Some Brief Dressing Advice

I am by no means a fashionista, a station which would be denied me on my almost-excessive modesty as much as on my lack of fashion sense. However, in the six weeks I have spent at college, I have learned a few ways to avoid looking entirely like a ‘homeschooler’. I don’t want to imply that all homeschoolers dress this way, as they certainly do not, but I know that some do and that during my last year of high school I frequently dressed as if I was not going to leave the house–because I usually wasn’t. Now I see people daily, some of whom I wish to impress because I like them and others because I don’t. So here we go. (I’m not mentioning modesty, because you probably already know how important that is, and if you don’t, a stranger with less than no authority blogging about it isn’t going to change your mind.)

1. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER wear socks with skirts. This is a very important rule. DO NOT DISOBEY IT. Please, just don’t. In particular, do not wear those socks frequently worn by little girls with the lacy, turn-down cuffs. There are at least three homeschooled girls I’ve seen here, all of them very intelligent girls, but for some reason they do this. Just don’t. The sole exception is that it may occasionally be permissible to wear knee-high socks with a knee-length skirt. You may want to double-check this, however.

2. Don’t wear a ponytail every day. In fact, eschew the low ponytail unless you have particularly beautiful hair. Wear it in a side pony, or a high pony if you like that look, or do something creative. Make sure that this creative thing is clearly visible from the front, however. Don’t just wind a braid around your pony. And don’t wear the same hairstyle every day. Wear it down on occasion, wear it in a braid, wear it up, and so on. Curl it, straighten it, etc. I confess to be guilty of wearing it down every day, so I’m not exactly practicing what I preach.

3. Don’t wear skirts every day. I know they’re prettier, and more comfortable, and make you feel feminine and all that jazz, but wear jeans or something sometimes. Try to wear pants to class once or twice a week.

4. Wear makeup. Not necessarily every day, and don’t cake it on, but wear it sometimes, at least on weekends or when you’re having one of those days when you feel dull. It really makes me feel put-together and elegant.

5. Wear heels once a week.