Monkey-faded jeans, short kurtas, stylish skirts, fashionable belts, lipper (a nickname for lipstick), eye-liner, trendy footwear, flowing hair for girls and short hair for boys with a tinge of colour added here and there, chic goggles and other accessories. No, we are not talking about a fashion show, certainly not. We are describing the fashion scene at a college campus in Delhi, where students in myriad colours of dresses are making their own fashion statements.

They have just bid goodbye to monotonous school uniforms and are revelling in their new-found independence, which is asserted through their dresses, accessories and make-up.

We wondered whether they missed the sense of belonging to a particular institution symbolised by their school uniforms. In college, with everyone dressing as they pleased, mostly casuals, it is difficult to link a student with his or her institution. Didn't they think that a uniform should be introduced in colleges too like schools? The answer was a strict "no, not at all". Abhishek Mukherjee of Venkateshwara College [I Year B.Sc. (Hons.)], said that 12 years were sufficient to "keep us in discipline and develop in us a sense of affiliation with a particular organisation. But now, being grown up, there is no need for that . Moreover, what will be the difference between college and school if we have to wear uniforms here too." If not uniform, there should be at least be a dress code banning provocative and seductive dressing. To this, everyone was unanimous that though everybody has the freedom to wear clothes of their choice, tantalising dresses should be kept for parties. Anu Gupta of Hansraj College, [Final Year B.A. (Pass)], asserted: "Girls should not wear deep-necklines or revealing clothes to college. The right to dress should be judiciously utilised by them. Tempting appearances should be reserved for parties. And if girls come to college dressed thus, they should not complain if boys tease them. They should be prepared for the consequences, good or bad."

Elaborating, she added that accessories should complement one’s dress. "Hanging earrings or geometric earrings, a black thread kissing one's neck with a silver pendant and bracelets are ‘in’ for girls." Boys are one step ahead. Kumar Sambhav of Kirori Mal College [II Year Geography (Hons.)], said: "For boys, chains of beads, bracelets, flashy watches and, of course, a mobile phone are what he should have to look hep, or at least create that impression." Carrying a trendy mobile qualifies one to be called fashionable. "It’s a must for girls and boys and the most favoured brand is Nokia. It will help you to gain popularity if you flash a rare species of mobile not available in India."

‘Matching’ is the 'in' word on the campus. "Clothes, accessories and make-up should be in harmony with each other. If you are wearing a white shirt with blue jeans, then you should carry a bag and wear footwear of a similar colour", said Sheetal Verma of Hansraj College [II Year English (Hons.)]. Girls generally replace their tops within four or five months and it is a sin to repeat the same dress within a week. But boys seem to be more sensible in this regard for they wear their shirts till they are faded and worn-out.

Girls seem to be spending more money per month on clothes and other accessories than boys. On an average, girls are spending 50 to 60 per cent of their pocket-money on looking good whereas boys spend just 30 to 40 per cent. Girls also take more time to dress in the mornings. (Most times it is dressing up). It could take anything from 45 minutes to an hour to put everything—clothes, accessories and cosmetics—in place. But the college-going girl should not be blamed for spending so much time in dressing up as she has to always keep herself good-looking and attractive to ‘keep’ lecherous boyfriends from straying and keep the competition at bay. (Incidentally, having a boyfriend, and that too a ‘good’ one, is the first priority of most of the girl students. It is only the kitabi keedas who do not have one).

Girls don’t want their boyfriends to wear tight-fitting or body-hugging clothes. "Piercing of ears and tattooing is appalling. Boys should wear jeans and smart and short kurtas", said Pooja Nirmohi of Indraprastha College [II Year B.A. (Pass)]. Boys too want simple and sobre looking girls. Lalit Aggarwal of Khalsa College [Ist Year B. Com], said: "My girl friend can don anything that is decent. But she should avoid wearing kurta pyjamas regularly as that would give her the appellation of a behenji." Girls too admitted that they are liable to be called behenjis if they wore salwar-kurta regularly.

There is a marked difference in the dressing styles of students belonging to different academic streams. While students belonging to the Arts and Commerce streams are devoted to fashion, those in the Science streams are generally more serious about their studies and thus do not concentrate on fashion so much. Shivani Kocchhar of Vardhman Mahaveer Medical College [II Year MBBS] said: "Our syllabus is so extensive that 24 hours of the day seem to be inadequate for studies and we are left with no time to concentrate on what is in and what is not in terms of fashion."

In fact, there is also a dissimilarity in the dressing styles of students from metropolitan cities and those from small cities. Aparna Gupta of Jaipur of Indraprastha College, said that she liked to buy clothes according to her need. "I don’t buy clothes with fashion in mind. Fashion doesn’t rule me, but necessity does."

There is no denying the fact that fashion today dominates most college students more than studies which have been relegated to the back seat. Many of them admitted that they had joined college for the sake of ‘fashion and fun’.

This attitude is unfortunate, but that is what it is. Temples of learning and the ‘Groves of Academia’ have become, at least for most of the students, just a fashion catwalk. Some senior professors told us that just 10 per cent of the students getting admission in colleges are serious about their studies and genuinely try to acquire the skill and knowledge they had got admission for. For most of the others, it was just a ‘time pass’. For girls, a transit period and a bid to add a degree to their resume, till they get married, after which they will never use the knowledge they gained in college for the rest of their lives, and for the boys, an "exposure" before their rich and influential parents get them fixed up somewhere. The ‘needy’ ones, those who will ultimately become breadwinners for their family and the sole support of aged parents are hardly seen on the campus, outside the classrooms. For them, it is a strict home-to-college and college-to-home schedule. They neither have the time nor the money for anything else.

For most students, a college is a place where they can enjoy the liberty not available within the strict norms of schools and experiencing it for the first time, on occasions, goes to their head. Having no other outlet to express themselves, this ‘breaking free' gets reflected in the dresses they wear. Preeti Gupta of Indraprastha College [II Year Maths (Hons.)], agrees that a major chunk of her pocket money is spent on clothes and cellphone expenses. "It is not only because we like to look modern that we wear jeans. It is also because jeans are comfortable for commuting in buses from home to college" she says. Sonal Khanna of the same college [II Year B.A. (Pass)], prefers to buy her clothes from Janpath and Sarojini Nagar market. According to her, fashion changes rather fast. What is ‘in’ now will be ‘out’ within a few months and that is why she prefers the rather cheaper versions of the ‘in thing’ which are made to last for a short time. Another reason for picking up a particular T-shirt, apart from its colour, is the catch line on it. Sonal’s T-shirt read: ‘If you’re rich, I am single’. The other catch line is ‘Save dharma for world peace’. T-shirts which are light in colour and monkey-washed jeans are the real ‘in’ thing this season among the college going crowd. Short kurtas are also doing the rounds both among girls and boys. But the boys complain that they have fewer options than girls. Ashish Goyal of SGTB Khalsa College complains that beginning from the admission process where some colleges give five per cent relaxation on the cut-off percentage to dressing up for college, girls have the advantage.

Apart from what they wear, girls are rather choosy and many of them determine what their boy friends should wear. Richa Khattar, who is in I Year, says she prefers her boy friend to wear short kurtas with baggy jeans, a pendant with black thread round his neck and 'cool' glares.

Richa, who is pursuing an Honours course in Zoology from Hansraj College also has reservations on the dress code of her boy friend: "He has to be sober looking and wear jeans and full sleeve shirts". But the boys seem to be more liberal on the question of what their girl friends wear. Gagandeep Mohan, a student of Kirori Mal College [II Year B.A. (Hons.) English], says: "She can wear anything she feels comfortable in. Anything that looks good on her."

Only a few boys believe that it is the dress of a girl that provokes teasing. In fact, the boys like their girl friends to wear 'trendy' dresses to make their friends envious; but they themselves would not go in for a steady relationship with a 'trendy' girl. Ashish Jain from Satyawati College pursuing Maths (Hons.) is strict that his girlfriend wears Indian outfits: "She should be of the type who can be introduced to my mother", he chirps in.

All the students believe that it is very difficult to judge anyone’s personality by dress alone. But they also say that clothes do spell out one’s attitude. There are certain dress restrictions in some colleges. In Aurobindo College (Evening) wearing body-hugging jeans and provocative dresses are prohibited. Most students believe that they are now old enough to decide for themselves what to wear and what not to.

Students who prefer quality over price prefer Bindals at Kamala Nagar, Mall TVR at Ashok Vihar, Vcb at Model Town or Shoppers Stop. Vishal Singhal of Hansraj says that he frequents Janpath but buys a branded replica of the outfit that catches his fancy there from a showroom as he doesn’t believe in bartering quality for price.

The favourite haunts of students belonging to South Campus are Sarojini Nagar and Central Market in Lajpat Nagar. Boys generally prefer to buy their casuals from Monastery (Tibetan Market) Buddha Vihar (near ISBT). Not only are the best of T-shirts and jeans available there at reasonable prices but one can choose from a mind-boggling collection of colours and designs. The markets at Sarojini Nagar and Janpath are ideal for purchasing accessories.

The right kind of shoes or slippers and accessories are an integral part of fashion in college. Fake jewellery with an antique look is ‘in’ nowadays. Ear-rings in bunched form and anklets of metal with an antique look are the most hep in the campus. Three rings pierced on the outer ear is the latest trend. But boys abstain from any sort of body piercing or tattooing as they believe them to be outdated. The wild look which used to do the rounds in the campus after Vivek Oberoi became a hit with his stubby charm is out. The ‘makkhi’ sort of beard made famous by Amir Khan in ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ is also out of fashion. Sober looks with short hair and a clean shaven face are basic to the current trend of fashion in colleges.