Ya. Mired in the western college town experience, my whole family being ivy league transplants. It's kinda like being a *military brat*, only really wimpy. Haha.

Woo hoo! Skinny jeans!

It really is true that geography plays a huge role in all of this. I live in Canada, in Ontario, in a small city that pretty much revolves around the university. My husband's an academic, and until recently, I taught at the university as well. Before that I spent a LONG time at a much bigger urban university. But again - Canada.

What I've noticed is that at the bigger urban university the dress code skewed towards British frump (British friends, please excuse me, I do not mean fab British style!) whereas in my current town the code skews to boho, with many late-60s hires and fashion holdovers. That is why, wearing a relatively fitted cotton dress and patent leather sandals, I would stand out at a function as very dressed up.

I tend to like to be on the "dressy" side for my environment as well, but there's a line I wouldn't want to cross at a function like this because one can risk making others uncomfortable. If I wouldn't feel physically comfortable in an outfit, if I felt too "uptight" or too exposed, or too blingy, I wouldn't wear it. But then I wouldn't want to wear an outfit like that in ANY environment, so maybe that's just my personal preferences talking!

I definitely second the argument NOT to wear high stiletto heels. A wedge is totally fine, but a heel that will dig into floors or the garden would not be very comfortable.

ETA: would agree wholeheartedly with Gaylene's comments re the big donor in cowboy boots, etc. That sounds totally Alberta to me. Not sure if the US mountain towns are similar in tone.

Love how Gaylene deconstruct the outfit! It makes total sense to me.

PS. Sounds like we are in the same town. I'm one of those people that thinks jeans should not be tucked into cowboy boots, riding boots are fine but not cowboy boots.

Very entertaining and interesting thread.

Agree with many others that the code is very regional. I would dress conservatively, on the slightly frumpy side of casual dressy. Gaylene's outfit sounds great. Or a cotton dress shift say from Boden with sandals would be the most dressy I would get. Agree best advice is to call up the admin, if female, of the host, or the wife, and get advice.

Rachylou, we've never been at Stanford. We've always been affiliated with an ag. college, which you would think would be more casual rather than the other way around. It all depends on who you're mingling with. In the ag. office where I work, attire is always casual--much more casual than I prefer, actually. In the ag. office where my DH is, which is on campus, the attire is dressier, and his secretaries always dress nicely--what I'd call smart casual. My office, on the other hand, is casual, but I step it up a notch by wearing that critical third layer (jacket or stylish cardigan) with quality jewelry and stylish accessories that I think (hope) get me out of the frump category, lol.

As for a Chanel-esque jacket, I'm sure that would work. I've seen various women in academia--even in the ag. college--wear them. I think the idea is not to look too corporate (AKA stuffy) or too frilly or too casual. You need to look approachable without looking frumpy or sloppy. If in doubt, dress up. If possible, find out what the dress code means, because it most definitely means different things to different people and to different regions of the country and to different professions. Even within university circles, you have the law school, the ag. college, etc. Each of these individual colleges, within the university, have different standards when it comes to attire.

Hope this helps.

Ag. college sounds fun!

Things are, indeed, a bit different when you get away from the liberal arts school. I suppose the one common thread is showing you've got some education, know some things...

Anyways, slightly tangentially, I have noticed here that the medical/research university... and also, the within orbit biotech companies... we are talking some fancy pants. Everybody uses Apple computers too. Penthouse city apartments done up by decorators, not the homeowner. This is soooo unheard of in engineering.

Ha, Rachy. The medical/research university thing produces its own set of challenges for those of us who are on the research side of things, particularly if you are non-clinical. It's like you have to prove that you are Serious About Science, and Not A Clinician, so you don't want to look too spiffy/corporate, but at the same time in some situations you have to be spiffy enough to impress the leadership, who more often than not are Clinicians. Sigh...

We do all have Apple computers though, even those of us who are lowly post-docs and grad students and can't really afford them. It's a Thing.

Oh how I wish we could use Apple computers! We're stuck with Dells. Don't get me started on how lowsy they are.

Ooooh. Dell made me so mad. THREE, count 'em, THREE computers in row - different models - all with the SAME PROBLEM STRAIGHT FROM THE BOX.

And might I add, I bought onsite service from them and could never get onsite service!

Not to further high jack this thread, but since it seems to fit under dressing in an academic environment, am I the only one who thinks that the people working on the administrative side dress much better than the faculty group?

Our admin group, regardless of whether they are assistants or senior staff, almost always wear workplace appropriate dress, while the faculty could quite often be mistaken for students, maintenance workers, or a lost tourist. And it pains me to say that the liberal arts, scientists, and techies are usually at the bottom of the heap. And the aggies and trades areas are quite often some of the best dressers.

ETA: But, as senior faculty, I do get a nice Apple computer. A new one with a huge monitor for these aging eyes.

Gaylene, I would agree with that.

But it makes sense in some ways. Teaching is very different than going to meetings. I know it involves tons of meetings, too...but it's generally more active, you want to project a certain approachability (for students).

Interesting, Gaylene. I'd say that in ag. at least (the only field I'm familiar with besides music), administrative assistants (I called them secretaries in my previous post) dress better than faculty, though the professors in administration (deans and dept. heads) dress a lot better than the regular professors (those that teach and/or do research). I personally think everyone should aspire to dress like those in administration, but realize that's probably not ever going to happen. IMO, if you're not a student, you shouldn't derss like one. There ought to be something in your appearance that sets you apart from the students and general public.

Yes. That seems to be pretty much the case.

Deans and department heads, I do think they tend to suit up. One of my best friends, he wears bow ties now. He teaches still, but he does a lot of managing and work on funding... which is why I think these folks do tend to be nattier. Once you start talking money, you are onto the business side of things and/or heading to D.C.

Ruth, you are so right; I've always thought that, when I enter a classroom, it should be clear that I'm the instructor, not a student. While you do want to look approachable, there are ways to do that and still keep your dignity and authority.

Funny, but true story. I had a female student in my office last year who was exasperated about always being mistaken for a prof both in the classroom and in the hallways. When she told me the names of some of her professors, I think the error was totally understandable. She always looked neat and put together, but, unfortunately, I couldn't say the same about her professors. It's funny, but a bit sad, when improvished students dress more carefully than their profs.

I dress nicely for work, even though I'm in a casual off-campus office, because I never know who is going to walk through the door. The Dean and other administrators occasionally drop in unannounced, and I don't want to look like something the cat drug in--especially since my DH works in the same building as they do, and they all know each other. We also get occasional visits from elected officials, so I can't for the life of me figure out why other people in my office don't dress nicely every day. Maybe it's just a hang-up of mine, but I have my pride and want to present a professional image.

Oh dear, this thread is hilarious. The complexities of the academic environment: the town, the department, the university, the sometimes deliberate frumpiness... I mean, you don't want to look too good, because that would be a sign of being superficial and insufficiently intellectual, right? LOL!

Disclosure: used to teach at a junior college in Quebec, hubby is a professor at a small college, and I quickly lose patience with image management...

@ JR: ROFL! Deliberate frumpiness? Not me! I also don't think it's a bad thing to dress nicely, even if it means you're overdressed for the event or occasion. I do, however, think it's dreadful to be underdressed. I got that viewpoint from my mom, and I know not everyone shares it, but I do think appearance matters. This is particularly important whenever you're meeting someone for the first time (for example, interviewing for a job) and want to make a good first impression.

I also think that, whenever possible, it's best to adhere to the specified dress code. If no dress code is mentioned, I use my own judgment about what to wear. If the invitation states what's expected, I try my best to dress accordingly. The problem is when it says "casual dress." Casual dress can be interpreted in a myriad of ways.