What kind of jacket to wear to walk around within school building? - Page 3

Originally Posted by ircfas133 

 

Thank you for your advice.  One of the major reasons that I feel uncomfortable with sport jackets is that even my professors only wear them while teaching.  Since I'm doing TA and RA work for them, there may be some severe consequences if I dress better than they are.  On the other hand, I'm close to 30, so hoodies also draw some criticisms from some of my peer graduate students... 

Originally Posted by tonylamer 

If you wear a sportcoat on a college campus--and you're a student--you'll get called on it. I've worn every combination of structured/unstructured jacket with an open collar and jeans (just so I wouldn't look too formal), and people called me on it constantly. The people I didn't know too well hated it, and my friends told me to tone it down. Keep in mind that I had no money, so all of the jackets were thrift finds that I've since tossed. But even a thrifted Banana Republic cord. jacket was too much for most people. I wore a Norman Hilton 1/4-lined tweed jacket one day, and someone told me to take it off because I was making everyone else look underdressed. I'd paid $5 for it, and it was 28 years old. I was wearing it with jeans and a pair of Cole Haan corrected-grain shoes. Far from the WAYWN thread.

Every single time that I wore a tie, people would ask if I had an interview.

I once wore a sportcoat and a pair of pants (again, Banana Republic) to dinner, and a kid on the street stopped me and gave me shit about wearing a suit. Keep in mind that this was a Canadian college town--extremely WASPy--and that I was in a professional graduate programme.

If you're going to wear a jacket to class, don't dress it up. Your shirt or pants should be wrinkled, you shouldn't even think about accessories, and your shoes should be a bit scuffed. That'll look good without making you look like an ass--i.e. the guy who comes to class in a tailored suit.

If you have the money for it, buy two Cucinelli sportcoats (not retail) that you can wear with jeans, and go that route. They make a great unstructured jacket, and they generally stay away from worsted wool, so they can be worn with jeans. They also look cool without being too dressy.

Originally Posted by ircfas133 

I don't know whether 'sour grape' would be an appropriate description of this.  Most pressure is from my peers, because none of them really know basics of men's style; certainly not to the level here in SF.

Originally Posted by mcbrown 


Your peers in business school think it's so out of norms to wear a sports coat that they would actually hassle someone for doing it?

Originally Posted by lemmywinks 

I can see you guys worrying about stuff as an undergrad maybe living on or near campus, if your social life highly revolves around campus life and you are surrounded by peers that are usually dressed in t-shirt, jeans etc.,
Thing with menswear is that it's hard to look different and put some effort into dressing without A) Looking overdressed B) Looking gay or C) Looking like some goth ninja. In all 3 cases people will treat you differently. And as much as we can say "oh who cares what other people think" a 19 year old kid walking into the campus bookstore in a full suit will raise eyebrows. Or if they're wearing a full Rick Owens get up.
Whereas girls can, instead of wearing just a t-shirt and skinny jeans, wear good-looking outfits where no one would think that they're going to work/interview and while looking different from the crowd, not be cast as some weird social outcast. A 19 year old girl draped in weird 'vintage' style clothing or some nice boots or whatever the hell teenage girls wear these days- socially acceptable. They will fetch compliments from other very normal girls in society.
I'm now a sophomore in a college in California. I'm in a fraternity considered a top house on campus. As much as I love the StyleForum community, blazers for every day wear just isn't a thing for me, and most halfway decent, well-rounded college students. We have weekly fraternity meetings and we dress up for those. Our pledges dress up in their interpretations of 'dress clothes.' Walking around school in anything close to a suit and you're either going to an interview or you're a pledge at a fraternity.
Anytime I wear something that isn't incredibly casual, I dress it down. Wear an OCBD? It's either chino shorts, jeans, or I'm putting on a bomber jacket over it. Roll the sleeves up when possible.
Chinos? I'm wearing that with a t-shirt and sneakers and wearing them like jeans. An OCBD, Chinos, and sneakers is about the most 'formal' outfit I can wear without having eyebrows raised.
So I definitely know where the OP is coming from, but OP is a grad student at a business school. I would definitely wear a cord blazer to class if I'm a grad student because my social life does not revolve around campus as much as it did. The cord blazer is definitely an option paired with jeans. If you're uncomfortable, wear it with some semi-beat up jeans, and any halfway decent t-shirt (I recommend a more muted color. Grey works. Say no to bleachy starched white t-shirts), maybe even a graphic t-shirt if it can be 'dressed up.' Hell, make sure you are wearing a backpack to class to dress your blazer down even more. I have an unstructured blazer that I've recently started introducing into my wardrobe. I never wear oxfords + chinos/trousers with it unless I'm supposed to dress up.

Originally Posted by lemmywinks 

I can see you guys worrying about stuff as an undergrad maybe living on or near campus, if your social life highly revolves around campus life and you are surrounded by peers that are usually dressed in t-shirt, jeans etc.,
Thing with menswear is that it's hard to look different and put some effort into dressing without A) Looking overdressed B) Looking gay or C) Looking like some goth ninja. In all 3 cases people will treat you differently. And as much as we can say "oh who cares what other people think" a 19 year old kid walking into the campus bookstore in a full suit will raise eyebrows. Or if they're wearing a full Rick Owens get up.
Whereas girls can, instead of wearing just a t-shirt and skinny jeans, wear good-looking outfits where no one would think that they're going to work/interview and while looking different from the crowd, not be cast as some weird social outcast. A 19 year old girl draped in weird 'vintage' style clothing or some nice boots or whatever the hell teenage girls wear these days- socially acceptable. They will fetch compliments from other very normal girls in society.

Originally Posted by ircfas133 

People won't say it on your face.  But they may jokingly say hey it is hot inside, why wearing jacket?  To be honest, when everyone else dress casual, I feel a little bit uncomfortable dressing up.  It is more of I feel self-consciousness thing...  Sorry, I didn't clarify that enough...

Originally Posted by jt10000 


Second being worried about "looking gay" is kind of lame, and maybe a little bigoted. I know you're a kid, but grow up.  And also ask yourself, if anyone is ribbing you about looking gay, what kind of person are they?  And also are they male or female?

Originally Posted by lemmywinks 

Thing with menswear is that it's hard to look different and put some effort into dressing without A) Looking overdressed B) Looking gay or C) Looking like some goth ninja.

Originally Posted by Patek 


Where the hell did you go to school? Not on the East Coast and not to business school--that's for sure.

Originally Posted by tonylamer 
Queen's (which is old-money central), and sportcoats just aren't done. Cheap suits? Yes. Loud, cheap ties? Sure. But anything like the guys on the WAYWN thread? Never.