Adam Bailine

The Temple News: How would you describe your style in college?
Adam Bailine: T-shirts, jeans, flannel shirts. I definitely was wearing flannel shirts before grunge came out, which is cool. I remember then I had to stop when the trend became all cool. I always wanted to do my own thing.
As far as college goes, occasionally I would wear a normal button-down shirt, but that was very rare.

TTN: What is your style philosophy?
AB: My philosophy is if you’re not comfortable you’re not going to be able to think and do the things you want to do creatively, so that’s always been my philosophy.
I worked at one company where I had to wear a jacket and tie, and it actually destroyed my creativity. It really tests your will because to feel uncomfortable and then forced to be creative, is very difficult.

TTN: Have students ever complimented your style?
AB: It was one day and it was the wintertime and I happened to be wearing a flannel shirt. And I got pegged [by one of my students] as like, ‘flannel shirts are still out.’ And this is the first time in years I’d worn a flannel shirt. And I said, ‘But it’s so warm!’ And she was like, ‘No, I’m just used to you wearing cooler looking shirts.’ And I appreciated the fact that she took the time to say that, even if it was a smart-alecky comment, she was just thrown off kilter when I was wearing a flannel shirt and not one of my wacky striped shirts.

TTN: Do you ever feel you need to draw the line between professor and student style?
AB: I definitely get some strange looks every once and a while. If I don’t wear my ID around my neck, I automatically get treated like a student. If I go to buy something at the Student Center or at the atrium [Joe First Media Café], I think they do look at me and they try to put my card on a meal plan and I’m like, ‘No its diamond dollars.’ And they look at my ID and they’re like faculty? I had no idea you look like a baby.’ It’s kind of a compliment.
Students that don’t know me, when I first walk in, they find it odd that I’m standing in front of the classroom. They don’t believe that I’m actually going to teach them.

TTN: How would you describe your style?
AB: I generally don’t buy things that are too high end, I don’t find myself shopping at Nordstrom’s regularly. I’m comfortable at Old Navy, I’m comfortable at Gap, and I’ve even picked up some shirts at Target. So I’m probably not the haughty- toighty high-end department store kind of guy, you know I probably wouldn’t shop at Wal-Mart. It has to look cool, catch my eye, and as a creative person I like colors. Not so much that it’s going to make me look like I’m asking for attention, just something that I’m comfortable in- if it doesn’t fit right, or it feels too rigid and its constricting, even if it looks cool, I won’t buy it.

TTN: What do you wear outside of class?
AB: On the weekends or around the house at night I’ll probably be wearing jeans or shorts, and I have a nice collection of some funky retro t-shirts. One of my favorite t-shirts is the Tab soda t-shirt-it’s awesome. And people always look at me funny and say, “Do they still make tab?”

TTN: What’s the piece of clothing in your closet?
AB: I have a favorite flannel shirt. Every guy has one… every guy has that shirt where their wife or girlfriend, if they threw it out, it’d probably be devastating.
She [his wife] knows not to touch it. It’s little baby red. We don’t mess with baby red- that’s a shirt that I’ve had, probably since college. I’ll wear it when I’m doing construction or work around the house … I mean it’s beyond the ability to be worn out. Some things you just can’t get rid of, I don’t know why. It might be a guy thing, I don’t know. It’s worth looking into.

TTN: Do you have any style icons?
AB: I generally don’t pay a lot of attention to celebrity wardrobe. I’m definitely the guy that when Joan Rivers goes, “what are you wearing?” I could care less.
There’s no real person I can think of. I’ve always followed my own gut. If my wife says to me, oh I just saw an interview with Brad Pitt and he had a really cool shirt on… everyone once in a while she says that. I don’t know if she says that because she wants me to get the shirt.
I know that I need to dress relatively nice for work, I don’t want to look like a total schlep. Usually its shirts, I’m really big on shirts. Sometimes it’s a little strange. Old Navy sometimes has strange shirts, whether they’re on the clearance rack or they’re brand new. Maybe it even has polka dots on it. If I’m feeling brave, I’ll try it on. I’m pretty open-minded on that stuff.
I’ve never considered myself to be a metrosexual though. I don’t use product on my face, stuff like that. Hey, it looks cool, that’s great. If people happen to compliment me on it, I don’t care either way. I do it more to be like, ‘I know I look nice and I like it.’ I can wear my favorite Tab soda shirt or poplin, button down shirt. I’m free spirited like that.