Well, a new school year is upon us, so I thought I would talk a bit about teacher style today. However, many of these tips will apply to you if you have to dress up for any job... so don't stop reading just because your job doesn't give you a summer break! :)

I just started my eighth year of teaching. That's crazy to me! My first two years were spent at a Title I public school in Texas. I was a coach and I was literally allowed to wear warm-ups to class if I wanted to. Next, I taught at a private school in Seattle, where the dress code was more stringent and all the females {staff and students} had to wear a dress/skirt every Thursday for chapel, which was not very fun when it was particularly cold and rainy outside. Now I teach writing classes at Arizona State in the middle of the hot, hot desert. It’s usually over 100 degrees for the first two months of every school year and I trek across the campus of the nation’s largest university trying to stay cool anyway I can. Basically, when it comes to teacher style, I’ve encountered every climate and dress code possible!

My number one tip is this. Dress professionally. Follow the dress requirements at your work place and dress as well as you can for your job. I think this applies to everyone, not just teachers. I don’t think fashion is the most important thing in the world, but I do think we show respect to our profession by dressing well each day. Also, for teachers and others who work with children or teens on a daily basis, remember that the way you dress influences the young people you work with. I like to show my students, especially the girls in my classroom, that it is possible to dress modestly and still look cute.

So now for the fun part. My practical tips for dressing as a stylish but modest teacher…

Cardigans are your best friend… Get yourself a fun collection of cardigan sweaters. I recommend having a few print cardigans to wear over solids and a few solids to wear over prints. It's also nice to have a mix of styles.  Longer cardigans work well on those days you just want your bum covered, but shorter cardigans work better for certain outfits. I like to have cardigans of varying sleeve lengths as well. Long sleeved cardigans were perfect in cold Washington and sometimes are still perfect for AZ classrooms with artic air conditioning. Sometimes though, it’s nice to wear a short sleeved cardi here, because I like to cover up with an extra layer without feeling like I am going to burn up while walking in the sun.

Choose your layers wisely… One of my worst fears as a teacher is accidentally flashing an adolescent boy. Make sure your skirts or dresses are long enough. They should probably touch your knee cap to be safe. Tights are helpful for avoiding an unwanted flashing in the classroom {and are also a cute way to spice up an outfit}. Also, wear modest underwear to school if you are wearing a dress. I hope to never fall in front of my students or do the ol’ tuck the skirt into the underwear after going to the restroom, but if I do, the teenage boys in my class will see full granny panties in action. And that’s the way it should be. When it comes to shirts, wear a tank or camisole under anything that could possibly reveal cleavage. Sometimes a shirt seems fine when you put it on in the morning, but when you move or bend over later in the day, little gaps are created that show off the ladies beneath. Not good. Figure out which shirts need an added layer beneath. A cute scarf is another fashionable way to keep things modest up top.

Find cute pants that fit you well… Although I like to wear skirts and dresses when it’s exceptionally hot in Arizona {built in air conditioning system!}, dress pants are a staple of my wardrobe. A pet peeve of mine is when teachers have only one or two pairs of dress pants and wear them until they are all shabby and raggedy looking. Remember, the goal is to teach students to dress well. Looking all frumpy in faded dress pants is not dressing well. Try to get enough pairs of dress pants to create a nice rotation so you never have to wear a pair more than once a week. I recommend a black pair, a dark brown pair, a light brown/khaki/tan pair, and a gray pair. Also consider buying a pair with a print on it, such as pinstripes or plaid. I love having a variety of pants in my closet because it makes getting dressed a little more exciting and encourages me to mix and match lots of different tops and accessories with my variety of work pants. Also {and I can’t stress this enough} please make sure your pants fit correctly. Don’t wear excessively tight pants to school – that ruins the whole modesty factor and/or looks completely unflattering. Also, don’t wear pants that are too big. The worst is when I see a female teacher wearing pants that gap along the waistline with no belt, and suddenly get a view of way too much thong in action. Nobody wants to see your thong {except for maybe some immature teenage boys}. Buy pants that fit and wear a belt if needed.

I hope these tips are helpful to you, whether you are a teacher or not. And if you want to see more of my teacher style posts go here, here or here!

Oh, and you can SHOP MY CLOSET if you wanna...