<p>Northface fleece is ubiquitous here, even at my younger daughters inner city high school, I don't know how some kids afford it, but we bought hers on ebay.
Not so much with the Ugg boots, that was one year.
Students at BYU are going to dress differently than students at Bard.
I agree that clothing is up to the wearer, however- it is a pretty established fact that one of the ways that we get information about others, is by what they choose to look like.
If we are coming from a high school where students have a different designer purse for every day of hte week, we might not feel like we would fit in somewhere, where students make a pointed statement, by not wearing things that grandma would be proud to see you in. On the other hand, we might feel like that was a relief, because it can be a huge stress, if you feel that others are judging you on your outfits.
My older daughter isn't so much caring about clothes- at her age I went shopping every week ( ok not at her age, because I had her at her age- but a tad younger I guess) when she was in college, she wore the same clothes she wore in high school, which saved lots of money but i was glad I wasn't there to see it.
My younger daughter does care about fashion, and I doubt she would be comfortable at a school where the students generally make a statement by showing how much they Dont care about fashion.
Historically, college is one of the few times in your life where being obviously poor isn't considered a sign of laziness or bad luck, and excess concern about your appearance might be taken as a sign you aren't involved enough in your studies :)</p>