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Husband N., baby e., and I are embarking on a two week, two-part holiday travel extravaganza. We’ll be leaving the chilly Midwest for 6 days in Texas and then 8 more in Hawaii. My husband, who has great faith in my packing abilities, asked if we could possibly make this trip without checking any luggage. My initial response was shock and horror, followed closely by curiosity. After all, if S. could pack for an entire year and 4 seasons in two suitcases, then shouldn’t I be able to pack for 14 days and 3 climates in a carry on?

Click through the jump for a run-down of my packing list and to join in on an outfit-making challenge.

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22 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Gray dolman sleeve cardigan: Ann Taylor, gift from MIL
• Black sweater: Banana Republic
• Black cropped pants: Old Navy
• Green scarf: old standby, origins unknown
• Ruffled pumps: AM, from DSW

End Notes:

Did anyone else watch that short-lived Bravo TV series, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style? In it, he hands women a list of 10 essential wardrobe items; item number ten is a “sweatsuit alternative.” It’s a term I always giggled at because you could almost see Tim Gunn cringing as he said the word “sweatsuit” and then a wave of relief passes over his face as he finishes, “alternative.”

Since I was never a sweatsuit girl, I had never really paused to consider what my “sweatsuit alternative” is. But on days like today — full of preparations for husband N., baby e’s., and my imminent departure on on a two-part holiday travel extravaganza — yes, clothing myself entirely in stretchy fleece sounds…nice.

I’m not wearing a sweatsuit, obviously, nor would I really call this, truly, a “sweatsuit alternative.” I will say, however, that this dolman sleeve cardigan is quickly becoming my sweatshirt alternative. It’s incredibly soft and warm and its generous cut makes me feel like I’m walking around wrapped up in a blanket. But it’s a stylish blanket in an unusual cut that makes even this simple ensemble a little more visually interesting. Even better, it looks great belted closed or hanging open.

This is not a cut of sweater that I would normally be drawn to in a store (and I’m sure it looks strange on a hanger), so a big salute of gratitude goes out once again to my very chic mother-in-law who always seems to know what wardrobe items will make my life simultaneously easier and a little more stylish.

Do you have a sweatsuit or sweatshirt alternative?

22 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

22 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:
All remixed:

• Navy tank – ON
• White button down – J.Jill
• Navy vest - Cecil, thrifted
• Silk scarf as belt – erre, thrifted
• Tweed shorts – Tally Weijl, thrifted
• Boots – Dillards
• Necklace – Anthropologie

Endnotes:

Remember these shorts? I’m sure you do, since I wore them twice last week. But I’m starting to think that the old adage should not be ‘if you love something, let it go’, but rather, ‘if you love something, wear it again and again’. S.

22 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

21 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:
All remixed except newly thrifted purse:

• Patterned dress worn as skirt – BR
• Yellow ruffle top – Sam & Max
• Navy cardi – H&M
• Boots - Dillards
• Vintage purse – thrifted at Oxfam, Munich

Endnotes:

So I’m finally jumping on the red lipstick bandwagon. I’ve been seeing so many beautiful bloggers rockin’ the red lips lately that I finally broke down and admitted it to myself: I wanted in on it too! So I bought my first ever red lipstick this weekend and felt like such a grownup.

Red, originally uploaded by academichic.

It took me a long while to decide on a color but then I came home and saw this post on The Rockstar Diaries, in which the gorgeous Naomi, who rocks the red lips as part of her signature look, tells which brands and hues she likes most. Hmph, should have seen this one sooner. But there it is for any of you hesitantly approaching the red lipstick makeup aisle.

Purse, originally uploaded by academichic.

Other things I’m loving right now: red nails, Heidi braids, pattern mixing, layered jewelry, and owls. Yes, I know, owls. How cliche. Everyone loves a good owl these days, but how can you not?

How about you? What are your recent likes? What looks or finds are you embracing?

21 December 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

PS: Congratulations to our Friday Giveaway Winner! If you didn’t win, don’t be sad. Check out Winona’s amazing giveaway over at Daddy Likey! Remember how I told you about getting her book for my birthday? Well, she’s giving away five signed copies along with a multitude of other wonderful gifts, so be sure to check it out and enter. Good luck! S.

The winner of our third Friday Study Break Holiday Giveaway:

Thank you all for playing and don’t forget to check back next Friday for our final Study Break Holiday Giveaway!

Lucy, please send us an email with your full name and address and we’ll get the arm warmers out to you ASAP.

Dressing for parties during the holiday season is an endeavor full of unique opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, holiday parties are the perfect time to pull out fabrics, embellishments, and colors that you might not normally wear. Satin! Sequins! Red! On the other hand, determining the requisite formality of a given event — and picking an outfit to fit — can be a challenge.

A. and E. decided to have a little fun with a holiday party style workshop, trying out looks that would be appropriate at the holiday parties we’ll be (and dream about) attending.

Cocktails with colleagues:

Sources:

On A.:

• Plaid shirt: Old Navy little boys
• Ruffled black tank: Banana Republic Outlet
• Patent leather belt: Forever 21
• Pencil skirt: Banana Republic
• Teal pumps: Seychelles, via solestruck.com

On E.:

• Sequined tank: Target
• Beaded cardigan: Banana Republic
• Bermudas: thrifted, self-shortened Purple tights: Banana Republic
• Black pumps: Madden Girl, DSW

End Notes:

Going out on the town for a holiday cocktail with friends is a great excuse to slip a little extra pizazz into an outfit. A., for example, rarely wears red during the rest of the year. But even she can’t resist donning this cheerful red plaid flannel shirt (from the little boys’ department of Old Navy, no less!) and dressing it up with a black ruffled tank, pencil skirt, and teal pumps. E., meanwhile, pairs up the only two sparkly tops she owns — a beaded cardigan and a sequined tank — for some festive fabulousness. Purple tights beneath bermuda shorts keeps an otherwise monochrome outfit from being too dull.

Party with Professors:

Sources:

On E.:

• Ribbon tee: self-made
• Jacket: Forever 21
• Black ankle pants: Old Navy
• Ruffled pumps: AM, via DSW

On A.:

• Green ruffled blouse: Old Navy
• Black wrap sweater: Banana Republic
• Pencil skirt: Banana Republic
• Tights: Forever 21
• Pumps: DSW
• Brooch as necklace: Vintage Threadz on etsy.com

End Notes:

Party-ing with professors (or bosses, as the gainfully employed might do), calls for outfits that are festive while remaining tasteful. This is not the time for too-short skirts or too-low tops. That’s not to say you need to be stuffy, however! E. puts a fresh spin on a pantsuit, wearing pants in a trendier length and pairing an embellished top with a structured jacket. A.’s  green and black ensemble would be perfectly appropriate in a classroom, but the bright color and ruffle make it a sweet choice for a holiday evening as well.

Dinner with Donors:

Sources:

On A.:

• Ruffled navy dress: JCrew
• Black patent belt: Forever 21
• Black clutch: grandmother’s
• Black tights: Forever 21
• Black pumps: Madden Girl, via DSW

On E.:

• Gray ruffled “shrug”: “Scrunchy” scarf from Nepali by TDM designs
• Black strapless dress: Ann Taylor
• Black tights: Target
• Black ruffled pumps: AM, via DSW

End Notes:

Alas, neither A. nor E. will be attending a holiday party that merits extra-fancy dress. But we can dream, right? Holiday parties that call for cocktail attire are the perfect time to pull out a bridesmaid dress that may be languishing in the back of your closet. E. wore this strapless dress as a bridesmaid last summer. To ground the floatier fabric for winter, she used a couple of safety pins and some ribbon to fashion a temporary shrug our of the soft cashmere “Scrunchy” scarf from Nepali by TDM Designs. Ruffles that help keep you warm and hide those pesky tan lines? Brilliant! In her chic navy dress (which she incidentally wore to S.’s wedding!), A. proves that rich jewel tones can be just as appropriate for evening as black. Black patent accessories add a little extra glamor to a dress that’s proven to be remarkably versatile through several seasons.

What will you be wearing to your holiday parties this year?

Happy Friday and Happy Holidays Academichic readers!

For our third weekly Friday Study Break Giveaway enter to win a pair of beautifully hand-knit Alpaca Arm Warmers from Blue Onion Marketplace. These gorgeous elbow length arm warmers, handmade in Australia, are perfect for anyone who needs to keep warm while studying in the library but with their fingers free to click away at that keyboard.

For your chance to win one pair in gray (as shown in the image above), leave a comment below telling us how you would wear these gorgeous fingerless gloves. For a second chance to win, leave a separate comment telling us where you would go if you could go anywhere in the world for a holiday this winter.

You must enter by Sunday night at Midnight US Central Time.  We will randomly select one winner to announce on Monday morning.  Good Luck!

17 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed but vest:

• Striped top – J.Crew
• Tweed shorts – Tally Weijl, thrifted
• Black silk leggings – old, gift from mom
• Boots – BR
• “L” pendant – Anthropologie
• Scrabble pendant – It’s All About The Print on Etsy (worn backwards)
• Vest – Boy’s Tracht (German folk costume) vest, thrifted

Endnotes:

Yes, same shorts again! I love these and I have no qualms with wearing something I love two days in a row. This time I’m wearing them over a pair of silk leggings, which my mom got me years ago to layer for warmth underneath pants (I don’t think she had shorts in mind), and with another thrifted goodie: This navy wool vest that is part of a boy’s Tracht ensemble (the German folk costume that involves Lederhosen and such). I was inspired by the fabulous Archibald Maximilion over at wardrobe_remix who has a child’s vest that she wears in a number of wonderful and creative ways.

Boy’s Tracht Vest, originally uploaded by academichic.

E. has noted many a times how thrift shopping allows one to steer away from a comfort zone and try things one normally wouldn’t. How right she is. When thrifting, I feel like I can take a chance on items I wouldn’t normally buy because of the affordability and the altogether adventurous nature of thrifting. There is also the element of the thrifting space – it’s usually a large shop with men’s, women’s, and children’s items all in promixity of one another, so I’m far more likely to venture into the men’s section or children’s section as I browse.

How about you? Do you shop exclusively in your designated department or do you look for pieces in unlikely places as well? Are there any particular items for which you go specifically to a department that is not your own? S.

17 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

16 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

• Black Sweater Vest – BR Outlet
• Black Henley – Gap
• Pink Button Down – J Crew
• Black Pants – Banana Republic
• Earrings – Gift

Buttons, originally uploaded by academichic.

eye earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

16 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

16 December 2009 – On Blousing and Belting, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Mustard top – Forever 21
• Yellow cardigan – Banana Republic Factory
• Belt – Gap Outlet
• Denim pencil skirt – Banana Republic Factory
• Tights – Old Navy
• Boots – Steve Madden Iriss, via eBay

End Notes:

I continue to be impressed with all the ways that S. has been layering her capsule wardrobe in unexpected ways. Vest over a button down over a dress? Thus inspired, I wanted to try my hand at some out-of-order layering.

Cardigans usually top an outfit as the outermost layer. But today, I thought I’d try wearing it underneath a blousier top that is otherwise difficult to layer. I think the trick to making this layering work is using a relatively thin cardigan with a crew (rather than v-) neck.

And now a few words on…belting without belt loops! Several of you asked how I kept my black belt in place when worn over a skirt that had no belt loops. I wish I had a clever secret to share but, alas, for me it’s a mere matter of physiology. My belts always gravitate towards the narrowest part of my torso. That skirt sat at my natural waist, I belted at my natural waist, and…there really was no where else for the belt to go, seeing as it was stymied by my rib cage above and my hips below. It helps that I’m also very long-waisted.

When wearing leather belts like that wide black one or my narrow reptile one, I have little choice but to loop it wherever my natural waist falls. (Observant readers may notice that my belting migrated upwards during my pregnancy…) Frankly, such belting is fairly useless for actually holding anything up or together.

When I want to wear a belt either above or slightly below my natural waist, I tend to turn to this trusty brown leather and elastic belt. The stretch of the elastic makes it a prime candidate for actually holding things in place (like a big cardigan or a skirt that needs to be hiked) and its width helps to create a more defined waistline when I need it (like in a shift dress that isn’t tailor made for me). Forever 21 is often a good source for inexpensive wide belts with elastic backs. I’m eying this black reptile belt right now, in fact.

Does anyone else have a secret belt-securing strategy when there are no belt loops to be had? If so, please share it in the comments!

16 December 2009 – On Blousing and Belting, originally uploaded by academichic.