One of my favorite ways to get ready for the new school year is to pick out my new wardrobe! I’ve never been the best fashionista, but thanks to Pinterest I am getting a little better at putting outfits together. I’m even stepping my wardrobe up a notch fancier this year! They say you should dress for the job you want, not the one you have. While I have never wanted a job higher or different from teaching, I like to look to my principal and district admin for inspiration on how dressy to dress.
I happen to be a bargain shopper, and get more excited about a good deal than my own birthday 🙂 I have to share this awesome deal I found this week at Kohl’s! So I had $20 Kohl’s Cash to spend from a previous bargain shopping trip ( Can you tell I love Kohl’s sales and clearance?), and I had gotten a free $10 to spend from Kohl’s in the mail. I found a really good clearance on boots and tops, and I spent $1.20 on two items that originally cost $144!!! Here are my pretty new boots and matching top:

If you sign up for emails from stores like Ann Taylor Loft’s outlet, Kohl’s, Express, and Nordstrom Rack, you can get alerts for their big sales and even some discounts or coupons! Those are my favorite for finding nice clothes at bargain prices. Ann Taylor Loft’s outlet store just had 70% off last week- awesome!!

Here are a few guidelines for planning a school year wardrobe.

1. Think comfort! Heels can make an outfit look like a million bucks, but teachers have far too much standing and walking to do for most heels to be practical. Find brands that are tried and true all day comfort for you, and stock up! I find Vince Camuto and Born to have the most comfortable dress shoes.
2. Dress for your environment. I have worked in both extremes of the school district spectrum. One school was very low income and the teachers were asked to wear jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Another school was average demographics and the principal preferred a more dressy look with nice hair and makeup.
3. Go for appropriate. I always try to think, “Would Dad approve of this outfit?” He is my toughest critic on appropriate clothing 🙂 Not only are you educating your students, you are setting an example for them. Too many of the students I have taught, did not have a good role model at home. The teachers and staff at school were all they had!
4. Tailor for the best fit. I am under tall to say the least. At 5 feet 1 inch, everything drags the ground. Having my pants tailored to fit is well worth the money! My tip for you is to try a taylor out before committing to all of your pants. My first year teaching, I took all 7 pairs of dress pants I owned and got them altered to the right length. I was so sad when I picked up my pants and every pair was ruined. They were all way too short! I even went to a tailor who came highly recommended by a close friend!
5. Splurge on nice items. I used to just buy up all the good deals I saw. I ended up with too many clothes, few of good quality, and I didn’t wear half of them. I have now learned to spend a little more when needed and pick wisely. Just because it’s a good deal, doesn’t mean it’s a good outfit 🙂

Need some ideas for outfits? Check out my Pinterest board for What to Wear!