What to do for clothes at college/university?

All bitterly true....

Originally Posted by Cali

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The worst I ever saw was a guy in my freshman theology class who came to the final in a bathrobe because he lived upstairs in the same building.

There are limits to the casualness of college wardrobe.

thatd be funny to see. I usually just wear a t-shirt and jeans or sometimes a button up shirt. Just wear whatever you feel comfortable with

I don't really think other people will give a sh*t about what you wear in college. It's not like high school or middle school. It's a transition from conformity to finding yourself. The people that represent this community are a small niche of people. But seriously, if I saw a kid wearing a blazer, I'd feel threatened by him because it feels like he is trying to give off how much better he is than everybody else.

Originally Posted by poormansclothes

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I don't really think other people will give a sh*t about what you wear in college. It's not like high school or middle school. It's a transition from conformity in a small scale academic society to conformity in a large scale, consumer capitalist society. In between, you can wear pajamas to class! And any kind of polo and distressed jean you want! The people that represent this community are a small niche of people. But seriously, if I saw a kid wearing a blazer, I'd feel threatened by him because it feels like he is trying to give off how much better he is than everybody else.
Fixed.

Originally Posted by nick123

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thatd be funny to see. I usually just wear a t-shirt and jeans or sometimes a button up shirt. Just wear whatever you feel comfortable with

Hey, I once spent a day going to classes in my bathrobe, a pair of raw denim, a cashmere scarf, leather slippers and a wifebeater

But that was because my ******* roommate locked me out.

Originally Posted by Augusto86

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Hey, I once spent a day going to classes in my bathrobe, a pair of raw denim, a cashmere scarf, leather slippers and a wifebeater

But that was because my ******* roommate locked me out.

I don't even want to KNOW what you were doing before your roommate locked you ou.

Originally Posted by cookieoflife

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I don't even want to KNOW what you were doing before your roommate locked you ou.
Beating his runway model wife, by the sounds of that outfit.

Originally Posted by apocalypse later

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First of all, thanks for all the advice everyone. I know I won't have to worry about getting into debt or anything, as my parents are paying for my college. And no, I'm not one of those guys that takes money for granted, I took it into account when I was picking colleges, and my dad said "Don't let tuition costs affect your decision. I'd rather invest in an education." So I'm not a spoiled brat or anything, my parents just have a good amount of cash.

Also, I'm not really a clothing whore, I just like to dress well. I dress well by my school's standards, not at all by styleforum's standards though. Basically, everyone here wears Hollister/AE/Abercrombie and other brands with print and branding all over them. I'm usually dressed in decent jeans and a basic outfit--button down shirt, plain t-shirt, occasionally a nice v-neck sweater. I wear stuff that fits and stuff with no visible branding, unlike most guys at my school. Most of my clothes come from Gap/Banana Republic/Guess/Express/and occasionally some nice designer stuff. So like I said, I'm dressed well by my school's standards, but styleforum would probably laugh at my poorly constructed clothes .



I'm from a small town of about 12,000 people. Hartford, to be exact--it's about 45 minutes from Milwaukee.

Yeah I know Hartford, I have lived in the MKE area my whole life.

Originally Posted by cldpsu

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Confidence when you wear $300 dollar jeans? I think he should worry about confidence if he is wearing a pair of 40 dollar jeans that look like **** and feel like ****. You must be buying $1000 pairs of jeans if you speak of confidence when wearing $300 dollar ones.

I don't own $300 jeans, I wish I did, but I food, electricity and rent are slightly higher on the priority list. My point is that most of the time no one knows what you are wearing so you should buy clothes that fit well and you are comfortable in. If you wear those $500 Diors but are self-conscious about the skinny fit, then you would be better off in a pair of $50 501 that you can rock the hell out of. What I'm trying to say is that its about how you feel in whatever you wear, not what you wear

i dont need food, electricity is overrated, and who needs rent when you live in the library any way. 500$ diors on the other hand will make you feel like your doing well in life when your really up sh*t creek. I say go for the diors

People here are right- if you're dressing for yourself, wear the things you find pleasing to the eye and things that make you feel comfortable. Still, I think it's good to have a couple touchstones. Right now your sense of style sounds undeveloped, and as you train your eye and learn more from places like Styleforum, you will experience some drastic changes in your clothing tastes. Lots of members here have 'pre' and 'post-Styleforum' sets of wardrobes. So go slow, and start out with the items you can't go wrong with.

When I think about casualwear, I see two classic, enduring styles that college-aged dudes have worn in the last 50 years. Pull the basics out of whichever of these styles appeal to you the most, or from both, and branch out from there.


1) Ivy-League -- This one is easy. It is what kids wore to Ive Leage schools in the 1950, and it's still alive in its unadulterated form.

Pants:
-Flat front khakis
Shirts:
-Oxford cloth shirts with button down collars. Blue, white, and pink are the main colors. Sometimes yellow. Simple stripes and checks are okay if you can find them.
Shoes:
-Brown or Cordovan color penny style loafers.
-Boat shoes. (this is your best choice)
-Dirty Bucs
*Add blue blazer and horizonal striped repp tie when you need to dress up.

Preppy is a subset of this style that adds to it different colors of oxford cloth pants and shorts, ribbon and surcingle belts, and polo shirts. Levis 501s are the preppy jeans of choice, maybe the only allowable jeans.

Depending on your school, I can see how dressing this way all the time could limit you socially. You've already seen people in this thread who do not understand the look, making comments about being a yacht-club poser. The fact is, the look has its origins with middle-class GIs, is no more expensive than t-shirts and jeans, and is a hell of a lot less ubiquitous. I also think there's something pleasing about the consistency the style allows you to maintain day after day. Still, understand that because of the misplaced yacht-club/d-bag baggage attached to the look, there are certain bars that you just can't go into dressed like that. You'll raise the ire of the hipsters and working class folk who are rebelling against the uniform of the Man by wearing denim. Nevermind that the Ivy League look hasn't had any kind of mass popularity since the 1960s- these people know the look of the establishment when they see it!


2) Classic Streetwear -- This one is a little more nebulous because different groups have left their mark on streetwear each decade (punk, hip hop, skater, hipsters, etc.) To me, the building block is the 1950s greaser/James Dean/ The Outsiders look.
Pants:
-Jeans. Slim fitting but not too skin tight. Straight leg or a slight boot cut. Raw or a very minimal wash. Color on the darker side. Put at least 80% of your street wear budget into the jeans.
Shirts:
-T-Shirts. Keep it simple, you can never go wrong with plain white, gray, olive, or black. Avoid gimmicky "˜ironic' and "˜funny' nonsense from the likes of Urban Outfitters. Watch out for the prints too...you don't want to be thought of as Fashion Boy.
Shoes:
-Classic Canvas Sneakers like ChuckTaylor, Jack Purcell, PF Flyers, Vans Authentic, oldschool Adidas.
-Boots. Nothing too pointy or bulky. RM Williams would be a good maker to get ideas from.
Belts:
-Whatever, but nothing too formal. You can't have to many belts.


The best street wear looks are the subtle ones. A loud pair of dunks, funky belt, wild print t-shirt, and scarf is the exact opposite of what street wear is all about. The jeans are the focal point, and you dont want anything that takes too much attention away from them. Let the jeans speak for themselves. That's why Ive loved the appearance of high-end denim the last 5 years. So much good stuff to choose from...

If there is one bit of streetwear that's underemphasized by most people, it's fitness. These kind of clothes look best on someone who is in shape, specifically lean and trim. The same set of clothes can look completely different on 2 different bodies. One of the best skills you can pick up is choosing clothes that look great on your body type.

There's obviously a lot more places you can take streetwear than my minimalist philosophy. Check out the "˜what are you wearing now' thread for inspiration. When in doubt, though, keep it simple and avoid the pitfalls of metro/eurotrash.

Originally Posted by Pennglock

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Shoes:
-Brown or Cordovan color penny style loafers.

don't wear penny loafers in college. if you do, wear them with tassles.

that's just wrong.

Like it or not, most college girls like the look that most dudes on here are mocking. No matter how confident you are, I can't see most dudes dressed in the typical superfuture gear doing to well on college girls at a place like marquette. Someplace like NYU maybe, but not in the midwest. Comfortable or not, people will look at you like you are a fool dressed like that, so I would moderate it if that is your look. There have been some good advice in this thread. Like others have said, good denim, t-s and hoodies are the way to go. Have some nice polos as well.

People would probably argue that you should dress how you want and not to get girls, but you are in college, enjoy it.

casual tees and nice fitting jeans. Spend your time on good shoes/bags/sunnies but don't try to look different every day. [Thats what us girls have to try and do]

Originally Posted by Studio27

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don't wear penny loafers in college. if you do, wear them with tassles.

that's just wrong.

Tassles?? Naw, that's an old man shoe. Pennies are the college classic for when you need to put on the blue blazer. Boat shoes for daily wear.