Autumn has arrived, much to everyone’s glee or dismay, depending on which side of the seasonal spectrum you find yourself on. The leaves are crunchy, the air is crisp, the nights are long, and pumpkins are ready to claim their rightful place as the fruit (yes, fruit) of the season.
As this autumn reign comes in and summer 2024 begins to fade into a fond memory, college students everywhere are gearing up to head back to their campuses for the fall semester. Online carts are filled, dressing rooms are packed, and Pinterest boards are filled with formal, football, and frat-fit ideas. When it comes to what to wear for lectures, though, the outfits can be more of a mixed bag.
For those attending an HBCU-standard classroom, fits may fall somewhere between the street style and runway range.
Alternatively, predominantly white institutions (PWI) have a more causal relationship with fashion, and it’s not uncommon to see the average student wearing a mix of sweats and athletic wear to that 10 AM physics lecture. Of course, this is all a spectrum, and you can find a little from column A and a little from column B at both HBCUs and PWIs.
One large area of overlap, though, is found in the desire for comfortable basics. Even the most fashion-obsessed students know that nothing beats a good white tee and a reliable tank top.
From Atlanta’s Spelman University to the University of Alabama, 8 AM is 8 AM and finals are finals. And as temperatures drop, cozy pieces become essential for cross-campus treks, regardless of the university, college, or institution you attend.
Much like good meals and sunny days, comfort is one of the few shared desires that unite us, and of course, this would transcend into how we get dressed. Wanting to be comfortable, though, does not have to negate style. After all, this is largely how athleisure has maintained undisrupted relevancy in the fashion space since the late 2010s onward.
Regardless of whether you treat school like a fashion month presentation or just a means to an end, trusted cozy basics can behoove just about everyone interacting with a campus setting this fall.
For the best in basics, cozy pieces, and class-approved pieces, read on.
Torianna Breaux founded Tordrobes, a fashion-forward athleisure brand that blends avant-garde designs with the trusted reliability of a matching workout set. Her elevated basics span the range of shared collegiate experiences, including tailgates and probates. But her hoodies are one of the brightest pieces from her arsenal in terms of versatility.
This royal blue zip jacket is structured and cinching, taking it to heights above your average hoodie. Plus, its messaging, “Most importantly, remain sane,” embossed down the seam, is a great reminder for the particularly hectic moments of college.
Bad hair days happen to the best of us, but unruly strands should not impede our ability to get fly. Enter Tier: A Black-owned NYC-based brand that focuses on turning everyday moments into little luxuries.
Even if you’ve never been to the city that never sleeps, this TNY anniversary fitted cap is an elevated take on a trusted fashion basic that can get you by in between retwist or line-up appointments.
The Los Angeles-based streetwear brand is a beacon for cozy fits that transitions from summer to fall with sophisticated ease. They have you covered, from stand-out layering pieces to structured sweats that give that model off-duty realness.
This French Terry knit is a durable basic that gives just enough structure to give you a polished look without being rigid in a manner that compromises comfort.
Complete the set with the Joah Brown oversized joggers for a purposefully laid-back look.
The brand also has a host of tanks, which can be great for layering in the fall, especially if you find yourself fond of cropped hoodies or zip-ups.
Started as a bespoke denim brand that repurposed vintage Levi’s, Samariah Leah is a Los Angeles-based brand that now offers its own line of denim and quality basics. The denim speaks for itself, but we get that every day is not a blue jean day, no matter how classic of a piece they are.
The brand also offers a good amount of muted basics that can be mixed and matched for those late mornings when you have five minutes to throw on whatever is closet. It happens!
This slouchy cropped hoodie in a playful lime shade is a great pop of color to fight back against the seasonal sadness that can come along with the colder months.
