[GGProf]

Hello,

I'm a young-ish (late 20s) history professor at a liberal arts college, and I am ready (I think) to develop a decent wardrobe. Faculty style at this campus is relatively casual--no ties or suits, except for the administrators. As for me, the one constant in my appearance (beyond my body [6 foot, medium build] and face [brown hair, blue eyes]) is my Filson medium field bag (). This, I suppose, is the "key" to my style, and the piece around which I would like to create a wardrobe.

Your help would be much appreciated. The more specific, the better; pictures of what I should be looking for would be most helpful. I have found some great recommendations on the site already (particularly this discussion https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?t=80730&highlight=professor), but look forward to other suggestions. Many thanks.

 

[AlanC]

You can take that in a number of directions. Here's my take.

Considering where you are the Filson/LL Bean/Orvis type look could work well. Pick up some khakis and cords and some button down shirts. In the fall and winter wear some sweaters, get a tweed sportcoat, too. Add a Barbour or Filson jacket (try for the best pricing I've seen on Filson, add to cart and use coupon 'INSANE' for real price).

Shoes are important here, and will really set you apart from the monstrosities so often worn. Alden tan Norwegian split-toes, Leisure Handsewn penny loafers, pebble grain longwings and Indy boots are all excellent choices. Pick up some Bean gum boots/mocs for wet days.

That's sort of a rugged Trad look, but classic, easy to put together has a nice consistency. It's also (relatively) inexpensive.

If it's your thing, you might also consider some high quality jeans. For best advice take a look at the Streetwear forum at Style Forum. Don't let them suck you in, though.

 

[dshell]

....take a look at the Streetwear forum at Style Forum. Don't let them suck you in, though.

Indeed! :icon_smile_big:

 

[GGProf]

Cheers for the suggestions, Alan. Thanks in particular for the tips re: shoes; that was shaping up to be a trouble area for me. I'll get some Aldens and gumshoes and work my way up.

Other suggestions are always welcome...

 

[Mr. Knightly]

There are so many rich options for someone in your situation, although region is a factor. If you're in a warm climate, many "country" options may be too heavy.

In your situation, I'd focus first on getting some nice sports shirts. They'll be the most visible thing you wear, you'll need the most of them, and they'll probably be one of the cheapest things you buy. The classic cream-colored tattersall is one of my favorites. If it gets cold in the winter, you can get one in a wool-blend Viyella. They're sometimes available from Lands End and usually from The Andover Shop ($$). I got mine made to measure from Jantzen Tailor and I'm quite happy with it. There are a few big advantages to going this route. First, you'll have a custom fit, which is the best way to look great without outdressing everyone else. The lag on new shirts will also force you to develop your wardrobe at a slower pace, meaning that it will be truer to your style and you will make fewer purchases that don't get much wear. ( Checker #533)

A couple of white and blue OCBDs would also fit in well, especially if you're just starting to build your wardrobe, because they go with everything.

Trousers should be fairly easy, though the trick is to find some that fit really well. Don't ever buy trousers without trying them on, and if you don't absolutely love them, don't buy them. You'll probably be focusing on different shades and weights of chinos. I've actually settled on Target's slim-fit chinos. They're about $25 bucks, they come in summer and winter weight, and several colors. They're slightly low-rise (compared to traditional chinos) but I strongly prefer that look (one thing our generation got right regarding clothes). If you want to mix it up a bit, you can try wool flannels in the winter. I like light grey and loden for such trousers. The more nap they have, the more casual they will look (probably good in your situation).

Now here's the tough part. You'll probably think that my recommendations here are absurd, but I'll plant the seed and let you ruminate on it for a while (maybe a few years):

You should buy a tweed jacket and a pair of cordovan shoes. Expect to pay $1000 for the jacket, and $600 for the shoes. Both items will last a lifetime.

You can topy the soles of the shoes so that you never have to resole them. Read around to learn about cordovan shoes. See some in person. You won't buy them now, but you will eventually. Everyone does. The LHS (penny loafer) is a good option. In your profession, you have a few more options. Personally, I'd go for a cigar shell chukka:

Until you're ready to go for the real deal, these LL Bean Blucher Mocs are a cheap option that would go well with this style.

The fine tweed can wait a little while. You can find some inexpensive options from Orvis or Lands End. Those should work for a few years until you're finally ready to go for something really excellent. This is an important item because it can do everything. You will use it as a light fall jacket to keep warm. Over an open collar OCBD, it won't look so formal as to draw any comments or intimidate anyone. Throw on a tie, and you're ready for almost any event you can imagine these days. The trick is to find a rugged tweed, not a fancy sports jacket that has a faint herringbone homage to the real thing. Natural shoulders will look best. Also, be sure to have the sleeves shortened enough so that you can do things with your hands and not be constantly reminded that you're wearing a coat. The best colors are probably grey, green, or brown. The Andover Shop is a good place for tweeds, but steer clear of the really unique/distinctive weaves. You want something simple if you're going to wear it a lot. My vote for readily available jackets goes to Polo Blue Label. They're made by Corneliani, they have robust fabrics, and the fit is perfect.

For extreme temperatures, you can opt for a polo or a crewneck sweater (always a crew, always over a real dress shirt, with the points always under the collar).

 

[GGProf]

Mr. Knightly:

Brilliant response--truly helpful. Thank you, especially for the details and the links. I'll order some shirts shortly, be sure to get some nice trousers, find a decent tweed and shoes, and tuck away your suggestions for a better jacket and shoes until I'm closer to tenure. Again, many thanks.

 

[AlanC]

If you're not averse to lightly used, you can do very well on things like high quality tweed jackets. Keep an eye on the Trad thrift exchange in the coming weeks. I suspect tweeds will start surfacing. Also on shoes, look at the Allen Edmonds outlet on ebay where you can find some nice discontinued models on closeout.

And for what it's worth, I don't mind v-neck sweaters at all.

 

[Aaron in Allentown]

If you haven't already, go see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Pay close attention to how the faculty members are dressed, especially in the finale scene.

After watching this, you will come to the obvious conclusion that what you really need is a tweed three-piece suit.

I have always wanted one, and it's on my list of things to get.

Breanish makes some lighter weight tweeds that wouldn't cause you to sweat profusely. offers several styles of suits (including two and three piece) for fairly reasonable prices. You can also buy odd trousers and jackets.

In my opinion, nothing looks more collegiate than tweed.

 

[Pipps]

That bag is simply crying out to be accompanied by some smart corduroy!

Shiny brown shoes, too. Oxfords and derbys.

And cheques. Lots of cheques. (For your shirts, that is.)

Maybe a cravat?

"A well-knotted cravat is the first serious step in a man's life." Oscar Wilde.

 

[rocco]

Cord jacket from J Crew




Tattersall shirt from J Crew




Wear with a solid dark brown/blue wool tie. Jeans or dark chinos.

For footwear try desert boots, that kind of thing.

 

[Aaron in Allentown]

I agree that corduroy and tattersalls are part of the collegiate look.

But don't skimp on the tweed!

Also, sportcoats with suede elbow patches have the right look, IMO.

And woolen neckties (but not those square-bottomed honeycomb ties from 1986).

 

[stuman]

Excellent suggestions, especially the Alden cordovan chukkas. You may want to check out the Harris Tweed jackets on Ebay. I've scored several nice ones. Also you could consider sporting one of these if you're lecturing on the US Civil War.

 

[cbird]

For pants, since you're already into Filson, I'd recommend their shelter cloth pants - very durable, very comfortable, easy to care for. You could even match the color on the field bag, although that would be weird. Another option is decent quality plain colored woolen pants - J. Press has some good ones.
For shirts, the Viyella recommendation is great - these are tough, comfortable, good looking shirts. Sir Pendleton's are also great. Andover shop has fine button downs for not too much.
For tweed jacket, I'd recommend Donegal Tweed over Harris. I got one at J. Press (tweed made by Magee's) and love it. It's softer that Harris and maybe looks a little better.
For shoes, the Cordovan is a good move. Consider the AE Norwegian style Cordovan. If you're going to buy such a quality shoe, you should try on the offerings from both Alden and AE to determine which last is more comfortable for you - important because you'll be living in it for a long time. If you make a trip to Boston or Chicago you would have the possibility of making this comparison (and remember, both companies use more than one last style for their shoes - try all of them, if possible). If you were going to put this purchase off until tenure, you could be checking ebay to see if your favored style and size shows up - great savings possible.

 

[rocco]

IMHO the better Tattersall shirt to get is from Cordings. It's semi-spread rather than button-down and is moderately deep.

 

[Pentheos]

It usually takes five years to get tenure, and then you only get a 10% bump in salary (usually, sometimes less), so I don't know why you'd want to wait that long to get the nice stuff.

I usually wear suits to teach, sometimes coats. I enjoy dressing in clothes that are more suitable to the corporate environment than the university, despite the fact that I teach in the humanities as you do. The only danger here is getting chalk on your dark suits, and other professors thinking that you're trying to outdo them somehow. A typical conversation will run as follows:

Dr. K, dressed in jeans, gross shirt and filthy shoes, sees me in a suit: "Hey, Dr. Pentheos, why are you so dressed up?"

Me: "I just finished teaching."

Dr. K: "So did I."

Me: "And your students respect you, dressed like that?"

Dr. K. grumble, grumble, grumble

Now, I'm a bit of a bastard. I don't recommend this strategy.

 

[DougNZ]

Dr. K, dressed in jeans, gross shirt and filthy shoes, sees me in a suit: "Hey, Dr. Pentheos, why are you so dressed up?"

Me: "I just finished teaching."

Dr. K: "So did I."

Me: "And your students respect you, dressed like that?"

Dr. K. grumble, grumble, grumble

Now, I'm a bit of a bastard. I don't recommend this strategy.

No, well done [on feet, clapping]. Colleagues, particularly in your environment, do not need to be treated with kid gloves. Of course, in society a little more tact may be advisable.

 

[a tailor]

have you thought of giving one of your lectures dressed as in the era being covered?

 

[Sator]

have you thought of giving one of your lectures dressed as in the era being covered?

Whatever your needs are Alex will make it for you. Frock coat? No problems. Court dress? A synch. Classical Roman? Alex specialises in the unpadded Roman shoulder.

 

[Jim In Sunny So Calif]

A window pane shirt with a knit tie go well with a tweed jacket. I had my eye on some of the shirts from Cordings even though I don't wear semi-spread collars I thought I would make an exception for the nice patterns they offer, but as they say nothing about sleeve length on their site, I assume I would have to have the sleeves shortened locally - that slowed me up a tad. Then I checked the shipping charge to the U.S. and it was 30 BP - that stopped me.

The nice thing about a tweed jacket is that it is so versatile. You can wear it with khaki, whipcord, cord, and flannel trousers - even jeans if you must. Jeans seem very casual for a professor to wear, but it has been a long time since I went to university and I suppose things have changed.

One thing I would urge you to consider, especially if you don't have a lot of suits, is instead of just getting a tweed jacket, buy a tweed suit. A tweed suit coat is one of three suiting fabrics that I think can be worn as a sport coat with odd trousers.

The last tweed I bought is a three piece suit, which gives me a lot of options to mix or match.

I would not wear a OCBD with a dressy suit, but I think it goes fine with tweed if you fancy that look.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[TweedyDon]

Welcome!

First--congratulations on getting a TT job! I suspect that history is just as tight as philosophy (my own field), and so getting hired in a major accomplishment. Now you just have to work about ten times as hard as you ever did in grad. school to get tenure!

As another junior faculty member I strongly second AlanC's suggestion to look for a used tweed jacket--and to keep an eye on the thrift exchange as you do so. Superb Harris jackets can be found fairly cheaply, and will last for ever--although you should be warned that they can become addictive. (I'm working on a case to sue Goodwill for my tweed affliction, since clearly it's *their* fault--my only nod to contemporary culture! :icon_smile_wink I also second the recommendation of Alden's shoes. Some here will blanch, but their Stockbridge model is *extremely* comfortable, especially if you need to walk across campus between classes, in the rain. I'd also second others' suggestions to go for tattersall--ebay and the thrift exchange can help here, too.

Enjoy your job--and never lose your sense of humour! They are some weird things in academia...!