Teacher Clothing

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One picky, free-spirited, anti-conservative-fashion teacher-to-be needs wardrobe help.

I bought some cotton pants - like modern chinos, I guess - last year before I started teaching. I bought a few more pair because they were THAT good. They are black, brown (2), and cork (not really khaki, not really tan....). I have slowly started to build up a very tiny wardrobe. The problem with doing this slowly is that now my pants are starting to look worn already and I still haven't caught up with the shirts.

I tend to scour places like TJ Maax, Marshalls, Target and Filene's Basement for cheap, good quality clothing. It's hit or miss, but I can't afford anything else. I'd love to find a clothing company whose clothing I consistently like, but I haven't yet (Target has come closest). I like some of what LLBean and Landsend have to offer, but they are far too conservative and drab for me. I like the colors of victoria's Secret, but the clothing is too risque for 4th grade.

I like colors. Not just any colors, but unusual ones. I like salmon, cantelope, and papaya - not peach. I like moss, chartruese and meadow - not green. Cork, coffee, cocoa - not brown. You get the picture. And I like linen and silk blends with cotton. Wool (as well as other animal hair fabrics) irritates me and is too hot for the classroom. AND, I have a big arm tattoo that needs to stay covered at least until I get tenured, so I need sleeves that are at least elbow length.

So:
Bright, unusual colors
Cotton, linen, silk - some synthetics mixed in.
Elbow length or longer sleeves
Somewhat fitted
Long enough shirts to cover midriff
Cheap

Not quite impossible. Any tips? Any favorite stores that might fit the bill?

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Okay...... How are these shirts perceived? I think there is a major generational shift in what qualifies for proper teacher clothing....

http://www.columbia.com/images/productImages/TL6623_586_l.jpg

http://www.columbia.com/images/productImages/AL7006_845_l.jpg

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conservative!
:wink:

... i doubt i will be of much help. i'll be the one screaming "Go for it!" every inch of the way.

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(that said, i love the one on the right. but i don't even need to say that, do i... look at that color! divine).

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I think both of those are nice, neutral tops.

I like the style of the one on the left slightly more than the other, but that's because I've had a recent run of things with strings undoing when I was too busy to bother with them.

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Those are fine with me. But what do I know? I'm a person who doesn't even mind wrinkles.

I like your color choices, and fabric choices.

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I can scour the Eddie Bauer Warehouse for you.

I'm only half-kidding. You tell me what size you wear (you can check the EB website if you're not sure) and you pay cost + shipping. (I just sent 3 shirts to my mom for $5.) I love finding stuff.

Clothes there are usually 70 - 90% off, and fits what you're saying really closely. Good colors, good fabrics, very teacher-y while also having some style.

Those shirts both seem fine -- maybe a cami under the purple one.

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So.... three thumbs up? I would probably not bother with the tie at all, the neckline is high enough that it wouldn't need to be closed. Might take the string right out. Now I have to find a store that carries those as Columbia doesn't sell directly.

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Plus, J.jill and Boden USA are two companies that start out expensive but have great sales... both have sales going now online.

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Soz, I do like Eddie Bauer for the most part. Their colors are still a little somber for me. I should see if we have an outlet here. I have a weird body and couldn't tell you what size I am for sure. But, thanks for the offer!

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Wrentham, MA has an outlet mall with an EB outlet store as well as others. It's 25 miles away, but that'd take some time to get to because it's almost all city from here to there.

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I freaked out on JJill a few years ago. Turns out I have something like seven linen shirts from them..

speaking of wrinkles.

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Crap, I deleted my post because it had a huge stretchy url; I'd copied it before I deleted it but then just copied something else and therefore displaced what I wrote. Anyway...

EB has a lot of colors, though I see more at the Warehouse than in catalogues/ online, which doesn't totally make sense. Maybe they display the more muted ones more prominently? Anyway, this is somewhat representative:

http://www.eddiebauer.com/assets/ct/0709/24/21291b_tees_32.jpg

Point is that I have a LOT of colors of the kind you describe.

Other main point is that I'm talking about the WAREHOUSE, which is differently from the OUTLET. Lots of Outlets, only one Warehouse that I know of (in Columbus). It's the motherlode. Catalogue returns, several-seasons-old stuff, stuff that doesn't sell at Outlets, I dunno. All new condition, and nice, but CHEAP.

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Also, unless you have a philosophical opposition (which I would understand), Old Navy actually is good for this sort of thing. They always have basics in addition to the more out-there stuff, for VERY good prices.

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Osso, I like JJill, but it's expensive. Also Boden.

Soz, I tried to link to a skirt at EB - no go, same problem. I even tried clipping it to the .jpg. Old Navy conflicts with me ethically, but also, the tops tend to be heathered and or far to low cut.

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littlek...you just brought back a memory of a teach I had in 4th grade.

she was really nice, all the kids loved her.

it was her first teaching job too, and I remember she must have owned like 2 skirts, and 3 shirts at first.

she'd mix and match them as best she could, same shoes every day.

then, after a couple of months, she must have gotten a few paychecks under her belt, and there started a slow trickle of a new blouse here, a new skirt there. In a way, it was really sweet, it was like we were watching her "grow up"

If you just need a stop gap until you've got some money put aside, how about target or (cringe) Walmart.

I don't go to Walmart out of principle, but, I was forced to the other week because they were the only one that carried a specific cleaning product I needed.

While there, I saw these tank tops, like to wear under another shirt, or under a blazer or something, and they were like $5/each. I have to be honest, they were as good a quality as other tank tops I've seen for 30 or 40 bucks. I'll admit it, I bought 4 or 5 in different colors, and I've worn them several times.

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Chai - An older worker at the school commented on my skirt the other day. Nice skirt - building your wardrobe? It was meant as a compliment, but I hadn't thought anyone had noticed how few pieces of clothing I have to wear to work. I found an awesome skirt at Talbots of all places! Do you really think they REALLY mean dry-clean?

http://www1.talbots.com/images/colorized/72077415_5019.jpg

($25.00)

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oh wow...I really like that skirt.

Have you ever tried that "dry clean at home" stuff?

you put the garment in this bag, with some cleaner sheet or something, and put it in the dryer.

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Dryel - works like a charm on everything. $1 a garment.

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It's a beautiful linen skirt. I suspect there's a lining in there that might be a bit fussy.

~~~

Something I notice in the teachers I cross paths with each morning on our mutual way to work is ... pockets. Skirts with pockets, jackets with pockets, even t-shirts with pockets.

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