I recently had the urge to revisit my junior high days. No no, not the glories of prepubescence, which I had many of, I must point out. Uni-brows, oversize Gap hoodies, slicked back pony tails (not in a sexy, Bella Hadid way, more like a middle aged man with long curly hair trying to cover up a bald spot kind of way). I was inspired to bring back the CHAIN BELT!!!!
Now, I had one of these, one I remember vividly that was worn to various junior high dances at our local park district. Silver chain with crystal studs – I want to say it was a Forever 21 find (back when I experienced Forever 21 for the first time and it felt like a treasure trove of $5.99 GOODNESS). It was worn only on nights I pressed out my curls with a flat iron that should be (and probably is) now illegal because the heat it exuded was that of a blow torch. No flat iron? In that case we’d casually pull out a real iron from the laundry and proceeded to lay our hair out on an ironing board and…IRON IT. OMG WE ACTUALLY F*CKING DID THIS, and sadly, it was’t 1890…it was 2002. PLEASE do not do this at home…or ANYWHERE for matter.
There’s been lots of progress since then. I’m no longer in the desperate state that entailed putting an iron to my HEAD…and, I’m wearing chain belts in a completely new way. Three new ways, to be exact.
PS – if you want to see me style all these looks live, be sure to check out my vid on IGTV!
Oversize Button Down.There really is no WRONG way to wear an oversize button down. This is a staple piece in my closet – in fact, it is one of the items I rounded up in my spring essentials list. Here, I’ve styled it solo with my wide white trousers, and a chain belt peaking out from underneath. When I’m not tucking in an oversize button down, I like to roll up the sleeves and leave the bottom buttons undone for a more effortless vibe. You can also style the chain belt over the buttoned down shirt for a more polished look.
chunky sweater. I love me a good chunky knit. You guys already knew this about me. You know what’s better than a chunky sweater? One that’s layered…and BELTED! I layered this balloon sleeve sweater over the same exact look I had on previously, and added the chain belt on top. I normally tuck in the front of my oversize sweaters, so it was nice to experiment with a new way to accentuate my waistline.
oversize blazer.Come on, you knew I just HAD to throw a blazer look in here! I have so many outfits with blazers (aka here and here and here), I feel like I should add a f*cking “blazers” in my drop down menu. This blazer was a vintage find from my latest thrift haul – I scooped it up for $1.50. That is the honest truth -$1.50, the price of…a pack of gum. Yeah, that’s basically all I could come up with. What else is a $1.50?! Help me out here.
I know the gold buttons on the blazer + the chain belt is a bit much for some people, so if you’re not into it, you can layer on a blazer that doesn’t have statement buttons. I personally liked the effect and how it blended with the chain belt, but hey, I know I can be extra.
