When You Encounter Other Fashionable Academics

1. Dress - Ann Taylor Loft
Cardi - Gap
Boots- Ann Taylor Loft (remixed)
Scarf - Gap

I'm one of those grad students who regularly frequents departments/disciplines other than my own because my methodological issues and historical period overlap with those other departments. I took classes in those other departments and even TA-ed for them. As interdisciplinary as I work, it was still surprising when yet ANOTHER program asked me to give a public response to a lecture from a visiting scholar. And that program consists of many faculty and grad students who come from elsewhere in the world and their styles reflect that.


Giving a paper or a response always seems so high stakes even if its within your department or university.  And actually, giving a response is always scarier for me--what if I misconstrued something in the work I am responding to?  I usually wear a gray cardi and pearls with this dress but I didn't want to feel so formal.  Sometimes sartorial formality betrays an inward nervousness. 

3. Close-up of floral flourishing on dress

So, what about you? Do you, my fellow Fashionable Academics, find yourself being more style-conscience when encountering one type of department/classroom/conference over the ones you normally frequent? Or, is the bar already high in your home department?