Author: Tess Kornfeld

WHAT TO WEAR: Casual Date Night

Date attire during the summer months is always tricky to tackle. It is key to be comfortable throughout the hot and impeccably humid nights. But, it is even more important to look great because who doesn’t want to look their best on a date?

Date night clothing is all about moderation, and this Fashionista rocked it in all senses of the word. It is crucial to think about where the date will take place and the elements. If it is inside at a restaurant, you must be prepared to wear an outfit that will conquer overbearing air conditioning, but you must also be ready to deal with hot summer nights.

By opting to wear a pink short sleeve shirt with white linen pants, it is evident this Fashionista is ready for both the cold air conditioning and the sticky, warm outdoors. Her short sleeves will keep her comfortable outside while, her pants are breezy enough for the heat and can keep her legs warm inside.

Moderation is also crucial when it comes to the actual clothes themselves. It is never a good thing to show too much skin on a date, nor does it look very classy.

Therefore, showing a moderate amount of skin is perfect for date night just like this Fashionista did. By wearing a V-neck short sleeve top, this Fashionista was able to layer fun gold chain necklaces. Her cropped linen pants bring the perfect opportunity to elongate her legs and show off her nude pumps.

This Fashionista’s shoulder bag is ideal for date night as well. Its size can fit the necessities. Her brown purse also makes quite the statement and pops out among the lighter pastel colors in her outfit. By wearing her hair up in an intentionally messy ponytail, this Fashionista brings all of the attention on her. It shows her relaxed personality without trying too hard or looking too put together.

One Simple Change: Swap the pumps for nude flats and the outfit is perfect for a day at your internship.

WHAT TO WEAR: Internship

As an intern myself, I know the difficulties an intern can go through when trying to pick an outfit out for work. Is this too casual? Is this appropriate? Should I dress for the job I want someday? Those are just a few of the thoughts that run through my head when I get dressed in the morning. With that being said, it is definitely necessary to dress the part, but you also want to be comfortable for all of the errands and coffee runs you are inevitably bound to go on.

This Fashionista got it right. While you want to stand out in the crowd of other interns, you don’t want to stand out too much. Interns, take advice from this Fashionista. She nailed the appropriate look on the head.

Firstly, this Fashionista wore an all-black, monochrome ensemble. Black is one of my favorite colors and is a key color in my wardrobe. The little black dress is a perfect, work-appropriate option. The LBD is a staple wardrobe piece in any season. Throughout your summer internship, you can wear it multiple times without looking like an outfit repeater by piling on different fun accessories.

Instead of this Fashionista’s black outfit looking lack luster and boring, she looked anything but due to her trendy accessories. In this instance, black and blue look great together. Her teal statement necklace gives a needed pop of color to her otherwise monochrome get up. A bright-colored necklace is far from boring. Therefore, it exudes a fun aura without outwardly and obnoxiously doing so.

Her added accessories such as her floral coin purse and black and gold embellished sandals are other crucial pieces to her perfect internship outfit. For instance, a coin purse is just the right size to fit money and a phone for lunch breaks and errands. The flower design is also a great nod to the summer season. Her flat sandals are seemingly comfortable enough to run around a city while minimizing painful blisters. They are also an opportunity to show off a fun, bright pedicure.

Interns, take note! When in doubt, wear a LBD.

One Simple Change: Add a bright lip color and strap on heels to be ready for a fun and relaxing girls’ night out on the town after a long day.

WHAT TO WEAR: Day to Night

City living is not always easy. It is a never-ending outfit struggle when you get out of work at 6 p.m. and you have dinner and drink plans at 7 p.m. Why show up late for your plans when you can wake up in the morning and dress the part for both?

This Fashionista nailed the day to night look. The asymmetrical dress does not reveal too much in terms of its length. It is a perfect go-to summer dress for the office. The fit of the dress is conservative enough for the office, yet the design is perfect for a night on the town. In addition, the orange dress makes it wearable and a great layering piece as summer turns into fall.

Her wedges are also not too high for the morning commute. While at the same time, they are just high enough to transition from stressing at work to relaxing at happy hour while sipping on your drink of choice.

In addition to her clothing, the style of this Fashionista’s hair is another component that makes her outfit suitable for day to night. Having short hair like this Fashionista is all the rage this summer. It keeps you cool during the day. While at night, a bob creates the perfect environment for a fun piece of jewelry whether it is a chunky necklace or a simple gold chain. In addition, her funky and very trendy knuckle ring and hamsa symbol ring work for life at the office to show personality and at night.

Channel this Fashionista and you are bound to nail the day to night look.

One Simple Change: Need to run an errand or run to the newest sample sale? Pack a pair of cute flats in your bag to conquer the city streets in a comfortable, yet fashionable way.

STYLE GURU BIO: Tess Kornfeld

My name is Tess Kornfeld, and I am thrilled to return this summer as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista! I am a rising senior at Syracuse University majoring in Magazine Journalism with a minor in Art History.

I absolutely adore everything about fashion magazines. My love for magazines began in middle school. Each day, I couldn’t wait to finger through the glossy pages of the fashion spreads and soak up the latest trends. As a result, my unique sense of style stems from fashion magazines. Rather than looking like everyone else in my small hometown, magazines inspired me to dress differently and in a much more fashionable way.

I believe every single person has his or her own style whether it is punk, classic, trendy or a combination of all three. With that being said, my style changes with the seasons. As an Art History minor, I consider fashion to be an art form. I look at each new day as a blank canvas. My outfit is my own personal work of art for the day and very much a representation of my personality.

I would describe my style as classic with a trendy vibe. I start off with classic staples and then add fun accessories. After spending my fall semester in Florence, Italy, I have learned it is easy to be comfortable while also looking chic. I try to embody that every day. Because, after all, comfort is key especially in the summer!

An example of a typical outfit of mine in the summer is a T-shirt and jean shorts. To make my outfit my own, I will liven things up by wearing a fun turban headband, quirky oversized sunglasses or DIY studded high-top Converse. This summer, the item I am coveting the most is a floral jumpsuit. Throw on a pair of chunky sandals, and you’ve got yourself an outfit.

This summer, I will be spending my summer in New York City. I can’t wait to give you the latest on WHAT TO WEAR each week. Watch out Fashionistas/os of the Big Apple, I’m coming for ya!

STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK: Black and Blue is a Do

To me, the people that stand out the most are those who break conventional fashion rules. In my book, mixing the right color blue with black is completely acceptable. I consider wearing white after Labor Day and pairing polka dots with stripes two other obsolete fashion taboos. There is something about the deliberate clashing of styles and patterns that captures my attention.

This Fashionista did just that. She wore a blue, green and white plaid flannel (a winter staple) with a pair of shiny black leggings. Rather than looking sloppy, the blue hues in her flannel complemented the black leggings, and she nailed the look! In my opinion, leggings were the only option to wear with the flannel. The shiny element in the leggings gives her outfit an edginess that otherwise would not have accomplished with a simple pair of jeans.

By wearing her flannel unbuttoned, this Fashionista was able to show her personality with her unique accessories. A flannel is commonly worn among college women. However, this Fashionista’s outfit is unique due to her interesting jewelry such as her turquoise skull necklace. Stacking rings is also a trend that I currently love. This Fashionista did a phenomenal job adapting this trend.

This Fashionista’s white snow boots bring out the white in her white T-shirt and brighten up her outfit. It is hard to look unique while staying warm in the winter, but this Fashionista showed that being different is possible. Just make a few easy changes to your everyday wardrobe!

STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK: Relax and Take Notes

The Syracuse winter for the past two years has been on the warmer side. Although it snowed often during my freshman and sophomore year, temperatures always stayed above zero. However, it appears times have changed and, I for one, was not prepared for the brutal, painful sub-zero weather.

Amid the miserable people walking around campus like zombies trying to quickly get from point A to point B, I caught this Fashionista’s bright red beanie.

With that being said, her beanie was sending a much needed message to the frozen campus, “relax.” The bold text on her brightly colored red beanie captured my attention, and the irony of it made me laugh.

This Fashionista looked unaffected by the cold because she was aptly prepared for the arctic temperatures. Unlike some people, (ahem, the man I saw in a suit with no coat or gloves on!) this Fashionista rocked all the necessary accessories to ensure she was nice and toasty during her commute to and from classes.

She barely exposed any skin, warding off any chance of getting hypothermia or frost bite. I realize I can’t stop talking about beanies, but this beanie is the most covetable one of the  season in my book. In my opinion, nothing keeps a head warm like a beanie, and they are especially great for bad hair days. With that being said, I conclude with a Biggie lyric, “Relax and take notes.”

STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK: Flannel Fun

During the winter months at Syracuse, black seems to be everyone’s color of choice. As you can guess, life gets incredibly gloomy when the only color you see from day to day is black. When the state of the world literally gets dark, my favorite thing to do is to throw on a plaid flannel.

In my opinion, nothing brightens up an outfit and a day like a colored flannel. Whether it is trendy with studs or straight from the wardrobe of a farmer, flannels are an easy way to add some color to a winter outfit while also staying warm. Amid the sea of black coats and boots, I immediately spotted this Fashionista on a frigid day. She was rocking a bright boyfriend-esque red and black plaid flannel.

This Fashionista’s outfit epitomizes winter relaxed chic. Wearing a flannel is a better alternative to a sweatshirt; flannels keep you warm while looking very put together. You can’t say the same about your favorite oversized hoodie.

When pairing a flannel with jeans and boots, it is hard to find a happy medium between country farmer and average woman. However, this Fashionista rocked the look perfectly. The best part about this Fashionista’s look is that it is easy to emulate. Sick of your daily uniform of jeans and a T-shirt? Throw a flannel over your T-shirt and just like that, your outfit is totally revamped for the better.

In addition, this Fashionista’s gold rings and gold  watch add another level of crisp chicness to her outfit. Overall, this Fashionista is perfectly accessorized and looks like she is straight out of a Pinterest post.

STYLE GURU BIO: Tess Kornfeld

Hi there! My name is Tess Kornfeld, and I am very excited to return this spring as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista! I am a junior at Syracuse University with a major in Magazine Journalism and a minor in Art History.

This fall I spent my semester in Florence, studying art, eating a lot of pasta and most importantly soaking in all of the wonderful fashion Italy has to offer.

My love of fashion stems from my love for magazines. When I started reading fashion magazines in middle school, I could not help but fall in love with the glossy fashion spreads. My favorite part of magazines is how they feature runway trends in a doable and wearable way. As a result, magazines inspired me to have a sense of style instead of looking like everyone else in my small, rural hometown.

Packing my life into two suitcases to spend three months abroad forced me to really think about my sense of style. No longer did I have the endless options I was used to. I came to appreciate the simpleness that a basic white tee brings to an outfit. Instead of viewing a white T-Shirt with jeans as a boring combination, I thought of it as a blank canvas that could be brought to life with colorful accessories.

Each season I tend to make an outfit my own by accessorizing with the latest trends. Although it is fairly stereotypical, I tend to wear black during the winter months. However, I try to pair different black materials together. An example of a typical outfit of mine is cotton leggings with leather detailing and a mohair sweater. I try to brighten a gloomy day with a colored nail polish or lipstick. This winter the item that I am coveting is a bohemian floppy hat.

Although I had the time of my life this past fall semester capturing street style in Florence, I can’t wait to get back to Syracuse. This spring I will be giving you the STYLE ADVICE OF WEEK each week. Stay posted!

FASHION FROM ABROAD: Back To Brown And Black

Many of my posts center around breaking the fashion rules we are brought up to rigidly follow year after year. An unconventional outfit always catches my eye. I love white after labor day and a plaid shirt worn with striped pants —atypical outfits allow Individuality to shine through. In the winter when it seems as though every person you pass on the street is wearing the same thing, my eyes are constantly searching for a funky outfit.

This Fashionista broke the black and brown rule, but in the best way possible. Five years ago when someone wore black and brown together, one would immediately gasp in horror. It was a definite “don’t” in fashion. However, as times have changed styles and trends have evolved. Now, wearing black and brown is not so much of a deadly fashion sin. In fact, I think the two work very well together.

This Fashionista wore brown and black in multiple facets of her outfit. Her black waffle thermal Free People shirt has a layer of caramel brown in the bottom. The combination acts as a gateway for the rest of her outfit. To combat the brisk weather, many people on the East Coast tend to rock a similar uniform of a black North Face knee length parka. Instead of clashing with the brown in her shirt, this Fashionista’s coat only added an element of winter chic to her outfit.

In addition, the caramel in this Fashionista’s shirt flatter the tan and dark brown in her ankle booties. Rather than looking like a clashing mess, this Fashionista’s outfit is the perfect example of how to don black and brown this winter. Take note!

FASHION FROM ABROAD: The Essential Beanie

There is no denying that ’90s fashion has made a comeback. As 2013 comes to a close, flannel, dark purple lipstick and platform shoes are everywhere, from the runway to the streets. This winter, it is evident the beanie has made a resurgence.

In my opinion, beanies are a necessity in the winter. Nobody likes a cold head, and beanies offer a great and fashionable solution to a bad hair day. From bizarre (beanies with animal ears) to classic, you can never have too many beanies. Beanies come in an infinite array of styles, colors and materials, but my personal favorite presently is the beanie that makes a verbal statement, such as “relax” or “whatever.”

Despite my preference for the nontraditional beanie style, I spotted this Fashionista in Florence opting for a more traditional approach. Its knit material is a classic variety and timeless. Because of that, the knit beanie never goes out of style and can be seen adorned year after year and winter after winter.

The lavender color of her knit beanie caught my eye. This Fashionista’s outfit has a neutral palette with the black boots and leggings and gray knit sweater. Its color undoubtedly brings her outfit together in the most perfect way.

This Fashionista’s plaid cashmere scarf was made in Florence. Collectively, the beanie and the scarf bring about an element of winter chic to her outfit. In addition to exemplifying winter style in Florence, this Fashionista’s outfit is ideal for the streets of Aspen or Vale.

If you want a warm head and a trendy aura this winter, the beanie is absolutely the hat for you.