February 1, 2022
They stand in front of you all day lecturing, not calling attention to what they are wearing. It’s easy to recognize students’ shiny Air Jordans or their bright graphic t-shirts, but how many students notice what their teachers wear during the day? TKC asked KHS students which teachers they think are the most stylish. Here are some of the most requested teachers’ thoughts on fashion and style.
Mr. Pioter, english teacher, styling his patterned outfit. Pioter says he is drawn to clothes that are brightly colored. He also loves a good floral print.
How do you pick your outfits?
“I like pairing colors that normally wouldn’t necessarily go together [because] it is surprising. I like bright colors.”
When was a time you had a bad style?
“High school. I didn’t feel comfortable in my skin, and I had no one there to teach me [style]. I didn’t even wear jeans, which was scary. My freshman year of college I made friends early on, and they would always tease me about not wearing jeans. Then one day, they took me out and bought me my first pair.”
How did becoming a teacher change how you dress?
“There came a point in my career where I was like, ‘I have to do what makes me comfortable and what makes me happy.’ Respect doesn’t come from the clothes you wear, it’s the person you are and the relationships you build. Now my clothes are a reflection of who I am.”
What do you like most about clothing?
“Clothing is fun. It can reflect who you are whenever you want it to. It’s a craft. I learn the most about style from what kids say. The most style-conscious people in this school are my freshmen [I teach]. They are always worrying about how drip I am.”
When was a time you had a bad style?
“In my mid-twenties I wore a lot of baggy clothing. Everything was too big. In high school I had borderline anorexia. I didn’t like the way I looked and I thought that I was fat, but I wasn’t. Finally, in 2004, one of my girlfriends was like, ‘Simao, you are not a large, you are a medium.’ That just blew my mind.”
When would you say you had a style breakthrough?
“I remember when I lived in England, one of my mates [asked me to be a trench coat model]. She told me [I would be able] to keep the trench coat afterwards. That [experience] stuck with me when I got back stateside. I was like ‘Oh, you can actually dress up and it’s okay.”’
Ms. Zibart, chemistry teacher, said she loves her shoes. Zibart also wears special bracelets that remove a pound of trash from the ocean when you purchase them.
How would you describe your current style?
“Right now I’m trying to make a capsule wardrobe. [In a capsule wardrobe] you have a few statement pieces, but [also] a lot of basics. You have a couple basic t-shirts and styles of pants. Everything within the capsule goes with everything else so that you can make a bunch of outfits with not a [ton] of clothes.”
When was a time you had a bad style?
“In high school, I bought all of my jeans in different colors of the rainbow. Some days I’d wear pink jeans and some [days] I’d wear purple. Looking back at pictures, I would not recommend it. [I also] would wear butterfly clips and chokers when those were in style.”
If you are running late in the morning, do you have a go-to outfit that you’d wear?
“Some sort of Kirkwood gear and my white blazers. Really, just anything that is in my clean laundry.”
Mr. Ravenscraft, history teacher, posing for his outfit. Ravenscraft is an ex-lawyer so he has a lot of suit jackets that he likes to wear.
Why do you usually wear suits?
“I wear a lot of suit jackets because I used to be a lawyer, so I have a lot of them. Also, even though I give myself casual Fridays, I like to look a little bit more professional than my students. I used to like to push the envelope a little more with what I wore to entertain myself. [I would test and] see, ‘If I wear this insane patterned jacket and shirt combination, will anyone say anything about it?’”
When was a time you had a bad style?
“I went through a phase in my twenties where I wore a lot of— don’t judge me for this, it was the fashion then in the early 2000s— deep, V-neck T-shirts. Like aggressively, chest hair deep. That was just my go-to outfit, some jeans and my solid deep-V shirt. I thought it looked good, but looking back, it was not the most flattering look. To my eternal shame, I was that guy.”
If you are running late in the morning, do you have a go-to outfit that you’d wear?
“Oh no, I have standards. I will only dress down on Fridays, there are no exceptions.”
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