If you think everyone comes to school dressed in a t-shirt and sweats every day, you will be surprised by the responses of these students. While many people you see walking around campus are in comfier, more casual clothes, there are more than you’d think who have to come to school dressed to go to work right from class or who just like to come dressed up wherever they go.

Second-year student Marco Ginocchio works just about every day after school, so he often has to come to school in his work clothes.

“While I would say my day-to-day outfits are casual and comfortable [outside of school,] I always come to school dressed for something else,”  Ginocchio said. “I work just about every day after school, so usually I’m in my work clothes. That usually means a nicer pair of pants and a collared shirt.”

Ginocchio spends a lot of time at the gym or going for runs, so he mentioned that he also comes dressed for a workout on occasion.

“If I know I’m going for a run, I’ll just come dressed in shorts,” Ginocchio said. “It can change from day to day. In high school, I barely cared about what I put on every day.”

Ginocchio also mentioned that his style and clothing choices have changed quite a bit from when he was back in high school, and he didn’t put much thought into what he was wearing.

“In high school, I rarely cared what I put on,” Ginocchio said. “ It was always shorts and some type of shirt that probably didn’t match.  Now, I actually care about looking decent when I walk out of the house.”

Another second-year student who also often has to come to school dressed for work is Umana Uddin.  Uddin has two jobs where she and her co-workers have a strict dress code they are required to follow during every shift.  She has worked at a clothing store called Francesca’s for almost two years and has just recently gotten a job at Pandora as well.

“I used to dress up in high school every day, whether I had to work or not,”  Uddin said. “Now, I only come to school dressed nicely if I have to work that day, which I usually do anyway.  For work, I have to wear a cute shirt, jeans without any rips in them and a nice pair of shoes.”

A student who comes dressed up for school almost every day, regardless of where they have to be afterward, is second-year student Dest Rose.

“Some people have said I remind them of a Victorian punk,”  Rose said. “I have fancy button-downs and vests. I can switch from wearing a frilly shirt with collar clasps and a necktie, to wearing a flannel, a nerdy t-shirt, colorful pants and skater shoes within a week.”

Rose went through a few years in school, not being able to fully express herself with clothing and fashion choices that were inspiring, because she was required to wear a uniform to school every day.  Now, her clothing choices are inspired by high-end Victorian coats and shirts that she sees in movies, and she’s able to express herself in those ways.

“If I could afford Victorian shirts and coats that I see in punk outfits in shows, I would buy them in a heartbeat,”  Rose said. “But while I’m a broke college student, I’ll wear what I can afford off the clearance racks of alternative stores and the costume-esque sections of thrift stores.”

While Rose admitted that everyone has those days where they’re up late and don’t want to put effort into picking out an outfit, most of the time she is dressed in something she wants people to notice.

“If I don’t feel good mentally, I, at least, want to look good,”  Rose said.

Elgin Community College offers a place where students are able to express themselves freely with their clothing however they want to.  Students have taken advantage of this freedom to explore new things and experiment with different styles until they find the one that works best for them, their personality and how they want others to perceive them.