Beware of the campus fashion faux pas

If you are about to enter a Delhi college and are thinking of buying some flashy outfits or those that allow a bit of skin show, beware of committing a fashion faux pax. With the admission season in full swing in Delhi’s colleges, students are trying hard to get their wardrobes right. Simplicity, say many students and designers, is key.

“Simplicity is the best style statement,” said Achal Uppal, a student of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Chipped in Anisha Ahmed of Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College: “Guys should avoid fluorescent colours.” The young men too have advice for the women. “Girls should not wear deep necks and backless dresses,” 18-year-old Mukund Sarkar opined.

As far as expert advice goes, fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore feels students should wear clothes in which they can be themselves. “Simple and comfortable clothes are the best,” Sarkar told IANS. Rathore said T-shirts were the best bet. “They don’t crumple like shirts. But they should be properly dried or else they would cause body odour.”

“I also think branded designer clothes with their logos showing is the ultimate fashion faux pas.”

In the varsities of Delhi – it is home to Delhi University that has around 70 colleges, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia and others – one often finds an eclectic mix of people from different states and backgrounds; therefore a clash of fashion sensibilities is not always far.

Fashion designer Rina Dhaka told IANS: “Colleges have students from all walks of life. So to those who are not exposed to urban styles of dressing I would suggest that girls avoid short skirts and other such attire.” “Basic grooming and hygiene is what is most important for boys,” she said. Dhaka, however, added that college students are at an age where they can experiment with dressing up.

Wasim Akhtar Ali, who is in his second year in a Delhi college, “Tight-fitting clothes and flashy accessories are a big no for boys. They should try wearing plain, simple clothes to look classy.” Garima Verma, a first year student in Indraprastha University, said: “Jeans with embroidery are a put-off.”

Lily Bishnoi, a first year journalism student, said: “Girls who often come to college in pyjamas are not at all cool.”

— By Rishabh P. Nair (IANS)