New York City is acclaimed worldwide for its stronghold across the gambit of various industries, from finance to fashion. It is particularly well-known for the latter category, being one of the top three fashion capitals in the world. This affects New Yorkers every day, albeit sometimes subconsciously. It is plain to see by just walking around the pedestrian plaza on 25th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenue. There, the students of Baruch College can be seen in outfits ranging from the typical sweatpants and sweatshirt, embodying the archetypal image of college students, to ensembles that look as though they have been worn right off the runways of New York Fashion Week.
Students and the younger generations are part of the biggest demographic targeted by the fashion industry. Whether it is to attain a certain status symbol, because they have an interview or a part-time job or internship, or because they simply want to look good and stand out in a sea full of well-dressed people, most students care about their appearance, especially students in New York City.
“Living and commuting to school in NY has a lot to do with how I dress. New York City is a runway, you need to prepared to stand out,” says Ivanna Fairweather, a junior at Baruch and majoring in sociology. “I like to wear clothes that are cute but not too inappropriate, only a little inappropriate. Its important to always look nice you never know what’s going to happen, you might see a cute guy around campus and you want to make sure you look good.”
Fashion vs. Finance: The Dilemma of a New York City Student from Amrita Sandhu on Vimeo.
LaToya Bowlah, a senior majoring in political science and government puts a New York City spin on her everyday attire. Yet she always makes sure that what she wears does not interfere with her daily activities.
“I guess I would describe the way I dress as casual with a NY fashion sensibility,” she said. “Often times I’ll wear casual attire, but with a pair of comfortable wedges or booties on my feet. I dress the way I do because it’s both comfortable enough to spend an entire day in but presentable enough in case any unplanned meetings or events occurred.”
Figuring out what to wear in the morning becomes one of the most important decisions of a student’s day, as it dictates how the rest of their day will go and how the rest of New York City will see him or her.
“I usually don’t take much time to consider my outfit in the morning, but if I wasn’t a commuter I probably wouldn’t spend any time at all,” explains Brendan Klein, senior and majoring in political science. “Having to travel over an hour to and from school forces me to make an effort because I know I’ll be glanced at by hundreds maybe even thousands of people in any given day. Not to mention New Yorkers are fashion snobs so throwing on a hoodie and sweats isn’t an option, although I wouldn’t mind.”
With such expectations from them, students struggle with not only maintain appearances but balancing their budgets as well. As if trying to find some stability between having school work, a job or internship (sometimes both), and a social life was not difficult enough, students have to constantly be wary of how much money they spend and on what.
“I spend about $10 per day on food, since I usually leave home around 9 a.m. and return by 7 or 9 p.m. in the evening,” said Jamilya Nurkanova, a junior majoring in journalism. “I rarely spend time on clothing, not that I don’t like shopping, but rather I know that I won’t have anything to eat on the next day.”
Nurkanova went on to explain how money management can be a difficult but important skill to have, as it makes going about everyday life as a college student a little less stressful.
“I think if you are an organized person and you try to impose some monetary limits on yourself, for example, not to exceed 200 dollars per month, it would be a bit easier,” she said. “But personally, I am a very spontaneous person, so I can’t control much of my money that I spend on food, but apart from that, I usually don’t go out to movies or concerts, so basically food and transport takes it all.”
The average student has to weigh the costs and benefits of spending money on luxury items, often putting needs before wants. The outcome of this system results in students having to opt out of going out for drinks with friends or from shopping for the latest fashion trend just to be able to afford lunch from the dollar pizza place on the corner.
Fashion vs. Finance: New York City Style on a College Student’s Budget from Amrita Sandhu on Vimeo.