A Lesson In Good Fashion

[stylegurrl]

A lesson in good fashion

JESSICA KIDDLE


ACCORDING TO the brains over beauty theory, intelligence is everything when it comes to attracting the opposite sex. Men who can quote Keats and discuss Descartes are very appealing to the thinking woman. With this in mind, it is no surprise that teacher chic has come out of the classroom and on to the catwalk.

Jumbo cord trousers, classic shirts, fraying tweed jackets, V-necks and cardigans are normally the preserve of campus professors. But while academics were once considered one of the worst dressed groups in society, this is no longer the case.

Richard Gray of Harvey Nichols says: "The homogenised men’s look of ripped jeans and designer open shirts is so incredibly forced and dated now. I think people are looking for something more individual. Boy band is out and bookish is most definitely in."

It is the safe and serious, dowdy and slightly dishevelled items in your wardrobe which create an illusion of worldliness. While academics, concerned only with matters of the mind, may be ignorant of the world of fashion, they have unwittingly inspired a following.

It is precisely the fact that professors do not set out to create a trend or spend valuable brainpower thinking about what to wear that is the appeal. So judge clothes not on their label or look, but on their comfort and durability.

A spokesman for designer Vivienne Westwood says: "I think this whole idea that naff taste is good taste is in just now - the whole geeky look has come into fashion."

Designers such as Westwood celebrate the eccentric British look with tweed, wool, corduroy and even moleskin and velvet being the fabrics of choice. "Vivienne loves classic British clothing and always has lots of chunky cardigans and thick knits as the staple of her menswear winter collections," adds the spokesman.

In terms of colour, autumnal hues should dictate your wardrobe - every shade of brown, bottle green, mustard and plum. On the high street, horizontal stripes, diamonds and checks are the prevailing patterns. "Stripy Dennis-the-Menace-type pullovers and scarves should be worn to get the just-stepped-out-of-university rather than stepped-out-of-a-nightclub look,’" says Gray.

H&M and TopShop have got the basics with V-neck jerseys, lambswool sweaters and tweed trousers. Gap has a huge range of washable wool knits in creams and blues, brown herringbone and grey check.

Christopher Bailey had models wearing rollnecks teamed with dark-coloured tailored trousers at the Burberry show. The look is traditional Oxbridge with camel, blue and rusty red V-necks and cardigans worn over a shirt and tie, all set off with a collegiate scarf.

However, Gordon Richardson, design director for TopMan, warns against simply dressing up as your geography tutor. Try wearing an Argyle woollen top with cargo trousers for campus cool, or wearing a tweed three-quarter length coat over a more relaxed outfit. "Sometimes history-teacher chic is quite hard to pull off all in one go. So although we have a tweed suit which looks fantastic, perhaps try wearing a tweed blazers over jeans. Alternatively, wear a pair of herringbone trousers with a plain shirt," Richardson adds.

Just as there has been a backlash against the boy band pop uniform, there has been a similar move away from homogenous gelled hair-dos. "This kind of unidirectional hair is too overdone and is making men look like fashion victims. This autumn and certainly next year products will be abandoned in favour of a more traditional side parting or short back and sides.

"There will be no designer stubble either. Men will either have a beard or will be clean-shaven," says Gray.

ALTHOUGH YOU DON’T need to carry around a maths jotter and chalk in your pocket for authenticity, academic bags are a key accessory with which to carry on the theme. Try and find a second-hand doctors bag or a manly leather tote.

"It is just a much more mature, formal look," says Richardson. "The clothes are made using noble fabrics giving men a polished look.

"This formality should be mirrored in accessories. Outfits are teamed much less with trainers now as slip-on leather shoes or a brogue style look better."

So go out and purchase a pair of brown lace-up brogues and a brown leather belt to complete the look that is hot prof this season.


This article:

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=1090262004

 

[softgrey]

my father is a professor...so i've always gone for that geek chic look...but not so english and tweedy...not so sherlock holmes...

more french or spanish or italian or german intellectual...less preppy and more bohemian ...less professorial and more intellectual...

 

[breathe0xygen]

interesting article Stylegurrl! it made me think about alot of things

 

[chocsta]

It's interesting how whether something's fashionable or not depends so much on the time and context. It seems that fashion often reflects societal and cultural values, so I'd say there's lots of substance to fashion. There should be a study on fashion itself, and what it signifies!

On a side note, geek chic or the bookish look beats boy band any day!

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

This kind of fits along with the whole secretary, covered up look.... all of this "trend" stuff is silly, though. Tweed and cords are classics that can always be revived....unlike sheepskin boots, tracksuits, etc.

 

[clay]

Its about style, how do you make these looks work for you. I personally like the schoolboy, nerd, preppy thing however not so rumpled.

 

[Hed_Kandi]

Who is that person in the article to say what is in or what isn't. That author is a complete idiot for calling certain styles dated and then suggesting we all hop aboard the "prim and proper Vivienne Westwood" train.

The next article will be, "prim and proper" is out - grunge is in.

After that grunge will be out and california surfer chic will be in.

I can't stand reading fashion articles.

 

[AlexN]

Originally posted by Hed_Kandi@Sep 23 2004, 05:49 PM
Who is that person in the article to say what is in or what isn't. That author is a complete idiot for calling certain styles dated and then suggesting we all hop aboard the "prim and proper Vivienne Westwood" train.

The next article will be, "prim and proper" is out - grunge is in.

After that grunge will be out and california surfer chic will be in.

I can't stand reading fashion articles.

[snapback]374039[/snapback]​

I agree, Hed. It's like, "Everybody stop following these silly homogenous trends and start following these instead." The sheep herder is simply changing the direction of his flock.

 

[Hed_Kandi]

Originally posted by AlexN@Sep 23 2004, 11:39 PM
I agree, Hed. It's like, "Everybody stop following these silly homogenous trends and start following these instead." The sheep herder is simply changing the direction of his flock.

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Things change, but remain the same!

 

[sefis]

If you really want to be cool next season, you need to get some pleated pants, an ill fitting short sleeve button down shirt and a pocket protector. Thats what real geeks wear, I've never seen any professor wear a tweed jacket.

 

[faust]

So pathetic of the author to stylize intellectuality

 

[softgrey]

Originally posted by sefis@Sep 24 2004, 01:24 AM
If you really want to be cool next season, you need to get some pleated pants, an ill fitting short sleeve button down shirt and a pocket protector.  Thats what real geeks wear, I've never seen any professor wear a tweed jacket.

[snapback]374370[/snapback]​

my dad does
correction: i asked him and he said they are out of style now...he only has a camel-hair one now...

 

[PrinceOfCats]

Both my parents are academics - they wear plain business suits.

Perhaps what the article alludes to here is the fact that a lot of 'intellectuals' regard fashion as rubbish and often dress in rather dated and slouchy styles because they don't give a monkeys.

Sidenote to Hed: there's nothing prim or proper about Vivienne Westwood - her son owns an erotic lingerie brand and her first creation was a t-shirt embroidered with chicken bones.