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It’s February and if you live in Australia like myself, chances are you have university returning in one or two week's time. Maybe you’re a recent high school graduate who is thrilled to be without a uniform, or perhaps you’re facing your final year of uni before the office dress code takes over your life. Maybe you’re from a country where college or university is already in session. Regardless of your situation, if you want to dress kawaii for university but don’t know how to go about it, this is the article for you. I will be sharing my practical tips to ensure that you spend your year in comfort and effortless style. I hope you find this article helpful and without further ado, let's leap into the advice.
Comfort is Key, but Cuteness Helps
One of my biggest uni outfits mistakes was definitely sacrificing comfort and/or practicality for aesthetic. There were days when I would wear too tight clothing or too many accessories or too tall platforms. Uncomfortable clothing can mess with focus and, in my experience, is physically exhausting to wear. At the same time, slouchy loungewear also puts your brain in a lazy mood, so in order to have a brain ready to take on the day’s challenges, be sure to wear something you look and feel great in. T-shirts in fun colours and patterns paired with one or two cute accessories could be the perfect outfit to get through the day.
Pre-plan Your Outfits
When Obama was president, he always had someone else pick out his outfits. Why? Because as president, he always had too many important decisions to make through-out the day. Humans suffer from a phenomenon known as decision fatigue. That means that as we go about our day, we make progressively worse decisions and are thus more prone to our temptations. This is because decision-making takes mental energy that is best used for studying or convincing oneself not to procrastinate. One of my new habits for maybe eight months now has been to pick my outfit the night before. That way it’s simpler and I have a cute outfit I can look forward to wearing the next day. If you’re someone who enjoys dressing according to their mood, you might want to pre-plan a number of outfits with a wardrobe app like SmartCloset and then in the morning you can pick whichever one you feel like wearing. Picking outfits can be fun, but also stressful, especially when you have an early start or a stressful schedule. This is just one way to make dressing cute for university easier.
Invest in Quality Pieces
While I firmly believe that every piece in one’s wardrobe should be a quality piece, for the broke university student, or the plus-size person whose size is rarely measured for, that isn’t always an option. However, two non-negotiable pieces that you have to invest in are a sturdy bag and pair of comfortable shoes. Throughout my high school years and part of university, I went through about two bags each year. Eventually I got so sick of constantly replacing my bag (especially when I became an adult who had to pay for stuff herself) that I decided to spend about $150 AUD on a backpack from a brand called Kipling. This was after extensive research on the quality, and most sources said they could last for a decade, so I was down. Unfortunately it wasn’t the exact same colour as the stock image so it does clash with most of my wardrobe, but the important thing is that it’s a quality bag that serves all my needs. I’m lucky to have multiple pairs of shoes that I can use for university, but if you can only afford one pair of expensive shoes, let it be a cute, comfortable, quality pair you can wear to university every day.
Consider Your Laundry Situation
I say this because not everyone has the space or time to constantly wash delicates and let them drip dry like I do. If you barely have time to wash your delicates, or can’t wash them at all, then your best bet would be machine-washable clothing. For that, you’ll need clothing that is sturdy and not as prone to creasing. Unfortunately this usually involves synthetic fibres like polyester, which isn’t great for the environment, so try to shop secondhand wherever possible. It’s also important to consider how often you want to or need to do the laundry. For example, if you live alone and only want to do the laundry once per fortnight, but you’ll only do the laundry if you have to, then don’t exceed too much beyond a fortnight’s worth of outfits. If you’re sharing the washing machine and dryer with someone else, and you’re not doing shared loads, you might need to seize your opportunities to do the laundry as you get them if you have no laundry schedule. For that, you’ll need some extra outfits for those times when everyone else is hogging the machine. If you’re hand washing and drip drying your clothes in the bathroom, prepare to forgo your bath or shower for a day or two. Clothes are a commitment and if you want to look kawaii every day during your busy uni schedule, you better understand which commitments you’re willing to take on.
Smaller Wardrobe = Less Stress
Seriously, university is already stressful enough without staring at a stuffed closet and feeling like you have nothing to wear. The reason why large wardrobes directly correlate to feeling like you have nothing to wear is because of a phenomenon called choice paralysis. When you’re overwhelmed by options, it’s difficult to choose at all. Not only that, but when you do try to choose, you might find your wardrobe to be such a confusing mess that it becomes a challenge. You want to wear something that’s well-coordinated, but still fits your lifestyle, but also the weather, but you don’t want it to be something you’ve worn recently, and a key item you need to create the ideal outfit needs to be washed, so instead you consider this replacement, but it clashes with another element of the look, and any replacements for that clashes with other items in the look, and suddenly you’re so overwhelmed by all the factors and connections (or lack thereof) between certain clothing items. Small wardrobes work well for university because the pieces are carefully curated and able to create a wide variety of outfits, so you’ll always feel like you have something to wear. Decluttering your wardrobe also has the benefit of decluttering your mind, so it could be the perfect task to clear your brain for the coming year. And as if you need any more convincing, smaller wardrobes mean no more massive mountains of dirty laundry.
Basics are Crucial!
Remember what I said about having a small wardrobe that’s easy to mix and match in a multitude of ways? Basics are an important part of that. Now I know some people like basics, but if you’re like me, you’re prone to ignoring them in favour of cool new statement pieces. The problem here is that often times you’ll find yourself without much to style your statement pieces with. For university, you can look and/or feel kawaii without making it obvious. For example, a light pink t-shirt, and a pair of white jeans might seem boring, but add some iridescent platforms and a matching bow and you have a comfy, but still kawaii look with a hint of OTT glam. I recommend that in order to understand which basics you’re missing, you should make a note of whichever item you wish you had to tie an outfit together. If you find yourself in want of it at least three times, you should probably get it. For me, I really wanted a pair of magenta thigh highs to match a cardigan, a hairbow, and a necklace I happen to own. I have since obtained them and they're also great for bringing the accent colours out of some of my other pieces. Rather than shopping on Amazon or hitting up the mall though, try your luck finding your basics secondhand or from small businesses first.
What Do Your Classes Involve?
I hate that I have to say this, but some majors and courses allow for more freedom to be kawaii than others do. For example, a stand-out style might hinder a law student, but that very same style could benefit a creative student. You should also consider the kinds of activities you’d be involved in during your classes. For example, a fashion design student probably shouldn’t wear anything with dangling pieces that could get in the way of their sewing or accidentally become a part of their sewing. However, if you’re only a fashion communication student like me with little to no practical work, then you could probably get away with wearing almost anything. No matter what your situation is or what your classes involve, unless you have a uniform, you can find a way to make your style work for you.
I hope you found this article informative. I wanted it to be practical advice that applies to all kawaii fashionistas rather than specific advice on what to wear or what not to wear, since that is such a subjective thing. If you’re looking for style inspiration I recommend you check out some of these Instagrams linked here;
If you have any suggestions of Instagrammers with a casual, kawaii style, especially if they are POC or wear colours other than pastels, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list.
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Question of the Day: What are some of your favourite kawaii outfits for school, university, or college? PM me on Instagram @thecoramaria and I’ll feature it on my story.
I love that I found this in my email archives
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