Making school uniform be more intresting
So my highschool recently implemented uniforms. They consist in a variety of tops (polos, tees, hoodies, sweatshirts and a questionable cardigan) in three colorways (white, beige and navy blue - but more like black blue tbh) with the school logo. The fit is most probably slim fit or athletic fit. Also they are made from 100% cotton.
Knowing the options, what would you advise me to wear to... Stand out?
I pretty much just go through black jeans- light wash jeans-medium wash jeans-stone chinos cycle with navy or white top, but walking today with a buddy made me realize that we looked like we came from working at a factory. :))
My shoes don't provide much "spice" as I have them be minimal-ish but I think i might buy some colorful ones like adidas gazelles just so that the outfits are more intresting.
Atm I have just a navy hoodie, some navy and white tees and a beige sweatshirt, but i can always other uniform pieces and also i think that buying more wouldn't really change the situation.
11 Replies
From my experience the fit is how you make yourself look nice aside from jewelry or other accessories
But there might also be rules around how stuff should fit
Oh okay so i should experiment with trousers fit?
And no there arent any rules regarding fit
Yeah I think that could be fun, I went to school during skinny pants days but you could experiment with wider pants and shorter/longer lengths
And just making sure you're clothes are ironed and steamed helps a lot
Right, I will try to experiment some more with fit. Also shorter length isn't really an option because there's a no shorts policy outside of gym class.
I just meant like ankle length
Oh true true
Been there
Fit is definitely the first answer. We wore button-ups (white with school logo) and navy skirts (girls) or trousers (boys). I had a couple of different shirt styles (boxier and longer, shorter and more fitted), and three skirts (one just below the knee with a closer fit and a couple of pleats, one much longer and shapeless, and one in-between).
Mixing and matching them made at least a couple of slightly different silhouettes
Shoes are definitely another big one. In my school, they were the primary style of expression, the thing we noticed most, and the thing that got the most compliments. Consider a nice pair of loafers for preppier days, a pair of statement sneakers for when you’re feeling extra, a pair of white sneakers, and a pair of lace up boots (maybe Docs) if the weather permits.
This is definitely key. Your stuff should be p r e s s e d if you want to look good/intentional.
Two final things are hair and accessories.
Get a haircut you like. Play with parting.
Accessories can be tricky depending on the rules. I had a colorful tie I liked, and got to wear it once before I was told ties weren’t part of the uniform. If you can get away with one, consider it
Even just worn loosely, it can look really cool
Jewelry was a big thing to us. Necklaces can add interest, and can be layered, or you can have one signature you wear daily. Rings are also an option— consider stacking.
A polo collar peeking out from the neck of a sweatshirt or hoodie is always a nice detail in my book
Same with a polo+cardigan combo. Wear with tougher-looking boots if you don’t want to look too prep. Play around with buttoning— all the way up, a couple undone. Same thing with rolling up of sleeves
Also, fragrance can add a lot of individuality on the daily.
I still remember the way some of my high school classmates smelled 🤷🏾♀️
Thank you for the thorough advice! Will dive deeper into some of the aforementioned points later!
I think a school with a uniform might have rules around that. Mine definitely did and you could 100% not wear a skirt over pants. If you did that 3 times you'd get detention
Well i don't have strict guidelines, or at least haven't found the "wall" yet, but... 1) since our uniform is pretty casual(picture this: you take school merch like those from Harvard which are at all fast fashion stores and make them the uniform) ...wearing a tie is unecesarry and would look messy which brings me to the second point 2) i like a clean fitted( most of the times regular fit) look. The trend referred to above just doesn't appeal to me. If i had to describe myself style wise i would say i'm somewhere in between workwear, street wear and vintage.
Mine wouldn’t even let the girls wear pants