I Investigated What Teachers Actually Wear and It Changed How I Think About Work Clothes

Okay so hear me out. This probably sounds super random but ever since I got that one TikTok comment, I’ve become totally obsessed with teachers’ work style. I was doing a video where I was rating different professions’ work outfits and someone commented “do teachers next lol they all dress like it’s the year 2003″… and TBH I was offended.

And not because I’m a teacher (I’m not)… but just because I feel like that’s such a lazy generalization! ? Think about it, teachers need to dress professional enough that parents won’t scoff at them, practical enough to get through eight hours of chaos, and approachable enough that actual children want to talk to them. It’s honestly the hardest fashion balancing act of all time AND they’re doing it on teachers salaries 😭 SO naturally I decided I had to investigate.

Because of course I can’t scroll past something that gets under my skin like a normal human being. I have to make content about it.

Very meta, me.

To start off I reached out to my friend Maya who teaches high school English in London.

She has ALWAYS had impeccable style in my opinion, even back in our uni days. But teachers, she would definitely have strong opinions about this.

As soon as I explained what I was doing, she laughed out loud. “People seriously have no idea,” she said. “Teachers have to think about a million things when they get dressed. It’s like we’re unofficial fashion analysts.” Fast forward three months and I’ve spent more time talking to teachers about their style than probably any other profession. Elementary schools, high schools, private schools, urban and rural; you name it, I’ve reached out to them.

Scoured teacher Facebook groups reading discussions about “work appropriate clothing” and “teachers who understand that stretchy jeans aren’t professional”…. Heck I even persuaded a few teachers to let me come film day in the life videos with them (with full school permission, I’m not trying to get anyone fired!) But wow. What I learned completely changed how I think about workwear.

Here’s the tea: Teachers have figured out what the rest of us are begging to figure out. Teachers know that there are style tribes. Okay maybe not “tribes” but you get what I’m saying.

Maya first explained this one to me. She calls them the “New Traditionalists”; teachers who mostly stick to the classic “workwear uniform” but with a modern edge and actually keep functionality in mind. I interviewed Emma, a history teacher who epitomized this style.

Think wide-legged trousers (all teachers wear wide legged trousers because you are constantly squatting down and moving around students; it’s the comfiest), silky shirts that look expensive but are actually super budget, blazers that allow you to fully extend your arms. The day I spent with Emma, she wore a pair of navy trousers, a white collarless button down, and a camel coloured blazer with the sleeves rolled up. Basic AF right?

But she paired it with a geometric gold necklace and olive-green suede ankle boots. The kids actually noticed and complimented her outfit. “They react better when they know you’ve made an effort, but it can’t be anything that I stress over if it gets ruined,” she told me whilst confiscating someone’s AirPod case. It has to be stain repellent.

It has to survive mud, slime, who knows what else. All of Emma’s clothes moved with her throughout the day, as she bent down to talk to students, sat on desks to demonstrate things and reached up to write on the white board. Not once did I see her adjust her clothes, or comment on how something felt uncomfortable.

Which brings me to my next group… The “Practical Creatives.” These are usually art teachers and music teachers (but believe me, the style has trickled into other departments over time). Bold colours, patterns that actually work, but most importantly, pieces that can get reallyyyy dirty.

Nadia, a primary school art teacher wore the most incredible mustard yellow jumpsuit with oversized pockets on the day I visited. She paired it with a cardigan that she could literally chuck paint all over. Let me tell you; I WANT TO DREAM IN THIS TEACHERS CLOSET.

She wore clean white trainers (that she replaces each term mind you), colourful Doc Martens for crazy art lesson days, and the most adorable vintage jean cutoff dress that tied at the waist she wore over her art teacher jumpsuit when we were helping kids with art. She’d even decorated her required teacher lanyard with enamel pins from museums she’s visited, essentially turning it into a piece of jewellery. “My students love bright colours,” she told me as she squeezed glitter glue out of a tube for a group of six year olds. “But when I started teaching I made the mistake of wearing a blouse that I loved…and cried when I ruined it at pottery.” The jumpsuit? From ASOS. £30.

She owns three of them in different colours. Then there are the teachers who I’ll politely call “Contemporary Casuals.” These tend to be younger teachers who have mastered the art of professional, but have completely ignored the blazer-and-button-down school of thought. David is a media studies teacher and could basically win awards for how minimalist he keeps his wardrobe.

Think dark jeans or chinos, plain white trainers, unstructured blazers layered over plain white tees or merino jumpers. It looks casual but oh boy is it thought through. His jeans are ALWAYS dark wash and well fitted; never skinny or distressed.

His trainers are the same boring white but intentionally plain. No Air Jordans with his jeans. His t-shirts are Uniqlo-quality basics, not funny graphic shirts or ones with words on them. “Kids these days are so savvy.

I need to be able to talk to them on their level but also still command authority,” he said. “If I dress like a teenager…they don’t take me seriously. But if I look like their grandfather, I come across as ancient.” Guys…he’s found the balance of relatability and respect. Teachers really are the original Millennial Mind Masters.

But my absolute favourite has to be what I’m calling the “Statement Dressers.” Teachers who make ONE wildcard piece the centerpiece of their entire work wardrobe. Maya is one of these teachers and owns so many vintage 60s/70s dresses. She wears a different one every day, accessorized with simple tights and black ankle boots or loafers depending on the season. “She loves coming into class and having the kids ask ‘what’s the dress today, Miss?’” One of her fellow teachers told me. “It helps build that relationship.” Bonus?

She doesn’t even stress about what to wear in the mornings. It’s literally decision done. I also spoke to James, a physics teacher from Scotland whose wildcard piece is his bow tie collection.

Guys. He has so many. I want to live in his closet.

But hear him out. James wears a new bow tie every day. From traditional to nerdy scientific puns to cute seasonal patterns.

Every day his students ask him about his bow tie choice and suddenly they’re attentive for his lesson. “I never used to take an interest in fashion at all,” he laughed as he adjusted that day’s pick (baby blue with tiny silver stars). “But when I was training I bought my first as a bit of a joke. Teacher’s shouldn’t need to dress like that I thought. But it’s actually made me approachable to kids who think physics will be boring.” Teachers take way more care in HOW they present themselves to their students than most office workers realise.

They have to. Teachers are expected to wear clothes that allow them to do their job better. Clothes that are functional, but still have to abide by unspoken rules of what “professional” looks like.

It’s a weird line to toe. The rules seem to be pretty standard across the board; nothing too low-cut or revealing, nothing with potential obscene prints or text on it, nothing too uncomfortable to run around after children in, and nothing you’d actually be devastated if it got ruined. BUT what teachers can DO within those guidelines is some next level creativity.

Teachers have also mastered “cost-per-wear” like nobody’s business. These guys know how to pick a wardrobe staple. Lydia teaches P.E. but covers for other classes during her planning periods.

She told me that she built her entire teaching wardrobe around navy, burgundy, and white pieces that could all be worn together. “I have to love everything that I own,” she said whilst proudly pulling piece after piece from her wardrobe to show me. “If it only matches with like 2 things in my wardrobe or will autumn apart after a wash I just won’t buy it.” She could have created at least 3 weeks worth of outfits from the 15 pieces in her teaching wardrobe. Teachers are also experts in low-maintenance clothing. Helen is a reception teacher, and showed me a FULL separate outfit she kept in her classroom cupboard “Because with toddlers, it’s not matter of IF something gets ruined, it’s WHEN.” Inside her cupboard?

An extra pair of tights, a stain removal pen, safety pins,Extra shoes. Yeah. Pretty sure most of my wardrobe wouldn’t last a day in Helen’s classroom.

Most teachers I spoke to kept something along these lines in their classrooms. My theory? They’ve completely gamified getting ready for work.

What I really loved learning though was how teachers’ style has changed over the years. The older generation of teachers I spoke to mentioned super strict dress codes when they first started teaching. Everybody wore suits.

There was no room for personality back then. “My school USED to have a suit rental where we could borrow these awful suit sets,” One headteacher told me. “Now if I wear a suit it’s something with interesting textures that I actually LIKE wearing.” Same kids have basically been given permission to actually be creative with their work wardrobe. Schools have learned that students don’t disrespect teachers because they don’t like their style. Kids listen better when they know you actually enjoy coming to work.

They’re taught to respect their teachers no matter what, all teachers I interviewed agreed that as long as they feel confident in what they’re wearing, their students will be okay with it too. Of course it all depends on your school. But private schools will definitely always dress more smartly, primary teachers wear WAY more colour than secondary teachers, and sixth form teachers can get away with more casual clothing than say, elementary teachers.

But throughout all of these schools and at all levels of education, the teachers that really stood out to me were the ones that had embraced their own unique sense of professional. TLDR; teachers have figured out this whole workwear thing and we’re just riding ourselves too hard. Do I feel differently about my work wardrobe now?

Damn straight I do. Next time I’m getting dressed for the boutique I’m asking myself, am I dressing for the job I actually have to do? Being on my feet all day entertaining customers, running around stocking shelves?

Or am I just dressing like I think I should based on other retail workplaces?

Teachers don’t have that luxury.

They have to dress in a way that allows them to perform their job best.

Teachers chase kids around all day, they kneel down on the floor, they sit on the floor, they write on vertical surfaces (*side eye at my desk job)*. They survive countless coffees spilled on their clothes and ice cream sandwiches lost in their hairs. They wear the clothes like nobody’s business.

All while setting examples for young kids on how to dress smartly. Next time you’re at parent evening, church bingo, whatever. LOOK AT THE TEACHERS CLOTHES.

Look at the consideration that they’ve put into deciding what to wear that day. That art teacher’s clever trick of wearing a paint-friendly cardigan in the TEACHERS CHOSEN BLUE to match her classroom. That maths teachers’ trousers pockets filled with tiny, rainbow ping pong balls from her students.fidget spinners That English teacher wearing The Queen’s Gambit inspired earrings to teach her students about popular culture.

Teachers are absolute warriors and their closets are their weapons. Alright I’m off to go shop my own wardrobe based on what I actually need to do at work.