STYLE GURU STYLE: The Minimalist Way

I don’t know about you, but now more than ever the reality that school is right around the corner has never been more real. For some, the idea of leaving long beach days and summer vacations behind is just downright depressing. Or perhaps on the contrary, you simply can’t wait to take on the new adventures awaiting you at school. Well, for me, I can’t wait to hit the racks because it means back to school shopping!

As a rising junior, my back to school shopping has become less of a Staples trip and more of a fashion haul. Rather than checking the registry for school supplies I’ve spent most of my time flipping through magazines and blogs in search of the best college ready fashion. This week, my back to school shopping was especially successful as I was inspired to create today’s look.

While binge browsing Style.com for the latest trends, I stumbled across Tracy Reese’s new resort 2016 collection. As its name suggests, resort collections showcase pre-spring/summer pieces that the designers have created for the fashion-forward vacationer. What drew me to Tracy Reese’s collection in particular was that it revealed a more minimalist approach to 2016 resort/cruise wear. Minimalist fashion is becoming a huge trend and is well suited for any Fashionista looking to transition their wardrobe from college to career. However, I can’t deny the irony in finding inspiration for college wear in a collection designed for vacationing.

Though I loved all the pieces in this collection, look 3 inspired me the most to create a more college-friendly option from the items modeled in the look. What was even more compelling was that I was able to recreate this look in three simple steps. I first threw on my favorite striped T-shirt dress. T-shirt dresses are a staple in my wardrobe as my style tends to be more sporty-chic, or “fabletic”. As a rule of thumb, when purchasing striped dresses, shoot for ones with vertical rather than horizontal stripes. Vertical stripes elongate the body and therefore allude at a slimmer physique. Horizontal stripes however tend to broaden your shape and drown out your natural silhouette, especially with loose fitting garments. In my case, since the horizontal lines on my dress are so fine and the dress is form fitting, my shape isn’t disfigured by the stripes.

Next, to stay true to the minimalist vibe of the collection I then paired my dress with some black sandals and round, black sunglasses. As a personal touch, I also wore my favorite fedora since the black detailing around the top tied seamlessly into the rest of the outfit. Creating the perfect college-friendly outfit was literally as simple as one, two, three. Remember with fashion, less is often more.

Get My Look: 1. A striped dress of your choice. 2. A pair of black sandals. 3. Round sunglasses.

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