Dressing for Undergrad

[Jared]

Hey guys,


I am a just finished Sophmore at the University of Iowa, going into my Junior year. This past year has been a bit of a whirlwind.


I always knew I liked to dress nice, I always knew I wanted to. This past year has seen me going from the common college kid who dressed somewhat nicer than everyone else (no gym shorts, or abercrombie/hollister bs, no teams, etc.) just plain and simple. Yet, over the winter I really got into dressing nice. All the time. It was a bit too much.


My ex-girlfriend was a fan of it, to an extent. She helped me realize that I'm still young, I don't need to dress like I'm 10 years older, just because. Now, I know that it is a matter of how I want to represent myself, and I realized that I don't want to represent myself as a snobby, stuck up, 20 year old who wishes he was 40.


So, I've been learning to lighten up how I dress, while still feeling comfortable that I'm not under-dressing (according to my standards).


I try to keep everything logo free, except for the odd discreet logo. I keep to jeans and chinos and save my dress pants for when I actually need them. I always make it a point to dress slightly above what I think might be necessary. When I want to go casual I make sure to still throw in an item or two that dresses things up.


All in all, I've found a rule(s) that isn't a rule at all--When you're getting dressed be comfortable in what you wear before you step out the door, and if you're not, go change.

--Have a stand by (mine is my dark blue, selvedge Levis, dark brown boots, and a white t-shirt).

--And if you want to dress up, throw in an item or two that will dress it down. You've got to find the balance between being young and dressing "older". I've found that wearing a few bracelets that I like adds not only color but a little youth.
<ul>What do you guys think/do to remind yourself and everyone else around you that you like to keep yourself looking good, dress well, fit and yet that you're not 40 yo (not that there is anything wrong with being 40 )[/list]


Cheers,

Jared


P.S. can anyone explain why the coding isn't working?

[dahonam]

Fixed for you... your coding isn't working because your using the wrong tags... it is supposed to be < >, not ' '


Enjoy

[MaxMan]

Jared,welcome to the other side where the grass is always greener bro. We stylish men are not stylish becasue we want to impress anyone or show that we are better than them. We dress becasue we want to look good for ourselves. We maintain our looks becasue it is what we beleive is proper. I honestly like looking good (notice: i didnt say dressing up) because I like to look at myself in the mirror and say, man you look good and that would give me the confidence to get through the day. Maybe its an alpha male thing, dont know but we look good for us and shouldnt worry about what others think. I do value constructive criticsm, if another stylish gent (ie, my dad) says something about my attire, i will take account and apply later.


Your ex was probably feeling insecure about you possibly looking better than her, lol. As i remember, college women dont look that great either; wearing thier PJs to class and not brusihing their teeth after 2 power hours on thirstday.


Keep doing what your doing. I didnt see anything in your style that made you look 40 man. They confuse the term classic style with old people to be one and the same.

[Davelli0331]

<blockquote>

My ex-girlfriend was a fan of it, to an extent. She helped me realize that I'm still young, I don't need to dress like I'm 10 years older, just because. Now, I know that it is a matter of how I want to represent myself, and I realized that I don't want to represent myself as a snobby, stuck up, 20 year old who wishes he was 40.</blockquote>


It's all about your personality and how you carry yourself. I dress better than most of the people I work with, but they don't view me as snobbish or dressing like an old guy. I'm friendly, pleasant to be around, and I make sure that I wear the clothes, they don't wear me. You ask anyone here, they'd (hopefully) say, "oh yeah, Dave's a great guy, he just likes to dress well."


MaxMan hit the nail on the head: You dress well for yourself, not for everyone else. That doesn't mean you dress way more or less formal than the situation calls for, it just means you dress well for whatever the setting. You seem to have a pretty good handle on that; just keep in mind that style (and manliness, really) are about approving of yourself, not seeking the approval of others.


And be cautious about putting too much weight on women's opinions on men's clothing. Most women don't know men's fashion any better than men. Women are also much more attracted to confidence than they are to particular clothes.

[Jared]

<blockquote>

And be cautious about putting too much weight on women's opinions on men's clothing. Most women don't know men's fashion any better than men. Women are also much more attracted to confidence than they are to particular clothes. </blockquote>


That part is especially true! My older sister (26) was with me when I was buying my suit and getting it fitted for me. (Three piece, light chalk stripe, navy blue, RL, 2 button, single vent) I was asking for the seat to be taken in, legs pegged, cuffs shortened, sleeves taken in and shortened, darts sewn in for my waist and the length shortened. All things I knew I wanted, knew how much I wanted, and knew that it would improve the shape of the suit for my body.


Both the lady doing the measuring and my sister were telling me how it would look so terrible, that it wouldn't fit me. When I got my suit back I found that the lady probably made some "adjustments" according to what she thought would make the suit look better. So, now off to the tailor to actually have all the adjustments made.

[Davelli0331]

<blockquote>

When I got my suit back I found that the lady probably made some "adjustments" according to what she thought would make the suit look better. So, now off to the tailor to actually have all the adjustments made.</blockquote>


This happens sometimes. Many tailors are like tattoo artists: They won't do work that they think looks bad. This causes friction when you and the tailor are in disagreement about what looks bad. You have to be politely firm with tailors, and never walk out of the shop without trying the clothes on. It's imperative that you get it exactly how you want it before leaving, otherwise it's just going to hang in your closet until you get rid of it or take back to the tailor.

[Jared]

Yeah, this was just the in house tailor of Dillards.


So, not my actual tailor.


I just found a little shop (tailor/alterations) that has no website here in Iowa City, and what's even better, is right next to it is a shoe shop with a guy that does professional polishing and cleaning, resoling, restructuring, etc. and he's certified.


Now it looks like my Cole Haan loafers aren't getting thrown out and my suit will soon be fitting me like a glove.


yay!

[bassopotamus]

Speaking as a professor at one of Iowa's other regent universities... Where what you like. Most of my students dress pretty badly, but frankly, so did I as an undergrad and for most of grad school. I have a few students who dress up sometimes (even a suit occasionally), and it didn't seem like they were getting hassled by anybody else or anything.

[Johnny Holiday]

I was in the same position as an undergrad as I have always enjoyed dressing up. I actually made a pact with myself to never wear jeans or sneakers out of the house again and had to find something that would work without giving the whole "overdressed look".


What I did was wear a pair of dress pants(nothing fancy) and a high quality t-shirt. Calvin Klein makes a great liquid cotton tshirt that has a great cut, fit, and finish. You can find a lot of great non-dress shirts to wear with dress pants without looking confused. You'll have to pay a bit more but it's well worth it for the relaxed dress look. For shoes I stuck to leather loafers or leather moc-toe driving shoes. It gives a clean, casual, and sophisticated look with out giving a pretentious "look at me" look.


The bonus of dressing like this in school was the positive reaction on how people treated me and perceived me. It's amazing what clothing will do for perception, especially with how the majority of men dress these days.

[Jared]

@Johnny,


I must say, I love my Levi's way too much to not wear them.


I have three pairs of jeans I wear regularly. White RL straights, and two pairs of 501s STFs (Dark Blue, and Canvas coloring) I've had the canvas jeans nigh on nine months, they are break in much slower than my dark blue jeans (probably due to their lighter coloring).


You can make jeans look so good, without looking overdressed.


This is by far one my favorite outfits (I'm on the left if you can't figure that out):

<img />http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...18_n.jpg</img>

[JToom]

@Jared


Love the idea in that outfit (obviously hate the other guys clothes, but live and let live right...


anyways, maybe try with a slimmer tie....like a 2.5" one, just a thought


Otherwise....i try to dress "nice" every day without looking like im forcing it...people are just nicer to you when you dress