The collegiate gentleman is dead. The bands of brothers merrily skipping to class in their flouncing pleated pants and varsity sweaters are long gone. Today, the chances of seeing a herd of guys wearing four different items made of sweatshirt material are higher than seeing one guy in a pair of penny loafers.

‘The standard sweatshirt isn’t going to cut it,’ said Syracuse University alumna Sharon Clott, editor of MTV Style, MTV’s fashion website. ‘Even if you put four on, it still doesn’t work. So step up your game.’

Thanks in part to the recession, men’s runway shows have become decreasingly idealistic. For the average male college student, this means styles have become increasingly available. Case in point: Fall’s trends are all about cool, casual comfort, not the glitz of yesteryear. But it does include a number of relatively simple trends Syracuse guys can pull off without too much effort.

Take flannel, which is finally having its moment in the sun.

‘Flannel’s something that’s had a horrible reputation for all these years,’ Clott said. ‘Like, ‘Ew, don’t touch flannel.’ But now designers are really embracing it.’

Flannel is an easy fix for warmth that also adds a little color in the wardrobe. Molly Gallagher, editor in chief of Zipped, SU’s fashion magazine that is published once a semester, called the look one of her favorites.

‘I think it’s really easy to layer and manipulate and carry into winter,’ she said.

Just be careful of what you pair the flannel with, lest you look like a lumberjack who suddenly rolled up on campus. To avoid the grungy look, don’t wear the flannel with a pair of grubby khakis, said Gallagher, also a staff writer for The Daily Orange.

‘If it’s with a dark-washed jean and a nicer pair of shoes, it looks more put together,’ Clott said. ‘The worst thing to do is wear a printed T-shirt that says ‘Syracuse’ with the flannel over top.’ Instead, pair a flannel with a solid white, gray or black tee.

With that flannel, go ahead and throw on a pair of the season’s hottest pants — tailored denim. Clott said college guys’ jeans are in desperate need of some attention.

‘They’ve been too lazy, just taking their baggy pants and going with it for all their lives,’ she said. To maintain masculinity, Clott suggested pairing the more fitted jeans with a looser top.

The biggest thing in footwear this year couldn’t translate to Syracuse any better.

‘Every guy who’s into fashion this year will be buying a combat boot if they don’t have it already,’ said Clott. ‘I feel like it’s the must-have for fall.’

Last season was all about the hiking boot, but the ability to make the combat boot casual or formal makes this year’s look far more versatile. Both Clott and Gallagher said combat boots work best with the flaps loose and on the outside of pant legs.

As temperatures drop, the go-to coat for several years running has been the peacoat. Finally, the runway has transitioned to the duffle coat — those trench-looking coats with three or more toggles down the front for closure.

‘It’s really to take on and off in class,’ Gallagher said. ‘And they offer great detail.’

Clott said there’s one look with these coats every guy must avoid.

‘You can go prep-overload with this and think you should be on a yacht,’ she said.

While most students probably won’t be on a yacht anytime soon, some formal occasions may arise. One of the freshest looks for formal evenings is the tuxedo jacket paired with dark denim.

‘I automatically think of Brad Goreski from ‘The Rachel Zoe Project,” Clott said. ‘He’s kind of perfected the tux jacket in any occasion, every occasion, every-moment-that-I-wake-up look.’

Gallagher said the most important thing about the look is its transferability from day into night. And best of all, Clott said, it’s great for students who will be dressing to impress.

‘I think if a guy were wearing this on a date, I’d think, ‘Oh, he’s got it together,” she said. ‘He’s not just trying to hook up on a night after Chuck’s.’

 

gmillerj@syr.edu

Published on October 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm