PhD in Clothes

Outdoorsy professional: Outdoor professional clothing for women…do they exist?

Sometimes readers send me their delightfully specific academic style conundrums, but today, I’m coming to you with my own! I have been asked to facilitate a professional workshop…in nature. This has led me down a rabbit hole of outdoor professional clothing for women. These might be for you if you do fieldwork, lead classes outside, or otherwise need to get dirty!

How to run your style like a researcher

I was talking to a student last week who was really concerned about what to wear in graduate school. She didn’t know the formality level of her new program, and received some mixed messages from several of the faculty there. As we chatted, I realized she was concerned because she wasn’t “into” fashion. But she was into research! Today, allow me to tell you why being a researcher translates well into picking outfits.

FitFlop women’s sandals review: Stylish and supportive

Sandal season is upon us, but just any pair of flat sandals will not do for me; I’m always looking for sandals with great arch support. It’s a plus if they’re stylish enough to bring along on any vacation. This is exactly how I found out about the brand FitFlop: they’re not just flip flops! Here’s my FitFlop women’s sandals review, complete with thoughts on sizing, quality, and the best walking sandals they offer.

Graduation essentials: What to bring to commencement!

If you’re graduating with a graduate degree this semester, congratulations!!! Or maybe you’re a faculty member heading to watch your students graduate. You might be wondering what to bring to commencement. After you figure out what to wear, it might hit you that…the ceremony is super long. Now that I attend commencement every year as a faculty member, here is what I wish I knew before my first ceremony.

An unsponsored Tupelo Goods review

This spring, I took a look around at our patio furniture and realized it was time for an upgrade. We had trashed two Adirondack chairs in a season and had a wicker bench that looked like a safety hazard. I asked the internet: Is there such a thing as patio furniture you can buy for life? Something truly durable, yet cool and retro-looking? That’s how I found Tupelo Goods, which makes brightly colored, funky outdoor furniture. Or so they say! Here is my Tupelo Goods review after 3 months of ownership.

Are the expensive shoes worth it? An M. Gemi shoes review

Lately, none of my work shoes have been cutting it for me, and I’ve wondered if I need to invest in higher-quality options. The internet seems to know this, and I’ve been seeing a relentless number of ads for M. Gemi ballet flats. Made in Italy, the reviews are stellar. But most of the social media coverage I see is from influencers. So here is my entirely unsponsored M. Gemi shoes review.

Are Camper shoes worth it? A women’s Camper shoes review

If you’re looking for fun shoes that are still comfortable and supportive, you’ve probably seen the brand Camper. I’ve been buying their shoes for a couple years now– here’s my women’s Camper shoes review, including advice on sizing and how to get them on sale!

5 pairs of comfortable women’s shoes for teachers

Once a year, I get a DM asking me to suggest comfortable women’s shoes for teachers. We have a long wishlist: arch support, no blisters, easy to stand on your feet all day, and actually stylish. If only the shoe industry would actually listen. Here are 5 pairs of women’s shoes that don’t suck for professors or teachers.

I asked 500 academics what to wear to a professor job interview: Here are the results

Two weeks ago, someone in my comments told me that it’s fine to wear jeans to an academic job interview in 2026. Huh, I thought. Have standards really changed that much since my campus interview? Then I realized that we had a very unique chance to nail down what to wear to a professor job interview, with some actual data. So I asked Instagram to take a survey about it! Here are the results.

February Round Up: Outfits, books, and recipes I loved

Here’s a recap of what I loved last month!