Your Coat Is Your New Canvas

“How to be creative with your fall coat?”

Lately, I’ve decided to be creative with my clothes and sneakers by painting them. What better way to stand out than by splattering paint on your clothes? I turned a basic olive green army coat into a creative master piece that I can wear. My inspiration to splatter black and a white acrylic paints on my coat  came to me during a trip to a thrift store with my friend. I found the coat, which had a white paint drop on it. Instead of being turned off from it, it sparked an idea to put more white drops of paint on the coat along with black paint. Listening to my best friend’s idea to write a message on the back of the coat helped make the coat unique and inspiring with the message “BE YOU,” embracing one’s individuality. Now grab your acrylic paints and paint brushes and start being creative with your clothes.

Coat: Thrift Store and DIY (Do It Yourself)

T-Shirt: Thrift Store

Faded Black Skinny Jeans: Cotton On

Combat Boots: Call It Springs

Hat: Polo Ralph Lauren

Backpack: Target

Bomber Jacket Central

Bomber jackets are perfect coats to wear for the windy or gruesome winter weather. These MA-1 Flight jackets have become an essential coat for women to stay warm and stylish. The dramatic puffy shape of the jacket complements the basic clothing and dark and neutral color body con dresses. The beauty of choosing a bomber jacket as your go-to coat is that it can be worn during formal or informal occasions. Whether you are heading for a night out or going through your casual day, a bomber jacket will do justice for your outfit .You can get them at retail or army navy stores for $135 or less.

Here are a bunch of formal and informal outfits with a bomber jacket:

Olive Green Bomber Jacket: Alpha Industries

Black Long Sleeve Shirt: H&M

Black Skinny Jeans: Levi

High Heels: Zara

Wallet: Juicy Couture

Black Bomber Jacket: Alpha Industries

Beatles T-Shirt: JCPenney

Mom Jeans: H&M

Black and White Superstars Sneakers: Adidas

Black Faux Leather Backpack: H&M

Navy Blue Bomber Jacket: Topshop

Black Body Con Dress: Topshop

Nine West Pumps: DSW

Black Wallet/Clutch: ALDO

Olive Green Bomber Jacket: Alpha Industries

Grey Loose Fitting T-Shirt: H&M

Boyfriend Jeans: H&M

Black Leather Chelsea Boots: Topshop

River Island Cream Bag: ASOS

Channeling My Inner Daniel Craig

It is time to stop worrying about whether you look ridiculous from rocking a double denim outfit. Instead, think about how cool you will look with wearing a dark shaded blue jeans and denim jacket. Someone like the actor, Daniel Craig, knows how to rock the Canadian tuxedo with the right boots, top, and attitude. I put the double denim look together by putting on my black Red Hop Chili Peppers rock band t-shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, brown suede Chelsea boots. I completed the outfit by throwing on a dark shaded denim jacket, similar to the jeans. You can own this look this look by wearing skinny jeans, black or grey t-shirt, and a pair of Chelsea boots whether it is suede or leather and black or brown. This will help you avoid looking like a character out of a western film.

Denim Jacket: Levi’s

Skinny Jeans: H&M

T-Shirt: redhotchilipeppers.com

Chelsea Boots: ASOS

Bracelets: ALDO

Looking Chic with Classic Sneakers

Give your feet a break from your heels. Classical sneakers are not just used for active wear anymore. They have become a footwear of choice to create a chic outfit. The simple color and structure of the sneakers complements many sophisticated and stylish clothes like cigarette pants, overcoats, and biker jackets. Many fashion creatives are remastering a handful of classical sneakers whether it is a pair of Adidas Superstars and Stan Smiths, Nike Air Max, or Puma Suede. They stand the test of time and are worth adding to your street style.

Here are outfits that presents your chic-ness while your feet stays comfortable:

Grey Polo Neck Top: H&M

Cigarette Pants: Topshop

Stan Smith: Adidas

Faux Fur Vest: ASOS

Black Handbag: Target

Camel Overcoat: River Island

T-Shirt: H&M

Black Coated Skinny Jeans: Topshop

White Superstar: Adidas

Black Clutch: ALDO

Rock Band T-Shirt: redhotchilipeppers.com

Boyfriend Jeans: H&M

Air Max 90: Nike

Biker Jacket:Zara

Grey Backpack: Target

Showing Your Creativity on Leather Sneakers

My dad witnessed that my love for Adidas sneakers grew. One day, he decided to give me his black Superstar sneakers. I remember seeing them and thought that they needed more creativity. This gave me the idea to paint the sneakers. I wanted them to display my creative vision. My idea was to paint one inspirational word on each pair and doodles that spreads positivity and wisdom.

I started to look up videos and articles about how to properly paint leather sneakers. I found YouTube videos from Angelus Brand account. Here are steps on painting your leather sneakers.

Materials: Painter’s Masking Tape, Cotton Balls, Cloth, Nail Polish Remover with 100% Acetone, Angelus Brand paints and finisher

1. Remove the shoe laces.
2. Use painter’s masking tape to cover up the areas you want to avoid painting and applying nail polish remover and finisher.
3. Apply nail polish remover that has pure acetone on the sneaker with cotton balls or a cloth. In order to paint them, you need to remove the existing coating that the shoe manufactures put.
4. Paint the leather with Angelus paints. It can only be brought online on the Angelus Brand website.
5. Make sure to add two-four coats of paint to make it pop up. Wait for 30 minutes- 1 hour for it to dry.
6. Now lightly apply the finisher on the leather to protect the paint and let it dry for a while. You can only buy it at the Angelus Brand website.

Now you have a new pair of sneakers that shows your creative side.

Having Fun with Your Mature Look

For my first day as a junior year at college, I decided to go for a mature yet cheerful look. I took a style risk by tucking a t-shirt in my jeans. Taking style risks is not a big deal because it helps you develop your fashion sense with trial and error. You will be amazed by handful of those style risks complementing your style. It shows that you are successfully taking charge of your own fashion choices. I threw on a short sleeve button up that had fun prints and blue skinny jeans to avoid the complete dad look. I wore my black Adidas Superstar sneakers that I customized with Angelus Brand leather paint. I wanted to show my creativity on my sneakers. This outfit displays my style evolving but not letting go of my youthful one. 

   Short Sleeve Button-Up: Forever 21

T-Shirt: Personal Gift

Skinny Jeans: Cotton On

Sneakers: Adidas

Backpack: Thrift Store

Bracelets: ALDO

With the Help of Bold Colored Heels

It is time to add colored heels to your shoe closet. Leave your black, white, and nude heels in your closet and grab yourself a bright colored one. Have fun with choosing a pair of pumps that has your favorite color. It is all you need to brighten up your basic clothes.  The colored pumps tells people that you can step outside of your comfort zone and experiment with your style. The bold color from the heel can brighten up your day and the people around you.

Here are casual outfits with a pair of bright colored pumps:

Boyfriend T-Shirt: ASOS

Overalls: ASOS

Faux-Leather Backpack: Brandy Melville

Blue Fringe Heels: Topshop

Black Baseball Cap: Target

White Tank Top: H&M

Skinny High Jeans: H&M

DKNY Clutch Wallet: Carryall: Macy’s

Enzo Angiolini Heels: DSW

White Long Line Blazer: ASOS

Boyfriend T-Shirt: ASOS

Bleached Boyfriend Jeans: Zara

Black Clutch: Style Tread

Yellow Pointed High Heels: ASOS