Teacher Clothes

[[[WEE-YiN__XO]]]

Ok so with the new year of school coming after the summer, I need new everything!
It has to be formal and comfortable.
It can be between any price range but must be something that will last.
Any ideas?
Emma
x

 

[Jeniwren]

Are you a Primary or Secondary teacher? (i'm Primary )

It's hard to know, schools often differ quite a lot with regards to dress code. Maybe Mango or Zara for some good formal basics. I have a Maxmara coat that was expensive, but I feel so good in it that it was worth every penny!

 

[Deelove82]

I'm a teacher, too. I usually wear flats with jeans( black or dark blue) and cashmere sweaters or cardigans with a cotton/stretch top. I prefer solid colours and the only print I wear is a stripey T-shirt every now and then. It's not really formal, but none of my colleagues dress formal. I often wear scarves or a nice necklace.

 

[[[WEE-YiN__XO]]]

I am a secondary teacher.
The thing is we are not permitted to wear jeans to school, apart from on a special day.
Our dress code is:
Formal clothes (Formal trousers, no low cut tops etc..)
No leggings kinda thing
No tops with a hood
Thats kind of it, Just like no skin showing etc...
Very Boring!

 

[MandM]

Do people dress up more in Scotland? Here it seems like teachers can wear anything as long as it doesn't violate the dress code for the students -- i.e. no midrif baring shirts, no strapless dresses, no shirts that say "yay drugs" or anything.

It sounds like you are expected to be "business casual". I'd do a lot of khakis and cashmere in the winter to be comfortable. In the early fall you could probably wear your sundresses from summer with a cardigan or blouse over the top. I got lots of cute dresses at Banana Republic and Ann Taylor this season.

 

[Deelove82]

We don't have a dress code at all. Not even for the students (I sometimes wish we had one). But I'm always careful not to wear low cut tops... One of my friends once had 3rd graders speculating wether she wore a bra or not.

 

[Junkenpo]

I will be in a similar boat in 6 weeks myself... I don't think my school has an official dress code for teachers.

The men have it easier... jeans are acceptable, though slacks are prefered...add a collared shirt & shoes...and presto! "Dressed up" by outer island standards.

Me? Everything I have is about 2 years out of style & has seen better days.

I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe. Bleah.

 

[katheryn]

My mom gets a laugh out of some of the things the teachers at her school wear. They are young and cute but wear those terrible applique vests and jumpers. She swears they must have started teaching a college education class on how to dress frumpy! So avoid these at all costs, haha! My mom usually wears nice pants, khakis, and cute tops. She also wears a lot of cute jackets. Also, she wears lots of color. As for shoes, she tends to wear flats or small heels that are on the chunky side. I think she gets most of her things at department stores and Talbots. For the younger crowd, department stores, Banana Republic, J. Crew, and Ann Taylor would be good. I also like the idea of wearing a cute dress with a cardigan over it as someone else suggested.

 

[LivinLuxuriously]

I'm a secondary ed major and did my first round of student teaching last semester in a JH. We also had a no jeans rule except for on Fridays, which were casual. I'd wear black boot-cut slacks paired with different types of sweaters and the occasional button down shirt/blouse and always heels - most commonly my black leather square-toe boots. The pants are from H&M and the shirts are mostly from Gap

 

[prof ash]

Can we continue this discussion, please? lol. I did a search for teacher clothes & found this. Right now, I've bought a bunch of slacks from Express but need some COMFORTABLE heels & lots of basic but not too expensive button down collared-shirts to go with them. I'm 5'0, so lots of places just don't have clothes that fit me (like even Gap pants don't fit ... I think I have to just buy all Express pants & get really high heels). Anyway - fun but appropriate shirts ... any suggestions?

I'm thinking J. Crew, Banana Republic? Pics are appreciated too Thanks!!!

 

[sil]

Can we continue this discussion, please? lol. I did a search for teacher clothes & found this. Right now, I've bought a bunch of slacks from Express but need some COMFORTABLE heels & lots of basic but not too expensive button down collared-shirts to go with them. I'm 5'0, so lots of places just don't have clothes that fit me (like even Gap pants don't fit ... I think I have to just buy all Express pants & get really high heels). Anyway - fun but appropriate shirts ... any suggestions?

I'm thinking J. Crew, Banana Republic? Pics are appreciated too Thanks!!!

I think you are already on the right track. You basically want a smart, neat professional look, that is comfortable. Banana Rep has a petites line which features all their regular line styles. Pieces from Zara also are also classroom friendly.
I wear a lot of cute dresses to work as I find it is to figure out what to wear in the mornings.
Please don't forget about fashion when you dress for work! Teachers do not have to be frumpy!
I always make an effort to look put together and professional even when colleagues may dress more casual. A student once said when remembering a teacher that passed away, "I liked Mrs. *. She always dressed up for school, like everyday of school was something special."

Shoes. Make sure your feet are comfortable. That does not mean you need to forego cute shoes! Hush Puppies are making cuter styles now. Geox, Aerosoles, and even Keds are making comfortable but fashionable styles.
HTH.

 

[luckygirl83]

I remember in secondary school, one of my teachers wore such nice outfits that all the students wondered how she could afford to buy such nice stuff or have the time to put outfits together, for that matter!

Then, she married one of the other teachers in the school and became pregnant. That didn't put a stop to her gorgeous outfits. I remember she was 6 months pregnant and wearing black suede boots with 3" heels and a beautiful cashmere cardigan with an A-line skirt!! Her hair always looked like she just walked out of a salon.

We also treated her nicer than the frumpy old lady (who also taught math). I guess we felt she was more approachable!

 

[kymmie]

Since I teach kindergarten my wardrobe leans towards longer skirts and dresses paired with twinsets or cardigans. I am a big fan of JJill and Eddie Bauer for work clothes.

 

[bijou]

I think dresses with belts are nice (it would be longer than the one shown on this model). I think the belt adds a nice splash of color, but it isn't too over the top.

Skirts with a nice top tucked inside is cute. You could wear a simple cardigan over it. I've seen Banana Republic, J.Crew, and Gap carry skirts like these. The ones I saw at the store were longer in length.

A button-up with a pair of trousers can be very cute.

We have this one teacher who dressed so cute! She would pair a trendy top with Citizens of Humanity jeans and nice flats. Or wear a sweater with black pants and a cropped jacket over it. I noticed she had a few items from Forever 21 mixed into her outfits.

 

[LivinLuxuriously]

Updated response: I signed on as a leave replacement after I finished my student teaching in a HS in upstate NY. I revamped my wardrobe come my 2nd student teaching placement. I had 2 pairs of "work pants" from Express - one black, and one gray. I typically wore v-neck t's from Forever 21 (in white, gray, black, ad yellow) with an open button down over it on warmer days, and a jean jacket or sweater on top of the t's on colder days. On super cold days I'd add a trendy scarf to the mix. Shoes I rotated between 2 pairs of high-heeled black boots. I have lots of adorable flats - which I wore once and awhile - but I'm tiny (5'2, very petite, 100 lbs) and only 23 to begin with - so the heels gave me that extra somethin'-somethin' - that clickity-clank on the floor...it gives you an air of authority. And of course my necklace badge, as the ultimate accessory