Trend of the Week: The "Not-So-Basic" Romper

It's been a week and a half since I've posted, so I'm extremely sorry to all of my regular readers. I really try to post at least once a week (especially in the summer, but more like three times a week during the school year), but these past few days have been pretty hectic, and it took my friend who took a photo of this outfit a week to send it to me. Also, I haven't done a trend of the week since May, so I wanted to get back into that habit.

The romper is one of the hardest items of clothing to pull off, and that’s why most of my wardrobe does not involve them. Other than the time I wore a romper at a music festival, the last time I wore one was in 7th grade, so it’s obvious that many of them can look unfashionable or even childish. And even if they don’t meet those two negative statements, they can give off a basic look (hence my title) that does not make anyone look like a fashionista. However, many designers and retail shops are understanding this sad (but true) statement, so they are bringing edgier styles, patterns, and fabrics to make the once dull romper an extremely simple but fashionable outfit choice. There are thousands of different variations that are now in stores, like strapless, striped, co-ord sets, and even unique materials like denim or leather that are seen on such a simple clothing item. The way to rock this piece is to find the more unique, even edgy, styles to make a bold fashion statement. To match my own personal style, I chose a denim one from Gap, which, by the way, is breaking free from its terrible fashion choices and becoming one of my favorite stores. Recently, I’ve had a fashion crush on everything denim, so of course I had to pick out the denim romper. I’ve wanted to expand my wardrobe into things I usually do not wear (which is the romper), but I was still able to make it familiar to my wardrobe with the denim style. Denim is seen in jeans and sometimes jackets, so making this versatile fabric into a romper is definitely an edgy move for fashion. If the same simple cut romper were made with a universal material like cotton, I probably wouldn’t deem this romper as fashionable as the unique denim one I’m rocking in this outfit. That is the simple way to make rompers fashionable -- find the bolder styles. And of course, I had to layer on top of this outfit despite the 95 degree weather, so I tied a simple teal shirt around my waist to give the outfit more character. I finished the outfit with my metallic Tevas (which, by the way, have weirdly worked with almost every outfit I have worn this summer) due to their comfortable nature but also cool aesthetic. The best part about rompers is that they make choosing outfits an extremely quick process, because you only need at least two (but in my case, three) items to create one. I promise you that rompers are making their way back into the fashion world, but it’s important to choose the right styles to look the best and to work a possibly outdated style. 

Averie's Style

Yesterday, it was Averie's (one of my best friends) birthday (she turned 18!), so to celebrate, a few friends and I went downtown to see live music at SoccerFest, which, by the way, is mainly a soccer based festival, but one of my friends was close to one of the bands that was performing, so we decided to go check it out. Just like my last post, I want to talk about street fashion in the city, but this time, it's going to be about Averie.  

The thing I love about Averie’s look is that she always brings her own personal style to everything she wears. The unique part about it is that everything in the outfit, even the boots, are pieces she found at goodwill or thrift shops. The skirt that she's wearing probably looks like an old "grandma" skirt on a hanger, but the way she styled it with the belt, a simple blouse, and edgy boots makes an outdated skirt a stylish midi that fits her personality. This outfit also works perfectly with the tips that I gave in my last post about how to dress for street style in a city. She took a used trend (the midi skirt), personalized it (the floral pattern and button-up style of the skirt work with her own personal style), and added a unique twist (wearing edgy boots that would usually not be worn with an outfit like this). Her outfit really stands out probably due to the fact that it's all from thrift shops. However, the thrifty nature of it completely works with her own style, which is extremely important in fashion. Instead of dressing to conform to a trend but not being comfortable in a foreign style, wear what you feel the best in and what matches your own personality. Averie's quirky yet edgy personality really does work with this unique outfit, so she mastered both pulling off a fashionable look but also showing off her personality through her outfit, which is what I truly love about fashion.

Along with Averie's outfit, here are a few other shots I got of the band that we saw (called Starting Fires):

Atlanta Street Style Tips

 

Yesterday, I was in downtown Atlanta, around the High Museum area, because one of my photographs was on display in a Metro Atlanta High School exhibit in one of the wings of the museum (pretty cool, right!). Yesterday was the date of the reception for all the students that had their artwork on display, so I wanted to use this time to 1) actually put effort into my fashion choices this summer and 2) figure out a few tips for picking out outfits for a day spent downtown. Downtown Atlanta is completely different than the actual town I live in (Milton, an affluent suburban town where 80% of the people my age wear Vineyard Vines), so I had to up my fashion game for this day. Some people have told me that I already dress like a city girl, so this task was not that difficult, but I still had to put more thought into it than usual. The best way to take on the city is to dress in your own personal style, bring a unique twist to this, but also keep a familiar trend in your outfit. In a city, anyone can stop you and ask if they can photograph your outfit for their fashion blog, so a good tip is to always dress your best. (Sidenote: at the High, there were so many to-die-for looks that I wanted to capture and post here but I left my camera at home on accident. I’m still upset about it.) People who are interested in street style love to see used trends that are styled in a completely unique manner, which is why you need to bring both a universal trend plus your own personal twist to street style looks. For the universal trend, I brought out my beloved pleated midi skirt with a metallic tint. The midi skirt has been a trend for a few years now and it’s definitely not about to leave the fashion world, and it’s perfect for a city -- the skirt aspect makes it comfortable and free, but the longer aspect is practical for windy environments. To “personalize” the trend, I wore my favorite pair of Chelsea boots. These boots are also perfect for walking in a city and they just make you look like an urban gal. Practically every person who lives in a city owns them, so I would invest in them if you want to live anywhere with skyscrapers and concrete fields. And finally, to add a unique twist, I wore a rose eyelet sleeveless top that my friend actually let me borrow. (Quick story: the top used to have long sleeves, but my friend didn’t like them so she just cut them off.) The DIY feel of the top definitely makes it unique, and the eyelet pattern contrasts with the edge that comes from the skirt. I then finished the look with my bold red-orange lipstick (NARS Matte Lipstick in Heatwave for future reference) to add color to a dull-colored outfit and to stand out in a city full of fashion. If there had been any fashion photographers/bloggers around, my outfit would be described as “using the familiar midi trend and personalizing it with classy and bold statements”. Luckily, there’s still a possibility to be comfortable and bold, which is what I did in this look. 

"Space" Aesthetic

Summer is really about trying new things with fashion. With such a wild season, there are hardly any specific rules to follow, so it is a time to experiment with color schemes, different trends, or looks that are risky but unique.

With my outfits, I usually don't coordinate every piece of my look, but today, I wanted to try something new. Recently, I've been obsessing over the metallic, slightly mod trend. And with this trend, the idea of space may come to mind (at least it did for me). Yes, I'm talking about the starry aesthetic with the galaxy leggings and all. Except galaxy leggings were never okay, and I wanted to be more subtle with a theme like this one. Instead of literally wearing starry patterns and metallic shoes (I had to leave out my silver Tevas for this one), I chose another pathway. I wore a simple indigo dress that only reminds me of outer space, and I contrasted this by tying a white striped shirt around my waist. To complement the shirt, I wore my favorite shimmery socks from Madewell, and I finally completed the look with my Docs. The simplicity of the Docs was the perfect way to make an overly-matching outfit decent, but I also think that the shoes really work with the theme. Because this is a thing I hardly do, I still attempted to keep my own personal style (i.e. tying the shirt around my waist) in this look. I only went out for a quick lunch in this outfit, but I have discovered that I really like basing outfits off of a theme. It may not be perfect for summer, but as I said before, that's what summer is for -- doing things outside the ordinary.

I decided to do minimal makeup for this look because 1) it was a time saver and 2) the outfit already brought enough to the look, so intense makeup might have taken away from the outfit. However, I still put thought into the theme while doing my routine. To match the dress, I wore purple eyeliner on my waterline to accentuate my eyes as well. And to keep my signature look, I still wore lipstick, but I chose a simple berry color to also match with the outfit. I used to never put much thought into how I did makeup, but now that I have discovered that varied types can work with different outfits, I've been doing it differently almost every day.