College students are notorious consumers and even though (let’s face it) most of us are flat out broke we still find money to buy outfits for every college event.

It can feel like we never ever have something to wear when there's so much socializing and whether you fall towards the end of the spectrum of buying clothes in moderation to be a notorious shopper, we’d all do well to create a sustainable wardrobe that covers us from event to event and a season to season.

Creating a sustainable wardrobe comes with many benefits and reduce mental clutter and forces you to focus on the actually important parts of college like building connections and working on yourself.

Here are some of my tips on how I went from notorious shopper to creating a supers sustainable wardrobe where I haven't added any new pieces in over three months.

Choose your basic wisely

Basics are the bones of your wardrobe (and while you can be thrifty with everything else) you want to really invest in your basic.

Investing in your basics doesn't mean dishing out a $100 on a white t-shirt (let's be honest, who has that kind of money?) it simply means spending whatever your personal maximum is to get the best bank for your buck Shop around for your basics and keep an eye on things that are out of your price range but might go on sale in the future.

Now, what exactly are your basics?

Plain t-shirts (great for layering)
Jeans
A sweater/cardigan
A plain black shoe or sandal
An everyday handbag or backpack

Three Simple ways to invest in your basics:

Choose sturdy fabrics- Choose t-shirts that are a hundred percent cotton because they hold up better and jeans that are made of real denim
READ the laundry tag on the items you wear frequently to preserve their life
Have a stain remover solution to prevent set-in stains

Where you can find good basics:

Jeans- Old Navy, they have lots of options, they're affordable and they last even after repeated use
T-Shirts- The thrift store, the thrift store has a lot of t-shirts that are made out of actual cotton and not that thing see-through material a lot of shirts are made out of at fast fashion stores
Shoes- Nike for sneakers (they really hold up, I've been wearing this one for four years!) H&M for booties and heels.
Outerwear- H&M, they have really reasonable prices and the materials last longer than other fast fashion outlets.

Work from the bottom up

Your bottoms are the most important part of any solid outfit. Look for bottoms that are comfy but set the stage for whatever style you like. If you have a soft feminine style buy flowy skirts and light denim shorts.

If you have a more edgy style you might want to get distressed jeans and cut off shorts.

While tops can be switched out from day to day, your bottoms are gonna be getting the most bang for their buck. So always think about how your bottoms complement your outfit and your style or you’re gonna keep falling into the abyss of “I don't have anything to wear.”

Prioritize utility

Sometimes we can forget that a function of clothes is to actually keep is actually keep us protected from the elements and comfortable in our daily lives.

In order to create a capsule wardrobe you'll actually need to pick pieces you wouldn't mind wearing all the time because they actually get the job done.

So that means if you move a lot and prefer to be comfy don't go sprawling on a fancy pair of jeans that aren't gonna give you that freedom of movement instead you might get some really nice leggings. If you don't like wearing sneakers then choose some cute flats instead.

There isn't a one size fit all wardrobe and your capsule wardrobe should reflect what you'd actually want to wear every day, so really think about the pieces you wear the most and replicate that functionality in the other items you buy.

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Think about fabric

Fabric is gonna be the lifeline that keeps your wardrobe alive. While you can pick the perfect pieces and create a capsule wardrobe that fits your lifestyle it's all gonna crumble if the pieces don't hold up to daily use because of shitty fabrics.

Choose fabrics that you know will hold up after being washed repeatedly and fabrics that getter better after repeated use like cotton or denim.

If you're shopping fast fashion to save money then read the tags carefully and test the material by stretching and use your best judgment to guess how long it will take before you'll have to throw it out.

You don't have to go to Zara or Nordstrom to get the best fabrics, the thrift store or Nordstrom racks are two affordable ways I get pieces that have really durable items.

I go to the thrift store to get real denim and affordable t-shirts that can stand repeated wash and I go to outlets like Fashion nova and Nordstrom Rack for more trendy pieces that are still gonna be durable.

Multi-functional is the way to go

Have you ever bought an item that you bought for an event and realized after that you can never wear it again? Yeah, I've been there too.

For my capsule wardrobe in order to reduce and actually get the most cost per wear out of my item, I make sure I can think of at least three ways I can think of wearing an item before I purchase it.

This is especially true for those fancier items, (why spend a 100 on a dress to wear it once?). I make sure I can think about different ways to accessorize it and change maybe my makeup look and hair and see if I can envision wearing it again and if I can't then it's gonna be a no.

Some items will get more use than others but to have a strong wardrobe that doesn't demand constant repurchasing of items I try to make sure the pieces I buy are versatile and can be dressed up and down

Lastly….Accessories!

Accessories are a great way to bring some new life into your capsule wardrobe. Let's be real, the reason we feel the constant need to purchase new clothes is that its new is fun.

You are gonna get bored of wearing the same things and accessories are a great and inexpensive way to help you stick to your capsule wardrobe. Getting tired of wearing the same jeans and top, add a nice leather jacket and hoops and voila! A new look and feel.

Challenge yourself to think of new ways you can style your old items and it will make you more excited to get dressed and express your style

Some fun ways to accessorize your capsule wardrobe are:

A statement bag
backpack
Hoop earrings
A bold necklace
A Leather Jacket
A different makeup look
Bold lipstick
A belt
Bold shoes or heels if you're feeling fancy!

Pssst…. if you’re looking for a cute backpack for college I got you.

A capsule wardrobe doesn't have to be boring! And as a broke college student, you can take the guessing game out of picking outfits every day and focus on what really matters...having fun. Save your coins and still get to express your style.