<p>I am gonna be a freshman in the fall and i am wondering what kind/how many sets of dress clothes to bring. what i mean is do i need a suit, more casual with khakis with a nice shirt, a sweater, etc.. I'm not sure if i would need them and what i would need.</p>
<p>I am a female. The only time I ever wore “dress” clothes last year was when I went to a job orientation. I just had a pair of black dress pants and a nice shirt. </p>
<p>I don’t know any guys last year who needed a suit. I’d bring a nice pair of khakis and a nice shirt. Or a dark pair of dress pants.</p>
<p>Depends what your preference is. My school in the North East has a lot of people who dress up occasionally. I brought a weeks worth of nice casual shirts to wear whenever. I also had a pair of dress pants and dress shoes. I brought a suit with me just in case.</p>
<p>Bring a suit and a pair of khakis. Some social functions (like fraternity recruitment, if you’re into that) require formal dress.</p>
<p>Also depends on what school your going to be attending… And if your in any special programs that will be interacting regularly with visiting professionals. Fellows often require a suit or sports coat ready at a moments notice.</p>
<p>khakis or chinos?</p>
<p>Might depend on what you’re studying. But to be safe I’d go with a minimum of one suit, 3 dress shirts w/ ties, 3 khakis and a pair of dress shoes and boat shoes</p>
<p>bring a suit.</p>
<p>i didn’t bring one first semester, and I found that there were many times when i needed it such formals, professional events, and musical activities (if you do those). it’s always good to have a decent suit just in case.</p>
<p>thanks for all the suggestions! i am pre-med, but considering entering a fellows program, at a school in the midwest, and i will probably be participating in greek life. i think i’ll prob bring a suit, chinos, a couple shirt/tie options to wear with a suit, s couple shirts to wear with chinos w/o a tie, a sweater, boat shoes and dress shoes. i might as well play it safe</p>
<p>Last year I came without any dress clothes and ended up having an interview for a program I had applied for with 3 hours notice, I had to find a way to look presentable with my roommate’s wardrobe-- who was 6 inches shorter than I am. And then the next day I ended up having an internship interview I never expected to get. At least bring one good interview outfit. After that incident I procured a pair of khakis, two pairs of dress pants, a blazer, and two blouses. Enough for two or three solid outfits, just in case.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is universal, but at my school the pledges in a fraternity often have to dress up once a week (ie all thursdays) as part of the pledging process.</p>
<p>Bring a suit, it will come in handy at some point</p>
<p>I’m bringing one formal outfit - a nice black/white dress and its associated shrug (which I wear regularly with other outfits) and a pair of nice shoes. It takes up almost no space and may very well come in handy.</p>
<p>Applicannot–I have always thought you were a guy! Have fun in California.</p>
<p>A guy should always have at least one good suit.</p>
<p>However, if you don’t mind I’d like to pass along some good advice that I was given as a teenager.</p>
<p>In HS I worked at a country club (afluent), as a caddy then as a bartender. One of members of the club owned a fine clothing store for men for well-over 50 years.</p>
<p>A conversation between he and I sprung up on the golf course and he gave me some very good advice regarding mens wear. He said, every man should have three things in his closet. A blue blazer/sportscoat, a pair of gray slacks, and a pair of cordovan shoes. </p>
<p>He was absolutely right! That combination, along with a dress shirt and tie can allow you to fit in anywhere! Weddings, business environments, school functions (dances), funerals, upscale social functions, you name it - you will look like you belong there.</p>
<p>You need a suit for job interviews, but for everything else this combination works perfectly. I use it alot. I will wear it with a tie to work, then take the coat off while at the office, and if I go out for happy hour I just leave the coat behind, loosen the tie or take it off - and presto! I blend in anywhere.</p>
<p>Remember, when it comes to dress clothes for men, the way it fits is everything. A $50 sports coat will look better than a $2,000 suit if the former has a tailored fit. If you are thin, look for “fitted” or “atheltic cut” sports coats. They look much sharper. Regular cut will just look bulky. Ditto goes for dress shirts, buy fitted ones. They look much better, no bulk and loose material. This probably goes without saying, but your dress slacks should be considerably smaller than your everyday jeans. Not baggy or falling off your butt. They shouldn’t bunch up at the bottom either, a single break is all you need and the bottom of the pants should only touch the top of your shoes or hang about a 1/2 past.</p>
<p>A good advice for buying dress shirts and pants is to learn what the numbers/sizes mean and learn what fitted, slim, casual mean. Go to a Macy’s where they don’t mind letting you try out the dress shirts and see which one fits your body the best. When you try out a shirt, make sure you also wear the pants and belt.</p>
<p>Typically a shirt will say something like 16 1/2 or 15 3/4 and fitted/slim. The number represents your necksize and the description is for the torso(how your stomach area will look after you wear the shirt.) If you buy the wrong size or wrong fit, your stomach area will poof up with too much clothing or when you raise your hands, the shirt will loosen up or you skin will show because it is too small.</p>
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<p>I take pride in my gender-neutral writing.</p>
<p>I just assumed everybody assumes everybody is a guy on the internet unless there are ponies or flowers in their username. I get, “YOU’RE A GIRL???” all the time, too.</p>
<p>Nobody thinks I am a guy. lol</p>
<p>unless you’re gonna have job interviews, weddings, or funerals, you don’t need them.</p>
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<p>coincidentally, I was in macy’s a few days ago trying on a bunch of dress shirts. My neck is a 16 and my length is a 34/35 and the stomach was way too baggy even on the slim fits and poofed out at the back. Everywhere else fit good. Unless you’re fat or have a small neck, you’ll probably need to get your dress shirts tailored to look good. Apparently it costs $10-15 to have the sides taken in.</p>