A great pair of jeans are definitely a university staple and necessity in your wardrobe; they’re the article of clothing to grab for ease but still to look put-together. But, somewhere between the rise of remote learning, the cost-of-living crisis, and an emerging collective embrace of soft fabrics, sweatpants have quietly staged a coup. Now, the lecture theatre is still fashionably competitive, but sees more of our styled up ‘comfies’, and turning up in jeans is the universal symbol for ‘I tried’.
So, the question arises: are joggers the new jeans? And, more importantly, should we be prioritising comfort over aesthetic ambition when choosing an outfit for our 9 a.m. lecture?
Early and cold Manchester mornings simply aren’t compatible with raw and rigid denim, so it is no surprise that students are turning to the softer alternative. The most socially acceptable equivalent to wearing pyjamas outside the house — the slouchy nature of the cosy materials is much more suitable for tackling deadline season, rather than having a buttoned denim waistband digging into your stomach all day in the library.
Additionally, with us at the beginning of the rainy winter, there’s nothing worse than the inevitable soggy jeans. Once they’re wet, they’re wet for a week. But that’s not to say that joggers can’t be fashionable. Take a 30-second walk around Fallowfield and that will be made very clear. Despite the turn to relaxed fits, joggers don’t have to shy away from being stylish — maybe dress them up with a funky patterned jacket, a staple scarf, or chunky hoops to elevate any look. The possibilities are endless.
On the flip side, the decision to rely on joggers definitely leans into the IDGAF mentality and could show others how intellectually switched on you are, or want to appear, for prioritising focused study and learning rather than fashionable endeavours. They suggest authenticity, and the freedom in oneself to wear what makes them feel most ready to learn and concentrate —at the end of the day, that’s why we’re all here.
Yet the argument for dressing up is equally compelling. It’s understandable that some people view that the extent to which their outfit appears ‘put-together’ reflects their mental goals and attitudes for the day. If dressing nicer boosts confidence and poise, surely this can have a knock-on effect on overall productivity, as a structured outfit can make the day feel more intentional and directed to efficiency.
This outlook doesn’t stem from delusion either. As NFL player Deion Sauders once famously stated, ‘“If you look good, you feel good and if you feel good, you play good”, and that logic is completely relevant here. Dressing up can be motivating in the same way that giving your room a quick clean can make studying feel more manageable. It creates a sense of an external order that you can have control over, when university work or other anxieties can seem stressful or overwhelming.
Both have earned their rightful position in the student wardrobe as versatile basics, as each have their pros and cons when being hastily grabbed when you’re on your way to catch the bus. Both can be dressed up and down so that comfort doesn’t have to compromise style or self-expression, so whichever one gets you to your lecture, go for it. Yet we can all acknowledge that joggers have made it into the category of clothing that is classed as a ‘put together’ in an outfit, and you can see more about now than ever before.
