They\u2019re dressed to impress. <\/p>\n
Teachers at a $40,000-a-year Montessori school for toddlers in Brooklyn went viral for wearing what appeared to be pricey designer duds better fit for the runway than the classroom.<\/p>\n
Ms. Lam Montessori School in Williamsburg was thrust into the spotlight this week when an eagle-eyed local noticed the dapperly dressed educators, suggesting they could be sporting frocks from high fashion designer Issey Miyake, which can range in the thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes anyone know what the deal is Ms Lam Montessori on Berry + N8th and why all their employees wear Issey Miyake (a very expensive and distinct Japanese designer) every day? \u2026 Is it a uniform? I\u2019m confused and a bit jealous,\u201d the neighbor wrote on Reddit.<\/a><\/p>\n Teachers at the Ms. Lam Montessori school went viral for their dapper uniforms.<\/p>\n The observation drew hundreds of eyes to the school\u2019s online social media accounts \u2014 which are flooded with images and videos of the teachers wearing clothing from what seems to be the brand\u2019s iconic Pleats Please collection.<\/p>\n A pleated dress from that collection \u2014 similar to one Head of School Stephanie Woo is seen wearing in an Instagram video \u2014 retails for $730.<\/p>\n Some commenters theorized the images were AI, but others were unsurprised, saying it\u2019s par for the course when annual tuition for an elementary student at the school costs $43,500.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the williamsburg gentrifier parents dream school,\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n But Ms. Lam Montessori, which has five locations across Brooklyn, set the record straight \u2014 emphasizing it wasn\u2019t using the $40,000 annual tuition to fill their teachers\u2019 colorful closets.<\/p>\n Head of Schools Stephanie Woo wore a Yamasaki Takashi gown in a recent Instagram video. Instagram\/Ms.Lam Montessori; Yamasaki Takashi<\/p>\n A similar Issey Miyake dress retails for $730. Issey Miyake<\/p>\n The educators were actually wearing Yamasaki Takashi, a Taiwanese brand with strikingly similar shapes and silhouettes to the Japanese fashion house, Ms. Lam\u2019s said in a statement.<\/p>\n A dress that Woo, the head of school, was seen wearing goes for $5,200 New Taiwan dollars, or $162 in the US. <\/p>\n She paired it with the matching coat for $4,700 \u2014 or $147 US \u2014 for a total that is still half the price of a single Issey Miyake garment.<\/p>\n Ms. Lam\u2019s said the school does provide the teachers with the dresses as a \u201cuniform\u201d \u2014 but noted some have used their salaries to supplement the wardrobes with real Issey Miyake duds \u2014 \u201cwhich is absolutely fine with us.\u201d<\/p>\n The teachers wear the frocks so they are easily identifiable to students and are able to be mobile in the classroom, the school says. Ms Lam Montessori<\/p>\n \u201cIn a Montessori classroom, the adult is part of the environment we prepare for children, just like the shelves and the materials. Our teachers kneel, carry, pour, and move with children all day,\u201d Ms. Lam\u2019s posted on Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThese clothes don\u2019t wrinkle, don\u2019t stain, and still look good years later. And for our youngest children, there\u2019s one more reason: they always know who they can turn to for help.\u201d <\/p>\n The school did not immediately respond to The Post\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t