How to Feel Confident in a T-shirt
You wake up late for classes, again. You go through your normal morning routine, but, when it comes to getting dressed, you throw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and the first shoes on your way out. Obviously, you smelled your clothing to make sure that they were clean before you left the house. Now you’re at school, and the outfit you thought was cohesive now looks like a toddler chose your outfit. At this point in the day, you feel insecure over your outfit. Maybe it’s later in the day, and you’re getting dressed to go out with a special somebody or your friends. The problem is that nothing seems to match or fit well; it’s too casual of an event to dress up, and you don’t want to be that person that overdresses to every event. You match your usual t-shirt and jeans with some nice shoes and move on with your day. In either case, as a college student, I understand that even choosing your outfit can be stressful. When you’re stressed, you probably don’t feel confident, and your stress over your decisions increases exponentially. When you’re amid learning how to survive as a college student, you lose confidence in your decisions on trivial details like your outfits or longterm details like choosing classes. By boosting your confidence through your outfits, your stressors seem less scary. Below, I have listed some simple ways to spruce up your t-shirt and jeans.
1. WEAR A FLANNEL SHIRT OR A JACKET OVER YOUR OUTFIT. Wearing an article of clothing over your regular t-shirt changes the vibes of your outfit. Some options include a knit cardigan, a bomber jacket, or a vest. A leather jacket makes you feel cooler and more rebellious than a knit sweater does. Use this to your advantage when you want to feel extra confident or extra comfortable.
2. WEAR SOME COOL PANTS OR A SKIRT. Wearing something other than a regular pair of dark washed jean with your t-shirt makes your outfit look more complete. Unless wearing leather pants is the newest trend, then you probably don’t see a lot of people wearing them. Be bold. On the subtler side, a pair of ripped jeans can release the confidence you’re lacking. You could even wear those vintage wide legged plaid pants in your parents’ closet if you are looking for a vintage inspired outfit.
3. SWITCH UP YOUR ACCESSORIES. Similar to the first bit of advice, changing your accessories can add a classy or sporty touch to your otherwise bland outfit. Wear those shoes that make you feel complete or that hat you’ve been dying to wear. Some accessories are as simple as wearing a watch or some makeup. The goal is to make your t-shirt combinations as versatile as possible so that you feel ready for the day ahead of you.
4. COMBINE YOUR COLORS TONES. Fashion and interior design share one common element: following a color pallet. When choosing an outfit, following a pallet is wearing the same color or tones in multiple parts of your outfit. A simple trick to achieving an intersting look is to keep most of your outfit similar in dullness or use one muted color (grays, browns, or matte) and then wear some pants, shoes, or a shirt that breaks the uniformity. The highlighting centerpiece can have a pattern or a brighter/lighter color. Highlight the area of your body or the article of clothing that makes you feel the most confident. to every event.
5. TUCK IN YOUR SHIRT. You might have had to tuck in your shirt as an arbitrary rule set in middle or high school, but tucking in your shirt is also a style choice. This choice can come naturally with high waisted jeans, or it can come as a last hope to looking nice. Stop lying to yourself by saying that the shirt you were given in the wrong size can only be used for sleepwear. You can wear that shirt better if you tuck it into your pants. There are three ways to tuck in your shirt: tuck in only one side of the shirt, tuck in the front of the shirt, or tuck in the entire shirt. You can try any of these ways throughout the day if you aren’t comfortable with the one you chose in the morning.
6. ON FRIDAYS, WE WEAR BLUE. If you’re an incoming freshman to Middle Tennessee State University, then this is a rule that many people know: wear blue on game days. If you aren’t going to MTSU, then wear your school’s colors on the sports teams’ game days. Show some light-hearted school spirit. The easy thing about school colors is that they are usually two colors, and you probably have a million school t-shirts from orientation and school activities. Any of these ideas could serve your school spirit needs.
7. LOOK AT THE WEATHER. Obviously, the weather isn’t an outfit, but it’s important to know what the weather will be like during the day or at your university. You spend a lot of time outside walking to and from classes across campus and in different buildings. Knowing the weather pattern for the day will keep you warm or cool as the temperature increases and decreases.
