GQ in the College scene?

Hey everyone.

I'm looking for a bit of advice here. I'm a 19 year old attending college and really like the Gq look for men. I'd jump right in but I'm not sure how it fits into college life. Most men my age aren't wearing that kind of style. Let's face it, most men my age are wearing either a t-shirt or a striped polo shirt with a pair of blue jeans. Gets a bit boring! Unfortunately, on the other side of the coin, I don't want to be the only student wearing Gq.

Can anyone give me some help on how to fit style in my own life while not alienating the norm? Anyone wear Gq clothes when they were in college?

check out the streetwear & denim forum....they do a pretty good job of pulling the fashionable/casual/"GQ" look off.

Start with a couple of very basic basics....dark jeans, nice shoes, a couple shirts, sweaters, etc.

You shouldn't care about how people view the fashion choices you make. Wear what you want to wear because you like it. Anyways, at least at my university (and I'm sure at yours as well), there are people on either end of the spectrum so it's really not a big deal.

I'm entering my Senior year now, and I can saw that most people don't really get dressed up for classes. The time to shine is at bars and parties. But not Frat parties and things like that. Usually if your going out with people for a night out in the city, my school was near Baltimore so if we were to go out in the city I would get dressed up for dinner or something.

You really don't want to be the guy that is dressed very nice to a 9am class, it's just going to make you seem weird.

What school are you going to if you don't mind me asking?

Originally Posted by CollegeStyles

Click to expand...

Hey everyone.

I'm looking for a bit of advice here. I'm a 19 year old attending college and really like the Gq look for men. I'd jump right in but I'm not sure how it fits into college life. Most men my age aren't wearing that kind of style. Let's face it, most men my age are wearing either a t-shirt or a striped polo shirt with a pair of blue jeans. Gets a bit boring! Unfortunately, on the other side of the coin, I don't want to be the only student wearing Gq.

Can anyone give me some help on how to fit style in my own life while not alienating the norm? Anyone wear Gq clothes when they were in college?

Why don't you want to stand out and look good? If anything it'll get you noticed, in a good way. If you can afford the clothes they advertise, and it looks as good on you as it does in the ads, then by all means knock your self out.

But you don't sweat twenty dollar bills, you may want to stick around the SW&D forum and invest in clothes that cost a little bit less (or more...) but last longer.

I understand your issue perfectly, and just three years ago I was a lot like you. I would say ease into it, your in a new environment and people don't know you so this is a great opportunity to define yourself. Let's face it sometimes your probably going to feel like wearing jeans and a t-shirt to class, whether it be because you were up too late at the bars or up too late finishing a paper--or both! However, what I did was I would be sure to "go GQ" every Wednesday. As time wore on, and I joined a fraternity we all decided to dress up every Wednesday. Also you'll find if you get active in on campus organizations there will be plenty of excuses to set a standard. Also ladies really do appreciate it! I'd say knowing your audience is the most important thing: NEVER wear super nice clothing to frat parties, and never wear SUPER nice clothing to clubs or bars at this point because the fact of the matter is you never know what will get spilt on any given night. Be you man.

Style is also about the ability to adapt to different environments. You are not going to be the douche in the suit at the frat party. Even I find wearing sportcoats to class a little too much. Getting noticed via flashiness may bring the wrong kind of message.

To start off, learn about fit. You'll look better than most with proper fitting clothes. I would suggest looking through J Crew's catalog for some subtle college wear.

Thanks for all the advice, its really helpful.

I think I am getting some idea of what I'm looking for here. So, let me throw out a "style" idea and maybe someone can give a suggestion of how fitting it is for a college student (I'm getting the idea that subtle change is what I should be looking for here). How about mixing it up with a pair of khakis. I could wear a tucked in shirt, polo shirt, ect.. It would give me the edge of looking nice while not completely alienating people around me (like a suit would).

dude, college isn't high school. You have a lot more freedom on what you do and how you dress, and people aren't going to judge you as harshly. That's what's so great about college. The variety of clothing styles on a typical college campus is enormous. A lot of people will wear t-shirts and shorts, but a lot of people will also wear OCBDs, cardigans, and tweed jackets, just as others will wear pajamas to class. The important thing is being confident in what you wear. If you feel uncomfortable in a tucked in polo and khakis, then you're going to look uncomfortable too.

Someone mentioned using a J.Crew catalog as a primer, and that's a good suggestion; if you wear that stuff no one will blink an eye.

As for the whole GQ look, don't wear their suits to class ... that would be weird. But all their casual combinations should be fine, and they'll set you apart in a good way. But again, make sure the clothes are you. Authenticity counts.

Originally Posted by CollegeStyles

Click to expand...

Thanks for all the advice, its really helpful.

I think I am getting some idea of what I'm looking for here. So, let me throw out a "style" idea and maybe someone can give a suggestion of how fitting it is for a college student (I'm getting the idea that subtle change is what I should be looking for here). How about mixing it up with a pair of khakis. I could wear a tucked in shirt, polo shirt, ect.. It would give me the edge of looking nice while not completely alienating people around me (like a suit would).

No to khakis and a tucked in polo shirt. That's not GQ, that's Dilbert.

You can get away with dressier stuff if you make sure it's not too pristine. A slightly rumpled sportcoat combo might work, while a suit/tie/starched shirt is way too much.

Really, the key is to find a style and make it your own. You shouldn't look like you're off for an interview unless you're off to an interview, or unless you want to be that guy. And I don't think you want to be that guy.

Do what you feel like. And quite frankly, I am that douche in a suit at a party, because I had a semi-important meeting before it and I was too lazy to change and soil another pair of clothing. Keep in mind, I do the dandy thing to the extreme. (I show up to the party with my own alcohol and martni glass in bowties.) Doing so provided an excuse to have it dry cleaned the next day. I am a bit of a dandy on campus and it does get you noticed, and if done correctly, in good ways. I will concede that random facebook requests with "you're that kid that dresses up" or only being known as "the kid that dresses up" can get a bit annoying. If you're going to be a dandy, make sure you do other things than looking good. Be the kid that looks amazing and is amazing.

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Click to expand...

You can get away with dressier stuff if you make sure it's not too pristine. A slightly rumpled sportcoat combo might work, while a suit/tie/starched shirt is way too much.

This is dead on. I'm not sure what the GQ look is but I would avoid looking too clean cut, especially in class. It sounds silly but you really don't want to give the impression that you put a ton of time into what you're wearing. You can get away with almost anything if you look like you just rolled out of bed and threw it on.

Like others said check the SW&D and you'll get a better idea of what we're talking about.

Originally Posted by Mr. Potato

Click to expand...

Style is also about the ability to adapt to different environments. You are not going to be the douche in the suit at the frat party. Even I find wearing sportcoats to class a little too much. Getting noticed via flashiness may bring the wrong kind of message.

To start off, learn about fit. You'll look better than most with proper fitting clothes. I would suggest looking through J Crew's catalog for some subtle college wear.

+1

I wholeheartedly agree with fit. Even a tshirt and jeans combo will look good if everything fits you well (by fit, i don't mean nipple busting tight).

I started of my freshman year reading GQ. After spending a while here I started to realize you can't really take everything they say seriously. Sometimes they have silly advice and they tend to push a lot of designer brands that, frankly, the average college student can't even afford. My suggestion is to browse GQ and take away what you want from it, not what they force onto you.

Overall, I would suggest that you should strive to look decent. This doesn't have to mean super fashion forward or whatever. No matter what you end up wearing, wear it in such a way that you (a) you don't look ridiculous and you're not trying to hard, and (b) you're comfortable with what you're wearing.

That said, keep in mind, like someone mentioned earlier, that there will be people who are spread throughout the whole spectrum, so it's okay to push the boundaries a little bit

+1 on fit. I don't know where you go to school, but when I was in college in the late '90s we had plenty of opportunities to dress up (for example, we wore coat & tie to football games). Looking at photos from that time, what strikes me the most is that although my basic style wasn't bad, the fit was generally terrible. Shirts were too blousy, sportcoats too big, pants too baggy and/or pleated, ties too long, etc. I think young men have a lot more options these days, what with the "fitted" or "tailored fit" or "slim fit" offerings from retailers like J.Crew, Banana, and H&M.

My advice is to check out the looks on the streetwear WAYWT thread, get to know a local tailor who can take in sportcoats, shirts and such, and wear whatever the hell you want to wear. Also, another thing about dressing up in college is that you get to do it a bit more rakishly than in real life. When I was a 19-20 year old in a bow tie with long hair and stubble, it was a lot more fun than doing it now with short cropped hair and clean shaven face.