What should be in my undergraduate wardrobe?

[AppAdrian]

I love ironing. Nothing is more manly then taking pride in ones appearance =D. Also I've heard that non-iron shirts are poorer in quality.

 

[AppAdrian]

Ummm I've got a 1000$ clothing budget. Is this to much or should i lower the amount.

 

[AppAdrian]

Bump

 

[nicelynice]



Ummm I've got a 1000$ clothing budget. Is this to much or should i lower the amount.

$1000 will get you one of these

You'll have to save up if you want the other foot

 

[joewood]

Yes get a good uniform! Since the budget is only 1000$, I would not spend more than 800$ on a pair of boots. Obviously, choices are limited by your ability to pay. There will be still 200$ left for denim, tees and a shirt.

 

[HeavenResign]

weird advice in this thread. non-iron dress shirts usually are very shiny and plastic-looking, and ironing isn't hard. don't work on killing $1000 at once you'll just buy a lot of things and then never wear them. Don't spend $800 on a pair of boots, there's nothing wrong with spending $800 on a pair of boots if you know that's what you want but just from reading your posts, between now and when you go to school there's almost no way you'll have developed your own style to the point where dropping $1000 on vibergs or ann demeulemeester boots or whatever makes sense.

Make the purchases as you need them, learn more about clothes and what you like in the mean time and how you like things to fit you.

I can't imagine any college student that needs five dress shirts. If you need 5 college dress shirts it'll be because you join organizations that require you to dress up fairly often, or presentations at the end of the semester, make those purchases as they come. 'oxford' dress shirts are sort of an oxymoron

i like sf a lot but I don't think it's very productive for one-off advice threads you're better off finding info in the simple questions thread or something.

building a wardrobe you're content with can take a very long time, I wouldn't go out and buy one just because a blog insists you need 'essentials'

 

[johng70]

My advice is to generally stick to the level of formality that is predominant at the school you are going to. For any college I've been to or visited in my area of the world dress shirts are very much out of place. Button down casual, sure. But not dress. Sport coats are the same way. But, where you are attending may be different. You can have style and still dress casually. But, dressing too formally, or too informally will certainly make you a bit of an outcast.

I suggest you save part of your budget to add as you go.

And, unless you and your parents are independently wealthy, avoid wasting money on expensive clothing at this point - things have a habit of getting destroyed at college. So, buying $200 shoes/boots or shirts is a bit of a bad idea in my opinion.

 

[Evodem]

At my college the most I would wear is an OCBD and some jeans unless I have a presentation or a job fair. Dark denim and some polos will be great and as a second benefit you can save that $1000 for later. If I were you I would just wear what you have now and look up a lot of pictures and see what you like.

Don't buy any of the stuff you were planning on purchasing yet. Do more research before you start buying or you'll end up like me. I'm donating/selling half my closet because I bought a bunch of stuff without thinking about it and now I don't want/need any of it.

 

[Fuuma]

You're an undergraduate, dress as you please. The only thing you probably need is a suit for certain interviews/presentations/people dying/people marrying. Get a dark grey or navy suit from Uniqlo or another cheap retailer, a blue and a white dress shirt (barrel cuffs) 2 restrained ties and reg black captoes. Anything else isn't according to a formula but to what you like. If you don't know what you like maybe you don't care about clothes so don't bother. Any moron who tells you 3 polos and 2 chinos with 1 desert boot and 5 tees or various colours is a NEED is bullshitting you...

Oh and you're in college, you don't do "dates", this **** is for single professionals who meet on lamewaspmatchup.com or whatever, you certainly don't need to wear a sportscoat when taking a girl out to a show or whatever. You ******* akubra-wearing nerd!

 

[Tsujigiri]

Agree, undergraduates can get away with wearing anything, no need to spend a lot of money early on. But if you really are into that, you'll find that this forum focuses mainly on clothing for the quality and fit, not the brand name. Most "mall brands" are ridiculed here, and a large portion of the forum favorites are small operations that offer a good value for the quality. For casual college wear, a couple of items that will last you longer would be selvedge raw denim jeans and resolable boots. Ideally you should have at least two pairs of resolable shoes and wear them in rotation, so they have a chance to breathe in between wearings and will last longer. If you get a belt, make sure that it's solid leather and not filled with bonded material. For any leather item, get something that's full-grain and not grain corrected. You can browse around here for other ideas and to get a feel for what brands people like.

 

[AgeofTheGeek]

College is a good time to start experimenting with clothes.

Styleforum - at least my assumption about it - is targeted mainly towards people with established wardrobes and looks, and focuses on the more advanced fashion elements, like stitch and piece quality, matching patterns, enhancing looks, etc.

You're still at a pretty basic level of operation right now.

Nonetheless, if everyone would stop bantering you might get some help.

For college, know that clothes have a lot of ramifications, both good and bad. In my opinion, there is nothing worst than someone who tries to dress nicely, or attempt a particular style, and does it horribly, or worse, half baked.

So my first suggestion: pick a style you want. Be specific. "Casual", "formal", even preppy - these are not nearly specific in today's fashion world and will only lead to disaster if you use this as your only parameter/goal for building your wardrobe. Because Preppy includes the 70 dollar Jcrew shirts, but can also include the 170 dollar Brooks Brothers shirts, and to a higher degree, the 450 dollar Luigi Borrelli Shirts. Each of the three I just listed are preppy in different way. JCrew is fashion/appearance driven but less focused on quality, Brooks Brothers is more conservative, has a little bit of style elements, and a good bit of quality compared to JCrew. Luigi Borrelli is all quality and little deviation from the nrom.

So be specific.

Business casual with european flare is more specific. That sets some good boundaries/points you in the right direction. That's what I would describe my style, and while it may not be a good style choice for many styleforum users, it works well with my body. I'm also in my early 20s and care more about apperance, so I pay a premium for appearance, and therefore, given my financial situation, I willingly take a hit in quality.

Style + Quality will always cost you a good bit of change.

Going back to my original point. There are side effects from what you wear. People in college, especially freshman, are looking to associate with people. And a large part of that friendship making process is appearance. So if you're wearing super formal clothes you might appear pretentious, whether you are or not, and might be difficult to approach. In my case, many people will often assume I am gay because of the clothes that I wear. I am not gay, and I never indicated to anyone that I might be, but it's just a fallout from the clothes that I wear. So just be aware, that the clothes you wear are going to effect how people approach you, what assumptions they make about you, and how you will build relationships. That's just part of the college experience.

In my opinion, I think you should always strive to be a little better dressed than your peers. As someone still in college, trust me, girls definitely notice guys who dress nicely, at least from a style perspective. No one is going to care if your button down shirt is from Luigi Borrelli or the Gap. If it succeeds in the appearance department, and looks like its a nice shirt, people in college won't care about the quality. Keep that in my mind if you want part of your style to achieve certain social goals.

To dress nicer than your peers but not in a way that gives off the "I'm better than all of you" look, I'd say a nice fitting pair of dark wash jeans would look great. Definitely miles better in appearance compared to lighter colored jeans, which in my opinion, never looks good. Fidelity, Lucky, basically any brand in Nordstroms will offer you nice fitting, good looking jeans for around 100 - 150 bucks or so, and possibly 70 - 90 if they are on sale.

I would stay away from polos, especially Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger. That's just a recipe for looking like a douchebag. If you're going to buy style driven brands, like Burberry, either get a unique button down or wait for the stuff to go on sale. No use in paying the full price for their polos. Burberry isn't uncommon in college, especially among the orientals, and rather than chieving a high style look with the burberry prestige, you'll just fit in as what my friends call, "that douche".

I'd replace that option with some cooler button downs - Jcrew, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, even H&M and Zara have some really nice looking button downs, ranging from conservative to very bold. Quality won't be the best, but given your current breakdown and the fact that you're in college, I'd go appearance over quality in nearly all of your pieces of clothing.

Shoes and Blazers/Jackets are an exception. Drop a pretty penny (200 or so at least) on a really sharp looking wingtip or dessert boot. Allen Edmond is a good option if you can afford, and it will keep up in terms of quality through many uses. Shoes separate the men from the boys in college. Far too often I see nicely put together outfits but the shoes are god awful or completely beat up. Buy a nice, stylish pair and keep those babies in good condition. Girls definitely notice.

Blazers, same story. Again, within the college spectrum, splurging on a nice looking, decent quality blazer could mean only dropping 300 - 500 for, which is nothing compared to the quality and price people on styleforum expect in the classic menswear section. But for college, this will do. Blue, tan, hell, even maroon. Get something that is really sharp.

Put the button down with the jeans to neutralize the formality of the shirt, throw on a stylish pair of socks (don't you dare wear nike sports socks), and those pretty shoes you bought.

Maybe invest in a cardigan or a cool sweat to enhance the look, or just throw on that blazer to top if off.

You'll look good kid, at least for a college student.

 

[meso]



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

You are asking the wrong questions so you won't get the right answers.

 

[AppAdrian]

College is a good time to start experimenting with clothes.

Styleforum - at least my assumption about it - is targeted mainly towards people with established wardrobes and looks, and focuses on the more advanced fashion elements, like stitch and piece quality, matching patterns, enhancing looks, etc.

You're still at a pretty basic level of operation right now.

Nonetheless, if everyone would stop bantering you might get some help.

For college, know that clothes have a lot of ramifications, both good and bad. In my opinion, there is nothing worst than someone who tries to dress nicely, or attempt a particular style, and does it horribly, or worse, half baked.

So my first suggestion: pick a style you want. Be specific. "Casual", "formal", even preppy - these are not nearly specific in today's fashion world and will only lead to disaster if you use this as your only parameter/goal for building your wardrobe. Because Preppy includes the 70 dollar Jcrew shirts, but can also include the 170 dollar Brooks Brothers shirts, and to a higher degree, the 450 dollar Luigi Borrelli Shirts. Each of the three I just listed are preppy in different way. JCrew is fashion/appearance driven but less focused on quality, Brooks Brothers is more conservative, has a little bit of style elements, and a good bit of quality compared to JCrew. Luigi Borrelli is all quality and little deviation from the nrom.

So be specific.

Business casual with european flare is more specific. That sets some good boundaries/points you in the right direction. That's what I would describe my style, and while it may not be a good style choice for many styleforum users, it works well with my body. I'm also in my early 20s and care more about apperance, so I pay a premium for appearance, and therefore, given my financial situation, I willingly take a hit in quality.

Style + Quality will always cost you a good bit of change.

Going back to my original point. There are side effects from what you wear. People in college, especially freshman, are looking to associate with people. And a large part of that friendship making process is appearance. So if you're wearing super formal clothes you might appear pretentious, whether you are or not, and might be difficult to approach. In my case, many people will often assume I am gay because of the clothes that I wear. I am not gay, and I never indicated to anyone that I might be, but it's just a fallout from the clothes that I wear. So just be aware, that the clothes you wear are going to effect how people approach you, what assumptions they make about you, and how you will build relationships. That's just part of the college experience.

In my opinion, I think you should always strive to be a little better dressed than your peers. As someone still in college, trust me, girls definitely notice guys who dress nicely, at least from a style perspective. No one is going to care if your button down shirt is from Luigi Borrelli or the Gap. If it succeeds in the appearance department, and looks like its a nice shirt, people in college won't care about the quality. Keep that in my mind if you want part of your style to achieve certain social goals.

To dress nicer than your peers but not in a way that gives off the "I'm better than all of you" look, I'd say a nice fitting pair of dark wash jeans would look great. Definitely miles better in appearance compared to lighter colored jeans, which in my opinion, never looks good. Fidelity, Lucky, basically any brand in Nordstroms will offer you nice fitting, good looking jeans for around 100 - 150 bucks or so, and possibly 70 - 90 if they are on sale.

I would stay away from polos, especially Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger. That's just a recipe for looking like a douchebag. If you're going to buy style driven brands, like Burberry, either get a unique button down or wait for the stuff to go on sale. No use in paying the full price for their polos. Burberry isn't uncommon in college, especially among the orientals, and rather than chieving a high style look with the burberry prestige, you'll just fit in as what my friends call, "that douche".

I'd replace that option with some cooler button downs - Jcrew, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, even H&M and Zara have some really nice looking button downs, ranging from conservative to very bold. Quality won't be the best, but given your current breakdown and the fact that you're in college, I'd go appearance over quality in nearly all of your pieces of clothing.

Shoes and Blazers/Jackets are an exception. Drop a pretty penny (200 or so at least) on a really sharp looking wingtip or dessert boot. Allen Edmond is a good option if you can afford, and it will keep up in terms of quality through many uses. Shoes separate the men from the boys in college. Far too often I see nicely put together outfits but the shoes are god awful or completely beat up. Buy a nice, stylish pair and keep those babies in good condition. Girls definitely notice.

Blazers, same story. Again, within the college spectrum, splurging on a nice looking, decent quality blazer could mean only dropping 300 - 500 for, which is nothing compared to the quality and price people on styleforum expect in the classic menswear section. But for college, this will do. Blue, tan, hell, even maroon. Get something that is really sharp.

Put the button down with the jeans to neutralize the formality of the shirt, throw on a stylish pair of socks (don't you dare wear nike sports socks), and those pretty shoes you bought.

Maybe invest in a cardigan or a cool sweat to enhance the look, or just throw on that blazer to top if off.

You'll look good kid, at least for a college student.

Thanks, that was some good advice. To be honest, I don't care if everyone hates me or what not. I am only dressing for my self and I am quite the introvert. Interacting with people socially (who aren't my close friends) is a a sense of duty and is a mandatory chore that I must do in order to succeed in my profession. At the moment, I'm going to stick with solid dark t shirts and heavy wool sweaters. During the summer time I'm going to wear my Burberry polo shirts =D. BTW the Burberry polo's I've got are the ones without the pretensions check. The logo on the breast pocket is nearly invisible. If people call me pretentious, then that's their problem.



Here's a picture of my favorite polo shirt

 

[TheObserver]

I suggest you start from basics stuffs and lurk more on SF before making any purchases.

Naked & Famous make good starter jeans. Also Uniqlo tee, Chucks, and TOJ leather are enough for a uniform.

 

[0JSIMPS0N]



Agree, undergraduates can get away with wearing anything, no need to spend a lot of money early on. But if you really are into that, you'll find that this forum focuses mainly on clothing for the quality and fit, not the brand name. Most "mall brands" are ridiculed here, and a large portion of the forum favorites are small operations that offer a good value for the quality. For casual college wear, a couple of items that will last you longer would be selvedge raw denim jeans and resolable boots. Ideally you should have at least two pairs of resolable shoes and wear them in rotation, so they have a chance to breathe in between wearings and will last longer. If you get a belt, make sure that it's solid leather and not filled with bonded material. For any leather item, get something that's full-grain and not grain corrected. You can browse around here for other ideas and to get a feel for what brands people like.

lol