Selected clothing practices of male university professors

This was a study of the personal apparel and clothing interest of Virginia Polytechnic Institute male professors in regard to their class size, academic rank, college affiliation, and age. Data were obtained by use of mailed questionnaires completed by 440 men who were age twenty-five years or older and had taught at least one year. Each participant was classified as: (1) leader of large or small classes; (2) full professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor; (3) member of one of the four Colleges of Agriculture, Architecture and Arts and Sciences, Business, or Engineering; (4) and member of one of three age categories. Chi square was used to test for significant differences among classifications.

Principal findings were: (1) Differences between college affiliation of respondents and their clothing behavior were significant. The agricultural faculty was most likely to wear one or two average priced suits, short sleeved broadcloth shirts, solid colored ties, and no vests; members of the combined Colleges of Architecture and Arts and Sciences were most inclined to grow beards and mustaches, and wear cuffless trousers, contrasting vests, and oxford cloth shirts; architects were most likely to always wear trousers with tweed or corduroy sportcoats, bow ties, calf length socks, and to have high clothing interest; natural scientists had the greatest tendency to wear ankle length socks, and a sweater or open neck shirt with trousers; business teachers were most likely to have three or more high priced suits with matching vests for classroom wear, to leave their jackets on in class and wear medium length socks; engineers were most inclined to make a major clothing purchase less than once a year, pay the lowest suit prices, remove jackets in class, have cuffed trousers, and wear ties daily. (2) Leaders of large groups had a greater tendency to wear long sleeved shirts regardless of weather. (3) Age and rank were similarly related to apparel: the oldest men had about the same practices as full professors. Faculty members age fifty years or older had the greatest tendency to wear suits and have three or more for school; cuffed trousers with waistline pleats; white broadcloth shirts with long sleeves and plain, pointed collars; wing tip or plain, laced shoes cleaned as needed; solid colored ties, and tweed and corduroy sportcoats. The youngest respondents were most likely to wear shirts or sweaters with trousers; turtleneck or colored oxford cloth shirts with buttondown collars, short sleeves, and open necks; loafer type shoes; empty breast pockets; beards; cuffless trousers with a smooth waist; vests; a variety of jacket fabrics; club or striped ties; and jackets removed in class. Respondents in the middle years were in a period of transition between extremes of older and younger men.