Congratulations! You have been accepted into a Historical Black College or University! If that is not the case maybe you have the interest in HBCU's or you just want to know how they dress! Well, as a student at Claflin University, I am here to help. It has been said that I dress well and know how to push the limits of fashion. To which I reply by saying, "Thank you so much. All it takes is confidence!" So this post is not only going to educate you and build your confidence, it will give you a small base on what HBCU style is all about, just in case you want to change your style up. As a side note: you probably did not know that style also goes along with your education. These styles are all looks that I have encountered and know a small bit about. They are very easy to submerge yourself in and look presentable:
1. Conservative but, oh, I am very comfortable.
For my ladies! This girl is your typical jeans and a t-shirt but with that HBCU twist. You might catch her walking around campus with your school's t-shirt and her favorite jeans. She is far from being basic, though! "Why is that?" you may ask. Here, is why she may have the shirt tucked in with a nice belt on with a fun sneaker on or even a nice bootie or have some really playful accessories. She is comfortable and ready for class but will not be looking sloppy. For the fellas! This guy is just the same as the female just on the masculine side. Same thing jeans but not just any pair of jeans. Pairs that are far from bootcut. He wants to make sure you still see that he has the latest kicks. He may have on his classic gold chain and a snapback but you can tell he is well educated and ready to take the world on.You will typically find this style in the English department or biology department and at times with the education majors. Any place that they have to be for a long period of time this is where you would catch this style.
2. I wear what I wanna and I do not care.
This student lives by this quote "You can never be overdressed or overeducated." So, they do not mind stepping out of the box while still giving an amazing presentation in class! This student you cannot separate by gender because the males and the females take stuff from each others' books. No matter what the day is, they are always styling and profiling and ready for a picture. If you catch them on their phones they are more than likely figuring out how early they need to be to class (which should always be 15 minutes early) or looking at the latest fashions on Tumblr. They base their style on urban chic but can transform their outfits in a matter of seconds to be presidential ready. They are a mix between the conservative and formal folks on campus! You would typically catch this style the majority of the time within the mass communications department hence why we are always camera ready! Theater kids are also a part of this style. So the student who has to express themselves the most and their grade depends on their voice or creativity this style is the go to. You will never be able to guess what they are going to wear!
3. Formal Wear or nowhere.
If they do not have a suit or some type of formal gear on and they wear it often something is wrong! Do not get me wrong, these are not your typical suit-and-tie type of students. The guys are straight out of GQ while the ladies are straight out of Vogue. Overall, they are very classily-dressed students. To the point where they can have a last-minute presentation and not even have to go back to their room to change. For the majority of the time, males have a formal shoe on, no matter what kind. If they are not wearing a suit they have some piece of formal attire but more than likely they will have formal pants on. Even with all of that stuff on they are very comfortable while walking around with a briefcase as a book bag. For the ladies, she may have a suit set on with a pair of heels or maybe she has a pair of formal shoes herself. You may catch them in the mass communications building but, the majority of the time, you will catch them in the business department since they always have to be dressed as if they were going to a business meeting. I have seen a few in the history department also. Anywhere they have to present often, you will find them.
Overall, an HBCU is an assortment of different people who are from different places! No one is the same. The only thing that they all have in common is that they want to further their education and no one is going to stop that for them. They will always be presentable when it comes to what they are wearing and explain why they always want to be. Just know that when it comes down to fried chicken Wednesday or fried fish/chicken Fridays in the cafe there will always be a fashion show!
