Who said students can't be fashionable?
If “fashionable” was a Facebook profile, its relationship status with “students” would read COMPLICATED.
And it most certainly is.
The relationship is different from country to country, and even within the same country, it differs from field of study to field of study.
In some more conservative field of studies, the students’ appearance is expected to meet in-house standards of elegance, meant to signify the status of the University and send a clear statement of academic rigor.
Think about faculties like econ, law school, med school, engineering, at least in its management branch – the least geeky one, as an example.
What is the chance of finding a sloppy individual in any of those faculties?
Very small.
Students at law school know how powerful their image can be, for it is meant to send a message of self-confidence, determination and most importantly, trust.
One should feel comfortable leaving his matters in the hands of a lawyer, and this is only possible if the individual feels confident placing his/her trust in the lawyer.
At this point, one may argue: “Well, isn’t this a naïve comment?
A despicable lawyer can still look impeccable.” And that is true. But you do realize, he (amongst all) knows how powerful his image is. And he uses that knowledge to mask his actions under a polished appearance.
The nature of the person is for you to find out through experience and human interaction, but the appearance is what kindles the first conversation, appearance is what appeals at first sight. Understanding this subtle mechanism in people dynamics is invaluable.
This is a guest post by Mario Natella. Mario is a student who is currently studying Aerospace Engineering. Mario's father, Domenico, was an Italian Tailor for many years.
The wisdom he passed down to his son is being depicted through Mario's writing in this article, and several more to come. I hope his passion and enthusiasm for style will speak volumes to you like it did to me.
Click Here To Watch The Video – 7 Stylish Student Rules
Click Here To Watch The Video – Who Said Students Can't Be Stylish?
But back to our mortal and penniless student.
What I will say in this article covers the average student. A guy aged between 18 and 27, who moved out of his family’s place, shares the apartment with a buddy (little side note: this can itself be a relationship worth a book at the least!), works two or three jobs at the same time and in most cases has a lawn.
If you fall into this category, can you still be fashionable? And what can help you take care of your image?
Answering the question requires some context. In recent years, a new philosophy has become more or less established within the fashion industry.
I’m talking about fast fashion.
Fast fashion refers to:
- The large-scale production of clothes
- Creating items that are cheaper than ever and are meant for short-term use (at least a season)
- Items not deemed as a long-term type of investment for your wardrobe
In a world that has been abusing of the word stress, in a world that thrives on caffeine, in a world where everything moves fast, sooner or later even fashion had to start running too.
At the other extreme, there lays the enduring classic fashion. And classic fashion goes at a calmer pace.
- A more elegant pace
- A pace that gives you time to appreciate every tiny detail of a particular garment
- A garment that has a story to tell
- A garment that transcends its mere functional purpose
- A garment that becomes art
Between those two extremes, a student needs to find the good old middle way. The ideal compromise.
I understand that a custom piece from the best tailor (or any tailor for that matter) is out of the question. I do.
And I also understand that maybe you won’t be able to afford the best version of the piece of clothing that you had in mind. I do.
But here comes the compromise. And here’s is why the key for you is to understand what is the best compromise that works for you and your pockets.
Enough with fashion philosophy now (just allow it to me every now and then!), for it is time to take some real action! And as a fresh-out-of-college fashion connoisseur, let me give you my 7 tips about how you can be fashionable as a student.
1) Focus On Durability – Make Sure Your Clothes Last “Long Enough”.
1) Focus On Durability – Make Sure Your Clothes Last “Long Enough”.From the almost disposable clothes provided by fast fashion, to the immortal tailored pieces with a more classic touch, you need to make sure your investment will last long enough. What is “long enough”?
You may argue. Well, to give you an example I’ll share a little of my story.
I most certainly fell into this category of a mortal and penniless student. After a bachelor in Aerospace Engineering in Napoli, I moved to the Netherlands, to pursue my master at the Delft University of Technology, (Delft is a little town, north of Rotterdam, the Netherlands). And in those years, I was indeed a student on a budget.
But taking care of my wardrobe has always been high on my priority list. When I first arrived in Delft, I knew I was going to live there for at least two years, so long enough, in my case, meant indeed two years.
So for all of you freshmen who are probably venturing into the world of men’s fashion, I’d say split your student life into two main periods: bachelor and master.
Start building a classier and more formal wardrobe and make sure it lasts for the entire time of the bachelor program (and that would be something like 3 to 4 years).
When you move on to the master level, it would be time to upgrade your wardrobe. You are going to be attending more formal events, a dinner with a potential employer, company events, and probably going to have your first interviews at a firm for an internship or for your first job position.
Make sure you save your favorite pieces from your first wardrobe and upgrade the rest to have a solid personal collection for the remaining 2 to 3 years of your study.
2) Pay Attention to Quality – Learn to Get Informed Before You Purchase Clothing Items.
2) Pay Attention to Quality – Learn to Get Informed Before You Purchase Clothing Items.As a student on a budget, you want to make sure you invest your money wisely.
You definitely cannot afford to waste money on bad clothes that won’t even last one season, not to make a big investment in a classic tailored piece.
Again, between the poor quality of fast fashion and the timeless classic garments, you need to find your ideal compromise. The right quality that is going to feel comfortable, it is going to look great on you, and last “long enough”.
In Dutch, there is a good old saying that goes like “goedkoop is duurkoop” that would translate to “buying cheap stuff ends up being crazy expensive!” Keep that in mind, a bad investment does not save you money in the long run. And that is what matters eventually, isn’t it?
So my fashionable fellow student, get informed before you go shopping, read the labels, check the quality of the clothes you intend to purchase. And should you not have the patience to research yourself then ask the staff members in a shop, be eager to know, get into the details and make a conscious purchase.
Trust me, you will not regret it.
3) Focus On Interchangeability In Your Wardrobe
I’m sure you are familiar with the notion of interchangeability when applied to fashion. But for who of you is new to this concept, here it is in a nutshell: you want to build a wardrobe of good quality clothes, which can fit well with one another.
Click Here To See The Full Interchangeable Wardrobe Infographic
To understand the power of interchangeability (that is strongly connected to the amount of money you are going to be able to save), let’s do a little thought experiment.
Imagine you own 3 fully interchangeable business-casual outfits. Each outfit has one sweater, one shirt, and one trouser. Assuming you could fully interchange these three items, your number of total outfits becomes 3x3x3 = 27.
This means that you can wear a different outfit a day for almost a month!
This was just a quick example but when solving this little math problem with numbers from a real wardrobe, you begin to realize how the number of total outfit blows up in no time.
4) Do NOT Underestimate the Power of Vintage Stores
4) Do NOT Underestimate the Power of Vintage StoresYes. You read it. Vintage stores! I seriously believe it has become common practice to underestimate vintage stores, or anything like that – thrift shops, flea markets, vintage fairs, second-hand shops and so on and so forth.
When people see a vintage store, they immediately make one big mistake. And that is, they are inclined to think that wearing the vintage garment would be tantamount to admitting you cannot afford to shop at the store and that would somehow downgrade your status, or make you look less fashionable.
When I see a vintage store, I see art. I see hibernated artworks that are waiting for someone to bring them back to life. You need to have the vision, the guts to take that old piece, take care of it, include it in your wardrobe, mix it with the new stuff you own and wear it with pride.
For example here in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where I’m currently living, we have an awesome yearly fair called “Vintage per kilo”.
As you gentlemen may already guess, it’s a fair where you can buy any vintage garment, and pay per kilo! I’m telling you, you won’t find a better chance to get a timeless vintage piece for your wardrobe, for a ridiculously low price.
I seriously can’t wait to go check out this year’s event! Of course, fairs like this one we have here can be found anywhere in the world. Just be curious enough to get informed and find the closest vintage paradise for you.
Before we move on to the next point, it’s time for some credits. I have to say, my greatest inspiration, since this article is about students and fashion, would be my girlfriend. She was the one who made me rediscover and rethink about this whole world behind vintage stores, thrift shops etc.
She has an impeccable nose for bargains in the most unusual place on this planet. She is the type of girl that can come back from a trip to Barcelona with a €2 real leather jacket found at the bottom of the pile of clothes in a forgotten stand in a vintage market I bet not even locals are aware of!
Again, gentlemen, be brave enough to go out there because a vintage shop is definitely the place you want to get to know during your student life.
5) Learn How To Take Care of Your Clothes
At this point, I think a nice and extensive call to your mom is due.
You want to master the art of taking care of your clothes as in how to properly wash them, brush them or apply products (e.g. leather spray – I cannot begin to tell you how important it is for your leather garments! And how it will increase the number of wears that you can get out of them!).
And to be honest, is there any person that knows this kind of stuff better than moms? No. Period.
The way you take care of your clothes will say something about how long they will last. And this becomes crucial when – for obvious reasons – sometimes you have to compromise a little bit of quality to make sure you won’t drain your pockets.
I’m talking from personal experience here. Some of the clothes I have need special care to be able to last “long enough”. And for that reason, I learned to hand-wash, which for example is the perfect solution to avoid the medium-quality fabric to wear off sooner that you wished.
I learned how to properly use the washing machine, what products to buy and what specific program is best for a particular garment or for a particular fabric. And I can tell you, that really made a difference!
I can’t stress this enough, especially when you find yourself in a situation where you are forced (by external factors) to compromise a little bit of quality, taking care of your clothes the proper way becomes fundamental.
Bottom line: be a good mom to your clothes!
Click Here To Download This FREE 81-Page eBook On Wardrobe Maintenance
6) Master the Art of Finding Student Discounts
Luckily for you all, on this planet, there is such a thing called “student discounts”. Could this get any better? Well, bear with me, and let me tell you a little story that will bring you to the old-fashioned city of Birmingham, UK.
A little while back, a fellow student by the name of J. Eder, at the University of Birmingham, was convinced that there should have been an easier way for students to get their hands on pretty useful offers and discounts.
Annoyed by the fact that at the time, striking the best deal wasn’t getting any easier, he decided that it was just about time that someone would take action and make it happen!
And he did! He gave us all (I definitely include myself in this community!) the holy source of student discounts! You can find it over at StudentBeans.
When together with his brother, they first launched the website, they had deals with 200 stores around the UK. Nowadays, we’re talking about thousands of stores and companies, and they can reach over 10000 students per day.
Of course, if you don’t live in Europe, this doesn’t do much for you, someone may think. Wrong.
That portal nowadays reaches stores all around the globe. So you could definitely go check it out. Or look for local alternatives. This was merely an example, I’m sure you can find similar hubs in your city, state, or even at national level.
7) Focus on Uniqueness – Learn How To Develop A Personal Style
We are all unique individuals. Regardless of the current trend (that comes and goes, comes back and goes again before you even realize it), build a wardrobe that suits your personality. A wardrobe that says who you are, where you come from and what do you want out of life. As a good fashion connoisseur, use that basic knowledge and build what’s best for you.
For those of you who had the patience to bear with me throughout my 7 tips for a student to be fashionable, I have one last secret ingredient!
Let’s first go back to our main question. Can a student indeed be fashionable? The answer is yes BUT at two conditions.
One. You need to understand the importance your image has in everything you do in life.
Two. You need to make it a priority. Without it being high on your priority list, I’m afraid none of this will work. For all these 7 tips to work in your life, you need to have the patience to put a real effort into looking great on a relatively low budget. I’m not saying it is easy, gentlemen. Don’t get me wrong. But it is possible, provided it becomes a priority for you.
Wake up every day, and believe you can be a better-dressed man, be willing to put it some real effort, take some real action to make it happen. Don’t let the money excuse hold you back. Find a way, there’s always one. This world, gentlemen, is full of opportunities.
This is a guest post by Mario Natella. Mario is a student who is currently studying Aerospace Engineering. Mario's father, Domenico, was an Italian Tailor for many years.
The wisdom he passed down to his son is being depicted through Mario's writing in this article and several more to come. I hope his passion and enthusiasm for style will speak volumes to you like it did to me.
Finally, if you're still wondering is it really worth going to college then click here to discover my article where I make the case for and against it.
