This time of the year is not the most accommodating for cute clothing. Sometimes you can get kind of fancy with scarves, hats, cardigans and things, but it seems like the most important things to accomplish with your outfit are warmth and comfort.

Have a new pair of cute heels you want to wear? Forget it. It’s just too cold and slick for that right now. But at least we have the ability to dress like slobs when we live on a college campus.

Leggings, sweatshirts and sports bras are the norm here. We don’t have to dress to satisfy job dress codes, and we don’t have a fancy uniform. It is so normal to show up to a final in your pajama pants, and that’s truly beautiful.

Maybe one of the best fashion trends on campus is what I like to call “shivering denial.” This is when guys only wear basketball shorts all year round, even when it’s like 6 degrees out. Sometimes, they even pair the shorts with just a T-shirt, really selling the look.

This week’s Mint is focused on college fashion: what we see as the common clothing on campus, and WSU’s apparel and design school.

Shopping and clothing trends have changed a lot over the last decade. Leggings were never a thing you could get away with wearing outside your house, and internet shopping is a relatively new phenomenon. Now, I can order a new pair of jeans while I sit in my Shakespeare class if I feel so inclined (although I do not suggest you do this. Pay attention in class, kids).

In high school, I would go on shopping trips to the mall and buy way too much. But now, the only option we really have close by is the Palouse Mall, which is honestly really sad. After growing up with a mall that had two stories and was always populated, I get a little depressed any time I go to the Palouse Mall.

However, our area does have a great thrift store scene, with a good-sized Goodwill and lots of independent thrift shops. My personal favorite is Palouse Treasures, it has a good selection of clothing and a lot of furniture and kitchen supplies. I have found some pretty great coats there, too.

Places like Lily Bee’s Consignment Shop are fun spots to find some vintage clothing, although the size options are a little limited. The Storm Cellar in Moscow also has fun second-hand clothing, with a larger men’s section than Lily Bee’s. Both of these places are cute and chic, but they are also a little spendier than going somewhere like the Salvation Army or even Wal-Mart.

There seems to be this stigma about shopping at Wal-Mart for clothing, but they have some great cardigans and scarves, and there were also these super comfy Fruit of the Loom sweatshirts in the men’s section that come in about a dozen colors and make me super happy. Ladies, if you have a man, get him one of these sweatshirts so you can steal it. Brilliant.

Shopping options may be a little lacking in the area, and there might not even be that much motivation to keep up with the latest trends when we are all broke and lazy, but if you want to get your shopping fix and get some new clothing, we do have some options here. And if all else fails, go to Spokane.