A History of On-Campus Style
Find fashion inspiration for the return to school from images of classic college trends through the years.
Whether it's the thrill of new academic adventures, the fun of reconnecting with friends, the excitement of lively football games, or simply the promise of freedom that comes with being away from home, the return to college is a highly anticipated event each fall. As a tradition dating back to the founding of Oxford University in the 11th century, the collegiate experience has evolved from a privilege reserved for medieval nobility to a multifaceted chapter of life in which individuals can pursue their interests, make lifelong connections, and learn more about themselves and the world. The American college experience has grown into a time in which movements are born, and students—emerging as participants in society—demand space and recognition. From Flappers to Beats, Hippies to Preppies, and Ugg girls to RushTok, the collegiate styles of the past century have dominated how the dress of generations is remembered.
In the years between the Second World War and the escalation of conflict in Vietnam, one of the most lasting stylistic movements was born on college campuses across the country. This movement was “prep.” Infusing post-war materials and colors with patterns and fabrics from around the world, prep used the foundation of khakis, button-downs, jackets, and loafers to create a codified style that fit the activity of day-to-day college life. As American college students participated in a wide variety of activities throughout the day—from classes to athletics to library sessions to formal chapel—the prep language incorporated clothing that was suited for all of these activities, resulting in an eternally youthful melange of formal and casual with careful and careless.
Prep is remembered today as an era in which a student threw a freshly pressed blazer over a pair of shrunken khakis and Converse while running out the door late to a lecture, and it has grown to be remembered as the Americana collegiate dream, immortalized through a wide swathe of films and brands. Brands both new and established continue to put an exciting and innovative twist on prep, championed in particular by the likes of Brendon Babenzien’s Noah and Jack Carlson’s Rowing Blazers.
The collegiate institution of the ’60s and ’70s was heavily influenced by the events in Vietnam and the long-overdue acknowledgment of widespread systemic inequality in America. College students were no longer surrounded solely by people of similar backgrounds and experiences and were no longer removed from the real world. With the increased sharing of ideas, growing awareness of global and national events, and greater diversity, style evolved from standardized college fashion to one that was in touch with the rest of the world. Plaid skirts, turtlenecks, and bright new shades were worn alongside denim, and, most radically, a growing desire for self-expression led to clothing taking on a greater social significance. In this era of collegiate fashion, individuals began to express who they were through their clothing.
Protests ended with excess, which can be seen in the dress of students throughout the 1980s and into the ’90s. With an erratic bull market and a reinvigoration of the consumerist American dream, college students began to dress in a way that harkened back to the prep style—with a twist that led to the coining of the term “preppy.” With pastel Ralph Lauren sweaters cavalierly thrown over the shoulders, long plaid skirts, and chunky turtlenecks and sweaters, the style of this era of excess took the core elements of prep and added more ease and self-assured nonchalance through larger fits and colors that could not be missed. And then, with a series of stock-market crashes and the beginning of American involvement in the Middle East, the larger-sized fits remained, but the colors and materials changed: in place of the preppy, old-money aesthetic emerged grunge and baggy jeans, layers, and oversized sweatshirts, which reigned supreme for the remaining years of the millennium.
The 2000s have surely seen many iconic and unforgettable trends, and many from the first decade of this new millennium are making a return. From Uggs and plastic jewelry to yoga pants and infinity scarves, the 2000s have given us both comfort and cringe, and, with internet culture, an ability to remain more in touch with the past and relish in a sense of nostalgia. As in-person college resumes, especially the year-and-a-half hiatus due to the pandemic, a new era of fashion has been born, incorporating elements from many past eras. But there is the fashion of one era in particular that this author hoped would come back in full force—a time one hundred years ago when a generation much like our own was emerging from war, chaos, and a pandemic, and decided to dance the night away and dress like they always had somewhere to go: the Roaring Twenties. While the most significant college style of the current era has been the southern Greek-life-mandated fashion of the Shein and Kendra-Scott-clad Alabama RushTok girls, we will hopefully in a few years be seeing wide-leg pants, fringe skirts, androgynous styles, and an unabashed commitment to existing in the moment.
