5 October 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Black wrap dress: Gap Outlet
- Printed top: Banana Republic
- Tights: Target
- Gray wedges: Gap Outlet
End Notes:
As if to reinforce just how much of a nerd I am, a random phrase or term plucked from some academic discourse or another will occasionally float through my head as I get dressed. Today it was the French theorist Jean Baudrillard declaring that new media has fundamentally changed priorities in visual culture, resulting in a culture-wide prioritization of surface and spectacle. Now Baudrillard is very important, and he really has nothing to do with my outfit today, other than the fact that the notion of surface spectacle popped into my head when I appraised myself in the mirror.
Sure, it looks like a straightforward, simply layered look — a classic black wrap dress over a patterned three-quarter sleeve top — but let me tell you, it is quite the mess below the surface. To keep the top from bunching, I tucked the hem into the top of my tights. Then, to keep all that tucked-in business from being disclosed by clingy jersey, I wore a half slip to help smooth things over. Sexy, right?
Layering Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.
Nevertheless, everything stayed put and the surreptitious tucking-in was not uncomfortable. In fact, I may have been more comfortable knowing that things were unlikely to shift.
So, I know I’m not the only one out there who has gone to unexpected or even absurd lengths to keep various parts of an outfit secure or body parts in check. Are there creative tricks hiding below your surface spectacle that you’d care to share?
I love how you layered the printed top underneath the dress. You look gorgeous!
Looking a mess underneath is every woman’s little secret! A ton of my outfits are such a disaster if they were to be worn inside out, but somehow the final presentation always looks great, which is all that matters in the end :)
Wow! I love how this looks, and had always wanted to try a shirt under a dress, but had issues with the shirt moving. great idea!
Haha, tights really do introduce a whole other level of outfit-fussing, don’t they? The end result is fabulous, though!
I love the tights and shoes combo! Beautiful colours. I am a chronic tights-tucker and half-slip wearer – thank you for sharing! (But I am wondering what’s happened to the nursing tank . . )
My big secret is safety pins on my scarves. I can’t layer for cleavage coverage like you have here because I have a problem with overheating, so I tend to wear scarves a lot. Trouble is they aren’t very practical in a city as windy as Edinburgh, particularly at this time of year. So I always pin the ends of my scarf together then pin the whole thing to my top to keep it (and my boobs) in check.
I think being a mess underneath is par for the course though – pretty, lacy bras make your boobs look lumpy when you’re dressed and while magic knickers work wonders for your figure, they’ll never be sexy! As long as no one sees the mess underneath, it’s all gravy :)
I’m going to try this look- awesome styling! And you would never know all the work that went into it.
This is a lovely outfit. I definitely go to somewhat ridiculous lengths to keep my outfits in the right order and the right place. This one turned out great, though!
Safety pin in the front button band of a shirt to avoid gapping – that’s the most common “trick” for me. And I know, if my button-down shirts fit perfectly I wouldn’t need to pin them together. But I’m curvy and fitting shirts perfectly is easier said than done. Another trick I’ve done is using a thin scarf as a belt when needed, because under some close-fitting long sweaters I don’t like the bump of a big belt buckle.
I love this look, especially the colour of you tights and shoes.
I am always guilty of tucking tops into tights. It stops the top from getting all bunched up, as you say.
I also tuck my jeans into socks when I’m wearing them under boots. It means my jeans don’t get all bunched up from being shoved in the boots.
I really like how both items look paired. There’s so much about layering I need to learn
Super cute! Found your blog through myedit…loving it!
I will keep reading!
Can we trade blog listing?
take care
Looking great! I definitely have done the tucking… and the pinning and the scarf belts (though I generally do those because I like the look of the ends poking out). Looks comfortable and chic!
I had one skirt I used to safety pin to my tights to keep it from shifting around my hips. I will also tuck my shirt into my underwear to keep it more firmly tucked. And I always wear a half slip to keep my skirts from clinging to my legs. I don’t know how anyone gets away without one! Oh, and now that I’m older and weigh a bit more: Spanx!
I just love this blog. I must be learning from you all, because I have been complimented on my outfits more and more lately, and all I’ve done is mix-and-match my existing wardrobe a little more creatively. Thanks!
love the layers! Simple and beautiful!!!
One of my fav tricks (that I read somewhere else, so I can’t take credit for it!) is to use a clear elastic hair tie to hold the end of a too-long belt. Just slip the hair tie onto the belt, put the belt on, buckle, and slide the end under the hair tie. This helps me get more mileage out of belts – they can be worn both at the hip and at the waist. Not exactly an under-the-surface trick, but a good one nonetheless!
I like the clear hair band trick for belts. Of course with woven ones, you can just fold the end over itself and tuck it in.
I find half slips and long slips(I cut one long one to make it slightly shorter) help a lot. I hate bunching, but the slip I’m wearing today is causing more bunching than if I’d worn nothing!
This made me laugh when I read it because I do the same thing. I wear tights and dresses a lot and something is always tucked into something which is tucked into something else and covered with a slip. Oh, and I can’t forget the spanx I sometimes wear underneath it all. No one ever sees what is going on underneath, though, (except for my husband who finds it funny) so as long as it is comfortable it works for me!
Safety pins are usually part of every single outfit for me. I wear dress shirts often to my corporate design job, but they always seem to have awkward button spacing for my body. Buttoning to the second-from-the-top button is too high, but the next one down is too low. So I always safety pin from the back right where I want it to be buttoned. It doesn’t show from outside, and keeps my shirt in place.
I adore how you layer your dresses!
[...] into my slip (again, keeping the scarf as flat as possible to prevent bulk). Yes, it’s more surface spectacle [...]
[...] by academichic. As I got dressed this morning, I thought of E.’s earlier post on the “surface spectacle,” in which she describes a process of tucking and securing that is eventually hidden by a [...]