Life through the eyes of a fashion guru

This campus has finally gotten the best of me. I was once a naïve freshman, unaware of the somewhat-secret college dress code. I paraded along the walkways of BSU in skirts and heels, attempting to carry my books under one arm and my purse in the other, rebelling against the ugliness of backpacks.

The students on campus in sweatshirts, sweatpants and hats seemed lazy – how could they be seen by so many people in attire reserved for Wal-Mart or movie nights at home? Many other freshman seemed to share in my desire to dress up for school, and I began to think that maybe a person’s amount of style declined with every year they spent at school, since the seniors didn’t appear to own anything but sweats and tennis shoes. Still, I refused the idea that I’d ever turn in my heels for hyper-relaxed college attire.

That rebelliously overdressed girl is gone now. In fact, if I were to see someone similar to my freshman self now, I would probably laugh. Early classes and unending hours of homework every night caused the demise of my daily campus fashion show, and my feet finally decided that they couldn’t take the abuse any longer. Many of the once-well-dressed freshmen that I used to have class with have also succumbed to the allure of comfortable clothes. I’ve developed a new love for  tennis shoes, sweatshirts and anything that enables me to barely brush my hair (bandannas, as it turns out, are amazing and can be worn without looking like a gang member).

I still have difficulty with sweatpants on campus, but I can understand where the wearer is coming from. I’ve also come to appreciate the dressed-for-the-gym outfit. It allows me to be lazy and pretend that I’m working out right after class.
It’s not impossible to be innovative and comfortable at the same time. The standard Bronco sweatshirt, jeans and Nikes aren’t the only alternatives to uncomfortably-cute clothing.

I found an adorable pair of Puma tennis shoes that cured my hatred for tennis shoes outside the gym. Once I decided that I needed some comfy clothing, I discovered that the possibilities are endless. Sure the super-high heels are still much more alluring than the shoes that my toes love, but necessity takes precedence.

Yes, this is lazy fashion. But college students have enough going on in their lives that they can’t slack on.

If we allowed our homework to slack the way that our outfits do, we’d all be on academic probation. Why not take a little leeway where we can get it?

An interesting twist: intolerably-early classes usually draw an abundance of students boasting the I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look, but come ten o’clock and the student body is more put together. Perhaps we should simply get rid of all classes before then – the world would be a more aesthetically pleasing place.

The only scary part about conforming to standard campus attire is the possibility that we may never regain our style.
Some may get lost in the land of slacker fashion. That’s where makeover shows find their projects – people that never regained their style awareness. It’s tragic.

That’s why it’s important to take every opportunity to clean up. Weekends, movies, dinners out – take every chance. Embrace comfortable campus clothes, but when the opportunity arises, Carpe diem – in a fashion sort of way.

Sheree Whiteley

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