Fashion Credits: Leighton Murray from the "The Sex Lives of College Girls"

At last, we finally have a nineteen-year-old character who likes tweed! This person is Leighton Murray, and she’s one of the main characters on Mindy Kaling’s new HBO Max sitcom, The Sex Lives of College Girls, which sounds, well, incredibly bawdy at first glance. It’s certainly not a show that I was expecting to discuss on this blog, but, as it turns out, the striking title is more of a ploy to pull viewers in rather than the actual premise of the show.

Essentially, The Sex Lives of College Girls is about four freshman roommates who all come from different walks of life. Fittingly, I too am a freshman in college, and it’s refreshing to see a show that somewhat accurately depicts women my age. However, aside from the college aspect, what really pulled me in as soon as I started watching was one particular character, Leighton Murray, who is expertly played by Renee Rapp.

At first, Rapp’s Leighton is your classic TV WASP: preppy, elitist, and incredibly snobby. Over the course of the ten episodes, however, Leighton sheds her stinger as it’s revealed that she is a lesbian and terrified to come out of the closet. She also warms up to her roommates after an icy greeting. As a side note, it’s refreshing to see a group of friends that are not all the same (especially in terms of race, style, and interests).

What has captured me most about Leighton, however, is her incredible style. As I mentioned with excitement in the first sentence, Leighton is the first character of high school or college-age to wear copious amounts of tweed since perhaps, well, Chanel Oberlin in Scream Queens? Did she even wear that much tweed? I don’t even think our newest teen style icon Audrey Hope from the new Gossip Girl wore a speck of tweed all season. The point is, to see a younger character wear it, and not in a campy way where it comes off looking like a costume, is incredibly exciting.

Even apart from the tweed, Leighton’s overall style is amazing. It reminds me of my own because it’s a combination of classic, chic, preppy, and a hint of glam. Almost every outfit she wears gives me inspiration, but for the sake of your (and my) intention span, I’ll just pick a few.

Move-in Day

Apologies for the very unfocused image, but this is the only scene where Leighton’s whole outfit and her luggage are shown. Leighton already stands out from the rest of the students in her chic matching plaid tweed blazer-short combo. She also wears a white button-up underneath, a black tote, and black ankle boots. She looks much better than I did on my move-in day, during which I wore a black t-shirt and jeans. I had t0 skip a nice outfit because I was schlepping boxes upon boxes up many flights of stairs into my tiny little dorm in 100-degree heat. Leighton, however, has an unrealistically small trolly of LV luggage. While TV world is unrealistic, I have a feeling that she hired movers to bring in some of the more, perhaps, clunky items that could not be neatly rolled into a keepall.

A Print Blouse is Always Fabulous

Still in episode 1 but skipping a few looks, my next favorite is this one that features a pussy-bow blouse (untied) with little lipsticks on it, complete with a brown sweater. I love this blouse so, so much. Even though this outfit still would have been great if the blouse was simply black, the print adds a bit more flair. The blouse also reminds me of the Prada Lipstick skirt (from the Spring 2000 collection), which has notably been worn by Kristin Davis on Sex and the City and Anna Wintour.

A Going-out Look That is Actually Chic

The few times I have tried to go out so far have always been complicated by my outfit. The typical “party” outfit for women consists of a bra or crop top and a short skirt or jeans. I personally don’t feel comfortable wearing a bra (it’s also incredibly cold at night), so I’ll wear a silk top and jeans. However, I always feel super out of place, especially after I showed up to my first one in a casual maxi dress. Leighton gets it right, however, She picks a dress that is a great length (not too short) and has long sleeves. She doesn’t look like she is going to prom, but she also isn’t wearing a cocktail napkin. Also, a little black dress is always the perfect thing to go with if you are not sure what to wear (I need to follow this in the future).

First Day Skirt Set

Moving on to episode 2, Leighton’s first day of class look brings some of the same components as her move-in day one: the color red, a button-down, a matching set, a handbag, and a touch of Louis Vuitton. There are so many things that I love about this look, so I’ll start with the top. Once again, you can never go wrong with a button-down underneath a sweater/blazer. It’s a combination that works every time. While I usually wear jeans or trousers, Leighton is wearing a matching skirt, which makes the outfit much more formal. I love the way it looks, so I’m going to try to incorporate more skirts into my outfits. Next, Leighton is wearing these beautiful tan suede knee-high boots. First, knee-high boots are highly underrated and look good with both dresses/skirts and pants. Second, I love that she chose tan ones instead of black because they don’t steal the show from her skirt set. Finally, I need to talk about the handbags. You’ll notice that instead of a backpack, Leighton has opted for a Louis Vuitton Neverful (on a side note, I have been coveting that bag for years because I am obsessed with the pink leather. The only other person I have seen wear this bag is Lisa Vanderpump). A bag, though a bit harder to carry if you have a lot of stuff, is much more grown-up. I too have ditched my backpack because it just reminds me of high school. However, since the tote might not be enough, Leighton also carries a cute little shoulder bag. On a side note, I love that the costume designer had her carry two bags because toting around a little flap bag to class is completely unrealistic (looking at you, Gossip Girl).

Pink Tweed Set

For Leighton’s introduction to the Women’s Center (where she has to volunteer after she drunkenly throws a liquor bottle at a statue… an act we should not take inspiration from), she wears a double-breasted pink tweed skirt suit with a black button-down. Again, like everything else in this nature, it is incredibly refreshing to see a college student that isn’t ashamed to dress formally.

Mint and Lavender

If there’s anything to take away from Leighton’s style so far, it’s that she essentially has many similar pieces that have slight variations to them (whether it be in color or cut). This is genius when you are looking to create a classic wardrobe. Something else about Leighton’s style that I love is that she isn’t afraid of color. As you may know, I love to stick to black, white, and tan, adding in an occasional pop of color here and there. However, Leighton consistently incorporates many different colors to mix up her look, even though many of the pieces are similar. The above example is one of my favorites because it’s an unexpected, yet wonderful combination. While I probably would have just worn a white button-down or knit top underneath that mint sweater, Leighton adds a lavender camisole. It works well because there is a touch of purple in the sweater, but also because pastels can be mixed in many cases.

The Perfect Go-To Outfit

In this scene, Leighton is wearing my go-to outfit: a blazer, a button-down, and jeans. However, one important detail to note is that instead of pearls (as I usually wear), Leighton opts for three simple gold necklaces. Wearing fine jewelry over pearls is a great way to make an outfit more casual or “youthful.”

The Power of Details

Another major takeaway from Leighton’s style is that some of the best parts of her outfits are all in the details. This sweater, for example, is completely elevated by the little arm-barring cuts, which feature two studs that cap it on either side and bring a bit of bling to the outfit. This green (forest green perhaps?) sweater reminds me of the lipstick blouse. Even if it didn’t have the slit and the accents, it would still be chic, but the unexpected touches make it into a more stand-out piece.

A Leather Jacket and A Gucci Belt Can Actually Be Chic

For a tailgate, Leighton goes with a more laid-back look, which features a chocolate leather jacket, jeans, mustard sweater, and Gucci belt. The thing that I love about this outfit is that it incorporates two pieces that one may not instantly think of when going for a chic look. Staring with the leather jacket, I actually think that when styled the right way, it separates itself from its grunge roots. There’s something sort of mature and stylish about it, especially since leather is such a beautiful material. As for the Gucci belt, there is a lot I can go into. First, many of us know that a Gucci belt was the accessory of the year in 2017, so much so that even I got one. These days, a Gucci belt is considered to be a bit tacky, or even dare I say, cheugy. However, I think the reason as to why you got the belt and how you style it makes all the difference. If you really do appreciate high-quality pieces, then I think it is ok to keep on wearing it. Second, if you need something to tie your outfit together (like Leighton in this example), rather than adding it for the sake of the logo, then a Gucci belt is acceptable.

Belted-Blazer

Leighton’s last great look of the season is a plaid belted blazer, black camisole (which is the same style as the lavender one), what I think is a leather skirt, and a cute little bag with a chain strap (which is Tory Burch, not Chanel). I love anything that cinches in the waist, so I think that a belt with a blazer is very flattering. I also want to take a moment to point out Leighton’s gold Panthere de Cartier watch, which she has worn since episode 1. If I could buy any watch in the world, this would be it. It has most notably been worn by Jackie Onassis, which means that it is a really special piece. Thus, I think the watch speaks to the heart of Leighton’s tried and true classic taste.

Thank you so much for reading! There are many more looks that I loved throughout the show, but I didn’t want to be too repetitive. If you haven’t watched The Sex Lives of College Girls yet, do so if you want to see the rest of Leighton’s outfits.

Warmly,

Jenna