Here’s on old interview (h/t Philosophy Job Market) on “fashionable academics” with Tim Gunn:
Q: You are a fashionable academic, which some might say is an oxymoron. As an insider, can you tell us what’s up with all the tweed in academe, and are elbow patches really ever in style?
A: I will say this: I believe if one is dressed neatly, and the clothes fit properly, and they’re well groomed, I think one can pull off any look. And I think that elbow patches, tweed, Henry Higgins sartorial look can be really dashing, if done right.
But for so many people in the academic world at large, I really believe that disdain for fashion is something that they are quite proud of, and that they want to demonstrate in what they’re wearing and how they’re wearing it. It’s a kind of an intellectual snobbery that says: My brain is important to me, and how I look is not, because it goes beyond the clothes. They’re poorly groomed, they’re schlumped over and practically drooling. I mean, I’m making some exaggerations here, but when I go to meetings with the rest of Parsons, I look around and think: Just comb your hair!
I concur! The rest of the educational interview is found here.
when iwas in grad school there were mostly male geeks in button down oxford shirts and crunchy gals who wore the same 15 month old jeans everyday. there were also a few who had that certain sprezzatura look, but they were typically American (probably from the west coast) & they looked they were in the Film Department. THey probably belonged there too. Ha! Students from abroad looked the best, looked the most academic, and were the most fun.
Oh, yes. I remember reading this in the paper. In graduate school I could frequently be found wearing a burlap sack.
I teach three days in a row and those are the only days I’m ever on campus. As a general rule, I try to wear clean clothes for at least two of those days. Lately, I haven’t even bothered to take off my jacket while teaching – and this would be a real jacket (actually a large zipper hood thing) and not a fake jacket like a blazer. Once I was told on evaluations that I am “the least professional teacher of all time” (and it was intended as an insult), I think the reference is to (1) that I likely shave once a semester and (2) that I swear from time to time and frequently use poo as examples. When I first started teaching, I tried dressing better, but it was a pain in the fucking ass. Episodes of “What Not to Wear” involving academics are always great.
Nice descripsh, Craig – I think dressing a little better than you average student is a must for where I come from, I think it sets the right tone, but then again it depends on the prof, I’m sure Shahar will probably be as effective in a burlap sack as in a three-piece – I sort of like pants, shirts, blazers type of style, but that is primarily because I feel comfortable that way – in the US, it seems, the cultural gap between students and profs is not very large – back in Russia if you’re in a lecture hall with a professor, you only really talk to the TA. I remember my math professor, some sort of big shot, was lecturing to an audience of 200 in an amphitheater type of room in a nice three-piece suit – very classy…
More effective in a burlap sack….