Adam Stempel’s politics may be progressive, but his views on fashion are classic and conservative. The Calhoun College junior and former PoL chair looks like he jumped out of a Ralph Lauren catalog in these photos and from what I hear, basically every day of his life.

“I’m very fond of my blue and white-striped button-down oxford shirts. Simple, versatile, and just a notch above what most people expect of college students,” said Adam of his favorite piece in his wardrobe. And he’s so right. There is no reason /not/ to wear a button down. They’re classy without looking stuffy if worn the right way, like Adam does by pairing them with a loose, like-colored sweater.

Adam tones the outfit down even further with a pair of bootcut dark wash jeans that work well with the rest of the ensemble because of their color [dark makes it dressy!] while keeping Adam from looking haughty. While Adam’s boat shoes are pretty standard for many East Coasters, his striped socks make the look his own. I might be biased though, patterned socks make me swoon. Awk, I know.

Anyway, what I love most about Adam Stempel’s style is that it doesn’t come at too high a price. “I went to a fancy prep school that was clearly base on the East Coast model. So eventually I decided to embrace the model and go as authentically preppy as Goodwill and the J. Crew outlet would allow,” he says. Adam knows what he likes, and what he likes is hot. But what’s even hotter is that he doesn’t have to go straight to the source to get it— a true mark of strong fashion sense.

And on an unrelated note, Eva, our beloved best dressed photographer, and I, think that Adam has one of the best smiles ever. But apparently he also has a girlfriend. SAD!