<p>OP, I was a lot like you when I started college. I never had much style in high school and it took a couple years of college before I developed an eye for it. A few thoughts:</p>
<p>You can't develop your own unique style overnight, especially if you have no experience with the preestablished clothing 'rules.' The best dressed men know the rules and break them selectively, which is what gives them flair. You aren't there yet, so you need to start by getting the basics and wearing them correctly. This will make you look 'well put together,' which is really all anyone needs. </p>
<p>First, you need jeans. As a college student, jeans are by far the most important part of your wardrobe. To start yourself off, you should buy straight leg (or possibly bootcut), 5 pocket, dark wash, and non-distressed. A good place to start is Levis 501s and 527s. Once you figure out what cut flatters you, you can move on to Diesels or some other designer. </p>
<p>Second is shoes. If you're in a warm climate, basic brown leather flip flops are a no brainer. Otherwise, you have some room for creativity. I recommend brown suede boots or walking shoes, but you could also go for Puma tennis shoes, boat shoes (if that's your style), or really anything, as long as it's in a neutral color. One other thing, if you like tucking or half-tucking your shirts and showing off your belt, try to match your belt color with your shoes. </p>
<p>The top half or your wardrobe is where you show your creativity. In spring, winter, and fall, the name of the game is layering. You want to pair two or three complementary pieces of clothing. Since you have relatively neutral pants and shoes, you won't have to worry too much about matching with them. You should start by buying ~five basic t-shirts with no designs or pockets. Get black, white, gray, navy, and dark green. These can go under almost anything and can also be worn by themselves when it gets warmer. You should also try to get several basic button ups, two sweaters, and maybe a couple polos. One of the sweaters should be v-neck, and one should be crew--get navy and gray. You have room to get what you like with the other shirts, as long as you don't go too wild. Stripes, cross-hatching, solid colors, maroon, sky blue, faded yellow, and light purple are all ok. There are several places to get all these. I recommend Banana Republic/The Gap, J Crew, and RL. </p>
<p>The last big thing is jackets. You probably want some sort of 'structured' jacket that you can take out to nice places, like a pea coat or some sort of dark wool overcoat. Beyond that, old blazers, zip up hoodies, and military jackets are all interesting and acceptable. Urban Outfitters has a lot of this sort of stufff, and is pretty reasonably priced. </p>
<p>When you pair items of clothing together, you need to be careful not to make things too 'busy.' Don't wear two items with the same sort of parttern. There are also a few colors you shouldn't put together, such as red and purple, but those are usually pretty obvious. When in doubt, use neutral colors. Once you've bought all the basics and have gotten a knack for pairing them together, you can start to branch out and buy more daring items.</p>