Article (not sure if you can access it without permissions, though)

But here’s the abstract:

Dressing formally or informally as an academic may be a trade-off when it comes to managing impressions towards students, but the extant body of literature remains limited with only mixed results. This research is the first focussed investigation to examine the effects of academic dress formality on the ‘big two’ of impression formation, perceptions of warmth and competence. In a series of three controlled laboratory experiments (total N = 1361), we find dress formality to increase perceptions of competence but to decrease perceptions of warmth, which leads to ‘downstream’ effects on students’ evaluations of instructors and behavioural intentions to enrol in a course. Furthermore, we demonstrate that perceptions of competence may be subject to other information cues (success communication and discipline norms) that can mitigate negative effects associated with dress informality. Implications for higher education practitioners are provided.

Yeah, I’m never going to change the way I dress. I don’t care how “incompetent” it makes me look. I’ve always worn weird and colorful clothing. It’s part of who I am. And I will not sacrifice that part of my identity to “look the part” of an academic. It’s not like I’m showing too much skin or wearing offensive graphic tees or wearing jewelry that clinks together and makes noise when I lecture.

I wear color. I keep it bold but simple. I usually stick with two main colors (pants and shirt) and match one to my earrings and the other to my eyeshadow.

Oh yeah, I’m not toning down the eyeshadow, either.

Students can think what they want of me. I like to think I earn “looking competent” by, I don’t know, being competent. If they can’t get past the way someone’s dressed, that’s their problem.

Also, I’ve never had anyone comment on my apparel other than to say that the colors help brighten their day or that they like the way I always match or that they like that I don’t wear “blacks and grays.”

So fight me.