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.
There are several habits I use to organize my closet and pick appropriate outfits, which I realize are essentially research skills. Here they are:
Keep stats
Tracking your closet is such a fun practice if you are a researcher. I use StyleBook and log the clothing I wear every day. It takes me under 30 seconds to log, and I get access to incredibly insightful statistics like….
What my best “cost per wear” items are. Actionable step: invest more money in shoes and bags, and less in dresses and tops.
What I haven’t worn recently. I use this list to do a yearly closet cleanout.
StyleBook involves several hours of set up. I don’t photograph my closet, I just search for equivalent styles on Google and then copy/paste them into the app. You don’t have to add every stat possible, but I do love adding cost of each item!
Be a style ethnographer
One of my favorite research methods is ethnography, and I think it’s really a way of life. Once you’re trained to be interested in people and notice their spoken and unspoken interactions, you really can’t turn it off. Which is why I keep extremely creepy phone notes of great outfit combos I’ve seen on the street. I have notes from conferences, from walking around in stylish cities, and from influencers I follow.
I also have a note of notable items I’ve seen people wearing that I would like to find for myself! Indispensable when thrifting.
Be a social media researcher
Back to my student who was concerned about what to wear in grad school! I shared my absolute favorite tip for always knowing what is appropriate to wear: check the website and social media of the place you are going! Before any new conference, networking event, etc. I am ON THE INSTAGRAM zooming in on what people wore to this thing last year.
It’s a great way to get a sense of the formality level. With photos, you have multiple data points, and you can aim for some sort of middle-level of dress between the most casual and most formal participants. For graduate students, I would also check the website of the program you are headed to. Chances are, there are event photos from the department.
Find uncommon inspiration.
Another thing you can do is take style inspo from your actual research. So many delightful social media commenters have shared that they have clothing in fun prints related to their research, or earrings in their research area!
I really like adapting the typical dress of my research participants, too. They wear a lot of hiking gear and polos, which is not my typical style, but in a trendy cargo pant and a knit polo? We are in business.
I also really like thinking about how my personal life can be reflected in my style because it inspires creativity. Sure, I can copy an outfit from a favorite influencer, but it’s going to feel more like “me” if it incorporates inspiration that isn’t fashion-based, too!
Doing research? You already have the best style tools.
I don’t feel like a naturally stylish person. I do feel like a person who has built some habits that make getting dressed easier. It turns out they all parallel academic research skills, so I’m guessing you have them, too!