Dressing Rich: Class at St Andrews
Following a recent article, classism at the university has become the talk of the town. Is it safe to say class isn’t just reflected through active classism, but through fashion as well?
Recently, a well-established Scottish newspaper, The National, published an article discussing a LinkedIn post made by former St Andrews University student, Sophie Jenkins, regarding her experience with anti-Scottish views and classism. The classism and mistreatment by both staff and students at the university ultimately led to her dropping out of her Comparative Literature and Classical Studies courses. With this article’s rise in readership, contradicting opinions have been circulating at St Andrews and gaining traction amongst the student population of the town. Although the main topic of discussion was whether students believe classism and social exclusion to be a common theme or not, it raised a different question for me:
Is classism seen through the style of students?
It goes without saying that the fashion sense of St Andrews University is elevated compared to other Scottish universities. With other Scottish universities’ students typically considering casual everyday wear the norm, the students of St Andrews University seem to hold dress sense to a higher standard. A walk to class turns into a competition of who can sport the most luxury brands. Unlike other universities where it wouldn’t be a foreign concept to show up to a lecture in a tracksuit, St Andrews students would consider this a high crime. Whether it’s Barbour jackets, suede loafers or Ralph Lauren sweaters, you’re expected to spend extortionate amounts to fit into the fashion scene of the UK’s top university.
When asked how she feels about the fashion expectations at St Andrews, a first-year undergraduate replied: “Even just wearing a hoodie with jeans out makes you feel underdressed. You literally see people in formal wear at 9 am lectures”.
So, why has this become normalised? The answer to this question can take two forms. On one hand, the novelty of moving to a different town, meeting new people and wanting to make good impressions can lead to students putting much more thought into what they wear than they would at home. This concept is shared amongst students, and when a large group of people do the same thing, it inevitably leads to the setting of a trend. On the other hand, dressing to the nines displays wealth. It’s easy to guess who’s more fortunate than others, and for some students, this poses challenges. With such a high number of students dressing in expensive brands, it makes those who can’t afford to do so feel out of place. Not owning a Longchamp handbag would be considered uncommon - looking around a lecture hall will make you realise that the majority of students are pulling MacBooks from them.
Whether you believe classism is apparent or not, it is difficult to ignore how students who sport pricey fashion gravitate to one another. Having attended the INVADES event at the Hamilton Park Races, I saw this firsthand. Groups of students wearing high-end pieces such as Burberry scarves and Coach handbags seemed to congregate into groups, with other students sporting affordable fashion not a part of said groups. The question of “What school did you go to?”, followed by “Is it private?” was overheard multiple times. Group photos of students in their Races outfits circulated around Instagram in the aftermath, a British countryside theme in the outfits crystal clear. Social exclusion through fashion isn’t an entirely new concept, and the use of social media has heightened the stigma around dressing informally at the University.
However, simply wearing expensive brands doesn’t outright signify classism. How is one to know if students bought the items second-hand or had items passed down to them? Furthermore, it isn’t fair to assume students are simply dressing to display wealth and make others feel like outcasts if they can’t afford the same brands. It’s plausible that they dress in such a way to meet a sense of belonging. For those who can, it isn’t inherently wrong to buy more expensive pieces to keep up with the trends. In fact, there’s a clear line between dressing to feel superior to others and dressing to fit in. This concept of ‘dressing to fit in’ isn’t specific to St Andrews; it just so happens that the everyday outfit in St Andrews is more elevated than those of other universities. Some may argue that this is due to the influence of the royal alumni. TikTok and Pinterest searches of “uni outfits” seemed to be a trending topic in the lead-up to freshers week amongst incoming students everywhere. This highlights how fashion can be less about displaying social class and more about navigating the expectations of a new social environment.
The question, then, may not be whether St Andrews students are intentionally using fashion to demonstrate their wealth, but whether a particular style of dress can unintentionally produce a sense of who belongs and who does not.
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