Author: Franki Rudnesky

10 Ways to Cope with the New Semester Blues

We’ve all felt it: that anxious pit in our stomachs as we transition from the carefree days of summer into the jam-packed school days of a new semester. How will I manage to finish all my schoolwork while also planning for post-grad life and maintaining a social life and keeping up with my extracurricular activities? Even if I can do all of that, how will I keep my sanity?

So, I’ve compiled a list of 10 great ways to deal with the new semester blues that’ll help you de-stress whether it’s your first semester of college or your last!

1—Perfect your bedroom décor

First, whether you live in a dorm or commute from home, make your bedroom a calming space by taking the time to add décor that inspires you, whether it’s twinkling lights, fluffy pillows, or pictures of your friends and family!

 

 

 

PHOTO: Jordyn Wissert

2—Organize a super cute planner

Planners don’t have to make you feel super stressed out! Check out a store that you like and see if they have any planners that motivate you, or choose a plain notebook and totally customize it!

3—Go on adventures in your city

Before classes pick up, take the time to go on a few spontaneous adventures in your city. It’ll be a fun way to kick off the semester, and it’ll be perfect bonding time with new roomies or friends you haven’t seen over break.

PHOTO: Kenia Viezcas

4—Link up schedules with your friends

Compare schedules with your pals, so you can figure out the perfect time to grab lunch or hit Starbucks together.

5—Set goals

Make this semester your semester by writing down a few #goals you hope to accomplish. Then, go out and make them happen!

 

PHOTO: Jordyn Wissert

6—Make time to journal

While your mind is on overload, you should take time to unleash your thoughts into a journal, or paint or draw if that’s more your style.

7—Unwind with music/movies

If the stress of imminent classes sets in, then plan a movie night with your girls or simply pop in your headphones and unwind to your favorite songs.

8—Update your wardrobe

Go on a back-to-school shopping trip or simply re-purpose some clothes you already have; a fresh wardrobe will have you feeling ready to take on the new semester in style.

9—Cleanse your life of negative vibes

Negative friends? A toxic relationship? A major or extra-curricular activity that totally stresses you out? Then leave those behind! Start off this year on your terms, leaving anything that weighs you down in the past.

10—Take care of yourself

Finally, put yourself first! Schedule time to eat right, get enough sleep, and be active. Most importantly, have fun, because you have your whole life ahead of you to work; college is a time to enjoy yourself, find out who you are, learn, and grow.

How do you deal with the stress of a new semester? Tell us on social media, and don’t forget to tag @CFashionista!

How Statement Shoes Can Take Your Outfit From Casual to Cool

I love summer fashion as much as the next girl. Sometimes it can be hard to make my outfits pop though, especially when all I feel like wearing is a bikini and an oversized T-shirt. Also, as the temperatures rise in the summer, the need for extra layers ceases to exist. This can sometimes leave summer fashion feeling too casual or plain since we can’t rely on a cute jacket or layered sweaters to heighten our looks. Not to fret, though, because I found the perfect way to spice up any “plain” summer outfit. Two words: statement shoes.

Summer statement shoes come in all styles and varieties, from colorful platform sandals with pom-poms to patterned wedges and everything in between. My statement shoes of choice to pump up my casual summer outfit on this warm June night were some boldly embroidered clogs. Yes, clogs. When I first heard clogs were back in style, I cringed a little thinking back to the fluffy tan clogs that I wore back in fourth grade. But, once I gave this embroidered pair a chance, I found out what the hype was all about. I love the patterned embroidery and the chunky heel and they’re surprisingly comfortable to walk in. I also love the versatility. They can spice up a simple outfit but also go perfectly with something more formal (I actually wore these same clogs to a wedding recently!).

While the shoes are obviously the stars of this simple summer look, the other pieces to this outfit are basics that every girl should have in their summer wardrobe. My cropped black tube top is open in the back and goes well with any skirt, a pair of shorts, flowy pants, or jeans. I love my floppy felt hat because it’s a chic way to keep the sun off my face in any season. The two-toned jeans are my personal favorite pair because they’re super unique and I love that they’re frayed at the ankles.

So, don’t shy away from bold statement shoes this summer because they’ll take any look from boring to fabulous. Show us your summer statement shoes of choice on social media! Be sure to tag @Cfashionista.

Why Short Hair is the Look of This Summer

Gone are the days when waist-length hair and mile-long braids were necessary to serve a look; short hair is having a major moment and this trend is here to stay. Don’t get me wrong: long hair is timeless and elegant, and it certainly won’t be going out of style any time soon. But, just take a page from the books of Bella Hadid, Normani Kordei, Vanessa Hudgens, and countless other “it girls” who have been ditching their long locks recently for shorter styles. Short hair is fun, flirty, trendy, and empowering. If you’ve been thinking about making a change, go for it! Don’t worry, it’s only hair. Plus, it will always grow back if you’re itching to return to the long side.

Personally, I’ve hidden myself behind a blanket of long, lifeless hair nearly my whole life. Throughout high school, I’d cringe if I had to get more than half an inch trimmed, even though my hair was extremely thin and dead at the ends. Basically, I was too scared of what my peers would think or say if I decided to make a change—even as small a change as a haircut. It wasn’t until college that I finally decided to embrace change, and I’ve been in love with shorter hair ever since.

If you’re planning on making a major chop any time soon, my advice to you is to find a stylist you trust and feel comfortable around. I’ve been going to the same hairstylist for years, and she always takes my wishes into consideration while recommending styles or colors she thinks would work best for me. Also, I started off a few years ago asking for a cut that was collarbone length, and only just recently graduated to a chin-length cut. So, if you’re going short, you may not want to cut it all off at once; it could be too overwhelming and turn you off to the idea of short hair. Ask your stylist to take a little off at a time until you get to your perfect length. Another word of advice: bring photos of your dream hair! I always bring pictures to my hairstylist to show her what my dream hair looks like. For instance, I brought in a photo of Vanessa Hudgens’ most recent bob haircut and my stylist worked her magic and gave me my favorite hairstyle yet!

Short hair makes me feel free and adventurous. Plus, I love the way it allows me to better show off my outfits, like this off-the-shoulder number paired with an embroidered choker and mirrored sunnies. It’s also super easy to style: I either leave it natural, straighten it, or curl it loosely for a beachy vibe. So, if you’re ready for a change, there’s no better time than summer to let go of the dead weight and opt for a trendy shorter cut.

Did you make a major hair change for the summer? Show us on social media! Make sure you tag @Cfashionista.

WHAT TO WEAR: Artsy Adventures

As the days become longer and more sunshine-filled, there’s only one way to spend the long weekend afternoons with your besties—adventures! If you live in or near a city like my friends and I, then you’ll know just how many hidden treasures lie within cities across the country just begging to be explored. So, how should one dress when discovering these hidden gardens and colorful murals?

This Fashionista captured the perfect adventuring outfit for a warm spring day, comfortable and simple yet totally chic. Due to the scorching heat of the day, she opted for an airy blue knit tank. Her tank featured unique lace-up detailing in the back, allowing this Fashionista’s stylish lace-y bralette to show through for some added flair. High-waisted, stonewashed jeggings were the perfect choice for a stroll through the city, and complemented the blue tone of her tank top. The shoes were the real stars of this Fashionista’s outfit. She chose to rock super trendy strappy platform sandals in a bronze tone that totally popped. She completed her look with intricately detailed accessories, including assorted bracelets in bronze, brown, and blue tones, and a gold personalized necklace layered over a delicate charm necklace. She wore her hair in beachy waves with natural-toned makeup and pink lip gloss.

So, if you and your pals are chilling on a lazy Saturday afternoon and spontaneously decide to go exploring, take a page from this Fashionista’s book and rock a simple yet trendy look that will go well with all of the vibrant murals you pose with.

STYLE ADVICE: Denim on Denim Daze

If you’ve been paying even the slightest attention to fashion recently, then you’ll know that vintage is cool. By “vintage” I don’t simply mean looks from last century, because even trends from the early 2000s have been making major comebacks lately. I’m talking Juicy Couture tracksuits, chokers, and my favorite: denim on denim. I don’t mean denim on denim disasters, like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake at the 2001 American Music Awards. Simple denim on denim outfits are perfect for a spring day, when it’s not too hot and not too cold.

This Fashionista was rocking the perfect simple and chic denim on denim number. Her faded jean skirt and jacket happen to be nearly the same shade, but mixing shades of denim totally works well too. A plain white tank top was the ideal choice to keep her outfit minimalistic and allow the denim and accessories to shine. Since the day was heating up, this Fashionista could keep her jacket open and show off her stylishly layered black chokers with metal details. The chokers perfectly complement her chunky black heels and bring an added flair to her ensemble. The strappy details of this Fashionista’s shoes help bring her outfit into the new warmer season ahead. She completed her look with trendy, detailed sunglasses and matte brown lipstick to add an extra pop of color.

So, don’t be afraid of embracing a trend that has returned from years past. Since a new season, spring, is rapidly approaching, why not update your wardrobe and try out a newly refurbished trend: denim on denim?

ALL IN THE DETAILS: Blooming in the Midst of Winter

The sky has faded to gray, the once-vibrant trees are bare, and the freezing air makes it nearly intolerable to even step outside. It’s the dead of winter and whether we like it or not, our wardrobes are beginning to reflect the depressing weather. But, it doesn’t have to be this way! What if, instead of reflecting the dreary season with monochrome clothing, we added a pop of color to wake up not only our outfits but our souls as well? After all, as author Albert Camus once wrote, “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”

This Fashionista found her invincible summer, and it came in the form of brightly embroidered jeans. Dressing boldly during winter doesn’t mean you have to overload on neon or stand out head to toe; it just means adding a pop of color here and there to liven things up. As you can see, this Fashionista opted for a simpler top, jacket, and shoes so that her statement piece and accessories could really shine through. The vintage-inspired jeans played a starring role, because they brightened the entire look with floral embroidery and edgy slits around the ankles.

In the supporting roles were a fuzzy, gray cropped sweater and fluffy, black overcoat, the perfect choices to keep this Fashionista warm on her commute to class. Black Vans sneakers were complemented by a bold, black belt; and a cross necklace, earrings, and a unique septum nose ring completed the look.

As proved by this Fashionista, it isn’t difficult to bring your own beam of sunlight into a cloudy winter day. Just mix in some bright statement pieces with your usual winter attire, and watch your own invincible summer shine through.

BEAUTY BAR: Marvelous in Mauve

Now that it’s actually beginning to feel like winter, it’s time to not only update our wardrobes for the season but also our beauty routines. This may mean switching to lighter foundations as our summer tans (sadly) fade away, as well as changing up our eye shadow palettes and lip colors from summer/fall to more wintry shades. By no means does this have to be a lamentable change, though, as this Fashionista proves.

This Fashionista is rocking the perfect winter beauty look, consisting of matte bronzer and a shimmery mauve eye with a rosy gloss. The reason she went with matte bronzer and blush was to avoid shimmery or glowing powders that would create a more dewy, summery look. Specifically, she used “Milk Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer” by Too Faced to create the perfect contour, and NYX blush in the shade “Amber.” As for the eyes, this Fashionista made a statement by going for a shimmery mauve eye using the Morphe 35t palette and a bold cat-eye using Stila brand liquid eyeliner. The sparkly, mauve eye shadow truly complements her chocolate-brown eyes and (self-proclaimed) paler winter skin. This Fashionista used Amplimascara to lengthen and thicken her eyelashes, and the L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer to perfect her brows. The mauve theme was continued in this Fashionista’s lip color, which was the perfect wintry mixture of pink and purple. She achieved this lip color by layering Colourpop lip gloss in “Finder’s Keepers” over Colourpop liquid lipstick in “Lumiere 2.”

This winter beauty look doesn’t end with the makeup, though. This Fashionista managed to update beachy waves into this season by curling her hair with a 1.5 inch curling iron and then tousling it out to leave her with natural, loose waves. She accompanied her winter makeup look with an all-black ensemble consisting of a floral cropped sweater, ripped jeans, booties, and a jeweled light blue choker.

So, don’t stress over winter makeup. A fun look for the frosty season can be as simple as finding the perfect matte bronzer and blush, and going for a bold eye shadow and lip color in shades that complement your eyes and skin. And, as this Fashionista proves, mauve should be mandatory during the winter!

STYLE GURU BIO: Franki Rudnesky

Hi Fashionistas and Fashionistos! I’m so excited to be back for my third semester as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista! My name is Franki Maria Rudnesky and I’m a junior at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, studying English literature and journalism. I’ve always had a passion for writing and an interest in fashion, so I love being a Style Guru because I get to write about fashion. What more could a girl like me ask for?

As far as my personal style, I’d describe it as a complete mixture: beachy but urban, vintage but modern, classy but edgy, sporty but girly and so on. I love showing my personality through my choice in clothing, and I always try out new trends to see which ones stick. To me, experimenting with my style is the perfect way to step out of my comfort zone and stand out in a crowd!

For this look, I put together a few of my favorite recent trends along with some of my trusty, timeless pieces. Bodysuits are taking over the fashion world right now, so of course I wanted to rock my new sleeveless leopard print bodysuit. By the way, don’t sleep on leopard print: it’s making a serious comeback right now. As for the pants and shoes, these are two staple pieces in my wardrobe that I’d recommend having in your closet too. My black high-waisted jeans are a life-saver and I wear my black chunky-heeled booties with pretty much everything.

It was uncharacteristically warm for the winter on this day, so I decided to wear one of my favorite new additions to my closet: this oversized, distressed denim jacket with a super cute quote on the back (I love quotes!). Suede is one of my many obsessions right now, along with baseball caps, which is why I gravitated toward this tan suede hat as a perfect finishing touch. I completed the look by layering a dainty, astrological necklace and my “Franki Maria” necklace, both in gold. Growing up, I could never find anything with my name on it, so now I love customizing pieces like this necklace with my name on it because it’s super unique and personalized.

I’m looking forward to another trendy, fun semester with CollegeFashionista! Feel free to follow me on social media, I’m always posting and would love to connect with you all!

WHAT TO WEAR: Class

With midterms over and winter break slowly but surely approaching, it’s about that time in the semester when college students basically give up when it comes to both schoolwork and fashion. Anyone who’s ever had the curse of having a class that starts before ten in the morning knows that it’s easier to throw on some leggings or simply tumble out of bed in your sweatpants and head to class than it is to actually try and look cute.

But, what us college students often forget is that fashion can be comfortable! For instance, just take this Fashionista’s look. She rolled up to class looking adorable, and her outfit was far from uncomfortable. Most people have the misconception that jeans are equivalent to scathing discomfort, but there are so many soft and stretchy pairs out there. This Fashionista discovered the perfect pair of boyfriend jeans to rock to class. The frayed detail at the bottom is totally unique and on trend, and the ripped detail of the jeans brings her outfit to the next level of cool. Her slouchy tank top, oversized cardigan and scarf combination is the definition of the perfect fall outfit; especially since it has still been a tad too warm for parkas just yet. This Fashionista finished her look with some black buckled booties, excuse the alliteration, and aviator sunglasses to block out the mid-afternoon sun as she treks across campus.

So, next time you’re getting ready for class and considering totally bumming it, just take a page from this Fashionista’s book and rock an outfit that’s both comfortable and chic. Because when you feel great in the outfit you’re wearing, you’ll definitely be more confident and ready to ace this semester!

STYLE GURU STYLE: I’m Not Your Boo

With the month of October comes an abundance of pumpkin spice lattes, trips to the pumpkin patch or apple orchard, chillier weather and of course Halloween! Even though Halloween is only one night of the year, I’d like to think that the entire month of October is a time to celebrate spooky fun, which is definitely something that’s easy to do through clothing. While I’d totally get some awkward stares if I went outside every day in October in a Halloween costume, there are some subtler ways to celebrate the season of scares all month long.

On this particular crisp fall day, I decided to emanate Halloween vibes through an edgy outfit with a graphic tank as the centerpiece. This graphic T-shirt reads, “I’m Not Your Boo,” which is a fun and flirty way to get in the spirit without being too costume-y. Plus, nearly all your favorite stores carry a wide variety of Halloween graphic T-shirt that you can either dress up and wear as a costume or dress down for a day in the city like I did. I paired my graphic tank with a tan suede skirt, a staple item for the fall season. I opted for little black faux leather booties and black patterned ankle socks that peek out for some added fun. I’m obsessed with fluffy jackets and cardigans, and the first chilly weather of the season had me super excited to bring back my fuzzy white cardigan to keep me warm while looking cool. As for accessories, I decided to wear a black felt hat, perfect for the fall and winter, and a choker with a little fluffy pom-pom. I finished my outfit with some glasses and dark burgundy lipstick, to complete my wicked Halloween look.

So, whether you’re not into going all out with your costume on Halloween or if you simply want an every day look that gives off spooky October vibes, a graphic T-shirt and dark accessories are the way to go this spooky season!