I never used to care what I wore to uni. As long as it was clean(ish) and I could stretch out on the grass outside the State Library without flashing anyone, I was happy. But something changed around the second year.
Maybe it was burnout. Maybe I just got tired of pulling on jeans that didn’t fit right and tops that looked fine in the morning but felt uncomfortable by 11 am. That’s when I “borrowed” my brother’s Essentials Hoodie. It was soft, oversized, charcoal grey. I wore it for a full week, then quietly decided it was mine now.
Mornings That Start Too Early
On Mondays, I’ve got a 9 am lecture. It takes me 50 minutes to get to campus from Brunswick. It’s usually cold, even in spring — Melbourne’s funny like that. So I pull on my hoodie over a T-shirt, chuck on my runners, and head out, toast in hand.
The thing is, I don’t think about it. It’s automatic. The Essentials Hoodie is my uniform now — it’s soft, heavy enough to block the wind, and somehow still looks decent with the rest of my life in a tote bag.
I’ve walked through Carlton Gardens, run into old friends in Fitzroy, and waited for a tram at midnight in it. It’s memory-worn, like a second skin.
Study Mode: On
I study media and politics, which means a lot of reading, note-taking, and pretending to look focused in libraries. The Essentials Hoodie helps. It puts me in the zone.
The sleeves are long enough to tuck my hands into when I’m anxious. The pocket’s big enough for my phone, a granola bar, and stress mints. When I’m sitting in a café in Collingwood trying to get 1,500 words done before my shift at the bookstore, this hoodie is like a soft permission slip: breathe, focus, stay warm.
Essentials Tracksuit: The Home/Library/Campus Hybrid
Let’s talk trackies. The Essentials Tracksuit bottoms were a gift to myself during mid-sem break. I told myself I’d just wear them around the house, but that didn’t last.
Here’s the thing: they’re tapered but not tight. I can curl up on my couch or sprawl on the lawn at UniMelb and not feel like I’m in loungewear. I’ve had days where I’ve gone from morning lectures to a shift at a casual café gig in Southbank, and I didn’t even change out of them. No one noticed. Or maybe they did — but they just thought I looked comfy.
Even my housemate Alex said, “You’ve worn that combo three days straight.” I said, “Yeah, and?”
Where It’s Been
- Burnout nights in the 24-hour study room
- Wet afternoons with friends at Queen Vic Market
- Rooftop hangs in Northcote, hoodie up, beer in hand
- Zoom calls in bed with my camera angled just right
- Sunday mornings, cleaning the kitchen with music too loud
- A late walk with someone I didn’t expect to fall for
There’s comfort in consistency, especially when the rest of life is moving too fast. Uni deadlines, part-time jobs, friend drama, politics — you name it. But my Essentials Hoodie and Essentials Tracksuit? Reliable.
It’s Not Just Me
I see the same set around campus. Worn differently by everyone. One girl wears hers with Doc Martens and huge earrings. A guy in one of my tutorials wears his with beat-up Converse and a denim vest over the hoodie. No one’s trying too hard. We’re just living in it.
I met someone the other day in line for a chai at Seven Seeds — we had matching Essentials hoodies. We smiled, said nothing, and that was enough. It’s like the quiet wave between motorcyclists. A nod. You’re in the tribe.
Style? Sure. But Also Sanity.
I won’t pretend I’ve nailed life. I’m still figuring out who I am, what I want, and where I’m going. But I know this: when I feel like the world’s a bit too much, pulling on that hoodie brings me back to centre.
And isn’t that what real style is? Not about labels, not about looking put together — but about feeling like yourself, even when everything else is falling apart.
The Essentials Hoodie and Essentials Tracksuit aren’t my fashion statement. They’re my quiet way of saying: “I’m here. I’m trying. And that’s enough today.”
Final Thought
Some people have lucky charms. I have this hoodie.
If you’re looking for something that holds space for you — through lectures, heartbreak, 2am ramen runs, rainy tram stops, and tired mornings — find yourself an Essentials set.
Because comfort isn’t a luxury. It’s how we keep going.
