Rainy Day Essentials

They say “April showers bring May flowers.” Now, while I can’t say whether the flowers part is true or not yet, Maryland has been experiencing a lot of rain of this April. Almost every day I wake up to gray skies and cold drizzly rain falling.  As a result, as I try to think of something to wear, I am often stuck staring in front of my closet, trying to think of what I should wear to keep me somewhat dry on miserable rainy days. So, I decided to put together a little guide of things I think are essential to have in a college students wardrobe to combat the rainy day weather.

Rainboots

Juicy Couture Rainboots

Rainboots are an absolute necessity when you are in college. Now while you can definitely get away without having them in high school since you spend the whole day inside, in college, you will be outside all of the time. Whether you’re walking to the dining hall, your dorm, or a class, you’ll be spending a lot of time outside. And on a rainy day, you will get soaked. So, if you want to avoid having sopping wet feet, buy rainboots! Plus, it’s fun to stomp through all the puddles that appear on campus instead of side-stepping them.

Your boots don’t have be expensive, but they should be good enough quality that water will not soak through them after a couple of wears. Although mine are Juicy, I would definitely recommend checking out Hunter rainboots – they make some of the best rainboots around. However, if you are looking for some cheaper options, Target makes very affordable (and cute) options.

Sperrys

Sperrys

For days when it’s raining, but it’s not pouring, Sperrys are the perfect option. Because they are waterproof, they will keep your feet dry all day, and look cute with just about any outfit. If you couldn’t tell, I have had the pair on the left for almost three years now. They have seen me through many days of standing on the floor all day working retail, in addition to rainy days. So don’t just keep these in the back for rainy days – wear them all the time! While the primary use of the shoes on the left is to get ruined, I bought the pair on the right for fun. Sperrys come in a lot of different patterns, so I thought it would be fun to have one kind of nice pair to wear with my preppy ensembles.

Umbrella

Totes Umbrella

The last thing you definitely cannot get by without is a sturdy umbrella. I actually have two, the first one  can be thrown in my bag in the event that it may rain, I have something to cover my while I walk around campus. This is my other one. It is big, sturdy, and does not flip inside out when it is raining cats and dogs. Plus, I love the fun zebra print! If you can only afford to buy one, I would definitely recommend getting one more like this one from Totes. It will keep you dry as you trudge across campus, and it will last forever.

Now, you may notice that I never mentioned a rain coat. Normally, people would probably call this essential for rainy days. However, I am not normal, and I actually don’t wear a raincoat. I have found that  a lot of the time when it rains in Maryland, it is in the fall or spring, and it is way too humid to wear a coat. So, I usually just wear a cardigan or something to keep me warm. My trusty rainboots and umbrella keep me dry enough, so for me, there is not need for a rain coat.

Forecast for Spring

Spring started six days ago, so I really am kind of late on “forecasting” style for spring. Technically, I probably should have talked about this after New York Fashion Week in the fall, but I didn’t have this blog then. But who cares about rules? I’m going to comment on what I have been noticing has been popular recently.

Lace

Yesterday I went shopping for the first time since December. I know right? How this is that possible considering I have a blog about fashion? Well, it is. I am a poor college student, and as a result, I haven’t been shopping in a long time. Regardless, I was at Forever 21 yesterday, and I noticed all kinds of lace everywhere! From white and black lace, to edge and venetian lace, it seemed to be on just about every piece of clothing in the store.

Lace dress, $97, Forever21 cut out dress, $23, Sheer dress, $98, Miss Selfridge shrug top, 28 GBP, Free People bandeau tube top, $28, Lace top, $17, Cardigan, 35 GBP, Lace top, $17, H M pink tank top, Rue21 chiffon skirt, $22, Lace short, $36, Forever21, $23, Minuet Petite pink skirt, 35 GBP, Cover up swimwear, 55 GBP, American Eagle outfitter, $25, Black lace necklace, $20, Necklace, $13, TopShop hair accessory, $8

Notice how almost everything is in the same feminine color palette…pinks, whites, and beige. Now, while I kind of like that, I think a lot more people would like lace if it came in other colors. If you are afraid of feeling too girly in one of these pieces, trying pairing it with something a little less delicate-like a lace tank with a leather motorcycle jacket!

Florals

Last week, I was waiting for a table in D.C., and was left standing outside for at least an hour. Usually this is pretty boring, but I was on a busy street and there was tons of people watching to do! I was on the same street at the Verizon Center actually (on the day on the Pitt v. Butler game), so there was definitely some interesting fashion present. Anyways, so one thing I noticed was the popularity of floral.

Now, I love floral! Other than with lace or pink, how else can you easily make an outfit girly easily? Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t floral print; they think it comes off looking too much like an old lady. However, there is a right way to wear floral- in moderation. Don’t go all out in a really long big print floral dress, you will look like a grandma. If you wear a small bit (like on a bandeau top under a tank), you can still look young!

Floral dress, $45, Floral dress, 27 GBP, Cotton dress, 22 GBP, Tube dress, $18, H M floral dress, Floral top, $45, Forever21 knit tank top, $13, Rue21 floral skirt, $30, Maggie and Me cotton mini skirt, 20 GBP, Ladies Laced Floral Wellies, 16 GBP, Forever21 canvas shoes, $20, Forever21 flat thong sandal, $13, Floral print handbag, 10 GBP, Pink bracelet, $44, Marc Jacobs gold chain bracelet, $42, Monsoon stud earring, 14 GBP, BKE bracelet, $8.04, Forever21 floral jewelry, $2.80, Floral hair accessory, $12, Floral sunglass, $9.99, Floral scarve, 6,95 EUR

Design your own Keds!

If I had to pick one word to describe my style, I would choose preppy. Although my style changes everyday on a day-to-day basis, “preppy,” is one word that I relate to the most. I love pink and green, Lilly Pulitzer shift dresses, Sperry boat shoes, pearl earrings, Ralph Lauren polos, and cardigans.  However, as a college student, I don’t have a lot of money to spend on this kind of stuff all the time. As a result, I am always looking for ways to add new pieces to my preppy style, without spending a ton of money.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I found my new favorite blog this weekend, The College Prepster. A junior at Georgetown University, she also has a love of all things preppy (hence the title.) As I went through months of her old posts, lusting over her entire wardrobe, I found something that I knew I wouldn’t be able to do without- customizable Keds. I know what you’re envisioning: those boring white canvas sneakers that your mom lived in as a kid (at least my mom did.) WRONG! At just $60, you can now design your own, and add a new piece to your preppy wardrobe.

Liberty of London for Target Keds

So here is the first pair I designed, and I am in love with them! I wasn’t very inspired by the prints they had available online, so I took a picture of my Liberty of London for Target printed scarf, and uploaded it to the website. Voila- instant transformation! For the trim, I chose a light pink, that complimented the flowers on the scarf. I kept the laces white, just to keep the shoes from having too many elements.

Lilly Pulitzer Keds

This is the second pair I made. Again, I took a picture of one of my scarves (in this case, a Lilly Pulitzer murphee scarf,) and added the print only to the tongue on the shoe. When I did the print overall, it was just too much. In addition, I added pink shoelaces with pink eyelets, and added hot pink trim. Although these are a lot less graphic than my first pair, I still love how they turned out.

If you would like to design your own pair of Keds, click this link here. Post in the comments, and show me how they turned out!