THE SIXTH GRADERS in Jamie Ewing’s White Center classroom don’t know that their teacher spent the ’80s and ’90s designing menswear for the Barneys line Basco and the cult label WilliWear, or that he had a hand in that whole MC Hammer/Bobby Brown drop-crotch pant thing while working at Bugle Boy. (He would like to make it clear that he never actually wore them, though.) The North Carolina native made the move from fashion to education four years ago.

YOUR LOOK IN THREE WORDS Urban, roadside, modern. My house is the same way: an antique side table against a wall of uniformly framed paint-by-numbers. That’s me.

WEARING A Play Cloths collegiate cardigan and Paul Smith wingtip-inspired sneakers with Trail 5620 worn denim and a checked shirt, both by G-Star Raw. I’m a little fanatical when it comes to G-Star because of the attention to design and detail. Of course, the Southern boy in me always has a white T-shirt on.

SCHOOL OF STYLE At first, I wasn’t sure what I could get away with. Now when you see me in the classroom, you see the real me. I do try to wear a tie every day. Students definitely react to how you present yourself, whether they know it or not.

GOOD HAIR DAYS I’ve been working with Katie at Radar Hair and Records forever. This cut is one of my favorites; I told her I wanted a modified Mohawk. She knows me well, so that was all I had to say. At this point I feel lucky to still have a lot of my hair, and I love having fun with it.