A lot of what a college freshman needs to know about campus fashion, she knew in kindergarten, such as …
Clashing is a figment of parents’ imaginations.
Cute socks, often ruffled, should be worn with skirts, dresses, shorts and Mary Janes (kindergarten) or clogs (collegians).
All you need for grownup glamour is bright, almost garish, lipstick.
The bigger the hair bow, the better.
A backpack can be the height of sophistication.
Clogs declare to the world, “I have arrived” — in terms of noise (kindergartners) or fashion awareness (collegians).
Those are some of the style statements that young women have made lately on collegefashionista.com, a photo-driven site launched a year ago with 12 writers and Big Ten aspirations. It got so much buzz that it has expanded to 150 writers and 72 campuses, some in the United Kingdom. When its founder, Amy Levin, 23, finishes her graduate work at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, it will be her full-time occupation, thanks to investors.
One explanation for the site’s popularity is a rise in the style IQ at campuses:
“Sweats and jammies aren’t really big anymore,” Levin said. “People really want to be comfortable — but fashionable.”
There’s an art to that combination, partly because of budget limitations.
“Jeggings,” a cross between leggings and jeans, have replaced sweats as a comfortable staple that, unlike sweats, can cross over to a night out.
As part of students’ thrift, cutoff shorts from summer also will remain in rotation for fall, said Stephanie Boridy, 27, a graduate of McGill University in Montreal who blogs about fashion (lecheapcestchic.com) and is the Web and social media editor at louloumagazine.com.
“In the early fall, cutoffs work so well with a vintage T or casually dressed up with a blouse,” Boridy said, recommending thrift store jeans cut to individual specifications. “And in the winter months they pair really effortlessly with opaque tights.”
Here, a fashion syllabus for fall 2010, starting with core requirements.
The freshman 4
1. Good jeans: Mandatory. Baggy “boyfriend” or skinny jeans dominate for women; boot-cut jeans are for an “older generation,” Levin said. Stylish guys are wearing pairs that are “a little tighter” than in the past. But, Levin said, “You want to be comfortable, trendy or not trendy.”
2. Great white T-shirts: A basic school supply. Levin cites shopnastygal.com as one of her favorite sources for the boxy styles she currently prefers, to contrast with snug leggings and skinny jeans.
3. A stylish book bag: A backpack in leather or faux leather (see us.topshop.com) works day to night, Levin said.
4. Game-day apparel: For women, Victoria’s Secret Pink sweat pants and sweat shirts, including the brand’s college-specific apparel for football games, seem to be a freshman prerequisite. Levin also likes Redjacketshop.com and Shopschoolhouse.com. But wear sparingly. If you must flaunt school pride, a vintage college shirt of your dad’s, or a shirt from your friend’s faraway campus, is cooler than your own new one.
Upperclasswomen
1. Clog-style ankle boots: These earn extra credit for stability plus style. These and other heels are being worn with socks, Levin said. (See freepeople.com/shoes-clogs/solvang-clog.)
2. Maxi-dresses: A summer one can transition into fall. “Put a blazer over it when it’s cooler,” Levin said. (See the T by Alexander Wang line at shopbop.com.)
3. Military-style jacket: Great for in-between weather, Levin said. (See the BDG cinched anorak at urbanoutfitters.com.)
4. Accessories: Levin and Boridy said many college women wear barely more than a swipe of bright lipstick by day. That doesn’t mean they’re plain. Hair bows and head bands are huge at the moment. Forever 21 remains a go-to for cheap jewelry.
Upperclassmen
1. Loafers: Leave the ratty tennis shoes in high school.
2. Geek-chic glasses: An affordable way that guys are distinguishing their look.
Entire student body
1. Flannels: “I’ve found great flannels at Walmart that I wear and my brothers wear,” Levin said. Bonus: They forgive novice laundry mistakes.
2. Blazers: A fall staple for both sexes in black or navy. “You can wear one dressy for a date and for something professional, like an interview,” Levin said.
![“Let the music do the talking,” sang Phish vocalist-guitarist Trey Anastasio at the outset of the band’s concert Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Normally, hearing that advice from a well-disciplined virtuoso who seemingly never tires of the stage and worships the groove would pass without a hint of potential irony. However, given the group was not even one minute into the third of its sold-out four-night stand at the $2.3 billion dome — expressly devised to push sensory boundaries to previously uncharted limits — one couldn’t help wonder how seriously Phish would take its own instruction. Turns out […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTC-L-ENT-PHISH-04-e1713888536637.jpg?w=620 "“Let the music do the talking,” sang Phish vocalist-guitarist Trey Anastasio at the outset of the band’s concert Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Normally, hearing that advice from a well-disciplined virtuoso who seemingly never tires of the stage and worships the groove would pass without a hint of potential irony. However, given the group was not even one minute into the third of its sold-out four-night stand at the $2.3 billion dome — expressly devised to push sensory boundaries to previously uncharted limits — one couldn’t help wonder how seriously Phish would take its own instruction. Turns out […]")
