Graduate School Wardrobe

[poetman]

I'm hoping some men in the lounge can give me some tips. I'm starting graduate school in the fall, and I don't wear suits daily or dress vintage--I know; I'm sorry. I do, however, dress classy and classic, and I try to cater my clothes toward vintage fashion. I wear a lot of button down shirts and slacks for work now, but I'm afraid in the classroom I'll stand out like a sore thumb amongst others with wrinkled and ripped t-shirts, jeans, and dirty sneakers. Their sloppiness won't influence my atire, but I want to wear clothes that are not completely out of place--dressing too forman can be just as bad as dressing too sloppy. What should I be wearing in graduate school?
Thanks in advance for the tips!

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Well, I'm in law school, and generally everyone dresses in very casually. There are some of us who dress nicely every day - it's certainly not just me. I initially got comments (Why are you dressed up, You look very ladylike, etc) but those stopped once I just kept on dressing the same way. Now the comments only come when I wear jeans.

So, in conclusion, don't worry about it. Wear what you want to wear. Dressing in your daily "business casual" is fine, and will get you more respect from colleagues and profs.

Also, congrats on starting grad school! What will you be studying?

 

[poetman]

Well, I'm in law school, and generally everyone dresses in very casually. There are some of us who dress nicely every day - it's certainly not just me. I initially got comments (Why are you dressed up, You look very ladylike, etc) but those stopped once I just kept on dressing the same way. Now the comments only come when I wear jeans.

So, in conclusion, don't worry about it. Wear what you want to wear. Dressing in your daily "business casual" is fine, and will get you more respect from colleagues and profs.

Also, congrats on starting grad school! What will you be studying?

Miss Bella,
Thank you for the reply. I suppose my primary hesitation is due to a distaste for the spotlight. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to get attention. Jeans are out of the question; after wearing slacks for work so much, and wearing jackets once in a while, jeans make me feel too crummy. I wear some type of pant on the weekend. I just don't want to overdress. Most of my slacks and shirts are pretty dressy; I need to find some style manageable for the classroom. I'll be working on my PhD in English Literature (specifically 20th C transatlantic with an emphasis on poetry).

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

A friend of mine at school - editor in chief of the law review, actually - tends to wear sweater vests over shirts and slacks.

Anyway, the clothing only gets attention for a week or so, until people get used to it. I suspect, if you plain and simple aren't going to wear jeans or anything casual, that no one will notice whether the slacks and shirts you wear are "nice but more casual" or "nice and dressed up." To them, it's all "dressed up."

Are you a bit older than the other students will be? You can use that as your excuse, if so inclined.

I'll leave you alone and let the boys weigh in...

 

[CharlestonBows]

My 2 cents

Ditto to being in law school - but only just officially now, I graduate next Saturday. :cheers1:

However, I would wear at the very least a coat everyday. Usually with dress trousers, occasionally with jeans. Often times I wore a suit. With a suit, I'd wear a tie gauged to the agenda of the day, or maybe sans-tie if it was just a late class. Almost always a button front shirt; very rarely a dressy knit.

I get similar response -- "why are you dressed up?" I had two responses: 1) the obvious, I work in a clothing store lol , 2) you are becoming an [alleged] expert in a true profession. You're not in college anymore; this is an all together higher level. One's dress should reflect that. I look at class, at least at this level, as a job; a preparation for a classical profession.

If your concerns are that great, just stick with some nice odd sport coats. Tweeds for the fall and winter, some lighter weight worsteds for the warmer parts of the year. Khakis, odd trousers, and dark jeans (I know, I know). Leather shoes, no sneakers.

Maybe it's being in Charleston, where everyone is obsessed with tradition, formality and propriety, but I've found that I always get a much more receptive response from professors, attorneys and judges alike because of a more well kept appearance.

You dress not for where you are, but for where you want to be. [huh]

 

[Kodiak]

I'd say shoot for a combination of two styles.

If you've seen Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond in Casino Royale, some of the earlier scenes show a smartly dressed Bond that still blends into a crowd. That seems to be somewhat of the style you're shooting for. He mostly wore short-sleeved, patterned shirts (think the Madagascar scene) and solid-colored polos with khakis. That could be one option, because it's sharp-enough looking without being assuming.

Otherwise, I'd say - if you have an aversion to jeans - just wear the slacks and your collared shirts. Perhaps buy a nice linen sportcoat for weather like this, pick up a leather jacket for the in-between times, and perhaps try a pea coat for the really cold days (all of this obviously depends on where you're going to school - you probably won't need a pea coat in Florida). If you want to dress it down a bit, buy some ankle boots for the cooler weather and perhaps some nice sandals for warmer days instead of true "dress" shoes.

Really - to echo what everyone else is saying - just wear what you want.

 

[Aviator]

Dress how you like...folks will probably not give you a second glance>>>

Unless you dress outlandish. You will probably see all kinds of folks in grad school (it depends on the school, I know); I'm guessing that they won't make a big deal of how you dress. It would be more of a factor if you were an undergrad.

Maybe it's being in Charleston, where everyone is obsessed with tradition, formality and propriety, but I've found that I always get a much more receptive response from professors, attorneys and judges alike because of a more well kept appearance.

Charleson is one of the more formal cities I've visited...I dig it. Not too many places you can wear seersucker and white bucks down the street and elicit nary a second glance.

I'm a fan of Ben Silver in Charleston...I've purchased some eyeglass frames and a few other things from them. Nice stuff

 

[miss_elise]

to be honest, i have a burning desire to wear academic robes to grad school, as they are incredibly comfy and warm... although i imagine i'd look a right prat if i did...

i plan to be dressing how i would normally dress.. people will get over it more quickly that way

 

[resortes805]

Every day I wear vintage slacks, dress shoes and a nice gab flap pocket shirt. If I am feeling more dressy, I'll tuck the shirt in. If I am feeling more casual, I leave the shirt untucked with rolled sleeves.

 

[CharlestonBows]

Every day I wear vintage slacks, dress shoes and a nice gab flap pocket shirt. If I am feeling more dressy, I'll tuck the shirt in. If I am feeling more casual, I leave the shirt untucked with rolled sleeves.

I really need to spend some time on the west coast.

 

[Magpie Annie]

collegiate garb-

Hello! Although I am still an undergrad, I thought I would throw in my opinion! The vast majority of people in my classes roll right out of bed and into the classroom, but if you look hard enough, you will find people that dress every possible way!!! Because I want to, I wear a dress or a nice top/skirt everyday, with minimal problems! lol

There will always be people who don't like the way that you dress, no matter what you choose to wear! I often get asked "why are you so dressed up"/ snickered at / gawked at, but I also get compliments on my hair when set in vintage styles and/or my dresses (vintage or modern) almost daily!

My point of view is wear whatever you want to wear, because if you give in to the peer pressures of collegiate dress you will eventually end up heading to class in gym shorts and a dirty tee-shirt!!! Also, in my experience, no matter how you choose to dress, if you look nice your professors will take you more seriously!

Good luck!!!

 

[Spiffy]

Jumping on the bandwagon here:
Don't change your style for anyone!
Plus girls dig guys in suits

 

[Magpie Annie]

Plus girls dig guys in suits

seconded!!!

 

[Sunny]

I'm with Aviator and a couple others: Dress the way you want to, and very few people will give you a second glance.

I'm in graduate school now myself, working on an accounting degree. When I started it was immediately clear that the trendy undergraduate "uniform" wasn't in place for graduate students. Many graduate students clearly have been bumming around all day, either in classes or studying or whatever. And just as many, just as clearly have just come from regular 8-5 jobs and saw no reason to change.

I work all day, come home for a few minutes, then go to school. Most of the time I don't bother to change (I'd rather eat dinner!), so I'm wearing heels, skirt, the works. If it's rainy, coat and hat. You get the picture. But there are a handful of times I just have to change into something very casual - jeans, tee shirt, denim skirt - I'd wear shorts except for the Classroom Chill. Either way I don't stand out. It wasn't like that when I was an undergraduate.

So wear what you want to!

 

[poetman]

Thanks for the feedback. I suppose it's only a matter for attention the first few weeks, and then people get over it. I suppose I could wear a pair of jeans once in a while, but I really am not comfortable in them. There's just something about a pair of pants that make me feel more like a man and less like a mechanic (as my grandfather would say) or a bar-hopping undergraduate. Age won't really factor in. Students in the program are all over the place in age. It's funny, when I was an undergraduate, I wore jeans and nice shirts tucked in, and my friends always remarked about me being "dressed up" because everyone else wore sweats or, literally, what they wore to sleep the night before. To me, my outfits were decent. I used to crave the weekends when I would wear slacks. It's that old soul, stubborn and indestructible! I would love to wear sport coats, but that might be too much for the program. The only ones who wear jackets are the professors. Eh, maybe I might just take the leap once in a while.

 

[adamjaskie]

I just finished my undergraduate a few days ago. I'm not planning on going on to grad school, but for what it's worth, I wore khakis or cords and a button-front shirt pretty much every day through my undergrad days, even when I *was* bar-hopping. I got occasional comments, but nobody was ever really negative.

 

[poetman]

Thanks everyone.