With springtime here, students are donning bright shades and pastels. For most, however, choosing what color to wear is a subconscious morning-of decision.

Well, not for me. I have a strict “color week” system for selecting what I wear. For an entire seven days, I wear only one color and have my purse, jewelry, glasses, shoes, makeup and nails match.

This might sound a little over-the-top, but I think it actually helps me decide what I should wear to class each day better. It would be more difficult for me to wake up, rummage through all of my clothing and then try to accessorize appropriately.

My “color week” inspiration started when I was in seventh grade. I would wear a different color every day and struggled to match my outfits with my nails. By the next year, I developed the color-coded system to simplify the head-to-toe coordination process for each day. With this regimen, I was able to have all my green accessories, purses and shoes laid out beforehand, instead of digging for them frantically the morning of.

The best way to plan a proper color week is to simply write it down on a calendar.

I keep track of all my color weeks and outfits in an agenda where I schedule my looks for the quarter.

The main essentials for instituting a color week are an eye for fashion and a bargain.

Matching does not take mass amounts of money. Stores such as Forever 21, TJ Maxx and even Wal-Mart provide awesome accessories, clothes and shoes on a college budget.

I bought a bright yellow, orange and lime green winter coat for only $5 each. Assorted rings, bracelets and headbands can cost less than a dollar at the right places. I have also been able to snag the most beautiful flat shoes and flip-flops in six different shades all for $9 each at a Value City close-out sale. For my prescription glasses, I found a nice blue, brown, white, red and green pair during a buy-one-get-one-free sale at Pearle Vision. I have been able to get multiple pairs of sunglasses under $6.

Creativity is also a plus for planning color weeks.

Instead of just painting my nails with solid shades, I create designs with a skinny nail polish brush from a beauty supply store. Some of my most popular designs are: polka-dots, two-colors and stripes. I even do Valentine hearts, Christmas colors and shamrocks for Saint Patrick’s Day. It takes patience and a steady hand, but it is all worthwhile when someone notices my nails and asks which nail salon I went to.

People that only see me once a week assume that I go to great lengths to coordinate each day.

Of course, it would be tough to put together a color week if all your clothes are pretty much the same, or if you never try to match your shoes or bag with an outfit anyway. But, for those who have a decent-sized wardrobe with variety, who are desperately seeking a fool-proof plan to cure the “I don’t know what to wear today blues,” the color week regimen really works.

Planning all my outfits ahead of time has changed my life and the lives of others.

A girl in my Spanish class said she comes to class just to see what I am wearing. I receive the most raves during my yellow week because people are surprised that I have so many yellow clothes and shoes.

My favorite color to wear is lime green, simply because that is my favorite color and could wear it for over two weeks. I do not mind when people tell me to give it a rest since Saint Patrick’s Day is over. I also disregard the comments that I look like a highlighter and people need sunglasses to look at me.

Some students are turned off by my black week and say that a Gothic look is not my style. Others have said that I resemble the Pepto-Bismol bottle during my pink week and a stop light during my red.

Most people say, “You have way too much time on your hands.” But I think the time I use to plan, I save in the morning.

The campus would look so lovely if everyone had a color week, instead of the typical “just-rolled-out-of-bed” look. I have also heard that when you look your best, you do your best in class.

I am more organized and stress-free person because of it. Sure, my closet is packed and color-coordinated, but I think it is fun.

I have started off the quarter wearing tan, because I wanted a color that would segue from the break back to the books. This week I chose silver because I have a cute gray vest to wear for my birthday. The following color weeks will feature red, purple, blue, green, black, yellow, orange, and pink, depending on how I feel and the weather.

Heather Hope can be reached at [email protected].