As a university student, it may feel too early to start thinking about what you’ll wear to your future job. However, the move from university to the workforce can happen quickly, and building a classic wardrobe that transitions with you is essential. This consists of versatile and timeless pieces that can be worn across multiple occasions. It is a smart investment that will save you time and money in the long run.
I wish I was an expert in fashion and clothing, but I am not. Thankfully, however, there are a few fashion and lifestyle content creators I follow who specialise in just that!
Here are 5 individuals who can help you create a professional and stylish wardrobe, that gives you the confidence you need to succeed in your career.
1) Lydia Jane Tomlinson
One of the key things that sets Lydia apart from other style influencers is her ability to mix high-end designer pieces with affordable, accessible fashion. She also focuses on creating looks revolving around key pieces a person owns. This is particularly useful for students who have a limited budget.
While Lydia hails from the UK, which causes some of her outfit styles to be unapplicable for our tropical weather, her summer style videos offer great ideas! Need ideas for how to wear ballet flats? She has a video on that. Want to know how to style your white shirt 5 ways? There’s a video on that, too.
For creative uses of layering and accessories to refresh their existing wardrobe, without breaking the bank, do check her channel or Instagram out!
2) Kaiti Yoo
Watch one of Kaiti Yoo’s videos, and you’ll soon find yourself down an unescapable rabbit hole. You’ll chime right on time to her opening line in no time.
(It’s a very catchy “Hey you, it’s Kaiti Yoo”!)
Fresh out of university, Kaiti feels like a very relatable peer. She’s shared about her struggles with body image, her life at university, finding an apartment and of course, styling guides.
She feels like a friend. You’ll come for the style tips but stay for her humour and candour.
Kaiti’s styling videos guide you on building a wardrobe you’ll enjoy and finding pieces that can be mixed and matched for maximum utility. Her outfit suggestions may work better for those in careers with less formal or rigid dress codes.
For some fun ideas, check out her videos where she styles herself after book characters!
3) Audrey Coyne
Audrey Coyne exudes elegance and class in her style videos. The style influencer classifies her personal style to be “classic”, “modern”, “relaxed” and “elegant”, so her videos are ones to watch when you want some looks that are timeless. For small pops of colour, Audrey uses accessories; her wardrobe consists primarily of neutrals.
In her channel, she introduces insightful ways to decide what are essentials and how to purchase “smart buys”. One of them is to ask yourself what you’d purchase immediately if you lost your entire wardrobe:
Like the other style influencers on the list, Audrey’s looks are inspired by the changing seasons. Don’t let that stop you from exploring her content, though! Her video on classic colour combinations, for example, is definitely one to watch.
4) Jean Wang
For petite Asian girls, Jean Wang is a great individual to reference. She reviews petite-friendly clothing on her blog, shares work wardrobe advice everyone can learn from, and also covers other aspects such as hair. She also has lifestyle advice that make good reads, such as how to hang knit sweaters to prevent stretch.
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She updates her blog and Instagram frequently, so you can keep updated there!
5) Miss Louie
Another petite fashion blogger, Erica has several suitable fashion videos and posts you can refer to! Most impressively, she has a video sharing how to get 42 outfits from 12 pieces. That’s not our focus, here, however. What I recommend are her videos on basic work outfit ideas, like this one:
She also shares back-to-school outfit ideas you can try out now to see how far you can stretch your current wardrobe.
Remember, building a work wardrobe is an investment, so take the time to find pieces that are versatile, durable, and well-made. And don’t forget to have fun with it! Experiment with different styles and colours to find looks that make you feel confident and empowered. We hope that these fashion style influencer recommendations will be useful in jumpstarting this effort!