academichic

Sources:

• Cropped swingy jacket – Gap, thrifted
• Pink striped top – J.Crew
• Skinnies – thrifted
• Yellow pumps – Gianni Bini
• Bag – thrifted
• Sunglasses – H&M
• Earrings – gift from A.

Endnotes:

Part of our Jackets 101 week is experimenting with proportions and pairings still new to us. For me, that comes in the form of this bell shaped swing jacket. Before thrifting it rather hesitantly last summer, I’d never worn a cropped swing jacket before and I had my doubts about it. It seems that a jacket that goes out at the midriff rather than inward could potentially make for a very bell shaped looking torso – not something I was going for.

I tried this jacket with a few different options such as white wide-leg trousers or a black pencil skirt but none of them seemed as well matched as the one pairing I had been most doubtful about: the bell shaped cropped jacket with the skinny jeans. What I feared would be the most odd looking proportional pairing turned out to be my favorite and one I decided to pay homage to once more with this outfit today.

Tiny bird earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

Yellow Shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

Have you experimented with a jacket of this shape and cut? If so, how do you wear it? S.

24 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

23 March 2010 – Versatility Thy Name is My Navy Blazer, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Navy Blazer: Banana Republic Factory
• Salmon top: Target
• Colorblock skirt: Banana Republic Factory
• Wedges: thrifted

End Notes:

Even though this week’s Fashion 101 is supposed to encourage us to push our blazer comfort zones, I simply had to pay homage to my absolute closet workhorse: my three quarter sleeved, navy cotton jacket.

Everything about this jacket — its cut, its sleeve length, its washability, its color — make it incredibly versatile. I think I’ve worn and blogged it more than just about any other item in my closet.

I’ve worn it over t-shirts and blouses…

…with trousers and jersey dresses, even when hugely pregnant…

…with shorts, wide leg pants, skinny jeans, and ruffles.

So for a beautifully sunny and warm March day, I used it to pull together a somewhat unusual color scheme of warm coral and cool lavenders. And for someone who is occasionally crippled by fear of failure (all hail formal education’s blitz on my ego) that is precisely what makes this blazer so great. I can try something a little outside my comfort zone underneath — an unfamiliar color pairing, mixed patterns, a bold pattern, an unusual shape, etc. — but once I throw this jacket on those risks become manageable while maintaining visual interest.

Do you have a go-to blazer or jacket? What makes it so versatile for you?

23 March 2010 – Versatility Thy Name is My Navy Blazer, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

On A (left):

• Trench – Nine Wiest
• Blue scarf – Old Navy
• Skinnies – Banana Republic
• Henley – Gap
• Floral blouse – Maurice’s
• Vest – Banana Republic Outlet
• Bag – Nine West
• Wellies – Banana Republic

On S (right):

• Trench – vintage, grandmother’s
• Black t-neck top – Zara
• Skirt – Express, via TJMaxx
• Necklace – Welt Laden in Salzburg
• Gray tights – drugstore
• Boots – Banana Republic
• Bag – Liz Claiborne, thrifted
• Scarf – Nine West

Endnotes:

As E. already mentioned, A. is on a European jaunt right now and her first stop along the way was Munich. I had the immense pleasure of having A1 and A2 stay with me over the weekend and it just about made my year. It was wonderful getting to see them and being able to share this city I’ve come to really love with them.

Our uniform over the weekend consisted of light layers, followed by a trench coat, a light-weight scarf, and boots. It rained on and off and so boots, trench coats, and umbrellas were the best choices for keeping dry while walking around the city all day long. (I was also so impressed – both A.s packed for their entire European trip in one carry-one bag each! But more on that soon, I’ll let A. tell the story of her packing amazingness.)

While we both matched with out scarf-trench-boots combo, you can still see how much individual color choice, cut, and pattern can play into such a simple combo, rendering our outfits pretty different while still composed of the same basic elements.

As for the other layers – A. kept it casual yet chic with dark-wash skinnies, a pretty floral blouse over a dark henley and underneath a dark vest. Wearing lots of layers when traveling is a great idea as you can easily adjust your temperature as your activities change; be it by shedding a few layers for your long stair climb up St. Peter’s bell tower for this view…

… or by covering back up for drinks and snacks at an outdoor table at Marienplatz. I in turn wore a basic black turtleneck, a silvery-gray skirt, and gray tights – a monochromatic outfit that can easily translate from the day’s sightseeing events to evening drinks with friends. And A2 was (as always) our skilled and willing photographer who receives the credit for all these great photos, so thank you! Enjoy the rest of your travels, you two, I miss you already! S.

23 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

I (E.) thrifted this like-new black pinstripe blazer several years ago, shortly after beginning graduate school. I guess I figured that since I was a grown-up I needed a grown-up jacket.

Thrifted Pinstripe Jacket, originally uploaded by academichic.

It’s in great shape, has nifty satin details — covered buttons, piping on the pockets — a subtly patterned lining, and a classic high, two-button stance with a notched lapel.

Jacket Details, originally uploaded by academichic.

Of course, since then, this blazer has had precious little wear, though it’s made predictable appearances at conferences and the occasional in-class presentation. Like I said in our Fashion 101 post on jackets and blazers, this is the kind of blazer that still makes me a little nervous, that I still tend to think about in very limited ways. So, what better way to kick off a week of blazers than challenge myself to re-imagine this jacket in a variety of outfits? Click through the jump to see four incarnations — from professional to casual — of this wardrobe basic.

» Read the rest of this entry «

The terms “structured jacket” and “blazer” encompass an extraordinarily wide range of garments. In our own closets, everything from suit jackets to velveteen blazers, corduroy jackets to trapeze jackets, short sleeve jackets to schoolboy-inspired blazers could fall into this category. (Just to clarify, we’re thinking less about outwear and more about jackets that you would continue to wear when indoors.)

Many of the items we’ve been exploring in our recent Fashion 1o1′s originated in men’s fashion — scarves, cardigans, and even hosiery — and blazers or structured jackets are no exception. But while we may think of the 1980s as the birth of the women’s “power suit,” with women adopting a garment and silhouette associated with masculinity and power, women had been translating men’s jackets into functional (riding or hunting habits, for example, from the 1660s on) or fashionable (like the “Spencer” in the Regency period) for quite some time. The gender politics embedded in the appropriations of such a deeply charged garment (or garment set, if we include the “suit” as a whole) are complex and shifting. Anne Hollander delves into some of these issues in her book Sex and Suits, a worthy and accessible read (though perhaps a bit prone to generalizations).

It’s a striking testament to the cultural power of the blazer and suit jacket that all three of us chics — as well-educated women in our late twenties — still remain somewhat uncertain of what exactly to do with it in our regular wardrobes. Sure, we each have blazers that we love and wear frequently, but we all also have jackets of the more formal variety that languish in our closets, waiting for what we perceive as a socially appropriate time to solemnly assume their Very Professional and Staid air.

But, as Hollander states with a kind of triumphant gusto in Sex and Suits, “Women finally took over the total male scheme of dress, modified it to suit themselves, and have handed it back to men charged with immense new possibilities.” With this in mind, this week’s Fashion 101 on jackets and blazers will focus on embracing the creative potential of these garments. While we will certainly try to articulate some general rules of thumb regarding fit, our main goal will be to incorporate blazers and jackets into our wardrobes in ways that demystify older forms (like the tailored suit jacket) and play with alternative incarnations (like the swing jacket, cropped blazer, etc.).

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• demonstrate a general knowledge of different variations of blazers/jackets, including their shape, lapel type, stance, and length
• articulate key elements of a well-fitting blazer/jacket
• incorporate blazers/jackets into professional, casual, and everything in between outfits
• demonstrate how to use effectively pair a blazer/jacket with other garments to create flattering proportions

We’d love for you to play along with us this week and, as always, to suggest any resources or ask any questions. You can find Tutorials from this Module on our Taking Notes page and any relevant blazer/jackets posts in the March 2010 archives.

P.S. In case you’ve been wondering, A. spent last week negotiating an extremely busy week in her department while simultaneously preparing for a European jaunt…which she is now on! She likely won’t be posting much or at all while she’s abroad, but she’ll take her turn with jackets when she returns to the States.

With as loose a definition as “a strip of flexible material worn especially around the waist as an item of clothing,” belts need not only be a leather strip with a metal buckle. Alternative belting solutions — which sounds very important when stated like that — are plentiful.

Perhaps the most straightforward option is to take a tie or belt from one garment and use it with an altogether different piece. S., for example, took a belt from a patterned dress and used it to mix patterns with another printed top. A. used the matching belt from her green shirt dress to add a pop of color to a navy jacket. And E. is a devotee of utilizing the jersey ties that came with a couple of tops to tie together belting situations that call for a snug fit.

Another favorite and fairly common alternative is the scarf-as-belt. All three of us have repurposed scarves for this use, but with different techniques and different results. Using a longer, narrow scarf, with ends floating freely, can create a dreamy, romantic feel, like when S. added a pink floral scarf to her LBD for a date night. When A. wears scarves as belts, she frequently does so by threading them through the belt loops of her short sleeved blazer. The result is much crisper and preppier. Scarves-as-belts can also be a strong graphic focal point of an outfit because of their width and pattern. And, of course, they provide a great foil for pattern mixing. Be sure to check out Elaine’s excellent tutorial on tying a scarf as a belt.

Wide ribbons can also function as belts, and they are a good option when an outfit needs a bit more softness than a leather option would provide. S. and E. have both tied their ribbon belts in bows, but the neutral colors kept the looks — they think — from being too literal of a “present” reference. On the other hand, A. used a pastel ribbon and completely embraced the delicate, almost fanciful, feel it conjured.

Which brings us to the lovely floral belts that S. and A. fashioned over the summer, using silk blooms compliments of Blue Onion Marketplace. Adding these lush blossoms to scarf or ribbon created easy statement belts that looked far more complicated and expensive than they actually were.

There are, of course, many, many other possibilities. E. hasn’t done this recently, but in the past she’s snagged her husband’s unused ties to serve as a belt. Has anyone used a necklace as a belt? Or paper, ala Project Runway? A length of cording? A shoelace? What alternative belts have you created?

18 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Top: Target
• Cummerbund: thrifted
• Trousers: Banana Republic
• Pumps: Steve Madden Girl, via DSW

End Notes:

We went out for drinks tonight to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and I thought it was as appropriate a time as any to pull out a newly thrifted addition to my belt collection: a cummerbund. I was surprised to see a tuxedo cummerbund hanging in the women’s belt section at my local Goodwill, but I figured that this could be another variation on the wide, elastic back belts that I love so much.

Just fancier.

The nice thing about a cummerbund for women’s wear is that it lets you fake the look of a high waist trouser while providing some nice tummy camouflage. Plus, I looped the narrower elastic back through my belt loops, so everything stayed in place tonight without event.

(As an aside, “cummerbund” as a word makes me snicker. And if you type it too many times in a row, it starts to look ridiculous. Cummberbund, cummerbund, cummerbund, cummerbund. Furthermore, did you know that the pleats in a cummerbund were originally used to tuck ticket stubs and the like? Or that it originated with the British in colonial India?)

In any case, I realized that I do tend to relegate belting to my daytime wardrobe. I’ll perhaps use a scarf around a dress for evening, but generally speaking my belting habits are on the more business casual to everyday casual end of the fanciness continuum. Do you belt for evenings out, and how? Do you have an embellished belt? Patent? A silk scarf?

Or do you think it’s time to add a REALLY LARGE AND SPARKLY belt buckle to the collection?

18 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Khaki shirt dress – Target
• Striped top – J.Crew
• Belt – thrifted
• Tights – Target
• Boots – Banana Republic
• Bag – thrifted
• Ring – gift

Endnotes:

This outfit was inspired by this recent one by the very lovely Kendi – like A, I have found plenty of inspiration on her wonderful site since the inception of her style blog. Her combination of colors and proportions is wonderful and I highly recommend checking out her site if you’re not already a regular reader.

I saw Kendi wearing a khaki dress over a striped shirt and thought, I have those items, I can totally steal pay tribute to this look by recreating my own version of it. And since it’s belt week here at academichic, I will articulate why I chose this belt over another (or none at all). As I’ve mentioned before, I have a short torso and thus I usually stick to thin or medium width belts. Wearing a wide belt over a top or cardigan when you’re short waisted only makes the distance between your chest and waistline seem that much shorter. But I do own a few awesome wide belts and I’ve found that the time to wear them is when I’m layering over a dress – the broader expense of fabric allows for the wide belt to be showcased without appearing scrunched into a much too small space. So I usually save my wider belt collection for dress days and my skinny belts for cardigans and or other such tops.

As for the ‘to belt or not to belt’ question – when it comes to dresses like this one that are just one expanse of fabric with no real focal point, I think the belt is necessary. (Sorry, I should have taken a ‘without’ picture to really demonstrate). Without the belt, this khaki number looks more like a lab coat than a dress. Case in point:  Check out Audi’s demonstration of the belted dress vs. the not-belted dress in her guest post at Already Pretty and see what I mean.

Circular, originally uploaded by academichic.

Also, a quick DIY tip – When I first started using belts as waist-cinching accessories and not just to hold up my pants, I realized that all my belts that were meant to fit around my hips did not tighten enough to be worn higher up around my waist. Rather than purchase a whole bunch of new belts, I got this awesome tool from T. that allowed me to custom-size several of my longer belts to fit smaller parts of my torso. I highly recommend this little tool if you’re looking to repurpose some of your existing belts as well!  S.

18 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

17 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Target
• Top: Anna Sui for Target
• Belt: Old Navy
• Tights: HUE
• Wedges: thrifted

End Notes:

Right, so I’m currently a big, big fan of this navy Target dress. Today it went back and forth easily between campus and being back on the floor with baby e. The fuller dolman sleeves, the cinched waist, and the almost tulip-shaped skirt make jersey more fashion forward and give me some pretty serious curves.

I like how dramatically the feel of the dress changes with the addition of a wide belt and a patterned red top underneath. The combination only adds to the vavavoom factor while adding a little bit of a retro feel. And actually, the elastic-back gray belt serves a practical purpose: keeping the blouse beneath snug to the body and bunch-free.

17 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Like many jersey dresses, this one has an attached tie, which can be both a help and a hindrance, depending on how you’re trying to style a given look. We’ve all become relatively adept at wrapping attached ties around a cardigan to avoid unwanted bumps, but sometimes I find that I want more definition — either in color or texture or width — than a dress’s attached belt can provide.

Wide elastic-back belts like this one and my old standby wide brown belt are perfect for covering up attached dress belts. I wrapped the jersey tie around back then brought them to the front and tied a simple knot. I didn’t double knot as I would usually in order to sidestep a protruding and unsightly lump. While a single knot wouldn’t usually provide enough holding power, the stretchy elastic of the belt keeps everything together. As an added bonus, the width of the belt actually let me move the visual waist of the dress down just a little bit further, closer to my natural waist (yup, long torso strikes again).

Unrelatedly, in the time it’s taken me to type this post, baby E. has unloaded a shelf of books on 19th century French fashion, art, and imperialism, unpacked his box of toys, pulled up on the bottom step, and taken down a basket of cloth napkins. Good thing this dress has a lot of ease, allowing me to swoop in, super hero-like, at key moments.

17 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

We have long been aware of N.E.E.T. magazine but we thought we’d bring it to your attention just in case you’ve not yet discovered this wonderful online publication. Not only is this publication free and available in its entirety online for your ocular consumption, it has also made it its mission to promote eco-friendly independent designers and artists, everyday style enthusiasts, bourgeoning photographers and writers, and in their own words “grassroots creativity”. It regularly features Etsy sellers offering handmade goods or independent small businesses and each issue also includes amazing photography, DIY posts, articles, and best of all: links! The advantage of an online magazine is that you can just click on something you like and go directly to the source. So just in case you needed something else to do while procrastinating online, we thought we’d share this little gem with you. Enjoy!

All images courtesy of N.E.E.T. Magazine.