Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Social Life, Food & Drink, Travel › College Branding on Cars/Shirts, etc.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

College Branding on Cars/Shirts, etc.

post #1 of 61
1/1/08 at 3:57pm
Thread Starter 
What's the opinion on college decals on cars or wearing shirts/sweatshirts emblazoned with your college name? Tacky?

What if the college name is considered "prestigious?" I'm an undergrad right now, and I feel fine wearing my stuff around campus, but I was trying to buy some college-themed gifts for my parents and ran into this conundrum. I'd like to show some school spirit once in a while, but I don't want to come off as pretentious.

Thoughts?
Thanks,
RK
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 61
1/1/08 at 4:02pm
I'm proud of the school I go to, so I have no issue wearing clothing with the name on it. And my dad is also proud, so he wants stuff too.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 61
1/1/08 at 4:22pm
I went to what would probably be considered one of the most prestigious schools in the world, but I only use my old college shirts to sleep in and hang about the house these days.

I think if you are currently attending then fair enough wearing them around campus, but I would prob only want to wear them to functions / events of a sporting nature. Once you graduate, retire them to sleepwear / workout / cooking breakfast on a Sunday morning

K
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 61
1/1/08 at 4:37pm
I'd say don't sweat it. Be proud of your school and of your hard work and wear/use the items with pride, if that's your thing (likewise, if it would make your parents happy, get them something, too).

I've never been a school "spirit" sort of guy, so for me I'd feel really dumb wearing shirts/rings, etc (I didn't even go to my graduation for undergrad OR for grad school; I just had the diplomas mailed to me). But, that's just me. I think the final determination just comes down to what YOU feel comfortable doing. In my experience of the pretentiousness I've come across, 99% of it was attitude and not related to what the person was wearing.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 61
1/1/08 at 4:48pm
As long as it's not either the flags that stick up from the driver and passenger doors or the gigantic stickers that people stick all over their cars. When I was in school they used to sell pieces that had your school name followed by either mom or dad. Ex. Harvard Dad or Penn State Mom. They were big sellers.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 61
1/1/08 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambo View Post
When I was in school they used to sell pieces that had your school name followed by either mom or dad. Ex. Harvard Dad or Penn State Mom. They were big sellers.
I think the biggest seller at my undergrad school was "Where Fun Comes to Die." It was the biggest seller because it's a very nerdy school and it turned out to be true (another popular slogan was "The Level of Hell Dante Forgot.") There was another one about how ugly the guys/girls were, but I forget exactly what it was now (I didn't have to remember because I had to see it in person every day!)
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 61
1/1/08 at 4:56pm
Yes, I passed on Chicago, partially for those reasons. In the end, I wanted a more "balanced" college experience. Great, great school though.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 61
1/1/08 at 5:03pm
If you didn't graduate from the place it doesn't work for me.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 61
1/1/08 at 5:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by leftover_salmon View Post
Yes, I passed on Chicago, partially for those reasons. In the end, I wanted a more "balanced" college experience. Great, great school though.
Yes, "balanced" it is not. Intense and somewhat absurd, though, certainly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy View Post
If you didn't graduate from the place it doesn't work for me.
Agreed. I teach at a state school now and all the time see freshmen and sophomores wearing Harvard/Princeton/Columbia/Michigan/Georgia etc. tees and wonder, "What's the point?" I guess they don't even think about the context; it's just a "shirt" to them like any other.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 61
1/1/08 at 6:45pm
I never understood wearing the stuff after graduation -- at least publicly -- myself. Sure, wear a shirt or hat when you go there but after you graduate it's time to put on your big boy pants and be an adult.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 61
1/1/08 at 7:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambo View Post
When I was in school they used to sell pieces that had your school name followed by either mom or dad.
Yeah, I thought about getting some "Harvard Parent" shirts - but they just seemed a little classless. What would your first impression be if you saw a 50 year old man/woman wearing that shirt? Also, an additional factor - I'm Asian. Getting into competitive colleges seems to be a big deal for the Asian American community (relative to other communities), and even though I want to be able to wear my gear as often as my state school friends do, wearing my shirt never fails to solicit unwanted attention. If I lived in a community where attending these colleges was more common/less of a "thing," I probably wouldn't worry about this as much.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 61
1/1/08 at 9:11pm
Still tacky. There are more subtle ways to advertise the fact. I got my diploma framed and put it on my wall and I think that is enough of a stretch from me. People who wear stuff from colleges they, or an immediate family member, did not graduate from is quite lame.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 61
1/1/08 at 10:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiecollector View Post
Still tacky. There are more subtle ways to advertise the fact. I got my diploma framed and put it on my wall and I think that is enough of a stretch from me. People who wear stuff from colleges they, or an immediate family member, did not graduate from is quite lame.

+1 my thoughts exactly.

I find it funny to see people wearing sweatshirts and stuff from my community college. I, for one, do not see going to a CC as a thing to be all the proud of. Especially since most treat it as an extension of high school (average attitude/maturity level/quality of the classes).
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 61
1/1/08 at 10:39pm
While attending as an undergrad it's ok. It's actually a great way to meet new people: Strangers come up to me all the time and tell me about their relatives or children to are also undergrads at my school. And it makes sharing a cab just that much easier.

Once you graduate though, it gets a little old; a bit like wearing clothes with huge logos on them. I'd like to be an adult, not a walking billboard.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 61
1/1/08 at 11:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockket View Post
Yeah, I thought about getting some "Harvard Parent" shirts - but they just seemed a little classless. What would your first impression be if you saw a 50 year old man/woman wearing that shirt?
A shirt would be horrid. I was thinking more about a license plate holder or bumper sticker. Something small yet easily viewable by others. If it's going to be clothing make as inconspicuous as possible. Maybe in the color of the school with a tiny logo.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Social Life, Food & Drink, Travel › College Branding on Cars/Shirts, etc.