Every year, ahead of homecoming, I typically find myself stressing out about what to wear to my alma mater, Florida A&M University. It’s a healthy mixture of jitters and not wanting to have any style hiccups since I attend anywhere between four and five events on and off campus each October. To be clear, my guiding light for the festive season in Tallahassee is the weather and also the fact that I’d like to be comfortable since FAMU is a campus filled with hills. This year, I decided to ignore what I predicted would be a cool weather weekend: this proved to be spot-on because it actually was blazingly warm this go-round.
A month before, in September, I began gathering clothing, pulling pieces while contemplating the looks I aspired to create. Since my personal style is a bit preppy-meets-Posh Spice this year, I leaned into these notions heavily. With my love for a uniform aesthetic, I am constantly drawn to pieces with collars. I also love statement pieces like eccentric skirts in trending colors like baby pink and kelly green. Aside from these inclinations, I know that I am a firm lover of bold accessories. Think red handbags, quirky going-out dresses, and also kitschy bracelets. I planned for FAMU to be my runway just like it was in college, but this year I was a stickler for packing looks strictly for each event I knew I’d be attending: a dinner with Paramount, convocation, game day, and a night out with friends. Notably, I built my looks around a trial with Nuuly, a subscription clothing rental platform. Vivrelle, a luxury handbag and jewelry rental site gifted me a monthlong subscription too. With these considerations in mind, I seamlessly curated each homecoming look and was exceedingly pleased with the outcome.
Look 1: Paramount Dinner & A Night Out With Friends
As soon as I saw this Tyler McGillivary dress on Nuuly, I knew I wanted to wear this for an evening out with my friends. When I am prepping club outfits, I love working with a pop of color, so this yellow hue that the dress is largely made with really allowed me to build around it in a seamless way. I added a tomato red bag by Black handbag designer Liselle Kiss since I really am enjoying the moment this hue is having. I knew that red lipstick would suffice so I wore that and topped off the look with a pair of Lovestruck heels by Arch NYC (also Black-owned). These shoes were insanely comfortable and after I attended the dinner Paramount was hosting for creative alums like myself, I hopped over to College Town for a party and danced the evening away.
Look 2: Convocation
I am extremely obsessed with the color pink. During my birthday weekend back in July I was chatting with a friend of mine about how we both loved how baby pink was experiencing a resurgence. While scrolling through Nuuly, I stumbled upon this pink Endless Rose skirt and cropped blazer. It was giving me ‘90s Chanel energy. I thought it would be really fun to wear a pink skirt suit to my school’s convocation which is somewhat a dressy event on campus, so I took the plunge. I paired it with my own pair of Manolo Blahnik Hangisi pumps in black and my Chanel small double-flap bag. Personally, I felt like such a grown-up in this outfit. I think it’s a perfect culmination of how my style has evolved over the years; I enjoyed wearing all of these pieces collectively.
Look 3: Day Party On Campus
For Day Snatchers’ insanely fun party that was hosted on campus on Friday, I opted for comfort: I wore a dress by The Format Brand, a hat by Paige Maloney, and my black Adidas Sambas. This outfit was led by a brown parachute mini skirt by Anthropologie. I felt like the skirt was a bit adventurous so I was scared to wear it, but my sister said it was different, and that was encouraging so I went with it. A bright green Balenciaga Le Cagole crossbody bag, which was gifted by the team at Vivrelle was also the center of this look. In my eyes, this entire ‘fit worked out well, I was comfortable enough to dance, and I also felt like I was serving a sporty moment.
Look 4: Game Day
Usually, I wear a multi-functional look for the football game because it’s a day filled with a lot of walking. This year I leaned on the female-led activewear brand Year of Ours’ Gabriella tank top and tennis skirt (another Nuuly rental). I loved the fit of both pieces–they were a bit snug but I felt good in them. My sister had a silk cream and orange scarf so I borrowed it and wore it as a handkerchief; she also let me borrow some high socks that made me pull off an effortless tennis-inspired outfit. I wore my favorite sneakers at the moment, my silver Adidas x Wales Bonner Sambas too. For my carry-all, I purchased a clear bag on campus at a vendor that is a twist on Bloomingdale’s shopping bag. Lastly, I wore a pair of black Madamette shades. I felt really confident in these pieces.
Look 5: Last Night Out
For my last evening out with friends, I wanted to wear a sleek club-friendly look since I wasn’t sure where the night would take us. I ended up in the Coralie dress by Hanifa, a bright orange dress with exaggerated cuffs and a petaled hem. This piece is so stunning on the body, once I put it on I realized it also has some structure to it to make it appear that I was wearing a corset. I wore the Arch NYC heels again because I knew they’d be comfortable. My Chanel flap bag was my lead accessory. I think that the entire look worked really well together. I was able to wear it to two parties.