Is there a dress code for Professors of Photography?
In a recent conversation with some of my friends from grad school we were discussing how nicely one of our professors always dressed. On that particular day it was a real sophisticated gray three-piece suit with a red handkerchief fitting the season. An important note would be that he was a professor of the history of photography. As our conversation continued I mentioned my own dress and whether I should refine it to stronger separate myself from my students.
This is not to say I am a slob when teaching, but I don’t think I am old enough to wear a tweed jacket. For lectures I typically dress smart casual (dress trousers, a long-sleeve dress shirt, and loafers).
The trouble comes when working in the darkroom. At the school in which I teach darkroom classes I have no teaching assistant or other staff. A professor cannot be expected to dress well when mixing chemistry on a daily basis. In the darkroom I tend to wear denim and a sweater or put on a Fleece to get dirty.
So I am wondering what other young professors in the arts do to maintain authority while being comfortable and not ruining good clothing (or going home smelling like fixer)?
Here are a few ideas:
Lab Coat to go over nice clothing
Revival of sweater vests from my old preppy days
Or add elbow patches to everything: jackets, sweaters, long sleeved shirts...
Let me know what you consider appropriate or if you have any other amusing ideas.
