Casual Crewneck and Jeans: Slytherin Style

It's raining. It's poring. But that doesn't mean my outfit has to be boring! Yikes, ok, I promise I'll never rhyme on this blog again. Anyway...

Crappy weather like today calls for comfortable chic. It's been my new year's resolution the past two years to never leave the house in sweats or anything I would wear for sleeping or working out. Obviously, I make the exception if I am going to/coming from the gym, but I am highly disapproving of the college uniform of t-shirt and yoga pants that I saw on campus day in and day out. I also was lucky enough to spend a week in Paris, France for spring break a year ago, and people always looked pulled together there. I never once saw someone wearing sweatpants or sloppy attire. It was inspiring! Also, skull scarves, 90s grunge, combat boots, and denim jackets were everywhere, so I was pretty much in fashion heaven. But I digress...

So, here is my alternative to the sweatpants look and my rules for days of wearing comfortable clothing while still maintaining a sense of personal style.

I think too many people confuse "comfortable" with "oversized" or "sloppy," but this doesn't have to be the case. I've chosen cozy pieces that fit for this outfit...my favorite crewneck sweater, nice jeggings (ones that are too thin should be BANNED), and Converse. I also like to play with my makeup and give new looks a test run when I'm dressing down, like the emerald and gray smoky eye I'm wearing today.

I swear by jeggings (once again, they need to be good quality ones that could pass for real jeans!) for their fit and comfort. The stretch is ideal for curvy girls like me who have trouble finding pants that fit properly! This particular pair is from Vanity; I got them a few years ago and they have held up through almost weekly wear. 

Converse are another one of those items that will always be classically cool in my eyes. I've owned more pairs than I can count (this is my fourth pair of black high-tops, and let's not even talk about all the other colors I've gone through...). Converse are my favorite shoes for dressing down and adding a bit of spunk to any outfit. I even wore them with my floor-length prom dress in high school. 

Now, the sweatshirt. Sweatshirts are the epitome of comfort clothes, but for some reason, crewneck style ones have always screamed effortless chic to me (but maybe that's just me...). Without the baggy hood and pocket, they can actually look kind of nice. I am OBSESSED with this sweatshirt I got on Etsy. I can't find it anymore, but here is a similar one. I rarely go a day without wearing some sort of Slytherin item to proclaim my house pride (this is not including my phone skin or keychain on my car keys...), and this is by far my favorite. And as if I wasn't proclaiming my nerdy obsession enough, check out what I did to the back!

I've been on a DIY kick all year, and I couldn't resist this addition to my sweatshirt. I bought iron-on letters in what I thought to be a sporty print so it might look like something a Quidditch player would wear -- if they didn't wear robes, of course. The 06 isn't significant other than I felt like a clothing item for a, er, "sport" wouldn't be complete without a number.

And because I'm slightly delusional...I like to tell people I'm borrowing my boyfriend's sweatshirt, and he plays for the Slytherin Quidditch Team, no big deal or anything... (For all of you who are thinking Draco Malfoy: wrong! Lucius Malfoy is the one I love...and the one whose sweatshirt I am wearing, naturally.)

All in all, if I had to lay down my rules for comfortable chic:

1. Items that fit make all the difference! Comfortable doesn't have to mean sloppy.

2. Incorporate an item that epitomizes your personal style or obsessions, like my Slytherin sweatshirt.

3. Makeup can, er, make up for a less than exciting outfit. 

4. Converse are always a good choice.