As a college student, I understand that shopping for cute clothes can be hard when you don’t want to break the bank. That’s why in this article I will be linking different online clothing stores where you can buy cute clothes on a budget. This article isn’t necessarily about buying clothes for cheap, though, but my personal college wardrobe essentials.
1. Something that shows school pride
A crew neck or cute t-shirt showing off your school’s logo is a must have for any college wardrobe. Whether it’s game day, a night out, night in or day full of classes, anything that has your school logo can fit the occassion. A few times out of the year, many college bookstores have sales on school apparel. Local graphic design shops also sell college gear and give discounts to students. Poshmark and Etsy are also great online stores where you can buy used or unused items for cheap, including clothing bearing your school logo!
2. Solid pair of leggings
I know this is probably a must for every girl, not just girls in college, but trust me, you will find yourself wearing them so often! Just like a shirt with your school logo, you can wear leggings on a cold night out or just studying in the library. Leggings are an essential wardrobe piece because you can dress them up or down. Luckily, my school is near the boutique I religiously buy my leggings from, but luckily, you can find them online: Maurices. This women’s clothing chain isn’t inherently cheap, but they are a lot cheaper than stores such as Urban Outfitters. They have sales all the time, though, and their leggings are worth it. Maurices leggings are by far the softest and most comfortable that I’ve found. Right now, their leggings are as cheap as $11, which is a steal! They come in tons of different styles, colors and prints, so be sure to check them out.
3. Cute basic crop tops
These are my go-to for a night out, or when paired with a flannel they can be perfect for a day of classes or just hanging out. Right now, there are tons of cute crop tops on Pacsun for as low as $10. Forever21 is also a great place to shop for crop tops when on a budget, so check there, too!
4. A pair of “going out” or “frat” shoes
Let’s face it, if you are going out to a bar or a filthy frat or sorority to party, your shoes will most likely get wrecked. The floors of bars and college parties are usually extremely sticky with beer and what not. In general, bars and frat houses just aren’t the cleanest of places. I suggest getting a pair of shoes that you won’t cry over if they get a stain on them. Kohl’s, Famous Footwear and Old Navy have a great selection of shoes that look (or are) name brand for cheap. Shoes that look like Converse or Vans are perfect! Don’t worry about making them cute too much, though, because no one will be looking at your feet.
5. Slippers or sandals
If you’re living a dorm, these are a necessity! You may walk around in your room barefoot, but when you’re going out into the hall quickly or going to the lounge to hang out, you’re going to want to have something on your feet. Just like bars and frat houses, dorms aren’t the cleanest of spaces. Grab some comfy slippers or sandals before you walk out of your dorm! Foot fungus is NOT cute. You can get cute slippers or sandals at places as cheap as Walmart or Target.
6. A jacket that goes with everything
Trust me when I say that classes can get cold. Whether you’re attending a college in the north and it’s snowing right now, or you’re in the south and they have the AC on, you’ll probably want a jacket. I personally have gotten denim jackets for cheap at Old Navy that works perfectly. Teddy coats are also in right now and I suggest heading over to Zaful, where they have a bunch of cute and cheap options.
Other items that you might find useful are a cheap crossbody bag for going out, a well-fitting pair of jeans, some sort of hat for bad hair days, a cute black dress and a basic pair of heels.
Hope this article helped you in some way and remember, you don’t have to shop at expensive stores to have a cute wardrobe! All you need are the essentials that you can pair together and you can get those at a variety of different cheap online shops.
Article by Amber Canbek