What NOT to Wear: Giant T-Shirts and Short Shorts

First of all, I don't consider myself the best dresser, but I consider myself  to be a fashionable lady. I really like the vintage look. Yes. I admit, I do dress like a hipster. My husband has noted that my fashion can range from hipster, old-lady-ish, and punk. When I don't know how to wear something, I look to my favorite fashion websites Lookbook.nu and Chictopia for inspiration.

As most of you know, I live in a small town in Mississippi. In this particular small college town, there is a strange fashion trend going on. I noticed it started last summer and its followers have increased significantly in number this year. This trend does not occur anywhere else except in this town. I've driven to my old alma mater 30 minutes down the road and the girls there do NOT dress like this. Also, when I went to visit my sister in Alabama, 3 hours away, I did not see anyone sporting this trend. I told my sister and she gave me a baffled look.

I don't want to sound stereotypical or ignorant, but it seems like the only women that tend to wear this style are sorority girls. [sarcasm] I don't know if it's part of their dress code or something they use to distinguish their other sisters apart from non-sorority women, but it is certainly baffling. [/sarcasm] I feel like I am making a documentary for the Discovery channel.

I did not think it would be appropriate to stalk random girls, take pictures of them and then post those pictures on the internet. So, I took a photo of myself wearing this style.

Behold.

Staples of this fashion crime:

- Over sized, unflattering t-shirt

- Nike Tempo-styled running shorts (My shorts are actually Marika brand from TJMaxx. I am too cheap to buy real Nike tempos)

- Kavu flip flops or neon tennis shoes (I do not own neon tennis shoes, plus those are Crocs flip flops - don't judge)

First of all, this is completely unflattering for ANY body type. Look! I look pregnant! And pants-less! Who wants to look like this?! Seriously!

Secondly, I wear this stuff to bed. I know the need to look 'casual' but this is taking it to a new level. It seriously makes anyone look slovenly.

Thirdly, I've seen people wear this stuff to EXERCISE in. What. I understand the Nike Tempo running short part, but not the over sized t-shirt. I have seen the recent Pinterest trend of making your own exercise shirt from an oversized t-shirt and actually tried it myself. Let's say I wear those shirts to sleep now. I tend to gravitate towards more fitted attire when I go running.

[WARNING] Here's where I get pretentious. I used to dress terribly before I went to study abroad for a month in London, England. I dressed in unflattering, non-fitted t-shirts and baggy pants. Basically, I looked like a small, ambiguous Asian boy. When I got to the UK, I (and most of us) got weird looks due to our attire. (And probably our Southern accents) Let me tell you, European women know how to dress! They are classy and stylish. Their attire consisted of styles that were classic and accented the womanly figure. Even their work attire, while masculine in origin, was feminine and attractive.

The one other thing I noticed was that the men and women in London did NOT wear t-shirts. Not even casually. Fitted t-shirts for women is different. I'm talking about the American unisex t-shirts that we hand out  free at events and promotions. That didn't exist in their wardrobe. If it did, it was purely for ironic reasons.

Since then, I only kept my boxy t-shirts for exercise or lounging about. My casual wear consists of fitted jeans (not distressed or hole-y), fitted t-shirts, shorts (NOT exercise shorts), and casual skirts. Don't get me wrong, I do own loose fitting, baggy shirts and pants. But it must be done well.

This concludes my fashion review/rant. I felt the need to get this off my chest for quite some time. Ahh. Much better.

You may dress however you like and I am not going to stop you. We live in America and we are free to dress as we please, but I (and others) am judging. Keep that in mind.