Pink and Grey, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Shirt: Banana Republic
- Trousers: BR
- Scarf (as belt): thrifted (Smithsonian)
- Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti Design via Filene’s Basement
- Necklace: grandmother’s (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Endnotes:
This outfit came together in a desperate attempt to not wear a single item of black clothing on the second day of the new term (having worn basically all black the day before, oops!). I’ve been trying to figure out how to wear this too-big top (from the super clearance rack at BR) as a tunic and it just wasn’t working for me. It’s a little transparent so with black pants the top of the pants always showed through. Maybe you’ve already figured out how to remedy this situation, but I hadn’t until today. I solved it by wearing a cami underneath, which helped with keeping the neckline in order as well. I pulled the cami over the pants so that there was a less noticeable change, and the wide scarf qua obi belt (which I tied the same way as I did for this outfit) didn’t hurt easing that transition either. I also used a small safety pin to secure the scoop neck to the top of the cami so that my shirt wasn’t in danger of being too revealing.
Details, originally uploaded by academichic.
Anyway, I love how this outfit came off. The scarf was thrifted and is from the Smithsonian (and is a replica of this 1825 – 1835 Betsy Totten “Rising Sun” Quilt) and I’m pretty sure this necklace came from the gift shop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) as my grandmother did like their jewelry and it looks a lot like some of their reproduction Egyptian pieces. Despite dressing with not one but two items from museum gift shops, I think I avoided looking like the crazy art history nerd that I am! Do you have any nerdy, discipline specific items of clothing?
Did I step in something?, originally uploaded by academichic.
Love the outfit…I am also a secondary ed teacher who started out her professional life as a field ecologist. Every piece of jewelry that I wear is either a leaf or a bird, and the more realistic the better. I’m coveting some pieces on etsy that are functional, moving replicas of raven and bat skulls…because I used to do field work with bats and have always been fascinated by corvids (the family to which ravens belong). So, yes, I have a whole collection of nerdy. discipline-specific clothing as well!
I love the way you wore the scarf as a belt! I am going to have to try this.
And I’m with you on trying to avoid all black all the time. It’s so easy to fall into this habit in wintertime so I love how colorful your outfit is.
I’m a natural history museum curator, so almost all my jewelry has a zoology/geology/paleontology slant to it. My current favorite piece? A gorgeous geode I wear on a long chain.
I’m finishing up a PhD in television studies, and one of my prized possessions is a brooch made from an old TV dial. It’s a big hit when I go to conferences!
The scarf/belt is so beautiful! And I love your gold necklace and gold flats today. I think your nerdiness is AWESOME. :)
Nice! I have a similar shirt (a bit too big, also pink)…I’ll have to try wearing it with a scarf as a belt.
Loving the scarf as belt. Any chance you’ll be sharing your secret as to how to achieve this look?
Hi Emily –
There are a few places that I go for inspiration and tips on tying scarves. The first is our Fashion 101 about Scarves which includes a scarf tying bibliography with many helpful sites and some videos. The second place you might look is at the Fashion 101 about alternative belts. This also has a link to a great tying a scarf as belt tutorial by Elaine of Clothed Much. Hope that helps!
I love how avoiding all black makes us into more creative outfit makers. How big is this scarf? Did you fold it into a triangle first before tying it? The colors of the scarf really do add a lot of interest to the outfit.
I love the Met repro jewelry! My classmates and I half-joke that we need to build a wardrobe of “curator jewelry.” For now, I have two pairs of earrings made from antique spoon handles.
I love the colors today! And your belt is totally awesome. I’m a chemist, and my sister gave me a few years ago a necklace that has a chemical on it. I love to wear it when I want to look nerd-chic.
I like the belt. I still haven’t quite been able to pull that off myself, but I suspect it is because my extra-large size makes most scarves too short to do this successfully. One of these days I’ll get a long piece of fabric and make my own.
I’m an archaeologist, and I have lots of jewelry featuring stuff from the ancient world or prehistory. My favorite is a brooch my sister found in a thrift store which is a piece of fake rock with some Lascaux-type paintings. It’s hideous in its fake-ness, but it’s also very funny since rock art is my specialty.
Hey L! Just wanted to say Happy New Year. Here’s to a great 2011. You look fabulous as always – Keep up the good work, teach!
The scarf is stunning!
Great top in a cheerful color! I used scarves as belts during my 30-for-30 challenge but didn’t quite get it right. I couldn’t wrap twice :( You can and it looks fantastic!
My degree is in Communications but I work in Finance (what?), and I’m pretty sure I have a tee somewhere with letters and numbers. Dies that count? No pun intended.
Jen Hemming and Hawing Again
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