What do you wear on day one? And more to the point: how do you build a wardrobe that survives nine months of lectures, trains, libraries and last-minute drinks without ever boring you?
The first day of school or university is the one moment of the year when everybody is looking at everybody. There's no point pretending otherwise: you think about that outfit at least three times, you try it on in front of the mirror and then you change it on the morning itself. That's normal, and it's also good fun.
The point, though, is something else. The first day lasts twenty-four hours, the school year lasts two hundred. And the real goal in September isn't nailing one photo-worthy look, it's putting together a handful of pieces that fit together in a thousand different ways: jeans that go with everything, sweatshirts with something to say, jumpers that save you when the classroom is freezing, a shirt that turns the same trousers into an exam-day look.
In this guide you'll find five pillars of the back-to-school wardrobe, with pieces selected from the Dream Shop catalogue — all available now, all designed for girls who want to feel like themselves even from the third row.
Jeans are the base. But not just any jeans
Let's make a deal: if you only have one budget to spend in September, spend it on denim. It's the piece you'll wear more than any other, the one that survives October's washing machines, six-hour library sessions and train journeys. And above all it's the only trouser that works under a sweatshirt as well as under a blazer.
The real question isn't "which jeans are in fashion", it's which fit keeps you comfortable for eight hours straight. High-waisted boyfriend jeans with rips are the most democratic answer: they let you breathe, they don't dig in when you sit down, and with flat shoes they have that confident corridor-of-the-faculty air. Stretch skinny jeans remain the choice if you want clean legs under oversized jumpers. Straight or wide leg is the perfect compromise between the two, and it's also the cut girls are rediscovering most.
A tip from someone who sells denim all year round: buy two different washes, one light and one dark or black. With two pairs of jeans and five tops you've already got twenty outfits, and nobody notices.
Eleven Jeans
High-waisted boyfriend jeans with generous rips, in two washes. The high waist keeps the silhouette clean even when the top is roomy, and the soft leg gives you total freedom of movement. These are the jeans you pull on at half past seven without thinking, and that still work at seven in the evening.
Perfect with a printed sweatshirt by day and with a ribbed jumper and an ankle boot in the evening. If you love a light, lived-in denim, the Lorenz Light Denim is the brighter sister of the same cut.
Discover the product
You'll find every model in the Women's jeans collection, while Jeans and leggings and Women's trousers also hold the comfier alternatives for long days.
The sweatshirt that speaks for you
In September the sweatshirt is a means of communication. It's the first thing other people read about you when you walk into the classroom, and it's also the piece you treat yourself to when the rest of the outfit is the same as yesterday. That's why the slogan, the character or the print isn't a detail: it's the message.
The styling rule is dead simple. If the sweatshirt talks — an ironic slogan, a cartoon, sequins — everything else keeps quiet: clean jeans, a neutral shoe, no noisy accessories. If instead the sweatshirt is plain, then you can load up on accessories. There's no third way, and this is exactly what separates a considered look from one thrown together.
On the practical side: look for brushed cotton on the inside, which in September isn't yet a burden but in November will save you. And at least one with a zip or a hood, because classroom radiators are always either too much or not enough. If you love a longer, more urban cut, the Ninjia balaclava sweatshirt is the most street version of the category.
Happiness is Expensive Sweatshirt
A slogan that makes whoever reads it smile and a soft cut that doesn't pull anywhere. It's the Wednesday-morning sweatshirt, the one you wear when you can't face deciding anything but still want to look pulled together.
Pair it with dark jeans and white trainers for the simplest look in the world, or under an open maxi cardigan when the temperature drops. Available in several sizes, from S upwards.
Discover the product
All the prints and styles are in the Sweatshirts collection and in the broader Women's sweatshirts and jumpers. And if you're after a matching set to wear all together, take a look at Sweatshirt and sporty tracksuits.
Jumpers and maxi cardigans: layering for the cold classroom
There's a phenomenon familiar to anyone who has been to a school or a university lecture hall in Italy: you leave the house at seven in twenty degrees, walk into class and it feels like fifteen, come out at two and it's twenty-six. The remedy isn't a coat, it's layering: light layers you take off and put back on without ever feeling wrongly dressed.
The open maxi cardigan is the cleverest piece of the season. It isn't a jumper, so it doesn't cook you; it isn't a jacket, so you can roll it up and stuff it in your backpack. You wear it over a T-shirt in September, over a sweatshirt in November, and in December you put it under a coat without anyone noticing. Alongside it, the ribbed jumper or the soft polo neck is the choice if you want a cleaner line: perfect with high-waisted jeans because they show them off instead of hiding them.
On proportions there's only one golden rule: if it's wide on top, it's narrow underneath — and vice versa. Oversized maxi jumper with skinnies, fitted jumper with wide-leg jeans. It's the trick that makes any combination look deliberate.
Lopra Maxi Cardigan
An open maxi cardigan with balloon sleeves, in three neutral shades that go with anything you already have in your wardrobe. It's just long enough to cover you when you sit down and soft enough not to weigh on your shoulders.
With jeans and a T-shirt it's the easiest lecture look there is; with a short skirt and a low ankle boot it becomes an afternoon-in-town outfit. If you prefer a closed, enveloping jumper, take a look at the ribbed Maxipull Maxicollo.
Discover the product
The complete selection is in the Women's jumpers collection. For the light tops to wear underneath — the first layer you don't see but that makes all the difference — look at Women's tops and tees and Tees and maxi tees.
Oversized shirt and skirt: the "I've got an exam today" look
Sooner or later the day that counts comes round. The scheduled oral, the project presentation, the exam, the internship interview. And on that day a sweatshirt isn't enough any more — not because it's wrong, but because dressing one notch up changes the way you carry yourself. It's simple psychology and it has always worked.
The oversized shirt is the most elegant shortcut to taking that step without dressing up as a grown-up. Worn open over a vest top it's casual; buttoned and tucked into jeans it immediately turns serious. The striped version is by far the most versatile because a vertical stripe lengthens and works with both denim and a skirt. The light denim one, meanwhile, is the mid-season wild card: you wear it as a shirt today and as a light overshirt in October.
Alongside the shirt, the short skater skirt is the piece far too many girls underestimate: with opaque tights and a low ankle boot it's supremely comfortable and has far more personality than a pair of trousers. And if you want the definitive leap towards an interview look, add a blazer: structured shoulders alone are enough to change how the whole outfit reads.
Rechel Striped Shirt
An oversized striped maxi shirt, available in two colour combinations. The fine stripe is the one that forgives everything: you never tire of it, it never dates and it sits happily next to other prints.
Open over a T-shirt for lectures, buttoned and tucked into jeans on exam day, knotted at the waist with a short skirt for the evening. If you're after something softer and more romantic, have a look at the Stars Shirt in denim with printed stars.
Discover the product
You'll find them all in Women's shirts and in Short skirts (here's the overview of all Women's skirts). For the jacket that finishes the look: Women's blazers and Women's denim jackets.
Backpack, shoes and accessories: where your style really shows
Here's the truth nobody says out loud: basics are all much the same. Jeans are jeans, a sweatshirt is a sweatshirt. The difference is made by the backpack, the shoes and the two or three details you add — and it's also the cheapest part of the wardrobe, so the most fun.
The backpack is the accessory you carry for eight hours a day for nine months. It's worth choosing carefully: roomy enough for a laptop or two large notebooks, with straps that don't cut in, and with a personality you can spot from a distance. Animal print, studs, vintage embroidery: they're all codes that say something without you having to say anything.
On shoes, September's winning pair is a trainer you wear every day plus a low ankle boot for when the rain arrives. Converse customised with glitter or studs are the perfect shortcut if you want a trainer nobody else in class has. And then the micro-details: a cap in your backpack for mornings when your hair won't cooperate, a volume clip that lifts your roots in ten seconds, a satin scarf knotted to the handle of your backpack or in your hair. Three seconds of effort, a completely different face to the outfit.
Leopard Backpack
A leopard print backpack with applied ears: roomy, light and with that touch of wit that makes it instantly recognisable. Animal print is one of the strong codes of this season and on an accessory it works brilliantly, because it gives character without committing the whole outfit.
It looks great with head-to-toe denim, breaks up an all-black look and becomes the focal point when everything else is neutral. If you prefer something more rock, the Piton Backpack in studded faux leather plays the same role with a different attitude, while the Vintage Cute Backpack is the romantic rosebud version.
Discover the product
Browse all the backpacks in Bags and backpacks, the shoes in Women's trainers, Customised Converse All Star and Ankle boots. For accessories: Hats, Extensions, toppers and hair accessories and Women's accessories.
Frequently asked questions about back-to-school outfits
Your September, your style
From the jeans that last nine months to the backpack that makes you recognisable in the corridor: at Dream Shop you'll find over 4,000 pieces and accessories to build the back-to-school wardrobe that really looks like you.
Discover the whole women's collectionFree shipping from €100 · Klarna in 3 interest-free instalments
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.