This past year has been a crazy adventure in growth and testing my damn patience, but my fashion is something I hadn’t really thought of until the last three months of the year. I have recently started actually dressing a bit more elevated than I would normally, and I figured looking back is always fun, if anything for a good laugh. Here are my “fashion highlights” if you can even call them that for this last year.
I tried my best to link the pieces I am wearing but most of them have been in my closet for a while, so I have also linked similar pieces that aren’t too far from the real thing.
–
JANUARY
This outfit is one that I would still wear today, so I feel it can safely be labeled as a basic go-to. This outfit is from my “New Year Refresh” photo sesh I did with my friend Chloe and I love allll of them. Overall, this outfit took no creativity. The T.S. cardigan is fantastic of course, but everything else is quite expected.
Rating: 7/10
Shoes: Something Similar!
Jeans: Something Similar!
Black Top: Linked Here!
Cardigan: (not sold anymore) can be found on eBay, Poshmark, and other reselling websites!
–
FEBRUARY
February was what I will call the comfy month. Based on this picture alone, you can tell that I did not dress up that much and when I did, I kept it as casual as possible. Baggy and Boxy are the words that come to mind when I see this outfit, but those aren’t a bad thing. This fit genuinely made me so carefree because I had a bright color to speak for me. It is admittedly not my best work for sure, but I must say that I can’t completely trash it.
Rating: 4/10
Sweater: Something Similar!
Pants: Something Similar!
Shoes: Something Similar!
Socks: Something Similar!
Glasses: Warby Parker – Jane Glasses in Elderflower Crystal
–
MARCH
Alright this outfit I absolutely LOVE and I can’t find a picture I like that showcases the whole thing properly (don’t worry you’ll see a similar one later). This one actually I would give a solid 7/10 because the romper paired with my creme sweater really is a good combo (the shoes are a bit summery) but other than that I would absolutely wear this one again.
Rating: 7/10
Romper: Something Similar
Sweater: Something Similar
Shoes: Something Similar! (can also be found on poshmark)
–
APRIL
This month was one filled with pictures taken, but not that many of me. I do photoshoots in my free time and absolutely love doing them, but that means that the majority of the space of my phone, laptop, and iPad are taken up by pictures that are of friends, strangers, and probably my cat. Thankfully, Chloe and I have made a habit of having our own little photoshoots, this being one of them. The dress in this picture is at least 4 years old, but it is a great go-to for casual stuff that you might want to have a dress for.
Rating: 6/10
Dress: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!, Something Else That Is Similar!
–
MAY
May’s outfit is one that I wore too many times to count it’s ridiculous! It’s a summer dress from target that was most likely $16 on the sale rack, but she’s a beaut nonetheless. I know this is a very simple outfit, but I would give this a high rating based on the fact that I got so much use out of it!
Rating: 7/10
Dress: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Shoes: Linked Here!, Something Similar!
–
JUNE
This jumpsuit has my heart until the end. of. time. I have worn it to chapter meetings for my sorority, out and about, for a fancy lunch, endless possibilities. I originally got it for my birthday, and I snapped this picture in the dressing room when I tried it on for the first time (love at first sight obviously) and so I knew this had to be the June highlight.
Rating: 9/10
Jumpsuit: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
–
JULY
To be fair – I had a bunch of cute, dressy fits in July because I was doing a lot of cute, dressy things, but this was the everyday go-to for my summer this past year. I was (and still am) obsessed with these bike shorts and a sweatshirt (hi Princess Dianna) even though I am nowhere near being in the royal family. Switch that out with a tennis skirt and you’ve got the two most worn things in my closet whenever it was above 70 degrees. Both are great staples to have if you like the athleisure look, so I’ll be linking both below.
Rating: 8/10
Sports Bra: Linked Here!
Bike Shorts: Linked Here!
Tennis Skirt: Linked Here!
Sunglasses: Linked Here!
Hat: Bought at Eataly in Chicago, no longer sold.
Shoes: Linked Here!
–
AUGUST
August was filled with Sorority Recruitment, school, and travel, so this picture is honestly the most accurate one that I have. My uniform for basically all of August was athletic shorts and a tank top if I had one clean that day along with (not pictured) my platform Tevas/Chacos. Also, Sarah (left) and Macy (middle) are in this because I didn’t have a solo picture that captured my full outfit. I think when we took this we were pretending to be going to school even though all of us had finished our classes for the day. How creative of us!
Rating: 6/10
Tank-Top: Linked Here!
Shorts: Something Similar!
Tevas: Linked Here!
Chacos: Linked Here!, Something Similar!
Backpack: Linked Here!
–
SEPTEMBER
This fit is a good summer to fall transition ensemble that I definitely wore to death (we are seeing a theme here) but I tend to get obsessed with a certain outfit if I can help it. The long-sleeved top with some good ole fashioned jean short cut-offs combo is rarely ever in danger of going out of style. as long as I can get away with it, I will. I tend to slip on a crop top or sports bra underneath in case I got hot, but the breathable fabric really did its job most of the time.
Rating: 8/10
Top: Linked Here!
Shorts: Something Similar!
Shoes: Linked Here!
Sports Bra: Something Similar!
Sunglasses: Linked Here!
–
OCTOBER
This photoshoot was a HUGE pick me up (shoutout Chloe who is surprised) and it was the first time in about two weeks that I actually felt like myself. Color is still a rarity in my wardrobe no matter how hard I try, and this outfit is the most obvious example of that. The Taylor Swift Cardigan makes an appearance yet again with no one being shocked. The black booties are an amazing staple I rely on for almost every nice-ish outfit.
Rating: 8/10
Cardigan: (not sold anymore) can be found on eBay, Poshmark, and other reselling websites!
Shirt: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Skirt: Something Similar!
Booties: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Tights: Linked Here!
Sunglasses: Linked Here!
–
NOVEMBER
I TOLD YOU WE WOULD SEE A BETTER PICTURE OF THIS ROMPER. Alright, I KNOW this is an outfit repeat but all that means is that it’s a good one (right?). The Cardigan is expected (nothing new (see what I did there)) and I have taken other pieces from through the year and combined them for a cute lil’ southern winter outfit. In my defense, it was literally 68 degrees the day this picture was taken. I have worn this romper out a couple of times and I’ve had it for at least a couple of years. It is one of those pieces that can be hard to style, but if you put a turtleneck under, it could transition to winter pretty well!
Rating: 8/10
Cardigan: (not sold anymore) can be found on eBay, Poshmark, and other reselling websites!
Booties: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Romper: Something Similar
Socks: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
–
DECEMBER
I am kind of cheating by using my NYE outfit for this one but COME ON Y’ALL she looks good 🙂 This outfit was surprisingly a risk for me mostly because of the shorts. Color-wise, it is a VERY safe choice for me and I honestly wouldn’t consider this a huge surprise but it is still a gorgeous combo.
Rating: 9/10
Top: Something Similar!
Skort: Jondie Gold Skort, Instagram Linked Here!
Boots: Something Similar! Something Else Similar!
Headband: Not Sold Anymore
–
HONORABLE MENTIONS
THIS DRESS saw me through so many things this semester (including my Halloween costume as seen above) and I am forcing it to never tear or not fit me because I love this thing a ridiculous amount. I would have included it in October, but it was in so many different situations this year I felt like it didn’t have a certain season attached to it.
Rating: 10/10
Dress: Linked Here!
Booties: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Sunglasses: Linked Here!
A: DIY by Macy <3
–
This lil behind the scenes shot is genuinely one of my favorite pictures from this year. I was getting ready for the November photo shoot and Chloe grabbed a few pictures while I was curling my hair. I mayyy have been using the curling wand as a microphone let’s not judge. back to the main point, these plain black leggings and cute bralette were a huge part of my wardrobe this year. I know this may be an outfit in construction, but I felt really dressed up and fancy (probably due to my playlist). I love this nonetheless.
Rating: 7/10
Bralette: Linked Here!
Leggings: Linked Here!
Curling Iron: Linked Here!
–
Y’all. This professional fit went off so hard. I got this blazer as my first step into finding a big kid job (still ongoing) and accidentally turned into the corporate America Kim Possible (oops) but I know this will last a long time and am glad that it’s a part of my wardrobe!
Rating: 9/10
Blazer: Something Similar!
Tank-Top: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Pants: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Heels: Something Similar!, Something Else Similar!
Necklace: Something Similar!
Phone Case: Linked Here!
Glasses: Something Similar!
–
When all is said and done, this year was really significant and I learned an insane amount about myself and my limits, as well as how capable I am of pushing myself. Fashionwise, the same can be said. Here’s to 2022 and hoping I get a little bit more color in my wardrobe.
–
Ellie B