Warwick you wearing?

At the risk of blowing that proverbial trumpet, life appears fairly good at Warwick. Word has it that it’s amongst the country’s most reputable universities – which is nice to know. Then there’s the vibrant social scene here to help you massacre that student loan. This is all before even mentioning what is a genuinely lovely campus. However, there are yet even greater reasons to be cheerful: gracing campus are some very well-dressed folk.
Even despite the plethora of leavers’ hoodies, a vibrant army of trend-setters lies in our midst. Every day, students with styles ranging from refined prep to the more ‘urban’ gracefully float around campus.

Locating, and then getting their agreement for some snaps, proves akin to… erm… rummaging for your size at the Boxing Day sales? But due diligence will always pay off. This was the case when – despite having foolishly written off the Physics faculty – third year physicist James Hamp was tracked down and went on to represent understated male style about campus.

After kidnapping him for an early morning library chat, we took it upon ourselves to deconstruct James’ style. It proved to be a measured display of up-to-the-minute items with a genuine feel for the organic. Bang on trend, James wore a lightweight Fair Isle sweater: traditionally a Scottish knit, apparently popularised by Edward VIII. The wide colour pallet of Fair Isle sweaters prove handy by allowing room for pairing with items of complimentary shades. This is great for mixing and matching your winter accessories, whether it be a hat, gloves or a lightweight scarf, as favoured by James. A well-fitting pair of no-nonsense jeans – James’ are vintage Levi – prove a solid alternative to that insanely popular concoction of carrot fit cuffed leg numbers currently doing the rounds.

As if to slide back into contemporary style, James was sporting what is probably the key male fashion trend this season in camel. This inviting shade does well to create a focal point whilst oozing sophistication.

Despite the slim-cut of this particular double breasted pea coat suggesting costliness, a good camel coat or blazer needn’t be too expensive. James’ was by H&M with most high-street retailers stocking some similar camel outerwear. To complete the look, James put on a pair of vintage boat shoes by Sperry. A wise choice, as the timeless boat shoe rarely ever fails.
James said himself: “There seems to be a definite science/humanities divide when it comesto the way people dress on campus. Humanities students do seem to be more conscious of their appearance in general.”

The encounter revealed two things. Firstly, physicists can dress rather well – although incidentally, James felt science students could learn a thing or two from their humanities counterparts. Secondly, we also learnt that whilst many fashion-conscious students have an admirable tendency to push the frontiers of campus style – less can also truthfully be more.