What I Wear to College Parties: Winter Edition

Now that we're comfortably in the middle of winter, I think it's about time I share my going out wardrobe for the chillier months. When it comes to shopping for clothing to wear to parties or going out with friends, I refuse to spend a lot of money on anything other than jeans or shoes. Sweaters, tops, and bodysuits have to be under $30. There's too much room for error when it comes to going out on the weekend to spend an insane amount of money. With people potentially spilling drinks, I tend to leave my nicer clothes at home and just wear inexpensive items from SheInside, BooHoo or Forever 21.

My winter wardrobe isn't as exciting as my summer wardrobe . There are far fewer crop tops and shorts and I typically stick to wearing a great pair of high waisted jeans and a long sleeve bodysuit. I love wearing bodysuits, but I understand they're not everyone's cup of tea. If they're not your favorite, I would style jeans with a thin mock turtleneck or a long sleeve crop top sweater. Anything without sleeves is an absolute no-go from the months of December through February too. I only have a few pairs of "going out" shoes - again leave your nicest things at home! I stick to a pair of affordable black or white ankle boots or a pair of sneakers like an Adidas Superstar, Converse, or Van. If I feel like switching things up or if I'm going somewhere I know my shoes will be relatively safe from spilled drinks and dirty houses, I'll wear a pair of leopard print ankle boots.

My favorite stores to shop for going out clothes are Forever21, BooHoo and SheInside. I think these three stores have equal quality clothing. Each have a few really great staple pieces, but they're stores best for shopping short-lived trends and experimenting with your style. Shockingly, Forever 21 is the most expensive store out of the three of these places. BooHoo is based in the U.K. and their U.S. site is always 50% off. SheInside receives new clothing every single day and you can shop their site for an additional 15% off with my code "Q1dailydoseofp15".

Tops

Like I said earlier, the tops I wear out are relatively simple. It needs to have sleeves or there's no way I'm wearing it. Think of it this way - there's absolutely no chance that I'm going to wait outside in the 17 degree weather for my Uber in a sleeveless top. I love bodysuits because no matter if I'm walking around talking to everyone or dancing, my shirt stays tucked in and it's one less thing I have to worry about. They're surprisingly comfortable even though they're literally a baby onesie for adults. I love a bodysuit with a little edge to it, so whether it has one sleeve, or a fun notch in the neckline I just want something that's a little different but still comfortable.

If I opt out of wearing a bodysuit one night, I'll gravitate towards a crop top sweater. Something with a surplice neckline adds a little extra detail to any outfit, but so does a sweater with an interesting knit or fun balloon sleeve. For colors, I stick to grey, white, and black because they're timeless. They're chic colors that look great on any complexion. You absolutely cannot go wrong with neutrals.

Bottoms

Again, I'm simple with bottoms for the wintertime. No shorts, of fun printed bottoms like my summertime and autumn style. If I'm going out, I'll either wear a pair of high waisted medium wash or black denim jeans or a black skirt. I love this asymmetrical denim skirt from TopShop. It's just a touch different from everything else I've seen as far as black denim skirts go, but not too wild where I can only wear it a few times. Lastly, I love this fun little black skort. I wore it out this past weekend with a glittery bodysuit for my sororities "Relive New Years" date function and received so many compliments. I ordered mine in a medium, which is a size up for me. It's a faux wrap skort too, so don't worry about the ribbon belt coming loose (truthfully, even then it doesn't!) there's a zipper!

Shoes

Let's face it, I'm sometimes going to fraternity parties (she said in a whispered tone😅) and fraternity houses are gross so there is no chance I'm risking my favorite pair of shoes at a frat house. I have one pair of cheap black ankle boots and another pair of cheap white ankle boots and I wear them on rotation. The white ones are faux leather too, so I literally get home and wipe them off with a Clorox wipe and they look brand new. If I want to be pretty causal, I'll throw on a pair of Old Skool Vans or Converse. Every college girl is entitled to one pair of "trash shoes" where you don't care what happens to them (those would be my Converse). Other than that, I don't put too much thought into my shoe game at college parties and you shouldn't either.

What's your go-to going out outfit?? Let me know! 👇🏻