4 Easy Ways I Dressed Up a Sweatshirt For Fashion Week

When it comes to getting dressed for Fashion Week, every editor has their own tactic. In the POPSUGAR office, we start discussing our wardrobes roughly two weeks in advance. For the Fall/Winter season, our outfit planning meeting usually comes right after we return from the holiday break. Needless to say, I was working from home on my heating pad for the occasion, cozied up in pajamas covered in cat hair. Google Hangout chic!

Nikita was determined to wear all her own clothes throughout the week (most editors call in samples from their favorite brands to style and then return after the shows). I really respected that choice. Laura wanted to test out the new vintage pieces she had secured in the name of shopping sustainably, but also, who doesn't love a good thrifted designer piece? Dana challenged herself to wear bodysuits all week long, and Hannah wasn't exactly sure what she was going to wear yet, but of course it all came together brilliantly. Then there was me: the one who ironically starts sweating the second she thinks about going out in the February cold. I have issues with blood circulation, so, like, what could I style with hand warmers? I know it seems kind of lazy for someone who claims to be passionate about style, but all I really wanted to wear was a sweatshirt.

I was honest with my team and told it to them straight up: "I'm going to style all of my Fashion Week outfits around sweats." Street style photographers would ignore me. Eccentric showgoers in sequined dresses and open-toed sandals would look on with disgust. Influencers who change in cabs en route from one show to the next, racking up a total of five outfits per day, would be disappointed by my lack of effort. And I would probably be jealous of everyone else's outfits. But I would be comfortable. I wasn't just going to wear any old pair of sweats I found in my drawer, anyway. Those, too, are all covered in cat hair.

Instead, I started from square one, dreaming up streetwear-inspired outfits that came to me after some mindless scrolling on Instagram. I loved how model Hana Cross wore her oversize crewneck with tailored slacks and pink Vans. I was obsessed with Millie Bobby Brown's jogger style, complete with the sleek addition of a pinstripe blazer. I knew I could figure out how to elevate my own hoodies with some tailored pieces and cute accessories. I was determined, in the name of athleisure, to prove that sweatshirts can be an integral part of anyone's wardrobe, even while on the job. The outfits ahead are the result of my experiment and they all have one thing in common: they're accessorized with hand warmers. Yes, really.

If you're in the mood for sweat-chic outfits too, allow me to offer up some tips when you scroll. You can shop a handful of my exact pieces if you so choose, or you can use the hoodies I know you already have in your closet, and add on the necessary outfit accoutrements from there. Of course, hand warmers are heavily encouraged for less than $10 on Amazon, but definitely not required.