This week has been a big one for Tiger athletes, least of all because of some impostor-Princeton rowers hitting the boats at Lake Carnegie. The much-anticipated Ralph Lauren fall collection photoshoot, which took place on campus in early May, is finally online, so if you’re missing the Dinky or Blair Arch or the courtyard outside the U-Store, just play it on repeat. (We’d also like to let all nervous 2016ers know that real Princeton students are much happier than the models pretending to be Princeton students).
But the Ralph Lauren rowers have nothing on our real Tiger rowers, who have brought in a medal of each color in the past week. Caroline Lind ’06 helped the US women’s eight win their second Olympic gold in a row on August 2, and Andreanne Morin ’06 and Lauren Wilkinson ’11 brought home silver medals for Canada in the same race. The women’s eight gave Princeton its first medalists of the London Olympics. On August 4, Glenn Ochal ’08 and the US men’s four came away with bronze.
I love boat shoes just as much as anyone, but the Fall breeze is coming soon, and a flimsy Topsider won’t be cutting it. This season, I’m really looking to swap in a penny loafer. It’s a little more durable, definitely warmer, and it’s the slightest bit more dressy than your dockshoes. And it’s a breed of dressiness that says you’re down to business, without being a stiff; I’d argue that a penny loafer actually feels just as fun and down to earth as the boat shoe — especially when paired with some quirky socks (like these from 
Autumn — more than any other season — is about the texture of the fabric. In addition to some nice corduroys, look into wool, flannel, or tweed pants. They don’t have to be loud or ostentatious — a subdued charcoal flannel or brown tweed in a slim fit is perfect. Just try something different from your run of the mill jeans and khakis. You can pair your trousers with anything simple on top — even a white tee shirt goes well with some brown wool pants.
Scarves are a great way to accessorize and they can actually be pretty masculine when done right. Avoid loud colors: keep the hues relatively muted. Smart Turnout has about the best selection of collegiate wool scarves out there — even an awesome Princeton one.