J.Crew shirt via Poshmark, Goodfellow & Co. boxers, Circus NY shoes, Kinn Studio necklace, Madewell necklace set
As I’ve slowly discovered my personal style over the past year or so thanks in part to TikTok’s Heather Hurst aka pigmami, Allison Bornstein, and Carla Rockmore, I’ve found so much inspiration in pieces I find in my closet while brainstorming the types of items I’d like to thrift and/or purchase firsthand to work in tandem. I’ve never been a true trend follower throughout the course of my style journey from elementary school til now (as a 26-year-old teenage girl). I previously wrote about my affinity for tall black leather boots in different styles since I was in second grade (mentioned in this post) and how my boot formats shifted along with my style evolution. In middle school, my black boot choice was a pair of mid-calf/nearly knee-high black combat boots in a canvas-like material before opting for mid-calf stiff leather lace up combat boots in a midnight-shade in freshman and sophomore years of high school. I was inspired by outfits worn by YouTubers and my middle school best friend, but my style evolved as I grew up and I opted to wear the pieces I felt most comfortable in, despite their trendiness or lack thereof. I still style outfits exactly the way I want them to look—this time with lots of layers, colorful pieces, maximalist jewelry, and frilly ankle socks with all of my shoes. However, one of the trends I immediately attempted was boxers as shorts for the summer time. Boxers do not fit my usual outfit recipe at all, but I’ve tried to invoke Allison Bornstein’s 3 word method and wrong shoe method in my morning styling routine to create fashion tension with my looks, and I believe this style of shorts (or undergarment) is like the “wrong pants method” if you will. Boxers are extremely thin, breezy, and casual—perfect for the dry heat of the summer—and I agree with all of the fashion girlies who boast about the shorts’ relevance during the longer days. They match perfectly with all top styles from oversized button downs to cottage core prairie blouses to baby tees with logos or phrases. I chose to style my boxers with a half tucked airy button down in the most girly creamsicle shade, and I love the mix of the baby blue with orange! I’m obviously not going with a minimalist look, so I picked my brightest and most colorful accessories to make the boxers an even more out of place pick: hot pink kitten heel slide sandals, a green rubber bag I bought at Ross for $10 (and I’m obsessed with it!!!), the Zara scarf I tie as a headband or belt or bracelet or neck scarf depending on my mood, and layers of rings, bracelets, and colorful necklaces and earrings. I believe the boxers are supposed to add a whiff of disconcerting energy so as not to make me appear as a put together young lady (wouldn’t want to lie to the people, ya know?), and I believe the outfit does just that! Thank you, TikTok, for showing me my style and all of the other styles I can incorporate when I’m interested in more pizzazz!
