1. Edgy air max
Edgier than thou, these have been gracing the feet of high street chavs since anyone can remember. I don’t know which genius decided they were suddenly cool but we all owe them a lot. I’d say stick to the classics here, black or white. I had air max 1s in first year and wore them until the bottoms literally fell off. And then I tried to glue them back together and wore them for another two months. The key thing to remember here is that you have to look effortless and grungy, as if you’ve had that shirt creased in a ball on your floor for years - you have to look scruffy obviously, this is uni. I call this the cosmic look. The aim is to look sort of like you’ve just wandered out of a night rave and you’re seeing daylight for the first time in 24 hours.
2. Chunky Sandals
As always, Swedish designers Vagabond have smashed it with these scandi-cool sandals. Accessible for any occasion, these sassy (yet stylish) flatforms will take you from library cool, to ‘Oh I’ll just have one,’ before the inevitable night in sinners. Being the proud owner of these beauties myself, I more than anyone can inform you of the versatility of flatforms sandals. Worrying what to wear out for dinner? Drinks? Visiting your Gran? No problem, Vagabond is here for you and they always will be. And with the brand still in it’s cool underground stages, you get extra smug points for the look of awe and wonder that comes over peoples faces when you say where they’re from. In other news, as we are only mere students, they also have copies for £25 in New Look - cha-ching.
3. Demure Date Night Heels
The ultimate LBH (little black heel) for when you want to prove (lie) to your new fancy man that you’re not a drunken mess 80% of the time and actually have some class. Keep it simple here with a classy dress and show off just enough leg for a sophisticated look. Oh, and maybeee slow down on the trebles. Plain black and pretty too, these babies can be pulled out on any heel wearing occasion, and therefore are a must for any uni gal. After all, who can afford to go around buying new heels for every once in a blue moon date night? Word of warning; these WILL destroy your feet. You will cry, but it will all be worth it in the end when the pictures go up on Instagram.
4. Everyday Gym Shoes
The ultimate in just-popped-back-from-the-gym cool, Nike free runs are iconic. I’ve seen people wear them at every occasion imaginable, and they look good on literally everyone. I think everyone buys these assuming they’re going to start the gym, new year new me and all that, but now they’ve become sort of a fashion mecca for broken fitness dreams. Another positive is of course that these shoes give the illusion of sportiness. You’re immediately transformed into one those fit, low maintenance gym girls that go to pilates class every day before lectures. Result. Now you just have to start jogging everywhere and drinking starbucks