My little sister and I have a lot of things in common. Other than having a secret language, we're both really into fashion, and although she may only be in high school, believe me, the teen definitely knows what trends to rock and look out for. While it makes me so happy to know that she credits her sense of style to me, I was still nervous to let my 14-year-old little sister dress me up for a week. Gulp.
I thought it'd a be fun idea to switch things up a bit. Instead of me giving her a couple of pointers on what to wear for her first day of school or how to dress for her group presentation, I wanted to know what it'd be like if I wore outfits she would put together and how much different they would be from what I would usually pick.
I've got to admit: When I was younger, I hardly let my little sister borrow my clothes. First of all, I got pretty territorial about my crop tops and low-rise jeans. Now though, it seems like every time I go back to my parents' home, I'm somehow borrowing things from my sister's closet. My, how the tables have truly turned.
When I told her about the experiment, at first she thought I went crazy (she knows how particular I am about my style). Then, she started going through my closet, picking out a lot of athleisure pieces (which made sense since my little sister is currently on her high school varsity dance team).
After she went through all of my things, she put outfits together and planned out my week. Here's exactly what that looked like.
Monday
The first day, my sister decided to dress me up in sweatpants, a flannel, and a cap with ankle booties. Honestly, I really enjoyed wearing this dressed up, yet relaxed style. Although I probably wouldn't be able to go to work showing up like this, it was still an outfit that was super comfy, super LA, and super teen dancer, in my opinion. I was pretty self-conscious about wearing sweatpants with heeled booties, but I figured it made me look more effortlessly put it together. In fact, I received compliments on the sweatpants multiple times.
Tuesday
OK, so I basically wear black all the time. I wear it to sleep, to work, to grocery shop — everything. So when my sister paired a denim-on-denim combo, I thought, this is definitely super 90s and I don't think I can pull off this look. After she convinced me to try it, I was surprised by how awesome I felt. The acid wash jean jacket and the boyfriend dark denim combo mismatched perfectly, and went well with my ankle booties, too. I told ya, the kid's got style. I wouldn't have ever thought of putting these two pieces together.
Wednesday
In case you haven't already noticed, my sister really enjoys her sweatpants. I guess if I were back in high school as a varsity dancer (and athleisure-wear was super trendy), I'd probably do the same thing. But the fact that she could pair sweatpants with almost anything and make it look cool is pretty awesome. I wouldn't think to wear white converse with an all black and flannel outfit, but it really worked. Also, I never tried the one button collar trend that I see everywhere, but I thought it was actually a cute detail to the outfit! I was super comfortable in this outfit all day, so much so, I didn't want to take it off at the end of the day.
Thursday
My Thursday outfit that she set up for me was pretty random in comparison to the other ensembles she put together. It consisted of an Iron Maiden rocker tee, acid wash jeans, and a leather jacket. What's funny is that I definitely remember wearing a similar outfit in high school. A #ThrowbackThursday for sure.
Friday
I actually loved this outfit the most because it's something I would put together myself: all black with my AirMax 90s. She paired my tights with an oversized sweater and kept it really simple. I've always told her that keeping things minimal is the way to go, so I'm glad she's somehow found a way to incorporate it in her own fashion choices.
Saturday
Saturday was my sister's first dance competition, so she wanted me to look super fly for the occasion. She made me wear high-waisted leggings paired with a turtleneck crop top along with a black parka and Nikes. (It was very Kylie or Kendall Jenner.) I could've easily been mistaken as the team's choreographer, which made me feel pretty cool.
Sunday
I'm so happy that my sister chose this outfit for me to wear on my Sunday funday, for a few reasons actually. She explained, "You gotta represent where you're from, and because I want to go there just like you." This basically confirmed that we definitely come from the same gene pool. It was a simple college sweater and leggings — the perfect lazy Sunday ensemble. Thanks, sis!
The Lesson I Learned
All-in-all my sister's choices were definitely something that I could vibe with and will definitely start considering to wear on the daily. While I won't wear sweatpants and leggings like every day, I will think about dressing them up with heeled ankle booties. She has also convinced me to explore bolder fashion choices, like wearing denim on denim, and to be more open to not wearing all black every day. It turns out my sister may have better style than me, or at the very least, is way cooler than I was at her age.
Images: Danelle Sandoval
