<p>FWIW, aside from the sale/clearance racks, you could spend $350 at J. Crew and walk out with just 3 or 4 pieces. (Blue Blazer = $188! = half your budget) Ditto with Anthropologie…I would NOT recommend going to either if budget is an issue.</p>
<p>H&M is a good call (though build quality can be mixed there), as is the sale section of pretty much every store (including the ones mentioned above) or site.</p>
<p>We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the Lands End Canvas collection…which is much more J. Crew-y than the normal catalog, and the prices much more reasonable than J. Crew.</p>
<p>What about the Gap? Oh, and I forgot that J. Crew’s online store has a “weekend only” outlet where you can find deals. So maybe I’m not ruling out J. Crew after all…</p>
<p>I’m a thrift store diva, 7dad–but I just bought my kid three pairs of pants through the J. Crew weekend only outlet–on sale and free shipping. Getting on their mailing list is key. And ditto on good deals at J. Crew outlets too, in the clearance section. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for something name brand and specific, ebay can be a great place to shop too–but you have to know what you’re looking for and be patient to get a good deal.</p>
<p>I think outlets would be a good place to check. I’ve seen Brooks Brothers, Gap, and Ralph Lauren Outlets. All those stores usually would be prep school go-tos so the outlets would have similar stuff cheaper. Also, as previously mentioned, T.J. Maxx is definitely worth a visit as is Marshalls, their sister store, with a newly expanded shoe department!</p>
<p>Also, you can find great deals on decent quality clothes and shoes at Sierra Trading Post. I think they have a few stores out west, but the website always has great deals (and usually with free shipping). They often have nice North Face and Mountain Hardwear jackets at good prices.</p>
<p>Keep an eye on the Lands End sales, and the overstock section. Right now, they have nice flannel jammies for 75% off and chinos for around $10. “on the counter” has a nice squall jacket for $35,down from $100.</p>
<p>Yeah I’m really concerned about that too. I asked a friend and she said for schools with formal dress code, it’s a good idea to shop at an outlet mall with stores like Ralph Lauren and JCrew (Wretam? or something in Ct. is a good one). Invest in one Longchamp or vineyard vines tote, a good pair of Uggs and Northface winter wear. If you don’t have thousands of dollars to spend, no one will pick on you for not having all designer clothes so I’m planning on doing a bunch of shopping at Tj Maxx and Nordstrom Rack.</p>
<p>Also I heard Urban Outfitters, is the new “trend” shop. It’s pretty fair priced especially if you shop around the discount section. I think you’ll do great with $350 if you’re just careful about what you buy.</p>
<p>Brooks Brothers is having its sale on winter stock right now. Still pricey, but if you appreciate fine clothing, I just ordered a navy blue wool blazer originally $400, now $198. It’ll last forever.</p>
<p>@chikeekawe My daughter loves her DM’s. She likes them for the obvious reasons, but also because not a lot of people wear them. Though I have told her that when I was her age we all wore them, so she is not that original. She still loves them though and wants to get another pair in a different color.</p>
<p>@OP, first do your homework. Go through your current wardrobe, and pull together anything which could work with your new school’s dress code. If you’re a jeans & t-shirt girl, you might have sweaters and camisoles which fit and would work with dressy pants or skirts. </p>
<p>Remember, most schools with a dress code don’t require students to wear classroom dress all the time. Your sweats and t-shirts could get more use at school than you think.</p>
<p>Then, make a list of the pieces you must have. If you’re in New England, you must have a winter coat, waterproof boots, gloves (or mittens), a hat, and a scarf. If you’re sensitive to cold, long underwear is nice (I hear the screams of the fashion-conscious now! ) Cardigans.</p>
<p>I second Albion’s advice to check out consignment and second hand stores. </p>
<p>A little planning also goes a long way. I’m showing my age, but I haven’t read a fashion magazine in years. In the olden days, one staple article which ran frequently in magazines would show the reader how to combine a few pieces of clothing to create different looks. Through google, I found a publication put together by a mom which shows how to do this: [12</a> Simple Seperates Plan](<a href=“http://issuu.com/247moms/docs/fashion]12”>12 Simple Seperates Plan by Tanya Peila - Just My Life - Issuu).</p>
<p>It is tempting to buy a lot of inexpensive clothes…but you should have a few quality pieces that you mix in with the cheap stuff. Good button-down shirts (like from Lands End), a dark blue and a khaki skirt, and higher quality tee-shirts (not those tissue-layering ones) will last…bringing down your cost-per-wear.</p>
<p>You can also shop for cute things at sporting goods stores – they often have clearance racks – that you can wear with more traditional things to keep your look fresh. Strive to make different outfits with the same clothes – it’s amazing how what else you are wearing can disguise that it’s the same skirt and shirt you wore on Monday and here it is Wednesday. </p>
<p>Be sure you know how to sew on buttons and fix popped seams before you go. Doing a little maintenance on your clothes yourself will save you money. And folks are right about thrift stores (esp. church ones)! With a good eye, you can dress yourself inexpensively and have people wanting your clothes! Just be eagle-eyed about stains, rips, and other condition issues – try everything on. Even if the items is only a couple of bucks, it’s worth it to try it on first. </p>
<p>As for your fancy clothes – a good black dress is worth splurging a bit on. Remember you will probably want to dance in it, so throw your arms around in the dressing room to be sure you can! And a pair of black, closed-toe shoes will work with so many outfits that it is worth spending a little more to make sure they are very comfortable. </p>
<p>One more tip passed on from my D who just graduated from Boarding School – at the end of every semester, check the lost-and-found. There are always clothes left behind. My D has found some very cute things there that no one bothered to collect – and no one ever said, ‘hey, that’s mine’.</p>
<p>(Cost per wear explanation: if you buy a sheer, cheap tee for 5 bucks and it rips the first time you wear it (as has been known), your cpw was $5. If you spend $30 on a tee and you wear it once a week for 5 years, your cpw is 8.5 cents.)</p>
<p>Thank you guys all so much for you great suggestions! I will starting doing my shopping soon. In the meantime, I will be jealous of Peddie and the other schools that let out this week while I still have almost a month to go!</p>
<p>I had a smaller budget for school clothes too so I know how to help! Going from public school to prep school the clothes your classmates wear become significantly more expensive and from “preppy” brands. Lucky for us, stores like H&M and Forever 21 make clothes that are A LOT cheaper and are the same style basically. The things you’ll probably NEED are a coat, rainboots, and dress code clothes (i.e. pants, blazers, skirts, etc.). The stores I mentioned earlier make all of these items for a much cheaper price than, say, J. Crew or Barbour. I would spend the most on the coat and shoes and get everything else on sale or at cheap stores.
I go to Kent School in CT, by the way, and I’ll be a sophomore next year.</p>
<p>i go to exeter and at first i thought that everyone would be wearing j. crew and vineyard vines. i was mistaken! obviously there are some people on campus who will always be dressed impeccably in similar brands but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the population is. i’d say h&m and forever 21 are good places to get clothes. sometimes, there are relatively cheap things at urban outfitters when they are on sale. i also own a lot of things from the gap and from other stores abroad. some people are label hogs at boarding school, but let me tell you, like 75% of the boarding population doesn’t follow that.</p>
<p>hey guys. I am currently a sophomore at SPS and i just wanted to comment on clothes.<br>
You can buy all the fancy clothes and try to fit the “preppy act”, but to be honest it doesn’t matter how you dress. Yes I have many friends who do dress preppy and formal, but I do have a lot of friends who don’t dress the usual preppy look as you might think everyone wears. One of my best friends dresses completely different from most people and he’s accepted. Also to not if your a guy, most people just wear jeans and a collar shirt. nothing special and immediately change after classes and sports into sweats. You should just dress comfortable according to yourself. I’m definitely not sayin to buy jcrew, vineyard vines, etc, but just know that you dont have to dress like that to fit in.</p>
<p>Hey! Looks liek we are going to be Peddie girls together next year. I know for a fact that Delia’s is currently having a HUGE clearance blowout sale with shirts, pants, skirts all starting at as low as 4 dollars! and don’t worry about being “preppy” at Peddie. Unless that is your style, this school allows students to be comfortable while still having the option to look cute or extremely casual. Best of luck</p>
<p>boys- jeans (dark blue are good-American eagle has good, nice quality jeans I think), sweatshirts (like American Eagle…sports etc), moccasins, tennis shoes, northface, that type of thing. I have a brother with a slightly-puffy sort of North face. Warmest thing he says and it looks better than it sounds.</p>
<p>Girls- Jeans (anything w/o holes cause it looks odd in the winter), uggs if you like them, boots of any kind, tights (Not a fan in the winter), loose drape-y scarves, sweatshirts, cardigans- Boys or girls its all about layering. Trench coats that end just on/ past your waist. Sounds a little silly but you know gossip girl? The coats they’ve worn in the winter (but in affordable options) are a lot like what people wear. Leather is a bit odd where i live but if you can work it, go ahead!(:</p>
<p>My suggestion is look up your school on FB-they post photos-and search on youtube and all that stuff. You get to see the student body and get a feel of it.(:</p>
<p>boolluver is very Right, I love the Ann Taylor Loft sales. I’ve found a $70 cardigan for $18 and a $45 dress shirt for $13. They’re expensive but when they mark down stuff, they mark it down A LOT.</p>
) Cardigans.</p>