Friday's Fancies | Back to School

Since the Spring of 2008, the closest thing I've had to a "Back to School Outfit" is a "First Day of New Job" outfit. Not quite as exhilarating. So, I was pretty pumped when {av} over at {long distance loving} chose Back to School for this week's Friday's Fancies theme.

I decided this would be my "22-year-old going into senior year" outfit for Fall Semester. While my style has changed slightly, I tried to think back to what I would have chosen during those college days while keeping up with today's trends.

My guidelines for First Day of School fashion:

Something fun and cute but simple

For the outfit, I went with solids. I found the caramel brown skirt first and LOVED it. I love that it's flowy and playful and pairs perfectly with a brightly colored tank. If you went to college where I did, it's still sweltering hot and humid on the first day of classes. While I would freeze to death in class thanks to the A/C being on full-blast, tanks and shorts/skirts were necessary while walking across campus and/or socializing with friends that I hadn't seen all Summer.

Since I chose solids, I wanted to pick a flashy statement necklace and some other fun accessories. {Okay, so maybe that's just my philosophy on accessories in general.} Sandals are a given on campus in the warmer months and these match almost perfectly with the skirt! And the aviators... oh, the aviators! I'm aviator-obsessed to the point where I finally made myself start buying other styles of sunglasses because I had so many aviators. I miss them. They remind me of my college days...

The saddlebag is PERFECT for back to school AND for this outfit! I mean, really. What would we do without our big bags?! Throw your notebooks, pens, overpriced textbooks, and Vera Bradley planner in here and you're good to go! And since it's still hot, you'd find me with a drink in hand such as a lemonade or a fun Starbucks smoothie like this one. Again, that would not help once I'm in class sitting at my ice-cold desk. Eh.

Okay, now I miss college even more. Even the cold desk part. Oh, CNU... do I need to write a post about all the things I miss about you? It's hard to believe this time of year 4 years ago I was getting ready to start my senior year. To all of you still in college, treasure these days. You'll never have anything like them again.