How fancy can I get at college before I get ostracized.

Ryan Graber · Sep 30, 2009

I've been staying around the jeans + sportcoat, occasional slacks + sportcoat, but am curious how far I could go and not get looked at funny at college?
Could I wear a suit?
Can I wear a Tie with sportcoat and jeans?
Thanks

beau nash · Sep 30, 2009

I think jeans, khakis and cords with odd jackets is as far as I would go for daily wear. I wore basically that through undergrad and law school. If your wardrobe allowed for casual suits, I would do that, but my wardrobe was far too small. I would avoid wearing pinstripes and cap toes to freshman lit class.

ozymandias · Sep 30, 2009

In all my classes we have only one student who wears a suit to class. He is also very fruity and a total brownnoser; a punchline of the class if you will.

Very much depending on your school/people you surround yourself with, but I generally stay away from sportcoats <, on campus. I don't like the look of sportcoats with jeans so I'm a bit biased but it's not unheard of. Mostly though, most successful students dress casually, maybe throw in a 3/4 overcoat or a skinny tie once in a while.

It will probably not work to your benefit. A good sweater is a much better choice.

Off campus all bets are off, I often wear suits/sportscoats in my spare time when I don't have to do something on campus/chill in the dorms.

Ryan Graber · Sep 30, 2009

I had almost forgot about sweaters as an option for combating cold, shame on me.

kuwisdelu · Sep 30, 2009

It depends completely on how you carry yourself, your personality, and how naturally you pull it off.

This comes up all the time here, and most will tell you college is an inherently casual place. I say it's the place to be yourself. Dress in what you're comfortable with, be that a suit, sport coat, or pajamas, and don't let anyone get you down for it.

ranker · Sep 30, 2009

Originally Posted by Ryan Graber

I've been staying around the jeans + sportcoat, occasional slacks + sportcoat, but am curious how far I could go and not get looked at funny at college?
Could I wear a suit?
Can I wear a Tie with sportcoat and jeans?
Thanks

You're not going to get ostracized based purely on the way you dress. If you have the personality that goes along with the style you're trying to impress, no one who knows you will think otherwise of you. However, a random stranger on campus may throw you a "WTF" glance every now and then. Regardless, it shouldn't bother you unless you have some self esteem problems.

Dress how you want to dress. College is the only time you'll get to dress however the hell you want. I got so much play in college simply because of how stylish I was (though not to SF's views of what "stylish" is). Was it over the top as compared to the average college student? Yup. But I had the charisma to pull it off and make it my own. If you've got the confidence, you can wear anything.

So if you've got Brad Pitt like charm (his looks wouldn't hurt either), dress however you feel like dressing: even if its a suit to an all night study session.

ozymandias · Sep 30, 2009

Originally Posted by ranker

Dress how you want to dress. College is the only time you'll get to dress however the hell you want.
I thought that was right after college (or grad school) !!

intent · Sep 30, 2009

If I wore a suit to undergrad I'd feel obliged to wear an ironic tie, or bright colours just to make it seem like I'm not a dork.

SkinnyGoomba · Sep 30, 2009

The simple answer is brown cord jacket with jeans.

Unless you have a reason to wear a suit to class I wouldnt bother. I wore alot of suits, but when attending networking events or going out to dinner same day

Ryan Graber · Sep 30, 2009

Thanks for all the helpful opinions.

Don Carlos · Oct 1, 2009

Don't wear a suit; people will think you're either a huge dork or that you're trying to sell them something. I'd also avoid sport coats and blazers for that same reason. College is a very casual place.

That's not to say that casual has to equal sloppy, though. Feel free to wear nice shoes or shirts. Invest in some nice jeans if you don't have them already; this will put you lightyears ahead of 90% of the guys in your class, who will be wearing baggy, faded, ripped denim that was last fashionable sometime in the mid 1990s. And a pair of well-cared-for brown wingtips will elevate jeans and a shirt to a level beyond what sneakers or sandals can do.

Basically put: dress casually, but throw in a single dressier element every now and then if you feel you can pull it off. Also, be prepared for the fact that if you dress too nicely, people will think you're gay. If you are, cool. And not that there's anything wrong with that. But just know it'll be part of the "vibe" you give off if you start looking too much better than your peers.

bowtielover · Oct 1, 2009

The tie yes, but not all the time the suit every once in awhile but that may be a bit much. College is diffrent though you r peers are not as likely to give you any lip over how you dress like like school kids would.

kuwisdelu · Oct 1, 2009

Just be yourself.

voxsartoria · Oct 1, 2009

Originally Posted by Ryan Graber

Could I wear a suit?

In Idaho?

If you do, blink and open your eyes: you'll find that you're in the Inner Sanctum and that you are probably wearing underwear with hex sign embroidered on them

Try it. You'll see that I'm right.

- B

acidboy · Oct 1, 2009

Originally Posted by Ryan Graber

I had almost forgot about sweaters as an option for combating cold, shame on me.

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How fancy can I get at college before I get ostracized.

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