I’m always feeling like the only guy on my campus not wearing Sperry Top-Siders, pastel shorts and a Polo button-down. In some aspects, not wearing those common items makes me out-of-style for my school. The way I see it though, any chance I have to stick out among 30,000 students while also falling within the bounds of attractive style is a winning situation. Just like the ease of style for those wearing common clothing items like mentioned before, I too feel comfortable because of the overall simplicity to the way I dress. The majority of my wardrobe consists of only these complementing colors: blue, gray, black, white and tan. The fun part about this restriction is the thoughtful task of completing a full outfit that looks independently worn rather than matched together. My best example is with this denim on denim look I am wearing.
The jeans I am wearing are Levi’s 511 dark wash with a tapered leg, modified by me. I prefer to taper any jeans I purchase because I can create a small leg opening while also allowing my runner’s calves a little room. The shirt I am wearing is from Forever 21 and has a collar that is meant to be buttoned to the top without choking, seemingly like most slim fitting shirts out there. The boots are an investment piece, as most would claim with their leather shoes, but were purchased on Ebay for about $70 dollars; roughly the same price of Sperry Top-Siders. I prefer to buy Chippewa boots second hand as the leather on these is usually in nice condition, as they resist most avulsions to the top grain. These Chippewa Trooper Service Boots are well-made in America and will definitely get me through the winter with their military grade Vibram Soles. The jacket is from Banana Republic and is from their Japanese Traveler Denim line. It has a natural stretch to it and is surprisingly soft for its rigid structure. My backpack was purchased by my parents some years back and is from Relic Brand. However, a moral from my fortune on this find is to always keep your eyes open for vintage bags, because simplicity doesn’t change much in leather goods.
Wearing this outfit at the location of the photo shoot, and drawing smiles from student onlookers, makes me realize that there is an intriguing realm of college fashion independent from being in-style for the region. Despite humorous connotations and old rules like: don’t do double denim, never wear black with blue and don’t button your shirt up to the top, there is noticeable room for new trends on campus. One of my several personal methods of finding inspiration, is from recognizing past styles about to hit their nostalgic return and imagining them in modern cuts and paired with new staples. However, there doesn’t need to be a formula to composition of each trendy outfit. My advice: wear what inspires you and trust that if there is a purpose, there is promise.
