Keeping up with fashion can be such a drag, but drag queen Cornelius Benson had a few tips for students on how to dress, specifically this fall.
Benson has been a drag queen since 2008, but has loved fashion ever since he was a kid.
"In the first grade, my mom got me a black bear fur coat and some cowboy boots," Benson said.
He said he has also modeled, and was a photographer, which helped him learn how to be a stylist.
Benson listed his top five fashion tips, starting first with being confident in whatever you wear. Second, Benson advised knowing your body type and dressing accordingly.
He recommended having a go-to color, and a standard shoe.
And last, Benson said to shop smart.
"You don't have to spend your last dollar to look good," Benson said. "You can find different items you can wear with a lot of different things."
Benson's said his favorite season to dress for is late fall and into winter, because he said he likes being able to layer clothing and feels it is easy to express yourself in regards to fashion.
Benson said in Auburn, typically everyone dresses the same, so he is predicting blouses, oversized scarfs, skinny jeans and boots from the ladies this fall.
Benson said one fashion trend he's shying away from this season is chevron.
"I'm so over it," Benson said. "It used to be plaid, everyone did the plaid shirts."
Benson said he doesn't have one particular clothing line he prefers, because he likes to mix and match from different stores.
"You can find a really cute blazer from Banana Republic, and you could find some cute jeans from Express and a nice scarf from Piggly Wiggly," Benson said. "You can just mix and match and accessorize."
Benson said his favorite fashion trend for men is a nice pair of jeans that fit well, or a low v-neck T-shirt. For the ladies, he recommends showing your shape and following fashion by belting items.
He said he likes a nice blazer with a belt over it, or a shirt with a belt on it and a blazer.
As midterm approaches, it's more tempting to roll out of bed and go to class in the T-shirt slept in, skipping makeup altogether and throwing hair into a pony tail or a hat so people won't realize you lost your hair brush weeks ago.
However, Benson would probably not approve.
"Fashion is not just clothing," Benson said. "It is hair, it is makeup, it is skin, it is the apparel, it is the shoes, it is the accessories, it is the whole package. If you have on a nice outfit and your face is ratchet, no one's going to think you're cute."
For quick, relatively low maintenance outfits to wear to class, Benson said men could wear a nice T-shirt with a blazer, jeans and a boot.
For girls he would swap in a tank top with a cardigan or scarf, and skinny jeans.
"A nice colored v-neck shirt can go a long way," Benson said.
Benson created his own brand of 100 percent natural makeup, and is planning to open a boutique.
His store will have just one item of each clothing piece, so no one will ever have the same clothes.
"People should definitely look into what works for them, and just identify with who they are in regards to fashion," Benson said. "Everyone's body is so different and no one has a perfect body, so you need to find something that works for you and makes you look your best."
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