Winter in Vogue
Written by Kate Cavanaugh
There are many fashion choices a student can make to survive a Michigan winter. Here’s some advice to help you arrive at class not only without hypothermia, but with style. If you’re a guy and came upon this article in hopes of assistance, you can continue reading, discover some tips and learn something new about women’s fashion, or simply wear basketball shorts all winter. The truth is, cold isn’t cool this semester, so without further ado, here’s how to stay warm in Hillsdale, Michigan.
1. Layer up
Your classes at Hillsdale will help you understand the layers of meaning behind literature. But don’t let layers stop there. Take inspiration from your classes: layer up your style. Beyond keeping your neck roasty-toasty, turtlenecks and mock necks can add a little bit of color or pattern to your outfit. You can layer them under practically anything: sweaters, cardigans, t-shirts, even dresses. Add a necklace for some detail, boots and a coat to protect you from the elements, and you’re ready to make the expedition.
2. Curate a sweater collection
As my housemate was unpacking in August, we counted the disturbingly large pile of sweaters. The grand total? Fifty-seven sweaters. Don’t fret—you can survive a Hillsdale winter without dozens of sweaters taking over your dorm room, but you will need a few. Get a neutral that you love to wear with everything. Find something colorful to wear in proud defiance of the gray winter gods of Hillsdale. Want to fully integrate that academia aesthetic into your wardrobe? Find a cream cable knit sweater, and throw it over your favorite button-up. Match it with loafers, and you’ll be ready to overwhelm your peers, not with your profound contributions to your Western Heritage class, but with sheer prepiness. Want to connect with your nostalgic, preschool days? Find a color block sweater. Match one color to your shoes, the other to your nails. You’re ready to attend your class on children’s literature. Searching for your inner accountant? Argyle will get you there. Want to reconnect with the ’80s? Wear an oversized sweater vest over a turtleneck.
3. Biologists may study cool plants, but this winter, we’re here for cool pants
Since winters in Hillsdale really force you to set aside your skirt collection, collecting a variety of pants helps keep things interesting. Finding a good pair of basic jeans is a great start. These are your go-tos. They go with everything, and you feel comfortable and confident in them. A looser fit in jeans will grant you an opportunity that will change your life: pants under pants. And by pants, I mean leggings, or even tights. When it is nine degrees, you get creative. But seriously, the wind bites here, and that extra layer will keep you warm. To add variety to your outfits, experiment with different types of jeans. Try on a wide-leg, high-waisted pair and see how they feel. Go for a straight leg for that clean cut, professional look. Experiment with different jean washes: do you like dark washes, a paler blue, or somewhere in between? But whatever you do, do not buy ripped jeans for the winter. Your knees might never recover.
4. Strength shivers at the challenge
If it breaks your heart to pack away your skirts for warmer jeans, hold on to hope. Depending on your cold tolerance (mine is low) you can get away with a skirt if you wear tights, especially if you have a longer jacket to wrap around yourself as you desperately scurry up the hill. Another way to keep the feminine skirts in rotation is to go for longer skirts. A midi skirt with some cute sneakers will leave minimal ankle out in the cold. Try pairing a longer skirt with a cropped sweater. Balance out the cold: wear your extra-cozy scarf up the hill.
5. Coats Rule
Every major has their idea of what makes the world go ’round. For econ majors, it’s the free market economy. For biochem majors, it’s exams. English majors love stories, and politics majors love bickering. But, every Hillsdale student knows at their core that neither free market nor stories nor exams nor powers nor principalities keep us going, but coats alone run the world. So, find a thick, long, winter coat that fits your style, and never leave your dorm without it.
Hopefully this article will help prepare you for Michigan winters–but remember, it’s not all bad. A campus blanketed in snow is a beautiful place to learn, and studying is all the more cozy when you look out the window and see snowflakes dancing in the air.
Discovering Winter (and the Fashionable Winter Coat)
A Guide for Surviving the Michigan Winter
Hillsdale fashion: Sometimes preppy, always one of a kind
Historic Hysteria: How Hillsdale’s style evolved
Kate Cavanaugh, ’23, is an English major who flirts with graphic design in her spare time. Besides writing for the blog, she can be found mastering the creation of faux london fogs at Saga. She can also be glimpsed power-walking to her one o’clock, as the making of faux london fogs can be time consuming.
Published in February 2022