Three Streets, Three Runways: Why St Andrews Students Dress for Success

By Minty Rawlins

As a frequent flier at the main library, I deeply relate to the @standrews.onion post from last September about ‘St Andrews students dressing up to ‘study’ in the library’. Even though the St Andrews Onion is a satire news account, there was definitely some truth to this post. I know I’m not the only St Andrews student whose day starts with the taxing task of deciding what to wear, only to show off the final product as I procrastinate on the main floor of the library.  

Following a trip to the library café, me and my friends can often be found lurking on the sofas at the entrance, watching everyone we know scan in and out. Sometimes we consider this a type of exposure therapy to the consequences of our actions in 601, but, more often than not, we’re making random remarks of either ‘ugh I love her shoes’ or ‘that jacket’s so cute’. Clearly, I’m contributing to the culture of watching people dress up in St Andrews, both by appreciating those who’ve put a lot of effort into their appearance and putting a fair amount of effort into my own… But what is it about St Andrews in particular that makes our student body take such pride in their appearance? 

As St Andrews is so small you’re always going to be running into people you know (whether you want to or not). Personally, I live for the high of being complimented on something I’m wearing, but I think most people probably just want to make a good impression. St Andrews really is a bubble when it comes to seeing the same people over and over again, even if you’ve never actually met them. So obviously we have a desire to appear cool and chic in front of the daily crowd. I’m sure I can’t be the only one who makes an effort to dress up in St Andrews because there really are eyes everywhere, and they’re scoping out who you’re with and what you’re wearing (if they’re anything like me). 

St Andrews also acts as a melting pot for an international array of stylish students. With over 45% of our student body hailing from outside of the UK, we are somewhat guaranteed to have a cohort of well-dressed students from across the globe. St Andrews ranks in the Top 10 Universities in the UK for the highest percentage of international students, so when I visit my friends at their respective universities that are a bit less global, this could be a reason why I think our students are some of the best-dressed out there. I don’t think it’s that Brits aren’t well dressed, I’m British myself, but the broad range of international students allows fashion in St Andrews to be far more diverse.  

There’s also something to be said about looking good in order to feel good, which I find particularly relevant in St Andrews. Though the days are starting to get longer, at the start of the semester, the rain, wind, and dark days were enough to make you want to bed rot all day. However, lectures, tutorials, and catch-up coffees were calling, so I had to find some reason to get out of bed. I find that if I wear sweatpants and a hoodie I always just want to go straight back to sleep, so opting for jeans and a slightly dressier top or jumper stops me from wanting to go straight back to bed.  

With some of the most popular St Andrews events this semester being the variety of charity fashion shows (FS was clearly the plan of choice on Valentine’s Day this year), the interest in fashion among our student body is obvious. This reflects in our wardrobe choices, with the three streets turning into three runways each day.