College clothing confusion
I'm going to college this fall. I only started paying attention to clothes a month or two ago, and so I have no idea what is fashionable and normal for college age guys to wear. All I know is from web articles :D. Any suggestions and advice is much appreciated! Sorry if I don't include any important info.
An issue for me is that I'm tall and skinny (6'1 and 145 lb) and so a lot of clothes i've tried don't fit too well.
I've bought a few Levi's jeans, some slim-fit and some regular, and one skinny. And a few single-color shirts that I like.
I'm about to get some Uniqlo chino pants and have some chino shorts in the mail.
What I've read says I need some white shirts, joggers, more t-shirts (graphic and single-color), button downs, a watch, one or two belts, and oxford tees.
What brands should i get for any or all of these items? What should I look out for or try to get? Thanks!
EDIT: I don't know what a good budget for all this is but I'm ok spending like 75 on a good pair of pants. Secondhand is fine as long as the clothes look and fit well. I'm in Florida. I can't post pics of myself rn but probably can soon. College starts in 6 weeks so I want the best wardrobe I can get before then
106 Replies
Hi @Jacob! The best way to get a good answer is to ask a great question.
Please consider including:
- Reference pictures of things you like or are looking for. The more the better!
- Pictures of you wearing things if you have fit questions.
- A specific budget in numbers. “Affordable" means different things to different people.
- Specific measurements: Chest and waist are far more useful than height and weight.
- Measurements of your favourite fitting clothing. Learning these measurements will go a long way in helping you shop online and secondhand!
- Whether you're happy to buy secondhand.
- Whether you prefer to buy in person or are open to shopping online.
- Your vague location, especially if that limits your options because of customs or access to stores. A country or continent is helpful.
- Timescales: Do you need something urgently, or can you wait for the right thing at the right price?
Also, please use the search function to see if a similar question has already been asked!
Best place to start would be scroll through #waywt and #waywt-highlights and find some looks and styles that you enjoy
I'll do that thanks.
Heya! So, good news is, with that build you're not gonna have any issues finding clothes that fit. I'm the same exact height/weight, and honestly we have it so good. But what you may not be used to though, is that you may have preconceived notions on how clothes "should" fit that may be limiting you. I remember last night you mentioned buying slimmer fit pants specifically due to your height, and there's just really no correlation there at all. To use that as an example, width of pant is purely a stylistic choice, a certain cut there isn't going to look "better" in some objective sense on certain types of bodies.
And yeah deltic has the next recommendation down, there's no specific way to "dress better", it'll all depend on your preferences, so best to pull some points of references for us to kind of help you in the specific direction you have in mind. The way to "dress better" is just to buy and wear clothes with intention, where you like each piece of clothing as well as the pairings of the clothes you make for an outfit. When you wear clothes you like and feel like you're nailing what you're going for, you'll feel confident while doing it, and that confidence and the effort you're putting in will be what makes you look great.
i don't know as much as everyone else does, but just be careful of buying a lot of things at once before you've found your 'style'. Otherwise just have fun with it!
Adding to this, I would ignore any resource that's giving you a list of what you "should" own.
I'm like 15 years out of post-secondary but I promise just making an effort and looking like you give a shit is going to take you farther than most of the other students your age.
This is very interesting, thanks. I guess I thought since my legs are so thin that baggy pants would just look too baggy. But I see that's not the case
Also, by and large college/uni dress code is super lax. I work at uni and the only unspoken dress-code is "no shorts when holding a lecture" lol
Which is not to discourage you!
Thats a relief thanks I am getting the impression that everyone at uni dresses like a fashion model
i find specifically for pants it can be tough to try newer cuts so i promise anything you anything wide you put on is not actually as wide and odd as you’re gonna perceive it at first
I made a word doc with some people I liked the look of
Basically college is a great place to experiment with whatever you like.
But also you don't have to if you don't want to.
no way dude you’ll see most folks showing up in sweats and hoodies especially once the semesters get deeper. dont sweat any performative pressures :)
i've done this before and will still do it lol
gee ok. I have a question though, should you be able to wear jeans without a belt
Some of the ones I've got even the ones that are my size keep falling down
not necessarily
i have many pants that i purposefully bought large for the fit and need to belt with
Sizes are a lie. The only thing you should pay attention to is "do these fit how I want?".
Ya I just want to try to look polished and fit in
i think a big stereotype of college students is how unpolished they look, and thats ok. the lifestyle kinda lends itself to it
Thats true, when i was at a chess tournament recently I saw a lot of college students in very dandruffy t-shirts and sweat pants
interesting, ok I had no idea large pants were even a thing
check out shrimpy in waywt if you wanna see wide pant fits in action
I see those that's a cool look
in:waywt from:artvandelayexporting is on the slimmer side of fits here too for the other side of the coin
Yeah I see that too, I like that a bit more personally
I'm a similar height/weight to you and I want to reinforce that you'll have not too many issues buying clothes and that you really shouldn't get hung up on the idea that there's only one fit for you because of your body shape.
You can choose clothes to give different vibes, and how they fit is part of that. Here's some photos of me over the last few years wearing pretty different pants cuts to illustrate.
That makes sense, I really see how the different pants change your fit by a lot
for me it was kind of annoying trying to figure this out and getting what's essentially, just figure it out through trial and error, but honestly the process itself has been really fun. going through #waywt was a great resource as well for inspiration
Idk who said it here first but i liked the phrase 'Just put that shit on'
I am also in college (my junior year rn) and a very similar build to you. My biggest advice would just be to learn all of your measurements really well, and not just the measurements of your body but of the pieces you own right now that fit the best (because it can get complicated for items with a drop shoulder seam or a high waist for example) and then get a vague idea of the sizes those correlate to (suit sizing, eu sizing, even women’s sizing) and then from there secondhand shopping and stores become a breeze
I guess what i'm really nervous about is that my clothing choices will hold me back at college - I don't want to like not fit in at a party or an event because i'm wearing the wrong type of clothes, ya know. So I just want to have a 'normal look' before i try to get creative
almost certainly wont be an issue
haha thats a great slogan
and if it is, thats the wrong crowd to hang with anyways
Thanks that's great. I will, today, make a list of all my measurements
Also don’t be afraid to try stuff that you think might not fit you for cheap or in person
Don't overthink it, I spent most of my college years in thrifted jeans and t-shirts and had a great time. Being personable, nice and pleasant to be around will go much further than anything you wear.
also sorry to derail, whats the difference between college and uni?
i'm not american
I think they're the same
Gotcha gotcha ty
Yea I went to old navy and the like and tried on a lot of different jeans
They're the same - Brits tend to call it Uni, Americans tend to call it college.
all this being said, theres certainly some more prescriptive advice that can be offered given your 6 week timeline. uniqlo can be bountiful to give you some good foundational items. if you’re not sure about the fit on anything you can post questions here and likely get some fast and succinct feedback
Totally i plan to use this server a lot. What prescriptive advice, if I may ask, would you have for me?
there's so many people from so many backgrounds coming into college that you may not see a consistent "look" on campus; this is the time to explore things that interest you specifically and in turn other people who like the same things, regardless of clothes
College in the UK has a different specific meaning (it's school for 16-18 year olds) but in nearly every circumstance you'll see online its the American meaning or it'll be obvious it's not.
can't go wrong with a good pair of jeans and uniqlo t-shirts for these inspo pics
White tee shirt, jeans, white converse.
Oh interesting
There's a lot of uniqlos, I saw the supima recommended would you suggest that one? https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E455365-000/00?colorDisplayCode=58&sizeDisplayCode=003
UNIQLO
SUPIMA® Cotton T-Shirt | UNIQLO US
Shop unisex SUPIMA® Cotton T-Shirt at UNIQLO US. Read customer reviews, explore styling ideas, and more.
yeah right, that makes sense
recommending base items is tough especially since we dont have an exact idea of where your wardrobe is at. browsing waywt is a good start, if you notice a particular type of garment thats consistent through fits you like you can ask here for general guidance on where to shop for those items/what they’re called.
i'm not really the right person to ask sorry, i love this space but i dont know enough to help you
those seem fine but i'm partial to airism myself
these are good tees for the price and fit on the slimmer side. you’ll see the uniqlo u tees recommended a lot here too for a boxier cut
nw thanks for your encouragement
I prefer the Uniqlo U tees - but they're thicker and scratchier and fit a bit boxier (they're shorter and wider) and which you'll prefer is vibes based.
beyond the recommendations
1. follow the basic bastard and or follow art (search
in:waywt from:@artvandelayexporting)
2. see what things you like visually in your journeys (online, in class, whatever); if you get the sense of "oh wow that's really cool maybe i want to wear it" then keep that in mind because it might lead to something worth buying
that said eventually "prescriptive advice" becomes less useful than you developing your own tastes and finding what works for you 👍Hm I'll get one of each, the u-tees, the airism, and the supima, and try them all out!
I’d even say skip advice 1 and just laser in on advice 2. See what you like, grab a couple things for cheap, try em out and see how you feel
I’m sure it’s been brought up many times already too but just to hammer the point home, don’t buy a shit ton all at once, you will inevitably end up disliking 75% of what you buy as you’re still identifying your tastes and you’ll have wasted the money. Nothing wrong with going slow and steady
Yeah definitely, I'm only getting one or two items at once of each
I have got to head out now but thank you all so much for your input I'm in a much better headspace about it all now 🙏
Ill post some more pictures as I get things
oh and 3. find other hobbies than clothes
the way to find your tastes or things you enjoy or confidence in interacting with people is doing things you like doing or at least finding things to do that you may like doing
(this is true outside of college but there's more freedom at this point)
100% i have some hobbies alr (chess, poker, reading) but am gonna branch out to dancing and who knows what at college
yeah fashion is personal and so it reflects what you do day to day, if you go hiking every weekend your wardrobe will look different then if you did something else.
sounds like you’re on a good track to enjoy your time there :) its a great period in life
Hoping so!
Also you're in college, you can probably find tons of nearly new clothes second hand for less than half they'd cost new (including Uniqlo etc).
One thing I have been doing for a few months now is just writing down fashion things I think are cool, just if you see an awesome shirt or a brand you like throw it in a google doc, over a few months it becomes a lot easier to see patterns in what inspires you if you don’t just try and remember everything you like
There's Uniqlo U tees on Vinted in the UK for £3. Would imagine the US is similar.
i've decided to make a pintrest account (made one today), does that work for this?
Sure! Really just it’s easy for me to see things that inspire me and then forget the day later
Keeping an actual record is handy
Pinterest does skew towards very… photograph-able fits for my tastes if that makes sense?
If you're looking at clothes (especially in waywt here) and you see something you like, ask a question! Be curious, most all the posters here will probably enjoy responding.
Sometimes there are elements to outfits I find cool that are hard to get across in a Pinterest board, like texture and movement, or quality of the construction, but that is not really a discussion for this thread
i dont really know how it works just thought it would be valuable to have a record like u said.
anyway, best of luck
honestly, at my uni people turn up in everything from pyjama pants to suits
I love pinterest
Really not the case but it is a very fun place to do that
no they mostly dress like shit dont worry
the realest advice i can give if you want to develop your style without going broke is to make a consistent effort to go through all your local thrift, vintage, and consignment stores and just try shit out
if you can learn to be discerning you can even make a small profit and sell the stuff you dont end up wearing on discord or depop or whatever
oh advice #2 dont buy hm, zara, shein, stuff. whether thats new or thrifted just ignore all of that
its cut like shit from shit materials and 90% of the time wont flatter anyone
and be careful of blanket advice
as for gathering inspiration for the outfits and pieces you want, a pinterest like they suggested above is a good place to start. gather pictures of outfits you like and then go through them and see if you can find a pattern in what you gravitate towards. identify what it is you like whether thats the pieces or the fabrics or the layering or the colors or even the setting and poses
i also suggest watching some videos on sewing
not necessarily to learn to sew but to learn about construction techniques
so you can tell when something is made with a high level of effort and care vs not
oh and videos or books on fibers, yarns , and fabrics
fibers are made into yarns, yarns are made into fabrics. the choices of what fibers (eg cotton, wool, polyester, alpaca, hemp, etc) have different effects, as does the choice of how the yarns are made into fabrics (knitting vs weaving, and the many many different types of each)
this is so you can understand the purpose of a fabric, what its strengths and weaknesses are
so then you can approach looking at clothes with more specificity. you live in florida so youll want to know about fabrics that help you stay cool
if you really want to get into it theres a lot of books about clothes, style, adopting identity through clothes, subcultures and how they wore clothes, the industry of fashion, etc you could look into
most of all though, dont take it too seriously and have some fun
I’d say just get sth you like and put that shit on.
I don’t know shit about yarns and I look great
Although knowing which fabrics fit your needs is very helpful and can make a huge difference, extensive knowledge of materials and construction techniques isn't strictly necessary to dress better and figure out your style
We've also had some server members who wore lots of Zara and consistently had good style, so I wouldn't say that everything they make is shitty and almost always "unflattering"
not necessary not but does help you not waste money on stuff
depends
I guess what I originally was hoping for isn't so much 'developing my own style' as 'wearing good, normal clothes and not look ridiculous'. Idk, it just feels like a lot to go from absolutely no conception of clothes at all to a 'style' in just 6 weeks. I want to try to cover the basics, as it were, as much as possible before college. Is 6 weeks enough to make my own style?
I'd say no, but that's because it's not really a thing that ever stops for most people I think, if you engage with it. if your singular goal is to wear clothes that won't make you stick out at college, you are realistically already probably there. if you want to go more so for finding your confidence in your presentation, that gets more towards finding your style so you have some substance to feel confident in IMO.
Gotcha gotcha, thanks. I think where i was a month or so definitely did stick out - I was literally the only one who wore chess tee shirts at all, let alone every day. But where I am now, you're right, probably wouldn't be too offensive (jeans and chinos + t shirts). But I'll keep working on my style so I do have something to be confident about, I totally want that
I wore so many ThinkGeek programming joke shirts before college and had a similar phase of "I need to stop this fuckin immediately" I feel you
I'm trying to take my measurements now and am confused
Is sleeve length (center back) measuring from the top of my shoulder to my wrist bone?
My sleeve length came out to be 25', but even the 3XL tees at uniqlo say they're for 20' sleeves?
Which one should I get?
the measurements are the measurements of the garment, not the measurements of the body the garment will fit
if that makes sense
its best to take “flat lay” measurements of clothes you own that fit decently, rather than measure your body
itll give you much better reference points
Oh 🤦 , thanks that makes a lot more sense
no problem, took me awhile to figure out size charts too
Would you say this shirt fits well?
Can I use it for a good reference
yep!
important to remember that different things are intentionally cut differently, so its not always going to be the best move to match the exact measurements from that tee. for example the uniqlo u shirts are cut boxier, so they will intentionally have larger measurements than that tee. the measurements are for reference, not always for exact matching
Okay, so that would mean for the u shirt I would want larger measurements?
Or would it be that if I get the same measurement for the u shirt it would be boxy
It means that a u shirt that has the same size as that shirt will be boxier
haha i like the smiley face on the first one
It's a fun one
I couldn't keep the dog out of the photos :xd:
Stupid question, how normal is it for the underwear band to be above the jeans?
depends on how high waisted your jeans are. it’s not uncommon
I don’t keep track of where my underwear is but as long as there’s something over it it should be fine?
thanks
fits you well
this is up to you
i think its kinda slutty and cool when the underwear band shows
cropped length tee, calvin klein boxer band, pair of jeans worn low waisted. easy slutty fit
hm ok thanks
im not totally going for that look but good to know its allowed
most of the time you're not gonna be wearing cropped enough shirts for it to matter anyway