How to dress properly for Durham Fresher’s Week

As thousands of young, enthusiastic freshers arrive at Durham in October on a quest to reinvent themselves, how you dress is essential, not only to attract the opposite sex but also in making new friends.

This guide will provide you with all the crucial do and don’t for all your events during fresher’s week.

The Formals

Scrolling through your Facebook, you may come across pictures from your leavers or prom party. You cringe instantly in utter disbelief that you actually wore that oversized suit, dress or dark coloured shirt.

How not to do it

If you are unsure, a black tuxedo is your best bet. Shawl and peaked lapels only, both wing and normal collar are acceptable. If you can do it, use a tie your bow tie yourself.

Cummerbund, waistcoats and pocket squares are all good accessories to personalise your look.

And learn how to iron a shirt

For the ladies, any colour dress is suitable. Preferably a knee length dress would be favoured over a body length dress. You may not want to add a heavy dry cleaning bill to your other Freshers’ Week expenditure. You may also want to bring flats – walking in heels through cobbled streets is no easy feat.

Bold, bright and unique bags, heels, jewellery and hairstyles will differentiate you from the rest and aid to attract new friends.

Intro Lectures

How you dress to your first lecture is absolute key, as it sets precedents for the rest of the year. You don’t want to show up in PJ’s because it is just too early for that sort of behaviour. At the other end of the spectrum, you don’t want to dress too flashy with designer brands from head to toe, as you will have to maintain this.

Both of these extreme will be sure to scare off potential best friends. My advice is be creative and stylish without going over the top.

Durham fashion down to a t

For the boys, lean towards slim fit, skinny jeans or chinos. Baggies are just a no no in 2015. T-shirts, jumpers and casual shirts are all fine but no vests, you are not Shah from University Challenge.

For the girls, skinny jeans, leggings, any form of a skirt is acceptable but just as with boys no baggy jeans. Flats, ankle boots, vans and converse are all fine.

Nights Out

Durham is not blessed with legendary clubs, but one has to make do with what one has. Klute and Loveshack are both good in their own right, although beer goggles will make it hard to attract people solely from your attire.

These places get sticky, so avoid anything expensive or anything that could show up the VK you just poured down your shirt.