The trouble with Thursday
The hallmark of any truly excellent outfit is that it can take you from one social event to another. I’ll plead guilty to occasionally stuffing my bag with bangles, shoes, scarves, and necklaces, when I know that I will need to move from college formal, for example, to the decadence that is The Goose. In Oxford, versatility is key, as it can be hard to move from a black tie event to a club.
As men simply need to loosen the bow tie to go from formal to relaxed, I’m planning on concentrating on the foibles of dressing girls. In my opinion, Thursday is the hardest night in Oxford to assemble an outfit that will take you from drinks to college formal to house party to pub to club to the kebab van. Thus, I’ve prepared a little cheat sheet for each of the standard Thursday night destinations, pinpointing the highs and lows of each event.
Please take this list to heart, as I’ve seen far too many girls unacceptably dressed for Ahmeds lately.
The New Filthy Thursday
It just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? This is one of the newer additions to the Thursday scene, and boy, is it a douzy. The sad demise of Filthy Friday aside, however, this is fashion wise a very welcoming circle. Or, on the other hand, perhaps everyone is too drunk to point out your fake Paddington bag.
I would recommend keeping it sweet and simple for Filth on a Thursday, as you are not necessarily going to want anything that is dry clean only the next morning. I would say that a little skirt, a sassy jumper, and lovely boots along with mountains of accessories are all you really need. That, and your sense of self dignity back.
Thursdays at the Bridge
Although this has apparently long been the place to “see and be seen,” there doesn’t tend to be a lot of fashionable ground broken.
If you’re a boy, and not in a striped shirt, I swear that they usher you into a cage somewhere in the back of the Bridge, and you are never seen again. Similarly, if you’re a girl, and you’re not wearing a disc belt, I’m convinced they have a scheme in place whereby they issue you one at the coat check for the night.
It tends to be a lot of tousled hair, ripped denim, collars on the up and up, and massive amounts of bronzer and kukui nut necklaces at the Bridge on Thursday; I would suggest instead that a girl should wear funky chains, black lacy skirts, and serious eyeliner, as that sort of thing is rather revolutionary at le pont. Oh yah, darling.
President’s Drinks at the Union
The tricky fashion conundrum here is that some men will be in black tie, while others will simply be in jacket and tie.
Where does a girl position herself, then? In my opinion, I think full black tie for girls, as in ball gowns, is a bit overdone for an event whose foundations seem to be Gordon’s gin and plastic glasses. I personally think that a bit of fur, quirky tights, classic heels and a frothy skirt will straddle this thorny divide. This combination will carry you through drinks and to that special chair in the corner for an extremely spirited rendition of “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am.” Cheers.
College Formal
First off, do try to borrow a scholar’s gown off a clever friend. The flappy ones simply make you look like you’re wearing a half finished polyester coat of an odd length; not to mention a bit of a dribbler. So, once you’ve got this sorted, I suggest wearing as little as possible with as much obnoxious jewelry as you can manage. After all, you only have three chances or so a week to catch that excessively fit Physics tutor’s eye.
In all seriousness, do take advantage of the fact that most colleges have relaxed their dress codes. Might as well take advantage of that half finished bottle of rose that your dining partners have left behind, too.
17th Nov 2005