You don’t have to go back to school to get in on these trends and sales

(Old Navy is having a major sale on jeans. These Flirt Skinny jeans are $19 for a limited time).
Nostalgia strikes this time of year: Maybe it’s all the varsity sweaters and tartan prints that are in our favorite stores or the first-day-of-school photos filling our social-media newsfeeds. If you’re like us, August has prompted a few flashbacks of your alma maters and your own school days. Raise your hand if you remember picking out Lisa Frank folders or setting out your first-day-of-school outfit.
Let us indulge you with some back-to-school deals and looks that you can rock even if you don’t have a semester ahead of you. (You don’t have to have a class schedule to score on all the great deals this time of year). Think of it as back-to-school shopping for a fresh start to fall -but without the looming exams and homework.
- Commuter bag: Remember the excitement of picking out your very own backpack? Commuter and messenger bags are the adult equivalent of the backpack–it’s more refined, more stylish, but serves the same purpose of helping you stay organized during your walk/bus ride/drive to work. Trade out textbooks for good, lunchtime reads and book reports for bright ideas notebooks. A few of our favorites: The Frye ‘Logan’ Messenger Bag in a luxe leather perfect for fall and the London ‘Troon’ Messenger bag with bronze-hued hardware. Find both at Nordstrom.
- Denim: Old Navy is having a killer deal on denim that’s timed with the start of the school year. Stock up on your favorite cuts in different washes. You’ll find jeans starting at $19. The women’s “flirt skinny jean” in the Crater Lake wash gets our vote for best looking and mostly likely to succeed in your wardrobe rotation.
- The varsity look: Varsity-inspired jackets and hats are having a major fashion moment. We’ve scouted out this J. Crew varsity sweatshirt perfect for weekend football games and cozying up to fall in. We’re also crushing on this felt baseball cap from Old Navy. These looks get an A-plus for comfort and style.
- School, err, office supplies. Take advantage of all the great back-to-school deals to stock up on your office supplies — notebooks, highlighters, pens … you name it. One of the best deals we’ve spotted are the “value bundles” at Walmart.