If not, then we need another explanation for the first-day fashion parade. There are a few good reasons for this trend, and they're different for each class.

For first-years, it's the first day in a new environment. It doesn't hurt to check in the mirror one more time to make sure that you didn't get toothpaste on your shirt. Bad hygiene habits might spell the end of a budding friendship in your Ec 10 section.

And how "cool" you are still remains to be determined. Thought you left all that behind in high school? Think again.

In a less harsh and more realistic way of looking at the situation, being friends with someone that cares about their appearance is probably a good thing--it shows that a person has enough self-respect to care for his or her appearance.

So, for first-years, perhaps the fashion parade is about making friends. Is that frivolous, superficial and materialistic? Maybe the premise is, but the friendships founded during your first year probably aren't.

But what about sophomores? Are they not equally guilty of the dress up phenomenon?

Part of the reason sophomores dress up is to distinguish themselves from the first-years. If you take two twins and dress one in shorts and a T-shirt and the other in a suit, the one wearing the suit would probably look older. You haven't been truly humbled until you have been mistaken for a first year at the activities fair during registration of your junior year (yes, that was me a week ago). It's nice to have people assess your age--and hopefully your experience with the Harvard scene--correctly.