Back to School – Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe Ideas

This back to school season is difficult enough to navigate. What your kids wear to class, whether on campus or at the kitchen table, shouldn’t complicate things further. By building your child’s back to school wardrobe with versatile style staples than can be mixed and matched to create multiple looks from only a handful of items you can maximize your purchases and minimize your school clothes shopping stress level.

Hibbett | City Gear’s stock of casual grade school fashion favorites from Nike, Jordan and adidas has everything you need to dress your students for success from toe to head.

Not sure where to begin building your kid’s back to school capsule wardrobe? We’ve put together a few fits to help get you started.

Boys’ Back to School Capsule Wardrobe Essentials

When building your kids’ capsule wardrobe, focus on one statement piece around which to build several different ensembles. Our first boys’ statement piece is a Nike Sportswear Boys’ Marker Mash tee. This tee shirt incorporates multiple colors — white, blue, black and green — which means it can be worn with bottoms, shoes and accessories in any of those four colors.

We’ve demonstrated how this can be achieved in outfit one by matching our Marker Mash tee with Nike Air Max 90 SEs in White, Blue Fury and Volt to emphasize the shirts’ green-colored logos. In outfit two we decided to maximize our use of the shirt’s blue background, opting to pair it with blue Big Kids French Terry Shorts and similarly colored Nike React Vision “Blue/White” sneakers. For a bit of contrast, we also included a light grey Tech Fleece Big Kids’ full zip jacket.

For our final Marker Mash outfit, we’ve swapped the colorblocking with emphasis on the shirt’s white graphics. On bottom we have a pair of white Nike Boys’ Elite Reversible Basketball Shorts anchored by ultra-sleek Nike Air Max 2090s in white, Wolf Grey and Platinum. When cooler temperatures roll in, this outfit can be topped off with a pullover, such as the Nike Youth Kentucky Wildcats Club Fleece Hoodie featured here.

From the vibrant and colorful to back to the basics, our second collection of boys’ outfits is grounded by a pair of black Jordan mesh shorts accented by minimal flashes of red and white. These bottoms serve as a great base layer many ensemble options because of their mostly-blank canvas and versatile color palette.

Matching red and black accessories, sneakers and tees with our Nike basketball shorts was a no brainer. For outfit one, we went with a pair of classy Black/Hyper Royal Jordan 6 Rings kicks and a nondescript Nike Brasilia JDI Mini Backpack as an accessory. As we move up the fit from toe to head, we facilitated a sharp break in color by matching our black bottoms with a Jordan Boys’ Sticker Red Tee in a reversed color scheme.

Outfit two in this collection achieves a similar aesthetic, featuring red, black and white prominently throughout. Here we incorporated the Jumpman logo into each piece of the ensemble, from the Jordan crew socks and Jordan Jumpman Pro Black/White/University Red shoes to the Jordan Boys’ Painted Jumpman Tee that completes the look. Finally, we paired our shorts with a multi-colored Jordan Boys’ Sport DNA Colorblock Tee and Jordan 1 Retro High OG Black Satin/Gym Red sneaks accessorized by a Jordan Jumpman Classic Gym Sack for our third capsule wardrobe fit.

Girls’ Back to School Capsule Wardrobe Essentials

Much like our first boys’ capsule wardrobe statement piece, the Marker Mash tee, our first girls’ fashion staple is a pair of vibrant, floral patterned adidas shorts that incorporate a plethora of colors including hot pink, light pink, teal, light blue and white.

Outfit one plays up the shorts’ various blue hues by pairing the bottoms with an adidas Girls’ Trefoil tee in aqua. So as not to distract from our shorts’ visual appeal, we opted to complete our ensemble with a pair ultra-comfortable Grey/Silver adidas NMD_R1 V2 sneakers. For an extra pop of color, we also accessorized this back to school outfit with a pink adidas Santiago Lunch Bag.

Look two offers a softer appearance with its heathered grey adidas Girls’ Classic Boxy Tee featuring a feminine pastel heart logo. Glory Pink adidas NMD Flooded runners continue to soften the vibe at the feet, while our coral-colored adidas Classic 3S Sackpack ties this look’s various pink tones together into one cohesive package.

Our last adidas floral shorts outfit keeps it simple, opting for a white adidas side vented shirt with a subtle rainbow logo at the chest. We went with classic white kicks too. We like the look of the adidas Superstar silhouette in Ftwr White. A Kids’ Trefoil hoodie in Vapor Green adds an extra layer of style to this ensemble, especially when paired with a Mint-colored Classic S3 Sackpack.

The Nike Girls’ Striped Logo Tee that serves as the centerpiece of our second girls’ collection features a creamy white backdrop to rainbow-striped Nike branding. Because the banded colors are narrow, taking up only small portions of the canvas, this shirt is ultra-versatile. We can choose to complement the dusty red in the shirt’s branding by pairing it with bold red Girls’ Sprinter Running shorts. Their white side stripes add an extra layer of dimension to this ensemble. Our look comes together with white Air Max 2090s, a roomy teal Nike pullover and a Nike Sportswear Essentials Small Hip Pack in mint.

Our next back to school outfit accentuates the colors and striped pattern found in the shirt by matching it with white Sprinter running shorts accented by side stripes that mirror the tee’s logo graphic. A see-through Under Armour backpack and sunnies accessorize this look, but the real show-stopper of this toe to head look is the Nike Air Force 1 “Friendship” Pink/Yellow sneakers. Their vibrancy and fun colors bring new energy to this fit.

To close out this capsule wardrobe collection we paired our Nike striped logo tee with complementary Nike Big Girls’ One Training Tights and a bright pink track jacket. At the feet: pale pink and white Nike Air Force 1s.

With styles like these, it’s easy to see why Hibbett | City Gear is headquarters for all your back to school apparel, footwear and accessory needs. Looking for additional back to school shopping ideas, savings and more? Check out our complete back to school resource center and deals page!