Teacher wears same outfit for 40 years

When teacher Dale Irby accidentally wore the same brown v-necked tank top and big-collared disco shirt for two school photos in a row, he wrote it off as a forgetful lapse.

But Dale’s wardrobe repetition raised a chuckle with his family, and after repeating the outfit for a third year, he started a pattern which has since made him an internet sensation.

Dale, now 63, has since pulled on the same dated tank top and shirt combo in his school photo every year for 40 years.

His hilarious tradition started in 1973, and when Dale’s wife dared him to repeat the outdated outfit, he kept up the joke for four decades.

Now Dale’s distinctive (and slightly faded) clothing combo has become an iconic sight at Prestonwood Elementary School in Dallas, Texas. Pupils would even eagerly await his arrival at school for the annual photo.

As the years went on, Dedicated Dale, who has just retired, said “It all started by mistake. After I got the photos back from the second year I realised what I had done. So my wife, Cathy, who I met in my first year teaching, dared me to repeat it again for a third year and we didn’t stop.

“The shirt is now faded and the wool vest has several holes but it has all been worth a few laughs.”