When I entered my freshman year of college at the University of Florida, I literally had one brain cell and didn’t know what to wear. EVER. To anything. I would end up wearing heels to a fraternity party and come home with a nice sticky residue on the bottom of my nicest shoes or jean shorts on gameday. Don’t be me. Please.
I’ve listed a couple of situations you might encounter your freshman year of college and discussed what some girls at UF wear to certain social outings.
Disclaimer: wear whatever you want and of course, what you feel best in. This is just a guide for those as clueless as me when I was a freshman and want a semblance of an idea of what most people wear. Also, this may change depending on what school you go to.
Situation One: Fraternity Party
Ah, a classic college staple. You will most likely remember your first fraternity party forever in that it is like nothing you’ve never experienced before. Nothing screams “college” more than the light film of spilled drinks on the floor, a flock of sweaty boys and ‘Trap Queen’ nearly bursting your ear drums. Fun!
Saying this, you’ll probably want to wear something casual yet still stylish. As I said before, you most likely won’t wear heels. Maybe wedges if you’re feeling really wild. And for sure don’t wear your most expensive clothing or you’ll end up with a mystery orange liquid stain on your brand new top. Perf!
Sarah Casey is wearing a crochet crop top from PacSun, Urban Outfitters shorts and a Free People choker.
Situation Two: Pool Party/ Day Party
Another fun college situation is a daytime party. You’ll probably go to your last class of the day, rush to your dorm and get ready to go to a party at 2:00 or 3:00 pm and then end up getting there way too early. Also you’ll probably put on a full face of night time makeup while it’s still daytime. You’ll see.
You probably won’t end up swimming at any of these parties, but hey, at least you’ll look really good. Most girls like to wear swimwear of some sort under a light-weight cover-up or paired with other cute and casual daytime pieces.
Hannah Hancock is wearing a red wrap bikini top from Urban Outfitters and white pants from Henri Girl in Gainesville. Her shoes are Steve Madden and the Doritos are from Publix.
Situation Three: College Bars/ Midtown for you Florida gals
Midtown, for those of you who do not know, is a string of college bars/ restaurants that are steps from campus at the University of Florida. At UF, bars are 18+ so you don't have to be 21 to get in. What girls wear to midtown really depends on the night or season.
If you’re walking, I recommend flats especially during the summer. As the year progresses, a lot of girls will switch to wedges or platforms paired with a casual but slightly dressier outfit than what you would wear to a fraternity. The last thing you would want is your stiletto heel getting caught on the weirdly fuzzy stairs of Swamp.
Devon Leasure is wearing a romper from Kova Boutique, an online boutique started by Mariya Markova, a student at UF, and paired it with Guess wedges (even though you can’t see them). You can get Devon’s romper at kovaboutique.com.
Situation Four: Downtown (aka nicer bars)/ Going out to Dinner
Omg its like your friend’s 19th birthday and you’re like, totally not sure what to wear to dinner. First off, you’re probably going to Dragonfly if you go to UF and I totally applaud that decision because it’s delicious. Most girls usually just wear something a little dressier like a dress and wedges or jeans and a nicer top with heels.
Jess Simmonds-Short is wearing a white scalloped top from Urban Outfitters paired with cobalt blue soft shorts from Tobi. Tobi always has 50% off storewide sales so make sure to wait for those before you buy anything from them.
Going out gets you out of your class ‘uniform’ (aka a oversized t-shirt, Nike shorts, running shoes, and the makeup you wore last night) and looking ready to take on the college life. Okay, bye.
