We are so excited to be reintroducing one of our favorite “challenges” at Academchic: Dress Your Best Week. In order to spread out the love, we’ll be hosting DYB for the next two weeks, and we hope that many of you will play along.

Particularly in the midst of shorts, tank top, and swimsuit weather, we often focus on minimizing parts of our bodies or downplaying characteristics that we don’t like or feel self conscious about. Do my thighs look big in these shorts? Does this shirt show my wobbly arms? Do these jeans make me look short? Does that swimsuit conceal my midsection? In order to bend our minds in another direction, we are purposely setting out to get dressed with the intent of to showing off our best – big or small chests, eyes, hips, lips, legs, arms, freckles, you name it – rather than minimizing our worry spots.

This idea all came about two years ago during a Fashion 101 on Proportion and was a big hit last year with many fellow bloggers participating as well.

For the next two weeks — June 20 – July 1 — it will be Dress Your Best weeks 2011 at academichic.com. Intrigued? Want to participate? What body parts do you love, no matter how big or small? Have great legs? Fantastic ankles? A graceful neck? Please leave a comment on this post telling us that you’ll be dressing your best, and we will also have chances for you to link directly to your blog or send us your pictures for our “Round Up” series at the end (see Round Ups 1, 2, and 3 from last year). Please click below for more info about getting involved!

We’re inviting you to dress your best with us! If you’d like to participate on your own blog and be linked to other bloggers who will also be dressing their best, follow these simple steps.

1. Leave us a comment letting us know that you want to be a part of Dress Your Best week. We’ll add your blog to a master list of participants which will be posted on academichic.com.
2. Write down a list of body parts that you love. We’ll be aiming for five apiece, but pick what seems right for you. You can look at some of the great lists that we received last year for inspiration.
3. During the weeks of June 20 – July 1, 2011, dedicate at least one post on your own blog to an outfit that you’ve built around one of your favorite body parts. Explain why you love that part of you and how your outfit complements it.
4. Link back to this post on academichic.com and, if you wish, download the banner or badge below and include it in your Dress Your Best posts to let your readers know about this week long effort.

We look forward to hearing from you!

- The Chics

If you could give one of your body parts a gold star, which one would it be? Better yet, which five? Download this banner or badge to include in your posts the next two weeks and let everyone know you’re dressing your best.

We have enjoyed hearing your thoughts on various matters, including suit shopping, surviving the academic pressure cooker (ie conference interviews), and appropriate footwear for campus interviews. We are looking forward to hearing more thoughts this coming week on things like visible tattoos, hairstyling, what to cary in your interview bag, etc.

Now, we want to see what your interview attire looks like! So, send us pictures and a description of your interview ensemble. Be sure to tell us what kind of job and what kind of interview the look is for. (We will also accept Polyvore screen shots). These can be past interviews, current interviews, or imagined future interviews!

The Interview Attire Symposium will be held Friday, October 15th so email your submissions by midnight on Thursday, October 14th to:

Cinderella’s Folly sent us this lovely green – purple- and -orange triad combination, with the orange coming in subtly through the brooch. We love many of Cinderalla’s Folly gorgeous color combinations and professional outfits and think you, too, should check out her Flickr set.

For a monochromatic combination, we received this lovely submission from Lana in a rich chocolate brown. Lana’s attention to the details – the lace trim on the top, the sheer layer and lace detailing on the skirt – gives this monochromatic outfit added interest and depth. Great job!

Rose of From Sneakers to Stilettos sent us this beautiful analogous combination of teal and olive green. Rose tells us of her long running love affair with this particular combination and we couldn’t agree more: it’s lovely! Rose was also inspired by A.’s self-made flower belt to recreate a similar one using her olive green flower brooch and a ribbon tie.

Meanwhile, Christina of The Story of Wonderful tried her hand at a triad, using a slight variation of the straight red-blue-yellow mix, and opting for a subtler pink-blue-yellow triad instead. In her own words: “I also convinced myself that I’m channeling S’s very inspiring “preppy romantic” style by incorporating a full floral skirt with a more traditional cardigan and loafer.” – Well played, Christina! You’ve definitely nailed the Preppy Romantic Look here!

Missy P sent us this lovely monochromatic mix of denim and blue. Not only is this a great monochromatic ensemble, but we also love the idea of using a vest as a way to create a waist and give definition to a tunic dress. If you’re less enthusiastic about belting, then make sure to bookmark this clever idea!

Camera shy Lauren sent us an analogous color combination of purple and blue. The scarf of blues and purples brings this already lovely combination seamlessly together. And we also love the subtle pattern mix of the floral lace on the cami and the abstract print of the scarf.

The always glamorous Bella, a favorite wardrobe remixer of ours, sent us a monochromatic combination of neutrals. Yet another great vest look and definitely an academic ensemble far from the polyester suit.  We love the sophisticated elegance created by the pale colors and slim lines.

Mariel of Preppy with a Twist constructed an analogous combination of red and magenta. In her words: “I definitely wouldn’t have paired red and magenta together before, but after the color review I’m seeing my closet in new ways.  In this outfit, I was super comfortable yet felt stylish fabulous at the beach”. This outfit is Fabulous with a capital F, Mariel!

Wardrobe remixer Wearabouts Town has created an entire  Color Review Symposium Set on Flickr, showcasing her many great triadic, analogous, split-complimentary, and monochromatic ensembles. With so many wonderful choices, we had trouble selecting our favorite but this look won out due to its subtle analogous mix of purple and blue. We also loved the preppy touch of the tied oxford shirt and the lovely nude wedges.

Thank you, all, for your wonderful submissions! As always, we love being inspired by our readers just as much as we hope to provide inspiration in return with our Color Modules and Pattern Workshop!

The lovely Miss Sarah, who blogs about style and cycling on Girls and Bicycles (among motherhood and other things), has been showing fellow Canadians a thing or two about traveling in style. I love this gorgeous dress and that she’s not afraid to don it while cycling to her brunch date.

Similarly, the lovely Cosmo who co-blogs at Lost Angeles Cycle Chic, proves that showing up on a bike for your date is just the thing to do. I’m sure you’re date was as impressed as we are! (You can also find Cosmo’s fashion blog at I Do It Cosmo Style).

Fellow German-based Kasmeneo shows off his wonderful cycling and everyday style in his Flickr set and in the Velocouture group pool. Kasmeneo’s funky and wonderfully color-driven outfits not only question the notion that cycling can’t be stylish but also challenges gendered fashion as a construct.

Trisha and Dottie prove that you can have fun discovering a new town by bike and maintain your sense of fashion with this snapshot from their trip to Littlehampton, England. While Trisha is rocking the skinny jeans with a fabulous ruffle trim blouse, Dottie is looking very chic in a lovely dress and scarf combo.

And speaking of biking in dresses, check out this rockin’ picture sent in by Gee from Curitiba, Brazil. Gee’s blog Curitiba Cycle Chic aims to demonstrate, in her own words, “sustainable mobility with style.” Right on!

Brazilians aren’t the only ones who cycle in chic dresses: San Francisco moms do it too! If you’re familiar with cycling blogs, then you’re already well aware of Change Your Life: Ride a Bike! written by Adrienne (above) and Meligrosa (below). This is my favorite picture of Adrienne in her stylish wrap dress with her son on the back of the bike. I think it more than exudes confidence, style, sustainable living practices and good role modeling.

Not only is Meligrosa the talented co-blogger of Change Your Life: Ride a Bike! but you can also find her wonderful photography and chronicles of her rides through San Francisco at Bikes and the City.

Moving further north to the chilly climate of Minnesota, brings us to one of my favorite Velocouturists Mamichan. Biking to work in the busy city of Minneapolis, Mamichan proves that you can stay true to your professional wardrobe and still get around by bike. Mamichan has also committed to sustainable fashion choices by supporting local designers and crafters, showcasing her unique and wonderful style choices in her Flickr set.

Making yet another geographical jump, brings us to the talented writer and style blogger Jane in England, who is also likely to be found wearing a gorgeous dress while commuting around town on her bike. Jane, of the one-year-shopping-ban-project, also tackles sustainable living practices by using her bike whenever possible.

The lovely and always colorfully dressed Franca of Scotland has also been posting increasing images of her with her bike, venturing into the world of everyday dressing while bike commuting. If you’re looking for someone to inspire some awesomely bold and beautiful color combinations in your own approach to fashion, then Franca’s blog Oranges and Apples is a must-read for you.

I myself have recently rediscovered how much fun a bike can be and have challenged my own assumptions about the incongruences of fashion and fitness. You can find my cycle chic posts here, to which I hope to be able to add more to in the near future (am still bike-less in Munich but have received several offers of bike loans). I also want to direct you to the Velocouture Flickr group if you’re not already familiar with it, which is a constant source of inspiration, as well as the many style and bike blogs out there which are easily found by perusing any of the blogrolls of the cycle chic blogs named in this post.

What I especially loved about compiling this collection of images is the internationality of its sources: England, Brazil, US, Scotland, Germany, Canada… I love seeing how all over the world people are embracing sustainable living practices and consciously posting their efforts for others to feel inspired. Finding these examples on the internet pushed me to pull out my long neglected bike and attempt my first bike-in-a-skirt adventure. I hope that this post will similarly serve as a starting point or inspiration for someone else reading it and that it will add to the ever growing velocouture and eco-conscious living movement. S.

As you may know, I’ve been recently discovering the joys of bike commuting and have overcome my prejudices about style and its impossibility on a bike. Although I’m temporarily bike-less, I’m itching for more cycle chic inspiration and would like to further promote the idea that fashion and cycling are not at odds by showing off some of your wonderful cycle chic looks.

If you’re ever in need of convincing, just check out two of my favorite fashionable ladies who bike commute in style (credit for the lovely image above goes to them). Now it’s your turn to show of your vélocouture, lovely readers!

Send us your favorite cycle chic look and help spread the word that fashion, fitness, and eco-friendly living make quite the happy trio!

A little while ago, we reviewed our Fashion 101 Color Modules using our summer wardrobes. After reviewing the first two modules, we put out a CFP asking you, our readers, to submit any images showing how you put those modules into practice. We received many fabulous entries, showing just how stylish and color savvy our readership is. Now we’re looking for examples inspired by our second portion of the review, which covered Triads and Analogous Colors and Split Complementaries and Monochrome color combinations.

If you played along and created outfits showcasing the above color combinations, please send us an image and a brief description at the below address. We look forward to your submissions!

Neutrals:

While here at Academichic Central we are struggling to beat the heat with cool neutrals, our lone all-neutrals submission came from a far away reader in a winter climate.  We love how Missy P made her winter white really pop by pairing it with layers of rich brown form head to toe.

Neutrals with a Pop:

We are all jealous of Missy P’s beautiful coat collection, particularly this striking red wool coat which provides the perfect pop in a mix of cozy neutrals. What a great way to add some color to a dreary winter day!

In Dawn’s own words: “I decided to mix navy, black & cream with red, and felt fabulous breaking one of the central commandments of style!”  We adore this  fabulous example of why some rules are just meant to be broken!

Two-Thirds of a Triad:

This beautiful predominately neutral look – made extra special with the addition of two pops of color – is a perfect example of the two thirds rule- Esstea explains: “I love how just those two little bursts of color played off each other and made the neutral charcoals and blacks look zippier.”  We couldn’t agree more!

We also love this take on the two-thirds rule: Pairing the brightest pink in her closet (red) with her darkest navy denim (blue), Esstea creates yet another stunning color combo. Very chic!

Water Girl put together a two thirds of red-blue-yellow triad, writing:  ”I love blue and red together, but always struggle with making sure I don’t look like a 4th of July firecracker”. Well no problem here! This belted jacket and pretty skirt combo are nothing if not chic and put-together!

Krissie’s take on the blue-yellow-red triad combined blue and yellow in this elegant professional look. Taking her cue from A’s DIY flower and ribbon belt, she finished off this ensemble with her own version in rich brown hues.

Complimentary Colors:

Orange and blue, complimentary colors often sported by both S. and E., seemed to be by far the most popular complimentary color submission. Here Krissie is employing the little trick of letting a pattern do the color mixing work for you with this beautiful abstract print skirt.

Redcactusflower was inspired by E.’s recent orange and blue outfit to wear a color combination she wouldn’t normally try. We love the sleek look of this ensemble with the structured tan skirt and the unexpected burst of orange from this gorgeous bauble necklace.

Clare’s casual version of a blue and orange complimentary look is bold and summery. We love the slight variation on the ‘true’ colors with her choice of red-orange and blue-green and we’re also mighty impressed by how not even an arm cast can dim her sense of style! Rock on, Clare!

Jessica took a different approach to the same red-green complimentary color combination by pairing a pink top with a mint green floral skirt. The delicate beaded necklace of pinks, browns, and greens brings this entire outfit seamlessly together.

Thank you, all, for your wonderful submissions! We’ve really enjoyed being inspired by you and hope that our readers will find equal enjoyment in perusing these beautiful pictures and stunning color combinations.

Have you been following along with our reviews of the Color Modules? We hope our workings with Complimentary Colors, Two-Thirds of a Triad, Neutrals, and Neutrals with a Pop have inspired you to play with the colors in your wardrobe.

Now we’d love to be inspired by you! If you created outfits with any of the above color combinations, send us a picture and a brief description and we’ll feature it in our upcoming Color Review Symposium. Like true academics, our work is never done until we’ve spread the knowledge to others in the field, and we’d love to have your help in doing so.

29 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Gray nursing tank – Target
• Magenta cardi – H&M
• Gray grosgrain ribbon – craft box
• Green jersey skirt – Target
• Patterned flats that make everything better – Old Navy

End Notes:

In theory, I like the complementary color scheme of pink and green. It’s a sweeter, non-holiday version of the proper complements, red and green. But, as I explained back in April, pink is just not my color. So while I loved how A. did preppy chic yesterday with her pink polo and green accessories, I feel more comfortable moving one step over on the color wheel to pair red-violet and yellow-green.

This outfit is also an example of how the choice of a neutral can change the overall effect of the color palette. A white cami would have given this a crisper feel. Brown probably would have taken the whole “organic inspiration” bit too far. But this heather gray keeps everything softer and more subtle.

And… I match my potted coleus and impatiens. Nature is, of course, a fantastic source of inspiration for color pairings. I started wearing orange and purple together, for example, after realizing that they looked quite fantastic in a sunset sky. What color ideas have you found in nature? Have they always translated to outfits or are there some combinations that are better left outdoors?

29 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.