Huiyan Huang, a senior economics major, describes her personal style as plain and simple with a classic feel. Her blazer is from H&M, her pants are from Zara, and her ankle booties are from Macy’s. She found her sheer black scarf in the sale aisle at H&M for $5. Being a “broke college student,” Huang says that she can always find good deals on name-brand looks at stores like Marshalls, Nordstrom Rack, and Loft. Judging from her classy attire, you’d think she paid top dollar for this perfectly chic outfit.   
Huang turns to fashion blogs like wendyslookbook.com and songofstyle.com for inspiration. Her style icon is New York City fashionista Olivia Palermo. “I absolutely adore everything that she [Palermo] wears. Her style is very sophisticated and vintage,” she said. Huang prefers buying items that don’t easily go out of style to relying on trends. Her go-to outfit for fall would be a turtle-neck sweater with a blazer over it paired with a bold necklace, bracelets, and stud earrings.
Her advice for students who are striving to look good while staying warm this winter: know how to layer clothes properly without looking like a robot. “A nice blazer can easily make your outfit look like a million bucks,” she said. For that, Huang recommends checking out Forever 21, H&M, and ASOS. “I tend to stick with a lot of darker colors in fall and winter, including black, maroon, and olive-green,” she said. Adding a scarf as a statement piece or trying a dark lipstick are both great ways to stand out from the crowd this season, according to Huang.