Between conducting research, holding office hours, giving lectures and assigning those sinister problem sets, you'd think it would be hard for faculty on the Hill to stay fabulous when it comes to their wardrobes as well.
We found some Tufts professors who still somehow find the time to rock a classroom ensemble that catches our Sartorial eye! In this second installment, we delve into professorial styles that span from offbeat to professional and let our teachers talk about the trends they see among the student body.
I'd say Boston has this weird mix of a very stodgy conservative look, and then mom jeans with fanny packs. There is some good stuff locally, but I like to have more of an eclectic look so I make time to shop when I'm out of town. Zara, a Spanish brand, is great as a sleek yet laid-back, colorful alternative, since so much stuff for guys in the U.S. is way oversized and frankly boring.
In terms of students, I understand that many don't have the time or money or interest to focus on how they look. But some people choose especially unflattering things, like the sweats that say ‘JUMBO' right across somebody's behind.
—Ryan Centner, assistant professor of sociology
For your job you should dress up, so I consider [these] work clothes. I choose to set an example for students to look professional. I expect students to not walk in wearing [pajamas], because I won't, but I don't consider it appropriate to wear designer clothes to class. With so many cultures at Tufts, it's important to dress in a way that doesn't make students uncomfortable. Professors should make dressing professionally feel attainable.
—Nancy Gleason, lecturer of political science
In some ways I'm like a suburban dad. I've got a kid, but I'm not a sweatpants and sportswear kind of person. I like scarves, I like ties, but I can't wear dress clothes — I don't wear suits. I have one pair of dress pants, and I call them my funeral pants cause that's what I got them for.
I can't really get over this ‘hot pants and short-shorts to class' thing this semester. Maybe it's because I've got a six-year-old daughter now, and I'm like ‘You need to go to college far away so I never have to know what you're wearing.'
—David Valdes Greenwood, lecturer of English
Everything you see that's ‘fashionable' isn't my doing — it's been put together for me. I try to go for efficiency and functionality, whatever is easy. I hedge to the edge of overdressed, because in the course of the day I don't know where I'm going to go, what meetings I'll have, who I'm going to speak with. Otherwise, my wife really does everything else. Even back in grad school, people could tell if she was in town depending on how I dressed. Also, my sister-in-law was a fashion designer in Milan, so having her around always helped.
—David Art, associate professor of political science
'm very excited to go to work in the morning, so why wouldn't I pick something that I enjoy wearing? That's sort of my general rule. I definitely have more of a sense of occasion when I get up and am going to work rather than on the weekends staying in my little suburb.
—Tracy Pearce, lecturer of French
The space I like to occupy in general, not just in thinking about how to dress, but also in philosophy, is on the margins of mainstream without being far outside of it. Before I gave up on Banana Republic and Club Monaco, they'd have a few things that had some sort of edge — whether the style, or the color, or the cut. Now, I can do better — with designers, quality and prices — online.
—Lionel McPherson, associate professor of philosophy
I always consider the clothes I wear to work as ‘the uniform' because I don't dress like this in my off-hours. I like really clean military-like cuts, [the] colors are pretty muted. Everything I own is pretty comfortable, except shoes. If I were really worried about comfort I would only wear flats.
I went out with some new people and I rolled up my sleeves, and … they were like ‘Wow, we never would have expected that from you.' I get awkward looks all the time. I just like pretty artwork on my body.
—Ayanna Thomas, assistant professor of psychology
