An article on styling outfits across the year may seem redundant.

I mean, logically you would wear more clothes if you were cold and less if you were hot, right? Often as uni students, we don’t have as much time (or money) to spare as we would like. However, clothes hold so much more value than simply being pieces of fabric designed to ensure both adherence to social decorum and individual comfort. They are a source of expression - a medium through which people first form ideas about the dynamics of your personality, whether you like it or not. Feeling confident with yourself also entails feeling confident in your outfit.

Time pressures in the morning and a lack of basic knowledge on the secrets to forming a comfortable but chic outfit are key reasons why so many students find it so difficult to mix up their appearance. I’ve tried to come up with some handy tips to make your morning a tad bit easier!

SUMMER

In the summer, you would want to wear as little as possible. Probably the easiest season to dress in, this means tank tops, bodysuits, shorts and skirts, or simply a traditional summer dress.

For some occasions covering up the arms or legs may be necessary, and in such cases wearing a button-down shirt (which are often made out of cotton or linen so are lightweight and airy) would be super cute. Linen pants are also a great way to cover the legs whilst allowing them to breathe.

AUTUMN

During autumn, we would want to cover up a bit more as the days get colder. Earthy colours such as maroon, dark green and brown work well in the autumn. This is when you can start to bring back the suede boots and start pulling out the jackets and corduroy pants. However, as we live in a pretty warm climate, it doesn’t get too cold in Autumn. A fashionable but practical outfit would be a t-shirt and jeans with something lightweight on top such as a trench coat or cardigan.

WINTER

Layer, layer, layer. Sweaters tend to not only be a lot more expensive than cotton long sleeves, but pose problems when in heated environments like a bus or a classroom. Choose layering pieces such as t-shirts, blouses and long sleeve tops so that you can take off each layer according to what you are feeling. This also means investing in scarfs and good quality coats for warmth. On particularly colder days, wear a skin-tight layer underneath your outfit. You can find heat tech tops anywhere these days, but a brand that is particularly well known for their cutting-edge effective heat technology is UNIQLO. Consider wearing wide-legged pants, because not only are they making a comeback, but because they also give you room to layer pieces underneath without affecting the pants’ cut.

That being said, you don’t need to eradicate sweaters completely from your wardrobe. Sometimes it’s nice to feel cuddled up in an oversized sweater! As sweaters tend to be on the baggier side, I would suggest pairing them with tighter jeans and a heeled boot to accentuate the figure. A mini tuck at the front would also give you more of a curve (whereas tucking it in all around may cause too much bulkiness). Tucking the hem of your sweater (or t-shirt) under the wire of your bra is also a sneaky hack!

SPRING

In spring, the comfortable temperature allows for a lot more flexibility when pairing tops and bottoms. You could wear a long sleeve cotton shirt, linen top or blouse with shorts and any style shoe (though boots may be frowned upon by strict fashionistas). Alternatively, you could go the other way and wear slacks or denim jeans with a tank top or t-shirt. Florals are always pretty in the spring, as well as bright colours.

STYLING TIPS FOR ALL YEAR ROUND

• Although there aren’t any stringent rules in fashion, a general consensus for wearing a seasonal outfit is that you can wear fabrics associated with the next season in the season before, but never after. For instance, you can start wearing corduroy and suede in autumn in preparation for winter, but you probably wouldn’t wear them in spring. In a similar manner, you would start to wear summer dresses and show more leg in spring, but would start to tone it down during autumn.
• When styling prints, pick one colour in the print and pair it with a top/bottom of that colour.
• Always have an accent piece – if you are wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans, your accent piece may be a bandana headband, colourful jewellery or heels. Conversely, if one of your pieces of clothing is quite loud in colour or pattern, this would be your accent piece and therefore you would probably be fine without anything else too bold on top.