Dress Code

[poco_puffs]

OMG- Prada and Armani!! that has to be a joke!! Who has time to maintain such items with grad school!! I have a hard enough time keeping my car clean from my 2 hour daily commuting!!!

But I must tell you Poco that as a mom of 3 I've always had an affection for a good thrift or consignment store. However, since grad school start I've REALLY developed a stronger appreciation! Last fall I found a new with tags (@ $90) Cold Water Creek navy wool blazer for only $15 bucks- love it and wear it about once a week through 2 cold seasons!! I highly recommend these instead of target ect- just think recycle!!

Thrifting is a very big obsession of both my hometown and the city where I'll be relocating, and I wholeheartedly embrace thrift finds-- when I can find them. In many cases, however, my body type is so odd to fit that I very rarely find sort of blazer, even moderately structured dress, or pants that fit me and look professional. I do keep an eye out for neat skirts, since pants in general are hard to find in my case, and I have bought some blouses or dressy tanks where I don't have to worry about the sleeves. Long torso and long arms do not mesh well with the thrift store items that, when washed and worn, tend to shrink lengthwise before anything else. My favorite thrifting buddy is built like a waif from the 1940s, so she has no trouble finding all sorts of clothing.

I'm also facing that seemingly inevitable mid-20s slowdown of metabolism and the body changes that come with it. As a result, I'm having trouble even finding new clothing to fit my body appropriately. Redefining my wardrobe in terms of professionalism and good fit will be a big challenge this summer and fall.

[BearcatPA]

Of course work would take priority over wardrobe, but I don't think anyone here was suggesting a wardrobe improvement as some kind of shortcut to success-- some "blind them with your clothing so they won't notice you slacking off" sort of thing. We're talking about how to dress in certain situations to meet the expectations of social and professional roles that are very new to the majority of us.

Who mentioned Prada and Armani? Who can AFFORD Prada and Armani? I can barely afford to buy shit at Target, let alone a nice store, let alone anything designer.

I seriously hope your post was meant with less condescension or---god, whatever that was-- than it appears.

That was a joke, but I'm happy you decided to take it as if it was a personal attack on you. Personally I don't know how non-chem programs work but provided you're safely dressed everyone couldn't care less what you are wearing in lab. Most of the people you're working with will be from out of the country and will not be anywhere close to "recent" or "fashionable" in terms of how they dress.

What I said is what you would hear if you had asked a prof in the field. Just don't be a total slob when you're TA'ing a lab and you'll be fine. Even then, there are some great people in my group that dress...less than ideally as far as tidiness goes that would get away with it due to the quality of their work. There's a good tradeoff really between how good you are at the field and how much your already asinine TA duties can be kind of turned away from.

[poco_puffs]

<br />That was a joke, but I'm happy you decided to take it as if it was a personal attack on you.  Personally I don't know how non-chem programs work but provided you're safely dressed everyone couldn't care less what you are wearing in lab.  Most of the people you're working with will be from out of the country and will not be anywhere close to &quot;recent&quot; or &quot;fashionable&quot; in terms of how they dress.  <br /><br />What I said is what you would hear if you had asked a prof in the field.  Just don't be a total slob when you're TA'ing a lab and you'll be fine.  Even then, there are some great people in my group that dress...less than ideally as far as tidiness goes that would get away with it due to the quality of their work.  There's a good tradeoff really between how good you are at the field and how much your already asinine TA duties can be kind of turned away from.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Happy to apologize for that. I wasn't in the best mood, and my net-lexia means that I confuse dry humor, sarcasm, and rhetorical hyperbole as trolling.

[rising_star]

Lillian, I was with your whole post until I got here:

2. I think grad school is a professional job with certain dress requirements- it is sad to say this but change comes slowly and let’s face the facts…regardless of our work….we are the underlings and laborers of our departments! Our attire is but one more tool to ensure we are taken seriously and also shows that we take our work seriously, and are committed to our research and academic careers. If we don’t do this on a daily basis- who then is really to blame if we don’t get the Fulbright, or asked to be a research assistant on that notable professor’s incredibly funded and exciting research project, or asked to join a mixed panel at a conference with travel funding included? Or why the application for research funding is rejected? (Who would you want to physically represent your department at research institutions and conferences?; someone looking like their on vacation or about to pull off some serious research?)

Maybe this is a disciplinary or university culture kind of variation. I would never assume that someone didn't get a fellowship because of what they wear. Are you saying that what you wear is somehow noted in the LOR or keeps you from writing a solid research statement? I'm not the snazziest dresser (I wear what I want) and I honestly don't think it has had any effect on the grants I have won, the TA/RA assignments I have had, etc. And maybe that's because, as a whole, my discipline tends to dress fairly casually since people are often out in the field collecting data. Or it could be because they realize we are all responsible adults that will look put together at a conference/workshop/presentation, but not necessarily just to sit in our offices.

[Riotbeard]

I don't think my fashion taste made it into my LOR haha or else I doubt I would have gotten in anywhere, except the school with lovers of ratty jeans, 70s punk shirts and chain smoking (That has changed since college though). I think its common sense that if you go to a professional engagement (conference, etc. or teaching but to a lesser degree), you should dress professionally, but I don't think it would matter on a day to day basis.