Style for the college student, any suggestions? - Page 2

OK. If you're on this forum I would really hope you're not here because you're trying to impress other people. Yes, fashion is always to a degree an ego-stroke in front of others but don't you consider it a personal artistic interest as well? I'm certainly not the first in this thread to say it but most people in general don't care that much about what you're wearing and most of those that do will probably think you're pretentious. While it can be expensive, college students often spend their money on stupid shit anyway...like really stupid shit (not even talking about drugs or alcohol).
If you have to choose between spending your money on clothes or partying and you would prefer the latter then by all means go for it. It just bugs me when people suggest that college should be this one concept of constant debauchery though (what school did you people go to anyway?). I think that can be fun too, but what do you really get out of it in the long run? "Yeah I partied so fucking hard in college...it was awesome!!!" These are the type of people that always reflect on the 'glory' days (that really weren't all that glorious at the time but they have selective memory) which they consider the peak of their life.
I'm currently an undergrad and I really enjoy clothes, and I know there are plenty of others on here in the same boat. If all you want to do is dress nice to impress other people you can follow some boring formula and yes people will notice and may be a bit impressed but overall won't really care. If you actually take interest in clothes then I think you'll find it more fulfilling of a pursuit. My two cents.

That's putting a lot of words in the mouth of my post. I'm in my senior year of undergrad myself and there is a lot of work to be done, it's not "constant debauchery." I probably do spend more on clothing than most of my peers, and I certainly consider it artistic expression. (Funnily enough, I'm considered weird in my major for caring a lot about how I dress, and having a somewhat consistent look. Very strange as I am a visual arts major, no? You'd think we'd all be aesthetically obsessed )

I suppose my post was kind of ill-considered. It was basically a response to the way the OP was worded: "what should a college student be looking for in terms of style?" The was that was worded, to me, implied an interest in wearing a look that would make him fit in or mesh well, or stand out in a desirable way. The phrasing implied to me that the OP wasn't interested in developing a personal style as an aesthetic choice or personal expression: he named a category for which there would presumably be a correct or desirable style. I don't mean to imply one shouldn't enjoy clothes, or spend their extra cash how they want. I certainly didnt mean to attack the idea of spending a good bit of money on clothes- I get that sort of attack a lot, and its really insulting and awful. I apologize if it came off that way

My post wasn't only directed at you, but also EdwardB and moreover a general mentality often expressed by SF users, not anyone in particular.
Anyway, if the OP is still here (or anyone else looking for advice): just start naturally. I think people try too much to prescribe something but you really can't. Lurk this and other forums, blogs, etc. and start trying stuff after a while - whatever is within your budget. You will make lots of missteps for sure but that's part of the process.
FWIW, I have a good amount of disposable money to spend on clothes now (I'm a senior). My freshman year I did not really at all, and was already into pretty interested clothes before going to school (though admittedly pretty bad taste). I didn't even really have much money to spend on 'partying' (had rich friends fortunately...I don't even know if they noticed that they always bought me alcohol). I still enjoyed reading and learning about fashion though, even if I was very limited in my ability to personally experience it.
Also, no one tell him to get the "basics" ('so and so and you're set'). I would say that most if not all people have "basics" in their wardrobe, but what constitutes "basics" will be different for every person (e.g. I don't own, nor do I want to own a pair of indigo/blue jeans, but they're considered a "basic" by many).

I'm tired and don't even want to get into whatever I said a few posts up that was apparently an issue.  For what it's worth, I did very little "partying" in school, but I still feel that it's wise to not spend a lot of money on clothes during this time.  

 

Let's consider OP instead of just thinking about our own preferences: the thing that seems to be the case with him that hasn't really been mentioned that affects the end result of this is that, judging by his previous posts, he doesn't have the same mindset regarding clothes as the average user of this forum.  If you're not into a specific aesthetic or know what you want (he obviously doesn't), there isn't any reason to spend too much on this.  This seems like a case where he's really clueless and just wants basic advice without having to make mistakes and look at blogs and all of that.  "Basics" are really fine for this.  Seems like he's interested in looking presentable without taking time to develop a personal aesthetic, which is absolutely fine, he just came to a place where people tend to want to take time and do research to find out what they like.  If this is you, fine, spend some money on a few nice pieces that work for you (which is a point that I was agreeing with in my first post).  This dude shouldn't.

Edited by EdwardB - 11/1/12 at 7:32pm