days it is raining and others the wind is just unbearable. It can be tough to find that one hairstyle that will last you through a long day of walking to and from class in unpredictable weather. Ladies, fear no more. French braids have become one of the most up-and-coming hairstyles this season. We’ve all seen Kim and Khloe Kardashian rock them so they must be cool, right?

This Fashionista rocks this trend and pulls her short, brown hair into two pretty French braids with her hair parted down the middle. This hairstyle is perfect for any weather conditions because it stays put and away from your face. To go with the hairdo, she adds a bright lip color, which keeps the look fun and flirty! This is a ColourPop lippie stick in the shade of “Toucan.”

One thing I love about the braid trend is how versatile it is. You can work it while going to class or while going out for a night on the town! I would describe this Fashionista’s outfit as edgy with a girly twist. She keeps the edge going with the leather jacket and distressed jeans, but lets the lace top, floral earrings and pink lip show her girly side. The adidas Original Superstar sneakers tie both ideas together very well. Those shoes are definitely on my list of things that I want to add to my wardrobe!

What’s on the BEAUTY BAR: To rock the French braids, you will need a comb and two small rubber bands. You can make them messy, or keep them sleek and neat. It’s up to you! Also you can use a bright matte lipstick, crème gel eye liner along your bottom eyelid and a highlighter along your cheekbones to finish off the face.

WHAT TO WEAR: Winter

With the temperatures dropping and the wind speeds rising, it can be easy to fall into the winter routine of sweatpants and sweatshirts. I’m sure we have all been guilty of that outfit choice once or twice! Wintertime can feel long and dreadful, but there are endless possibilities for outfits that are not only warm, but super chic as well!

Winter is a great time to take advantage of a darker color palette and really let your edgy side shine. You can never go wrong with a basic black piece. Find your favorite black staple item and focus the rest of your outfit around that.

This Fashionista shows that the winter blues have nothing on her. Her black, long-sleeved turtleneck is perfect for a chillier day. Turtlenecks are something that every Fashionista should have in her wardrobe! She paired it with an oversized black and white cardigan, which added more layers to her look. Her leather booties serve a dual purpose as being fashionable, yet durable for snow and cold.

This Fashionista’s overall look is super chic with adorable details that make her very unique. All of the small details were actually one of my favorite things about this outfit. The fringe along the bottom of her sweater adds a great flare! With an outfit that consists of mainly black, it is important to have some pops of color here and there. She gives us a pop of color in a very different way with her purple socks peeking out of her booties. I fell in love with this idea, and the way she rolled her jeans at the bottom really showed off the socks. She rocked a teal statement ring, which drew attention to her watch and also complemented the purple socks well.

One Simple Change: If you want to take this chic look from day to night, just swap the jeans for a bodycon pencil skirt. The tight skirt will complement the oversized sweater and you will be ready for a night on the town!

STYLE GURU STYLE: Periwinkle Plaid

When perusing through Vogue.com gushing over the gorgeous designs of the pre-fall 2016 runway shows, I came across a designer that I had never heard of before. The designer was Alessandro Dell’Acqua, and he was presenting a collection for Rochas. This runway show was filled with beautiful jewel-toned patterns and the perfect mix of two styles: preppy and dramatic. All of the silhouettes were of a longer length and fit loosely, making the flow of the collection very cohesive.

The looks in this collection were definitely more couture than my everyday style. In order to be able to translate these runway trends into a cute, casual outfit that I could wear everyday, I decided to focus on three things from the collection. I focused on the plaid, print mixing and periwinkle color.

In order to get the print mixing right, I chose to wear a basic, black and white striped long sleeve with the plaid blanket scarf. When mixing prints it is important to make sure both patterns coincide well with each other. By keeping one on the simple side, you’re guaranteed to get this trend right! The plaid print of the blanket scarf reminded me of the one from the Rochas runway presentation. I thought that it was the perfect representation of the overall runway trend.

Even though there were many beautiful colors throughout the outfits designed by Dell’Acqua, the periwinkle blue stood out to me. It also happened to be present in the scarf so it worked out perfectly! I decided to add the booties and wrist candy as well to add a little flare to the look.

Get My Look: 1. Plaid blanket scarf. 2. Striped shirt. 3. Booties.

STYLE GURU BIO: Allison O’Brien

Hey Fashionistas and Fashionistos! My name is Allison O’Brien, and this winter I will be a sophomore at Illinois State University. I am currently studying Apparel Merchandising with hopes of doing many different jobs in the fashion industry. This will be my second semester as a CollegeFashionista Style Guru, and I am so excited to share more fashion tips and tricks with you all!

Ever since I can remember I have loved fashion! I was one of the only third graders who would coordinate her ballet flats and bracelets with her outfits. Nowadays, I love a good kate spade bag, distressed denim and long scarves. I am always flipping through fashion magazines, scrolling through blogs or heading to the mall to check out the latest trends. I especially love looking at high fashion trends and then going to the mall and finding similar pieces that are affordable.

One of my favorite things about fashion is the fact that the definition of style is different to everyone. What is beautiful to you may not be to someone else, and that is perfectly okay. That is what makes it your own personal style. I look forward to getting to know many more Fashionistas/os and learning about what makes their style unique.

When it comes to my personal style, I am a big fan of dressing it up. I love adding pops of color or sparkle to my outfits to make them a little less casual. As the major girly girl that I am, if I have an opportunity to wear a skirt and heels I will most definitely take advantage of it. With this outfit I chose to show my fancier side by pairing an olive green skirt with suede, peep-toed booties. To keep it cozy for the cooler months, I tucked a simple, black knit sweater into the skirt. Of course I also had to add the sparkle and shine with a J.Crew statement necklace.

I cannot wait to share new styles with you all this semester. Don’t forget to hit the RAD button!

BEAUTY BAR: Never Go Wrong Neutrals

With the weather transitioning to temperatures in the teens and the holidays approaching, many Fashionista/os may find it necessary to make a drastic change in their beauty routines. The fall/winter months are usually known for darker colors like black, maroon and purple. Frequently this time of year, we find people incorporating these dark shades into their daily makeup. On the contrary, this Fashionista proved to us that even though dark, deeper tones are beautiful for the chillier months, neutral tones work just as well.

This look works to subtly accentuate her cheekbones while making her eyes pop as well. She uses shimmery light pink and brown eye shadows to highlight her green eyes. On top of the eye shadow, this Fashionista used black, liquid eyeliner across her entire eyelid. She managed to accomplish a dream that all of us makeup lovers share: the perfect winged eyeliner. A light pink blush is used on her cheeks and a similar color is also used on her lips.

The neutral look helps focus on this Fashionista’s natural beauty while bringing attention to her cool and casual outfit, especially with the mix of colors that are present in the outfit. This goes to show that even though many girls are heading to Sephora to get ahold of those darker lipsticks and palettes, you can a still transition your lighter toned makeup into the wintertime.

What’s on the BEAUTY BAR: To achieve this look, you will need a light pink matte lipstick or colored lip balm, an eye shadow palette that consists of shimmery neutrals, black eye liner and mascara and light pink blush. With all of this you will be able to have the perfect neutral look that will make any outfit pop!

STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK: Practical Perfection

In Illinois, autumn is one of the trickiest seasons. While many people may expect it to be consistently cool everyday, that is definitely not the case. One day it could reach upper sixties, the next it could be windy and raining, and then later on in the week it could be thirty degrees. This may make it difficult for you fall Fashionista/os to decide what kind of outfit will have you best prepared for the wild weather, but don’t fear! Here is an example of how you can be practical, yet stylish at the same time.

This Fashionista utilizes both of those trends and shows us how to look ready for fall, but also ready for whatever kind of weather the day brings. She layers a cozy sweater over a denim button-up and pairs it with cute duck boots. Sweaters are always a very important trend when it comes to fall. It will keep her warm when there is a chill in the air, but she can always take it off and rock the denim-on-denim look if she gets hot. The boots serve a double purpose by being warm and also water resistant.

Not only did this Fashionista have the perfect outfit for the rapidly changing weather, but she also had great little details in her ensemble! The bejeweled statement necklace she wore added just the right amount of sparkle to her outfit. Statement necklaces are always great to glam up any look! By cuffing the sleeves of her sweater she was able to show off a little more of the denim shirt and make the look more unique. Lastly, the tall socks that peeked out of her boots added warmth and flare.

What is your STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK? “It is possible to be practical and stylish at the same time! My duck boots are not only cute, but they are waterproof and warm for dreary, rainy days.”

STYLE GURU STYLE: Militaristic Monochrome

My style is usually feminine and very classic. As I’ve grown up and my personal style has evolved, I’ve begun to implement one key piece into all of my outfits. On the runway at Kanye West’s Yeezy spring 2016 ready-to-wear show, almost every look had one key piece. This piece was outerwear. Whether it was a sweatshirt, a bomber jacket or a militaristic trench coat, this trend was prevalent throughout his whole collection.

You can truly never go wrong with an army green jacket. Especially when the seasons begin to change and the sticky, summer nights turn into cool, fall evenings. This is a trend that I have seen many Fashionista/os taking advantage of this fall. The color black is also another thing that is never wrong, particularly in the fashion world. Both of these colors were widely used in Kanye’s runway collection as well. The looks throughout the show had an obvious utilitarian vibe and were mainly monochromatic.

I combined somewhat oversized pieces that had a militaristic feel to achieve my own version of what was portrayed on the runway. I also tried to stick to one main color: black.

My outfit includes an olive green jacket from the Loft with a cream and black plaid paired underneath it. To stick with the color scheme, I wore high-waisted black jeggings from Akira with black Madden Girl combat booties. Being the girly-girl that I am, I had to glam up this edgy look with some sparkly bracelets and BareMinerals Live Large lipstick.

Get My Look: 1. Any black combat booties. 2. Green or black jacket 3. Any black leggings or jeggings.

WHAT TO WEAR: Workout

Some people are under the impression that working out requires old, baggy sweats, but that does not always have to be the case. Whether you play a sport, run or do yoga, there are tons of cute workout clothes that you can wear to keep it stylish at the gym. Even though you are working out, you can still look good to feel good!

Working out is a great way to break up the day and relieve stress. I know it always makes me feel better to take a break from schoolwork and go get in a quick workout session.

This Fashionista was proof that you can look fashionable going to the gym. Here, she is sporting ombré leggings from Fabletics, which are perfect for all different forms of physical activity. The low-back long sleeve reveals a lavender criss-cross sports bra to add a great pop of color! She tops off her workout attire with a lululemon headband. This really ties together the look to add more color and keep her hair back while being active.

One thing that really caught my eye about this Fashionista was her Fitbit. A Fitbit is a piece of wearable technology that can track steps, distance, calories and much more. A bracelet that is cute and keeps track of your personal fitness, how great!

One Simple Change: If this Fashionista were to exchange her sports bra for a bandeau and her leggings for some dark jeans, she would be ready for a lunch date with friends.

STYLE GURU BIO: Allison O’Brien

Hello, fellow Fashionistas/os! My name is Allison O’Brien and I am currently a sophomore at Illinois State University majoring in Apparel Merchandising. This will be my first semester as a Style Guru and I am beyond excited to be apart of the CollegeFashionista family!

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been very particular about what I was wearing. Everything needed to match perfectly and have some type of sequins. Who doesn’t love a little sparkle? As I grew up, I started reading fashion magazines as if they were textbooks and religiously watching Project Runway. I began to take note of certain trends that I saw and quickly found ways to adapt them to my own personal style. My love for fashion led me to a job as a stylist at American Eagle Outfitters at a mall in my hometown. Since working there, my appreciation and love for style has grown tremendously. I love helping customers find the perfect outfit for an occasion and giving them the confidence they need to rock it!

Here at school, you’ll be able to find me running on the track or shopping around at local boutiques in Normal. There is no such thing as too many clothes! I love seeing how others around me express themselves through their outfits. Whether it’s at the gym, walking around campus or going out with friends, there is always a way to look fashionable!

One of my favorite things about fashion is that you can combine multiple different styles to create your own unique one. My personal style is usually very feminine with a touch of edge here and there. This outfit brings both of those opposite worlds together. The striped shirt paired with delicate gold jewelry works to portray the girly side of myself. Then, add the distressed Tomgirl jeans and that kicks it up a notch to throw in a little edge.

Clinton Kelly once said, “I have three words for you: Mix. It. Up.” Every day as I’m getting dressed, I try to remember this and think of new ways to mix up my style. I can’t wait to share tips and tricks with you all on how to do so this semester!