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From Oct. 5 to 9, the U of A Bookstore hosts the annual Hoodie Sale — an excellent time to style new and old U of A merch!
I hate to admit it, but summer’s over … and it's getting colder. I tried for a week to wear a T-shirt outside and have finally admitted defeat. It's time for a sweater.
Many of us already have U of A sweaters to style, so whether you buy U of A merch during this sale or not, it’s a great resource in the cold.
Also, who doesn’t want to match their favourite Bookstore Bear? That’s truly why I wear my U of A sweater.
Here are a few ways I would style an outfit with items from this October’s sweater sale.
Layers are your best friend, and an autumn wind’s worst enemy.
U of A crew necks and hoodies are an excellent choice to layer over a collared shirt and slacks. You can look academic or business-casual while still being warm.
I’d like to add a few bracelets to this outfit, but you can add other accessories like the half of a locket you share with your best friend, a favourite hat or fun shoes.
If you hate the hood on a hoodie, you can try pairing a quarter-zip sweater with a fun coloured pair of pants.
I tend to wear jeans, but a U of A sweater can be the base you wear fun pants with, too. If you trust your ability not to spill your lunch on yourself (I don't), you can try white pants. This will match many of the accents on U of A merch.
I have a pair of white pants with little palm trees all over them. And those, or any oddly patterned pants, could be an excellent choice that also adds a little fun to your fit.
If you’re like me and don't trust yourself to wear white, you can also pair a quarter-zip sweater with cargo pants. This way you also have extra pockets! I wear both men’s and women’s pants, so I understand that pockets can be difficult to come by. (But if you own a pair of cargo pants, you can show up to your class with extra snacks.)
For a more casual look, try a Canadian tuxedo or U of A sweatpants.
A Canadian tuxedo is a jean outfit complete with a jean shirt or jean jacket, but I feel a jean vest fits the bill. The picture I took isn’t a true Canadian tuxedo because the pants aren’t blue jeans, but a jean vest is more than enough to capture the aesthetic. It's simple, but yet again, adds extra pockets to your fit.
Additionally, you could wear the sweatpants with the small U of A logo. This can bring a cozy feel if you pair them with your favourite sweater.
My final recommendation is to pair your U of A merch with something whimsical.
Everything can feel very serious when we’re writing midterms that can make or break our GPA, but it's important to keep some whimsy in your life.
For this reason, I like to wear my skull fruit shirt with my U of A merch. If you look closely at the shirt in the photo, there are skulls on all of the fruit. There are even little skulls on the grapes! I think it's simply silly to look at. Strangers love it, and we’ll have a good laugh when they realize what I'm wearing. Your funniest flower-print shirt could be the perfect option under your U of A sweater.
No matter how you choose to style your clothes, I hope you have fun and enjoy your sweaters. The U of A has a strong reputation and can be impressive to get into.
The Hoodie Sale is a great time to stock up on items in our school colours so you can take part in GREEN+GOLD Spirit Days and TGIGGF.
You can see the items online, but you need to shop in-store Oct. 5-9 at the Bookstore in the lower level of the Students' Union Building (SUB) on North Campus.
If you're from Augustana, you can shop online for delivery to Augustana Campus.