college student – Selfies & OOTDs

Celebrating Year Two: My Blog’s Second Anniversary

Published on February 7, 2021 by Kayla4 Comments

Today is officially two years since the launch of my blog! I have grown so much as a blogger and content creator over these past 730 days, and I wanted to celebrate with a super fun blog shoot to commemorate the occasion. I did a blog shoot with a number one balloon last year for my first anniversary, and I wanted to bring that back for year two!

This amazing white fringe dress has been sitting in my closet since the start of the pandemic, and I thought that my blog anniversary would be the perfect excuse to bring it out. February is frigid in Norman (and getting colder over the next week!) so I had to pair it with my favorite fluffy blue coat. While these are both statement pieces and could easily carry the outfit on their own, I thought they would be even more fun together. And I was right!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Coat: Light Blue Fur Coat (similar)
Dress: Rhinestone Fringe Dress – Forever 21
Shoes: Go-Go Boots – Ellie

I’m looking forward to year three (that feels so crazy to say!) and I hope you’ll come along for the ride. Follow along on my Instagram or subscribe on the sidebar to stay up-to-date!

-K

Celebrity Style: Margot Robbie Edition

Published on January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 by Kayla1 Comment

Margot Robbie, especially in this shoot on the set of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, has always been major hair and style inspo for me. While the perfect at-home blowout still eludes me, I realized that I could probably come pretty close to emulating this iconic look thanks to my latest impulse purchase: white go-go boots (which are on sale right now for just $22, by the way!)

I love this outfit so much and can’t wait to incorporate it into my regular outfit cycle (although note to self: wait until it’s warmer than 32 degrees next time!)

SHOP THE LOOK:

Top: Black Turtleneck Sweater (similar)
Skirt: Women’s Court Dri-FIT Flouncy Tennis Skirt – Nike
Purse: Black Crossbody – bebe
Shoes: Go-Go Boots – Ellie

Not tucking my turtleneck into my skirt was giving me major 2010 Kayla vibes, but I think it actually turned out super cute! Who is your celebrity style inspiration?

-K

Welcoming Winter: An OOTD

Published on November 29, 2020 by KaylaLeave a comment

November is almost over and Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means winter is officially on the way! I’m home in Texas for the holidays which means I’m getting slightly warmer weather than I would back in Oklahoma, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t getting cold here, too. After several days of 70-degree weather, this morning I was able to add a sweater to my #OOTD and start bundling up a little more.

Sweaters (especially turtleneck sweaters) are my fave during the winter. I paired my classic white turtleneck sweater with jeans, booties, and a velvet newsboy cap for a super easy winter look. I also appreciate that the hat helps to keep my ears warm when the wind starts picking up!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Hat: Black Newsboy Cap (similar)
Sweater: White Turtleneck Sweater (similar)
Belt: Black Belt with Rectangle Buckle (similar)
Jeans: Classic Straight Jeans – Madewell
Shoes: Amulet Black – Steve Madden

I can’t believe the holidays are already almost here! I’m looking forward to shopping for my friends and family and picking out fun holiday gifts. If you have any winter content you want me to consider making, let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I can make it happen!

-K

Trend Forecast: Preppy Style

Published on October 9, 2020October 9, 2020 by Kayla3 Comments

I briefly touched on this in my last blog post, but preppy style is back and I’m so excited to see its return! Button-ups, collegiate pullovers, tennis skirts, and headbands are the cutest combo right now, especially with Gen-Z. I went through a hardcore preppy phase when I was younger and I love that this is a more fashion-forward version of what I wore in high school.

I chose to layer my Oklahoma pullover on top of a classic white button-up. I matched the white stitching on the pullover to a white tennis skirt and added white Filas to keep my outfit looking sporty. I wanted to wear a fabric athletic headband but only had one in black, so I chose a black shoulder bag to tie in with my headband and the black Nike swoosh on my skirt. To give my pullover the slightest bit of structure, I lightly tucked one side into the waistband of my skirt. That little detail gave it such a cute asymmetric and casual hemline!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Headband: Black Fabric Headband – Target
Purse: Black Crossbody – bebe
Pullover: Oklahoma Sooners Long Sleeve Crew Sweatshirt – Champion
Shirt: Non-Iron Button-Up – Jones New York
Skirt: Women’s Court Dri-FIT Flouncy Tennis Skirt – Nike
Shoes: Disruptor Sneaker – Fila

I love this look for days where I have class on campus, game day, or really any day that I’m looking to show my Sooner pride! Will you be watching the Red River Rivalry game tomorrow? I know I will be!

-K

Trend Forecast: Steve Madden’s Amulet Black Booties

Published on September 7, 2020October 13, 2020 by KaylaLeave a comment

I need to be honest with you all- I wasn’t a fan of booties until this summer. For some reason, I always felt like whatever bootie I put on made my legs look shorter, and for someone with legs that are already on the shorter side, that was less than ideal. But then over the summer I purchased these white booties, and that was it- I knew I was going to need to get my hands on some black booties ASAP to round out my shoe collection.

These black booties from Steve Madden were floating around my TikTok “For You Page” a lot over the summer, and eventually (once my final paycheck hit my bank account) I knew it was time to take the plunge. They are almost exact dupes of these Gucci booties, but without the $1100 price tag. As a college student, I love saving money wherever I can and being able to get the look for $1000 less was absolutely amazing!

I have several friends that have purchased these booties as well, so I know they’re going to be a really popular shoe choice for fall 2020. I chose to style them with a white button-up, black skirt, and gold chain belt to coordinate with the gold encasing the jewels on the boots. I think it’s so chic and the booties definitely add a little bit of an edge to this feminine outfit!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Headband: Puffy Black Headband – Target
Earrings: Gold Hoop Earrings (similar)
Shirt: White Button-Up Shirt (similar)
Belt: Layered Ancient Coin Chain Belt – Forever 21
Skirt: Pleated Black Skirt (similar)
Shoes: Amulet Black – Steve Madden

A word of warning about the Steve Madden booties- they hurt like a b!tch until you finally have them broken in. They literally wore holes into my calves the first time I wore them. I’m actually not sure if I’m breaking in the shoes or if the shoes are breaking in me- either way, I’m excited to finally have them worn in enough to wear without needing bandaids!

-K

Blush and Bronze: Styling Silk Scarves

Published on August 21, 2020October 2, 2020 by KaylaLeave a comment

One of my favorite style obsessions from this summer has to be wearing silk scarves as tops. I ordered 2 from Amazon immediately and have been loving them ever since. But be warned- do too much physical activity in these babies and they have a tendency to slide right down your torso, no matter how tight you think you tied the knot. I’m speaking from personal experience here.

While there are several different ways you can tie a silk scarf as a top, my personal favorite is the one pictured. This style definitely favors the IBTC, so if you need a little more coverage, this might not be the style for you- a halter-style tie may be more feasible. All you need to do to achieve the style I’m currently sporting is fold your square scarf into a triangle diagonally, then bring it around with the widest angle pointing straight down your back. Tie the 2 ends into a knot and adjust, then you’re done!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Sunglasses: Rose Gold Round Sunglasses – H&M
Top: Large Satin Scarf – YOUR SMILE
Skirt: Brown Suede Skirt (similar)
Purse: Jelly Purse – Windsor
Shoes: Gold Wedge Sandals (similar)

Still confused on how to tie the scarf correctly? I made this graphic in case you’re more of a visual learner:

-K

Earning Your Stripes: Styling Menswear

Published on August 14, 2020October 2, 2020 by Kayla1 Comment

Having worked several retail jobs in my life, I’ve learned a few things about clothing. One thing I’ve especially picked up on is the difference between men’s and women’s clothing. While womenswear often caters to more trendy styles, menswear tends to stick to the basics. In my experience, it also tends to be higher quality, softer, more durable- the list goes on.

So why is it so uncommon for women to venture into the men’s section when purchasing clothing? Androgyny is becoming more and more mainstream, but as a sales associate I still rarely saw women venture into the men’s section, and vice versa. In reality, being able to purchase clothing because you like it, not just because of the gendered section it’s sorted into, opens up a whole new world of possibilities for both men and women.

For this outfit, the menswear piece I chose to style was the button-down shirt. While I appreciate a good androgynous look, that’s not completely my style, so I wanted to make sure I was able to style this men’s piece in a way that was still feminine. I chose to style this look with a black lacy bralette, high-waisted mom denim shorts, and gold accessories to balance out the masculinity of the men’s shirt. I also chose to partially tuck in my shirt to add visual interest with a faux asymmetric hemline.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Necklace: Initial Letter Pendant Necklace – Amazon
Top: Striped Shirt (similar)
Bralette: Black Lace Bralette (similar)
Shorts: Denim High-Waist Cuff Shorts – American Apparel
Belt: Black Belt with Rectangle Buckle (similar)
Purse: The Envelope Crossbody – JW PEI
Shoes: Disruptor Sneaker – Fila

Shoutout to my old coworker Mikey for being the inspiration behind my half-tucked shirt! I loved this style last summer but totally forgot about it until I saw him rocking it one day at work. If you’re not following him on Instagram, you should be- he’s a thrift and vintage stylist and a total fashion icon!

-K

Mad For Plaid: An OOTD

Published on July 24, 2020October 2, 2020 by KaylaLeave a comment

You ever feel like dressing up “just because”? That was me this morning. No plans, no errands to run. I just felt like putting on a cute outfit and feeling good about myself. I snagged this Urban Outfitters romper one of my first days on the job at Uptown Cheapskate, and I’ve been looking for a reason to wear it ever since. As you can see, I eventually decided I don’t always need a reason to wear my favorite clothes. Simply wanting to is reason enough.

I wanted to keep this look pretty classic, so I decided to stick to the greyscale color scheme and accessorize with simple black accessories. I’m in love with the new bag I got from JW PEI and hope to add some more styles to my collection in the future. I feel like it added just the right amount of “extra” to my outfit!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Headband: Velvet Braided Headband – SHEIN
Romper: Plaid Romper – Urban Outfitters
Belt: Black Belt with Rectangle Buckle (similar)
Purse: The Envelope Crossbody – JW PEI
Shoes: Beella Ankle Strap Sandal – Madden Girl

For those of you who have been following along for a while, you may have noticed that this romper looks familiar to the dress I wore for my blog’s first anniversary shoot. I’m in love with plaid, so even though I recognized that I already had a similar item in my closet, I caved and bought this romper anyways. Do you have any prints or patterns that you’re drawn to over and over again? Let me know in the comments so I feel less alone!

-K

Watermelon Sugar: Styling Complimentary Colors

Published on July 17, 2020 by Kayla4 Comments

If you were a pre-teen in the late 2000s to early 2010s, you probably remember the iconic color combination that was hot pink and lime green. It was almost unescapable- I feel like everything from clothing to PB Teen home décor was covered in those complimentary colors during that time period. But just because colors are complimentary, that is, colors that opposite of each other on the color circle, doesn’t mean they automatically go together. If you decide to pair complimentary colors together (especially pink and green), you have to be strategic. Otherwise, you’ll unintentionally look like your 2009 middle school self.

To correctly style complimentary colors, you should pick one color to be your main color and one to be your accent color. (For this outfit, I chose green as my main and pink as my accent.) Add some neutrals (mine is white) so the two colors don’t seem completely overwhelming. And whenever possible, don’t pair a neon color with anything other than a neutral. Since I chose light green and light pink, the colors seem less harsh and look more cohesive together.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Earrings: Gold Drop Earrings (similar)
Shirt: 3/4 Sleeve Button Front Shirt – Liz Claiborne
Dress: Green Tube Dress – Urban Outfitters
Purse: Light Pink Crossbody (similar)
Shoes: Gold Wedge Sandals (similar)

With all that being said, feel free to be adventurous when pairing colors together! My recommendations are just that- recommendations- and are not the be-all and end-all of fashion color theory. Be creative, and have fun!

-K

All Tied Up: An OOTD

Published on July 10, 2020October 2, 2020 by KaylaLeave a comment

It’s getting hot in Texas, so I’m always looking for easy-breezy outfits to choose on days I need to be out and about running errands. This is one of my new favs! The silky top is super lightweight and keeps me super cool, and the shorts are stretchy and comfortable. Paired with my wedge sandals that are meant to provide a comfortable walking experience, this outfit is perfect for the days that I’m on the go!

I always struggled with wearing tie-front shirts because I felt like my bra was always showing, but recently I saw a TikTok that showed how to tie the front around your bra to completely stop that from happening. A game-changer for sure!