Fashion: Maleigh’s Eccentric “Grandma” Style

Hey guys,

I missed y’all last week, but I hope everyone had a happy Halloween and are ready for this month of giving thanks! I love Thanksgiving, by the way. I think it is an underrated holiday and is only appreciated for the food. Some people just skip right over it and go straight to Christmas, but I am so blessed, and I use this month to really count those blessings and to be thankful for all that I have. I try to be very grateful in my everyday life, as well, but I especially am in the month of November. Anyway, let’s get to the blog!

If you follow my Instagram, you may have seen my recent post about the new series I’m starting  on the blog. Well, here it is! It’s a fashion series. It’s my first of many* series on my blog, and I am very excited about it. Each week, I am going to feature a person and their unique fashion sense. To start, I am going to do myself. I have been told many times, mainly by Hannah Hays, that I have a “grandma” style. And, it’s true. I’ve learned to own it. I never wanted to, at first, but when I was having to remove shoulder pads from most of my clothing, I realized that I truly do have “grandma” style.

Upcycling

Attached above is a brief video of Disney star, Dove Cameron, explaining what upcycling is and what it means to her. She describes upcycling as “taking any article of clothing and making it your own” and that is sort of what I do to my clothing. However, most upcycling requires sewing, if you want to add more detailed, extravagant changes to your clothes. Unfortunately, I do not know how to sew, so I can only do minimal changes. Attached is a pictorial of how I upcycled a sweater.

This super cute sweater was given to me, and it’s so warm and soft, but it had a STAIN on the sleeve. So, I grabbed some scissors and got to snipping.
This is the final result! I cut the sleeves to cap sleeve length and cropped it at the bottom. If I could sew, I would hem the places I cut, but until I learn, my sleeves will have these awkward, jagged edges, but I don’t think they alter the shirt in a negative way. Overall, I think the look turned out great!
I paired the look with this cute denim jacket and sparkly, silver Converse that aren’t pictured.
I also did a bold makeup look to really dress up the outfit.

For those who know how to sew, upcycling goes way more in depth. Here’s a video from Youtuber, Madison Fay, who uses sewing to upcycle her clothing.

Thrifting

Most of the items that people upcycle are thrifted. This is mainly because clothing from thrift or consignment stores have cheaper prices than retail prices or because most of the clothing that end up at thrift stores aren’t necessarily on trend with the style, so people transform them into something that is in style. This is kind of what I like to do with my clothes. Below is another pictorial of how I usually go thrifting.

There are several thrift stores near MSA, but my favorite is The Yard Sale Place.
Here are the pieces I chose on my last trip.
Most of the clothes on the racks are $1, so I head over to the section with the L-2X sizes. As a bigger girl, it is sometimes hard to find clothes in my size, but at Yard Sale, they have a great selection and variety of sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I go shopping, I have to try on EVERYTHING! Some clothes just don’t fir the way you envision them to, and if you don’t try them on, then you’ve wasted money.
Styling

To style something means to make it trendy or fashionable.  How you style an outfit can make or break it. Youtuber, Sierra Schultzzie uploaded a video in which she styled clothes given to her by grandmother and made them cute, modern day outfits.

After trying on an outfit she styled using her grandma’s sweater, Schultzzie said, “It’s very my style, and I also think it’s very on trend. Sometimes my style doesn’t always match up with what’s like trendy at the moment.”

Below is a pictorial of how I styled a “grandma” shirt that I thrifted.

I got this shirt from The Yard Sale Place, and not gonna lie, at first glance, it’s kinda ugly, but I saw potential. This piece didn’t require any scissors, but my end result was so cute!
First, I tied the shirt and made it a makeshift crop.

 

Then, I added this simple red tank to keep the look conducive to dress code policy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image result for ymi jeans ripped
I paired the top with some simple light, ripped jeans, and I cuffed them at the bottom.
To add to the look, I added these Birkenstock style LoudMouth “Bailey Bug” shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the final look! While I didn’t wear the tank cropped, I still thought it was a cute look, so I snapped this mirror pic. I did minimal makeup and simply wore my hair down to complete the look.

Fashion

Fashion is subjective. Fashion is whatever you want it to be. It doesn’t matter if you wear “grandma” clothes or only designer brand clothes. It only matters that you feel good and confident. Tune in next week for when I dive into the closet of MSA visual, Emmie Leggett.

Author: Maleigh Crespo

Maleigh is a senior literary and an iced coffee enthusiast. She enjoys writing nonfiction and poetry but hopes that her affliction for short fiction will one day subside. In her free time, she can be found scrolling through Pinterest or with her beloved cat, Manny.

2 thoughts on “Fashion: Maleigh’s Eccentric “Grandma” Style”

  1. Ooh, Maleigh, I am excited for this new series. Fashion can be really interesting and reflect the individual wearing it quite well. I personally love old clothes, and there are a lot of gems out there. Your style always amazes, and I love how you pair some of the most unexpected articles of clothing. I really enjoyed reading this post, and it was also visually appealing. I look forward to more. (:

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