How Much Do Clothes Matter?

<p>Hello, I love this forum and I am excited to be a freshman at prep school in September. However, I will be going on scholarship and it was obvious when I visited the school what expensive, nice clothes the students wear. I mean the pictures on the school brochure and website practically look like a catalogue for Polo or JCrew, lol. I think you New England preppies have a very sophisticated sense of style and am worried that my cheap Walmart clothes will really set me apart.
Also, I hate to ask this but I still wear jockey underwear and am afraid some wise guys in the locker room will laugh at me for not wearing boxers. I am small for my age but I play a lot of sports and can’t imagine playing tennis, soccer, or running without jockeys on for the great support. Are guys teased in the dorms about tighty whities or is it not such a big deal? I realize this is an embarrassing topic but I need some advice from people. Thank You! </p>

<p>Dan</p>

<p>In all honesty, as stupid as this may sound, I think you should invest in a couple pair of boxers. You can just wear them for the first week or so. Before sports even start. That way kids won't think your weird, in the first couple days when everybody is "judging" each other. Boxers really aren't expensive. You can easily buy 3 or 4 pair at target for ten dollars or something. Once you get into the swing of things, and you have your friends, kids won't care at all what you wear.</p>

<p>Another option is boxer briefs, whcih offer more support then boxers, and you won't get made fun of for those</p>

<p>As far as clothes go, it really doesn't matter, there is no sense in buying an entire new wardrobe. If you have a 3 or 4 polos, you'll be good. They don't have to be jcrew or ralph lauren either. nobody really pays attention.</p>

<p>TJ Maxx or Marshalls have Polo and other name brands at a HUGE discount...other than that, just be yourself and you will find friends!</p>

<p>I think boxer briefs are popular.</p>

<p>um just wear under armor spandex under your shorts. Thats what basically everyone does. If your worried about people laughing at your underwear..then get a differnt style its not like a huge deal. Good luck.</p>

<p>What are the 'trendy clothes' in private New England boarding schools? lol, I have no idea whats trendy or not.</p>

<p>shore
i'm a girl, so obviously you'll be getting answers more suited for what in style clothes would be for a girl =)
the "trendy clothes" at the average price would be from stores like Hollister, American Eagle, or Abercrombie&Fitch..pretty much what most teens wear.
a little more expensive than that would be Coach, Juicy Couture, J.Crew...and of course if you are really high class and wealthy then there are the top designer brands in the world like Dior, Prada, Versace...and on and on</p>

<p>But it never fails to attract a girl if you're a guy who wears an american eagle striped polo =p</p>

<p>What school are you going to? </p>

<p>You should definitely get boxers or you will be made fun of. Also, I don't think you'll be ridiculed for having clothes from WalMart, I'd just try to get some clothes from J. Crew, Polo, and Lacoste if you want to look like a typical prep, but if you want to look like an average student you should probably shop at American Eagle, Hollister, or A&F.</p>

<p>wow. A&F equals average? in oregon your considered very wealthy and/or spending way too much on clothes. I MUST find a job this summer! lol.</p>

<p>not that many kids wear american eagle, A&F, hollister, etc at my school (SG). most guys wear vineyard vines, polo, jcrew, some lacoste to class and on the weekends wear regular tshirts (name brand or not, some from sports and stuff) and shorts or jeans. most girls wear jcrew, lacoste, or alot of designer stuff they bought at saks or nordstrom. That given, only the incredibly stuck up and arrogant would make fun of or talk about another student's clothes in a negative way. You can get great deals at stores like marshall's and TJ Maxx, thats wear i find alot of good clothes. and at least with girls, we all share clothes anyways so if you need a nice dress or something and don't have anything to wear you can just go to your friend's room and borrow. its not a huge deal</p>

<p>Yeah I'm going to second what prepchick said. Most kids wear ralph lauren, lacoste, j crew, and vineyard vines. With the occasional AE shirt.</p>

<p>Abercrombie, and hollister are nowhere to be found.</p>

<p>This is at SPS</p>

<p>However obviously a lot of kids can't afford these clothes, and if you can't it is no big deal. nobody is going to judge you on your clothes. Don't read this thread as a "omg i can't afford any of this stuff" because you really shouldn't worry about it</p>

<p>
[quote]
wow. A&F equals average?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Sorry, I didn't mean average. I just meant that a lot of American teenagers wear those brands.</p>

<p>yeah i would say that abercrombie and hollister are looked down upon: but mostly like the tshirts that have the big logos on them. If it's a polo or something from there no one will really notice.</p>

<p>That's really the thing, people don't really judge you on where you buy your clothes, but on how put together you are. (not that they judge you, persay, but it's always good to at least look moderately presentable) The only times people have ever asked me where i bought something is because they really like it. And I actually think it says way more about my taste if I tell them its from some department store where I had to scrounge around to find it then if it's from some upscale store.</p>

<p>And that's my biggest trick, see what sort of clothes other people are wearing that you like, and then try to find similar things in a department store where you'll get them for way cheaper. And if you do decide to splurge on some things don't splurge on anything wacky that you're only going to wear once. Save up for one or two classy pieces: my weakness is jeans. Just today I got some of like last seasons' sevens, and while they're still expensive, they were like 75%+ off and no one's going to care that I didn't buy them for full price.</p>

<p>But yeah, find some really quality staples for your wardrobe, and then you can just throw on whatever around those.</p>

<p>What school r u going to?
Who cares what other's think? lol
From my re-visits I learned a lot of stuff. You are just as weak as you let others treat you. Do not show fear and be yourself. I have "tighty whities", boxers and boxer briefs. If you really want boxers buy them but for yourself don't buy them for others. Know what I mean? As for clothes buy what looks best on you, Im sure everyone will think so as well, no matter what the brandmark.
*But that does not mean act like a bully.</p>

<p>But thats only my opinion/suggestion.</p>

<p>Hi Dan, welcome and thanks for posting and raising these issues about class. You were kinda brave to post and tell us what you are worried about. But many other kids have doubts too and only pretend not to. I am also a scholarship student from the Midwest and sometimes I feel out of place surrounded by so many rich kids with their designer brands. My roommate and her friends look beautiful in their expensive clothes and they are incredibly popular. You’ll never know how I’ve longed to be one of them too! </p>

<pre><code> My family and I laughed when we saw the Middlesex brochure because it was page after page of drop dead gorgeous girls. Wouldn’t a plain girl considering the school get the message that she doesn’t belong there??? My roommate and her friends wear thongs or black panties from Victoria’s Secrets. I actually did consider switching to thongs to be cool for prep school. But then I figured no one would really see and I don’t think I really want to wear those. Crazy that peer pressure has to extend to underwear too, huh?

Don’t feel you have to switch to boxers just because most guys wear them. You obviously like jockeys so there is no real reason to change. I think guys look cute in tighty whities and if bullies make fun of them then they are the “dorks” and “losers” and they deserve a knuckle sandwich.

No one has the right to make you feel like a hayseed from Oklahoma. Those New England preppies should be glad to have a friend who has a different background. I will look forward to meeting you this fall and you actually seem like a sweet guy who will make friends and you have nothing to be “a little nervous” about. Am I right you guys and girls? Let’s give Dan some encouragement.
</code></pre>

<p>I made to switch to boxer-briefs and I am very impressed :)</p>

<p>YES SIR YES SIR YOU ARE RIGHT CINDY FRESHMAN!
I like ur attitude.</p>

<p>Oh and I live in Florida. EVERYONE wears Hollister and A&F. I find it really annoying because everyone looks the same. Show some individuality please.</p>

<p>Everybody does that by me, too, and it gets really annoying.</p>

<p>wear whatever you feel comfortable in. being yourself usually, and being unashamed about it, usually have better results than faking it</p>