What about suspenders? It would give you an outlet to express yourself in color and design while maintaining the professorial look. It would also open a whole new avenue for gift giving to you. Soon you'd have a great collection of suspenders to choose from for the mood of the day.
There are some examples of suspender looks with and without ties and bowties here:
Small world.....Mrs. Chum is rather preoccupied with the fleur-de-lis pattern. It resides throughout the Chum household from the doorbell plate to clothing patterns!
