How to Stay Chic When "On the Grind"

Fall is officially here y'all; it was incredibly cold, dreary and rainy in The District today. As one who's not particularly fond of gross weather, I did what I always do on bleak, miserable days—I immediately went to grab the frumpiest outfit I could find and proceeded NOT to do my hair, all of course, with my usual “I'll be darned if I waste looking cute on such an ugly day” rational.

It wasn't until I waltzed into class, almost proud of my decided commitment to “disheveled-ness”, did I realize how alone I was with this philosophy. With their leather boots, girly hoodies, and fitted wool coats, every single female classmate of mine arrived to class in style, apparently ready to get both their learn, and their fashion game, on.

I sighed with exasperation as I slumped into my seat; every time I try to slack on Howard's campus, I'm quickly reminded that being on your grind is okay, but slippin' on style is not. So, in an ode to school pride, I've put together a list of things that will help stay on the chic and narrow, even when I'm on the grind...





Oh how I LOVE Andrea from Fly. She is another one of my imaginary best friends, but I digress. The point is, she's always on the grind finding creative, interesting stuff to post on her blog, yet she can come up with the cutest hair style in no time! Besides being adorable, this look is great because it's a style within a style. Before bed or in the morning, wash your hair like normal, then put it in little twist. If your lazy like me, pin it up in a cute 'do like Andrea and leave them in for a few days or until you feel like taking them down. When you do, you'll have the cutest 'fro ever. How time/energy efficient is that?



I couldn't include the staple of a leather jacket without featuring my girl Meagan! Now I know that many blogs have criticized Meagan over the years for seemingly wearing her favorite pieces too much, but I think Meagan's go-to outfit choices are just a testament to how real women operate...if your staples are fabulous, then you will certainly wear them more than once. Repeated wear, especially in this economy, is in fact, the point. Do yourself a favor and get a leather bomber before the weather really breaks and they get to expensive. If you're like me and not to scared to buy secondhand, then you can find some great leather jackets at area vintage stores or online.


Jeans are a no brainer, I know, but you'd be surprised at how often you'd find yourself back in those busted sweatpants if your jeans aren't easy to wear or don't have the proper fit. Allow me to (re)introduce you to Gap, particularly their fabulous jeans. I have been all around the jean world, from Sevens to Earls to J Brands to Forever 21 and let me just tell you — Gap 1969 Premium Denim is the truth. Gap's denim rivals most premium brands; I own both a boyfriend cut and a skinny jean and I LOVE them! So why was I caught slippin' in class today you ask? Well, I'm still waiting on next weeks paycheck so I can run out and get the above, which is the "Real Straight" cut in "dark wash". There is nothing in the world more versatile. Mmmm, straight-leg, dark denim jeans...


Ah! A simple, low-top converse. Chic in it's simplicity, this is the lightest, easiest sneaker to just throw on and go. Plus, they don't get so beat up looking because (1) they're black and (2) they're canvas, which means you can just throw them in the washer from time to time. These are the perfect shoes to put on when you have something better to do than think about what shoes you want to put on...

So that's my list for "on the grind" chicness—a cute twist-up/twist-out 'do, a black leather bomber, some dark denim straight legs, and some simple black converse. What are your "go-to" items when you don't want to get caught slippin'? Share your comments below.