#AskPedro – What is professional yet functional attire?
This question comes from reader Tom:
I work in a public school and I was wondering as I look around at the other male teachers, what is appropriate, professional yet functional attire? I don’t want to always be in khakis and a polo, yet a suit and tie are overdoing it. Does it really matter? I know our young males need role models, but I’m not sure if my appearance really matters in that respect.
My response:
I think a lot of men, most actually, ask themselves these questions all the time. How to look well-put together without overdoing it. And does it matter?
Let me start with the latter: it absolutely matters. And we know it does. After all, we groom ourselves, we take care of our homes, we dress well for our best friend’s wedding. Why? Because we know that visuals communicate, from first impressions to a sense of professionalism and occasion. And there is nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is if we reserve our judgement to just what we see.
In your situation, you want to convey to your students that they matter. You’ve made an effort to dress well (not necessarily “up”) because they are important to you and what you are doing together matters. Not only will you be sending a positive message to your students, you will show them that a grown up is resourceful enough to take care of themselves. Dressing well suggests that you have other aspects of your life in order and that you are not just winging it.
Now, I’m not suggesting that we use clothes to cover up our real selves. That’s why it’s important that whatever you wear you are comfortable and it’s as close to your personal sense of style as possible.
One issue that I run into all the time is that guys feel there are opposites of dress: sloppy casual vs sharp suits. Instead, there is a third approach, which I call “tailored casual.” Outfits that aren’t suits or ties, but are well made, fit superbly and make you look sharp without looking formal. The thing is, I think a lot of guys don’t even try because they are afraid of failing and looking even worse.
Building a sharp and solid wardrobe doesn’t happen overnight. It will take time to assemble these pieces and probably some trial and error to find the look you like. Plus, it ain’t cheap. Building a quality wardrobe will cost you, as it should. The lesson is to invest a lot in a few items: you will look better switching between two excellent pieces than five mediocre ones. To get started, I think sports jackets are a must. You can dress them up with ties or dress them down with open shirts and sweaters.
Another staple for me is the button-down shirt. Brooks Brothers has some of the best around, especially the “new” old ones. The great thing about the button-down is that it is inherently casual – the buttons were added to the collar points, after all, by polo players who didn’t want them flapping around while they played. The shirts look great under sweaters (a cardigan or Shetland crew neck is highly recommended) or jackets or even just on their own.
In terms of trousers, I am a big fan of khakis and not just in khaki brown – dark green, red and blue are excellent alternatives. However, most fit very, very poorly. So you’ll need to try on quite a few to get the right fit. Another option, a step above khakis, is flannel. Because of its matte finish, it looks more relaxed than worsted wool, so it’ll go great with a sweater but it’s nice enough to work with a jacket. Grey (mid or dark) is a classic option, although brown looks fantastic too, and more casual.
And finally shoes. Shoes are very, very key to this. Any fantastic outfit can be ruined if your shoes are cheap and poorly maintained. I would strongly recommend spending most of your money on two great pairs of all-leather shoes. Then regularly moisturise, cream and polish them.
Circling back to why all this matters, I remember a story Bruce Boyer told on his recent visit to Toronto. He talked about going to the ballet and looking around at all the people dressed in hoodies and old jeans. This bothered him because the people on stage had literally shed blood and tears to put on this event. It was the highest form of their art and their passion. Couldn’t the members of the audience live up to that effort just a little bit? How about acknowledging how special the evening was with clean, sharp looking clothes? Our society, sadly, is quickly moving away from this idea of occasion. And that is why, Tom, I think it is so important that you set the tone for your students.
9 Comments
Michael Nevin
August 24, 2016 at 12:40 am
Pedro Mendes
August 24, 2016 at 10:25 am
Simon
August 24, 2016 at 10:03 am
Tom Gamache
August 24, 2016 at 7:27 pm
Pedro Mendes
August 24, 2016 at 9:35 pm
Michael Nevin
August 25, 2016 at 1:20 am
Les Smith
June 18, 2018 at 8:06 pm
Pedro Mendes
June 19, 2018 at 8:22 am
G.P.
November 4, 2021 at 4:40 am
I am a public school teacher at the secondary level who wore slacks, dress shirt, and tie for years. It was the expected look, but was boring. Now I would call my look “smart casual”. I just recently purchased some linen sport coats to wear during the warmer months. I have 2 wool sport coats and The students response has been very positive. I get a lot of compliments, even from male students, who usually say I am “looking sharp”. I don’t wear them everyday, but just a few times a week. All my coats need some tailoring, so I am saving to have sleeves shortened a bit. Friday is our Spirit Day so I wear the expected staff shirt in school colors. As for shoes, that can be problematic since educators are so often on their feet. I find that I must wear my Clark’s a few days a week to give my feet some recovery time. Love the website.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and your kind words, Michael.
Why Tom, do you say a suit and tie are overdoing it?
You are not working in a coal mine or on a construction site…suit and tie are fine for a school environment. Set an examp,e for the students, not to mention the other staff.
I say it manly because I work in Florida with a mostly outdoor campus and I move from classroom to classroom for most of the day and stand outside twice a day for bus duty. I have been back to school for two weeks now, and it is averaging about 90-94 degrees everyday. So, I feel like a suit for me would be too much. But, I do see that setting an example is important and being a role model is actually even more an issue to me.
So I do see that I am going to be making more of an effort! Thanks for the input!!
Great to hear, Tom, thanks again for the great question.
Tom – I would encourage you to look into linen/cotton suit coats. While I don’t live with the humidity it does get into the 90’s and 100’s where I live and I have found that the linen coat breaths really well. I am thinking of having some of lower lining removed to make it even cooler. Pedro, I should really define my style as business casual/preppy (can you tell I’ve been listening to Sven latest video). Thank you for making comments available on your blog.
A question about khakis. I wear them every day to work (also at a school) and would like to know the ideal leg length. I prefer a shorter look as my socks are the one place I like to have a bit of flash (Paul Smith stripes being my favourite).
So, how long should my khakis be?
It is a question of personal choice, Les. I like the statement “I want to see your shoes but I don’t want to see your socks.” Personally, if your socks show when you sit or cross your legs, that’s fine. If they show when you’re standing, that’s too short for me. I like the trouser cuffs to either hit the top of my shoes or even break just a little bit. Here’s a more indepth article.
Bruce’s story reminds me of a conversation I had with a concert cellist. She had just returned from a conservatory in Vienna and began playing for the IPO. I told her how I like dressing up when I go to the symphony. She said she disliked the people who dressed up because she felt that art is for the people and there shouldn’t be a “dress code” to enjoy it. This surprised me so I asked a couple other performers I know and they shared her sentiments. And while going out dressed up after that felt weird, I still did it. Looking nice feels right, but I didn’t assume it was out of respect for other people.