academichic

24 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed

• Open Cardigan - J Crew
• Teal Tank – BR Outlet
• Polka-dot Tee – Banana Republic
• Jeans – Banana Republic
• Tan Wedges – Gap Outlet
• Pendant – Grandmothers

Endnotes:

Several of you asked about the fit/ciut of these jeans when I wore them on Monday.  They are Banana Republic Classic Skinny (a size larger than I would buy in trouser cut).  A friend actually picked them up on super sale ($8 I think) because she thought I might like them.  When she gave them to me,  I was happy to receive any gifted clothing,  but had low expectations for them, given the difficulty of finding jeans that fit, particularly straight or skinny jeans, but somehow, these worked!

I wore them cuffed the other day and have plans to wear them tucked into my boots once the weather finally cools off, but was hesitant to wear them un-cuffed with regular shoes.  I used to think this style worked only for the straight line body and not at all for my curvy legs.  I tried to balance the look with a more voluminous cardigan and while I started the day off rather self conscious, I was quite comfortable in the look by the time I made it to campus.

I also think this styling of the jeans makes them more work appropriate.  I still wouldn’t teach in them (though plenty of my colleuges teach in jeans) but this year I am advising an undergraduate student group and their meetings are at night (often past my bed time in fact) and on the day I usually don’t have to be on campus for anything else.  So a nice pair of jeans and a low wedge seemed the perfect choice.

A.

Layers, originally uploaded by academichic.

24 September 2009 – Paying Dress-Up, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress and Bolero – from my grandmother’s closet
• Shoes – my often remixed Report wedges

Endnotes:

Some of my favorite activities at my grandparents’ house include looking at old photographs and raiding their closets for abandoned treasures and vintage finds. The former we spent hours doing the other day, while the latter resulted in this fabulous find I’m wearing here. This was my grandmother’s one formal dress, which she wore to several weddings and special occasions starting in the late 1970s. It’s a handmade fuschia gown that she had custom made to fit her along with this matching purple and black bolero. Small rhinestones adorn both the dress and the bolero’s clasp, giving it an extra touch of festivity (Unfortunately, I don’t have a scanner at my disposal, so I can’t share the photos of my grandmother in this dress. You’ll just have to take my word for it that she looked stunning).

I have always thought this dress beautiful in pictures, but this was the first time I tried it on. My grandmother, now 82, could not have been more thrilled to see me take interest in it and most graciously offered it to me to keep. While I may not have any occasion for it anytime soon, I am touched to own it and have certain visions for this dress in the future. Meanwhile, I am in love with this unique bolero and would like to incorporate it into my wardrobe sooner. I would wear it for an elegant evening out to a concert or to the opera – I’m just not sure how to wear it.

What would you do to make this 30 year old bolero contemporary for a night out? How would you style it so that it looks sophisticated and stylish rather than costumey? Please advise! Thank you! S.

22 September 2009 – Thrifty, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Wine cardi – The Limited
• Pieced top – Eloise, thrifted
• Gray jeans – thrifted
• Brown wedges – thrifted

End Notes:

As A. mentioned, we went on a little thrifting trip yesterday afternoon. I’ve managed to move one more size closer to my pre-preggers state, and given how swimmingly my first post-partum thrifting excursion went I felt fully justified in seeing if the thrifting fairies would do their magic once more.

(Preggers readers, I cannot adequately praise the confidence-boosting power of a pair of great fitting pants or a non-elastic waist skirt when you are in your fourth trimester. And I will happily pay $4 for a pair of jeans that may have a shorter longevity in my closet but make me happy in my stretched out skin.)

Top Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Perhaps one of my favorite benefits of thrifting is the opportunity to try a look or a piece out that I am uncertain about. Take this top, for example. I surprised myself when I pulled it off the rack for a second look. While I like the color, it’s not something that I would have gravitated towards in a retail store. The low price, however, prompted me to feel a little bolder, a little more willing to try incorporating something different into my wardrobe without worrying too much about financial repercussions. And I’m glad I did!

Are you more experimental in your choices when thrifting? Or does your aesthetic remain the same as when you’re shopping retail?

23 September 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except bag:

• Black cardi – Target
• Gray tank – Filene’s basement
• Jean skirt – Urban Outfitters
• Yellow pumps – Gianni Bini, via Dillards
• Bag – Etienne Aigner, hand-me-down from mom, thanks!
• Necklace - Anthropologie

Endnotes:

Today’s outfit was likewise inspired by E., who paid homage to ‘grellow‘ in a recent post of hers. I love these yellow Gianni Bini pumps, which have proven to be more than comfortable, and I have worn these with any number of colors but not once with gray. E.’s gray and yellow mix planted a seed and I think I’ve found a new favorite color combo.

To play up the yellow of the shoes, I added a tan bag and a gold and ivory vintage inspired necklace.

It was a good thing that I wore comfortable shoes today, because on an errand to Sibiu, a nearby city and a favorite of mine in Romania, I ended up doing quite a bit of walking. It was also a good thing that I had my camera and was able to snap a few shots, because I’m dying to share them with you. Sibiu was named European Capital of Culture in 2007 and I think the title is well deserved; it’s full of gorgeous old building, historic sites, cafes and restaurants, museums and bookstores. If you ever come to Romania, make sure to add Sibiu to your list! Here’s a sneak peak at what you would encounter:

22 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed

• Teal Tank – BR Outlet
• Maroon Belt – Target
• Brown Pinstripe Skirt - Gap
• Brown Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction via DSW
• Necklace – Gift (lone earring on chain)
• Amber Earrings – Gift

Endnotes:

Today’s ensemble was completely inspired by E’s outfit a few weeks ago, in which she hiked a full skirt up and belted it higher than usual.  I love this full skirt but have always found the length a bit awkward – wearing it higher on my waist makes it the perfect length and adds to the fullness. I loved the vintage feel of this totally mall-store created look.  I felt great walking around camps in this skirt today!

After class and a couple meetings I met E. for a quick thrifiting trip.  After her great finds a few months ago, I was more than happy to join her today. I love thrifting with E. for several reasons:  she has way more patience for sifting through the endless racks of polyester to find the needle in the haystack; she knows my style so just picks things off the rack for me; we are close in size and body type but not the same, so when something is a little big in the hips for her, she can pass it off to me.  Basically, I just keep her company while she shops for both of us! Today she found me three great finds which I will premier when the weather is right and some alterations are made.

Are you a good thrifter or do you lack the patience like I do?  Any thrifiting tips?    A.

22 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

22 September 2009 – Wonder Wrap, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except Wonder Wrap:

• Wonder Wrap – Blue Onion Marketplace
• Black top – thrifted
• Sunglasses – H&M
• Jeans – Flirt jean from ON
• Gray wedges – Report, via Solestruck.com
• Brown Satchel – HOBO
• Necklace – Anthropologie

Endnotes:

First of, thank you all for your kind words and well wishes for my grandparents yesterday! They’re slowly getting back on their feet and we’re enjoying our time together here, despite the reason for our visit. My grandpa returned from the hospital today, so now we’re all reunited.

This morning, before his return, my mom and I went into town to pick up a few things for dinner. This gave me the perfect opportunity to pull out some fun fall items that I’ve been itching to wear. Unlike back at academichic central, it’s much cooler here and I get to enjoy my favorite season of the year – fall.

One item I’ve been dying to wear is this charcoal jersey Wonder Wrap from Blue Onion Marketplace. Similar to the Moth Possibilities sweater found at Athropologie, this garment comes with an abundance of fabric and just as many options in how to style it.

I love this violet gray color and the soft jersey fabric and have yet to play around with it and find more ways to style it. I’m thinking of throwing this one longer end over my shoulder for a drapey evening look, what do you think?

For a snugger day time look, I experimented with different ways to wrap it and tie it around my waist. I settled on wrapping the longer end around, while placing the shorter end over the wrapped end and bringing both ends together at the side.

The loose ends are then tied together on the side, creating a closed yet still drapey finished look.

I’ve recently developed a penchant for drapey and asymmetrically cut garments, such as the Possibilities sweater mentioned above, the Banana Republic asymmetrical cardi I’ve experimented with this summer, and now this one-sleeved fabric-abundant piece that puts a smile on my face.

And now I leave you with a gratuitous shot of my grandparents’ street here in Romania. S.

Romania, originally uploaded by academichic.

21 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Navy blazer: BR Outlet
• Teal nursing tank: Old Navy
• Purpley gray skirt: BR Outlet
• Purpley-gray belt: from an H&M dress
• Wedges: thrifted

End Notes:

I’ve realized that even though neutrals serve as the core of each of our wardrobes, we each have a slightly different take on these go-with-everything hues. I think of A. as our neutral-on-neutral queen, creating outfits that layer different neutrals for a soft but rich effect. And I think of S. as being more dramatic with her bold pops of color against neutral backdrops.

I’m not entirely sure how to articulate my own approach, but I do know that I have a tendency to decide that a certain color is a “pseudo neutral” and that it therefore goes with EVERYTHING. Take my favorite wine color, for example. Often, even before spinning my mental color wheel, I’ll grab one of my wine colored cardigans just to see how it looks with a given outfit. More times than not, it works.

The dark bluish-green color of this top is another one of my recurring pseudo neutrals. When I was in undergrad I had a cardigan this color and I was convinced that I could wear it with anything and everything. As a basic top, this nursing tank is starting to prove itself just as versatile. After all, it worked well with that wild floral skirt a few weeks ago, and today it solved my dilemma of what to wear with this sort-of-gray sort-of-purple skirt. It makes the outfit more interesting than if I had just worn black or brown on top but it’s more unexpected than wearing, say, my purple cardigan.

Do you have a pseudo neutral?

21 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

21 September 2009 – Greetings from Romania!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except scarf:

• Sunglasses – H&M
• Green top – ON, thrifted
• Red-orange scarf – Blue Onion Marketplace
• Brown cord jacket – thrifted
• Black jeans – DKNY, thrifted
• Patterned flats – ON
• Brown satchel – HOBO

Endnotes:

It’s been a week since I left the States and the days have been flying by in a whirlwind. I’m in Romania with my mom right now helping out my grandparents who have hit a bit of a rough patch.

Thus the lack of posting – there has been little time and limited access to internet. But I did manage to get one photo taken while running errands last week and I’m excited to show it since it features one of my new fall favorites: this gorgeous red orange scarf from Blue Onion Marketplace. It arrived just before my departure and I knew this would make a great addition to my brown corduroy jacket this fall.

My mom, always the perfect embodiment of European chic, wore a black sweater cape over slim cut ankle pants and also used a lightweight scarf for a pop of color.

Earlier last week, I was tempted to spend each day in sweatpants and a t-shirt, knowing that I was unlikely to run into anyone or even leave the house on some days. But each day, my mom got up, got dressed, put on some makeup and began the day’s tasks. Seeing her look her usual put-together self, despite the rather trying circumstances she was in, gave me a sense of comfort and peace. It made an unusual situation feel less like a crisis and more like something that could be handled and dealt with in a calm and collected way. So I removed my sweats, unpacked the bundles in my suitcases, and instantly felt more like myself as a result.

I know that everyone deals with crisis situations differently and that in more extreme cases the everyday is impossibly maintained. But in this particular situation, I felt like I witnessed yet another example of how presentations affects interpretation, and how looking well promoted and aided feeling well. S.

20 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except jeans

• Cardigan – Gap
• Tee-Shirt – BR Outlet
• Jeans – Banana Republic
• Flats – Old Navy

Endnotes:

Our apologies for the lack of posts these past few days!  We’ll try an make it up to you this week with regular outfit posts, a color symposium, and a couple reader questions answered.

Yesterday and today I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather – and that’s not good given that our weather is pretty crummy this weekend.  I spent most of yesterday in my sweats but today I need to get a few things done that require me to move beyond the bed/couch where I have been reading and laptoping.  I was tempted to just keep the sweats on, but thought I would see if getting dressed for real might make me feel better too.

What do you wear when you are sick?  Do you get dressed up to try and make your self feel better, or do you opt for comfy clothes one step away from PJs?  A.

Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

17 September 2009 – Quick and Casual, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed

• Coral Polo – J Crew
• Grey Skirt – Old Navy
• Navy Cami – American Eagle
• Green Flats – Banana Republic
• Rainbow Bracelet – Hawaii
• Coral Earrings- American Eagle

Endnotes:

A2 had car trouble on her way to work, so my morning routine was disrupted to say the least. I had to throw on something quick that I could be comfortable in all day, and even walk home in if need be (although on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually have a gym bag backed anyway).   Mornings when I need to choose something quickly, when don’t have time to try stuff on, swap out one cami for another, or ponder the color wheel, I often go for an ensemble I have worn before. This morning, for some reason, I thought of this polo and my denim skirt which I wore back in July.  I planed to wear the outfit exactly, but denim skirt was in the wash so it was swapped with my grey skirt, and I grabbed this rainbow bracelet instead of the green necklace worn as bracelet, creating the same layered-strand effect but adding a pop of pride!

Rainbow Bracelet, originally uploaded by academichic.