<p>I'm a guy. I went through high school without caring much about clothing, style, fashion, or any of those things, and did pretty okay - I got good grades, had good friends, got into a good college, and had a great experience overall. Lately, though, I think I've come to appreciate the value in dressing well, both for my own sake and because it does color the way people see you. And what better time than college to expand, right?</p>
<p>Since I have practically zero experience with this sort of thing, I wanted to ask the folks on this forum for a place to begin. Ultimately, I'd like to play around more and experiment with more unique things, but first, I have to develop some sense of style and fashion (things like color coordination, for example, completely elude me right now). So how would I go about learning about this? I'd like to maybe start of conservative (tried-and-true fashions), and go from there. Also, as a college student, my budget is a bit limited, so cost-effectiveness would be nice.</p>
<p>If you guys have any ideas, that would be great!</p>
<p>-First of all, stay away from brands like JL, Diesel, etc. You said you were on a budget, and those brands aren't worth it, unless you're made of money.
-Guess makes very good quality and stylish jeans for a reasonable price. I guess reasonable to me, might mean something different to you.
-Stay away from Abercrombie/Hollister/etc. It's really played out, and won't do anything for your style. It's also a bit juvenile to be wearing that stuff once you get to college.
-Colour coding isn't a science or anything. I mean, jeans go with any shirt, really. Khaki's do, too.
-Shirts are the biggest issue. It isn't so much the brand, as it is the individual shirt. I have shirts from a variety of brands, including west 49, f.c.u.k., rvca, diesel, obey, zara, esprit, and even quicksilver and billabong. Just make sure that the shirts you do get don't have blatant advertising anywhere on them. It just looks lame. Abercrombie and Hollister is really guilty of that.
-Make sure your clothes fit well. Don't go too baggy or too tight. Too long or too short, etc.</p>
<p>Don't get shirts that look too short and too big. </p>
<p>Depending on how you want to look, you can get a bigger shirt that's a little loose (but never short) or a smaller short that's a little tighter around your hips. That's the style for young guys.</p>
<p>And if you want to be even more stylish, rather than just this basic "Look outside and see that guys who look good are wearing ___" then uh, read a magazine. I don't know much!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Fit > quality, brand name, everything. Always.</p></li>
<li><p>Color coordination/matching is retarded and overrated. Unless it's subtle.</p></li>
<li><p>If you're going to spend money, spend it on the basics; aka don't spend a lot of money on trendy stuff. </p></li>
<li><p>Develop your own style, don't try to look like a mannequin or buy complete "outfits."</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Start off by buying a really nice pair of jeans and a bunch of basic tees/crewnecks from gap/h&m/banana republic. Go from there and add to your wardrobe as your taste develops.</p>
<p>My best advice would be to dress subtly. Girls really notice small details so you don't have to have a big logo plastered across the front of your chest to get noticed.</p>
<p>jeans and your college gear (college hoodie, college t-shirt, etc.) how do you normally dress? casual dressing tends to spread in everyone, and that isn't too different from very simple things, like jeans and some shirt.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>H&M has the best prices on non-ugly clothing in the western world. Their stuff doesn't always fit great and it doesn't last for longer than a year, but when you're paying $30 for jeans it doesn't really matter. They can provide you with many wardrobe staples.</p></li>
<li><p>American Apparel for t-shirts/hoodies. A little pricier but hip as blazes. </p></li>
<li><p>For graphic tees, people like Threadless (watch for the $10 sales) but Enclothe is better. No slogans ever, by the way. </p></li>
<li><p>Express also has good jeans in the $50 range and they are at many malls. </p></li>
<li><p>Get a good pair of sneakers at the very least. Puma Romas and Onitsuka Tigers are two popular styles that will look nice without setting you apart. If you like your jeans narrower-fit, high-top Nikes look cool.</p></li>
<li><p>Shirts should fit you so that the intersection of stitches where the sleeve meets the cross-stitch (they are perpendicular and intersect in a "t") should be directly above your shoulder. </p></li>
<li><p>In general, size down so that things fit you a little tighter (not TOO tight.) I have a broad back and big frame but I tend to wear medium shirts regardless; see shoulder rule above. </p></li>
<li><p>Always do zip-up hoodies. A great, simple outfit to try is just good jeans, a t-shirt and a zip-up hoodie.</p></li>
<li><p>To look stylish but without going as far as suit-and-tie, there is nothing better than a dark long-sleeve over a white or cream collared shirt.</p></li>
<li><p>Get a nice pea coat for winter. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Go a little more conservative and basic. Makes things easier and requires much less thinking when buying clothes and when you wake up 20 minutes late for that super-important lecture where the professor is giving out answers for the final. Who screws up a white collared shirt and khakis with a pullover?</p>
<p>No. Really. The more liberally you dress, the more difficult. You have to learn to dress conservatively first. But if you go too extreme on either end of the spectrum, it gets complicated. I like to stay somewhere between "going out to play golf" and "prep school kid".</p>
<p>Shoes are important- get a nice simple pair of black shoes, belt</p>
<p>Sweaters are a good way to show some indiviuality</p>
<p>Don't have shirt tails always hanging out</p>
<p>Get one Blazer- a nice dark blue wool can go with khakies, jeans....</p>
<p>Sneakers or Vans- NO PATTERNS- simple colors, nothing too bright </p>
<p>A bright sweater or button down shirt with neat jeans shows more class then orange vans if you get my drift</p>
<p>Go to stores like Macy's, JCrew, the Dockers store and look at the window displays, you can go to the book store and look at GC to get ideas if you don't want people to see you buying it</p>
<p>You don't have to buy expensive simple tee shirts- Hanes has some nice ones in different colars that look good</p>
<p>Even Target has simple inexpsenive sweaters that are washable,also Mervyns- most people can't tell the difference for simple basic clothes</p>
<p>if your on a budget i definetely recommend H&M. but if you have money to spend go for the designer stuff...boss, sevens, diesel, true religions, rock n republics</p>
<p>its actually more about the brand nowadays than the clothing article itself. definetely have at least a pair of designer jeans</p>
<p>Yes, some people prefer to think about what they're wearing. So as to make their lives more complicated. Like me :)</p>
<p>Not to mention some prefer NOT to sign their lives away to the military as soon as they turn 18. You get a free education, so what? You can end up dead 6 months after graduation. Not to mention the exorbitant dry cleaning costs. And not to mention everything they give you is made by the lowest bidder without regard to quality.</p>
<p>Did I mention they make you shave your head?</p>
<p>I like my long hair, thanks. And long hair=/=hippie. Some people prefer to let it grow a little more than others. As long as they wash it every day and keep it clean and healthy, it can look nice. And yes, that applies for guys as well. And yes, for the record, I have long hair.</p>
<p>As for the topic at hand, a nice jacket is very important, and at least one pair of nice casual shoes (ie puma, diesel)... jeans from express are totally fine. Designer jeans are tricky because once you purchase your first pair, you never want to go back to anything else</p>
<p>if you really want to be a superficial label whore then maybe pick up a magazine or turn on the t.v. and turn the channel to MTV and look at the models and what they wear and buy what they wear... </p>
<p>I totally agree, designer jeans are like a drug. The first pair of Rock & Republics you slide your legs into...Just life changing stuff lol. So if you're on a budget avoid like the plague.</p>
<p>All of the Previous posters have it right. For the most part it's about items. Mixing it up is the best thing and it's also fun. Find items that can dress up a pair of jeans, or dress down a nice blazer. Find yourself.</p>
<p>staples are the best sort of thing to buy when you are heading off to college...</p>
<p>Levi jeans are really durable. Dockers khakis are imperative - you will be able to mix and match them with just about anything. It is always nice just to have a few button down shirts to throw on. </p>
<p>If you start out with the basics like jeans, khakis, and button downs you will be able to add more pieces as you go along. Plus, those basics already integrate nicely into all your college paraphernalia. Basically my friend and I made a huge shopping list for her boyfriend that was coming out of a high school with uniforms into UChicago.</p>
<p>Contrary to what people will tell you, stay away from diesel, seven, rock&republic, etc. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you're getting quality; most of the markup is because of the complicated wash process. Get a pair of APC rescues or new standards (depending on fit) and you're golden....real quality dark japanese selvage denim and no feminine branding or tasteless "distressing"..</p>