Outside Looking In: St Andrews Student Fashion from a Non-Student Perspective
While I work and have spent most of my childhood in St Andrews, I have always felt a little distanced from its inhabitants. They are so far from the people in other parts of Fife, so fresh and vibrant, with a strange hope and life to them that, to other Fifers visiting St Andrews, I must admit, is strange after coming from the dystopic, empty highstreets of Kirkcaldy or Glenrothes, or especially the geriatric ghost towns that pepper the coastline.
You would never know from the bright friendly streets of St Andrews that last year Fife had the highest amount of drug deaths ever recorded. The indigenous Scots have a subconscious shame and painful modesty when it comes to self-expression. I come from a town where slightly excessive eyeliner is considered a dangerous statement and borderline extremist; anything other than a hoodie and leggings is considered high glam.
But then you go to St Andrews and see sunken-eyed, intellectual vampires in coal-black coats that fall dramatically to the mid-calf, cigarette in one hand, niche Russian literature in the other. You see the women that haunt the Crystal Shop in floaty hemlines and flares, ethereal naiads with natural Kate Bush energy. You embrace the warm browns and forest greens of your average hot chocolate drinker who always seem dressed for mid-autumn despite the current season: seventies professor corduroy, cracked brown leather, metal frame glasses, and other accessories straight from the shire.
Since working in St Andrews. I have noticed my personal style has become more experimental and brave. The student body is almost entirely international (and wealthy, which always elevates a look, whatever your personal style may be). By being around other creative people from around the world who bring with them the subtle codes of dressing from their individual homes, you get to embrace far more bold fashion choices.
From what I’ve seen, the must-haves for St Andrews students are as follows:
Of course, a tote bag — almost everyone I see carries some of tote, some printed with niche gallery or museum logos, many with the Waterstones Penguin Classic literature titles ( I once saw 4 in one day), and some with more local companies like Mitchell's or the university itself, all a part of the classic, romantic I'm-a-student-that-reads-Sylvia-Plath-at-coffee-shops vibe.
The second essential is knitwear — dark academia has taken to the streets in the form of countless huge, heavy Granpa jumpers, smothering the locals in their cosy turtlenecks.
Another staple of a St Andrews wardrobe — deep forest green. It continues to dominate the student colour scheme, along with fawn browns and rainy grays.
In terms of shoes, Doc Martens seem to rule. They appear in all styles, the classic 1460 boot in the lead, in close contention with the lower, sweeter oxford and the gothic chunky platform. Similar to most modern campuses, high heels are non-existent among the St Andrews student body, crushing my childhood fantasy that all adults wear sky-scraping heels at all times, but a win for all who walk on cobbled streets.
Jewelry has a definite vintage vibe, lots of layered rings and small chains. The grandma pearls trend has really hit here, and I live for the small romance of old-time jewelry on real grunge outfits.
Speaking of grunge, compared to other college and university campuses I have visited there seems to be significantly less alternative fashion here. Everywhere else I go I see dyed hair, piercings, and MULLETS — but somehow not in St Andrews where this style seems to lie in the minority.
The keywords for the overall flavour of St Andrews style would be romantic, academic, sweet but stern, soft but dramatic, delicate . . . but bold. A fuzzy felt beret with some steel toe-capped curbstompers seems especially exemplary. In this vein, I think the students here, no matter what they study, enjoy romanticising their own look as a way of getting through the heavy grind of coursework, jobs, relationships, and the knowledge that this really could all end at a moment's notice due to the pandemic. I feel as though they dress with a definite escapist philosophy. Since COVID, I'm sure many students have lost important parts of their whole college experience, and that those who missed their first year completely have been left with a sense of distance between themselves and their student identity, still feeling they’re stuck in high school. So by dressing so romantically and so academically, it almost seems they’re dressing to convince themselves that they belong here. They put time and care into the way they look in order to completely control this small part of their lives and give themselves a subconscious glimmer of hope in what I assume is a strenous existence.