Always dressed to kill

Fashion might not come cheap, but college students still love throwing on the latest cuts and patterns.

Most campuses are melting-pots of creative ideas when it comes to dressing, with students sporting the absolute latest in jeans, dresses and accessories. But with the prices of designer wear shooting up to the five-digit-figure range, students often have to resort to other methods to ensure that they’re always dressed to kill. And when it comes to this, the options are unlimited — they can pick up outfits at export houses and factory outlets, get clothes stitched or even resort to colourful accessories to give the same outfit a different spin. Metrolife speaks to a few students to find out their personal style funda — within a budget.

Gaya, a student of Ambedkar Medical College, feels that the best way to stay fashionable within a budget isn’t to avoid branded clothing; rather, he himself follows the mantra of selecting versatile clothes, which can be worn on multiple occasion. In this way, he maintains, one doesn’t compromise on the quality of clothing, and can keep the cost of buying clothes at a minimum. “My college doesn’t allow casual clothes on campus, so I buy formal outfits which I can wear both when I’m in college as well as after classes. If I’m going somewhere after college hours, I might swap my formal pants for a pair of jeans, but I generally stick to the same formal shirts,” he explains.

When it comes to shoes, adds Gaya, he goes for something which is neither very formal, not very casual. “I pick shoes which are sort of in-between. Then, I can wear them both in college as well as outside,” he says.

While Gaya maintains that versatility is the key to keeping things cheap, other students feel that wearing simple, but tasteful outfits can get the same results. Pallavi, an economics student, says that she also goes for durability. “I buy clothes which last me a long time, so I don’t have to keep buying new stuff at short intervals. This also means that I can save the pocket money I get for shopping, and spend it on something I like. I also tend to avoid accessories, since the simple look works for me,” she says.

Other students opt for a few basic outfits, and then team them with colourful accessories to give each outfit a new look each time they wear them — thus keeping their wardrobe fashionable, yet low-budget. Ruchika, a student of Symbiosis College of Business Management, says that this is a mantra that she follows regularly. “I like playing around with accessories, because it gives different looks to the same dress,” she explains, adding, “I like wearing shirts, so if I’m wearing the same one again I might team it with a scarf or jacket to make it look different. Or, I might play around with hair-clips and hair-bands to get the same effect. I also like to experiment with jewellery and shoes.