Homecoming has passed and the semester is quickly coming to an end. This can only mean one thing. It is time for the Annual Nxlevel Onyx Black Party. While some students already ordered their outfit last year, most are prolonging their shopping process.

Although the event is three weeks away, you do not want to have the unfortunate event of someone else having on the same exact outfit as you. But, let’s be honest, there will be that one person (or two or five) that will have a twin for the night. To prevent you from looking like the next person, here are some tips to stand out from the crowd and how to personalize your outfit to make it your own.

Ladies First:

First, play with the latest trends for the fall. Leather, lace, fur and anything that sparkles are all very big this year and you can make a statement as a “fashionista” if you know how to mix and match these items properly. Whether you choose to go for a dressy yet casual look, or for the typical “black dress” make sure your look is unique and is perfect for your body type.

Casual Cute:

You can pair these items with a sheer button up black blouse, or if you are bold you can wear it with a black bra and a belt.

Mix and Match

Little Black Dress:

To take your outfit to a different level, make sure that you play up on your accessories. You can make a simple black dress look like a one-of-a-kind outfit if you have on the right shoes, purse or jewelry.

Guys:

It may seem that as a guy, you cannot do much to set yourself apart fashion wise from all of the other fellas in the room, but that is definitely not true. The NxLevel Onyx Black Party is a time for you to shine. Who wants to wear the average black pair of slacks, black dress shirt, and a pair of slick bottoms? Not I! Being that the dress code is very strict, all black is a must. Black is sleek and sexy, so lets play off of that.

Head to Toe:

A pair of all black, nicely fit chinos is definitely the way to go this year. The cut of the pant is really clean, leaving you with a nice tailored look and feel.

Now that we have the bottoms taken care of, lets move on to the shirt and/or blazer. The combination of the two brings a certain edge in my look, but my book may not necessarily be every guy’s look.

The Right Fit:

One of the most important rules when looking for a dress shirt is that it fits. You do not want to wear a shirt with a collar that is too small or sleeves that are too long. Before making that big purchase, find out your actual shirt measurements. Almost every store has a service that measures not only your shirt size, but also pants size; utilize it. Below are a few dress shirts that would be appropriate for the occasion:

Shoes:

According to the dress code, your shoes must be slick bottoms. Sneakers and boots are NOT allowed. A nice slip-on loafer will definitely do the trick when looking for that shoe to pull your outfit together. Here are a few options that are at Aldo for some reason, a lot of men tend to shy away from accessories although a nice watch or scarf can add personality to your outfit. The dress code permits that you can add a pop of color when it comes to your shoes, belt, neckwear, and jewelry.

Accessories:

A tie looks nice with your outfit, but is not really necessary. If you are going to wear a tie, a skinny or bowtie will do the trick. Let’s stay away from ties that you would wear during a day at the office. A watch adds a sense of class to an outfit. When finding a watch, make sure that it is not too bulky and that it fits. You never want to wear a watch that is too big for your wrist. If you do have that issue, you can always have links taken out so that it fits perfectly.

Following these tips will guarantee a major fashion win at the black party! The 8th Annual NxLevel All Black party will be on November 30th (18 & up) and December 1st (21 & up). For more information, visit www.nxlevelent.com/onyx

• By: Courtney Young and Shawn Jackson, Contributors