That Latest Fashion Trend? Vogue Says It’s ‘Torah Teacher Aesthetic’

Listen! Do you hear the? It’s Vogue, fashion’s almighty arbiter, literally in vogue, descending from its pedestal to herald the next big style trend: Torah Teacher Aesthetic!

Jokes aside, yes I’m serious – no need to adjust your computer screens.

Yesterday, Vogue magazine published an essay by writer Mattie Kahn entitled It’s Not Modest Dressing. It’s the “Torah teacher aesthetic” that proclaimed, “Fashion seems to have inscribed itself in Talmud teaching.” In the play, Kahn, who is Jewish and attended a Jewish high school, coined the term “Torah teacher Aesthetics” and identified several celebrities and fashion brands embracing this look such as Jennifer Lopez, Katie Holmes, the Kardashians, Marc Jacobs, Tibi and Ferragamo.

For those of us who went to Hebrew school, Jewish day school, dressed modestly, or were with people who did, we all know what the Torah teacher generally looks like. As Kahn writes, “She has brown hair with a wave. She wears denim skirts or pleated skirts, or sometimes pencil skirts. She likes black tops and white tops. When she’s wild, she breaks out a deep blue cowl neck sweater. She has sensible shoes.”

The article further defines what exactly this aesthetic is:

“Its essentials include, but are not limited to: knee-high skirts, elbow-high tops, leggings under dresses, neutral colors, minimal accessories, sneakers with tights,” explains Kahn, adding, “It shares hems and certain catchphrases with cottage core, but its vibe is cooler.” – no tiered skirts, no smocked bodices.”

According to Kahn, what sets the Torah teacher trend apart from other modes of dress (including Hasidic women) is casualness and a lack of ultra-femininity. “When it comes to shapewear or needing to be pulled over, it’s not a Torah teacher aesthetic,” advises Kahn. Continue: “Roughening is required.”

For Kahn, and even for me as a reader, it’s a bit difficult to understand how this particular style (which I used to think was a bit dated) is used by the most respected voices in the fashion world. Still, I personally hope that places like Vogue can continue to praise the Torah teacher aesthetic, even when it’s flaunted on the bodies of women who aren’t thin. Looking back at the source material, the majority of the Hebrew school teachers I had were women in their late 30s to mid 60s, most of whom had children. When I think of a Torah teacher aesthetic, I actually see denim skirts, tights, sweaters and long-sleeved shirts and clogs or sneakers. But, importantly, I also see these things in a fuller, jaggier figure, not a lean person.

With the potential for the Torah teacher aesthetic to become mainstream, I am excited by the possibilities of this Jewish trend, including my desire to include women of all sizes in it.