There’s something strange about starting university: nobody knows anybody. We’re wandering around a city, pretending we know which building we’re going to, learning names, and figuring out who we’re going to be here…
But that’s the fun of it.
University gives us this opportunity to become a new version of ourselves, or discover who we’ve always been. Nobody knows you’ve spent your life insisting you “don’t wear red” or that you’ve never been a hat person. If you’ve always wanted to channel Blair Waldorf on your way to a Tuesday tutorial, who’ll stop you?
Wear the colour, try the boots, and buy that bold scarf. Fashion shouldn’t be another thing to get right; it should be something you get to play with.
There is, however, one force determined to interfere with our sartorial freedom: Edinburgh’s weather. Here, layering is your best friend. A foundation of wool, cashmere, and warm knits means you can throw your statement pieces on top without sacrificing feeling in your fingers.
It’s worth investing in an outer shell too – preferably with a hood. Scarves, hats, and umbrellas are useful: partly for survival, partly because accessories make dressing for Scottish weather look chic.
The best university wardrobe sits between style and comfort. Find the jeans you enjoy wearing, the knit you reach for, the boots you can walk across campus in, and the coat that makes everything underneath look suspiciously intentional.
And please, repeat your outfits. If something looked fabulous on Tuesday, there is no evidence to suggest it won’t look fabulous on Friday.
We’re firm believers in look good, feel good, do good.
Wearing an outfit you know you look good in, changes the way you carry yourself. Maybe you sit taller in your seminar, speak up when you normally wouldn’t, or walk into the library feeling like you have your life together – even if the three coffees in your bag suggest otherwise.
Trends are fun, but they aren’t instructions. Experiment with them, ignore them, borrow from them. The goal isn’t to look like everybody else; it’s to figure out what makes you feel your best.
Edinburgh may give us rain, wind, and sunshine before our next lecture, but maybe the best trend you can follow is becoming the version of yourself you feel best in.
After all, confidence never goes out of style.
Images provided by Anaika Manwani and Kayleigh Hodges.
