Coming back to school and looking around, I’ve noticed we¹re all still having some trouble with the basics. (I’m going to focus on men here.) I’m not asking anyone to wake up an hour before class to make sure you’re put together—what we all need to learn how to do is look good when we wake up ten minutes before class after only three hours of sleep. The simplest things can make a big improvement. Putting a sweater on over a shirt will hide the wrinkles that no one can entirely escape. Wear a V-neck that’s not too thick (ask your mothers). Considering the season change, you won’t have to wear a jacket. Also, there’s no excuse not to have a belt on, as they are easily accessible at the School Store. Don’t wear black. You can’t pair it with everything. Instead, buy a tan or brown leather belt, and you won’t have to buy another for a long time. Perhaps most importantly, we can all improve the way we look considerably by not wearing sneakers to class. Because it’s warmer out, throw on a pair of loafers, Dockers, or Sperry’s without socks. It makes you look as though you actually gave a thought to your appearance, without having to try very hard. I think the school could polish itself a bit for Second Visits. No one should be wearing ties, as this gives the school a sense of falsity and pretension. However, tucking in shirts and wearing clean pants would be a nice change for a day. Best Dressed: Alice Berman and Mark Minogue (solely for his outstanding First Hurrah outfit, which I was, unfortunately, unable to see).
