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1) This is a thread I’ve been meaning to write for a while on fashion for academics. This is *NOT* a ‘how you should dress for an interview’ thread, but some thoughts on day-to-day academic sartorial issues. I start with the issues, then move to solutions I favor.
2) The public tip of the academic labor iceberg creates some challenges, because we don’t ordinarily wear business attire, though we aren’t taken seriously in certain situations if we’re too dressed down. I’m generalizing, of course, but I hear about this often from academics.
3) Bc we’re supposed to be ‘experts’ & ‘authorities,’ matters of age & appearance can be extra complicated in academic professional settings. I personally put a lot of thought & emphasis on how I look as I’m often dismissed for looking ‘too young to be a professor’...
4) (see e.g. here: chronicle.com/article/Im-Not…). Fashion can be a way of claiming back some control over these awkward and sometimes professionally damaging situations.
5) Another issue: grad students & faculty find ourselves often in both professional & social situation with other, traditionally better-compensated professionals (physicians, lawyers, etc.). We are judged against TV/film stereotypes of poorly dressed academics.
6) In the classroom, too, we are being judged (whether fair or not) by our students. Too buttoned up can come off as austere or ‘trying too hard’; too laid back can appear unprofessional (to our increasingly overprofessionalized students) or ‘trying too hard’ in a different way..
7) These judgments aren’t just, I don’t think, but they’re real. So I try to be thoughtful and even strategic about them.
8) What these challenges amount to, for me, is the recognition that the academic sartorial aesthetic is always trying to do two contradictory things at once: to be ‘respectable’ and ‘sophisticated’ as well as ‘relaxed,’ ‘receptive,’ and ‘not too businesslike.’
9) For this reason I seek out designers and labels (warning: I’m now going to talk about fashion) that do a good job of showcasing the contradictory aesthetic of buttoned-up irreverence. I’ll name some names, but with a caveat...
10) Many of the labels I’m about to recommend are high-end, ‘designer,’ & expensive. But before you yell at me, I promise I’ll conclude w/ tips on how to get these designer clothes for prices more comparable to mainstream fast fashion (GAP, H&M, etc.). I’ll also emphase recycling
11) One of my very favorite designers is @PaulSmithDesign, known for taking staid design traditions and injecting a playful and often subtle amount of color. Academics tend to like muted tones, but a good way to indicate you still have a soul is by wearing Paul Smith: 
12) 12) I’m also a fan of @Everlane, not only bc they emphasize fair wages & transparency of the labor conditions of the people who make their clothes, but also bc of their durable and stylish basics. Their stuff is long-lasting, saving money in the long run. Good for layering.
13) If you must with fast fashion, @UniqloUSA also makes virtually every clothing item under the sun in very nice fabrics (merino, cashmere) at unusually low prices. Turtlenecks & cardingans are stereotypical academic wear, but worth embracing.
14) Like Nicki Minaj I’m a big fan of @DIESEL, especially for their denim, but also because of their iconoclastic designs. I’ve banished khakis from my wardrobe and am pleased with that decision.
15) (If you like Diesel edginess you’ll probably also like @AllSaintsLive).
16) And lastly, on the very high end, @COMMEGARCONS (particularly the Play line) is very expensive but very fun streetwear-inspired clothing that can be layered with more staid options. Now you’ll want to know how to get some of these items at reasonable prices...
17) The key here is finding high-quality used clothing. This is a fiscal/practical suggestion as well as an ethical one. Cheaply produced, low-quality products that serve consumption for its own sake are part of a destructive cycle. Break the cycle by buying cast-off clothes.
18) If you find yourself in major city from time to time (conferences, visiting friends, etc.), make time to locate and visit charity shops and consignment stores. Putting in the time is the only way to find out which ones have *good sources* (key in consignment as in academe).
19) By ‘good sources’ I mean, essentially, they routinely get castaway clothing from rich people who buy the new season every season and give away designer clothing in wearable condition. Once you find such places you can plan to shop there and find good things. But also...
20) Apps/websites like @therealreal authenticate and sell used designer clothing. On such sites you’ll expect to pay a lot for newest, latest, and trendiest stuff, but there’s also tons of great stuff for the same price you’d pay at the GAP.
21) For me this strategy is a win-win: you can get designer clothing without feeding the voracious consumption cycle. I’ll close now with some more caveats:
22) I’m writing all this from my male perspective. I’m not trying to speak for everyone, but I hope some of this can be useful to people who don’t present as male or dress like men. I also understand that fashion is not at the top of everyone’s priority list right now...
23) So don’t take this as a suggestion that it should be. I find it’s still too taboo for men to talk about and and care about fashion, and its’ a hobby of mine, so I wanted to share it with you. Thanks for reading. /end
Addendum: I know I’m gonna catch shit for this from someone AND that ‘bc fashion’ this is a lapse in my VERY SERIOUS PERSONA & fashion is *beneath* some academics & Mark Zuckerberg etc etc but I’m out here all the time arguing w/ Sokal Hoaxers etc so I’ll take this, thanks.
Addendum 2:
