Tips in My Fashion Bible
By Maleah Puente
For as long as I can remember, I have always strived to be involved in fashion. At the age of 6, I started a fashion club for the girls in my kindergarten class where I would choose and assign a color or pattern of the day.
Fast forward to today, I am attending college, studying Fashion Merchandising, and constantly learning from my biggest fashion inspirations. With fashion and styling being my biggest passions, it is on my mind day and night. Today, I share with you my top 5 tips in my Fashion Bible that I live by.
#1 Accessories are everything.
When it comes to accessories, there is so much to explore. Some of my favorites are of course jewelry (of all sorts), statement belts, sunglasses, hair clips, scarfs, brooches and pins, ribbon, and countless others. Adding accessories to any outfit can completely elevate and individualize its look. On days when I’m not in the mood, or don’t have the energy to dress up in an extravagant outfit, I can still feel confident and like myself when I add all my accessories to what I would consider one of my “basic” outfits.
#2 THRIFT!
I LOVE thrifting, as I’m sure many of you do. Although it can be time consuming, I truly believe it is far more rewarding building your wardrobe around secondhand pieces that will stand the test of time. I found my love for thrifting at 4 years old when my Nana would take me to Savers and let me pick out a new (pre-loved) doll. The love for thrifting then continued around the age of 12 when my sister would let me tag along with her on her Goodwill trips. Over the past 8 years or so, I have been curating my unique wardrobe, special to just me.
That is the beautiful thing about thrifting; you collect one-of-a-kind items. In addition to the positive impact thrifting has on sustainability, it has a positive effect on your bank! There are so many one-of-a-kind pieces out
there waiting for a new home.
#3 You already have THE outfit.
For us fashion girlies, when we book a trip, buy those concert tickets, or plan a birthday dinner for a friend, one of our first thoughts is always, “What am I going to wear?!” While it is very
tempting to run to your favorite online shop or even thrift store, I have found that digging deep in my closet for items I already have has saved me a lot of time and money. Taking advantage of the pieces we already own and styling them differently than we typically would, can create a whole new variety of possible outfits for these special occasions.
#4 Know your closet.
In a 2022 New York Times article, it is said that “20% of what’s in your wardrobe is worn 80% of the time. Which is to say, 80% of what is in your wardrobe is not worn most of the time.” We don’t wear 80% of our closet??! I was given this statistic by my fashion professor. It really got me thinking about all the clothes that get piled under each other and forgotten about in my own closet. I wanted to change that, so over the past several months, I have taken the time to rearrange and organize my closet.
I do this by creating spaces with the easiest access to everything. I make sure each shirt, pair of pants, and skirt is nicely folded, making it easy to flip through them. I hang up each purse in my large, thrifted, collection to make sure I can see every option. You get the point. We spend so much time and money curating our closet, make sure you know it well and are using it to its full potential.
#5 What would ___ do?
One of my greatest life hacks to picking out an outfit is finding inspiration first. If you are anything like me, you cannot stick to one aesthetic when it comes to your outfits. I feel like a new person most days and I feel the need to dress according to how I feel.
With that said, my final tip is to pick a person; could be a celebrity, the character from that one film, or the girl you saw at the grocery store. Draw inspiration from someone and channel that energy.
We all have those moments when picking out an outfit where, even though it’s a cute outfit, you just don’t feel like yourself. This is why finding the persona that feels good to you in that specific moment is so important. Finding, of course physical, but also emotional comfort in your outfit will kick start a great day.
