Stuck on what to buy the Sidgwick girlie who already has it all? Don’t know how to subtly add something other than a graphic tee with a joke about pi to your favourite mathmo’s wardrobe? Well, we’re here to help with the ultimate fashion gift guide for Christmas!

The mathmo who needs a little help

Mathmos aren’t exactly known for their style. Their aesthetic being best described as “cheesy math pun T-shirt I found on my floor”-core, sometimes it’s hard to resist going full 2000s makeover montage on them. However, there’s a more festive way to give their wardrobe a subtle re-vamp. Try gifting them something else to keep warm other than their favourite formula joke sweatshirt and buy them a cosy vintage knit jumper with a fittingly geometric pattern instead. You can find a ton of these on eBay if you want to avoid the extortionate Depop prices (pro-tip: search used grandad knit jumper).

The English student who won’t shut up about their favourite book

English students are notoriously well-dressed. Not doing a real degree, they have all the time in the world to spend on curating their perfect second-hand wardrobe. Step into a lecture on Medieval dream visions and you’re swarmed with your own dream-like world of effortlessly coordinated skinny scarves and floating skirts. What humble gift could you possibly bestow onto a Sidgwick girlie whose wardrobe already has it all? We’d recommend keeping an ear out for whatever obscure week 6 classic they just can’t stop raving about and get them a pair of customisable book earrings from Etsy to flaunt in their supervisions.

Suit guy

We all know him and well, maybe we don’t all love him. He seems to think his life is an endless business meeting and he needs to be perpetually prepared to play the part. However, there’s more than one way to do a suit. Try and pull them away from their favourite tailored fit and bring their style back down to earth with some charity shop finds. If they’re going to wear a blazer it myself as well be a velvet bottle-green dark-academia one you found in your local Oxfam. Gift them these unique pieces and bit by bit you’ll transform their wardrobe from pretentious snob to Sidgwick icon.

The MMLer already stressed about their year-abroad wardrobe

How does one live out of a suitcase for a year but also have an endless array of BeReal-ready fits to show off to all their friends stuck in Cambridge? This is where the capsule wardrobe comes in. Find a collection of basic linen shirts, wide-leg pants, and T-shirts in a range of neutral tones. The goal is for each piece to go perfectly with another so that you can wear outfit after outfit without a single item ever clashing. They might look unimpressed when you gift them a plain linen shirt but they’ll thank you later when they’re effortlessly wrapping it around themselves as they traipse through an Italian vineyard.

The geographer who’s too crunchy for their own good

5 am hikes not your vibe? Your geography friend seems to disagree. You’re most likely to find them in hiking boots “reconnecting with nature”, tending to their community garden, or plunging into the murky depths of the River Cam. However, the most important status symbol uniting all crunchy geographers is the coveted Chilly’s water bottle, ideally slightly dented from outward-bound adventures. Treat the geographer in your life with a water bottle holder to ensure they are never parted with their pride and joy.

The economist who already has their grad scheme secured

Some envy them, some fear them. They had their internship sorted before fresher’s week and their LinkedIn audience rivals many major influencers. Their wardrobe likely already consists of a full spectrum of business-casual neutrals and Matilda Djerf-esque tailoring that will take them from mornings at the Deloitte office to post-work cocktails in Soho. It might be tempting to give them something completely outrageous to break the cycle of beige. However, some subtly funky boots can strike the balance between injecting colour into their outfits and ensuring the corporate icon in your life actually gets some wear out of your gift.

The compsci on the verge of a breakdown

Long nights in front of multiple monitors is enough to grind anyone down into a quivering mess. Treat the compsci in your life with an Oodie or similar and hope that the fleece lining absorbs their stress. Sure, it’s not the most fashionable - but you know what else isn’t fashionable? Being cold and sad. Think of it as giving the gift of a hug every time they sit down at their desk, fluffy hood up, Red Bull in hand, “Lofi beats 5-hour rain loop” blasting. They’ll thank you later.