Back to School Wardrobe Essentials

Discover the back to school wardrobe essentials you’ll need this year

As back to school season starts to approach, you need to make sure you’re all set for the year ahead. When you’re getting ready to start school or college, sorting out your wardrobe seems to be one of the most important parts of feeling prepared. Even though you don’t need to be going to school in the latest trending items and popular brands, being stylish is still really important for many people.

I have put together a back-to-school wardrobe essentials list to make sure you have everything you need for starting school or college feeling comfortable yet trendy. These are 7 items everyone needs to start their back to school wardrobe. Even though there aren’t many items, each item is necessary and will get you through the entire year.

Check Shirts

Check shirts are great for your back to school wardrobe as they are the perfect mix of smart and casual. Wearing a shirt rather than a t-shirt makes your outfit look smarter and put together, but the style of a check shirt and the oversized fit makes it more casual and relaxed.

Checked shirts are also a great item to have if you want to have a limited wardrobe, as you can style a checked shirt in so many ways that’ll make it look like a completely new outfit each time. You can wear them open with a t-shirt underneath, done up tucked into a pair of jeans, or you can wear them tied around your waist.

They can also be a practical item for the colder weather. During the autumn and winter or on colder days, having a checked shirt is a good way of adding layers as it’ll not only keep you warmer without overdoing it, but it’s also a stylish way of keeping warmer.

Check shirts are a staple to have because they are so easy to style, and they will be in style all year round, so you don’t need to worry about updating your wardrobe with one of these.

Mom Jeans

Mom jeans are a necessity for your back to school wardrobe. They are the perfect mix between smart casual and comfortable; the most important thing when going to school is that you’re comfortable and dressed appropriately.

Mom jeans are smart enough to look presentable for school, but they are comfortable to be in all day because of the loose, baggy fit.

Not only that, but they are super easy to style; you can wear them with a sweatshirt or oversized t-shirt for a casual look, or you can pair them with a shirt for a more dressy outfit. Either way, mom jeans would suit both types of outfits.

You can get a couple of pairs, maybe different colours, for more options to help create more outfits. What’s also good about them is that you can wear them all year round, not only are they a staple that won’t go out of fashion, but they can be styled in each season, so you don’t need to worry about finding new styles.

Graphic T-shirts

Graphic t-shirts are a great option for your back to school wardrobe as they are simple enough to go with many outfits, but the twist of the graphic design makes the outfit more interesting.

When going to school or college, even though you want to look stylish and trendy, the most important thing is being comfortable and practical; and a graphic t-shirt is the perfect mix of both.

Wearing oversized, baggy clothes is really popular at the moment and creates effortless, edgy looks, so if this is your style or a trend you like, a graphic t-shirt is a must for your wardrobe. Having a few options, whether that’s different colours or different styles, is good as it creates more variety and means you don’t have to keep repeating your outfits.

Graphic t-shirts can be worn in so many ways all year round; during the summer months, you can wear them on their own with shorts or oversized as a t-shirt dress, and then in the colder seasons, you can layer them with hoodies or jackets to create warmer outfits.

Hoodies

Having a hoodie or sweatshirt in your back to school is great for so many reasons; not only are they so easy to wear and style, but they are super practical to have every day. A hoodie or sweatshirt can be worn as a main part of an outfit, or they can be used as an extra layer when it’s cold.

For your back to school wardrobe, you may want to have some plain hoodies/sweatshirts and one or two with a graphic or design on them so that you have a few to choose from and that can create completely different outfits.

Also, graphic hoodies/sweatshirts create a more statement look, so they are good for being the main focus, whereas a plain hoodie or sweatshirt is better for when you want to add one for comfort or warmth.

Denim Jacket

A denim jacket helps make every outfit look a little more put together, whether it’d be a hoodie and leggings look or a dress outfit; a denim jacket completes the outfit. It’s an easy jacket to wear as it’s not too thick or too thin, so it’s practical all year round.

You can layer it with a knit jumper or a sweatshirt for the winter months, and then for the spring/summer season, you can wear it with a t-shirt and shorts.

A denim jacket is also a great jacket to have for your back to school wardrobe because it’s casual enough to wear every day.

Some jackets can look too dressier or be too high quality to wear it every day, whereas with a denim jacket, even though it adds to the look of an outfit, it doesn’t dress it up too much where it can’t be worn every day. So if you do want a jacket for causal every day, then a denim jacket is your best bet.

Bomber Jacket

Owning a statement bomber jacket in your back to school wardrobe is a great way to add excitement to your outfits. When you’re going to school, it isn’t about having all the latest trends and the most popular clothing pieces; you need to create statement yet simple looks.

To do this, you don’t need to have a different outfit every day, but a few key pieces that automatically transform an outfit, and a statement bomber jacket is one of those pieces. If you wear a plain white t-shirt with jeans, adding a statement jacket will add more excitement to the outfit and make it look more dressy.

Compared to the denim jacket, you don’t need to have this as an everyday jacket, but having it as a once in a while jacket makes it less memorable and helps make your outfits look brand new.

Also, even though you want it to be a statement piece in your wardrobe, you still want it to be easy to pair, so go for one that has a neutral base colour, and then the details are in the small designs; this way, you don’t have to worry about finding an outfit to suit it.

White Trainers

White trainers are a must for back to school. The best thing about a fresh pair of white trainers is that they will go with every outfit, no matter what you decide to wear, white trainers will always work with them.

Go for a simple pair that you know you’ll wear and that are comfortable to wear all day. There may be a pair of trainers that have a funky pattern or are multicoloured that you really like; however, even though they may be stylish at the time or really popular, they are more likely to go out of trend a lot sooner.

Going for a simple pair means that they will last across multiple trends, and you can get more wear out of them. This isn’t to say don’t get any other trainers for going back to school, but if you are trying to limit what you wear, then going for a plain pair of trainers will be a much more practical option.