What should be in my undergraduate wardrobe?

Hey guys, I will be starting my undergraduate career next September and I was wondering. What do you guys think about this wardrobe layout?

Wardrobe Essentials – Clothes Every Student Needs
10+ T-shirts (simple designs are best, ideally nothing with extremely bold graphics or logos)
5+ dress shirts (missing buttons or rips don’t matter much, so most can come from thrift stores)
3+ pairs mostly-intact jeans or slacks
1+ pair neutral-colored shoes
1 belt (brown and black are the most versatile, or better still, get a reversible brown/black)
10+ pairs underwear (the more you have, the longer you can go between laundries)
10+ pairs athletic socks (ditto)
2+ sweaters
Wardrobe Options – Additional Styles for the Undergrad
1+ sport coat (for church, dates, presentations, etc.)
1+ hat
1+ letter jacket (if you lettered in a sport – wearing someone else’s letter jacket is strictly for girlfriends)
brown dress shoes
leather sandals or moccasins
decorative belt buckles

Source:
http://www.realmenrealstyle.com/career-wardrobes-the-undergraduate-student/



At the moment, I currently own 4 polo shirts. 1 is navy and 1 is blue, both are from Tommy Hilfiger. The other 2 polo shirts are from Burberry, 1 is white and the other purple. The Tommy Hilfiger shirts cost around 60$ retail and the Burberry ones are 190$ each.
In my wardrobe, I currently have 1 Levi's dark grey jeans and 1 black cotton chinos from Tommy Hilfiger. I also own 2 cotton v neck sweaters too. My footwear consists of a cheap pair of black dress/running shoes.


I plan on buying 4 white oxford dress shirts, a pair of cap-toe black derbies, 2 heavy woo zip up sweaters, another pair of jeans and a rain coat. What do you guys suggest?

I think I will also be purchasing a nice black sheepskin Ushanka and a brown Akubra hat.

To paraphrase Mr Miagi. I suggest you look at a bunch of pictures of college kids and see which ones you think look cool and buy things to build the same sort of looks. College is a good time to try a new version of yourself, but you don't need to do it all at once, and shopping can be a social experience.

I further suggest you free yourself of brand anxiety.

Did you letter in a sport?

That blog post is garbage.

Search the forum for "college wardrobe," "building a wardrobe," "minimalist wardrobe," etc., and you'll find a bunch of threads on this topic.

Better yet browse WAYWT and see what looks cool to you. Don't get hung up on "essentials."

I'll do that but, I am more concerned about what dress shirts to buy or to even wear dress shirts to campus.

How is it garbage? I think it lays a good foundation on a wardrobe. <.<

AppAdrian said:

I think I will also be purchasing a nice black sheepskin Ushanka and a brown Akubra hat.

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I would lay off the Akubra unless you are planning to work in IT and never talk to girls much. I promise you this is coming from a good place.

The Ushanka is kind of a statement hat and it might be good if it fits your character. As they say in Russia - If the ushanka fits...

Hmmm sounds like solid advice. I'll show you guys pictures later in September.

AppAdrian said:

I'll do that but, I am more concerned about what dress shirts to buy or to even wear dress shirts to campus.

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Casual shirts with collars, sure. A couple of solid oxfords sounds fine, but get some patterns too. No tucked in "dress shirts" if that's what you mean. Hard to be prescriptive though not knowing your tastes.

AppAdrian said:

I'll do that but, I am more concerned about what dress shirts to buy or to even wear dress shirts to campus.

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It depends some on your campus. Most campuses don't have many true dress shirts on them, but that doesn't mean you have to avoid button-ups in more casual cloth like plaids and short sleeves. Button down collars look more casual too.

Depending on your major you might need spiffy clothes too, like for cultural visits, presentations, and whatever, but most college towns have stores in, so you can cross that bridge when you get to it.

Hmm I'm a big fan of Polo shirts and tucked in french cuffed shirts. Once the weather starts to get colder I plan on wearing dress shirts under zip up sweaters or a black t shirt under a sweater. What dress shirts do you guys recommend?

Hmmm at the moment I'm probably going to invest only in shirts and heavy wool sweaters. I guess I'll buy a few nice dress shirts later on.

I'm embarrassed to have posted in this thread.

Don't wear French cuff dress shirts to school. Good luck.

AppAdrian said:

Hmm I'm a big fan of Polo shirts and tucked in french cuffed shirts. Once the weather starts to get colder I plan on wearing dress shirts under zip up sweaters or a black t shirt under a sweater. What dress shirts do you guys recommend?

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You mean french cuffs like with cufflinks? Really they are only much use with a suit, they are a bit too flash for an odd jacket and will be uncomfortable under a sweater. My 2 cents is to go for a regular cuff under the sweater.

Go for non-iron dress shirts unless you love ironing. Nordstrom non-iron dress shirts are excellent and they have slimmer cut ones; my intuition is telling me you have a slight build.You can even get them tailored (they take in any extra fabric to make them fit closer) if you feel like dropping some extra dollars.

Seems like a good look you are thinking of, black goes with anything. If you keep your wardrobe limited to a few colors that all go together it makes it really easy to pick your clothes.

Thanks. I'll listen to your advice. I'll check out Nordstom and I'm a skinny Asian with a 30 inch waist lol.