North by Northwestern

Dressing for winter is something new to many of us Northwestern freshmen. Whether we grew up in Texas, California or even Brazil, coming to Evanston and learning the ins and outs of winter gear is a daunting task. Throughout this challenge, I learned that there are some looks that could be seen as cringy or perfectly normal depending on each person. In the attempt to clarify if these fashion moves are actually fashion faux pas, I put together some looks with these “fashion crimes” and tried making them as stylish as possible. Feel free to chime in with your opinions through the polls below.

When days get colder and colder, some people start to wear tights or leggings underneath their jeans. Doing so makes you warm, and most of the time people can’t even see whether you’re wearing them. At the same time, however, almost everyone has at least one pair of ripped jeans in their closet. This is where the debate lies: can someone wear ripped jeans with tights?

I personally have given into this trend due to the lack of variety I have in my closet of non-ripped jeans. On the day that I did wear this look pairing ripped jeans with black thermal tights, no one really seemed to notice. In fact, even if your pants are very ripped, the tights underneath it don’t really call enough attention to be considered a “fashion crime”. Therefore, I think this is definitely a “do” for winter fashion.

Recently, the trend of wearing short, loose pants has become more and more common. I, for one, have more than three pairs of these pants that I love and in which I feel extremely stylish. But when it gets cold, I'm forced to pair them with tights. I love the warmth the combination provides, but I’m a bit iffy on how it looks.

I wore this same exact outfit last week to class. Unlike what I did in the previous outfit, which was to minimize the trend as much as possible, I decided to make the cropped pant the statement piece for the whole look. By using all black, the bright-orange cropped pants stood out and formed a stylish outfit overall. In fact, I received various compliments throughout the day on my pants, though I had worn them “normally” not long ago during the warmer fall days. Thus, tights showing under cropped pants are a definite fashion “do” and can even be used to elevate your style.

I have many spaghetti-strap rompers and dresses in my wardrobe. Naturally, I assumed all of these would move to the back of my closet during winter and would remain untouched until spring came around. However, I’ve seen many people walking around sporting long-sleeved shirts under their dresses and rompers.

After seeing this trend around, I decided to try it on myself. Though different with its '90s feel, matching the romper with a warm pink turtleneck was a great way to get my strappy clothes out of the closet and make them more interesting. Not only do I consider this a fashion “do”, but I’d encourage everyone that has many rompers and dresses to do the same.

The first time I saw this was during the Wildcat Welcome football game. While some either froze in their “Purple Pride” shirt or wore jackets that covered the purple uniforms, others wore hoodies under the purple shirt and remained both warm and full of school spirit. Though it initially struck me as weird, it seemed like the perfect solution. Doing so during winter could also bring t-shirts out of the closet and bring some variety to the everyday-hoodie style that ensues.

Unfortunately though, this combination of hoodie and t-shirt didn’t do me any favours when trying it on. The whole outfit looked baggy, unflattering and failed to be an interesting clothing alternative. Therefore, I think this trend is a fashion “don’t”. In addition, if you are ever thinking of trying this out, I would recommend inverting the hoodie and shirt, wearing the shirt underneath – you will probably like it more that way and prevent the “fashion crime” from happening.

Though the results of the polls are still a mystery to me, the most important thing to keep in mind is that keeping warm should always be your priority during the fall and winter. Though remaining stylish is also a good idea, being prepared should be your focus. So whether you follow or agree with the results above or not, remember that spring is coming soon for you to release your inner fashionista.