Yesterday, I blogged the latest article by Tax Prof Erik Jensen (Case Western), in which he argues that "[l]aw professors dress scruffily, and we need to do something about that." Steve Bainbridge (UCLA) takes umbrage at that suggestion:

F*** that. And the horse it came in on.

I was into grunge as a fashion statement long before anybody ever heard of Kurt Cobain. …Contra Jensen’s suppositions, my continued affection (or should it be affectation?) for grunge is neither an attempt to recover my youth, a desire to fit in with my students, nor, God help us, an effort to engage in sexual conquests. At age 49 (almost), life’s just too short to be uncomfortable. If I could get away with it, I’d teach in sweats and a vintage Redskins jersey (which, after all, is my non-teaching day uniform). As it is, khakis and an open collar shirt are as far as I’m willing to go. And in the unlikely event that if the powers that be at UCLA want more than that, they’re going to have to come up with a very big raise. Very.

Steve ends his post with seven great quotes; my favorite (in homage to tonight’s Red Sox-Indians game) is:  "I’ve found that you don’t need to wear a necktie if you can hit." – Ted Williams. 

Larry Solum (Illinois) notes that "[i]f you think law professors are scruffy, try analytic philosophers," and includes a great excerpt from Philosophers’ Playground. The ABA Journal picks up the story here.