Tips for Creating a Back To School Wardrobe

I may be still in denial about summer being half-over, but I have to admit, the back to school sales and cute styles I’m seeing in stores are getting me a little excited about school time (ever the teacher!).

This school year, I’m partnering with Kohl’s to bring you tips for your back to school shopping trips. I’m pleased to share Kohl’s has teamed up with Office Max to offer back to school supplies kids need – right in their stores! 

Yes! You heard me – new this year and ONLY in Kohl’s stores (NOT online!), you can now shop school supplies while you shop for clothing at Kohl’s! If that isn’t a genius of a time-saver for busy parents, then I don’t know what is!

Next time you’re at Kohl’s, look down the center aisles by the children’s department, and you’ll see Office Max stands featuring all the basic school supplies (and some extras!). As a former teacher, I found the selection to be quite thorough: Notebooks, binders, composition books, folders, pens, pencils, post-it notes, scissors, crayons… and even gear kids can get excited about like Crayola twistable crayons and colored pencils, stand-up pencil pouches, and printed Duck Tape!

We had a lot of fun picking out animal printed folders and notebooks for back to school, as well as picking out a cool green backpack to stash all that important gear!

Of course, after stocking up on our school supplies, we had a blast shopping for outfits for fall back to school! And, because Kohl’s has awesome coupons, I got everything my son will need for back to school supplies and clothing for just under $300! Check out our Kohl’s haul, which includes Office Max school supplies, backpack, and a complete fall wardrobe!

Along the way, I learned a lot about creating a boys’ wardrobe for the school year, so I thought I’d share!

Tips for Creating a Back to School Wardrobe!

1. Inventory the closet before you shop! Trust me on this one. Not only did I purchase two pairs of pants that we already had in the closet, BUT on my separate trips, I actually purchased the SAME exact polo shirt twice! I take consolation that I must really like that shirt! Ha!

2. Make a specific shopping list. Include quantities and styles of items (ie, 2 pairs athletic pants, 5 graphic tees, 1 pair sneakers, 1 hoodie, etc). If your school has a uniform, you’ll be happy to note that Kohl’s does offer some uniform clothing options both in stores and online.

3. Go with a color palette in mind. Pick a main neutral, a secondary neutral, and a main bright color. I chose gray (dark and light), navy blue, and orange. Using a color palette will save you time in the store, and later during the year, it’ll save time trying to find clothing that goes together. When all the pieces more or less goes together, life is easier. I did add beige pants and jeans because those definitely go with anything! My son fell in love with the red firetruck shirt, and he must have a green backpack so we deviated there a bit, but even so, the red shirt has gray in it.

4. Select tops for easy layers. Layering is important as most school classrooms fluctuate in temperature throughout the building, and yet students are usually not allowed to wear their coats to class. So for comfort, layer up! I have an orange short-sleeved tee with an orange and blue striped waffle knit shirt. Also, don’t be afraid to layer patterns – as long as the colors coordinate, mixing stripes and plaids is a cool trend!

5. When in doubt, size up. I made the mistake of getting my son’s current sizing for a few pieces, but when he tried them on at home, they fit just perfectly… which really wasn’t good, since these are fall clothes he won’t wear for 6-8 more weeks, and I want them to last through at least Christmas! So I had to exchange some sizes.

6. Don’t forget shoes and accessories! We got one pair of sneakers, and one pair of casual shoes that can be slightly dressy, as well as sport socks that go with just about every outfit. I still need to get him a belt, and perhaps a knit cap when those come out later this fall. 

I put together my son’s fall back to school wardrobe with just 20 items! I can create 8-10 different looks, which gets me through one week of school without doing laundry (hahahahaha, in theory!), and two weeks of school without him repeating outfits (although some items get repeated). Check out my son’s back to school fashion lineup from Kohl’s! (Oh, and, I think I get a Gold Star for getting my son to put on all these outfits in one photo session!). 

And stay tuned – next week, I’m going to give you a run-down of my 20-item Kohl’s wardrobe, as well as post a fantastic giveaway from Kohl’s! Don’t forget – Kohl’s has great back to school style for kids AND school supplies from Office Max all in the same spot! It’s a win-win!

How do you go about creating a back to school wardrobe for your children? Share your tips!

Thanks to Kohl’s for partnering with me for this back to school wardrobe feature! All opinions are my own.