American Schooling

So with the return of school, I've decided to try and go back to some pretty normal basics. Because I don't have too much time to style myself before school, and because I don't always have time to pick out a fabulous outfit (and because I'm on a tight high school budget!), I try to stick with really simple basic pieces and pepper in a few things with a bit of pizzazz. So, I decided to check out American Apparel to see if I could find a few things to catch my eye.

I myself don't own too many T-shirts, as the ones I do own tend to be "themed" T-shirts (from teams or clubs or camps or whatever) and thus far too large for my petite body. However, I've sort of bought into the whole voluminous-top-tight-pants look, and so I've been on the hunt for some stylishly loose t-shirts to wear with skinny jeans. There's an ombre one, which hints at some recent ombre trends on the runway, as well as a letter one which adds sort of a quirky academic feel...perfect for school.



You can always count on a sweatshirt to look perfectly relaxed for school. My style is a little more straightlaced, but I love a comfy sweatshirt and I'd love to stray away from my typical stash of college sweatshirts. The sweatshirt-dress-thing could be worn with tights and flats for a relaxed-quirky-cool look, or with skinny jeans and a scarf for a dressed up-sweats look. The offshoulder sweatshirt may look a little cheesy, but a new friend of mine always shows up to school wearing these really relaxed, off-shoulder sweatshirts with tank tops and I've started to love the look a little more.



Finally, for the coming winter months I'm predicting a return of the tight. Perhaps it won't hit quite as hard as it did last year, but it'll still be a really popular way for people to recycle their more summery outfits for winter use. Thigh-highs are a great way to avoid the "control-top" look that most tights offer. Plus, even though the split-colour tights are pretty over the top, how cool would those look with a plain black t-shirt dress??

Back to School from Gap

Hey guys, so since my school begins tomorrow, I thought I'd do a post about school-ready wear, brought to you by the ever-so-lovely members of the Gap family.

Starting with the mature and style-conscious high schooler, Banana Republic, we have two pieces that are great for injecting a lot of style with very little effort. There's a silk scarf, that's $26.99, which can easily be tied onto a cute tote or worn around your neck/in your hair for some extra flavour. Even if you're just wearing a black tee and skinny jeans, tying this around your neck will add some pizzazz. Then, there's a really easy-breezy shirtdress in an eye-catching yet still subtle shade of purple that's $24.99. T-shirt dresses are one of my favourite things to lean back on during the school year, when I want to look put-together but not too overstyled. Plus, this one's got a waist tie, which makes sure that you don't look like you're just wearing a purple shapeless sack.



From the stable-minded middle schooler, Gap, we've got a really simple, cute twill tote in a very neutral-chic shade of taupe that's $45.00. I love that the bag has tote handles and a shoulder handle, as each style gives off a different vibe. Plus, it's roomy enough to hold all your books and pencils and whatnot. Then, there's a more edgy tote from the (Product) Red line that's $20.00. This one definitely adds style to your outfit, but I would suggest this for people that are generally pretty laid-back with what they wear to school, as it might contrast weirdly with, say, a button-up cardigan and a pleated skirt.



From the fun-loving lower schooler, Old Navy, there's a really simple shoulder bag that's perfect for people on a budget. It's only $8.99, but it's roomy enough to hold all of your books and stylish enough to take you through the school year looking good. Plus, it comes in two gorgeous jewel-toned colours that aren't neutral but that still go with essentially everything.



Finally, from the newest little baby, Piperlime, we have a pair of fun pink Converse for $40.00. These are great for pulling on when you're having a sweatshirt-and-jeans moment, or for adding extra pop to an outfit. The cute pink colour makes sure that you stand out, as Converse shoes are fairly popular among the schoolgoing crowd.

Scholarly Style

I've always found it hard to inject your own personal style into school-related accessories without seeming overly pretentious; somehow, toting around my books and laptop in a bag emblazoned with the Coach logo doesn't quite give off the vibe I'm looking for. At the same time, I don't want to put my school outfits to shame by accessorizing them poorly. Personally, I bring around a simple black Longchamp Le Pliage Large Tote. This bag is unbelievably roomy, though it may not seem so at first. And yes, everyone has one...but I don't care. I love this bag to death and hope it lasts a very, very long time.


Of course, to stay on top of all of the appointments, due dates, and assignments, a girl needs a cute little planner. Since it's summer, I have three months to ponder whether I want to get a cute planner from some office supply store, or splurge on a kate spade one. One side of my head is telling me that it's just a planner, but the other knows that I'll probably be using a planner for the rest of my life and so a kate spade planner would not only be unbelievably cute but also very useful in the long term. I'm also torn between a normal planner (top) and a fold-out calendar contraption (bottom):



Something that girls like to do at my school is have fun with their pencil cases. Lesportsac has taken over the pencil case market in a big way, even though most of their products are intended to be cosmetics cases or odds-and-ends zipper pouches. Almost everyone who puts thought into what pencil case they have buys a Lesportsac one, similar to this:


I had a Lesportsac of my own at one point, gifted to my by a friend whose love of all things Lesportsac was insurmountable. I'm actually a big fan of Lesportsac, because it offers a good item that you know everyone loves, but still allows you to individualize by offering a seemingly endless array of prints. But I recently retired my navy Lesportsac (figures) for this lovely little Kate Spade cosmetic case:


Although you can't see it in the picture, this case has an adorable black polka dot lining, which is just the cherry on top for me, as I love this little bag even just from the outside. I was able to snag it for $30 on sale at Kate Spade, which is a little bit more than your typical Lesportsac, but in my opinion...completely worth it. You can still grab your own, but I don't know how much longer these will be in stock.

Actually, going back to that Lesportsac thing, I've since grown out of the idea of Lesportsac bags being used as anything but cosmetics cases/pencil cases/odds-and-ends pouches/etc. but I came upon this little grey cutie in the Lesportsac Boutique section for just over $100. Now, I have never seen this bag in person and so the gathering and tying detail could be hideously plastic-looking, but at least from my computer screen this is actually kind of...cute?