The Clothes I Rewore Constantly Abroad

The amount of time I spent scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, old study abroad accounts, and Pinterest trying to figure out what outfits to bring abroad was honestly ridiculous.

I searched endlessly for someone who looked like me. Similar body type, similar features, similar style. I wanted to know what actually worked for people who weren’t effortlessly fitting into the tiny Pinterest version of “European fashion” I had created in my head.

And naturally, as an overthinker, I packed for every possible version of myself.

What if I went skiing?
What if I needed outfits for a beach trip?
What if I went hiking?
What if I wanted to look more dressed up one night?
What if I suddenly became the kind of person who could effortlessly wear oversized jeans and a trench coat every day?

In hindsight, I wasn’t packing for a semester abroad. I was packing for every possible scenario imaginable.

Which is insane considering I somehow had to fit my entire life into two suitcases.

And to make things even more chaotic, I ended up doing a two-week trip from Amsterdam to Paris to Barcelona to Vienna to Morocco, meaning I was packing for completely different climates, aesthetics, and occasions all at once.

I genuinely thought I was going to lose my mind.

It’s funny because before studying abroad, I romanticized European fashion so heavily. Clean neutrals. Cotton basics. Jeans. Effortless layering. I imagined myself blending perfectly into these cities looking like every Pinterest moodboard I had saved for months.

But like every online shopping experience, the fantasy looked very different once I actually tried it on.

The jeans fit awkwardly. The tops pulled in the wrong places. The silhouettes I loved online made me feel completely unlike myself in real life.

I landed in Amsterdam and immediately noticed how polished everyone looked while still somehow dressing casually and modestly at the same time.

And internally, I started panicking.

Not only was I in a completely new country, but suddenly I felt like I had to redesign my entire wardrobe just to feel comfortable existing there.

I had overpacked so many outfits I never ended up wearing because they simply weren’t me.

The outfits I thought I would wear (oversized flannels, sheer black tops, mini skirts, baggy layers) weren’t practical for my lifestyle abroad, but more importantly, they didn’t make me feel confident.

Honestly, figuring out what to wear abroad became less about fashion and more about identity.

  

Slowly, through trial and error, I started gravitating back toward the pieces that actually made me feel comfortable in my own body:

• • flowy lace tops

• • stretchy boatneck tops

• • bootcut jeans

• • long skirts

• • tank tops layered with cardigans

• • leather jackets

• • Adidas Sambas

• • Longchamp bags

• • Dr. Scholl’s shoes

I realized I liked balance. A tighter top with a looser layer. Bright colors paired with neutral basics. Browns, blacks, creams, and greys that could be reworn constantly without feeling repetitive.

And honestly, rewiring the way I dressed abroad forced me to confront something bigger.

A lot of the outfits I packed originally weren’t really for me. They were for an aesthetic I thought I was supposed to fit into.

I became hyperaware of how much I was trying to shrink myself into a version of femininity that didn’t fully align with me, my body type, or even the climate I came from.

Certain silhouettes that looked effortless on other people made me feel uncomfortable and hypervisible at the same time.

And when you’re already an overthinker, feeling uncomfortable in your clothes somehow makes you feel like every single person around you is staring at you.

I realized pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to magically become a completely different person just because I moved countries.

And honestly?
That was probably a good thing.

Because once I stopped dressing for some imaginary aesthetic and started dressing for comfort, confidence, and familiarity, I actually began enjoying fashion more.

I stopped trying to copy outfits exactly and started using inspiration more loosely.

Pinterest became less about imitation and more about understanding what silhouettes, fabrics, colors, and proportions actually worked for me personally.

I learned that tighter clothing could still feel elegant and modest if it fit correctly. That warmer tones suited me more than cooler neutrals. That I preferred clothes that highlighted my shape instead of hiding it completely underneath oversized layers.

And most importantly, I learned that not every trend is meant for every person.

Studying abroad taught me that style is less about fitting into an aesthetic and more about feeling grounded in yourself, even when everything around you feels unfamiliar.

The outfits I rewore constantly abroad weren’t necessarily the trendiest ones. They were simply the ones that made me feel the most like myself.

And weirdly enough, the more comfortable I became in my own style, the less I cared about whether I perfectly fit into the image I originally had in my head.

I still scroll Pinterest constantly for outfit inspiration. I still romanticize clothing and aesthetics and travel.

But now it feels less like chasing a version of myself and more like building on the version that already exists.

And honestly, I think that’s what confidence actually is.

Not becoming someone entirely new.

Just learning how to feel more like yourself wherever you are.