It’s time to come clean, a lot of us only look like we have our act together. I’ve noticed many influencers will make posts titled, “what I wore to class” or “study fits”, and often times the fits are absolutely stunning and I have no idea where they find the confidence to wear them. But are people actually wearing the grandiose outfits they claim they do? After a couple of days of people watching on campus, here’s what college students are actually wearing at UCR:
- Comfort
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Prioritizing comfort is by far the preferred choice of most UCR students; this is especially true in the mornings. I walked to class with my notes app out in my hand and this article in mind. The first person that I noticed was a girl wearing a grey “UCR” hoodie with the infamous three-striped Adidas pants. She stood across the street from me, but I noticed the faded blue dye that was tethered through her two pigtails. I looked at her friend who stood beside her, in another hoodie. I thought to count the hoodies and sweatshirts I saw, but I quickly realized it would probably be a ridiculous amount. What I took is that it’s definitely worth investing in a quality hoodie.
- The Artist
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By far one of my favorite aesthetics. Every time I see this type of girl I can’t help but want to take notes on what they’re wearing. An ongoing trend right now is trench coats and I’m happy to have seen one. I saw a student wearing a pastel yellow trench coat with black wide-leg pants, Mary Jane heels, and circular yellow glasses. She belonged in a museum honestly. I also saw a couple of knit sweaters, and a strawberry pink cardigan took the cake home for me. This is the type of girl who doesn’t really care about what others think of her and also uses current trends to add to their own style.
- Trendy
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I expected to see a lot more little shirts and cut-out pieces than I did, and although this is the most popular style on social media, it wasn’t obvious on campus. A perfectly put-together outfit I saw in this modern style was by a guy. He wore a white graphic tee with black Nike shorts, white air forces, and white socks. He also had on a pearl necklace and wore a baseball cap. These are the people that wake up a little earlier to get their outfits ready.
- Casual
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Casual wear is undoubtedly the second most popular option at UCR. I noticed this as soon as I noticed the sweater and hoodie take over. There were a lot of jean and T-shirt combos. Students love wearing jeans—-Light wash jeans, cargo jeans, skinny jeans, etc. And if they love anything more, it’s pairing it with an oversized T-shirt. One of my favorite pairings was of a girl who wore platform emerald green converse with tan cargo pants, a small white shirt, and a tote bag that matched her shoes. It’s all about being presentable and comfortable with this style.
What I concluded with my people watching was that the fashion you see on social media is only reflected on campus in micro trends. It’s also apparently obvious that college students, for the most part, choose comfort over style. This may be due to the way we have to transition from the comfort of our homes to the unfamiliar college classrooms.