Tips for Organizing Closet Space

For many college co-eds, going home for the summer means cramming a school wardrobe with a home wardrobe into a one wardrobe closet.

But, with the new season right around the corner, it is the best time to sort through clothes and clean out your closet. I spent the first week home from college sorting through old clothes. Along the way I laughed through old funny Tshirts I ran across and cringed at some fashion mishaps. Bags of clothes to donate and an organized closet later, I feel much better about picking out an outfit from a selection I am proud of and not one I am shuffling through to find the good stuff.

If you’re finding yourself hiding under a pile of clothes, I’m here to share my top tips for organizing, cleaning and throwing away that wardrobe you’re never going to wear.

 

1. Timely toss

If you haven’t worn an item once in the past year, it’s time to let go. Never hold on to something because you promise yourself it will fit when ten pounds melt off you. Clothes like this often just get pushed farther and farther to the back.

2. Make piles

Make a trash or donate pile and a “try-on” pile. Whatever doesn’t fit, immediately put in the giveaway pile. If it fits and you follow tip number one, hang it back up.

3. Store it

Combining all of my summer and winter clothes can be a struggle with the bulkiness of cold weather attire. In the summer, I take a big box and put all of my sweaters, big sweatshirts and winter accessories in it. I label it, usually as “don’t touch my clothes!”, and throw it in the basement.

4. Swap clothes

Everyone has heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” In this case, one girl’s too small of a dress is your skinny friend’s treasure. Swap clothes that don’t fit or you simply don’t like with clothes your friend equally does not like of her own. New wardrobe, no bills!

5. Keep five of everything

Over the years, it may seem like a collection of the same items builds up, just in different colors. If you find yourself fingering through the same shirt but in blue, pink, green and yellow, decide to keep only five. Same goes with jeans and sweatshirts.

6. Donate!

The options for getting rid of your clothes are endless. Goodwill and the Salvation Army are the two big guns for accepting used clothing, but don’t forget about your family members. My little cousins think I am a goddess when I give them clothes I don’t want. We will let them keep thinking that. There is also resale shops where they will PAY YOU for giving away clothes that would otherwise be trash.

Emptying and refilling your closet is a project. It is all about starting fresh, so have fun with it. Call a friend to help a la Sex and the City style and dance your way through tossing the old and ringing in the new. It’s also a great time to combine different pieces to make outfits you may have never thought of before.

 

Do you plan on cleaning out your closet soon? What have you found works best for you?

 

Jessica Fecteau is a senior fashion, etiquette and apartment/dorm life writer and is a sophomore at Central Michigan University. Jessica loves fashion magazines, listening to indie/folk music and traveling to big cities.

 

 

Graduation Outfits: How to be Affordably Stunning on Your Day

 Above are three dresses from Lauren Conrad’s collection for Kohl’s. With the dresses running from $40-$60 each, they are afforadble, gorgous and look extremely flattering on all body types! Now, onto shoes!

If you’re going with a neutral dress, the pop of bright color is a must for shoes. Whether you like high heels like the pink Candie’s above (top left, $19.99) or flat sandals like Jennifer Lopez’ sandals (bottom right, $44.99), bright colors will add so much– especially when you can’t see your dress & just see that potato-sack gown!

If your dress has its own pop of color and you want to go subdtle with accessories, you can go with nude or black! A great pair of nude wedges are Simply Vera by Vera Wang (top right, $39.97). If nude isn’t for you, a classy pair of black high heels always looks great, like the LC Lauren Conrad heels (bottom left, $39.99).

With these great deals from Kohl’s, it’s simple to create a GREAT outfit for your important day (and still have money to go out for drinks with your family after)!

 

 

This post was written by Emily Longeretta, a senior editorial intern for CollegeLifestyles (TM). She is graduating from SUNY Oswego May 12 and is heading to New York City to pursue a career in journalism and public relations. With passion for sports, entertainment and ofcourse great fashion, she hopes to be extermely successful and thanks everyone who helped her get here.

Vlogging 101: 5 Simple Rules to Become A Successful Video Blogger

Platforms like YouTube and the ever growing and never-ending transformation of the World Wide Web have created so many different opportunities for both the young and old to share their thoughts, memories, talents, and a recently erupting phenomenon tutorials with the globe at the click of a couple buttons. Since sharing talents is so simple, what makes a vlogger successful? Although, I wouldn’t call myself a vlogger (though I have dabbled a bit) here are some quick rules or tips on making sure your vlogging path goes unmatched.

1. Pretend Like You’re Talking to a Friend: It’s easy to get intimidated by the camera, even when it’s the PhotoBooth on your Mac that you love, oh so much. As soon as you hear the sound of the camera starting, your body tenses up and you see everyone in the world with their eyes on you (even if you’re recording alone). To get over this mini-fear, first mute the sound on your computer or hand-held camera, and more importantly, just pretend like you are having a conversation with a friend and showing them how to do something. Trust me, it helps!

 

2. Practice Makes Perfect: As cliché as this saying might sound, it is 110% true. Before every segment of my video blogs, I did at least 10 tries before I got it right. Practice is the key to perfection. An amazing way to practice is to type out a script pre-shooting. Just as you woud write out and spend time on an article on your blog, you should also write out your script for the vlog.  The same amount of work and thought should go into it, so when you practice it’ll be perfect.

3. Be Yourself: There are so many video bloggers out there now, and many have bigger fan bases than one can fathom, but that doesn’t mean you should try to be them. Look at them for inspiration, but avoid imitation. Don’t try to be funny if you’re not, don’t try to act ditzy if it isn’t you… just be you and the rest will fall into place.

 4. Get Creative: With the power of technology, and wonderful gadgets like iPhones, you can make a video within seconds and upload it to your blog or YouTube. However, what makes a vlogger succesful is the creative guts behind the scenes. Make the video fancy, and that does not mean being an expert videographer. All you need are some simple and easy-to-use applications like iMovie, and you are well on your way to getting creative!

5. Be Confident: You create your own destiny. If you’re not confident in yourself, how can anyone else be confident in you? Own it, work it, make it happen.

Calling All Co-Eds! Vote For Your Favorite Scotch Packaging Tape Sculpture

Have you ever thought of packaging tape as an art medium? Five young artists from across the country have put their artistic skills to the test and have been selected as finalists in the third annual Scotch Brand Off the Roll Packaging Tape Sculpture Contest, sponsored by 3M. From a skydiver to an octopus, these sculptures are super cool!

Vote now at OffTheRollContest.com through Wednesday, May 2 to help determine the top two sculptures made from Scotch Packaging Tape. Votes should be based on creativity (60 percent) and presentation (40 percent), and the limit is ten votes per person/email address per day.  The two sculptures with the most votes will go to a final round of judging determined by a panel of experts, and the Grand Prize winner will be awarded $5,000.

Be sure to check out OffTheRollContest.com to view this year’s finalists and vote for your favorite! If you’re interested in creating a tape sculpture yourself, the website also contains great tips, or watch this time-lapse video to see what noted artist and contest judge Mark Jenkins can create from packaging tape in just five hours.

Stay in touch with Scotch Products on the web:

• Scotch Brand Website
• Scotch Brand Facebook Page
• Scotch Brand on Twitter
• Scotch Brand YouTube page

 Disclosure:  We’d like to thank Scotch Brand for supplying us with this sponsored post.  We wish all good luck on the tape sculpture contest!  Who is your favorite?

 

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Goodwill Hunting: How To Shop At Second-Hand Stores

Skillfully scouring through heaps of belts, piles of heels, and shelves of knickknacks from decades past is as easy as it sounds. It may appear intimidating–platforms from the 70s tend to do that to people–but see the racks of endless treasures as items in a vast and vibrant playing field. Looking to channel Brigitte Bardot á la the 1960s or in need of a funky costume? Head to a local shop full of hand-me-downs needing revival and keep these tips in mind.

Let the Clothes Speak

Go shopping with less of a plan. Wait and see what the store has to offer! If your eyes are set on finding a sheer, ruffled top, you might miss the vintage medallion that would work perfectly with those studded heels you recently bought! And don’t let shiny paillettes on a nearby cocktail dress blindside you–walk toward the sparkle. Let magic happen. Or, at least be open to letting magic happen–you won’t be disappointed.

Embrace the History

Get completely wrapped up in what makes a beaten-up fringe boot or a metal charm bracelet what it is. Consider these questions: Who brought this here? Where did this come from? Who wore it first? Think through your prospective purchase and the object will become that much cooler. Your next vintage-buy could’ve came straight from an “Old Hollywood” stars’ dressing room!

Look Ridiculous

Every era brings along trends which should never resurface again. As tragic as these said fashion-embarrassments are, delve into the entire experience by traveling back in time and trying on something crazy. Take pictures with your girlfriends at your discretion (remember, once photos go viral, good luck convincing your friend to take it down).

There’s Beauty in Imperfection

Embrace a missing rhinestone or two from a belt or a scuff mark on a leather jacket. It adds personality and age to a classic piece. Besides, anything can be altered and updated once it’s in your hands. If you can’t bare the scratch on the brim of your vintage Ray Ban’s, see if an eyeglass store can clean it up or fit you for a new frame. Problem solved!

Tiana Blue is a Senior Writer for College Lifestyles™. This fourth semester sophomore at Penn State is a print journalism major with a penchant for food, stilettos, and the city that never sleeps.

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Intern Kitchen: Chicken Flatbread – Just Like Olive Garden’s!

While I am not actually Italian, my stomach thinks it is. I absolutely love the Olive Garden. Currently, my favorite dish there is the chicken flatbread. So, improvising, I attempted to recreate it. The results were delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pillsbury pizza crust
• 1 container Alfredo sauce
• Grilled chicken, thinly sliced
• Basil, thinly chopped
• Red pepper, thinly sliced

Procedure:

1. Grill chicken, but not too crispy.
2. Heat Alfredo sauce until warm.
3. Pour over Pillsbury pizza crust.
4. Put chicken, basil and red pepper on top.
5. Heat in oven according to Pillsbury pizza crust instructions.
6. Enjoy!

Debra Schreiber is a senior journalism and Spanish major at Duquesne University, and a Senior Writing Intern for College Lifestyles. She loves to cook Italian food, and she loves to bake.

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CL Spring Sparkle Guide!

Some trends come and go, but I like to sparkle and shine all year around! We saw huge trends in sequins this year, but it seemed like most of our favorite bloggers were too focused on the colder months!  So here’s a quick list are some outfits and accessories we can use to dazzle our way through the spring flowers and summer nights!

1. Head Bands

Sparkly hands bands are my best friends, (especially when my hair is looking a little flat first thing in the morning). The good thing about hair accessories in general is they’re rarely too much or too loud. A little bit of sparkle at top of your head will really bring out an outfit, so unleash your inner princess with a sparkly hair piece! If you have short hair like me, sequined flowers really add pizzaz to your ‘do. And if you’re a DIY gal, headbands are totally you! Tipjunkie has a ton of ideas!)

2. Tops

Now if you’re looking for a little bit more sparkle and shine than average, don’t worry, you’re still reading the right blog. Check out how Kara from Kara’s Closet plays up her flowy, heavy sleeved sequined top with a plain black mini. It’s elegant, chic, and ready for a night on the town. You wouldn’t need many accessories with an outfit like this- the great thing about sequins is they really are an outfit all by themselves. Perfect for a day when there isn’t a lot of time to get ready!

3.Skirts

We talked about tops, now let’s talk about bottoms. Sequined skirts were a huge trend earlier this year, but now they’re even better because it’s warm and you won’t have to wear tights or nylons under them.  Threegirlsandamic set up a beautiful collage of ideas for us to sample, and what’s good about sequins is like any other piece, you can go as simple and as decorative as you want. If you don’t want to feel like a mermaid in the blue sequin skirt, you can always opt for a neutral color like black, on the bottom, and a wild crazy color on top. The choice is yours!

4.Belts

Now I understand that not everyone’s a belt gal, but I am, so I’m going to have to do a shout-out to my sequined belts. We all know that belts can be worn with pants, shirts, and dresses, but when your waistline has an extra sparkle; it really makes you stand out from the crowd.

 

I hope these idea are an inspiration for you. I plan to get my shine on this semester (well, what’s left) and I hope you do the same. Let those sparkles on the outside complement that beautiful glow you have on the inside!

 

The 5 Best Shorts for Summer 2012

By:  Katie O’Brien

Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of the summer is breaking out the much-anticipated warm weather clothing. After spending the excruciatingly cold months (especially as a student in Michigan!) covered in huge sweaters and puffy coats, it is finally time to wear dresses, skirts, and, my personal favorite, shorts. Shorts are arguably the most versatile article of summer clothing. Paired with the correct top and accessories, one pair of shorts can function as both casual and dressy. Admittedly, however, it is difficult to find a good pair of shorts for a reasonable price. To help classy co-eds find the perfect pair of shorts that fit into a college student’s budget, CL has searched for the perfect options. Below are five inexpensive, but extremely stylish, pairs of shorts.

 

1.  These KNT by Kova & T Leather Varsity shorts are sold at Urban Outiffers. Admittedly, leather shorts do sound complicated. However, the deep red leather is not too over the top—they can be worn to class or dressed up for going out. These shorts, definitely a must have, are only $39.99!

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=21364096

2. These Ecote Silky Printed Shorts can also be found on Urban Outfitters. The pattern is perfectly understated and the colors in the shorts make them easy to pair with many different colored tops. They are only $29.99!

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/category.jsp?id=SALE_W&categories=catalog01_sale_sale_w_sale_w_bottoms

3. These Pieced Lace Shorts can be found at Free People. The delicate lace makes them extremely girly and unique. Paired with a black tank top or a jean jacket, these shorts are perfect for a summer night out. And, perhaps best of all, they are on sale for only $49.95!

http://www.freepeople.com/sale-sale-bottoms/pieced-lace-skort/

4. Their name describes them perfectly. These Season Staple Shorts from anthrpologie are a must have. They can be worn all throughout the summer and even the fall. They are simple enough to go with almost anything and are only $58. 

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/clothes-pants/23876253.jsp

5. We have saved the best for last. These 4” chino shorts come in all different bright colors and can be dressed up or dressed down. They are definitely a summer staple and are just $45. http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shorts.jsp

 

 

Love It: Tracy Stern SALONTEA Review

Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter.  From its luxurious scent to delicious taste, the College Lifestyles office embraces tea any time of the year.  From a cup on the go, to organizing amother/daughter or sorority tea party, our new ‘go-to’ tea is Tracy Stern SALONTEA ‘The Writer.’  (And yes, my one year old daughter will be having her first tea party soon!)

The Tracy Stern Salon ‘ The Writer’ Tea consist of black tea leaves with cinnamon, clove, and cardamom give ‘The Writer’ its sophisticated and chic taste – similar to the characteristics of our CL team!

While I love ‘The Writer’ tea, Tracy Stern SALONTEA offers various varieties including:  The Musician, THe Society Hostess, The Romantic, The Fashionable Dandy, The Artist, and The Lover.

When brewing Tracy Stern SALONTEA, be sure to pay close attention to the directions.  While we steep conventional green tea bags for 1-2 minutes,  ‘The Writer’ steeps for 3-5 minutes.  One can then add cream, sugar, and/or honey.  (Etiquette tip:  If planning a tea party, sugar cubes are preferred due to neatness). 

Tracy Stern, founder of SALONTEA, developed as a lifestyle brand that encompasses a fusion of fashion, style and art and TEA blended into distinct yet interconnected categories. She uses tea to bring people together and believes that everyone should experience life through simple defining luxuries, from preparing the perfect cup of tea, to creating the most elegant and effortless tea party.  One can purchase her tea by visiting her website OR NYC location.

Disclaimer:  We’d like to thank the team of Tracy Stern SALONTEA for supplying samples for our review.  Opinions of the product are all our own.

 

Shelly Marie Redmond, MS, RD, LDN is the Editor in Chief of College Lifestyles.  An avid tea drinker, she loves the classiness and sophistication of a modern day tea party and is the proud owner of Tracy Stern’s Tea Party Book!

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Classy Co-ed On Campus: Bithiah Lee

 The University of Michigan is a different campus this March with the sunshine gleaming down like the spotlight on a dark stage. The campus is a runway for fashionistas, but senior, Bithiah Lee is one of the few classy co-eds that steals the spotlight. Not only is she super friendly and has a unique, fashion-forward style, she also is a triple major in English, Political Science, and Global Media Studies. Get to know this friendly face a little more and steal some of her fabulous style advice!

 

CL: What’s a quote or motto that you live by?
Bithiah: Matthew 22:37-39

CL: A lady deserves to indulge from time to time. What are your favorite guilty pleasures?
Bithiah: One of my secret guilty pleasures is watching “nobody’s” sing famous songs on youtube (covers!). When they sing poorly, I think it’s okay to laugh at them, but when they sing well, I’m jealous.

CL: CLassy co-ed dilemma: lacking motivation. How do you motivate yourself when you need a little push?
Bithiah: I listen to a pump-up song and if circumstances are dire, I may even shut the blinds, crank up the volume, and do a little dance.

CL: What is your go-to accessory?
Bithiah: My braided leather belt

CL: You gleam classy. Fill CL in on how you do it.
Bithiah: I honestly believe it’s less about what you wear than it is about how you wear it. I don’t  try to follow what other people wear, what brands are popular, etc. I wear what I like, what I am comfortable in, and I try to be creative with what I can afford (I am a fan of thrifting!). Whenever people ask me if something looks good, I always tell them, “Don’t ask me if it looks good. Wear it, rock it, and tell me that it looks good!”

CL: What are your “must-have” beauty items?
Bithiah: Specs: large, thick-framed glasses/sunglasses, my leather TIMEX watch, multiple rings, and a hair tie for bad hair days.

CL: If you could only eat 3 foods the rest of your life, what would they be?
Bithiah: Pizza, watermelon, mandarin oranges

CL: What is your dream job?
Bithiah: Anything related to entertainment or fashion media.

CL: What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
Bithiah: Creative, down-to-earth, active

CL: What does being “classy” mean to you?
Bithiah: Having swag, and wearing what you wear/doing what you do/saying what you say with confidence

CL: How would you describe your style?
Bithiah: Relaxed, genuine, & innovative.

If you know a classy co-ed that should be featured in College Lifestyles, reach out to us in our comments section, through our Facebook page, our Twitter, or our Tumblr!

XO Sunny

 

Sana Ashraf is a fashion writer and fashion show intern and is a junior at the University of Michigan. Sana loves reading fashion magazines, shopping sprees, city lights, color coordinated closets, and all four seasons.

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