I travelled down with one, single holdall containing some clothes, and a camera, then quickly added to these with a Rag T-shirt, a jumper with really long arms, and an oversized vintage college varsity jacket from Portobello Road which cost half my grant.
To mark the impending completion of Fresh Meat, we asked some of our writers to tell us all about their student fashion choices. Bravely, some of our readers have followed suit.
From sharp suited early sixties art school students, to 90s party kids in yellow tinted glasses, our readers bravely show off their university-era fashion triumphs and disasters. Below are twelve of our favourites - you can see the full gamut over on GuardianWitness
‘Dexys with a bit of Bowie’
Dexys with a bit of Bowie underneath
Manchester Uni 1985
‘I had my hair cut at a rockabilly barbers’
Blonde spiky hair & gold makeup, Essex University, 1985
I had a penchant for gold makeup (including lipstick) in my 2nd year at university. I had my hair cut st a Rockabilly barbers. My boyfriend helped me dye my hair blonde on the day of Live Aid. We'd just got back from a trip to Berlin where I researched my Art History dissertation. Ironically, my 18 yr-old son returned from Berlin with bleached hair in an almost identical cut last summer. He was not amused when I pointed out the striking resemblance.
‘Leathers, denim, polo shirts... but mostly hair’
Pub crawl in Wivenhoe Essex 1972
Probably in The Park Hotel, 3rd of 9 pubs. I'm in the middle with curly hair and pint. Leathers, denim, polo shirts, T shirts, pink rayon jackets but mostly HAIR!
‘Sitting atop a bunk bed in my shared room’
My first term at the University of Kent 1975
I was sitting on top of the bunk-bed in my shared room (Eliot College W4S6), when my roommate, Steve, took this picture. We later flat-shared with several others in Herne Bay.
‘I wish I had these cheekbones now’
1986
Second year. Somewhat in the Rick mould (Young Ones). Eden hat, white linen jacket jeans and either DMs or red creepers. I wish I had those cheek bones now.
‘Wearing a band tee shirt is cool, but when it’s your band, is that naff?’
What did I wear as a non-student?
Did I reject the establishment, or did it reject me? It’s all a blur now, but I think it was probably fifty fifty… Anyway, it’s 1977, punk is in full swing, and it’s obvious that I’m not a dedicated follower of fashion. I’m sitting by our tent at the Reading Festival, the jeans decidedly flared and I’m wearing a ‘Toad the Wet Sprocket’ tee shirt. Now, wearing a band tee shirt is cool, but when it’s your band, is that naff? Like a double negative? In hindsight, I would’ve loved being a university student, but I just opted for a massive period of unemployment and depression instead. To give me some credit, I did often wear Doc Martens, drainpipe jeans and Harris Tweed jackets exclusively from Oxfam. So c’mon, give me a break…
‘This was not for a fancy dress party, this was just a regular night out’
Bellbottoms? Because.
This was not for a fancy dress party, this was just a regular night out in the early 90s. I found this trousersuit with a wooden ring in the top in a charity shop. I wore it everywhere. Those are Beastie Boys posters in the background. I was obsessed with them and this was a throwback to the "Hey Ladies video. Sometimes I'd wear it to the bars and yell "Free James Brown" when I walked in. It always brought on free drinks, but alas I never met Adrock on those nights out. Beck's "Loser" video was throwing back to the 70s then too so I suppose I was at the the height of fashion in those days. The sunglasses had yellow lenses, which were popular and the shoes were silver, which was a bit more rare in those days.
‘A homemade badge stating “I’m a dosser” completed the look’
Geordie, pseudo, agit-prop boy.
Fresh from the mean streets of East-End Newcastle, to the mean streets of East-End London, I immersed myself into a London student social life with all I had. I travelled down with one, single holdall containing some clothes,& a camera, then quickly added to these with a Rag T-shirt, a jumper with really long arms, and an oversized vintage college varsity jacket from Portobello Road (which cost half my grant). A homemade badge stating "I'm a dosser" completed the look. Simple times spent with a bunch of personalities who frankly didn't care what they wore.
‘Studying for my Physics BSc’
Cool!
1970, and I'm going for a walk whilst on holiday from studying for my Physics BSc
‘David sports a tie, something I rarely do even today’
Bob, that's me, and David Art Students 1965
Birmingham Art College Theatre Design . I'm wearing Levi 501s David sports a tie, something I rarely do even today.
‘We needed the long coats’
Road Trip to Harwich 1969
We needed the long coats on this road trip from Essex Uni to Harwich in our Triumph Herald (mine!) and Hillman convertables.
