Fashion tips for students e.g coat, night out clothes

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My DD is off to uni in a few weeks.
For medical reasons she's been out of the loop for a while so doesnt know what to buy fashion wise.
She finds the in person shopping experience challenging, again fir medical reasons, and as she is also rather pear shaped online shopping is really challenging. She's rather given up on getting some nice clothes ahead of uni but I'd like to help her.

What she needs is
a winter coat - most important
some going out in the evening clothes
Some every day clothes

The coat and going out clothes she doesn't know where to start.

Can anyone point us in the right direction?

I'm not even sure what brands are cool these days.

my university dd just got this coat. I was quite surprised as I thought Superdry was for dads.

As a rule, if it’s in Urban Outfitters it’s OK.

https://www.superdry.com/outlet/womens/jackets/everest-hooded-bomber-jacket-266317.html?source=googleshopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24129586751&gbraid=0AAAAAD0z0wIQs7hClQln1p4dl71uuKT3C&gclid=CjwKCAjwqonVBhA4EiwA9wYJ3USsbABetczQ6x0KRLUaAWg2nWFdV2jbZz206h0ykQdCn2SV7m4pnRoCqMYQAvD_BwE

Thank you. I appreciate the response. I did suggest Super Dry. It looks like Urban Outfitters has a good choice too so perhaps we could have a focused shopping trip on these two stores.

Does she have a style? Sporty, indie, Gothy etc? What is her colouring - & what colours does she like & suit? What's her height? And size?

If she is going to need something fairly warm for winter, I'd go for the perennial student favourite - an oversized black coat (with as high a wool content as possible). It will go over jeans/trousers & jumpers, & skirts & dresses, equally well. Come spring you can look at getting her something lighter/shorter.

This Mango one is the kind of shape I mean. Would be better if it was more than 50% wool ... you would probably get a higher wool content on Vinted/eBay.

https://shop.mango.com/gb/en/p/women/coats/coats/handmade-oversized-wool-coat/37055845/99/00

Uniqlo, H&M & even M&S are also worth a look. Especially if you can stretch to organic cotton ( usually not much more), & high-content wool, cashmere etc.

They seem to live in enormous Urban Outfitters joggers or jeans. Tiny tops, slobby hoodies. As someone said above, that shop sells everything a student could possibly desire. If you feel it’s ridiculously expensive (as opposed to just expensive), a “ooh, I had one of these in the 90s!” might put her off. 😁

That's a lovely coat @EleanorMc67

H&M is great for basics. My dd also wears massive jeans and joggers. She's just asked for adidas firebird joggers for her birthday and I've ordered them from next in age 15-16 because they are cheaper than the women's ones.

Urban Outfitters is expensive but at least it gives her some inspiration of what she might like. It's a good idea to just focus on a couple of shops.

Waterproof, knee-length hooded coat. I went to a university in a city with almost horizontal rain and it was invaluable.

I’d hold off on the winter coat for a while until she has the chance to get a feel for her style. I haven’t seen any young people wearing a coat like that long black one for years!

For now, I’d make sure she’s got a couple of pairs of jeans and/or balloon or combat trousers, some fitted tops and a couple of hoodies. What are her friends wearing? Styles vary so much in young people, according to their musical tastes etc, so it’s probably safer to maybe plan a shopping trip with her in a few weeks when she’s got more of a sense of her ‘tribe’.

Agree with @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie she won’t need a winter coat yet and she’d be better to get settled in and see what works in her environment and vibe. My dd liked vintage stuff but most of the other students just wore massive hoodies; they only wore huge north face puffer jackets when it was really bitter cold. My dd didn’t though - she preferred dramatic maxi coats but often regretted it in the slatting rain!

Hard to say as there are a lot of tribes. Dropping off eldest at uni I could see the whole spectrum from v sporty, user fashionable, those with no obvious interest in clothes as fashion items.

My own memory of uni is that the fashion was v different from 6th form so probably worth waiting to see how she feels.
My eldest would love that superdry puffer jacket, youngest definitely wouldn't.

The black coat is dreary and not really studenty. It would have been pretty much useless where I went (NW RG uni).
I don't rate Mango clothes - my local branch is Covent Garden. I'd much prefer to shop in UO but for a coat, I'd try Uniqlo, Superdry or an outdoors shop like GoOutdoors.

My mainstream fashion DD (off to Uni next year) lives in UO huge joggers and tight, tiny, baby-tee tops or off-the-shoulder sweatshirts. Smallish shoes - gazelles or similar. She's been looking longingly at waist-length puffa jackets for winter coats. My more alternative DD is quite similar, but add jorts, lots of black, more jewellery and eyeliner. And hoodies rather than a coat. UO for almost everything, Hollister for smarter outfits. They both have pt jobs to help fund this!

Agree with others that massive trousers and tiny tops is the mainstream student vibe at the moment. With wide cropped jumpers when it gets colder, or massive slouchy jumpers/hoodies over the massive trousers. Plus a black puffer jacket when it gets properly cold.

Urban Outfitters for the vibe, Vinted once she’s got her eye in for recreating the look on a student budget!

A couple of wide leg tracksuit type trousers, quite forgiving for a pear shape too if they have a proper drawstring.
Either little tight fitting cropped t-shirts or big baggy ones. Matching tracksuit top/hoodie for when it’s colder, or a colourful cardigan.

My teen DD and her friends all seem to be wearing black puffa jackets, DD has a superdry one, also urban outfitters is a popular brand.

DD buys a lot from Hollister too. Has a nice tracksuit from pretty little thing.

Next are good as you can order from a lot of different brands, get them delivered to store and try on there.

Maybe leave going out clothes until she’s at uni and figures out what the style is. I don’t really see young people very dressed up these days, the evening look is far more casual than when I was at uni

I'm a lecturer. Thinking about female students I have taught this week there are two distinct "camps" (but obviously other styles in the mix too).

Camp one - wide leg joggers or sports type leggings, hoody with little top underneath, chunky trainers or short Ugg boots, calf length socks.
Camp two - wide leg jeans or office-y type trousers, vest top, cardigan, lower profile trainers like Sambas or Spezials.

People aren't really in coats as such yet, but last year was a lot of quilted/puffer type things. I don't remember any students in long wool type coats at my place but we're in Scotland and it's cold and rainy!

I suggested the coat as my goddaughter & her friends (who have all just left art college & uni in Glasgow!) absolutely love their 80s/90s-style big overcoats, thrown over whatever else they're wearing! They also mix lots of vintage in with high street.

But that's why I asked the OP if her daughter had some leanings, style-wise, already. Students across the country & across disciplines aren't one homogeneous hoody-wearing cohort!

Essentially I think, for these circumstances, that the OP should buy what's essentially a basic capsule-type wardrobe for her daughter. And then she can individualise as she finds her feet & her own style.

This is what I see.

Not sure what you mean by “going out clothes” really. Most students just go to pubs where they wear their usual clothes.

Im not sure what i mean by going out clothes either TBH!

Thanks everyone for the ideas and taking the time to do so.
DDs friends are quite eclectic but not fashionable nor a tribe of any sort.
She wants to look nice and just fit in.

We'll go to SD and UO later. At least we know we're in the right direction.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie No! Nor me! It’s a college coat and a rather literal translation of fashion for university!

Jeans, joggers, t shirts and casual tops for starters. Puffa jacket for winter. There will be cool fashionable 18 year olds and your DD can experiment when she’s sussed out what works for her. Where is she going out to if she doesn’t like shopping? I assume dressing up is f her thing so is it the SU Bar? My DDs just got clothes delivered to hall.

My DD is just going into her final year at Uni. Everyday outfits for her are wide leg jeans or joggers with cropped/oversized jumpers with sambas.

Winter coat is a waist length black north face puffer but also an ankle length maxi puffer coat (think it was from pretty little thing).

her going out clothes (that I see on Instagram pics) seems to be wear as little as possible vibe 🤦🏻‍♀️. She tends to wear converse when out rather then heels etc

I would just get some basics for now like jeans, T-shirts and a few jumpers and once she has settled and found her style you can pick up more

My DD is going into second year and definitely has a going out variation of her clothes, but that’s linked to her being super casual in what she wears to lectures and seminars. She’s quite alt-leaning but sticks to hoodies, massive jumpers, massive baggy jeans and trackies, and oversized band T-shirts for class, and goes out in the jeans with little vests or off-the-shoulder tops. Lately she’s been putting little dresses over the jeans, too. Footwear is low profile trainers or extremely worn-in Docs.

She wants a massive oversized overcoat for this autumn, btw. She’s been eyeing up the ones at Weekday and wondering if she can finder a cheaper dupe on Vinted.

@PineappleSunrise i have a long black wool coat from Weekday and it’s been a really good buy - this will be its third winter. I think I paid about £150 for it which I know is a lot on a student budget but it has worn so well. Definitely worth trying to hunt one down on Vinted. I mainly wear it with jeans but it would be a good “dressy coat” for a smart person too!

That is useful intel,@Judystilldreamsofhorses! Will pass it on.

I have always dressed more formally than my age and have never followed fashion but had my own style. I bought a tailored winter coat from Next in 2006 for £90 and am still wearing it now.

Start simple and look at her "safe" clothing now and move from there. Jeans, t shirts and jumpers are my day to day. Ts and a hoodie for cosy days. Jeans and a blouse or a skirt and t shirt for days when I have the energy for more effort.

Comfy shoes, I have a thing for heels. My stables are trainers for athletic days, sneakers type trainers for casual days, leather ankle boots with a small heel and a pair (or several) court /Mary Jane shoes. I have had this style since ~14

Whilst she's finding her style I would go with ways to dress up her regular clothes for nights out depending on where she's going for uni. I went to a very pub centred city for uni and nights out mostly involved going to a local pub in which case a clean t and pair of jeans was more than enough!