International Trendspotter: Future freshmen fashion- A look at the class of 2015

As the 2010-2011 school year comes to a close, you may have noticed that the campus has been inundated with pre-frosh. They are the school’s current focus and will be joining us next fall, representing the face of this fine university.

It is fair to ask then how fashion-savvy these new freshmen are going to be. After all, we don’t want them to embarrass us!

So let me make a prediction based on what I’ve seen of the pre-frosh and on the statistics.

Based on the fact that acceptance rates drop lower every year, we can assume that the class of 2015 is going to be an intelligent bunch. More intelligent than the rest of us? That’s hard to say. But for the sake of speculation, let’s say that yes, overall they are a smarter class than the classes preceding them.

Thinking along these lines, one has to think about how geeks (I say this in a loving way) dress — think sandals with socks and short sleeve collared shirts for guys and ill-fitting t-shirts and sweaters for girls. And then there are always those geeky people who just wear sweatpants and sweatshirts everywhere — we all have those days, but we never make a habit of it. After all, we don’t go to Brown!

Under these assumptions, we can guess that the class of 2015 is going to need some serious fashion help when they arrive in Baltimore next fall. With our help, they will soon learn that pajamas are only acceptable to be worn to bed and on mornings when you are really, really hung over. The nerdy girls will be introduced to the five-inch heels (I know I was!) and cheap party dresses from Forever 21 — the threading might give out after two or three frat parties, but you got your $25 worth of partying and pictures in, right? We can call it What Not To Wear: Johns Hopkins Edition.

You may say that I’m generalizing about the nerdiness of the pre-frosh. Of course I am. However, after seeing the kids who came for overnight visits, I can assure you that there is more than a grain of truth to what I’m saying.

There were of course a few well-dressed pre-frosh, and I’m sure the European ones were not present and that they will add to the numbers of the fashionable.

Call me a fashion snob — go ahead, I dare you. But I am the fashion columnist after all, and it’s my job to call it as I see it. As friendly, intelligent and adorable as the class of 2015 may be, they are going to need a lot of help in the fashion department. Come October or November, and definitely by second term, I am confident that we will be able to get the freshmen up to our high fashion standards here at Hopkins.

I hope everyone has a great summer and is excited as I am to welcome the class of 2015 (fashionable or not) in the fall.