Head of the Class

Photograph by melissa mahoney. wardrobe styling by melissa dunne/anchor artists. hair and makeup by jesse lawson/anchor artists. Model, Dana/Maggie Inc.

Each September, a quarter-million college students descend on Boston and Cambridge. These “hoodie monsters”—as GQ called them in 2011—were once content to roam the streets in sweatpants and Uggs. No more. Today’s coeds are going for a new, polished look that involves mixing textures and designers and piling on the layers. Above, we pair preppy wool pants with an edgy sweater (see: the leather piping at the cuffs), minimal jewelry, and a streamlined, short-sleeve coat fit for the modern-day Ali MacGraw.

Chambray shirt, $50, Gap; 3.1 Phillip Lim wool pullover, $650, the Tannery; Weekend by MaxMara “Delia” double-faced wool coat, $810, Bloomingdale’s; “Willow” double-wrap leather belt, $52, Madewell; Brass spear ring, $170, and spike chainlink ring, $140, both Jennifer Fisher; Marc by Marc Jacobs “East End Madame Hilli” leather satchel, $568, Neiman Marcus; Dries Van Noten wool pants, $795, Barneys New York; Manolo Blahnik “Lorenzabuc” leather oxfords, $765, Saks Fifth Avenue.