Rainy Day Essentials

They say “April showers bring May flowers.” Now, while I can’t say whether the flowers part is true or not yet, Maryland has been experiencing a lot of rain of this April. Almost every day I wake up to gray skies and cold drizzly rain falling.  As a result, as I try to think of something to wear, I am often stuck staring in front of my closet, trying to think of what I should wear to keep me somewhat dry on miserable rainy days. So, I decided to put together a little guide of things I think are essential to have in a college students wardrobe to combat the rainy day weather.

Rainboots

Juicy Couture Rainboots

Rainboots are an absolute necessity when you are in college. Now while you can definitely get away without having them in high school since you spend the whole day inside, in college, you will be outside all of the time. Whether you’re walking to the dining hall, your dorm, or a class, you’ll be spending a lot of time outside. And on a rainy day, you will get soaked. So, if you want to avoid having sopping wet feet, buy rainboots! Plus, it’s fun to stomp through all the puddles that appear on campus instead of side-stepping them.

Your boots don’t have be expensive, but they should be good enough quality that water will not soak through them after a couple of wears. Although mine are Juicy, I would definitely recommend checking out Hunter rainboots – they make some of the best rainboots around. However, if you are looking for some cheaper options, Target makes very affordable (and cute) options.

Sperrys

Sperrys

For days when it’s raining, but it’s not pouring, Sperrys are the perfect option. Because they are waterproof, they will keep your feet dry all day, and look cute with just about any outfit. If you couldn’t tell, I have had the pair on the left for almost three years now. They have seen me through many days of standing on the floor all day working retail, in addition to rainy days. So don’t just keep these in the back for rainy days – wear them all the time! While the primary use of the shoes on the left is to get ruined, I bought the pair on the right for fun. Sperrys come in a lot of different patterns, so I thought it would be fun to have one kind of nice pair to wear with my preppy ensembles.

Umbrella

Totes Umbrella

The last thing you definitely cannot get by without is a sturdy umbrella. I actually have two, the first one  can be thrown in my bag in the event that it may rain, I have something to cover my while I walk around campus. This is my other one. It is big, sturdy, and does not flip inside out when it is raining cats and dogs. Plus, I love the fun zebra print! If you can only afford to buy one, I would definitely recommend getting one more like this one from Totes. It will keep you dry as you trudge across campus, and it will last forever.

Now, you may notice that I never mentioned a rain coat. Normally, people would probably call this essential for rainy days. However, I am not normal, and I actually don’t wear a raincoat. I have found that  a lot of the time when it rains in Maryland, it is in the fall or spring, and it is way too humid to wear a coat. So, I usually just wear a cardigan or something to keep me warm. My trusty rainboots and umbrella keep me dry enough, so for me, there is not need for a rain coat.