Accusing someone of dressing like a teacher used to be the fashion writer’s most withering insult, evoking cliched images of frumpy skirts or leather-patched jackets. But the joke was on them when “teacher chic” hit the catwalks, leading celebrities from the rap mogul Pharrell Williams to Doctor Who actor David Tennant to don tweed, ties and sensible pullovers.
Further proof of teachers’ status as style icons comes from the hunt for Britain’s worst-dressed teacher. Junior school teacher Jay Wright’s penchant for T-shirts and tracksuits may make him look scruffy (page 5), but it seems less a fashion faux pas than a practical response to a class of Year 6s let loose with paint and glue.
Teachers have no need to be Trinny and Susannah-ed. Nor do they need to follow ephemeral trends in clothing to the point that they look ridiculous.
That’s the pupils’ job.