Common Dressing Styles and Attributes Associated with Students’ Dressing Styles in Kenyan Public Universities

Abstract

The study sought to examine students’ dressing styles and common attributes assigned to them. A descriptive survey design was used in this study. The study areas were the University of Nairobi, Egerton University, Moi University, Technical University of Mombasa, Maseno and Karatina Universities. Multiple sampling procedures were used to select 566 students who participated in the study. Data were collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions and observation checklists. Results show that majority of respondents bought their own clothes with funds provided by the parents or guardians. The most outstanding feature that informed choice of dress was aesthetics, followed by comfort and design. Vests, bare chest tops and shorts were considered modest while high-slitted skirts, miniskirts, unbuttoned shirts, boob-tops, tumbo-cuts, skin-tight dresses and trousers and Bermuda shorts were found to be immodest. Recommendations have been made to develop guidelines on the choice of dress for students in institutions of higher learning to enhance personal grooming.