Whether it’s the sneaky candid videos on TikTok or the posts on their Instagram, you have probably seen Trinity‘s Fashion Society‘s weekly Campus Couture. Showcasing the outfits worn on campus by Trinity students, Fashion Soc‘s initiative has even inspired other colleges to follow suit. At the beginning of the academic year 2023/24, Eloise Sherrard took a deep dive into the background and logistics of Campus Couture in her interview with Fashion Soc’s Yasmin Ryan and Ryan Bryne. Now, as the year is coming to a close, let us reflect and anticipate. What trends did Trinity students actually wear in the infamous Campus Couture? How often were these trends worn? Which trends were persistent throughout the year and which were just micro-fads? What can we expect to keep seeing Trinity students wear? Can we perhaps even observe an unofficial uniform? Trinity students often get advertised as a very particular stereotype. They are supposedly artsy and trendy, think viral on Pinterest – long skirts, bleached eyebrows — is this accurate?
To really get into the nitty gritty details, nothing beats an Excel spreadsheet. Having gone through the eleven Campus Couture instagram posts of the current academic year up until March, showcasing a total of 115 outfits, the results are as follows: Long skirts were by far the most popular item, depicted a grand total of 15 times, four of which were denim. Surprisingly, not a single bleached eyebrow was pictured. On the topic of hair, bows in hair can only be found four times. Hats were popular this year – three fur hats and two berets were worn amongst a couple beanies. Fur was also popular in coats. Whilst much outerwear had elements of fur, five coats made fully out of fur can also be counted in the Campus Couture posts. Even more popular, with the second highest count of nine, were leather jackets. Next in popularity were leg warmers and fully monochrome outfits, both of which appear six times across the posts. At this point a special shoutout must be made for the Campus Couture post from October 20th, where Ellie Goulding is pictured wearing a monochrome power suit during her visit to the Phil. Though five tiny scarves were pictured, only one sports scarf can be found. Also less common than expected are red shoes, which only appear twice. It must be noted however, that shoes are not visible for all the outfits, so this may be skewed. Double denim also only appeared twice, both times in the same post! Also only two appearances were made by Adidas track jackets.
The statistically most persistent trends were unsurprisingly the two most common ones: leather jackets and maxi skirts, and the Adidas track jacket. These were pictured in the first and last posts included in this analysis. The least persistent were obviously the sports scarf which only appeared once, and the double denim, which only appeared in one post as previously mentioned. Surprisingly, bows in the hair and berets both were only photographed in a one-month window. Monochrome, long denim skirts and fur coats lasted two months, while red shoes lasted three. In second place for longevity were fur hats, tiny scarves and leg warmers, all pictured across five months.
According to these outcomes, a leather jacket with a maxi skirt is the ultimate Trinity uniform. Fur in the form of hats, coats or and/or leg warmers is the most popular material for Trinity students. A scarf is also a good bet if you want to look like the stereotype of someone who would appear on Campus Couture. Bleached eyebrows were my only personal prediction that did not appear once. Of course this does not mean it is the only trend that was never — or rarely — captured. This list is focused on trends that did appear, and it must be noted that it was built on a very small database. A college of 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students cannot be summarised in 115 outfits. Campus Couture showcases a snapshot into College life. It shines light on a small handpicked selection of fun outfits and appreciates the community that Fashion Soc creates. And, of course, there are still a few Fridays left in the year
