Clothes

You’ll be choosing a wardrobe for an entire year and it all has to fit into a tiny space. That’s a challenge! To start, what will you be attending – mostly classes and sports/activities, then parties, and maybe some networking. If I were doing it all over again, here’s what I would do.

– Basics – Bring 1-2 jeans, anything more is unnecessary and will take up too much space – 2 is perfect is you’re washing your clothes once a week and not getting too dirty. Bring enough undergarments for 2 weeks – laundromats can get shut down. Bring some cute but basic tops that can be worn year round, and under sweaters, enough for 7 days. Bring a couple of sweatshirts/sweaters, but not more than 4 – you’ll be doing weekly laundry and sweaters take up a lot of space. Bring 3 pairs of pajamas – preferrably a matching set and something you could foreseeably wear while walking down the hallway to the bathroom. No sheer nightgowns. You’ll be hanging out with your roomates at night and you’ll have friends over from the room over, so bring some polite and neat pajamas – not boring – but also not too crazy.

Athletic/athleisure – There’s a very good chance you’ll be participating in athletic activities like a sports class, going to the gym, or just being an athletic student. Even if you’ve never been athletic, now’s your moment to try, and I encourage you to take some fun athletic classes (Yoga, pilates, weight-lifting, swimming, running, etc). If you’re an athlete, you already know what you need, but for everyone else – 1 solid pair of running/exercise shoes, some leggings or shorts, but no more than 4 – these leggings will likely be worn to class so nothing sheer, and some cute bras/tops. Don’t bring too little – and smell – but also, don’t bring too much. Leave the bulky gear or jacket at home. Most gyms will provide you with most of the equipment you’ll need.

– Network events – Throughout the year, you will have opportunities to network with and meet potential employers. You’ll need to have an outfit for it. You can have just 1 that you wear to all of the networking events. Try to choose something that isn’t tied to a specific season (no sweaters or tall boots) and is business casual. You don’t need 6 inch heels, a bowtie or tie, or often even a blazer. Just a a good (non-see through) shirt, a belt, some professional pants or a skirt, and smart walking shoes. Please don’t try to walk to an interview wearing heels. Maybe a nice bag instead of your backpack. But remember, you don’t have to show up in a three piece suit, but you also don’t want to show up in sweatpants.

– Fancy events – There’s likely to be one fancy event like an aware ceremony, scholarship ceremony, end of year photos, a showing, etc that you’ll need/want to attend and your sweaters won’t cut it on your own. You can bring a cute dress but it can be hard to figure out what the venue or time of year is ahead of time, so a dress can be difficult. Instead, I recommend pairing a nice longer skirt (or maybe your professional pants) with a cute top and accessorizing to make it more upscale. A skirt can fit any fancier occasion and can fit any season. If the event is more casual, and in the summer – a basic tee, if it’s fancier and in the winter/autumn – a sweater with accessories. Get creative. One base outfit for all fancy events.

– Shoes – Ankle boots, everyday/walking shoes, 1 pair of black heels with a block heel, and sandals. That’s it, that and shower shoes. I’ll elaborate. You want supportive shoes for every day activities, blundstones, or their equivalent, have great support, are great for walking in the rain/wet, are warm, and are great for the autumn, winter, and spring months (when most of school is conducted). Some sneakers are good for when you want to switch up the ankle boots and it’s hot. A singular pair of versatile heels with a chunky heel can be worn to fancy events at school, during after school activities, and more. A chunky heel is important if you’re going to be hiking across campus to get to the activity. Finally, sandals – perfect for when you need to empty the trash quickly, lug your laundry down to the laundromat, go to the bathroom, or even just go to class. Having a versatile slip on shoe that doesn’t require any fuss or shoelaces will be great when you’re late for class or when you just need to step outside for a moment. You can even combine the sandals and the shower shoes into one slightly questionable (I did it!) combo/everything shoe.

– Parties/After hour activities – First of all, get to know some girls in a sorority and attend events with them. It’s better if you’re in the sorority, so everyone can keep an eye on each other, but even if you’re just familiar with a couple of the girls, be friendly and stick with them. You’ll have a lot more fun going as a group and you’ll go to more events. You don’t need that many outfits, you can reuse more of your tees or sweaters, jeans, and even your skirt. You won’t need that many dresses but if you want, I would recommend 2 – one long and one shorter. Switch up your look each time but do it with what you already have, you don’t need a ton of different outfits.

– Accessories – Try to leave your scarves at home. If you must, bring max 2, but that’s it. Bring on 3 hats and that includes beanies. Bring jewelry for multiple occasions but don’t go overboard. Try to fit all your accessories in a small box/basket in the bottom of your wardrobe. If you’ve got too many, downsize.

– Swimwear – 2 swimsuits. One beach towel that can also be used as a bathroom towel

Costume – There is one more category, almost always forgotten, and easily passed on, the costume. If you like to dress up for halloween or go to themed parties, have at it, but you don’t need to buy a new wardrobe or outfit. Right now the 70’s are pretty big, so you can show up to almost any party wearing something 70’s themed and fit right in. For example fun/colorful pants paired with a simple top can be 70’s, a mime, a hippie, or a rockstar depending on how you do your makeup, your hair, and your accessories. Choose 1-2 standout pieces that you can accessorize to fit any theme. Also, if it doesn’t perfectly work, wear it anyways. Others will be showing up in khaki shorts.

To recap, basic jeans/shorts, tees, one business casual outfit for networking, one fancy skirt (& shirt) for events and ceremonies, several athletic outfits that can be worn in class and in the gym, 1-2 hero pieces which can be used to make your wardrobe fit a theme. Bring less than you think and really try to bring a capsule wardrobe. Most of the day, while in class, you’ll be wearing sweaters because of the A/C, and then dressing up jeans and a top to go out on the weekends. Having a lot of basics can make it appear like you have more shirts than you do, especially when paired with different necklaces or accessories. On the other hand, if you wear graphic tees, it can be easier to determine that you’re wearing the same 5 shirts over and over again, and there’s nothing bad about that, but if you want to have a closet that can meet any challenge or event, go for a more neutral/basic palette that can be dressed up.