How to dress for Antwerp Mansion

Turn right down an alleyway off the Curry Mile into the grungy darkness within and you’ll find yourself in the area’s true (albeit very unpolished) gem.

Built in the 1840s by rich industrialists, Antwerp Mansion is the pride of Fallowfield students as it captures the Manchester uni stereotype perfectly in one building: wealthy well-to-do kid, turned roadman.

Hide your posh background with these style trends, the way Antwerp hides its own with graffiti.

Glitter up

All girls know that when it comes to glitter, less is definitely not more. There’s just something about covering yourself in those sparkles and transcending into a world of fairy dust that makes every night a good one, and an Antwerp night an even better one. Everyone looks better in glitter.

It also hides the glistening sweat

You must wear a hat

Nothing says “roadman” quite like a Ralph Lauren hat that cost you far more than you’d care to admit. If that’s just too basic for you, then the bucket hat your mother made you wear on the beach to stop you “catching the sun” when you were 12 will go down a treat too.

And/or French-plaits

We all know the feeling of being in a packed club, dripping with sweat and needing to tie your hair up. But then comes the inevitable issue of pissing off everyone around you with your pony-tail swinging in their face. And it normally looks pretty bad too. French-plaits are the answer, my friend. Stylish, current, and they’ll even fit under your hat.

One item of sportswear is not enough

Got an Adidas top? Good. A classic three stripe jumper? Better. A Nike snapback? Put them all together and it’s a winning combination.

90s jackets – the more colourful and painful to the eye, the better

Macklemore said it best – “One man’s trash, that’s another man’s come-up”.

Trends are always coming back into fashion and the retro 90s jackets are no exception, especially not at Antwerp. It keeps you warm in the smoking area, protects you from the drinks that will inevitably be spilt down you and the bright colours help you stand out so your friends can find you again after leaving them for a toilet trip.

Last season’s shoes shall be christened ‘Antwerp shoes’

Do not let the word “Mansion” fool you into thinking you will be royally greeted at the entrance of Antwerp with a red carpet. No, instead the bouncers prefer to welcome you through the back door, which means walking up a muddy, water logged pathway onto the drinks-soaked floor of the house.

And if it was acceptable to poo in Academy 2 at Pangaea, then I shudder to think what people have done in and around Antwerp.

Fre$h Antwerp kicks