Glasses – CollegeFashionista

Gingham’s Multiple Summer Trends

Ed Sheeran hasn’t written a song about the timeless pattern… yet. However, Taylor Swift has made mention of some things never being able to go out of style. That is where gingham comes out and into summer magazines.

As a summer trend, gingham is the cherry on top of your favorite flavor of ice cream and it perfectly matches the classic summer movie aesthetic. It’s a timeless print that’s been placed on yearly repeat in my wardrobe since I was at least four. So trends, whether you love them, hate them, or hate to love them, all have their comebacks. The only problem is how to fit so many summer trends into so little time.

All-In-One Trend

To take the leap into the trend divide, you need to pull from summer’s seemingly everlasting vibe and get ready for experimentation, (sprinkling in a bit of retro flair never hurt anyone either).

The statement piece of this outfit and retro-ish vibe revolves around the gingham trousers. I paired the print with a crisp white blouse that has ruffle detailing to play with another big trend and stick with neutrals. To pull together the two pieces, I added a western-inspired belt which created a sharper line of contrast between the blouse and trousers. To top this outfit off, I added another big trend: a light wash denim jacket. It breaks up the lack of color and instills a more casual vibe. Finishing this look, my accessories all synced up with one another. The sandals were the most versatile, matching both my bag and glasses through hardware and trimmings.

And there we have it, more than one trend in a single outfit.

Trends are tricky, but worth it in the end. Go out and into the big bad world of trends; ‘gingham girl’ is a title still open for the taking. You never know, you might just have a song written about you. Have fun with gingham and any other current trends you try!

How would you recreate this look? Show us on social media! Don’t forget to tag @CFashionista.

5 Steps for Last Minute Transitioning from Summer to School Mode

Our lives are completely composed of college for eight months of the year. We section ourselves off from the real world by living on campus, surrounding ourselves with students, and paying for overpriced textbooks. However, as soon as summer rolls around, we take advantage of the opportunity to disregard student duties. As much of a relief as this may be, the four months of blatant neglect only makes transitioning back to student life that much harder.

Each summer we vow to keep up with reading and stay somewhat current with our academic lives. No matter if you spend summer in the sun or an office, it is oh so easy to lose your school persona. Here are the five simple steps to transitioning back.

1—Buy an agenda (and use it!) You either swear by your agenda or you haven’t bought one yet. One of my favorite annual purchases is my agenda. With so many different varieties and styles, it’s easier than ever to make an organized life look good.

2—Bunker down. It sounds simple, but it is easy to get restless after a non-stop summer. So, pack your Longchamp with headphones, chargers, and a pact to bunker down and crank some work out.

3—Find a buddy. It’s an age-old mystery how two hours at Starbucks can go from productive to a waste. Although spending hours finding the perfect social dress may fall under back to school efforts, it probably isn’t exactly what you had in mind going in. This is why having a second person to keep you on track is perfect.

4—Dress the part. The age-old saying may be “dress well, test well” but I find “dress well, transition-back-to-school well” to hold just as much truth. Nothing puts me back into scholar modes like classic pieces such as a good pair of frames and a trusty button-down.

5—Coffee, coffee, coffee. Remember those three cups you would drink before your Monday 8 a.m.? As long as you’re bunkered down with promises of productivity, you might as well build back this tolerance and treat yourself to an iced coffee. It’s a win-win in any book.

There’s a reason we put off a back to school transition for so long. However, by following these simple steps, the transition may become that much less traumatic. How do you cope with back to school trauma? Tell us on social media by tagging @Cfashionista.

How to Take Your Snapchat Game to the Next Level Using Spectacles

Since Snapchat released Spectacles in late 2016, users have been taking their Snapchat game to the next level. When Snapchat first released the glasses they were only available at “Spectacles Bots” that were placed in cities around the country for limited periods of time. The bots are similar to vending machines, but instead of candy bars, they give out glasses that can record video! In order to get your hands on a pair you had to hope there was a bot in your area, however, you can now purchase Spectacles directly from their website.

The glasses record video in 10-second increments with a small camera over the lens. The lens on the camera is able to capture more of what’s around you, compared to taking a video on your phone. The hands-free aspect of the Spectacles is a part of what makes them so awesome as well.

The Spectacles retail for $130 and come in 3 colors; coral, black, and teal. Included in the order are a rechargeable case, a charging cord, a Snapchat Ghost-shaped cleaning cloth, and instruction guide.

To use the spectacles, you pair them to your phone using a special Snapcode, and once they’re paired you’re all set to record videos. To take a video you press the button on the arm of the glasses. A little white light on the inside of glasses will light up when they’re recording and blink when you have five seconds left. Next, you import the videos into your Snapchat account where you can add filters or text before adding them your story or sending to friends. One thing to keep in mind while using the Spectacles is that they can drain your phone battery quickly, so I recommend keeping a portable charger on hand!

Overall, I think Snapchat Spectacles are a really fun way to make your Snapchat story stand out. My favorite things to take video of with the Spectacles are concerts and trips to amusement parks.

Are you interested in trying out a pair of Snapchat Spectacles? Let me know in the comments below!

How to Dress for Success in a Professional Setting

How do you dress for work and look professional without looking dowdy? The key is to keep the overall look simple while playing up accents, details, and accessories. Another key when deciding what to wear to work is to keep in mind the season and the atmosphere of your workplace.

For instance, the summer season is a great time to take advantage of wearing open-toe shoes. But choosing to wear sandals to your food service industry job would not be a sanitary choice, and would not earn you points with your employer. If you work in retail, however, pushing boundaries by wearing open-toe shoes or trendy culottes is widely accepted and could get you noticed in a positive way.

Here, this Fashionista dresses whimsically for summer in a flowing, polka dot chiffon dress paired with trendy, open-toe, opaque white jelly heels. She finishes the look with delicate, tortoise shell glasses. The look is stylish, yet comfortable and functional. Working in a flexible environment allows this Fashionista to experiment with style while dressing in a way appropriate for her age and for work.

To take this look to the next level, try adding a bold lip or pairing the dress with a structured jacket for a more polished, professional appearance. This type of simple look also lends itself to versatility. Wear this look to work in the day, and easily play it up with a bold accessory change for nighttime fun.

Is this a successful work look? What are your thoughts? Make sure to comment below!

Resume, Portfolio, or Both?

When applying for your next career, you want to make sure that you have a successful resume before presenting it to any potential employers. Having a resume is crucial but having a portfolio isn’t a bad idea either, especially in the fashion world. A portfolio is a great way to get your name out there and showcase how great you are at what you do. A portfolio is the best way to present a wide spectrum of things you are interested in doing, as well as showcasing your talent in multiple fields.

When creating your resume you want to make sure that you include all of your information accurately. Make sure to double, triple, and quadruple check your information. Also, it is always beneficial to have multiple prints of your resume handy for anytime necessary. Your resume is your business card until you get one of your own.

Volunteering, serving at homeless shelters, church activities, charity work, and providing hours to your community looks great on a resume and is a simple and easy way to improve it. Employers love to see that their employees are involved in some sort of outside work. Not only does it help the community and the people around you but it is also a generally good characteristic to present. Another good characteristic is not only having a successful resume but a successful appearance as well.

When it comes to dressing for success, there are some things you need to consider. How are your overall look and communication skills going to reflect you as a person? Present yourself as the person you strive to be, with confidence and purpose.

When preparing to engage in social interaction, make sure to check these don’ts off your list in order to make the best first impression. First thing, do not show an over abundance of skin (i.e. no short skirts and absolutely no strapless tops.) As cute as they may be, they aren’t for the workplace. Also, never wear dirty clothes, obviously. However, some people might think that they can re-wear that shirt one more time before washing, don’t. Clothes tend to hold an odor that you may not notice, but others will. In addition, never think that you can get away with wearing a wrinkled piece of clothing because you can’t. Lastly, always wear clothes that fit your body the way they should. Avoid clothes that are too baggy for your body type as well as the tops you should have gotten rid of before your freshman 15.

Any ideas or tips on how to improve your resume or portfolio? If so, please be sure to comment with suggestions and don’t forget to tag @Cfashionista.

Tips for Glasses-Friendly Makeup

Glasses have become a huge hit in the fashion world. People are wearing non-prescription glasses as another accessory in their looks, and I couldn’t be more in love with it. Although I already have my own pair (because I’m blind as a bat), I still like to play around with different looks. You can search all kinds of styles online to meet your standards. The challenge with glasses is wearing makeup under them. If you’re looking for a go-to look when you want to wear your favorite frames, whether as an accessory or because you’re blind like me, keep reading to see how I achieved this look.

Apply your favorite primer, foundation, concealer, and powder. Tip: go easy on products on the sides of your nose though as your glasses sit there. It’d be more awkward with smudged makeup on your face and on the bridge of the frames. To add warmth to the skin, apply bronzer with a large, fluffy brush. If the contour is too harsh, it will sharpen your facial features and contrast with the shape your glasses are giving you. Keep it simple with bronzer and blush. Choose to add a pop of color if you would like but don’t go overboard to be too distracting. Now for my favorite, the highlighter. Despite wanting your highlight to look like it was created by the heavens themselves, use a light hand or a more subtle highlight for this look.

Eye makeup is the most effective for achieving the best look with glasses. Glasses frame your eyes like a work of art. Disclaimer: you can always alter the look with your favorite shadows or your own personal twist to match your personality. This is just what I like to do when I wear glasses. Fill in your eyebrows as preferred. Tip: if any steps are skipped along the way, never skip eyebrows. Eyebrows will help frame your face underneath the glasses. Since most frames are flat on the top edge, the shape of your eyebrow will help add structure to your face where the glasses fall short. As for eyeshadow, keep it light and more on the neutral side. Using too dark of colors may cause your eyes to get lost. As a personal preference, I like to wear winged eyeliner. You can either skip the wing or skip eyeliner altogether. Finally, top the eye look off with your favorite mascara. Tip: go easy on the mascara with one or two coats tops. Try your best to avoid false eyelashes. Too long of lashes isn’t usually a problem. However, when they push up against your lenses, it’s quite uncomfortable.

Lips can be your wildcard for the look. So many options like a favorite nude for a more casual loo or go for the dark color to add more dimension to your look.

Lastly, just finalize your look with your favorite outfit.

Let us know in the comments what style you would rock.

How to Style an Old T-Shirt For a Fresh Look

For the month of July, I decided to join in on the tenth 30-day wardrobe challenge and third summer version. The purpose of this challenge is to update or reboot my summer style. I would also be able to challenge my creativity and change up my personal style. This gives me the extra push to reach outside of my comfort zone by dressing in different styles and wearing unique pieces of clothing or accessories that I normally wouldn’t wear. Trying new things is always a great way to find motivation and inspiration. In addition, you get to learn more about yourself!

For day one, the challenge was to style an old T-shirt in a knot. This theme got me so excited because T-shirts are the most comfortable tops ever and you can style it up in so many different ways. I can probably come up with five different looks with just one T-shirt.

For the top, I cut off the sleeves, tied it up in a cute knot in the front and paired it up with a mustard colored skirt. I really like the color combination of this outfit. The dark T-shirt really helps make the vivid yellow pop out. Moreover, the graphic design on the T-shirt adds a little fun to this simple outfit.

To add more color, I added in red reflective shades. This helped my outfit look more bold and vibrant. The colors of the shades and skirt complement each other because both colors are vivid and have a lot of contrast. For the shoes, I wore my favorite flat mules. Now my outfit has a mixture of sophistication and a little bit of grunge vibe.

For the makeup, I decided to go vivid as well. I wore a matte red lip stain with a sharp cat-eye look. I did not use eye shadow because I wanted the natural look with bold lips. The bold lips match well with the contrasted theme of this outfit. I don’t usually wear a lot of bright colors but this colored theme made me want to wear more festive colors.

Join in on the 30-day wardrobe challenge and submit your photos with the hashtag #WWWsummer30 for a chance to be featured. Comment below how you styled your first old T-shirt challenge!

The Holy Grail for Girls with Curls

My hair, my own personal barometer, is like Mother Nature’s mood ring. When the weather is humid, my hair becomes large and kinky. When it rains, my hair calms down. When there’s a drought, or a couple days without washing it, my hair maintains a bun formation even when it’s released from the hair tie. For that very reason, I would like to dedicate this to the broken brushes, the lifeless hair bands, the impossible braids, and the clogged drains. They have done me the valiant effort of taming the beast.

Once upon a time, you wore the tiny moose emblem on your blouse and burned your hair until it was crispy-straight every morning, even if it meant sizzling, steaming, and splitting it. Ironing your hair became more important than ironing your clothes. My ringlets were too challenging to tackle on my own, so I needed my mom’s undeniable blow-drying and straightening powers. The whole process took two hours…so not worth it.

I eventually realized people wanted my hair. Correction—we all want what we can’t have. As desperately as I wanted gorgeous straight hair, some wanted my gorgeous curly hair. I stopped fighting nature and began loving my wild mane.

There was a learning curve that came with balancing my style and voluminous hair. For example, glasses with thicker frames and hoop earrings don’t get camouflaged by curls— instead, they become statements of their own. If accessories don’t exist in your daily routine, you can always invest in quality mascara that darkens and adds volume to your lashes for prominent eyes every day.

Beneath my sink, a graveyard of half-full products becomes dusty, and the liquids within the squeeze bottles coagulate into gunk. Here lays a community of anti-frizz creams, curl shapers, and Hulk-strength hairsprays that just couldn’t do the trick. The long-retired straightener, blow dryer, and curler are all shoved to the back of my little cabinet. On top of the vanity counter is the one product I haven’t gone a day without since elementary school: conditioner.

My Holy Grail may seem anticlimactic, but don’t click away to the dark depths of the internet just yet. My dirty little secret is generic Pantene Conditioner, but you can pull whatever conditioner you normally use in your showers for the following trick. Distribute a generous amount of your go-to conditioner through troublesome areas and lengthy bits. Curl and twirl the pieces whichever way suits you; your fingers are the best tool. Clips can also be used to strategically place each hair where you want them to dry. It’s as simple as that, and my hair has never looked better.

Did you try my trick? Or are you bold enough to comb out your own curly hair? Show us your curly hair pride on Instagram by tagging @CFashionista!

How to Look Basic but Classic

What I love about fashion is the fact that you can combine the clothes the way you want, and nowadays having your own style is what is a trend. So I’m giving you a cool idea of how to be basic while you can look classic. You can wear this kind of outfit if you like hanging out with your friends, you are going shopping, having lunch in a nice restaurant, or having a date with your crush. It’s perfect if you like to look fresh and comfortable but without losing the style.

To start, the first thing you need is a slogan T-shirt that I’m sure you have one in your closet, it’s basic! So any white T-shirt will be useful. Also, if you don’t want to go too basic, you can wear any top you prefer that it makes you feel comfortable, but remember that this is my way to show you that you can be basic but having a great style. If you like my slogan T-shirt, there are more cool options you will find online in different stores cause the ’90s are back with the slogan T-shirts, and this trend is so in!

Then, some cool embroidered jeans are perfect to complement this outfit cause here I am giving you a trend alert. I know it came from spring, but in summer you can use it too! These kinds of jeans with beautiful embroidery, you will find it skinny or boyfriend, they are perfect for any occasion you want to have a comfortable look, but with style and design. Some of them came with stylish holes like mine that it makes me take more risk on my outfit.

Now my favorite part: loafers! These shoes are absolutely nice, comfortable, fashionable, and they are the perfect complement for the look we want to create, the style is so classic and kind of vintage, you can wear them with a lot of outfits and styles, just let your imagination flow!

And remember you can always add your piece of style, like in this case I chose vintage yellow sunglasses that it makes me feel so stylish!

Now recreate a “basic but classic” look, and let us know in the comments below: which piece would you add to the look? Share pictures of them on social media! Don’t forget to tag @Cfashionista!

Through the Looking Glasses

Glasses were known for being nerdy and unpleasant, but times have changed, seems like glasses are now the new fashion trend. Therefore, to all my friends with astigmatism or 20/50 vision, we’re the cool kids. There are many unique styles of glasses that are currently in trend, let’s take a look through the looking glasses:

Retro

These clear frames are the latest frame in 2017! They easily go with any complexion and outfit due to the absence of color. As a result, it is important to wear light make up to not draw away from the frames when wearing this style of glasses. The glasses featured above are called Morning from EyeBuyDirect. They come in a size small with a fitted nose bridge and rounded lens.

Vintage

Our next trend is well-known as the Harry Potter glasses. These spectacles are called “Small Chillax”. Black, rounded frames give a vintage and hipster look to outfits. These rounded lenses suit smaller faces and are a great accessory to professional clothes or that cute coffee date outfit. It has an adjustable metal nose bridge, which adds more comfort and uniqueness. Rounded lenses are an all-time favorite.

The final style are brow-line glasses. This style is the most famous style of glasses known for the square lenses and brow-line frame. Most noteworthy, these square frames are perfect for round faces to provide contrast to the face. This is a bold and retro look due to its frames and nostalgic look from the 50’s and 60’s. These glasses serve for an everyday look which is why many can say these are the iconic hipster glasses of 2017.

What style of glasses are you rocking? Share your favorites in the comments below!