HOW TO: DRESS LIKE A SPARTAN

Since arriving at Michigan State I can't help but notice that every one here dresses exactly the same. Well... the girls, anyway. And granted, not every single girl wears all of these items... but you know how when you start obsessing over the number 23 you see it everywhere? That's how I feel about:

The North Face Outerwear

I never bought into the North Face craze in high school. It is true that at one point I did borrow my best friend's fleece for a football game and love it so much that I almost put it on my Christmas list. But alas, I do not own anything from The North Face. Over the course of my stay here at MSU, I will probably drink a little of TNF Kool-Aid and buy a rain jacket. They look so nice.

The North Face backpacks

Probably just snuggling onto North Face's brand is the backpack. This obsession I do not understand. I have had the same backpack since 6th grade. It was $30, and I remember my mom saying that it had to last through all three years of middle school. I did ya one better, Ma. Backpacks are backpacks are backpacks are backpacks. What is the difference, really? I own two backpacks: the one from 6th grade, and a vinyl $20 backpack I bought at Marc Jacobs when I was in Savannah, GA. I bedazzled a seahorse on it, and I like it very much, but I would probably never use it to cart around my things at school simply because it has no support.  

Ps. Did you know The North Face has their own black? It's twoo.

Longchamp Le Pilage Totes

Okay. This obsession I would definitely buy in to... if it wasn't so expensive. These bags are practical, simple, and pretty durable from the research I've done. Not to mention super stinkin' cute. But I think $125 for a bag is ridiculous, especially when I want one of every color.

Vera Bradley (in general)

This summer I baby sat a little girl who loved Vera. There were some girls at my high school who liked Vera, and my best friend has way too much... but I have always hated it... until I bought it. Vera Bradley is probably the most practical bag to lug around. Super soft and machine washable, durable because of the quilting and generally cute because of the patterns (although I think some of them are pretty ugly). I wouldn't endorse buying Vera with your own money unless you find it on sale or at a re-sale shop. I got a really cute shoulder bag at Plato's Closet for $15. The zipper was broken, but I refastened it myself at home and it works like new. Silly to think that some girl put it up for adoption just because the zipper broke.

Vera Bradley wallets

The Vera Bradley wallet, AKA "Zip ID Case" on VeraBradley.com. Girls who hate Vera Bradley own one of these wallets. Girls who swear they'd die before every having Vera Bradley own these wallets. Girls who would rather walk from the MSU Union to Akers Hall by themselves in the dead of winter own one of these wallets. They're perfect for scanning into dorm rooms, holding all of your cards and ID, keeping your bike key or head phones, a little bit of cash, or all of these things! Seriously - I have all of those things in mine right now. They are just wonderful, and they come in millions of patters.

Yoga Pants and Leggings

Yoga Pants: I've never done yoga once in my life. I think I know some of the pose names... like upward facing dog? What about crouching tiger hidden dragon? Those are poses, right? Anyways, I know nothing about yoga. But I do know a lot about yoga pants. I own two pairs that I wear to bed. They are nice and stretchy in case I have to sneak some tater-tots in the caf at 10pm... or 10am, they make my butt look real nice, and they are just plain comfy-cozy. Much cuter than pj pants and more relaxed than jeans. Plus, Victoria's secret has an MSU line. Go green!

Leggings: Warning: I am probably the biggest endorser of leggings as pants. I love leggings. They are comfortable, stylish, and as long as you can't see your underwear THROUGH them I say wear them! But nobody wants to see your skivvs no matter how cute they are - especially your Women's Studies prof. Yikes! Personally, I think it's okay to wear them even if there is a visible panty line (VPL). VPL's are inevitable with many items of a college girl's wardrobe. Some times ya got to take the bad with the good... but when the good is this good, it's not that difficult. Just wear a long cardigan. 

Hunter Rain Boots

I am the kind of girl that uses certain items of clothing until they fall apart (ex. $2 tank tops from Forever21. I don't care that it was $2, I'm going to wear it until all of the stitches come out). I tend to be this way when it comes to shoes. If I like a pair of shoes I will wear them until they can't be worn no more. Another example is a pair of moccasin flats my mom bought me as a present my freshman year. I wore the soles off of those $25 shoes, and my dad would epoxy them back on because I loved them so much. Finally last May my mom made me put them in our garage sale. I didn't want anyone to buy them so I put a $10 price tag on these ratty, nasty, red turned brown moccasins. Someone bought them. I was devastated. Anyways. I've had one pair of rain boots since 10th grade. I didn't see the point in buying a new pair even though mine were cracking, seams were splitting, and epoxy just wasn't keeping the water out. I didn't see this as a huge problem because it didn't really rain too badly at home. 

MSU is different. It rains probably 4 out of 7 days here, and my old boots just weren't cutting it. I needed new boots, and since I had just sold my UofM VS MSU ticket for an arm and a leg, I had the extra cash to throw around on the Spartan girl's favorite wellie: Hunter. Pretty expensive at $125 for a tall pair, I bought them on Zappos (free shipping both ways) with a little reserve. They came: perfect bubble gum pink color, smelling fabulously like new rubber. I hated them. I sent them back. Too perfectly pink, and too small. I decided to try again, this time with a charcoal color and a larger size. I put them on nervously, but they fit perfect and looked really good. I love them! I can splash intentionally and my pants (or leggings) won't get wet. They're fabulous, and I can see why Spartans are obsessed. The most popular color I've seen, though, is black. 

Uggs

I feel like most girls at most colleges and universities are probably pretty obsessed with their Uggs. I'll admit when a friend just gave me a pair that she never wore last year I was stoked. They seemed so nice, and they were. Really warm and really dry. Perfect for walking my dog outside or going from my car to class. But I never wore them unless I was going to be outside. I like them, but I do not think they are fashionable. I left my pair (and another pair I acquired through a sale for $40) at home. I will not wear them until snow touched the ground and impairs my walking in flats. Spartan girls do not uphold this same value. They wear them all the time! Every where! And you know what they LOVE to do? Roll them down so the fur shows. This is insane to me. Why expose the soft fur to the elements? It isn't even cute. But they do it, and they do it often.

*Disclaimer: I do not own these pictures. Thank you, Google.*