What to wear for freshers events?

Ok I can't word this properly, short and simple I had self-esteem issues and not really sure at all what to wear. I think this is going to be an issue I will obsess over a lot even though it's kind of minor. I've tried writing this post several times.

Right now I just tend to go to bars and pubs with a very relaxed dress code and I go with people who are pretty non-judgemental/accept me regardless of clothing preferences.

I'm not really used to settings where you have to properly dress up. The only time I have to dress smart is for work stuff where I'm meeting clients etc. and even then it's different because it's a lot more impersonal.

I'm just wondering what other clothes people will be wearing, if there's a lot of variety etc.? What do people to wear in general?

On an average day I'd just wear skinny jeans, some shirt, a zip-up and not sure about footwear.

Usually I don't care but I don't really want to make a bad impression.

Sorry if this post is weird, maybe I shouldn't have tried to explain so much... I think I probably worded it poorly in a way people wouldn't be able to relate so much?

Thanks,

Emma

In Lancaster you are allowed into places wearing pretty much anything except if you are naked or, in some cases, wearing sports kit. Few uphold the second rule but I know some of the worst places have the strictest rules. Wearing something casual won't be a problem especially as bar crawls (particularly the one around campus) is going to be quite cold in the walking sections. Much of intro week will be spent in fancy dress so you'll have something set but otherwise I would say wear what you feel comfortable in. If you make a friend early on you might want to ask them if they think something is suitable. It can show you trust them.

All my advice is based on guess work and should not be read as necessarily sensible advice.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

What do you mean by fancy dress? Like a specific theme? That makes things a lot easier. So everything else is smart casual?

I really don't know how comfortable I feel wearing dresses tbh, I might give it ago though. If everyone else is wearing one I might feel better just wearing that anyway.

Again everyone thanks for the replies, I have a better idea of what to look for now.

-Emma

PS: I don't own a pair of heels/dress and don't ever wear my flat shoes unless its for something really special in those cases id wear a dress the only two occasions I've worn dresses was when i was a bridesmaid many many years ago and at my prom.

I'm exactly the same.

Emma - I wouldn't worry too much. You won't be the only girl who doesn't dress up. I go out in Liverpool a little and I always wear jeans and a smart top

I don't go out much, and i'm not very confident when I do. There'll be lots of us in the same boat I feel.
Goodie.

I sent you a message Emor :-)

See'yall around

There'll be loads of fancy dress events (with specific themes, yes), and keep in mind it'll probably be a bit chilly, so jeans and zip up will be fine weather-wise. Which college are you in? Search up the freshers page for this year, at some point they'll put up the "timetable" for the events and you can check what fancy dress there is

Also nobody really dresses that "smart" for Freshers. People wear what they normally do. The person who always dresses smart will dress smart, and the people that wear jeans will wear jeans. Most people find Freshers nerve-wracking enough without worrying about clothes! Definitely wear what you're comfortable in.

Also welcome to Lancaster!

Thanks, hopefully that'll be the case! I didn't get your message unfortunately /nothing is in my inbox. Call me Emma! .

This is what I wrote

Hey Emma, saw your post about what to wear at freshers - don't worry! there's lots of us who will be there who aren't confident about apperance/what to wear/haven't been out much before and you'll fit in so naturally i'm sure
I'm not confident when it comes to physical things like dressing up and going out, or relationships of any kind except causal/friends/work, so i'm kind of in the same boat
(i'm a guy)
usually when I go out I wear a casual shirt and jeans, nothing special.
I'm looking forward to meeting people more like me at uni cause i'm not into getting wasted every day and everyone at home seems to be.

Hopefully i'll run into you at Lancaster and be able to say Hi!

Good luck if I don't see you around though

Harry

Never knew you had to impress alcoholics at Freshers.

I assumed it'd be a big time to meet people in your college and on your course. To be honest I don't know what is going to be happening or how many opportunities you get to meet other people. I'm leaving a stable job and a circle of friends to go to uni in the hope that I'll meet some people I relate to and be able to gain more confidence. I kind of noticed that I don't really care about money, the main reason I'm going to uni is for the experience, work was willing to pay for me to do a degree part-time.

I know that probably makes me sound like an idiot because a lot of people would really want that opportunity but I've just got to a point where I know it's people that make me happy, not money or job titles etc.

Maybe you're right though, sorry for the side-rant. Perhaps it is a poor opportunity to actually meet people you have stuff in common with if they're all drunk and that I should be more concerned about other events. I don't know anything about what's going to go on at Freshers.

Freshers week is mostly for parties. Also, I doubt you will get many friends at university if you will be studying part-time, because you usually make friends if you are going share a flat with them or living in university halls. Don't go to university for just experience, but will your degree be useful for progression in your job? There are opportunities to make friends outside the university.