With greater than 100 Claremont McKenna School (CMC) juniors returning to campus after research overseas packages all over the world, CMC’s campus shouldn’t be solely inundated with acquainted faces, but additionally absolutely dressed. new and thrilling. It appears my prayers have been answered, as my friends have lastly realized: pajamas, sweatpants, and leggings are usually not acceptable style decisions anyplace exterior of america.
As a global scholar from Europe, I’ve all the time puzzled how school college students again house would react in the event that they noticed a typical CMCer strolling into their lecture, dressed within the notorious Claremont-Mudd-Scripps shirt, flip-flops, and grey sweatpants. I suppose they’d be shocked and dismayed and wouldn’t chorus from sharing that opinion with you.
However to really uncover the attitudes of scholars and locals overseas towards American scholar style, I investigated the experiences of 5 CMC youth who studied overseas in Argentina, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, and Tunisia. Hopefully, their new shared knowledge will encourage CMC college students yearly to ditch the pajamas and placed on actual pants.
In keeping with Jack Barrett CM ’25, throughout his pre-departure packing, “style was an afterthought.”
College students like Henry Fina CM ’25 took a hands-on method and adopted a “play it secure” perspective.
“I needed easy garments that would not stand out from the gang and would not make me a goal,” Fina mentioned. “I used to be very anxious about it.”
Upon his arrival in Seville, Spain, Pierce Sanderson CM ’25 realized he would wish to take a step ahead.
“You’re feeling like you have to gown to dwell as much as expectations, and in the event you do not, you get soiled appears,” Sanderson mentioned. “For my part, this isn’t essentially a destructive follow and might profit CMC’s style tradition, or lack thereof.”
In the meantime, Talia de Beer CM ’25 had some extra constructive reflections to share.
“What I’ve seen in Europe is that folks gown like they do of their cities,” de Beer mentioned. “So relating to shade palettes, I feel folks largely gown in the identical shade palette as their cities. And I used to be capable of seize this, so I made certain my items integrated some patterns and colours that matched town.”
Our CMCers’ prime style takeaways from their semesters overseas?
“It was a constructive change,” Fina mentioned. “I feel I felt extra comfy sporting pants as a substitute of shorts and sweatpants.”
Another convert added to the record.
Moreover, de Beer famous a scarcity of judgment throughout his time overseas.
“I believed it might be a enjoyable expertise to strive new issues with my style sense as a result of I would not really feel judged or pressured to decorate a sure approach once I was in Lisbon,” de Beer mentioned. “And it actually gave me inventive freedom to have the ability to strive issues that I most likely would not have used on campus.”
Nevertheless, some CMC males nonetheless returned with their passionate obsession with sweatpants.
“It is higher to put on them than a pair of pants,” Fina mentioned. “Particularly in the event you go to work in an workplace, hate your life, have a spouse and youngsters that you do not actually care about since you work so typically you by no means get to see them, it turns into a sensitive topic. . And you may simply benefit from the little moments like placing on a pair of sweatpants and going to Walmart.”
Sanderson had a query for Fina.
“Have you ever ever worn a sweatshirt, no shirt, sweatpants and no underwear?” he mentioned.
“That is freedom,” Fina responded. “And I imagine that one of many elementary American values is freedom and we gown to mirror that.”
One in all De Beer’s favourite international takeaways is one I like to recommend all 5C college students undertake.
“I feel I used to be very confused in my style sense once I first got here to Claremont and touring overseas and accumulating new items made me very excited to get up within the morning and plan my outfit,” de Beer mentioned. “I hope that stays.”
George Ashford CM ’25, who studied in Tunisia, mirrored on the wardrobe change.
“I felt fortunate to have the ability to afford new garments,” Ashford mentioned. “That may be a main drawback, as a result of nearly all the garments on the market are second-hand. “I feel that is why a few of the issues appeared a little bit behind the tendencies, simply because folks cannot afford to purchase new garments, particularly from American manufacturers.”
In search of a constructive tackle CMC style? Fina has it lined.
“Gown nonetheless you need,” Fina mentioned. “I feel it is the most effective issues about our campus: You may see folks sporting no matter. Some folks gown as if they’re about to go to a job interview or as if they’re about to stroll into an funding banking workplace. “Some persons are dressed like they only acquired out of the fitness center and there’s nothing improper with that.”
Elizaveta (Lisa) Gorelik CM ’25 is from Moscow, Russia. After spending winter break at house, she is so relieved to be sporting sweatpants once more.