Five ways to be fashionable on a budget

In case you are wanting to make the most of your Christmas gift cards, or simply want to know how to dress the way you want without breaking the bank, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ideas for being fashionable on a budget, in college, or anytime in your life. 

I grew up in a lower middle-class family. To me, Old Navy was for rich people; I didn't know about designer jeans until I transferred to a private school for my last two years of college. Throughout high school and college I spent many weekends thrift shopping with friends or alone. And I loved it. 

I still love putting together outfits each morning. It helps me feel alive and ready to tackle the day. And yet, I am far from a true fashionista. I've always admired people who instinctively know how to style an outfit. I do not have this skill.

But the skill I do have? Copying. I am a pretty good copycat, and so I've learned all my fashion sense from looking at pictures and copying the outfits or color combinations with what I already own, or with inexpensive options I find at some of my favorite stores, like H&M.

So below are my top five tips to help you find your college fashion inspiration on a budget:

1. Find websites with outfits that inspire you. 

In the past few months I've fallen in love with two great outfit-creating websites; I fill up my Pinterest fashion boards with their creations daily:

1. J's Everyday Fashion Blog
2. CollegeFashion.net

And guys, I didn't forget about you: 

1. Men's Fashion Section of College Fashionista
2. 10 College Fashion Tips for Guys

You can also gleam any website or catalog of your favorite store. 

2. Pin or print.

Once you've browsed pictures and found the ones you'd love to emulate, pin your favorite outfits on your Pinterest board (my favorite method) or print them out and post them in your closet for inspiration before putting together an outfit. 

3. Copy with what you have.

Look around your closet and see what you already have that can help you copy the kind of outfits/style that you love. You don't have to copy an outfit exactly, but use it to inspire you to put together new combinations you have never thought of before. You might be surprised how many "new" outfits you'll have waiting for you in your closet. 

4. Shop smart.

If there are some items you don't have that you think will help you create the style or outfits you want, then it's time to go shopping. But remember, you don't have to spend a lot of money to get the look you want. It's all about styling and fit, so shop smart and think about the key items that will help you create many outfits with what you already own (e.g. think accessories, shoes, key basics, etc.). My favorite three inexpensive places in college were thrift stores, H&M, and Plato's Closet.

And of course, shop the sales! CollegeFashion.net shares a great list of coupons and sales every week. 

5. Make it fit. 

Clothes look more expensive when they fit. And if you're like me, getting things to fit isn't always easy (e.g. I'm very petite). However, a few years ago I discovered that getting clothes tailored wasn't that expensive. I still have shirts that I got tailored in college that still fit me perfectly and cost me less than $15, including the tailoring. I use a tailor that is in a dry cleaners. Just Google and price check to find the best tailor near you. 

Happy fashioning! ;) And feel free to share your style inspirations or outfit creations on our Facebook page! 

Three things for your spring break

It is Thursday – and since the students at the college that I work at will be on spring break next week – along with employees ;) – here is this week’s spring-break-themed Three for Thursday: 

1. Check out these tips from the TalkNerdy2Me blog for a safe and affordable spring break. Have fun on spring break – but don’t feel the need to fulfill some sort of negative college stereotype.

In one of Sinbad’s (yes, this Sinbad) standup routines, he said, "if I wouldn’t go parasailing when I live in Cincinnati, why would I parasail on vacation in the Caribbean?" Now I'm all for adventures on vacation, but do not try to fulfill some sort of false expectations or be someone that you're not. 

Listen to the wisdom of Sinbad.

Be yourself and let the break refresh and revive you.  

2. Go on a road trip – a good, old-fashioned, beef-jerkey (ew) buying, car-singing trip with some friends. It sounds like much more fun than a week of asking people “What is going on today” on Facebook, right? (It is ok, we’ve all been there.)

To get you pumped up, check out the reality series on RoadTripNation.com.
Then step up and be the organizer of your spring break road trip. Your friends will be glad you did. 

3. Have some fun with your spring break look.  I was watching the NBA All-Star weekend stuff this past week, and I saw quite a few sports journalists commenting on how many of the NBA players have begun wearing fake reading glasses.

Not many of you know this, but I passed up a chance playing for the NBA to pursue my dream of blogging for awesome community college students – but I figured I’d better be in on the latest trend…

What do you think of the look?

If you like it – they are a fairly cheap fashion accessory (I got mine for less than 10 dollars at the mall).  Not the look for you? Then experiment with your fashion on your break – you have a break from classes, so why not experiment with a new style and see if it works for you? I can help create that refreshing feeling that spring break should be all about.

~

For the most part, once college is over you will find spring breaks and free time like this to be severely limited. Embrace these times and make the most of them. Make the effort to have experiences with your friends that you will never forget. 


If you want to read more about your spring break, here is my post from last spring break with some ideas for engagement and enrichment on your week off.  

I hope that your spring break is a fun, safe, and memorable one!

College Fashion for Bros Part 2 - The Interview

Since the first version got some great feedback - I decided to do a follow-up.  Here College Fashion Tips for Bros Part 2 - The Interview :)

How to Choose the Perfect Work Shoe

One of the most difficult transitions to make from college to the “real” world is your wardrobe. At least it was for me.

Throughout this year, I will on occasion share with you what I’ve learned and my tips for making the perfect choices for your work wardrobe without sacrificing your creativity and personality.  I wrote about the basics of this in a piece I did for USA Today College. But I want to be able to help you get into specifics.  

Let’s start with shoes.

I like to categorize my shoes in three ways:

Weekend

Wow-factor

Work-worthy

Understanding these categories can make choosing your shoes in the morning a breeze – especially before an all-important job interview, internship, professional event, or even just rushing out the door for another day at work.

The first question to ask yourself: what is the wear and tear factor?

My favorite category of shoe is weekend – they are my flip flops, flats, and sandals –

 and they usually have the most wear and tear. I can wear these shoes to the beach, to the theme park, out shopping – anywhere. They are cute and comfortable which is why they were also my go-to college shoes. But that has now changed.

My favorite weekend shoe (at a theme park) :)

Once you transition to a work environment these shoes become weekend wear. Sandals are amazing, but they are typically not the most appropriate for work.

The second question to ask yourself: would these shoes cause someone to whistle at me? ;)

If so save them for your nights out or really special events.

I am only about five-one, so I love to have that extra height that the dangerously high heel provides. 

But the reality is, in most jobs, the six-inch heel stands out a bit too much.  I’m not saying to avoid height altogether at work, but you never want any of your clothing choices to draw attention to you in a negative way at work.

You never want someone to say: she wore those to work? It’s unfortunate but trust me, it happens.

So I have a general rule of thumb – I call it the red carpet factor.  If I put on a pair of shoes and I can imagine myself wearing them at a red carpet event (c’mon, you know we all have those fantasies ;)), then I will save them for nights out and special occasions.

I love these grey Jessica Simpson heels and have worn them on special occasions and to galas, but the truth is, I can almost dunk a basketball in them.

Fun, but a bit too much for an every day at work. 

Shoes like that will just garner too much attention on the job – and not the attention I’m looking for. 

So, finally, you ask yourself what is a work appropriate shoe?

The third question you need to ask yourself is : what is the culture of my workplace?

Culture is everything in work as every environment can be very different. As you spend time at a job notice what kinds of shoes the women in executive positions wear.

But on an interview and the first few weeks of a job you are still getting acclimated to the culture –s o what do you do?

You can almost never go wrong with a clean, neutral flat or small heel. My favorite neutral color is one that that matches your skin tone as it can make your legs look longer and goes with everything.

When I have to run an event or know I’ll be walking around a lot at my job I wear comfortable flats. But when I’m going to be going to a meeting or have a speaking event I’ll wear a medium heel. Just remember the higher the heel the tamer the color should be for work. If you wear a pop of color or a heel with a unique design, you’ll want to keep the heel a bit smaller.

You can also use longer pants to help balance out a higher heel.

Here is an example of my go-to work shoe – they are also Jessica Simpsons (I am a sucker for how comfortable her shoes are). I love these because they match my skin tone, are incredibly comfortable, give a little height, and also have a cool suede texture that I find fun and unique.

The fun of a heel, but the balance of work-appropriate :)

The key is to find your own style, express yourself, have fun, and be appropriate for every situation so that you can own it with confidence and style.

I hope you enjoy picking out your shoes for your next interview, internship, professional event, or day on the job– I know I will ;)

And if you have any other fashion questions feel free to send them to advice@communitycollegesuccess.com 


And Tweet me your favorite work shoe :) www.twitter.com/isaadney 




To read more about Isa's personal story & how you can build relationships to: make positive friends, be more successful in academics and work, find the right people to connect with, and access the hidden job market, grab a FREE e-copy of the first chapter of Community College Success: How to Finish with Friends, Scholarships, Internships, and the Career of Your Dreams! Claim your free copy on the Facebook page!

Learning fashion, new Facebook, advice, and free stuff

*Weekend 4Cast*

4 things I’m dying to share with you that can’t wait until Monday

1 – How do you learn fashion? – 

I’ve been getting a lot of questions/comments about my fashion lately both online and in person and have been thinking about how I learned my fashion. I didn't always have a great fashion sense and realized recently that I really started after a big research project I did which elucidated what tabloid communication about Britney Spears (this was in 2008) elucidated about our society’s perception of women. I do not recommend reading these magazines but seeing and reading about how fashion worked helped me understand what colors worked well together, how to keep it simple but interesting, and what worked and didn't work about an outfit. You can easily do this by looking up pictures of fashionable outfits online. Learning anything is all about exposure. 

Growing up in a lower class family “fashion” was something that seemed elusive – only for people who could afford it. But really, once I started learning what fashion was (and some of the artistic principles behind it) I was able to copy what I saw by shopping at thrift stores, H&M, and anywhere I could find a great deal. Fashion should never be the most important thing about you - but I found it truly fun and interesting and it has started a lot of great conversations that end up going much deeper than clothes.

I share this with you because a lot of students will say to me “wow I love that outfit I could never pull that off” or “I just love your clothes I wish I had style.” So I’m here to tell you that you can learn this! Because never forget you can learn anything. And the best way I’ve learned pretty much everything in my life has been to observe, ask, learn, copy what I learn has already worked for others that are successful, and then add my own unique twist as I continue to learn. You can do this with anything. 

2 – New Facebook –

What do you guys think of this new Facebook bar on the right? It is driving me crazy and stressing me out.  When I think about how much Facebook has changed and accelerated in the past few years it truly blows my mind. We are literally in the midst of a social media revolution and it has changed and will continue to change everything. How does it play a part of your life now? Are you using it to the best of its potential? How will it affect your future goals/job? See for yourself the impact of this revolution in this short and really cool video:

3 – Ask –

So few students are asking for help yet so many are falling behind, struggling with so many things, and even dropping out. Almost every day you should be asking someone for help or advice. Who will you ask today? Their advice could change your life. Trust me. (and if you aren’t sure who to ask start with me – advice@communitycollegesuccess.com). 

4 – Free stuff –

I realized today after speaking at UCF to first generation students and seeing their incredible program for 1^st Gen’s that at no other time in your life will people by dying to help you with your success (unless you continue to interact with me after you graduate ;) as much as they do in college. In higher ed there are so many dedicated people who have developed programs and are begging you to show up, participate, and find success in your life. Once you graduate that will be gone.

In college there are so many programs and services with the sole purpose of helping you succeed. Why aren’t you taking advantage of every single one? (e.g. career center, student life, multicultural services, free tutoring, clubs/organizations, etc.). At no other time in your life will people care so much and try so hard to help you reach your goals in life. You’ll be amazed at what happens if you just show up.

Have a great weekend! 

What to wear to college (Ask Isa)

In the vlog below I answer questions I've been getting on how to step up your fashion in college. Blog has been moved to a new night - Monday night! Keep sending your questions to advice@communitycollegesuccess.com and email or Facebook me pics of your favorite college outfits! Enjoy and I'll have more for you tomorrow :)