As someone who has moved between Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri her whole life, I’ve learned how to dress for the colder seasons. My volleyball teammates from equatorial countries, on the other hand, have not. 

I can remember a time last year when I was walking to practice with some of my teammates and they complained about being cold. Given it was January and there was snow on the ground, I understood and just thought they might not be used to the cold since most of them are from warmer countries. 

As I was looking down to make sure I didn’t step in a big pile of snow, I noticed bare feet. My teammates were wearing athletic slides with no socks and their bare feet were basically in the snow. I pointed down and said, “Well that might have something to do with why you’re so cold.” 

My teammate looked at me with a surprised look and said, “What else am I supposed to wear?” 

It blew my mind that someone would think it was okay to wear slides in the snow with no socks. If I ever left the house in anything less than a big puffer coat while there was snow on the ground, my mom brought me back inside and dressed me herself. 

I’ve learned that dressing warm when it’s cold outside is common knowledge for me, but for my foreign teammates, it was a thought that never crossed their mind. At Seward County Community College we have a lot of international students, some from warm countries that never even drop below 50 degrees and some from countries colder than Kansas. 

Using my finely honed “midwesterner” advice and mediocre fashion sense, I’ve put together a checklist of warm clothing must-haves for the fall and winter seasons. This checklist can be for the students that have never experienced winter or the baseball players from Texas that think 60 degrees is freezing. 

I think one of the most important things to think about when building a warm clothing wardrobe is to think of basics first. If you have a few basic pieces then you can mix and match to make several different outfits without having to spend your whole paycheck. 

The most important thing to have for the fall/winter time is a good, thick winter jacket. I know the cute cropped puffer jackets are super tempting to buy because everyone thinks fashion first but when you are walking to class in 20 degree weather with Liberal winds, you are going to wish you had a thick jacket to keep you warm. 

Sweaters can be great for layering or wearing on one of the warmer winter days. Boots are good for the snowy days and they will provide good traction when walking across the icy pavement. Sweatshirts and sweatpants are great basics because you can mix and match pieces or layers with other articles of clothing. (Brianna Rich)

There are plenty of places to get affordable, warm and cute winter jackets. If you want to go for the puffer jacket like I did, Target, JcPenney and even Walmart have good affordable options. My biggest piece of advice when looking for a puffer jacket is to make sure it has enough stuffing to still be warm and fight against winds. 

The next staple item to have in your closet for the colder weather is a good pair of boots. Boots are good for snowy days and they will provide good traction when walking across the icy pavement. Even if it isn’t snowy or icy outside, boots will still keep your feet warm in the cold and windy weather. 

Another great basic to have are sweaters. Sweaters can be great for layering or wearing on one of the warmer winter days. Sweaters can also be casual or dressed up for special occasions.

Old Navy, American Eagle, Target and Walmart are all great options to go when looking for affordable sweater options. 

Jeans are great for cold weather because they are thick. They not only help fight against the cold but also help fight against the wind. Old Navy and American Eagle have good quality jeans for an affordable price that will last for years. 

Some other clothing items to add into your cold weather arsenal are long sleeve shirts and vests. Long sleeve shirts are great basics to layer and can also be good for mixing and matching to make several different outfits. Vests are good to layer over shirts and sweaters to provide warmth without overheating. 

If you are into the more casual athleisure look, sweatshirts and sweatpants will be your best friend. Sweatshirts and sweatpants are great basics because you can mix and match pieces or layer them with other articles of clothing. Although it may be pricer at first, Nike and Adidas are great places to get sweat sets because they will last a lifetime. 

While your cold weather wardrobe all depends on your personal style, I hope this list of basics helps you when building your arsenal of warm clothes. If there is one thing to take from this article it is to wear closed-toed shoes in the snow or at least wear socks when wearing slides.