While I was walking to the Student Service Center this morning, I passed a young man who thought it was fashionable to wear a t-shirt with dragons all over it.  Along with his poor choice of shirt, he decided to complete his outfit with a black trench coat and black parachute pants that looked like a skirt when he walked.  So if any of you have any of these items in your closet, please throw them out, they aren’t fashionable.

It’s bad when a persons clothes can catch my attention from across the quad.  That is exactly what happened to a student who thought it would be a good idea to wear mustard/puke yellow skinny jeans, which were twenty sizes too small, paired with a hot pink shirt – also way too small.  The jeans weren’t so bad but paired with HOT pink…not so good.  If the person decided to wear a black shirt, that fit properly, instead of pink, the outfit might have been slightly more acceptable.

While walking home from class one day, I saw a girl wearing a terrible outfit.  I actually wondered if she had gotten dressed in the dark that morning.  The first thing I noticed were the stripper heels she was wearing.  Now, for those of you who don’t know, stripper heels are extremely high heels that are clear and have a lot of straps.  You would expect a girl who wears stripper shoes around campus to be able to walk in these shoes…wrong.  This poor girl was wobbling all over the place, I thought she was going to fall and break her ankle.  If her shoes were her only fashion mistake, then I might have been able to let her go, but it wasn’t.  She paired the shoes with tight acid wash jeans; these jeans were in style in the 1980’s, not 2009.  The jeans looked like they came from the kids’ section of a department store because they were extremely tight, even though this fashion victim already looked to be a size 2.  To complete the outfit, she had on a clear studded belt, a light pink tank top and a jacket that was wrapped around her wasit.  I am not a fan of apparrel wrapped waists, so when I saw this, I almost fell over.  Needless to say, she has to be the worst dressed person I have even seen on campus.

Now I will focus my attention on professors.  A lot of professors at Bloomsburg have a very unique fashion sense, and I will tell you about the fashion no-no’s my professors have commited.

First, I will start off with the pleather jacket.   This was no ordinary black pleather jacket - this was turquoise jacket and I swear when my professor moved, the jacket made a noise.  (By the way, pleather is plastic leather.)  Aside from the pleather jacket, the professor’s outfit wasn’t bad.  She paired the horrible pleather with light khaki pants.

Two semesters ago, I had the worst dressed professor ever.  I would sit through class and think of ways to fix her outfit - that’s how badly she was dressed.  First of all, professors really shouldn’t wear knee-high hooker boots; it just isn’t right.  Second, those hooker boots should not be paired with gaucho pants.  My professor was really tall and petite, but she didn’t wear clothes that fit her properly.  She would wear hooker boots, gaucho pants, and a long  sweater that made her look double her size.  It just didn’t look nice on her.  What she needed was a cropped jacket and a shirt that hit right at the hip.  She had so much potential, but she just didn’t know what to pair with what.

Not only was she poorly dressed every day, but her hair looked like a disaster.  (I have curly hair and I spend 45 minutes straightening it, so I know the affects humidity has on hair.  Apparently, my professor did not.)  Her hair was so big and so frizzy, I wanted to bring anti-frizz spray to class.  Hopefully she has changed her style since last year, or at least tamed her hair.

I am sure there are more fashion victim stories out there; if you have any stories, leave a comment and let me know.  And if one of these fashion victims happens to be your friends, please take them shopping and help them buy a completely new wardrobe.

(All Photos Courtesy of Google Images.)

Whenever girls get ready to go out, whether it be to the local bar or going to work, we open our closet doors and stare.  We stare at the mounds of clothes hanging in front of us, not knowing what to wear.  To make this process a little easier, add these ten essential fashion items to your closet.

Dress Pants: Everyone needs a good pair of dress pants.  Whether they are black, grey, or blue, everyone needs a pair of these pants for work or upcoming internships. Get a pair that fit you perfectly so you can take this look from the office to a night on the town.  

www.gap.com

Black Skirt:  Every girl loves to wear a skirt - just make sure it’s the right fit.  Pencil skirts are very in right now but that cut doesn’t look good on everyone.  Always make sure to try it on.  I guarantee that you will walk in the fitting room with ten pairs of skirts and walk out with only two.

www.forever21.com

Jeans:  Most of us own about a million pairs of jeans but there are only a few that fit us perfectly.  We have all tried on four pairs of jeans before we go out, but every time we always end up with our favorite pair on. Like the dress pants and skirts, jeans should fit you perfectly. 

www.gap.com

Blouse:  To match those dress pants, you need a nice blouse.  A lot of the clothes on this list are black but this is where you can add color into your closet.  Plum is the hot color this fall/winter so wearing a silk plum blouse with dress pants or pairing it with jeans is a nice, polished look.  Also, a print blouse is a great look.

www.gap.com

Blazer:  This is a fun way to mix and match your items.  If you are wearing a black skirt, you don’t have to match it with a black blazer.  Wearing a tweed blazer or a cropped blazer will make this a staple in any outfit.  

Little Black Dress:  I don’t care if you don’t have any of these items but please, please make sure that you have a little black dress.  It is the one thing that every girl needs.  It can be worn to work with a blazer over top of it, out to the bars, or to a friend’s wedding.  It’s the perfect go-to dress.  So right now, drop whatever you are doing, sprint to the store and get yourself your very own little black dress.

www.nordstrom.com

Cardigan:  This light sweater can be worn any time.  Wearing a print cardigan can make any outfit fun.  This can be perfect for a work atmosphere but great for running errands on a Sunday afternoon. 

www.gap.com

www.gap.com

Clutch/Purse:  When going out, we need to carry keys, make-up, and an I.D.  Putting these items in a colorful clutch will help complete your outfit.  

www.gap.com

Accessories:  Rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets all complete an outfit.  Classic pearls are great to add to any outfit.  Also big and bulky jewelry is also a winner.  Just don’t pair big and bulky with pearls…not a good look.  Also, despite what some of you might think, matching silver with gold can be a good look.  Mixing silver and gold bracelets is a great idea.

www.forever21.com

Heels or Flats:  We all need a good pair of heels and flats.  Flats can be worn with jeans when going out with friends.  Heels can go from the office to Happy Hour. Classic black heels are always great to have. They can dress up jeans and complete a work outfit. 

www.stevemadden.com

www.stevemadden.com

All of these items are staples that should be in every girl’s closet.  These items don’t have to be paired together but should be a pair of your everyday wardrobe.  Make sure you have at least one of these items and you are set.  If you don’t have all of these items go out and get them now!  Happy Shopping!

Sephora hosts dozens of self tanners for every inch of the body. Mists, gels, moisturizers, foams, and creams in bottles of all shapes and sizes are available, and the tanning products at Sephora range from around $20.00 to about $50.00. Two of the top selling brands are Clarins and Mystic Tan. Even Michael Kors has put out a tanning shine for legs.Other tanning products include moisturizer to increase the longevity of a sunless tan. Moisturizer helps keep a sunless tan intact for a longer period of time. If your self tanning experience happens to turn ugly, you can purchase self-tan remover packets. This especially helpful since sunless tanner users often stain their hands my mistake during application.Not wanting to spend a ton of money or order online?Walmart stocks SunDial™ Self-Tanner. The SunDial self-tanner by Banana Boat can be adjusted with a dial for your skin tone. Tanning moisturizers can be found at many pharmacies and grocery stores like NIVEA’s self-tan spray and lotion. NIVEA also sells self-tan wipes. Dove also has a self-tan moisturizer Energy Glow.Remember the best way to have equal coverage of a sunless tan is to exfoliate your skin.For helpful sunless tanning tips visit: SunlessTipsTanning in Bloomsburg Pa.: Venus Spa and Skin Care Center offers sunless tanning services.

(Above: A variety of sunless tanning methods)

Melissa M.