Fashion 101: Experimenting with Belts

Posted on | March 15, 2010 | 14 Comments

Last week, as we focused on Tights for our Fashion 101 course, E. demonstrated how significant of a change can occur when simply swapping one pair of tights for another. I was curious to see whether changing one’s belt could likewise result in such a different look or register (level of formality). To try this out, I kept everything other than the belt consistent and simple – a black dress, black tights, and black boots provide the backdrop to this experiment.

When you have an all-neutrals outfit with few embellishments or adornments, pretty much any belt will provide that instant focal point. So it makes sense to choose a piece that’s deserving of that kind of attention – like this pretty coral and gold flower one (above). Since everything else is pretty much a blank canvas, the belt sets the tone and in this case evokes a bit of a romantic bohemian feel.

Changing the delicate flower belt to a wide white leather one makes for a striking difference in result – now the black dress feels more mod and retro. (And for a side note on belt width: I usually prefer skinny belts and have but few wide ones like this one. I have a short torso and wearing wide belts usually stumps it even more. But I have found that when it comes to belting a dress and not a top or cardigan, a wide belt can work and even work well. I attribute this to the length of fabric that is presented by the dress that leaves the question of where one’s torso ends more to the imagination.)

So a belt can make the same LBD look retro or boho chic and it can also just serve as a pop of color to an all-neutrals base. I’m not sure I’m crazy about this combination, but the bright yellow does add an unexpected punch of brightness to the all black outfit.

Even better than the yellow, this skinny red belt likewise adds a pop of color while keeping the shock factor to more of a minimum. Since this is not patent leather like the yellow belt above and also a bit skinnier, it makes for less of a statement piece. It’s just the right amount of color to break up the black and add a bit of fun. I think this look would look great with some red accessories (earrings or a cuff) to pick up the red from from the belt and extend it to a few more items in the outfit.

Since I mentioned that I’ll make an exception for a wider belt when worn with a dress, I thought I’d give another one of the wide variety a try. This studded black leather belt with the oversized buckle gives the dress a casual yet modern look. Although it’s less striking than one of the boldly colored options, I like the fluidity that this monochromatic color scheme provides and I’d probably choose this over the wide white belt shown above.

I have worn this dress several times to the opera and each time, I’ve reached for this thin black velvet belt with a delicate jewel-encrusted buckle (below). I feel like wearing this elegant piece instantly lifts the dress to a more formal register and, even when paired with boots, the belt does its magic and gives the LBD more elegant of an appearance than the wider versions of the above examples.

For being such a small part of an outfit, a belt can have quite the power in setting the tone of one’s look. Belts are also excellent ‘outfit transformers’ since they’re small, compact, and easy to travel with. One could forgo packing a collection of several dresses and simply alter the level of formality and look of one dress with the aid of several diverse belts when on vacation.

Which one of these Belt+LBD combinations is your favorite? I think any of these pairings could work and my choice would be likely dictated by the event and context in question. S.

12 March 2010 – Sisters in Harlem

Posted on | March 12, 2010 | 15 Comments

(from left to right)

On L.:

• Dress: Ann Taylor Loft
• Scarf: borrowed from P.
• Bag: Forever 21
• Patterned tights: Anthropologie, gift from Mom
• Boots: Banana Republic

On P.:

• Top: H&M
• Skirt: Gap
• Tights: Anthropologie, borrowed from L.
• Shoes: Vaneli, borrowed from Mom
• Bag: Coach, hand me down from Mom
• Denim moto jacket: Zara, borrowed from Mom

On H.:

• Coat: Ann Taylor Outlet
• Dress: Ann Taylor Loft
• Wine cardigan: Target
• Belt: borrowed from Mom
• Gray tights: Banana Republic
• Boots: DSW
• Bag: Target

On E.:

• Scarf: Anthropologie
• Denim trench: adopted from sister-in-law P.
• Tights: Celeste Stein, gift from MIL
• Boots: Steve Madden, via eBay

(underneath)

• Navy dress: Target
• Gray blazer: C&C

End Notes:

Baby e. and I are in New York for a few days, visiting my sister-in-law P. Mom-in-law and the two other sisters-in-law are here too, and we’re having a grand old time shopping, seeing the Whitney Biennial, catching a show on Broadway, eating excellent food, and just wandering about town. I had warned my sisters ahead of time that this week would be tights week at Academichic, and I knew that they would all have some great tights-based looks to share.

And I was right. Click through the jump for individual shots, details, and a gratuitous shot of baby e.

(more…)

9 March 2010 – just add tights

Posted on | March 9, 2010 | 17 Comments

9 March 2010 – just add tights, originally uploaded by academichic.

Layered tights, originally uploaded by academichic.

Tight layering has been long been a favorite trick of all of us Chics.  I have layered black over hot pink to tone down the color;  purple over grey to richen the color, and various pairs for warmth. How have you layered your tights?

9 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

5 March 2010

Posted on | March 5, 2010 | 10 Comments

5 March 2010 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Navy button down – H&M
• Print dress – Banana Republic
• Purple cardi – H&M
• Thermal tights – from Romania
• Boots – thrifted

Endnotes:

I took these pictures a while ago back in Germany and just never got around to posting them. But it’s only fitting that I post them now during our Cardigan 101 week, since they illustrate an important contribution of the cardigan to one’s wardrobe: tempering a bold pattern.

Since the cardigan’s open front allows you to adjust how much of the layers beneath show, it functions much better than a sweater in covering up some of the underneath layer while still allowing a desired amount to peak out. This works especially well for mitigating a bold print or pattern with a solid block of color.

Early in the week, I experimented with a patterned cardi and pattern mixing. While a patterned cardi is certainly a fun item to own, I would suggest starting with some solid colored cardigans when first building a basics wardrobe. This item works well with patterns and prints and can do some of that mitigating work if you’re intimidated by too much print in your outfit. And it also works oh-so-well with other solid colored items, creating fun color block effects, analogous creations, or monochromatic color schemes. It’s tough to go wrong with a simple solid colored cardigan, even if you’re a novice to layering or color mixing. S.

1 March 2010

Posted on | March 1, 2010 | 15 Comments

1 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Teal cardigan: Anthropologie, gift from MIL
• Green jersey dress: Gap Outlet
• Brown tights: HUE
• Oxford booties: Civico10, via DSW

End Notes:

I’m starting off our week of Cardigan Fashion 101 with a non-standard cardigan: this floaty, drapey number in a gorgeous color that was a gift from my mother-in-law. It’s actually a fairly versatile piece as those long dangling bits can be tied in the front, back, or even behind the neck to create different shapes.

But today I’m using it to share one of my favorite uses for longer length (i.e. over the hip) cardigans: wearing it over a dress. I don’t think there’s a magic ratio of cardigan to dress that makes this combination work, but there should be enough of a difference between hemlines so that it looks intentional rather than sloppy. The benefits of this pairing are manifold.

First, there’s the obvious warmth-adding factor:

Second, a longer cardi over a patterned dress can help control a bold print.

Third, it gives you something to do with those very long cardigans that can sometimes look like bathrobes when worn over jeans.

Fourth — and my favorite — by belting the cardigan in place with a gap between the edges you can create a long visual line that is oh so slimming.

Perhaps because the longer cardi is a trendier shape, it also keeps the dress + cardigan combination — which admittedly has the potential to veer into stodgy territory — feeling a bit more modern. Especially when it’s in a fun color. Thanks, mom-in-law!

How do you wear your longer cardigans? Do you have a rule of thumb for layering them over dresses or top+skirt pairings?

17 February 2010 – Unlikely Inspiration

Posted on | February 17, 2010 | 19 Comments

17 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Mustard top: F21
• Plum dress: Gap, shortened by me
• Purple tie: from another shirt
• Purple tights: Banana Republic
• Wedges: thrifted
• Earrings: Hawaii swap meet
• Orange pashmina: gift from SIL from France
• Fleece coat: Forever 21

End Notes:

Style inspiration can come at the most unlikely times from the most unexpected sources. Like, say, when you’re cutting up plums to make baby food for your seven month old.

Plum Inspiration, originally uploaded by academichic.

I was struck by the bright, near-complementary color scheme of purple skin and yellow flesh and wanted to translate that into a classroom appropriate look. At first I tried to layer my trusty mustard top over the jersey dress — ala this maternity look from last year — but in the end it worked best to invert the layering. The result looks more like a color-blocked dress than a jumper. At least I hope it does, since I have a pathological aversion to jumpers.

Scarf digression begins —

For those who were wondering, no, I am not cleverly wearing a scarf in the above photograph. I am, however, wearing my orange patterned pashmina when I put on my coat.

17 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

But here’s my teachable moment. The coat covers all the mustard of the outfit beneath, rendering the color palette relatively monochrome and a teensy bit blah. Ah, but with the orange scarf peeking above the collar… it’s like giving a little color preview of all the fun beneath. I could have, after all, chosen to wear my purple patterned pashmina or even the blue-green one that I used yesterday. But using the orange allows me to extend my color story to even the bundled-up version of the outfit.

— Scarf digression ends.

Back to the plums. Finding style inspiration while making baby food, typing down a paper idea with one hand while nursing, talking to baby e. about geographies of consumption in nineteenth century France…these are all moments when those bits of my identity that sometime seem disparate on paper — mother, PhD student, style blogger — make beautiful sense.

Have you drawn inspiration from an unlikely source before? What was it?

17 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

16 February 2010

Posted on | February 16, 2010 | 31 Comments

16 February 2010 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• black dress – H&M
• black tights – from Romania
• black boots – Banana Republic
• Pedant – Anthropologie
• Scarf under belt – thrifted in San Fran
• Belt – TJMaxx

Endnotes:

This look was inspired by one of the Hermès scarf-tying tips found in their online tutorial. While most of their knots were familiar to me, I came across this idea and was pleasantly surprised: layering a scarf under a skinny belt to make an interesting scarf/belt obi is another great idea for sprucing up an otherwise ‘blank canvas‘ look. So this past weekend, I pulled out my black shirt dress, added black tight and boots, and went grabbing for my scarves and skinny belts. I tried several scarf + belt combinations until I settled on this one, really liking the analogous combination of the orange fabric with the red leather.

Scarf + Belt detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

I tucked the ends of the scarf underneath the scarf sash, so that they didn’t stick out at the back (as shown in the Hermès image above). I then belted the scarf obi in place and was pleased to discover that the belt helped keep the scarf from shifting or moving even while walking around with a coat thrown on top of it. This was such a simple way to add a point of interest to a monochromatic outfit and I think the scarf adds so much more depth and richness than just the belt on its own. I am definitely going to experiment with other belt + scarf combinations, creating blue and green analogous pairings or perhaps bolder complimentary color mixes the next time around.

What do you think, would you give this one a try? S.

16 February 2010 , originally uploaded by academichic.

8 February 2010

Posted on | February 8, 2010 | 14 Comments

8 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Flannel scarf: mother’s from college!
• Embellished cardigan: Banana Republic, gift from MIL
• Black cotton strapless dress: Wet Seal
• Belt: Target?
• Tights: Target
• Wellies: Hunter, gift from MIL

End Notes:

While I’m not usually one for matching my accessories, today I couldn’t resist pairing my new dark red wellies (thanks, mom-in-law!) with a quirky red flannel scarf (thanks, mom!). Once I had determined that those two items were a must, I wanted to ground the entire look in simple black but be sure to have little details that would create other points of visual interest.

This black cotton dress is actually a strapless summer number, but layered over a cami and under a cardigan you’d never be the wiser. I love that the full, pleated skirt provides a fairly unexpected silhouette for winter. Meanwhile, the cardigan is embellished with black beads, providing subdued richness of texture.

The scarf knot, too, was meant to add a bit more depth and further the outfit’s relatively playful feel. I just think of it as the “flop knot” and it’s really not a true knot at all. I crossed and looped the scarf as if I was going to tie a simple knot, but instead of pulling the long end all the way through I simply let it fold over and hang down. I’m not sure if this would work with a wider pashmina, but it’s the perfect foil for a narrow flannel scarf like this one.

How do you knot your long, narrow scarves?

Scarf and Cardigan detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Hunter Wellies, originally uploaded by academichic.

2 February 2010

Posted on | February 2, 2010 | 25 Comments

2 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Pink pashmina scarf – H&M
• Navy hoodie – J.Crew
• Gray jersey dress – Target
• Black thermal tights – from Romania
• Leg warmers – drug store
• Boots – thrifted

Endnotes:

I am wearing possibly the most comfortable outfit ever today. Forget hoodies with jeans – try a hoodie with a jersey dress and thermal tights. I’m kicking off our scarf month with a warm, soft, and library-perfect outfit. I initially reached for this brown wool scarf to echo the chocolate brown of the boots, but after seeing the first round of pictures I took, I decided the brown made the whole look too dark and something brighter and cheerier was needed.

Alternate scarf, originally uploaded by academichic.

The pink pashmina scarf adds a dash of brightness to a mostly dark neutrals ensemble, while the color of the scarf also mirrors the bits of pink in the leg warmers, creating a nice balance of color at the bottom and at the top of the outfit. To keep the somewhat long pashmina from hanging too low, I looped it around my neck twice before bringing the ends together and tying them loosely.

Scarf tying, originally uploaded by academichic.

I tied the scarf underneath my hood, which I find to be more comfortable than tying it on top of the hood, since it keeps the hood nice and snug around my neck and makes for overall less shifting. I applied this same idea here, where I tied a small square silk scarf underneath a shirt collar, or here, where I pushed up the collar of this sweater cape and tied the scarf around it creating a faux turtleneck effect. If nothing else, this technique keeps your shirt collar or hood closer around your neck and makes for a warmer end result.

Are you joining us with this experiment and taking part in scarf month yourself? If so, what’s your favorite way to wear a scarf? S.

2 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

29 January 2010

Posted on | January 29, 2010 | 11 Comments

29 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Polka dot dress – Target
• Navy cardi – vintage, my grandmother’s from the 60s
• Purple tights – grocery store
• Gray wedges – Report, via Solestruck.com
• Necklace – Anthropologie
• Book – A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian, Marina Lewycka (soo good!)

Endnotes:

I’m wrapping up our Tribute Week with one more must-read blog: I think I noticed Andrea’s site right away because the name of it so stood out to me on other people’s blogrolls: A Cat of Impossible Colour. How can you not love a name like that? While the name drew me in, her gorgeous vintage outfits and her brilliantly written posts are what made me a regular reader. Andrea is a writer, which means that her site is a mix of outfit and writerly goodness. I found myself perusing her archives on writing advice more than once when I was trying my hand at NaNoWriMo and I find myself looking at her outfit shots any time I need some inspiration on pattern mixing, on dressing up, or on layering with elegance and polish. Andrea is also a girl after my own heart with her love of polka dots…

So for this Andrea inspired tribute post, I pulled out my black and white polka dot dress and added a vintage cardigan that has belonged to my grandmother since the 60s (this based on my mother saying she remembers it from when she was a little girl). Vintage-inspired shoes and accessories complete the look.

One other thing I loved about Andrea – and Sal of Already Pretty - is her/their magnanimous support of fellow bloggers. Andrea’s and Sal’s blogrolls were one of the very first to feature our name and it felt like such a huge deal when we got started. I know that there is some contention on the blogosphere about whether you should limit or restrict your blogroll to only reflect your favorites or your daily reads or blogs with a similar aesthetic to yours. While there is nothing wrong with structuring your blogroll like that, I think I will always be a loyal follower of A Cat of Impossible Colour and Already Pretty because they were some of my first blogger ‘friends’ who right away welcomed us aboard and added us to a list of other style bloggers, making me really feel like part of something. So thanks for that, ladies! S.

29 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Contextual

Three feminist PhD candidates at a Midwest university, on a crusade against the ill-fitting polyester suit of academic yore.

Funding

Fellowships

Contact

Curriculum Vitae

Networking

Image Appendix

Subscribe to our feed

Search

Admin

• Log in
• Wordpress
• XHTML