Back to School Dress Code
In this “Back to School” wardrobe carousel, I channel my romanticized, turn-of-the-century, old west, high-desert-meets-prairie dreams. My accessories and adornments are made of silver metal and natural leathers and fur. Denim, linen, and wool make up the garments. The book I am holding is a 1935 printed work on “How to Prune Western Shrubs.” I bought it for 25 cents from a neighbor’s garage sale. The embossed gold letters on the brown linen hard cover transport me to the good parts of the past…when objects were made to last.
The photographs are from my life’s chapter living in the Rockies of Colorado full-time. The few short weeks of fall (September to mid-October), when the landscape transformed into a blanket of red, orange, and yellow, were spectacular. I don’t miss the rest. Even summer wasn’t really summer. It was too dang cold and buggy.
This uniform is pretty much what I’ll be wearing to school throughout the fall: denim, a base T, and thinner layering pieces on top for those chilly mornings and classrooms. Minimal jewelry finishes the look; I don’t want to be fussy, but I do want to be chic.
How to make sure your wardrobe isn’t a one-trick pony:
Build out a base uniform. This can look like jeans and a T, or a skirt and a blouse, or a tank and shorts. This foundational look is built from what you grab from the shelves, drawers, and hangers first. The foundational pieces of your wardrobe should provide versatility in weather and setting. For example, I am a jeans and tank/T girl. I can wear jeans in just about any weather, unless it’s tooooo hot, and then I opt for my one pair of black cotton shorts or running shorts. (I have four pair of a Vuori running short, and I wear these every day from June to September for exercise, garden work, and town errands. If I need to wear an elevated look in public, I will wear my one pair of black cotton shorts or my one long denim dress. I have no shame in repeating outfits.)
As for the T’s and tanks, I own: three black cotton GAP T’s in different styles / one black cotton GAP tank / one black sporty-racer back bebe tank / one white cotton GAP T / one white cotton GAP tank. There are a few oddballs for variety: one red linen tank from GAP, one green cotton tank from Reformation, one black peplum waffle cotton tank from Ganni, one stone grey T from James Perse (worn only on days I sub high school gym).
All of these tops are paired too with jeans in spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Add accessories. Layer stockings under shorts. Place button covers over buttons. Put on a belt. Adorn with some jewelry. Finish any look with a hat. Need to keep going?
Layer garments. Add a jacket, cardigan, or button-up. Slip a silky slip-dress over a T and jeans. (How 90’s-Y2K.) Wear a jacket and a button up over the T, tank, or blouse.
You can certainly add jewelry and accessories after layering. Or, repeat steps as needed. Sometimes, you just have to try a variety of items on, deciding what feels ‘right’ in the process of experimentation, before the whole look comes together.
