Fashion Trend of the Week: Fleece Jackets

It is mid-November, and it isn’t quite cold enough to warrant breaking out your puffy winter coat. However, you need to stay warm as you walk across campus. How can you do this? Simple: By wearing a fleece jacket.

Fleece jackets are all the rage on campus right now, especially because many residential colleges gave them to students this fall. This is probably the most useful free item will you receive on campus (other than food). These jackets are light-weight enough to give you full movement of your torso and arms, something you can’t say about puffy winter jackets. Fleece jackets are very warm, but are very thin as well, giving you the ability to comfortably wear a backpack around campus. Practicality is one of the best parts about fleece jackets.

By far the most popular fleece color is black. Black jackets are much more mellow that bright colors or even pastels, so a lot of people opt for black. Also, since black is a unisex color, residential colleges opted to hand out black fleeces to the incoming freshmen. However, black is probably the most boring color out there. If you happen to be wearing a residential college fleece, be sure to display your college’s shield with pride. There is no reason to cover up the shield with a scarf, backpack strap, or, for girls, your hair.

One great thing about fleece jackets are the zippered pockets. They are perfect for items such as gloves, your prox, your cell phone, and other small items. However, just because you have pockets does not mean you should stuff them to overflowing. It looks ridiculous when you have two tennis ball-sized lumps on your hips from overstuffing your pockets. If you really have that much stuff to carry, bring a bag (for girls) or a backpack (for guys).

One way to make a plain fleece more fashionable is to wear a scarf. Girls—scarves should make a statement. A plain knit scarf does not make the cut here, especially when you end up wearing the scarf in class. Knit scarves tend to be really bulky and look pretty ridiculous when you are wearing them in lecture. Try to wear a thin scarf that says something about you, whether it is leopard printed or covered in sequins. Guys—unfortunately, scarves don’t really work for you. If you feel you must wear a scarf, don’t. Wait until it is really cold.

Probably the most popular brand of fleece is North Face. North Face fleeces come in every single color imaginable and are very durable. Although a bit pricey, they are certainly well worth the money. The North Face, shown above, even features two breast pockets, which are great for cash or your prox when you don’t want to carry a bag.

Fleeces are the most popular jackets on campus right now. Whether it be from your residential college or from somewhere else, a good fleece is definitely worth its price. You can even wear it under your winter jacket when it gets cold! I wouldn’t be caught without a fleece on campus!

--Lisa Fierstein '14