Harvard’s Next Top Model: Teacher Edition

Students aren’t the only fashionistas on campus. Harvard profs and TFs have their own unique sense of style, too! Here is a selection of some of our most iconically dressed educators.

Shaye J.D. Cohen may be the Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy, but he’s known among his students for being the “guy with crazy neckties.” He tells Flyby about his fondness of color and “loud” accessories.

By Yehong Zhu

“If I’m gonna be a grown-up and wear a tie, I might as well wear a tie that shouts. If it doesn’t shout—why wear it?”

Dr. Tobias Ritter, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, is a scientist with an eye for color composition. Far removed from drab white lab coats, he sports a bright orange blazer that pops effortlessly against his navy blue shirt.

By Yehong Zhu

When asked to describe his sartorial choices, he shrugs with modest nonchalance. “Colorful, I guess. Professional, but maybe not boring. I try to be a little different.”

Professor of Philosophy Bernhard Nickel wears an easy smile and an earring in his left ear. He describes his fashion philosophy as “classical,” although he seems to add his own retro spin: his towering 6’5” frame is spiffily dressed in a black tie and a pink button-down shirt with a geometric grid of thin blue stripes.

By Yehong Zhu

“I really dig the 50s,” he muses. “I enjoy cut and color—texture, not so much. I like everything to be very smooth.” He also confesses that he’s a modernist: “I like modern architecture, so I try to dress like that as well.”

William Baldwin is a Teaching Fellow for the English Department who, in terms of fashion, studies the script. “I’d rather not be creative about it. At least for menswear, there’s a big rich body of rules that you can draw from and learn a lot about over time.”

By Yehong Zhu

Thoughtfully dressed up, he dons a black tie, striped blue button-down, and beige suit jacket replete with a folded pocket square. He describes his sense of style as pretty conservative: “It’s jackets and leather shoes and ties. I’m much more comfortable in a suit and tie—a t-shirt feels pretty lazy to me.”