20 college must haves for the new semester.

In the years I was an undergraduate, I have learned so much about literature. But even more so, I have learned what items are necessary for me to survive the fifteen weeks of the semester. Now in my first year of graduate school, I know which highlighters never run out, what bag will hold my heaviest anthologies, and how many hours I need to study before an exam. With school beginning in less than a week, I thought I'd compile a list of must haves for any girl trying to survive the 'best years of her life.' Details on each item after the jump!

asymmetrical skirts: the inquisition.

Yesterday, I woke up to a text from one of my best friends asking me if she could still wear her asymmetrical skirt into the fall. My initial response to any question about carrying an item of clothing over into the next season is, YES! Do it! Why not?! But in actuality, it all depends on a few factors: style, color & weather. A mid-length or high-low skirt can be worn into fall but only while the weather is still warm enough that you wouldn't need tights. Tights are a no no when it comes to skirts that fall below the knee, in my opinion, whether they fall that way in the front or back (or side, in this case!). Color is important because it is very hard to pull off certain colors in autumn: neons, mints & pastels in general are difficult, but if the weather is nice enough (cue the third factor), then it's possible. But wearing a neon yellow asymmetrical skirt when it is 40 degrees out and cloudy? Not going to fly. Plus, your legs would freeze!

Here I chose an asymmetrical skirt that I think is actually a little more early-fall appropriate than even summer! I styled it two ways: to the left is a fall look, complete with a cropped blazer and ankle boot; to the right is the summer look, a cropped, sheer tank with a bandeau and flat gladiator sandal. I think both looks would be perfect to wear into the night. The summer look would be great to wear at an outside bar with girl and guy friends. Sipping on a vodka soda while swinging your skirt around? Sounds pretty ideal to me! The fall look would be great for a date in the city. I'm growing tired of women thinking they have to wear tight dresses on dates; this outfit is the ultimate 'sexy without trying to be sexy' kind of look. And the cropped jacket would give you shape! So get rid of your spanx on date night and slip into something a little more funky.

P.S. How cute are those Jeffrey Campbell ankle boots? I got them for my birthday and I'm so excited to try them out with fall outfits!

business as usual.

It seems that I lost my inspiration for a while there. And by "lost my inspiration," I mean I was knee deep in my first graduate school course and found little time to breathe, let alone to feel inspired enough to post here! I created snippets of posts, all of which never made it to editing, but I am working on it… I promise! (Yes, I know I have made hasty promises before. But I am being truthful. Really. Truly.)

Since summer is coming to a rapid close, I have been feeling less and less excited about getting dressed. Part of me is clinging to the days lounging by the pool, but every time I glance into my closet, I want to throw on sweaters and boots and fall back into the easy fashions that come with autumn. It truly is the easiest and most fun time to dress, isn't it? Think of all the options and layers that are involved! I do hope that we have a relatively warm fall/winter, but with enough cool breezes to make the grandpa sweater I recently purchased at Macy's worth the buy.

But before we jump completely into sweaters… There is an all day convention for English majors and everyone interested in careers dealing with publishing or academia coming up in just a few short weeks. It takes place after my first week of classes, and I am both nervous and excited for it! It will be my first time going to anything of this kind, and I have to say that I should have signed up for something like this much sooner. There will be talks about CVs and resumes (my two archenemies!), as well as plenty of time for questions and networking. While I should be figuring out what kind of things to bring with me (resumes? business cards? a small notepad and pen!), I have been focusing even more on what to wear, of course. Here is what I came up with in just a matter of an hour while playing around on Polyvore: I came up with two different options: one with a skirt and one with black jeans. It all depends on how formal I think I need to be. I wanted each look to have a business appropriate side, but also with something about it that makes me stand out.

For the first outfit, there are two pieces that would make me stand out. First and foremost, the fact that I would be wearing a skater skirt. I know that most people in a business-type event would go for a pencil skirt, but that simply wouldn't be me. This skirt is flirty, but also long enough not to be inappropriate, especially if worn with tights. Then there is the fact that the white button-up has studs on the collar. The buttoned-up-to-the-top look usually indicates that someone is stuffy (in fact, it reminds me of Lilith on Cheers), but the studs would both make me approachable as well as help me to stand out. A gold watch and black flats with gold accents would finish this look perfectly, especially if I opted to wear my hair in a ponytail or bun.

For the second outfit, I went more casual. The shirt is a bit more flowy, and although I would be wearing jeans, the fact that they are black would make them look more event-appropriate. For this look, it's important to have some kind of heel to give the leg length and to add a touch of formality. However, I also have to be realistic, and know that I won't be going to the city in tall pumps anytime soon (nor would they be appropriate!), so I chose am ankle boot with a short heel; that way, the leg is elongated without sacrificing comfort!

I chose basic black bags and a pale pink lip with both looks, because again, it's important to only have one thing that is going to draw the eye to you (me). For the second look, the stand out would be the color of the shirt. I also would love to have this business card holder (and business cards, obviously!) because I never know who I may meet.

Let me know what you think of my two looks, and make sure to check back in a couple weeks to see what I actually end up wearing! Who knows, maybe I'll go in a completely different direction!