It is fairly standard practice to consider what your outfit looks like, but how often do you wonder what it sounds like? The advent of exams brings everyone into contact with libraries, like it or not, and pretty much all libraries are places of the utmost silence. The rustle of a page turning can bring opprobrium on the page turner, and God help you if your phone should ring. In such sanctuaries of soundlessness, the slightest noise becomes a deafening din, and therefore the most minute attention must be paid to what you wear, if you wish to preserve this Trappist tranquility.

Wearing a soundless outfit is not something I find easy to do, because as part of my daily jewellery line-up I wear seven bracelets, and they do jingle quite excessively. If you’re in a good mood it’s a nice, festive, jolly sound. But if you’re not, it’s akin to the sound of your neighbour’s wind chimes at four in the morning. While I am not prepared to stop wearing my bracelets, if the bangle jangle gets out of hand I will take off the offending ones, and if my watch crashes against my laptop too much it will also be temporarily removed.

Be comfortable and confident. You never know when you’ll get that Crushbridge

I would also advise against wearing anything vinyl or patent leather, because, as befalls Velma in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, the interaction of such fabrics with a leather chair will result in some noises which are at best squelchy, and at worst apocalyptic.

My Zara top with zips on the wrists is a big no-no, as the metal zips clatter against the table and deafen everyone. And anything that has bells on it should be eschewed. Yes, those trousers did look cool when you bought them in Cambodia. Cambridge has the same first three letters but there the similarities end.

When it comes to footwear, you want to avoid any shoes with heels that are overly prone to clacking. Brothel creepers would be perfect here, or, if you are very wedded to your study, bring your slippers. But not the dog ones that bark when you walk. If you have malodorous feet, please resist the urge to remove your shoes: libraries are notoriously poorly ventilated. You could, in a complete departure from the slippers idea, bring a really great pair of shoes to change into that make you feel unstoppable but can’t be walked in. In a library you will be seated, being unable to walk will incentivise you to stay at your desk, and power-shoes may psychologically make you feel prepared to learn.

Libraries can be vastly different in temperature to the outdoor weather, and to each other, so layers are a wise thing to have on hand. It’s also nice to have a lovely scarf that can double as a blanket for when it all gets too much.

The other thing that might be useful is those padded cycling shorts. If you are going to be sitting down all day, comfort is key, and the athleisure look is going nowhere (ironic, given the kinds of progress-driven activities that it espouses). But stop short at the full lycra bodysuit. Not for any reasons pertaining to libraries, but just because I think they are quite alarming when you see them out of context.

I personally find that it takes the same amount of time to dress well as it does shabbily, so there’s no need to relegate yourself to rubbish outfits just because you have exams. There is no reason to feel guilty for considering something other than your studies for a couple of seconds a day. Be comfortable and confident. You never know when you’ll get that Crushbridge, and it would be awful if it was dedicated to ‘the badly dressed student’ or ‘the person whose shoes made far too much noise’. And bring on May Week, when you can revel in wearing your noisiest, most library-inappropriate clothing to your heart’s content.