Many profs fail fashion

I was sitting in class today, and I couldn’t help being distracted by what my professor was… I was sitting in class today, and I couldn’t help being distracted by what my professor was wearing.

I thought about ways to nicely phrase a friendly fashion critique on my finance professor’s teaching evaluation – perhaps I’d say that just because a neckline fits, it doesn’t mean the rest of the shirt does. Or that to be taken seriously in the world of business, you have to make sure that the inner part of your tie isn’t longer than the rest of it.

Professors’ attire at Pitt is a fairly curious topic. Of course, there are certain stereotypes that fill a professor’s wardrobe – just imagine campy English tweeds and suede elbow patches, or a female professor’s untailored business suit, large string of pearls and big glasses. Nevertheless, there is some truthfulness in professorial wardrobe uniformity among certain areas of study.

Professors seem to revel in being able to get away with paying sub-par attention to fashion. After all, college students aren’t the most discerning fashion experts, and many wouldn’t pay attention at all to the way a professor is dressed. Professors don’t have to deal with the same pressures as the rest of the job market, and they seem to enjoy their shelter from a competitive and superficial atmosphere.

That’s just one theory. It’s also possible that professors dress the way they do to make themselves look smarter. Everyone knows that geniuses can’t dress themselves. For example, I’d be much more inclined to trust a calculus instructor if he were wearing a flannel shirt with a tie, white tennis shoes with khaki pants, and maybe a pocket protector. This can help create an image of a somewhat off-kilter sensibility coupled with a brilliant, luminous mind.

It’s the iconic example of a college professor’s dress that I have in my mind, a dignified and very interesting style. And it’s extraordinary how many university professors manage to follow suit.

However, during my time here I have seen some snappily dressed professors. My freshman year, I had a female English composition teacher who would always wear refreshingly simple smocks and scarves. English and foreign languages teachers top the best-dressed professors list. I’ve had a French teacher who would proudly flaunt the newest French fashion, which always made for very eclectic ensembles.

It’s easy to notice that older professors apparently refuse to obey or even take note of the fact that polyester dress shirts and black denim has left the fashion world and hopefully will never return. Typically the youngest of our instructors, teaching assistants are the kings and queens of casual, showing us that a respectable master of a subject doesn’t need to convey a professional look in his or her dress.

I’ve also had professors who have broken the mold while transcending the humdrum and, unfortunately, missing the tasteful. For example, this semester I have a professor who chills in UnderArmour, which is a popular and very tight spandex material designed to absorb sweat when working out. There’s nothing wrong with showing off a body if you’ve got it, right? I’m sure the other students are as distracted as I am.

And then there was the professor who insisted on wearing only large, drab-colored sweaters from a Scottish company – he explained to the class that he purchased one in every possible color. These sweaters are so good that, with this professor, fall and winter last nine months of the year.

From the stereotypical to the tasteful and even to the bizarre, professors’ dress has made for a fascinating time here at Pitt. Uniformity itself can amaze – but when profs depart from the standard, the results can be scary.