College Wardrobe- What to wear?

[Dostoevsky]

Hey guys. I would love some help. I am 20 years old, and currently a college student. I am in the process of upping my wardrobe, but am not sure which direction I want to take it in. I admire the MC style much more than I do SW&D, but I'm sure if someone like me wore a suit everyday, I would look like a complete tool. Any suggestions? I was looking at possibly wearing stuff like Stephan Schneider, Patrik Ervell, etc.... Would this be a good option considering my age? Money is not much of an issue.

 

[Quadcammer]

khakis and odd trousers with nicer shirts. occasional sport coat. Don't forget some well cut and fitted jeans and some shorts and polo shirts.

get nicer shoes. This is one area where many people won't notice so you don't feel like a tool, but you can enjoy some quality.

 

[Breedlove]

Instant upgrade:

If you wear sneakers, transition to nice(r) suede and leather shoes. Desert boots, country brogue shoes, suede wingtips, #8 longwings, etc.
Get a few pairs of nice slim fitting chinos and maybe some nice denim (you'll find more advice on this in the SW&D forums)
Some nice casual button downs.

Just my $.02

 

[sturm07]

You don't have to go suit for college. A nice casual shirt or dress shirt with a clean pair of jeans, sport coat and loafers will give you that youthful, casual, classy and sophisticate look without breaking the bank or make you look like a tool. Not to mention that the style can be adapt to college casual party by switching the casual shirt or dress shirt for a v-neck light sweaters or t-shirt.

 

[b1os]

What about MC casual? Shirts, khakis/chinos, polos, denim, cardigans, SC once in a while, vnecks, boots, oxfords, bluchers, boat shoes, loafers, ... Just feel comfortable wearing it. And maybe avoid capes for now.

 

[NotoriousMarquis]

I was just graduated from college, and junior and senior years I really stepped up the way I dressed. I think the important thing is to have a nice collection of well fitting dress shirts. Most people just get stuff from JCrew and it looks good but well...very JCrewish and its a bit ubiquitous on campus. So get shirts from everywhere, maybe even some cheap ones from Modern Tailor, Uniqlo, H&M black label dress shirts go for 30 or so dollars and can look quite nice.

The next thing is shoes--desert boots are casual yet dressy at the same time, so they're a good bet. But also have a pair of brown wingtips, and maybe a black boot. They all look sharp when they need to, and are fairly versatile.

I also urge you to get a few blazers because even if you don't wear a tie, it's always a good way to step things up. A few ties (but not those trendy ones from The Hill Side) would be a good thing to get. You can get a bunch here, and ebay for cheap, and make sure theyre slim but not too skinny. I'd also get more v-neck sweaters, as in my opinion even with a t shirt they look a bit dressier than a crew neck, which is what most of the athletes wore.

Pants—Even when wearing a cashmere corneliani blazer I more often than not, wore jeans. Slim dark jeans, or gray jeans. It can look sharp but casual. I also obvious had a few pairs of trousers and cotton chino pants that were slim but not too skinny that I could throw into the mix.

finally, make sure you still look like a 20 year old. I was either in a blazer and wingtips, or in a white v-neck, jeans and espadrilles. Mix it up, and don't have too much of a uniform.

 

[Breedlove]

What about MC casual? Shirts, khakis/chinos, polos, denim, cardigans, SC once in a while, vnecks, boots, oxfords, bluchers, boat shoes, loafers, ... Just feel comfortable wearing it. And maybe avoid capes for now.

Careful there! If Whitepigeon saw this post he would undoubtedly have a lot to say about it!

 

[TGOL]

Since I'm currently (nearly) 20 and in college, I may as well jump in here.

This is a thread full of pretty good advice, but I will suggest making sure your sportcoat choices are more casual ones. A navy blazer, for example, is a great thing to own, but I personally think that it comes second to, say, a gray, olive, or brown tweed in my hierarchy. That's because the rough texture of tweed appears a little more laid-back, even with a tie. In terms of ties, aim for more casual styles like knits or matte textured silks, rather than the super-shiny, super-loud ties that fill tables at the mall.

 

[poissa]

You should get whatever the hell you want. But regardless of what it is, ensure you get a couple of staples that you would be comfortable in at say a wedding, in class, and at the bar. You can dress up or down any article.

For example a grey suit could be worn, to a wedding, to a bar with a reppe tie, to class being a boss. It's obviously going to be out of touch in the classroom but if you want to wear it, go for it.

 

[musicguy]

Easy


Button down MTM shirts and nice slim fitting pants, provided you're in at least somewhat good shape.

A great fitting blazer/sport coat every now and then.

Nice jeans that fit well.

Add in some sprezz every now and then.

The panties will drop.

 

[m0bbie]

Well, I'm 20 yrs old and in college, too. I suggest you wear whatever you like. At this age, you can put almost anything on (except capes). Putting a suit on for everyday life is a bit too loud. I think a sport coat or cardigan would work well.

I typically wear both MC and SW&D. Mostly SW&D, with some Nikes. If I feel a bit more formal, I put a blazers, sport coat, or cardigan with shirt on. For dress shoes, I prefer Allen Edmonds, Alden, or Paul Smith.

You don't wanna look like you're 35 yrs old when you just turned 20... right?

 

[cptjeff]

In a similar position to you, I wore a pretty good range of stuff. Jeans and cords for the pants, tweed blazers and sweaters, with sport shirts (tweed can work with pretty casual shirts), oxfords and the like. Button down collars all the way. I mixed in a leather jacket, and a canvas one. Footwear was typically loafers, bucks, boat shoes, and the occasional wingtip or sneaker in summer.

Skip the ties as a daily thing.

You can dress well, but casually. With how slovenly most students are, going too formal is something you want to avoid.

 

[sportin_life]

A nice deconstructed cotton/linen navy or tan sportcoat would be pretty versatile. You can throw it over almost anything and have it look decent. Also agree with investing in some nice shoes.

Although to be honest, I think overall dress style depends on your goals. I wore a plain white t-shirt with either dickies or jeans every day while in college with an occasional military jacket when it got cold, which didn't seem out of place at the time (west coast). Women also seemed to love this look.

I have to admit when I showed up in the northeast for med school, I got a lot of stares and had to change the way I dressed.

 

[cptjeff]

I was way up north, so I would have frozen trying that. In warmer weather, jeans and a polo.

 

[Joker Man]

A nice deconstructed cotton/linen navy or tan sportcoat would be pretty versatile. You can throw it over almost anything and have it look decent. Also agree with investing in some nice shoes.
Although to be honest, I think overall dress style depends on your goals. I wore a plain white t-shirt with either dickies or jeans every day while in college with an occasional military jacket when it got cold, which didn't seem out of place at the time (west coast). Women also seemed to love this look.
I have to admit when I showed up in the northeast for med school, I got a lot of stares and had to change the way I dressed.

Cotton may be ok for Cal. but in the NE and Europe you'll want a wool blazer 7 months a year. No wrinkles like linen and besides it gets chilly by late Sept at night.