The Five Fashion Crimes Committed by Exeter’s Guys

Although HerCampus is for girls, we know boys have a sneaky peak at it from time to time, so we wanted to use the opportunity to have a talk with you guys about some issues that have come to light with your fashion choices. Although you all came to Exeter looking fairly individual and well-dressed, slowly but surely during first term something comes over you and you all morph into one stereotypical Exeter guy. Some of it we love – chinos? Fab. Shirts? Can’t get enough of them! Other looks… not so much. So we’re here to tell you, as kindly (but honestly!) as possible, that some of your beloved looks have got to go. Sorry boys!

Stash

Here is a task for you all on your next trip up to campus. Stand in the Forum and do a full 360 degree turn. It is guaranteed that there will be at least one male dressed in ‘stash’. The question is, when did matching tracksuits become acceptable? Of course the need for stash is understood: you play for a sports team, you need the kit to represent your club and to work out in. The occasional tracksuit on the way to the gym is completely tolerable. However, we just can’t figure out your need to wear it all the time!

One can only assume that you arrived at University naked, armed only with a pair of flip-flops and proceeded to buy your entire wardrobe at the Fresher’s Squash. If you have such great athletic bodies, why do you feel the need to cover yourself up with layers and layers of stash? Walking around in full Rugby stash may make you feel like Jonny Wilkinson (we wish) but the matching trackies remind us more of Vicky Pollard. Our advice to you men out there: Keep the hoodies in the kit bag, grab a tight white t-shirt and give us something we want to look at.

And look, even Jonny looks better out of his ‘stash’.

[pagebreak]Edgy Gone Wrong

We at HerCampus have a few pet peeves in regards to the edgy trend. Firstly, many of the culprits sporting ‘bad edgy’ trends accompany their psychedelic t-shirts with downright dodgy facial hair as the pièce de résistance of their look. This facial hair consists of a very odd, usually thin, moustache and the occasional goatee. Boys listen up, if Brad Pitt can’t pull off facial hair the odds are quite frankly against you. Another issue is clashing prints; reminiscent of bad interior décor (think flowery wallpaper and clashing carpets), it tends to remind us more of our gran than of a sexy man. A tag-a-long of the edgy trend seems to be bad hair, usually over-styled and far too meterosexual for our liking, which at the end of the day probably wasn’t the vibe you were going for.  And lastly – that one dangling cross earring? We all know that your style inspiration is Proudlock from Made in Chelsea… enough said. 

The overall effect tends not to be stylish, but instead looks like far too much time has been spent on something that the vast majority don’t and can’t pull off. When looking back in years to come the boys sporting these bad edgy trends will no doubt be saying ‘what the hell was I thinking?!’ Our advice to you? Dare to be different, but mix a unique piece with a classic look to keep it fresh.

[pagebreak]Flip Flops

While we girls enjoy whipping out the Havaianas for summer holidays, our male counterparts on campus seem determined to try and make flip flops work in the winter months. Classically worn with sports team trackies and commonly spotted walking to lectures and generally around campus, the flip flop can be guaranteed to make an appearance even on the coldest winter day. Although they’re undoubtedly comfy, we are baffled by this choice of footwear. Some guys try to argue that they are the solution to rubbing rugby boots but surely a blister plaster would be better? Perhaps you are really trying to show resistance to the cold to prove how tough and macho you are? We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but hairy toes aren’t and never will be a turn on, and whilst you continue to have them on display all over campus we will be too distracted by them to ever consider the rest of you. Give our eyes (and your cold feet) a break and try a pair of high-tops instead. We’ll be way more impressed by your fashion sense, and you won’t constantly look like you’re working at Hollister!

[pagebreak]Bad T-Shirts

It appears that the trend this year for many boys is, unfortunately, ‘bad’ t-shirts. These unfashionable tops range from busy prints to bold and bright colours. Obviously the “less is more” concept has well and truly gone out the window. Sadly, however, it’s no longer the 80’s so there is no excuse for these kinds of things!

If it’s not awkward graphics of half-naked girls (who are you trying to impress with that kind of tshirt?!) then its something picked up at the Fresher’s fair advertising some kind of club night or beer. The I Heart TP tshirts are cute, we’ll give you that, but anything else is just not a good look.

The only saving grace of these tops is that they have sleeves – don’t even get us started on your love of vests! We know you work out, but you aren’t LMFAO, so put it away boys! Understated is still sexy, so put the biceps away and keep us guessing about what’s under that tshirt. And for the love of God leave the Topman graphic tees alone – the fifteen year old boy look is only attractive to fifteen year old girls! A simple, well-fitted tshirt is all a girl like us needs.

Baseball Caps

Okay guys, this is a new contender to the bad style stakes but we want to stop it before it goes any further. We can only blame the Fresher’s Fair (yet again) for the emergence of this odd new look on campus: the baseball cap. If they were decent caps we’d let it go, you might even be able to pull it off, but they aren’t. They are three words: ugly ugly ugly. We get it: your friend has started a new club night, he needs to promote it, he’s a good guy and you want to help him out. But that doesn’t mean you need to wear a free printed cap to do so. We’re seeing them everywhere, and frankly they are on guys who really shouldn’t be wearing caps. They are completely unfashionable and tend to make your head look slightly oddly shaped. And they are everywhere. We don’t know what this obsession with bad headgear is, but whenever we see you in them all we can think of is the boy band from the X Factor:

… and we guess that’s not the look you were going for! So stick to supporting Exeter’s club nights, but in any other way than with these awkward baseball caps!

Now it’s second term don’t get stuck with all these bad trends. Ditch the stash, try out some new trends and stay stylish right through til summer! 

Photo Credit :

fitnessadda.blogspot.com

badtennis.wordpress.com

Zimbio.com

Mirror.co.uk