Sophomores Leah Sullivan and Charlie Korell ridicule the Regis Jesuit dress code as pointless or constricting. Collared shirts for boys, RJ polos for girls, shoe limitations, hair style regulations, the list goes on. Adhere to these rules, or find yourself picking up trash in the cafeteria.

This dress code is clearly aimed at making students look professional for their school endeavors, but “dress code style” is often very different from the styles people are used to when they come to Regis. Some though, seem to have figured out how to navigate the strange waters of the dress code.

 – Boys Division –

Button Up and Polo style: “I’m wearing a button up shirt… Oh ya, [rolled up], but not past the elbow”–Michael Gaessler

One of the more prominent and displayed fashion trends in the boys division is the preppy look. The look that seems to display to the world a college bound individual who likes to look nice. The word preppy, according to Wikipedia, is derived from “preparatory”as used in preparatory university or high school, exactly what Regis is. The preppy look is one of confidence and stature, and fits in nicely with the dress code. Michael Gaessler’s usual outfit consists of a button up shirt, rolled up, but not past his elbows. This is fairly average in the boys division. Most people will find themselves wearing a button up shirt, either short sleeve or rolled up long, or a polo shirt. These are really the only options, but it is important to know how to dress them.

Shorts and Pants – “The average boys division dress is very preppy, vibrant colors, and short shorts” – Michael Gaessler

Shorts and pants all look pretty similar, and one can end up looking like everyone else pretty easily. The trick in pants is to stand out, but also don’t go over the top. Shorter shorts are always a great option to make yourself look a little nicer, but anything passed the mid‐thigh is out of dress code. As far as pants though, Kaki, or, as Michael was wearing in his interview, corduroys are always a good way to go.

Shoe Style – “The boys definitely wear Sperrys all the time”–Katie Neal

Shoes in the boys division can be a variety of things. When walking through the halls, one might see anything from basketball shoes to boat shoes. One of the most common shoes are Sperrys, a flat soled, nicer looking shoe. It is commonly worn with tall socks and has a variety of options. There are leather Sperrys and canvas style shoes. There is also the sneaker option, but is generally not nearly as good looking as a Sperry look.

– Girls Division –

Polo Style – “A polo is a must because I actually have to wear them” – Katie Neal

Polos in the girls division are a requirement by the dress code, and they have to be RJ made. Katie Neal, among most other RJ girls, does not like wearing the polos, but recognizes that there are ways to dress them.

“We have to wear polo shirts as you know, so its fun to wear a scarf or something to cover up that they’re polo shirts,” Neal says. “I really like to wear sweaters over polo shirts, because I really love sweaters and I buy a lot of them in the fall and winter seasons, so its nice to have sweaters that you can just throw over a polo shirt, because then its like your still wearing something unique and thats your own but your still in dress code”.

Obviously, sweaters, scarves, and jewelry (see accessorizing) are great ways to style, and even cover up entirely that it’s a polo shirt, but what if you want to rock the polo as is?

Leah Sullivan says “my polo looks nice with accessorizing, with my bracelets, especially from Alex and Ani. I’ve got my watches I like to mix up and my necklaces”.

The trick with the polos is usually accessorizing and color, along with matching pants, shorts, or skirts.

Shorts, Pants, and Skirts Style – “I’d recommend skirts are always a great way to go because skirts can be dressed really nicely, like they can be casual or cute the way you accessorize them depends, you can really find a lot of cute skirts a lot of places. But pants wise I literally have about fifteen colors of different colored pants” – Leah Sullivan

The most common thing in any weather for GD students to wear is pants. There are so many different options to go for. “I really like the flowey pants.” Katie Says, “They’re just super comfy and they look really cute and put together and people feel like I’m actually trying but actually I just feel like I’m wearing pajamas, so that is probably one of my favorite things to wear to school.” – Katie Neal.

Pants though are all very different, and you have many looks you can try, like Leah who says that “I go for the more fitted style pants with my polo” – Leah Sullivan.

Want to stand out more? Skirts might be the option then. Skirts are a more fun feeling outfit choice, and come in many different styles. When asked about her perfect outfit in dress code, Katie said; “If I could find a cute longer skirt that like worked well with my polo shirt, but its like really hard to find skirts that are actually in dress code, and then probably some sort of scarf that is coordinating with the colors of the skirt.” They make great statement pieces in your outfit.

The last option, and probably the least common option, but not at all the worst decision, is shorts. Shorts have to be knee length, as stated in the dress code. If going for a shorts look, one should always consider Kaki, because it matches so well with the preppy attitude of the school.

Accessory and Jacket Style – “You walk through the halls and a lot of people will be matching, if you get some of those little pieces of jewelry, that nice pair of shoes, or that extra piece thats still in dress code, but it can make your outfit stand out so much more and in comparison just be so much better. So its just when you compare, because the outfits are so common and like the accessories really make you stand out. Like I feel like when I accessorize more I get more compliments on how I look” – Leah Sullivan

Leah Sullivan is an accessory wizz. She has over ten different sweaters, necklaces from small to large, bracelets as simple as wristbands to Alex and Ani, and shoes to be sure there isn’t an outfit she couldn’t pull together.

Leah always likes to stand out; “I like to do a bigger kind of necklace because it stands out more against a plain colored shirt. Like a bigger necklace stands out its a statement piece a lot of the time and then I like to do rings and bracelets like I have a Fossil watch, Micheal Kors are popular, Alex and Ani bracelets, Loci bracelets, theres some cute bracelets from different stores. Oh and I go for a color scheme.”

The dress code is pretty stale and uniform, but it’s lack of regulation on accessories makes breaking the norm a little bit easier.

Statement pieces are key. “Footwear, probably sandals or Sperrys depending on what the weather is like, and jewelry.” Katie Neal says. “I always wear pearl earrings and diamond earrings because I have a double piercing is what I wear every day.”

“Oh ya and then Alex and Ani bracelets I wear my Alex and Ani bracelets like every single day. And their really popular, so thats something to put in” –Katie Neal.

The fashion at Regis is really all about standing out, as one can see here, even though its pretty constricting, its important to be yourself when you dress, and make it yours. And who knows? Maybe the dress code can be your window of opportunity to experiment with different styles, and not be a constrictor at all.