Everyday Men’s Fashion: On Campus
Schools might not teach you everything you need to know to succeed, but they provide ample opportunity to pick up lessons in life – and in style. Fashion isn’t exactly the first priority of university students, but having the right clothes can add up in those little daily successes – better dating prospects, a better part-time job, better relations with professors. Dressing like a man always earns you an advantage over the boys.
Learn Lean
A hallmark of men’s ‘fashion’ in university is the abundance of baggy clothes, as if guys decided that a snuggie (or something that looks like one) is acceptable attire for school. Good style for men starts with a good fit, and it’s a lesson to learn as early as you can.
Stock your dorm closet with slim slacks, classic chinos and jeans that fit you right. Shirts that sit on your shoulders – not drooping off them – and jackets that define your trunk should also be part of the collegiate wardrobe. Not only will these make you look more grown-up and less like a freshman, but these are pieces that are easy to dress up for both formal events and post-undergrad life.
Tailored clothes might be beyond your budget at the moment, so you’ll want to find a brand or store that makes cuts and sizes that flatter you. The idea is to have a set of five to ten stores on speed dial so that you waste less time in stores that don’t stock for you.
Be a Gentleman
It’s never too early to dress like a gentleman, and college is no exception. Guys who know how to knot their own neckties and pick out a dinner jacket by this point are more likely to score jobs or get a second date. By channeling a fashion aesthetic of an older and more mature crowd, you package yourself as more than the average college dude.
Have at least a suit (ideally tailored, in navy or gray), a couple of good (ideally tailored as well) dinner jackets and a good set (read: six or more, in varying colors and patterns) of neckties to cover every eventuality. While it’s a good idea for guys to own more nuanced pieces like khaki suits and tweed jackets, the pieces described above should suffice for mixing and matching through four years of interviews and dates.
Dressing up a bit in everyday situations never hurt anyone either. For day-to-day classes, you could consider wearing dark wash jeans or a pique polo shirt every so often, just so you don’t look like every other undergrad on campus.
Stay Fresh
The fact that you’re a college student buys you some leeway from a men’s fashion view. By all means wear cargo shorts, flip-flops and ball caps, if that’s what you feel like doing for the day. They might not be the height of male style, but there’s nothing wrong with them while you’re at school, where hundreds of guys are wearing the same thing.
College is also the time to discover the ‘young’ pieces that the older GQ set keeps using every so often. Fabric belts, woven bracelets and Chuck Taylors are all pieces that even the fashion insider set will admit were copped from the twentysomething generation. Wear statement tees, guy jewelry and beat-up jeans to your heart’s content; you’re not going to have as many style options in about half a decade or so.
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