No matter what you have planned for the day, I’m a firm believer that it always feels better to actually put together a cute everyday outfit rather than defaulting to sweatpants. However, if you find yourself stuck in the same routine day after day (or at home all day), it’s easy to run out of outfit ideas.

My best piece of advice for college girls who want to be put together in a hurry is to have an everyday outfit “formula,” or plan in place for those days when you don’t have time to get creative.

Th formula I find most helpful is top + pants + flat shoes + jacket + 1 accessory.

That way your outfit can be well-rounded and simple at the same time. Plus, you can experiment with statement pieces and emphasizing different parts of the outfit.

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A Comfy, Breathable Top

For an easy everyday outfit, I recommend starting with simple cotton shirts that are comfortable and breathable. Personally, I always like to stick to my basics for these outfit formulas and leave my fancier tops for the weekends.

Buy at Pacsun
Depending on where you live, you might favor a long sleeve top or a tank top or something in between.

Even though it gets cold where I’m from, I prefer to wear a cropped tank like the one above most days and layer a jacket or sweatshirt over top. That way, I never have to worry about getting too warm and I can be in full control of the temperature.

Buy at PacSun
By sticking to a simple t-shirt material, you can have fun with the style and color. Try out a graphic t-shirt for a new band you like, or a print/pattern you might nor normally wear.

Buy at Brandy Melville
I love jazzing up my usual top rotation with something printed or with a few interesting details. One such example is this super cute Brandy Melville crop top — it’s so ‘90s in the best way!