This week’s college street style student is Mandeep Mundy from the U’s Business School. Mundy is a junior studying Information Systems and his style has changed quite a bit since entering the program. He used to wear outdoor-style clothing, but now he dresses more professionally for the Business School.
NO SHAVE NOVEMBER
Since this month is “No Shave November”, a few beard-related questions were in order. But Mundy said he won’t be involved this year.
Luckily, he’s got a lot of style tips for you to learn from as he was dressed quite sharp on the day of the interview, (beard or no). He was wearing a blue button up shirt from his favorite store of all time, John Varvatos. and black motto jeans with Cole Haan oxford shoes. Not only was his style on point, but his accessories were too — he had a Diesel watch on his wrist and a black classy backpack with red detailing.
HIS STYLE
If Mundy had to describe his style in only a few words, he’d say “stand out.” He described a recent networking event he attended at which he noticed most people were wearing a button up shirt and a tie. Instead of the common shirt and tie, he was wearing a nice blazer paired with a button-up, but without a tie. “So, it’s like your formal, but you know you want to stand out a little so you’re not this guy who’s trying too hard. So I’d say stand out,” he said.
“I do like to wear a lot of dress shirts, cleaner looking pants; I have these jeans on that are jeans, but at the same time you can wear a suit for a business casual suit look. I also have a few blazers,” Mundy elaborated. Besides favoring John Varvatos clothing, he also quite likes Dolce & Gabbana. “I am a fan of upper-class clothing. I think it’s worth it definitely to spend a little more money on nicer clothes because it’s really who you represent, you really want to show who you kind of are and want to show that you really care,” he explained. As for more casual clothing, he definitely likes Lucky Brand.
Mundy said that for school, “Sometimes I wear a button up shirt, but a lot of times I don’t even like to tuck it in, for a business casual look.” He likes Cole Haan shoes, like the ones he was wearing this day. “I have these [Cole Haan] shoes from the newer type of line that came out with a spongy type of Nike material, like running shoes mixed with dress shoes.” He finds these to be the most comfortable — and nice looking — shoes he’s seen.
STYLE INSPIRATION
Mundy tends to get his style inspiration from his dad. “My dad has always been into fashion so I’ve always kind of been raised in that kind of environment,” he said. But his dad wasn’t the only source for his clothing style. “I do like a model, you probably know of him, David Gandi. I love his clothing style.” Gandi sports a more classic look, which fits with Mundy’s fashion choices.
STYLE TIPS
There was one article in clothing in particular that Mundy emphasized above all others. “Clothing will eventually wear out,” he said, “so what I think you should spend the most money on is a belt. A nice Prada, Gucci belt or Salvatore Ferragamo, will go a long way, it’s a nice piece of leather. I think you should always spend the most money on a nice belt because it will last the longest.”
Mundy also had a little advice for business majors in particular. “If you’re a business major I recommend you dress a little more professional,” he said, commenting on a situation that past week when he noticed there were interviews for Adobe and Microsoft set up in the Business building though he hadn’t known that would be happening in advance. In other words, since you may never know when you’ll hit into a person of high level standing at a company in an elevator, wearing something more professional all the time is probably a good idea. “There’s always the opportunity, it’s not always going happen, but when the opportunity is there, you’ll be ready,” Mundy said, and if you’re prepared you’ll be able to make a good impression.
TREND LIKES AND DISLIKES
The trend he likes right now is the dress shoe trend. “I am a fan of the new dress shoe trend where it’s a more casual look,” he said, adding, “I also like guy’s hairstyles now, with the short sides and hair slicked back. It looks better than from the early 2000’s. It looks a lot more professional than the shag type look.” As for his dislikes, Mundy wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion. He said he doesn’t like “When guys roll up their jeans and then wear some Vans with ankle socks — dude, you look like a girl.” He also quickly explained that it is not an original look, but rather one that most guys wear on campus so it goes against his style belief that you should wear something unique to be different from others in a subtle way.
OUTSIDER’S OPINIONS
Mundy was asked if he thought what we wear impacts how other people view us and he responded, “I feel that your clothing style is basically — I know it’s a little judgmental, but it says a lot about who you are. It’s called style for a reason. Why would we have clothing styles if people didn’t want to be different, we have it because we want to all be unique.” Yes, he clearly thinks what we wear impacts how people view us.
Mandeep Mundy is a business student who mixes a professional style within his own style.
@casualcolie