When compiling my college wardrobe, TikTok was my main source of inspiration. Most videos on my ForYou page emphasized comfortable clothes and athleisure, claiming college kids just rolled out of bed for class. Looking presentable seemed reserved for special occasions, nights out and game days. I packed my sweatpants, leggings, t-shirts and athletic shorts into my mom’s SUV and sorted them into my wardrobe on Welcome Weekend. I had a few nice outfits, which I figured I would wear for the first days of classes. Most students also looked put together, but I kept waiting for the day when lecture halls would be full of hoodies and pajama pants.
We are halfway through November, and that day has not come.
People here dress nicer than I expected. The dresses and polo shirts of an unseasonably hot September have turned into sweaters and quarter zips as the sun sets earlier and the wind picks up. Even amid the slow onset of the permacloud, students continue to dress unexpectedly formal. I had to bring back a bigger suitcase from fall break to have enough jeans, tops and sweaters to keep up.
This is probably such a shock to me since I went to a public school with no uniform and a loose dress code. In high school, I would sometimes go to school in what I slept in, and it was normal. When I tell my friends things like that here, they are shocked. More people went to Catholic school than I realized, where they wore a uniform or had a strict dress code. My roommate told me that she had worn a Catholic school uniform since grade school, and this was her first time dressing herself every day. I have only ever seen her wear jeans to class.
Maybe they are preparing themselves for post-grad life, a mystical place where flannel pants and your high school boyfriend’s hoodie are not acceptable office wear. This business casual mindset makes sense at a school like Notre Dame. Students here have high career aspirations, and with constant networking opportunities and questions about career plans, most kids will probably dress professionally. The abundance of finance majors doesn’t help either. I mean, how many times have you seen a Membroza in a suit during your theology lecture?
There are also many articles and studies about the science behind getting ready in the morning, and how it leads to success throughout the day and a more “awake” brain. At least that’s what the links my mom sends me say. A consistent morning routine reduces stress, boosts energy levels and improves productivity — getting ready coincides with all of these things. I’m not a psychologist (I’m a political science major), but I can get behind this idea that getting ready improves your mood and productivity. This must be why I constantly feel like I’m drowning in work — I don’t have a regular morning routine.
Or maybe it’s the TikTok-ification of college outfits. I mentioned earlier that my source of inspiration when packing was TikTok — the amount of college wardrobe videos on there is insane. College fit checks and “day in my life” videos get millions of views. Lots of famous influencers got their start in college, posting videos about their daily outfits. Most Notre Dame students must be aspiring influencers, dressing nice to film themselves and hope to garner fame. It’s not to the level of Bama rush TikTok, but I can see how students here look nice to go viral.
This phenomenon of dressing nice could also just be peer pressure. I mean, everyone else looks good, so I probably should too. Peer pressure is probably why I continue to set my alarm earlier than necessary to look put together. And the funny part is, I don’t hate it. Dressing nicely makes me feel better about myself, especially when I’m in the brand-new environment that is college. It makes me confident to raise my hand in class and approach my professor after lectures or during office hours. I feel good when sitting down to have lunch with someone for the first time. Maybe I’m putting too much thought into this, but the fact that I was peer-pressured into looking nice isn’t necessarily bad.
This best dressed concept isn’t universal though — I definitely see kids in pajamas and hoodies in my lectures. It’s just less than I expected and threw me for a loop. It’s also quite possible that no one else has noticed this, and I'm just too observant and care what other people think. Either way, it’s not a bad thing we are such a fashionable campus, whatever the motivating reason is.
