Fall — Vermont’s most cherished season — awakens several waves of change throughout the Middlebury campus each year. The trees turn from green to brilliant oranges and reds, the weekend activity of choice switches from gorge jumping to apple picking and the late-night walk back from Davis Library is accompanied by the crunch of leaves beneath our feet. But my favorite change of all is one that allows Middlebury students to combine their personal tastes and creativity with tradition: the unfolding of the semester’s fall fashion.
After spending a week meticulously observing the student body’s clothing choices from Proctor Dining Hall to academic buildings and talking to students about their fall garment essentials, I have compiled a list of notable trends and persisting classics that constitute Middlebury students’ fall wardrobes.
Blundstones
If Middlebury College could walk, it would stride in Blundstones, the familiar Chelsea boot by an Australian footwear company. To progress in the discussion about further fashion staples at Middlebury, we must first acknowledge Blundstones’ dominance on our campus. While rustic brown and black are the most popular styles, plain-colored leather Blundstones and Blundstones with multicolored accent stripes also make frequent appearances. Known for their durability and versatility, Blundstones are not simply a fall shoe at Middlebury, but a representation of our outdoorsy-yet-quirkily-stylish student culture.
Adidas Samba Shoes
A shoe trend more specific to this fall, Adidas’ Sambas — classic sneakers originally intended for indoor soccer — are the current footwear of choice for many Middlebury students. This phenomenon reaches much further than Middlebury after it took hold this past summer when celebrities such as Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lawrence and Olivia Wilde were photographed wearing Sambas. Thanks to these far-reaching influences, the shoes’ signature three slanted stripes on the sides now routinely crunch the fallen leaves under Middlebury students’ feet on their way to class.
Cat Bergland ’26 commended the Sambas’ popularity. “I love the quarter-cut ankle socks with sneakers like that, and pairing those with a dress or something I think is big right now and really cute,” she said.
Spotted in classic black-and-white, pink, green and more, the color variety that Sambas offers is fun and unmatched by their Nike Air Force predecessors.
Vests
Throughout my empirical study of campus clothing, I also stumbled upon a frequency of vests, specifically fleece vests. Agnes Heffner ’25.5 bought her fleece vest this semester at Neat Repeats Resale Shop, a thrift store located off of Route 7 by A&W Restaurant.
“My colorful vests can complement almost any outfit I’m wearing,” Heffner said. “I like wearing them with long sleeves, and I love the ones that are fleece because they’re not puffy or hard to wear — they feel like a sweater.”
Sold by Patagonia and L.L. Bean, fleece vests certainly fit a stereotypical Middlebury appearance — but as Heffner’s experience demonstrates, they do not always have to be a specific brand or overly pricey to be fashionable.
Sweaters
“The sweater game has to be on point,” JT Meyer ’25.5 said.
So far Middlebury students have hit the mark. The plethora of sweaters spotted this week included chunky and oversized sweaters, delicate cardigans, classic cable-knit sweaters, patterned sweaters — the list goes on. As the weather momentarily fluctuates back to sunny and scorching, we must remember to look forward to the cozy treasures Middlebury students have stored in their closets, waiting to re-emerge as protection from the late fall chill and functioning as sources of regret when they enter the heat of Proctor Dining Hall.
Leather Jackets
While multiple styles of fall jackets are notable, such as jean and corduroy, the leather jackets I spotted in the course of my fashion surveillance week are hard to trump.
Tiger Xie ’26.5’s long black leather jacket is a staple of his wardrobe.
“I think it goes with everything,” Xie said, a statement echoed by Greg Marcinik ’25.5 about his own brown leather-style jacket. While leather jackets once represented rock music and nonconformity, they now offer a timeless and elegant deviation from Middlebury’s stereotypically ‘crunchy’ uniform.
Overalls
Next, a bucolic Vermont classic: overalls. Students can be seen all around campus in a variety of overalls: we have the Carhartts, once a workwear garment and now a celebrated every-day, and, for some, even a party outfit. We have blue jean overalls, once employed by farmers but now a welcomed fashion statement. And of course we have brightly colored and patterned overalls.
Outside of specific pieces of clothing, students also commented on the outfit-building strategies they use for a season that often ricochets between cold and warm weather and their attitudes towards dressing themselves as a whole.
“I definitely like to layer,” Bergland said. “I’m wearing a summer dress, but I made it a fall outfit by wearing a long-sleeve underneath.” She also mentioned wearing a lot of open button-downs over tank tops or throwing a light corduroy jacket over a less warm outfit.
“You put a crewneck on, and then you put on some shorts, or super baggy pants and a tighter shirt or something like that,” Mark McGoey ’26.5 said.
McGoey also views belts as an underrated accessory and enjoys matching them with his watch or his shoes.
“I like to wear stuff that expresses myself,” Xie said. “As long as you’re comfortable wearing what you wear and you’re confident, you’re doing great.”
Madeleine Kaptein '25.5 (she/her) is a managing editor.
Madeleine previously served as a staff writer, copy editor and local editor. She is a Comparative Literature major with minors in German and Art History. In Spring 2024, she studied abroad in Mainz, Germany, from where she wrote for the Addison Independent about her host country. In her free time, she enjoys journaling, long walks and runs, and uncomplicated visual arts projects.
