Discover the Versatility of Your Clothes

By Amelia Zeller

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

SMYRNA -- One of the most fun things about fashion is the style diversity that a single piece of clothing can offer. After you wear the same outfit a few times, it doesn't feel new anymore. However, by switching up how you style your clothes, you can make them feel new again.

There are many things that you can do to mix up your typical outfits. I've discovered many simple things I can do to accessorize and change up an outfit, such as add a pop of color, or try different pairs of shoes. A different hairstyle or jacket could also be what makes an outfit unique.

It is important to take note of your own style preferences and embrace them. You will probably find that it is easier to be creative with your style when you know what kind of outfits you like to wear. When you own your personal style, a natural confidence ensues, and self-confidence is the best accessory out there!

 You do not need a huge wardrobe to create a variety of outfits. You only need your creativity. It is easiest to mix and match using similar colors, so experiment with a color scheme that you like. Basic everyday articles of clothing are also easiest to mix and match, such as a white button-up shirt, blue jeans, or a blazer. By discovering different ways to wear your clothes, you are getting the most use out of them.

An article at Elle.com, https://www.elle.com/fashion/a42048/i-wore-the-same-nine-items-for-two-weeks/ , displays the diversity of clothes by showing how you can wear the same nine articles of clothing for two weeks.

All you need is a small, versatile wardrobe of items that suit you to create stylish outfits with personal flair. Usually, those of us who suffer from "nothing to wear" have a lot of random clothing items that do not go together. If you intentionally buy items that are versatile, it will be much easier to coordinate outfits. When you buy less clothing items that can purposefully be arranged into many different looks, you are saving money on clothes you would not wear often.

I decided to experiment with the style versatility of some clothing that I own. I chose timeless pieces that are commonly found in young women's wardrobes: denim jeans, a leather jacket, and a black t-shirt. To the best of my closet's ability, I created three unique looks from each of these classic articles of clothing to show the different ways they can be styled.

The versatility of jeans:

The first item that I styled was a pair of denim jeans. Jeans are one of the most versatile pieces in fashion, and most people own more than one pair. Jeans are worn millions of different ways every day because they are classic and easy to incorporate with most things.

A Buzzfeed article I found asked 17 people to style a denim jacket in their own way, https://www.buzzfeed.com/alisoncaporimo/denim-dreams-are-made-of-these?utm_term=.edgej5DZ6#.vtVQLxpgV , and every outfit manages to have a personal touch of uniqueness. 

For the first denim outfit I created, I wanted to keep it very casual, so I added sneakers and a hip bag as a practical replacement for a purse. I added a hat because it is an easy way to add a casual feel to any look. To keep the outfit from being too simple, I incorporated large silver necklaces.

To create my second look including jeans, I combined them with a black button-up shirt and black boots that can be worn almost anywhere, casual or more formal. I put my hair in a bun for this outfit because it draws more attention to the large statement earrings and collared shirt.

The third look I created is the most formal one. When you pair jeans with heels it gives them an instant professional boost. I put a white button-up underneath a cardigan to help give the whole outfit a more formal look. Denim can be easily dressed up or down depending on the look you are going for, so it is very useful to own a good pair of jeans that you like to wear.

Experimenting with a leather jacket:

The next clothing item I got creative with was a leather jacket. Leather can add edge to any look instantly. For the first look I came up with, I kept it casual with a soft sweater underneath and accessorized with a black leather bag and boots to make the look cohesive.

Leopard print and leather are two of my favorite things, so, the second look I created was inevitable. I paired leopard print trousers with furry leopard slides to match. This look is the most casual of them all but adding the leather jacket helps keep it looking comfortable and casual without looking sloppy.

The third look I created displays the formality a leather jacket can bring to an outfit. By layering a leather jacket over a dress, you are combining two different styles for a bold look. This can be one of the most exciting things about experimenting when you are creating outfits; you have the freedom to combine whatever you want.

Making a black t-shirt interesting:

The final clothing item that I got versatile with for this blog was a plain black t-shirt. A black t-shirt is a basic item owned by most people, and it can be worn countless different ways. For the first outfit I created, I paired the t-shirt with matching black shoes. I chose a brown bag and brown pair of pants to bring in additional colors as an easy way to switch it up. I added an over-sized necklace and a silver belt to keep the t-shirt from looking too plain.

Next, I decided to pair the black t-shirt with lots of color. I chose to use pink, blue and white as the color scheme for the rest of this outfit. This proves that a black t-shirt can match with anything because of its ability to be combined with any colors. 

The last look that I constructed is one of all black. A ballet-like skirt and heeled boots add a formal touch to this look centered around a simple black t-shirt. Another tip for accessorizing is to use red lipstick to subtly add color to any look!

If you invest in versatile pieces of clothing that you love, you will have a much easier time creating unique outfits that make use of your whole wardrobe. Fashion does not have to feel hard. There are a lot of things you can do to make new looks with the same clothes and discover your clothing's versatility.

Skateboarding Style 101

By Andrew Tidwell

            I would like to start this blog off by paying respect to one of the greats of skateboarding. Dylan Rieder died on October 12, 2016 from Leukemia. He was one of the greatest to ever ride a board. An influence to skaters on and off the board who pushed skateboarding to a new degree of style. Which brings me to the reason I’m writing this. When you hear style, often times you think of fashion choice, but in the world of skateboarding, style is more than just the clothes one wears. The world of skateboarding consists of more than 11 million enthusiasts, and an important part of the skateboarding world is style.

            When it comes to skateboarding, the style a skater has when on a board can either make one keep watching or turning off a video. (I will be referring a lot to things called skate parts, which is a compilation of tricks that a skater will put into his or her video.) There are more than a few styles that skaters have, and you can honestly generalize a lot of the styles into categories. For the most part, everyone in the community has their own style and way they ride the board. Style in skateboarding comes down to a few things, like the pop, flick and catch of the board. These things have a lot to do with how a skater looks when he or she is riding away from the trick. 

A perfect example of someone who makes the pop, flick and catch look too good is Dylan Rieder. He had an insane height on his tricks when he would pop up from flat ground. You could tell that his tricks were being flicked right, and he had enough time to catch the board for a smooth landing. 

Popping the board is an important part to almost all tricks, as the pop is the initial part of any trick. (Popping the board refers to either the tail or nose of the board hitting the ground to initialize a trick.) Popping is important because a person will need to pop enough to make it where they want to be. This can be risky business. Take a stair for example. If you don’t have enough pop, you might end up eating one of the stairs. Popping too much can be a problem as well. If you pop too much, you most likely will make it to the target area, but the higher up you go, the more impact you take. This can be pretty risky to those knees. You can still land the trick with too much pop, but you will need to make sure to bend those knees. (This is a common joke in the community, but bending the knees can help take pressure off the skater.) 

The flick in my opinion is the least important part. It is very important though because a bad flick can end up hurting someone. But a phrase in the skateboarding world is mobbed. Simply meaning, you definitely shouldn’t have landed that. Honestly though, when the flick is performed properly, it will add a different look to a trick. 

The catch is an important part for a few reasons. One reason is obvious. If you don’t catch the trick, then it doesn’t count. But if you catch it too late, the odds of making the trick go down. This is because, when the board is caught, your body needs time to adjust to it while in the air. If caught too late, then it makes it hard to finish the trick when landing.

            At this point in the blog, I will be talking about the styles in skateboarding. When talking about clean styles of skateboarding I always think of Shane O’Neill. His style is so technical and precise, it is almost like he is a robot. (This is also a joke in the skateboarding world. O’Neill’s style is so precise, it is like a robot.) Here is Shane O’Neill demonstrating his craft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1sjuey25ug

Another skateboarder, nicknamed The Boss, is Andrew Reynolds. For two decades he has held it down as one of the best. And in the community, he is known to have one of the best frontside, and backside flips. (A frontside flip is a kickflip 180 with your body going out, while a backside flip is a kickflip 180 with your body turning in.) Here is Andrew Reynolds’ video part from the Emerica Stay Gold video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_8kCdhhBtg

 The final skateboarder I will talk about was known as “Christ” around the skateboarding community. Christian Hosoi was considered a “skateboarding god” during his time in the ‘70s to the ‘90s. He had it all: long flowing hair, fashion, speed, style and an abundance of tricks. He was smooth with all his tricks, and at the time, winning many competitions. One of the reasons why he was called the “Christ of skateboarding” is because of his trick the Christ Air. Here is Christian Hosoi in his video part from 1989 Speed Freaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovrV8BH2vhA

            Skateboarding is a large community in this world and is always being pushed to the next level. Styles are only getting better. And again R.I.P. to Dylan Rieder and all of the other skateboarders who died and died young. Age 28 was too young, and Rieder will be someone the skateboarding community will not forget about. Here is Dylan Rieders’ skateboarding in the Supreme Cherry video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM9H0i1Vls4

            I’m Andrew Tidwell, a 19 year old skateboarder out of Murfreesboro, TN. I have been skateboarding for going on 7 years now and have been a geek about skateboarding since I was a little kid.