Freshers week is upon us once again. For the uninitiated, this is week of joining societies you will never ever participate in (Shinkendo? Really?), free shots, realising just how comfortable your mattress at home was, and officially being orientated as a first year college student.
With so many new faces to meet and detail your leaving cert results to (yes people really will ask) this week also turns into something of a fashion parade, if not a friendship abattoir. A chance for the weak to be weeded out and avoided for the rest of the year. To this end we would like to provide some friendly guidelines for what to wear during this auspicious week.
Bags: Once upon a time all you needed to be cool was a pink schoolbag featuring a Disney character. How times have changed. Let’s be real: a sensible backpack will make you look like a loser (unless it’s of the small, leather variety). You will want a normal (gorgeous) handbag that will just barely hold a notebook and one, maybe two, pens. If you are the type that intends to actually turn up to class during the year you will want something in a satchel. To hold that third biro. NB: That laptop bag your mother insisted on buying? Throw it away, immediately.
Vintage Dresses: The uniform of cool college students. As someone who spent those four years eating pasta and pesto, I can attest that the benefits of buying secondhand clothes cannot be underestimated. Effortlessly cool, completely unique and much cheaper than high street (plus you never run the risk of wearing exactly the same outfit as the rest of your tutorial). Furthermore, though Taylor Swift once sang ” No amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity”, I beg to differ. Who exactly is going to look more dignified doing the walk of shame on Friday morning: the girl still wearing 6 inch heels and a bodycon mini dress in ‘Intro to Linguistics’ or the girl in cute printed vintage? I rest my case.
Accessories: Those of you coming back from a gap year, please don’t try and rub it in people’s faces. If you’ve done it right you’ll have an air of the exotic about you anyway, okay? No braids, no dreads, no harem pants. Yes to silk pashminas, indian leather, restrained amounts of beads. Subtlety is key. There’s a hipster backlash happening or hadn’t you heard? Also: shades are your new best friend. You are about to experience hangovers as you’ve never felt them before. Remember that exotic air we talked about? Wearing shades in lectures= two birds, one stone.
And so to research via the silver screen. The college movie tradition is a little light on inspiring female fashion- Animal House, Old School, Van Wilder? No thanks! Pretty sure the only prerequisite was that Tara Reid had to wear as few clothes as possible, or at least cover those clothes in mud. There are certainly diamonds in the rough however.
You may not get away with an entirely pink wardrobe like Elle in Legally Blonde, but she gets an A for enthusiasm, attitude and pussy bow necklines. And as for that wagon who keeps stealing your weetabix? Kill her with kindness, the Reese Witherspoon way.
Rooney Mara may have only had a bit part in The Social Network but this is exemplary stuff. Keep your makeup look natural for day, too much make up says try-hard. A fair isle sweater and pea coat will keep you cosy in those invariably drafty college canteens. Also drinking outdoors: a big deal in college.
The Mono Lisa Smile look may not be one to break out during freshers week but keep it in your back pocket come ball season? Also champagne, always champagne.
Best of luck freshers! And remember a smile is the best way to make friends in college. That, or having your own car.
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