FREE CLOTHES // FREE SPIRIT

My favorite part about this outfit is that it was basically free! Everything aside from my accessories was throwaway items that I either found or inherited. Move out season is what I look forward to at the end of the school year. This is the time when people are forced to start cleaning their closets. My friends had so many bags of clothes that I got to rummage through, so I snatched a lot of great finds. The high-low dress and booties I’m wearing are both garments that I inherited from my friend. The slip underneath is a dress that I found in the trash room of my old apartment. People throw away so much good shit at the end of the year; you just need to look for them.

After searching through my friends’ piles of donations, I added over 10 new clothing items to my closet. This further emphasized how shopping for brand new clothes is so unnecessary for my lifestyle. Most people find digging through people’s old clothes disgusting, time-consuming, or just plain awkward. I don’t see what’s the harm in asking though because I always walk away with good labels at absolutely no cost. This saves my wallet so much money, while still updating my wardrobe. Between picking through people’s “trash” and thrift shopping, I’ll have enough clothes to last me a lifetime. 

+ Lipstick | MAC’s Paramount

+ Sunglasses | Buffalo Exchange

+ Necklace | Forever 21

+ Dress | H&M (hand-me-down)

+ Slip | Stylenanda (dumpster dived)

+ Shoes | Forever 21 (hand-me-down)

Photography | LB Photography

xx

Dana

OCEAN OMBRE

This week I was in heaven and spent Spring Break in Orlando, Florida. I got to be a lazy beach bum for a day, and just threw on a swimsuit, a dress and a cardigan. My beach day was at Cocoa Beach, which is a one-hour drive from Orlando. The weather was warm, the sand was spotless and the sky and ocean was clear blue.

The one-piece and Birkenstock sandals I’m wearing are great steals I got from Poshmark. If you’ve never used Poshmark before, then I highly recommend trying it. This is an easy smartphone app for selling, buying and trading clothes and accessories. It’s basically like an eBay, but specifically for women's fashion. Other secondhand items I’m wearing are my midi dress and iridescent sunglasses, which are both from Buffalo Exchange.

For my beach day outfit, I wanted to stay as comfortable as possible, so I layered on flowy silhouettes. My color palette had neutrals, like creams and blues, to match the environment, and to keep up with the beach vibes I wore tie-dye and fish scale prints.

+ Sunglasses | Buffalo Exchange

+ Hat | Camden Market

+ Cardigan | Forever 21

+ Dress | Vasna Desire (Buffalo Exchange)

+ Swimsuit | Poshmark

+ Sandals | Birkenstock (Poshmark)

Photography | Anand Patel

xx

Dana

DEAD WEEK

Dead week is over, but finals are just around the corner. This calls for more coffee, study sessions and all-nighters. I know that most people tend to let everything go during finals week. I’ve been there before too. The typical dress code for finals is no make-up, updos and sweatpants. The thing is, you can still be comfortable and look presentable. After all, when you look good, you feel good, and this usually results to doing good. Here is an alternative way to get through finals week without the sweatpants.

Tights and leggings are just as comfortable as sweatpants, but are more formfitting. These are my go-to when I have long classes and study sessions to sit through. Warm, soft and fuzzy sweaters are other comfort pieces worth investing in. The loose fit is my secret weapon for hiding the food baby I’ve formed from my terrible finals week diet. The cardigan I‘m wearing is my new favorite sweater, since it’s basically like a fuzzy blanket. The slouchy boots are another one of my staple pieces, and beforehand, I never knew that boots could be this comfortable. I bought these for just $2.50 at Salvation Army, and they have been with me since high school.

Comfort and confidence should go hand-in-hand. You should never have to compromise style for comfort, or vice versa. Even if you feel like shit from eating fast food, staying caffeinated and getting no sleep, you can always disguise it with the way you present yourself. 

+ Cardigan | Abercrombie & Fitch (Goodwill)

+ Turtleneck | Ashley Hill (hand-me-down)

+ Leggings | Forever 21

+ Boots | Merona (Salvation Army)

Photography | Dana Nguyen + Anand Patel

xx

Dana

TRASH | TREASURE

Living on a college campus is great for dumpster diving once the school year ends. I have no shame in snatching up free things that other people don't want. Last year I literally found a paper bag full of trendy clothes from brands, like Nasty Gal, Topshop and Zara. It was just lying in my apartment’s trash room, so I ended up with 10 new clothing items that day. In that bag was the black romper that I’m wearing underneath my skirt. This is a backless romper by the British label, Glamorous. It has a caged back that reminds me of the lingerie and sportswear company, Chromat.

The other “trash” item that I’m wearing is my MRKT heels from DSW. These are a pair of shoes that I found lying in my trashcan. Throughout college I’ve been blessed with roommates who give me the clothes that they don’t want. One of my old roommates tends to do a lot of closet cleaning, so I would occasionally come home and see cute stuff in our trashcan. These are the perfect shoes for any occasion, and my favorite part is how comfortable they are. The neutral color matches with anything, and it works with both casual and formal outfits.

+ Lipstick | MAC’s Hang-Up

+ Cardigan | Forever 21

+ Romper | Glamorous (dumpster dived)

+ Skirt | Wilster (Marshalls)

+ Heels | MRKT (hand-me-down)

+ Choker | Amazon

+ Statement Necklace | Forever 21

Photography | Anand Patel

xx

Dana

PEELING AWAY THE LAYERS

Flashback to sophomore year of college, and here I am all decked out in Zara for Valentine’s Day. 

Disclaimer: I used to work at Zara, so having an employee discount plus knowing when the sales were, equals a closet full of Zara. Now that I don’t work there anymore, I never shop at Zara, since getting overcharged for fast fashion ain’t my thing.

During my underclassmen years I would frequently shop online at fast fashion retail stores, but after my fashion courses exposed me to the world of cheap labor and toxic landfills, I unsubscribed from all of those companies. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I don’t own any fast fashion. 90% of this outfit is just that, but I made a vow to myself to slowly stop shopping fast fashion altogether. First, I’m cutting off the big guys, like Forever 21 and H&M.

This doesn’t mean that I would never wear these brands again. Instead, I will just continue my method of purchasing them secondhand. Thrift shopping is the cheapest way to shop ethically. It allows me to recycle thrown away clothes and reduce landfills.

+ Lipstick | MAC’s Party Line 

+ Beanie | Zara Kids 

+ Coat | Forever 21 

+ Vest | Hand-me-down 

+ Top | Zara 

+ Jeggings | DL1961 (Buffalo Exchange)

+ Boots | Merona (Salvation Army) 

+ Messenger Bag | Zara 

+ Necklace | Forever 21 

+ Fan Earrings | Zara 

+ Stud Earrings | Brandy Melville 

Photography | Anand Patel

xx

Dana

CORAL REEF

Last week we experienced our first snowstorm of the year in Philly. With 2.5 feet of snow, the city was like a ghost town, but that didn’t stop us from venturing outside to see the beautiful view. Because of this blizzard I really had to bundle up, and to stay dry I wore a new trench coach I bought over winter break. This Martin + Osa coat was in mint condition, and I got it for $13.99 at a Goodwill from my hometown in California. Some other thrift finds I’m wearing are a pair of DL1961 jeggings from Buffalo Exchange and Dr. Marten combat boots from Wasteland. Each was just $18. Although I’m not in thrifted finds from head-to-toe, everything else I’m wearing was still a bargain at a discounted price.

+ Lipstick | MAC’s Paramount

+ Beanie | Banana Republic Factory

+ Turtleneck | Zara

+ Trench Coat | Martin + Osa (Goodwill)

+ Gloves | Isotoner

+ Jeggings | DL1961 (Buffalo Exchange)

+ Combats Boots | Dr. Martens (Wasteland)

Photography | Anand Patel

xx

Dana