Clothing Tips for College Girls
Practical Campus Fashion Advice for Freshman Year and Beyond
What kinds of clothing do college students really need? Here are some tips for freshman girls on what to pack for school and what to leave home.
What kinds of clothes do college girls need for school? When thinking about what to buy and what to bring, here's one word to keep mind: practical! You can be a campus fashion icon if that makes you happy, but most students prefer to spend their time and money on other things. College life is stressful, and you're going to want to be comfortable more often than you'll want to be stylish.
The norms on how students dress differ from campus to campus. Some college campuses are more "Abercrombie" than others. In most cases, though, there's not going to be nearly as much pressure to fit in with the latest fashions as there was in high school.
So what kinds of clothes should you bring to college? Here are a few practical fashion tips.
- Bring comfortable clothes. You may be the type who doesn’t mind a little discomfort in the name of fashion, and that’s fine. But there will be days when cozy clothes are a must, like during finals or the day after a nasty breakup, so make sure you have them on hand. Think T-shirts, sweats, and cozy jeans. Also, bring comfortable things to sleep in that won’t embarrass you in front of your roommate, or in front of the surprise guests that pop by at 3:00 a.m.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes. Unless you enjoy being miserable, this is mandatory. Ladies, please don’t walk around campus in high-heeled pumps. This isn’t Sex and the City-- it’s a college campus, and you’re going to be walking constantly. Save the cute heels for the weekend.
- Bring low maintenance clothes. Time is at a premium in college. If it needs hand washing, don’t bring it. Heck, if it needs ironing, don’t bring it.
- Bring weather appropriate clothes. Keep in mind that you’ll be walking around campus all the time, so if your school is in a cold climate, bring a heavy coat, scarf, gloves, and waterproof boots. Here are some suggestions for warm winter clothes that are great for campus. Wear whatever you need to keep warm even if it messes up your outfit. If whomever it is you’re trying to impress likes you less with hat hair, this isn't someone worthy of your attention.
- Bring weekend clothes. Go ahead and bring the cute stuff. You'll probably want to save it for the weekends, though. No need to get all dolled up for your 8:00 a.m. class
- Don't come to class half naked. This may be appreciated by some of the male students (and professors too, sadly), but this is not the way to be taken seriously in the classroom. Save the sexy stuff for the weekends, and come to class looking a little more professional. Even outside the classroom, it can be sexier to leave a little to the imagination and show off just one feature at a time. If you wear a navel-baring shirt, wear baggy pants. If you wear a micro-mini skirt, pair it with a big sweater.
- Bring clothes you can layer. You're going to be coming in from the cold into overheated classrooms, and in from the heat into classrooms fit for a polar bear.
- Discover the joy of thrift shops. Unless you're very lucky, you're probably not going to have the funds to maintain a chic wardrobe, so indulge your love of shopping by buying clothes at thrift stores. If you have the attitude that clothing has to be expensive or new, this would be a good time to lose it. Most college campuses have funky used clothes stores nearby for inexpensive shopping sprees, and for selling your old clothes for a few bucks. For great bargains, also check out clearance racks and on-line sites like eBay.
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