Lecturers - your sartorial wisdom needed please!

[Whoamireally]

Well, I've just been offered a new job (hurray!) lecturing on am undergraduate clinical course at a University. V excited

However...I've spent the last 8 years of my working life safely esconced in hospital uniform which requires no forward planning or in fact effort, and I have absolutely no idea what to wear when I start my new job!

Lecturers...what do you wear to work? Please tell me I don't have to invest in a tweedy jacket with elbow patches?!! Are you smart - sort of Isabella Oliver wrap dress and heels - or casual, jeans and T-shirt type? Or is there a middle ground here that I'm missing?

Don't want to look all middle aged and frumpy, or alternatively, like I'm trying too hard!

TIA!

at Linda's students' comments on the evaluation form - I have also had in answer to the question

"What did you like about the course?"

• "The teacher's dresses"!

Yes to a jacket or more formal outfit for meetings with Dean etc.

Yes it gets baking, you need layers to adapt to the heat of all those bodies in a room !

www.academichic.com

Congrats on the job!

When you're teaching all your students will be looking at you (when they're not texting ), so I would say wear something you feel that you look nice in. It's quite hard having all those eyes trained on you but easier if you feel in yourself that you look ok.

I would say that's more important than a specific dress code. Where I work it ranges from very fashiony to people who obviously put on the same thing every morning (mind you that's mainly the men).

I just try to look smart in a casual way (no to jeans, but no to a suit also). The one thing I will say is that lecturing makes me sweat I only do 8 lectures a year on an MSc course (and get a little nervous), be careful of tight fitting (under the arms) clothes you don't want sweat patches.

oh I like that site howmanytimes.

Jamaisjedors, it's fab isn't it? I'm a secondary school teacher and I find their posts very inspirational.

Fabulous site howmanytimes

Thanks for all the good wishes etc. I can now see myself in a jersey blazer with something fairly neutral (and short sleeved) underneath + a piece of 'nice' jewellery, plus perhaps a flippy skirt, tights and knee length boots in the winter. I'll worry about spring when I get there. Bizarrely, Boden have neither jersey blazers nor flippy skirts this season.

Never thought about the whole arm lifting sweat patch scenario. I do flush all over my chest though which is not a good look.

So, erm, coloured tights (a particular personal favourite)....yes or no?

I have done coloured tights when feeling brave.

Be prepared for there to be a lot of STARING at your legs, hard to know if it's in a good way or not, you need confidence.

am flipping between that site and mn, it's really great.

I am inspired!

blazer I have my eye on but it's probably too baggy on me "boyfriend" is not good on petite I think.

jamaisjedors have just been looking at this one which is similar but slightly longer length

Also am toying with

this one mainly because it's cheap and this boyfriendy one which is even cheaper. But if boyfriend is a bit slouchy then wouldn't work on me.

I wear a lot of coloured tights and black dresses.

Yes, yes to wearing something that will cope when you strip off the jacket (I tend to do at dramatic places in the lecture as though I can't cope with the emotion any more).

If working in one of the large oddly lit lecture theatres, don't wear a top that may be see through in odd lighting.

You will probably find linen goes really crinkly around the inner elbow from when you push your sleeves up so you might look a little crumpled.

Like the french connection one (but can't wear wool myself).

Cardigans work for me if little and with a belt. Plus heels.

Am beginning to recognise that I approach a lecture as a piece of performance art.

I spend a lot of time lecturing on issues such as feminism and the media. Find this works best on high heels and with quite smart clothing. It disarms the students - how can she say THAT and look like THAT?

I like this one - smart enough though?

Coloured tights and black dresses is a look I can do without even thinking - have lots of both. Excellent

There is so much to think about - would never have even thought about dodgy lighting. Thank the Lord that you lot are all here!

Oh and if you are ever pregnant and lecturing - tell them as soon as you can, or as I have experienced they spend the whole time debating whether you are pregnant or just got a bit fat

Wish they had just asked rather than telling me this at the end of the course!

Depends if you teach males or females - I taught an all male class once in business when I was about 28 weeks pregnant. Not one realised I was

Think coloured tights absolutely fine. At least, I'd relate to a lecturer who wore them - and probably waste time wondering if I might get a pair that colour!

Think the advice you're getting is just right. Showing you're interested in presenting yourself well and have some awareness/ enjoyment of modern trends helps you come across as assured and at ease with yourself. But in academia the look can be an individual one, not try-hard and office-y.

Oooh - I know this is an old thread, but I think this needs saying: beware of necklines!

I'm not into cleavage-flashing in general, but still found I felt a bit uncomfortable with a low neckline in front of students - wI'd never have thought it was immodest anywhere else!

Hmm. I have amazing tits. They are my only asset. Are you saying I should cover them up?

Honestly, great norks or no, I do think that post 30 a little bit of decorum is needed. I will take your wise advice littlereddragon with gratitude.

I once had a lecturer who genuinely did flash actual cleavage - she had the attention of half the class, but I'm not sure they were learning much!

I think maybe the same goes for legs and heels - if you're wearing heels and sheer tights it can be a bit too sexy, imo.

But then, maybe I just know lots of sex-on-the-brain students.

NO student is looking at their lecturers as sex objects however. Even if you're 23 and gorgeous, standing up their and being clever desexualises you. And if you're anywhere over 30 you're practically dead as far as they're concerned. So really don't worry about those things.

I do think it depends a bit on subject: in a clinical discipline I think you need to demonstrate a certain amount of formality and bedside manner to your students; in many social sciences and humanities, over-formality is sometimes (wrongly) thought of as a badge of shallowness.

I think those who are saying go 'half' formal, half funky are right: jeans with jacket, smart trews with little cardi...

their?

No student is looking at the lecturers as sex objects?!!

Crikey, where do you work, so I can look for a job there then!

I think they do, and also, it's not just about that. They won't respect you if they think you're dressed in an 'informal' way, and looking sexy is informal.