Ella Bailey
Each September, as new first-years celebrate their A-Level results and prepare to begin their university journey, they’re quickly faced with the cultural expectations of campus life, which undeniably emphasises clubbing. Ella Bailey delves into different clubbing fashion phenomena worldwide and whether Brits should reconsider their attire.
Whether through the questionable fresher’s wristbands or the pressure to make it the ‘best week ever’, many students often hit the clubs for the first time when coming to university. Naturally, this leads to the classic question: what do I wear?
British clubbers, student or not, seem to abide by the universal rule of dress code first, weather second
Freshers who take to social media for ‘student clubbing outfit inspo’ will be hard-pressed to find any advice on what to wear for actual British weather, especially in the winter months. British clubbers, student or not, seem to abide by the universal rule of dress code first, weather second, no matter how long the travel to the club or queue may be.
While cloakrooms are an option, this doesn’t seem to be a popular solution, as the extra queuing can feel like far too much of an inconvenience at two in the morning. Plus, on a student budget, the extra two pounds to hang your coat up often doesn’t feel worth it.
Clubbers’ dedication to fashion over practicality is probably most attributed to the simple desire to wear something they think is cute to feel good. After all, no one wants to waste their time picking out the perfect outfit only to have to cover it up with a big winter coat.
Dressing out of season for clubbing then isn’t necessarily always a negative, so long as coatless clubgoers aren’t making themselves sick in the queue (which anyone who’s tried to queue outside of Rock City in the last couple of weeks will know can be up to two hours!)
This reluctance to wrap up for the travel to the club seems to be a uniquely British phenomenon, or at the very least the most extreme in the UK. In comparison, other countries that share our colder winter months have far more sensible ideas around clubbing fashion, such as in Germany where the Zwiebellook or ‘onion look’ has been popularised by German clubbers’ love for sensibly layering up. But what about here? We laugh in the face of winter as we zip up our ‘beer coats’ (the slightly unusual British idea that drinking subjugates any feeling of the cold) in a very typical British ‘get on with it’ attitude.
Since the pandemic, we’ve leaned further into laid-back clubbing fashion, especially in student circles
However, this isn’t to say that British clubbing attire is unchanging, as recent years have seen a more casual approach to the ‘going out’ look. Since the pandemic, we’ve leaned further into laid-back clubbing fashion, especially in student circles where the standard is now jeans, a little top, and trainers, rather than the tight-mini-dress-and-heels-look students opted for more in the 2000s and 2010s. Of course, dresses and heels are still popular looks for girls clubbing across the UK in all seasons, however, students seem to heavily lean towards slightly warmer and more comfortable, casual attire. Is this a step towards Brits attempting to dress suitably for the weather? While jeans do provide more warmth, I’m doubtful that this change in approaches to clubbing fashion is anything more than a reflection of the constantly evolving trend cycles.
At the end of the day, what you wear to the club is completely up to you. Clubbing is the perfect venture to express your style, given that the ultimate point is to have fun! Why else do we trek through town to scream “Love Story” with our friends on Oceans carpeted floors or make our way to the front next to the speakers at The Cell? We club to forget about our assignments for the night, let our hair down, and express ourselves so why not experiment with your style when clubbing? And please, if you’re cold, especially when taking public transport to the club then don’t be afraid to bring a jacket! There’s no shame in using the cloakroom. Alternatively, small cardigans or boleros can easily fit into your clubbing bag or even be tied around it for that little extra warmth that stretches a long way on the bus or in that never-ending queue. Primarily, it’s most important to remember that clubbing is about making memories, not risking hypothermia for the two pounds towards the cloakroom. So next time, save your coins before grabbing that jacket – or don’t! But remember: freshers’ flu comes for us all in the end.
Ella Bailey
Featured image courtesy of Aleksandr Popov via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @lucykimey via TikTok. No changes were made to this image.
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