Winter formal season has officially arrived, that magical point in the semester when deadlines are piling, your loan is hanging on for dear life, and yet somehow you’ve convinced yourself that spending three hours getting ready to stand in a marquee is exactly what your wellbeing needs.
The Instagram stories are sparkling, the group chats are spiralling, and you still can’t find your shoes.
As a third year who has survived more formals than summatives at this point, here’s the advice everyone should know, whether it’s your first winter formal or your final one.
You don’t need a brand-new outfit every year
The biggest myth? That you must show up in a brand-new suit or dress each time.
Please save your student loan. Clothes you already own, charity shops, Vinted, and swapping with friends are the real winter formal essentials.
No one is keeping track of what you wore last year, they’re too busy wondering why it’s so cold.
Eat before you go 
Yes, it’s technically a three course meal. Yes, it’ll look beautiful. But those portions? They’re “fine dining” which is code for “you’ll be starving again by 10pm.”
A quick meal before you go prevents both drunkeness and the sudden realisation that your main course was roughly four bites and a decorative leaf.
Do your photos early
York winter formals have two looks:
“I am stunning and festive” or “I look like a Victorian chimney sweep because of the wind and rain.”
Get your cute photos done before you eat or leave the house. Future you will be grateful.
Afterparties are optional, not compulsory
There is always an afterparty. It is always further away than you think. And you are always colder than you expected.
If that sparks joy – go. If the thought of taking off your shoes and eating toast in bed sparks more joy – do that instead.
You don’t earn extra points for freezing outside the club at midnight.
Don’t compare your night to the Insta highlights
Every post you see online is the one per cent of the night that looked flawless.
No one uploads the heels blisters, the spilled prosecco or the moment someone’s lash fell off on the dance floor.
Winter formals are about the people you’re with, not how aesthetic your photos are.
Actually take a second to enjoy it
This is the part you don’t appreciate until you’ve been here a while.
You look around and realise that it won’t always be like this – your friends dressed up, laughing over the world’s most predictable dessert, dancing badly to 2010 throwbacks.
Whether it’s your first formal or your last, pause and take it in. It’s cheesy, but it’s true.
Winter formals aren’t about perfect outfits, flawless photos, or staying out until 3am. They’re about having fun with your friends at the end of a long semester, and making memories you’ll actually laugh about later.
May your photos be cute, your prosecco be cheap, and your table be full of people who make you laugh.
