Back to school shopping guides can be confusing. How do you make a guide that fits both a high school freshman and a college senior?
You do it by focusing on the essentials that every man needs.
Whether you’re in high school or college, the bare essentials for back to school clothing remains the same.
Once you have the bare essentials down, you can than direct your wardrobe towards a particular style.
If you’re in high school you most likely want to get some trendy streetwear style, if you’re in college and want to tone down your crazy wardrobe, a minimalist style might be right for you.
Whatever your style is, you need to get the essential back to school clothing first.
Let’s begin!
Start With T-Shirts
When buying t-shirts avoid the big box stores that sell 10 t-shirts for $5. Often those shirts are boxy and not flattering at all.
For a nice slim fitting shirt at a reasonable price, I recommend Uniqlo Tees. Get yourself a few of these shirts in black, white and any other colors you like.
You can also get yourself some long sleeve shirts and henley’s to round out your tops.
Back To School Pants
When it comes to pants you want to opt for some simple pairs of jeans and chinos.
You really don’t need to go crazy when buying jeans, no one can tell the difference between $400 jeans and $10 jeans, but you can definitely tell the difference between ill-filling jeans and well-fitting jeans.
Get yourself some black jeans and some regular blue wash jeans and you’re pretty set.
Chinos are also a great way to round out your pants game. Get yourself some chinos for when you wanna switch it up.
Shoes For Back To School
When it comes to buying shoes for back to school, you want versatility and comfort.
You’re going to be walking around campus for hours on end and you want your feet to feel nice while doing so.
You also don’t want to be wearing crocs, you want something stylish.
A classic pair of vans works great here.
If you want something even more minimal, a simple white sneaker also works amazing.
Boots To Stand Out
You don’t always want to be the sneaker guy. Sometime a nice pair of boots goes a long way in making a simple outfit look a lot nicer.
You can always go with the classic Timberlands – they’ve been in style for decades, and for good reason, they look great and are function. They also look great with a pair of jeans.
Layering is Key
Something to wear over your t-shirt when the weather is less than ‘California sunshine’.
A light jacket works great and gives off a mature look.
A hoodie also works great if you’re going for a more cozy cool look.
With these basic items you build a great back to school wardrobe. Now you can take your style to the next level with our guides on:
And if you’re looking for a more in-depth guide on building a wardrobe from scratch, check out our guide.