I arrived in St Andrews three years ago, exploring market street for the first time amongst the sea of students who looked like they had just stepped off the runway, and suddenly my head-to-toe new-in Hollister felt out of place amongst the Chanel flats, Damson trenches, and students lugging their Rimowa suitcases over the cobble stones. My wardrobe has since been swapped for barbour jackets, Hunter wellies, and the essential St Andrews wool coat, before finally merging with a personal style that represents who I am, not just the town and everyone else in it.
As a fresher, it can be fun to lean into the St Andrews uniform. But if I’ve learnt anything about fashion in this little town the past three years, it’s that St Andrews is the place to experiment and find your own personal style. It’s the place where you can pull out those clothes hiding at the back of your wardrobe that you wouldn’t dare to wear in your small hometown, or to try out a style completely different to your own. The Market Street runway can be intimidating, but it can also be inspiring. Here’s your fresher’s guide on how to both embrace the local attire and experiment with finding your own personal style.
- Dressing for the weather
When I think St Andrews style, I immediately think of a thick wool trench, like this 100% wool classic grey silhouette from And Other Stories, or this black funnel-neck take on the style from H&M. Like the wool trench, the St Andrews style staples take inspiration from the environment, taking the town’s bitter wintery winds as an invitation for cosiness and a chic spin on staying warm.
My wool coat has been something of an armour against the Scottish weather, and is one of the town’s trends I recommend investing in as a fresher. A good-quality wool coat can last you a lifetime, and it doesn’t have to break the bank either. My favourite is a vintage Next style that I borrowed from my mum’s wardrobe, which was one of her favourite coats when she was around my age. I also struck gold whilst charity shopping in Save the Children on Greyfriars Ave last winter, when I found a black wool-blend coat with some unique frills and bow detailing around the neckline and the pockets.
I’m a firm believer that the most fashionable people are those who can translate their personality into clothing—especially those who do so while avoiding spending excessive money and instead opt for expressing themselves through unique finds and conscious investments over fast fashion trends. My advice is to resist spending your money on the most popular style and instead look to Vinted, local charity shops, or even clothing drives (more on this later), using your instincts to find your perfect piece, as a way to both lean into St Andrews style whilst finding quality items that feel authentic to you.
- Cobblestone-proof Footwear
The St Andrews girls love a boot, and this is likely derived from our cute but very uneven cobblestone streets and frequently rainy weather. Mary Janes and ballet flats are cute until you turn up to your 10 am lecture with drenched feet and seriously begin to regret not opting for more weather-suitable footwear. I love heels and am a staunch supporter of the casual heels resurgence, but unfortunately, a kitten heel on our streets means risking a twisted ankle. Enter the low heel boot: the perfect compromise between chic and sensible shoes.
Some popular boots I’ve spotted around town include the Frye boots and this Dico style, which are cute, high-quality investments if you want to take inspiration directly from the town’s trends. I also encourage you to take the St Andrews staple as a starting point for finding the perfect pair of boots that suit your style, or maybe ones that are a little funkier than your usual footwear, by searching in charity shops or online resale platforms. St Andrews’ fashion-forward student body creates the perfect atmosphere to try out that outfit inspo you have saved on Pinterest, or to emulate the style of one of your favourite TV characters. Especially if you’re a fresher adjusting to the St Andrews fashion scene for the first time, I think a cool pair of boots is a great place to start, and is something your feet will thank you for as you trek to and from your lectures or back home from the 601 in the winter months.
- Sustainable Style Swaps
Arriving in St Andrews for the first time and feeling like I was surrounded by some of the most well-dressed and coolest people I had ever seen prompted me to reconsider my entire wardrobe and to take to online shopping as a way to experiment with different silhouettes and new brands. I believe the only true path to finding your own personal style is through trying on new styles and finding what works for you. However, it’s important to do so sustainably and to find ways to make this work with a student budget. Save your money for investing in high-quality basics once your style feels a little more consolidated, and instead opt for environmentally and budget-friendly ways to switch up your style for a lower impact.
Sustainable Style St Andrews is a student-led and student-focused society aimed at reducing fast fashion amongst the student body and promoting more sustainable fashion practices. Keep an eye out on their Instagram for clothing drives, swaps, and even upcycling workshops. Her Campus also runs a clothing drive, usually in semester 2, where you can find hand-picked clothes and accessories donated from the HC girls. And, of course, Depop and Vinted are a great way to sell what no longer aligns with your style and to use that money to fund your second-hand finds on the platforms.
You can also switch up your style sustainably without purchasing anything at all. I personally love the idea of using iron-on star patches or sewing stars made from scrap fabric into an old pair of jeans. Over the summer, I found a store in France that sold €5 silk scarves, and I have enjoyed repurposing them into bag accessories, tops, and belts, for a fun way to turn something you may already have in your accessories drawer into a chic new look.
The St Andrews fashion scene can feel intimidating: between the students wearing high-fashion brands to their 9 am lectures and the Fashion Week-level runway shows, it can be difficult to know where to start as a fresher adapting your style to the town for the first time, and to find your own personal style amongst the endless trends and St Andrews uniform. Through carefully investing in weather-proof staples, sustainable practices, and some intensive research on Pinterest, you too can use the town as a place to experiment and find a style that feels St Andrews approved and authentically you.