Hi there!
This is my first post on this blog, so I thought I’d start with a giant topic… typical me. And that topic is academic dress codes. While fashion might sound like a shallow topic, how we present ourselves to the world can be deeply stressful for some of us. When I first started attending conferences, and lecturing, I found it very difficult to find advice on what to wear to reflect the kind of academic I want to portray. Most of the advice I found was either very “girly”, required a much skinnier figure than I have, or required a level of maintenance I am just not comfortable with (#makeupfree). So here are a few tips on finding a style which suits you, and hopefully will make you feel confident when presenting and networking as an academic.
One of the things that I love about academia is that there are so many different kinds of people who are part of it. Or at least, there are in my field (linguistics). I’ll never forget going to my first conference, walking up to registration and seeing two people with dreadlocks and track pants having a conversation with a woman in business attire.
I’m not the most stylish person in the world. For me, style in academia has been an evolution as I’ve become more confident and comfortable in myself. And not to mention as I’ve worked out the kind of academic I want to be. So here are some key ideas you can use when thinking about outfits for academia.
Four questions to ask:
- What do you want your clothes to do for you? Apart from covering you appropriately… do you want them to give you a confidence boost? Do you want them to start conversations? Do you want them to be as comfortable as possible? Do you want them to tell your story? Which is related to the next question:
- What do you want other people to think of you? While the correct answer to this question should always be “who cares?”, convincing our brains of this can be a difficult task. And first impressions can be useful. So use that concern as a starting point. Probably what you want other people to think about you is a reflection of the kind of person you want to be. But what vibes do you want to give? Confident? Professional? Calm? Fun? Mature? Extroverted? Fashionable? Laid back? Powerful/Authoritative?
- What are people around you wearing? Think about people in jobs that you want, other people at the same level as you, etc. This can be particularly difficult if you’re going to your first conference and you don’t know anyone, but sometimes conferences have previous years’ social media pages with photos available to view. It can also be difficult if you’re trying to work out what to wear for your first teaching role when you haven’t taught at that university before. If you’re tutoring, you can ask your supervisor. If you’re lecturing, ask one of the other staff members.
- What are the environmental considerations? What’s the weather like? Are you going to be inside or outside? Will you be walking, sitting still, standing? Will you be changing locations several times throughout the day? Does the temperature change a lot throughout the day?
Some general “rules”
For me, I think that regardless of your answers to those questions, you should wear something that is clean, neat, professional but not formal, and flattering.
Clean and neat means no ripped clothing (even for clothing items that its in fashion for), avoid faded items (make sure black trousers are black), and make sure there are no loose hems or dangling threads. Definitely iron shirts and dress trousers, and it’s a good idea to iron most other items too (but be careful of care instructions).
Professional but not formal means steering away from casual clothing (e.g. tshirt/singlets, jeans/shorts) and towards the professional (e.g. blouses and slacks for women, shirts and suit trousers for men) although this is a spectrum with no clear division. If you’re looking at outfits on Pinterest, I’ve found that a useful search term is “business casual” or “teacher style”. I started by wearing quite formal, rigid clothing to conferences (think structured dresses and pant suits) but over the past 6 years I have relaxed the kinds of things I wear into blouses and trousers, and more loose dresses and skirts.
Flattering almost always refers to fit. Choose clothes that fit you well, not because they’re the size you want to buy. Think about the fit in different parts of your body. For women, shoulders, waist, hips, and bust are usually differently proportioned. Sometimes an item of clothing is just not designed for your proportions. If so, leave it. For men, shoulders, arms, neck, waist are often variable. There is less variation in men’s clothing, but often there are a couple of different cuts (slim fit vs. classic cut in shirts for example). You want your clothes to be comfortable, to not be too tight anywhere, and to give you the range of movement you need. The secret to how models and stars always look so good is to do with the fit of their clothes. If you want the most flattering outfits, get them adjusted by a tailor before you wear them.
So those are the basics. Now to some more principles which might help you choose outfits which suit you.
Principles
- Colour. Whether you like lots of colour or shy away from colour, the key is to plan it out. I like to think about what I’m doing in a few ways
- Neutrals only (black, white, grey; but also navy blue, blush pink, khaki green) Outfit suggestions: White shirt and black trousers; Grey dress, black jacket; White blouse, grey skirt; Navy blouse, grey trousers https://pin.it/6uBMt0q https://pin.it/2hjGBbK
- Splashes of colour (pairing neutrals with a ‘feature colour’)
- Pattern and colour (one patterned item, plus another item which uses a colour from the pattern)
- Monochrome (one colour only, or shades of the same colour)
- Complementary colours (colours close to each other on the colour wheel)
- Contrasting colours (colours opposite each other on the colour wheel).
My most reliable go-to colour strategy is “splashes of colour” because I think it adds some interest while being understated and clean, although I’m currently playing with being bold and choosing the pattern and colour option. The next point will talk about pattern, but using colour in the absence of pattern is a useful idea. I like to use plain coloured clothing as my “splash of colour” so that it is bold, but sharp and clean. A note on colour choices: Bright colours attract attention, people will recognise you and talk to you when you’re wearing bright colours. If you want your clothing to make introductions for you, wear something bright. My personal favourite has become yellow because it’s quite unexpected. There are a lot of different shades of yellow out there, but I never fail to get compliments on my outfit when I’m wearing something that bold.
- Pattern. Pattern is hard because it’s mostly a matter of personal choice. I am quite new to pattern, so I tend to keep it simple and classic which for me mostly means spots and florals. You can use pattern in much the same way as colour. My personal preference is for using a single pattern at a time. If I’m feeling bold I might pair pin stripes with a floral blouse. https://pin.it/y9aZhAI https://pin.it/1bbH07N
- Silhouette. This aspect of outfits, along with fit, has the most to do with ‘looking good’ and finding something that fits for your body type. I love pencil skirts and tight fitting clothes, but I just don’t have the waistline to feel confident in that shape. I am most self-conscious about my stomach and upper arms, so I choose outfits with high waists, and at least a little sleeve. I’m a big believer in pairing opposites together in terms of silhouette. So if you’re wearing something big or floaty on the top, wear a streamlined shape on the bottom half. If wide leg pants are your thing for this outfit, choose something slim fitting on the top. Silhouette is also about proportion, so thinking about your body shape and where the lines between
- Design (frills or no frills, necklines)
- Fabrics. I think of fabrics in a few different ways (another hat of mine is as a seamstress and historical costumer).
- Accessories
- Shoes. I am firmly of the opinion that shoes can make or break an outfit. Choose comfortable shoes that you can stand in all day, but if you’re at a conference or lecturing and want that more polished look, stay away from runners/joggers/trainers. I’m not a fan of heels most of the time, so you don’t need to go that far if you don’t feel like it fits you, but make sure that whatever shoes you wear are clean and well maintained. Don’t wear that pair of flats that you’ve had for years and have the toes worn out. Don’t wear those dress shoes which you got for your Year 12 formal/homecoming and are now all scuffed. This is one place that I would advocate for spending a little extra money. Buy good shoes that will last you, and take care of them.
- And finally, makeup. Now I am not a makeup kind of person, occasionally I will try to remember to wear some makeup, but it never lasts long (rarely two days in a row). But I do wear a little makeup when I feel like I want an extra confidence boost. I feel that academia doesn’t require a lot of makeup for women, but if you do feel that pressure, do makeup however it works for you. My preferred go to is very natural. I usually only wear some concealer on my pimples and acne, and to cover the dark circles under my eyes, a little blush to give some colour back, and a little brown eye shadow to give my eyes some depth. I did a workshop on presenting a few years ago, and one piece of advice they gave was to make sure your mouth was clearly visible for anyone who might need to lipread (this includes hearing impaired and non-native speakers, among others), one way of doing this is by wearing lipstick. So when I’m presenting I choose a natural shade that’s slightly darker than my normal lip colour. Other than that,
Constructing an outfit
When putting together an outfit, I think it’s a great idea to start with a ‘feature piece’, something that you know you want to wear. When I choose this piece, it’s usually the most stand out piece, either in terms of colour, patten, details or something else. Then I build the rest of the outfit around it (using the above principles) so that it best shows off that clothing piece.
My best advice is to use Pinterest to sort through ideas of what you like, what feels good, and what you can do with the pieces you already own.
I hope that this post has helped you to think about how to choose outfits for your academic events and life in general. There’s a lot more flexibility and far fewer defined dress codes, so it can be really daunting if you’re not a fashionista and just starting on this journey (like me). The main thing you should aim for though, is that you feel comfortable and like yourself.
Good luck!