I remember the summer before coming to college, thinking I needed all sorts of cool and fun tops to wear out. I made my mom come shopping with me and I bought so many shirts, wearing each maybe one time. So, to save you time, and more importantly money, here are the things that I think are essential for your closet in college.Â
First, you need the basics: black, white and grey tops. Long sleeve, short sleeve, and tank tops. You will throw these on almost every day. They match anything, and they also give a clean girl put-together vibe. Match a black shirt with jeans, and you already look put together for class! Since coming to school, I have added so many plain, basic shirts like this, and wear them almost every day. They are perfect and easy to pair with jeans, sweats, or leggings — whichever you are feeling that day!
Next, let’s talk about going-out tops. There is a lot of temptation to get super fun and unique tops, but you will probably only wear these once. You’re going to be going out and need tops more than you think, so it’s best to get tops that you can wear more than once, with different types of pants. A good quality black bodysuit will become your best friend; invest in one that will last you a long time. My personal favorites are Skims and Aritzia; they make the best bodysuits and they will last you a very long time. I know it’s easy to fall for the fast fashion trends, but this will not build your closet. You will find you have nothing to wear if you are just following trends, and having to buy new going out tops frequently is not fun or cheap. My best advice is investing in your closet. Good quality tops will last you a longtime, and ones that will never go out of style are the best ones to bring to college.Â
Now, let’s talk about some other basics you might need and might not think about. Black boots: you will find yourself wanting to ditch your bar shoes and not wanting to wear sneakers. Black boots are a great alternative, as they go with everything. Plus, for more formal events where you’re wearing a dress, boots look best. The next basic is skirts; I would say one black one and a good jean one. Wearing jeans every night gets boring, and sometimes you will want to mix in a skirt. If you have a black skirt and a jean skirt, you can never go wrong, and it can help you mix up an outfit. Instead of throwing on the same black top and jeans when you have nothing to wear, you can throw on that same black top with a skirt. Those black boots will also look great with a black skirt! I would also add at least one cute sweat set you can wear to class. There will be a lot of days where you don’t want to pick out an outfit, or wear jeans to class. The best way to look out together, but also stay comfortable, is to wear a sweat set. They are so easy to throw on in the morning and saves time on picking out a whole outfit. I love wearing sweat sets to class, and so do many of my friends.Â
Trying to build your closet before college can be challenging, because you don’t know what people will be wearing or what you might need. After a year and a half, these are all the things I don’t think I could live without here at school. What is important is to keep it more chic and timeless. Things you can wear for a long time will be your go-to on so many days!