It is that beautiful part of the year again when the temperature is happily sitting in the 70s. This magnificent change from the heat of the summer allows us to finally start wearing clothing without ending up a sweaty mess after walking 15 minutes to class. Fall fashion is for me the best fashion because who doesn’t love boots, sweaters, and jeans? Unfortunately many of us don’t have bank accounts to allow us to buy all of the fall clothing pieces we would ideally love to splurge on. There are a few items that I believe are important staples for fall that are worthy of breaking your piggy bank for, and some trends that aren’t worth the splurge.
Quilted Puffer Vest: SAVE
All over Pinterest girls are sporting J.Crew quilted puffer vests taunting me for the fact that I refuse to pay over $120 for a vest. Originally I was very upset over this and many times I had to talk myself out of buying one because even with my student discount I couldn’t justify it. But then a beautiful thing happened, as I was going through my emails I saw an ad for Old Navy’s outerwear and I kid you not I have found a cheaper doppelganger of J.Crew’s vest. Some may argue that when it comes to outerwear you should splurge and I agree in the case of a winter jacket or even a heavy vest that is more for warmth. But if you just want a slim quilted vest for slight warmth but more for fashion then there is no need to pay a lot for it.
Printed Jeans: SAVE
We all have those one pair of jeans that just make our legs look really good and those jeans are probably one of our more expensive pairs. Pairs like those are okay to spend a little more on because lets face it we probably wear that pair maybe twice a week (admit it). But as much as I love the trend of printed jeans they aren’t going to be the pair we reach for so often and for that reason there is no need to spend $100-$200 on them.
Leggings: SPLURGE
You may have thought that you could save on leggings considering you can buy them at Forever21 for under $10 but let me tell you something leggings are a more important investment then you think. For one, it is a fact that when you bend over you can see through cheap leggings and that’s just that. You may try to tell yourself that you can’t or you don’t care because they were so cheap but end this denial now. Cheap leggings also carry the risk of ripping, I would know considering my cheap leggings ripped during school in 7th grade (it was not my finest moment). By spending a bit more you are essentially buying insurance to protect yourself against these embarrassing moments, so go out and get yourself some thicker leggings!
Boots: SPLURGE
Considering I wear my riding boots pretty much everyday in fall I don’t regret spending more on them. Not only do I get a ridiculously amount of wear out of them but you just can’t argue against the quality that comes along with a great pair of boots. Yes, those $30 Charlotte Russe or Forever21 boots seem like such a deal but walk in them for a day and you’ll feel the quality.
In most fashion situations if you are going to wear the item a lot it usually is a good idea to spend a little more on it for the sake of it lasting longer and having a higher quality. Just be smart about your purchases because we are in college and frankly we don’t have money to toss up into the air (although we all wish we did!). Happy shopping!