Start here

What’s This About

Oxbridge style is the tweed, Oxford shirt and knitwear look linked with Oxford and Cambridge, and it is separate from the formal dress codes the universities set for exams, ceremonies and dinners.

This guide covers both the everyday look and the written rules, such as

How Oxbridge style differs from Ivy League style and dark academia

What Oxford subfusc includes and when it is worn

What Cambridge graduands wear under the gown

How formal hall dress codes vary between colleges

Four seasonal outfits for the relaxed look

and many more!

Most students at both universities dress casually, so treat the look as a style choice and the formal rules as rules for specific occasions.

Key Points

01Oxford subfusc is required for matriculation, degree ceremonies and all examinations, with dispensations for religious or health reasons.

02Cambridge graduands wear dark clothes, a white bow tie and white bands under the gown.

03Each college sets its own formal hall dress code, so check before you go.

04College scarves and Blues colours belong to members, so choose a plain or striped scarf if you are not one.

What is Oxbridge style?

Oxbridge style is a traditional British way of dressing associated with the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, with its tweed jackets, Oxford shirts, knitwear, flannel or cord trousers, brogues and college scarves.

It is an image as much as a dress code.

Most students at both universities wear ordinary everyday clothes, and the formal rules only apply on particular occasions such as examinations, ceremonies, formal dinners and balls.

This guide separates the written dress codes you may actually need from the relaxed tweed-and-knitwear look that people borrow from the universities’ image.

The look overlaps with Sloane Ranger dressing, but you do not need to study at either university, or come from any particular background, to wear it.

Oxbridge style compared with similar looks

Style	Typical garments	Colours	Accessories
Oxbridge	Tweed jackets, flannel or cord trousers, Oxford shirts, knitwear	Navy, burgundy, forest green, brown	College scarves, leather satchels, ties
Ivy League	Sack jackets, khaki chinos, button-down shirts	Navy, khaki, white, red	Repp ties, penny loafers
Dark academia	Tweed, cardigans, turtlenecks, long wool coats, often second-hand	Brown, black, charcoal, deep green	Books, satchels, round glasses

Ivy League style is the American campus equivalent, with lighter colours and more casual sportswear.

Dark academia is a more recent online aesthetic that borrows tweed, knitwear and old libraries from the Oxbridge image; student writers at Oxford describe it as built largely on hand-me-downs, vintage and natural materials.

Oxbridge style wardrobe by occasion

Occasion	Garments	Footwear	Accessories
Everyday and lectures	Tweed jacket or jumper, Oxford shirt, flannel, cord or chino trousers	Brogues, loafers or desert boots	Satchel or bag, scarf, wristwatch
Formal hall	Jacket and tie or a suit, as your college requires	Leather shoes	Tie, academic gown where required
Black tie events and balls	Dinner jacket, white dress shirt, black bow tie	Black patent or polished Oxford shoes	Cummerbund or waistcoat, studs and cufflinks
Oxford exams and ceremonies	Subfusc, which means a dark suit and plain white collared shirt	Plain black shoes, black socks	White or black bow tie, black tie or ribbon, gown, cap
Cambridge graduation	Black formal trousers, plain white collared shirt	Black formal shoes	White bow tie, white bands, gown and hood
Casual weekends	Cricket jumper or knit, chinos, button-down shirt	Suede desert boots or loafers	College scarf, canvas tote bag

Oxbridge style outfit ideas by occasion

The first two outfits are style choices; the formal ones below follow written rules, so always check your college or university’s current guidance.

Everyday, for lectures and libraries

Wear a tweed jacket in brown, green or navy, a white or pale blue Oxford shirt, charcoal flannel or brown cord trousers and brown brogues or loafers.

Add a lambswool jumper under the jacket on cold days, a leather satchel or plain bag, and a scarf.

If you are a member of a college, its scarf in the college colours is a common accessory; if not, a plain or striped wool scarf gives a similar effect without claiming a membership.

Casual weekends

Wear a cream cable-knit cricket jumper or a navy crew-neck, a button-down shirt, stone chinos and suede desert boots or loafers.

A canvas tote and a waxed or quilted jacket suit a walk by the river.

Formal hall

Formal hall is a sit-down dinner in college, and each college sets its own dress code.

Trinity Hall at Cambridge, for example, asks everyone to dress smartly, rules out jeans and trainers, and expects jackets or gowns to stay on, while Churchill College asks for jackets and ties or smart dresses and says gowns are not needed.

Wear a navy blazer or dark suit, a white or pale blue shirt, grey flannel trousers if wearing a blazer, a tie and polished black or dark brown shoes, with your gown over the top if your college asks for one.

Black tie events and balls

College balls and many dinners are black tie.

Wear a black or midnight blue dinner jacket and matching trousers, a white dress shirt, a black silk bow tie, a cummerbund or low-cut waistcoat and black patent or highly polished Oxford shoes.

Studs and cufflinks finish the shirt, and a white pocket square is optional.

Subfusc for Oxford examinations and ceremonies

At Oxford, subfusc is required for matriculation, degree ceremonies and all examinations.

The university lists a dark suit with black socks, or dark trousers or a dark skirt, a dark jacket if required, a plain white collared shirt or blouse, plain black shoes, and a white bow tie, black bow tie, black tie or black ribbon, worn with the appropriate gown and a mortarboard or soft cap.

Legs, ankles and feet have to be covered, and students who cannot wear subfusc for religious or health reasons can ask their college about a dispensation.

Cambridge graduation

Cambridge does not use subfusc for examinations, but graduands wear “dark clothes” under the gown.

The university’s rules list black plain formal trousers or a skirt, a plain white collared long-sleeved shirt or blouse, a white bow tie and white bands with trousers, and black formal shoes; national, religious or service dress can be worn with the Proctors’ permission.

Oxbridge style outfit ideas by season

These outfits are for the relaxed Oxbridge look rather than any official occasion.

Spring

Wear a light sage green tweed jacket over a pale blue Oxford shirt and a light grey V-neck jumper, cream cotton chinos and brown suede brogues.

Add a paisley pocket square, tortoiseshell sunglasses and a brown leather messenger bag.

Summer

Wear an unstructured navy linen jacket over a white cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled, stone cotton trousers and brown leather penny loafers.

A straw boater suits a regatta or garden party, and a canvas and leather tote carries the rest.

Autumn

Wear a russet brown tweed jacket over a forest green lambswool jumper and a tattersall shirt, dark brown cord trousers and burgundy leather Chelsea boots.

Add a tweed flat cap, tan leather gloves, a wool scarf and a leather satchel.

Winter

Wear a charcoal herringbone overcoat over a navy chalk-stripe suit, a white shirt, a burgundy and navy striped tie, black cap-toe Oxford shoes and dark grey wool socks.

Add a wool scarf, black leather gloves and an umbrella for British weather.

Dos and don’ts

Do	Don’t
Check your college’s current rules for formal hall, ceremonies and exams	Assume one college’s dress code applies at every college
Wear tweed, flannel, cord and Oxford shirts for the everyday look	Treat the look as compulsory for daily student life; most students dress casually
Wear a college scarf or tie only if you belong to that college or club	Wear another college’s or a sports club’s colours you have not earned
Choose brogues, loafers or desert boots for the relaxed look	Wear anything other than plain black shoes with Oxford subfusc
Choose traditional patterns such as herringbone and tattersall	Mix several loud prints in one outfit
Keep accessories simple, with one watch, one bag and one scarf	Pile on rings, bracelets and logos

Oxbridge words worth knowing

Some of these terms belong to one university only, as noted.

Subfusc is Oxford’s formal academic dress for matriculation, examinations and degree ceremonies.

Blue. Sporting colours awarded at both universities for competing at the highest level, usually including a Varsity match against the other university; a Blue may wear the special blazer, scarf and tie.

Bumps are college rowing races in which boats try to catch and bump the boat ahead, held at both universities.

Varsity match, an annual sporting fixture between Oxford and Cambridge.

Pidge is slang at both universities for a student’s pigeonhole, the college post box.

Formal hall. A sit-down dinner in college with its own dress code.

Matriculation is formal admission to the university; at Oxford it is a ceremony in subfusc.

Gaudy, a reunion dinner for former members of an Oxford college.

Battels. An Oxford college’s bill for accommodation and meals.

Quad is the Oxford word for a college quadrangle; Cambridge colleges usually say court.

Oxbridge facts and stories

1. Dark blue and light blue. At the first Boat Race in 1829, Oxford’s crew wore white shirts with dark blue stripes, and at the 1836 race Cambridge fixed a light blue ribbon to its boat; the two blues became the universities’ sporting colours.

2. Oxford bags. In the mid-1920s some Oxford students began wearing very wide trousers, at first about 22 inches round the hem and later much wider, and the commonly told story is that they hid plus fours, which were said to be banned at lectures.

Oxford Bags

Oxford bags became a 1920s fashion well beyond the university.

3. Exam carnations. By student custom, Oxford students wear a white carnation to their first exam, pink to the middle ones and red to the last.

4. Keeping subfusc. In a 2015 Oxford student referendum, about three quarters of voters chose to keep subfusc compulsory for exams.

5. The Mathematical Bridge. The wooden bridge at Queens’ College, Cambridge, is often said to have been built by Isaac Newton, but it was designed by William Etheridge and built in 1749, 22 years after Newton died.

6. Henry VIII’s chair leg. The statue of Henry VIII over the Great Gate of Trinity College, Cambridge, holds a chair leg in place of a sceptre, the result of a student prank.

7. The Oxford comma. The serial comma before “and” in a list is called the Oxford comma because Oxford University Press has long used it in its house style.

8. The Cambridge Satchel Company. Julie Deane started the company in Cambridge in 2008 with £600 to help pay for her children’s education, and its leather satchels became a popular campus-style bag.

9. The Brideshead effect. Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited, and its 1981 television adaptation, shaped many people’s picture of Oxford dress, with tweed jackets and cream flannel trousers.

Wearing Oxbridge style today

Oxbridge style combines practical British tailoring with knitwear and country cloth, and it works anywhere a smart-casual outfit is welcome.

For the everyday look, start with a tweed jacket, an Oxford shirt, flannel or cord trousers and brogues, all of which are easy to find second-hand.

For formal occasions at the universities themselves, follow the written rules, which change from time to time and differ between colleges.

For the wider history of the clothes behind this look, see our guide to traditional British upper-class style.

Beyond Oxbridge style

If you would like to go further, start with our three quizzes.

Check your body shape with the body shape quiz for men.

Find your seasonal colours with the seasonal colour quiz for men.

Take the fashion style quiz to see which styles suit your taste.

None of the quizzes is needed to wear the outfits above.

For personal help, you can book a consultation with The VOU’s stylists, for example a fashion style analysis for men.

Oxbridge Style for Men and How the Look Differs From the Real Dress Codes