Fashion Beyond UCLA: Guide to postgrad style

Yoga pants and slacks. Blazers and crop tops. Rainbow sandals and oxfords. It’s hard to imagine a world where all of the above can peacefully coexist.

Approaching graduation day, fashion becomes just another element of the scary transition into the “real world.”

This quarter, columnist Noor Gill’s “Student Sartorialist” has covered trends and fashion niches around campus. But after students don their graduation caps and gowns, the question changes: Regardless of whether UCLA students have style, what do they wear post-graduation as a professional young adult?

“As a college student, it’s very easy to just be comfortable with whatever you find trendy and fashionable,” said Channah Barkhordari, a doctorate student in the Near Eastern languages and cultures department. “But in the working world you really have to maintain a standard of professionalism and presentability.”

Although this can pose a challenge, the concept of professionalism does not necessarily negate one’s ability to express his or her fashion individuality post-graduation. However, Barkhordari said incorporating personal style into a more polished, clean look requires a bit more creativity.

Graduating fourth-year African and Middle Eastern studies student Talya Sharps is co-president of UCLA’s Fashion and Student Trends and said that, thanks to an internship during the summer of her third year, she had to buy more professional attire a year before her graduation date. Sharps said this made her realize professional clothes should no longer be equated with boring clothes.

“I found that to keep colors was a big way to allow me to still be professional but cute and express my personality by having fun with my clothing,” Sharps said.

This transition from undergraduate college student to professional young adult can only be described as weird, said Kasey Ong, a graduating third-year communication studies and political science student.

“I was just going through my closet the other day and I picked out shirts that I can’t wear anymore, and I think it’s hard because you can’t just throw away your wardrobe,” Ong said. “Most of it can work, but I think crop tops and high-waisted booty shorts aren’t going to fly in the real world.”

In the bubble that a college campus presents, Barkhordari said it is easy, and rightfully so, for students to feel like they have the liberty to dress however they want. Jonathan Thomson, a musical doctorate student for strings performance, said that when he was an undergraduate student, he intentionally did not want to be seen as clean-cut but has learned over the years the importance of dressing for the situation.

“It’s sort of a classic thing – becoming an adult, you have to look like an adult,” Thomson said.

Thomson said for the most part this fashion transition depends on the work environment graduates find themselves in after their undergraduate career ends. For the world of academia, Thomson said it is important to use style as a tool to distinguish himself as older than his students, beginning with personal grooming: a haircut and a beard.

Regardless of whether you find yourself working at a hip, start-up or an established law firm, part of growing up is reflected in the evolution of fashion from college student to employed young adult. There is an undeniable difference that exists in today’s generation in class attire and work-appropriate dress, Sharps said.

“I know people say I’m going to hate it eventually, but at least for the first year, I’m really excited to get up and get ready for work,” Ong said.

For those more fearful than Ong in abandoning their daily attire of tried-and-true yoga pants, UCLA sweatshirts and worn-out Adidas, Barkhordari gives hope.

“You don’t have to chuck your awesome kickback wardrobe just because you become a professional, because you will still have downtime,” Barkhordari said. “It’s just about striking a balance.”

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Student Sartiorialist Noor Gill’s Postgrad Do’s and Don’ts

Do make your accessories the statement pieces in your outfit.

Express your personal style by wearing those funky platform clogs or that oversized sun hat, and then pair them with some simple basics so you don’t look too crazy.

Don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap of sporting the overplayed accessory.

Remember you’re a college graduate now. Use your education to prevent yourself from all those fashion faux pas of tiny fedoras and flower headbands that could possibly plague your otherwise bright future.

Do find a way to bring prints into the workplace.

Just because many of your near futures may include a life shackled to business-casual clothing, it doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways to spice things up in the office. Prints can range from bold geometric shapes to delicate florals, suiting almost everyone’s individual tastes.

Don’t go overboard with anything when it comes to workplace style.

I’m not saying that you should suppress your fabulous fashion sense. Just gradually introduce more and more of your personal style into your work outfits before your bosses know what hit them.

Do experiment with proportion.

Try out high-waisted bottoms, shorter tops or cuffed pants in order to elongate the leg. There are a dozen different kinds of silhouettes out there for you to try from empire to drop-waist, so don’t be scared to take your time in the dressing room.

Don’t dress for a body that isn’t yours.

Once you figure out what works, don’t keep wearing silhouettes that might not flatter your body type. We are all guilty of this sometimes, but post-graduation is the perfect time to fully embrace your body and wear clothing that makes you look and feel your best.

Do buy fancy things.

You’re an adult now, and whether you want to admit it or not, you’re probably going to need something like a suit or a little black dress sometime in the future. Don’t let a little reluctance to use an iron stop you from moving up in the world.

Don’t think being out of college equals boring dressing.

Owning professional attire is useful, but don’t sacrifice your personal style in order to fit in with jaded professionals. Dressing formally and dressing like yourself do not have to be mutually exclusive. Try to find a way to combine the two.

Do take risks.

Although you’re no longer a college student, you’re still young, and it’s only a matter of time before we can no longer use our age and inexperience as excuses to hide behind when it comes to poor fashion decisions. So let’s all take advantage of our youth and wear things that are a little more out there and a lot more ridiculous.

Don’t dress for anyone but yourself.

You’ll have a lot of expectations from a lot of different people now that you’re graduating, so keep fashion as something that’s special for you. When clothing becomes a constant stress in your life, you know something is wrong. Remember, fashion is something that should be fun.