academichic

We recently received this reader email in our inbox:

I am going to my first-ever academic conference as a “trainee presenter” next weekend! It’s a pretty big deal and I’m very excited. The Saturday night event is a “conference gala and trainee awards banquet”. I now have to go dress shopping and was hoping you could provide me with some suggestions for cute, professional, sort of all-purpose, fancy-but-not-too fancy dresses that manage to pull these things off without looking old or boring.

Our reader adds,

I’m petite (5 feet or so) and fairly slim, but with a large bust. (Oh, and I’m from Canada, where our store options are somewhat more limited than the US)

With those criteria in mind, here is what we would suggest. Even if these exact options aren’t available to you, dear reader in Canada, they can hopefully serve as a starting point in your search in terms of ideas and inspiration.

This simple yet elegant navy front crossover dress from Ann Taylor Petites could easily go from daytime conference wear to evening party. We would suggest making it daytime ready with the addition of a cardigan and subtle jewelry. For the evening, remove the cardigan and add a pashmina and swap the delicate accessories for a bolder statement necklace or earrings.

We love the Melanie Color Block Dress from Banana Republic — and available in Canada! — for its business casual silhouette and play of texture and sheen. The silky navy top would look lovely peeking out from underneath an unbuttoned blazer during the day. In the evening, once more swap the blazer for a pashmina and add some bold jewelry. Navy is a great alternative neutral for both conference wear and cocktails. Banana Republic Canada does not seem to have petite sizes, but given how short this dress looks on the model, it might be just right or need only a quick hem for a petite gal.

We also like this ‘Tres Jolie‘ dress from Talbots that has that more formal cut to it but with fun pleats and a tulip shape skirt that make it a bit different. We see this dress working well with a blazer or cardigan at the conference and perhaps with a bold belt in another color and complimenting accessories in the evening.

All of these dresses use a v-neck to de-emphasize a large bust and lengthen your overall appearance. When looking for a dress that can go from professional to party, we tend to favor a slimmer skirt over a full one, as it retains more of a business appropriate feel. As we mention above, any of these dresses could be dramatically transformed with layering or accessories, making them versatile options for appearances in multiple registers of formality.

Granted, none of us have our reader’s precise body type, and although S. used to live in Canada, she wasn’t shopping for business casual attire back in middle school. So we open the floor to you, readers, especially the petite-and-big-busted among you or our friends to the north in Canada! What would you suggest?

It was so much fun to revisit my academichic posts from this past year to select a few favorites. It was especially fun since the majority of them came from my time in Europe and looking back on the outfits triggered memories of exciting days spent in Germany, Romania, or Austria. As my year abroad was spent researching my dissertation in the archives of the Bavarian State Library, my outfits for that time period were decidedly casual and low key. I wore a ton of jeans with flats and used scarves and accessories to spruce things up a bit. This type of outfit also doubled wonderfully for travel and sightseeing since it was comfortable and practical for many miles on my feet (see Picture #6 for example, taken in Cluj, Romania).

I was also influenced by the styles seen on the streets of Munich, branching out from my look back home and trying a few new trends such as the short over tights with boots look (Picture #4) or the skinny jeans with heels (Picture #3). I also loved hitting the thrift stores in Munich and added quite a few eccentric vintage pieces to my wardrobe while there, such as this awesome Mod dress (Picture #5), this crazy ‘couch patterned’ 70s shirt (Picture #3), and the little boy’s Tracht vest (Picture #1) seen above.

I still spent much of the year in dresses and skirts as they are comfortable to me, and I figured out that the majority of them are easily made bike commuter friendly (no excuses not to bike to work there! just see Pictures #8 and #9).

I was also thrilled to attend the weddings of a few good friends this summer, which provided the best excuse to get dressed to the nines. I loved wearing this sleek black dress with the bright red and orange pashmina I picked up in Romania to a black-tie wedding in Romania in May (Picture #7). And my favorite wedding outfit I wore to A and A2′s wedding reception in September; this gorgeous green silk halter dress with a beaded neckline and very mermaid-ish feel to it (Picture #10).

Well, and this was it, the last year of pre-pregnancy dressing and pre-baby body :) I can’t wait to see how my style evolves as my baby bump grows. As great as this past year was, I am really excited for this year to come. – S.

It’s that time of year again when holiday parties abound and seasonal social events give us the opportunity to break out the sparkles, satin, and sequins. However, tailoring an outfit to the appropriate formality of the gathering can be challenging. E., A., and L. decided to put together some outfits that could work for the holiday parties we’ll be attending (or at least imagining attending!).

Cocktails with Colleagues:

Cocktails with Colleagues, originally uploaded by academichic.

On E.:

• Sweater: Banana Republic
• Skirt: made from Wet Seal dress
• Belt: thrifted
• Tights: Target
• Booties: Steve Madden via DSW
• Scarf: vintage store in Chattanooga

On L.:

• Dress (as tunic): Sweetees
• Pants: Anne Taylor
• Belt: Betsey Johnson via Filene’s Basement
• Shoes: Steve Madden via DSW

On A.:

• Ruffle Tank: J Crew
• Blazer: Express
• Jeans: Banana Republic
• Pumps: Seychelles
• Brooch: Vintage Threads, etsy

Endnotes:
Meeting up with friends is a more common event, but the holiday season is a great reason for jazzing up an outfit more than you might normally. As you can see, each of us is wearing a little more sparkle than usual. E. pairs her full black skirt and sweater with more dramatic lace tights and booties and tops it off with a golden scarf. L. takes her black ponte pants up a notch by wearing this grey and silver sequined dress as a tunic of sorts and a patent leather belt and heels complete the look. A. plays with textures and wears a rich velvet blazer over a ruffled shirt and denim jeans. Teal shoes add a little pop of color, and she uses a sparkly brooch to keep the blazer in place.

Party with Professors:

Party with Professors, originally uploaded by academichic.

On E.:

• Blazer: Forever 21
• Blouse: Forever 21
• Skirt: Gap
• Tights: Target
• Booties: Steve Madden

On L.:

• Shirt: Banana Republic Outlet
• Dress: Banana Republic
• Belt: Betsey Johnson
• Stockings: Calvin Klein via Filene’s Basement
• Shoes: Steve Madden

On A.:

• Shirt: Anne Taylor
• Belt: F21
• Skirt: Banana Republic
• Tights: Target
• Pumps: Steven Madden Girl

End Notes:
Cocktail parties with professors or bosses can be especially hard to navigate since the level of formality is ambiguous and outfits tend to be a little more conservative while also festive. Short skirts and low tops should probably be shelved in this situation, but style and fun need not be! E. uses a shirt with cascading ruffles and textured tights to accent her more structured black jacket and full crinkly navy skirt. A. too mixes black with navy pairing a more casual blue embellished T and tights with her black satin-banded skirt and shiny patent belt. L. breaks all the “rules” of redheaded style by wearing a bright red bubble dress. What you might not realize is that this dress is strapless, but belting a tailored black shirt over it makes this look more understated (and less prone to wardrobe malfunctions!).

Dinner with Donors:

Dinner with Donors, originally uploaded by academichic.

On A.:

• Dress: J. Crew (customized by E.)
• Belt: sister’s closet
• Tights: BR Factory Store
• Pumps: Madden Girl via DSW
• Necklace: borrowed from E.

On L.:

• Dress: vintage (thrifted)
• Belt: Betsey Johnson
• Stockings: Calvin Klein
• Shoes: Steve Madden
• Necklace: gift

On E.:

• Dress: Banana Republic
• Belt: borrowed from A.
• Tights: Target
• Booties: Steve Madden

End Notes:
While we don’t often have reason to dress up to this extent, it is still fun to imagine going to a holiday fete at a museum or dinner at the chancellor’s house. A. “winterizes” the beautiful (and customized!) dress she wore to her autumn wedding party by adding grey tights, a black belt with sparkly buckle, and black patent shoes. A statement necklace of several strands of grey beads draws attention to the lovely neckline of the dress as well. E. also plays with a dramatic neckline in this one-shouldered satiny magenta dress. Geometric textured tights, booties, and a simple belt add more structured elements to the delicate and diaphanous material of the dress. L. embraces the 2010 trends of jewel tones and lace in this vintage sapphire colored dress layered with shimmering lace. A wide patent belt creates a defined waist, and a simple necklace accentuates the scooped neckline while highlighting her collarbone.

As always, we don’t pretend to be experts on this! What will you be wearing to your holiday parties this year?

To The Nutcracker, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Skirt – Banana Republic
• Sweater – Banana Republic
• Ruffle Tank – J Crew
• Tights – BR Factory Store + Gift from S.
• Necklace – Vintage brooch on chain
• Clutch – gift from S.
• Earrings – American Eagle
• Bracelet – gift from S.

• Velvet Blazer – Limited (pictured below)
• Pashmina – clothing swap (pictured below)

Endnotes:

First, congratulations to our first giveaway winner!

As I mentioned on Friday, A2 and I got to see a top rate production of the Nutcracker this weekend.  It was magical!  We use to have this VHS of the ballet that we would all watch around this time of year when I was a kid, but I had never seen it live.  I am a sucker for the holiday season.  I love Santa, Christmas trees, baking cookies, twinkling lights, stockings, the mixing smells of cinnamon and pine, snow, presents (given and received), the break from school, and of course getting dressed up!

To The Nutcracker, originally uploaded by academichic.

This is essentially the same outfit I wore the last time A2 and I had theater tickets.  I know this might be cheating to count it as another of my 30 outfits, but I did change up all the accessories, including clutch, tights, jewelry, belt, and outerwear.  I wanted to wear something fancy but also a little playful.  The full satin trimmed skirt mixed with ruffles, two finishes of patent leather, layered pattern tights, velvet, and a fair dose of sparkle hit that mark for me!

Last week someone asked what we do for outerwear, so I’m going to try and show you outerwear every once in a while (it doesn’t usually change that much).  For the Nutcracker I pulled out this rarely-worn and surprisingly warm velvet blazer and a soft black and grey pashmina. I made do without a hat and gloves for the evening.

A.

To The Nutcracker – Outerwear, originally uploaded by academichic.

Slouchy Day, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dolman sleeve cardigan: Ann Taylor, gift from MIL
• Scarf: China Town NYC, gift from SIL
• Sweater: Forever 21
• Belt: thrifted
• Skinnies: Ann Taylor
• Boots: Steve Madden, via eBay

End Notes:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Those are not the Steve Madden boots with which I started out this 30 for 30. They are still Steve Madden boots and they were still scored on eBay, but when my mother-in-law was here over Thanksgiving she kidnapped my older, tan pair and took them to a cobbler for some much needed TLC. Re-soling and leather conditioning is not bound by the 30 for 30, apparently.

As for the outfit itself: it’s warm and snuggly and just right for staying cozy as the temperatures drop.

—

Fall Wedding, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources (Part II):

• Sweater dress: Ann Taylor
• Necklace: Target
• Tights: Banana Republic Factory
• Booties: Steve Madden Ollie

End Notes (Part II):

This past weekend I also had the joy of witnessing the wedding of one of my dear friends. It was a late afternoon, fairly casual wedding with lots of unorthodox touches that reflected the vibrant, carefree personality of the bride. I tried to walk the line of dressy and casual with a sweater dress glammed up a bit with jewelry, booties, and the rich color pairing of aubergine and navy.

I felt a little bit like I was cheating social mores by wearing something as comfortable and cozy as a sweater dress to a “fancy” event like a wedding. I’m curious how our culture has developed this tendency to equate comfortable clothes with casualness and uncomfortable garments with more formal occasions. Why is that? How did that happen? Any fashion historians want to offer an explanation? And who wants to help me make a deliciously warm and comfortable fleece pencil skirt?

Academichic Partying, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources (from left to right):
On J:

• Chinos- Brooksbrothers
• Shirt- Uniqlo
• Bowtie- Jcrew
• Navy Legacy Blazer- J.Crew
• Shoes- Sperry

On S:

• Dress – Laundry by Shelli Segal, via TJMaxx
• Shoes – Antonio Melani, via Dillards

On A:

• Dress – J Crew, customized by E.
• Shoes – Off Broadway, customized by me
• Bracelet – Gift from S.
• Earrings – gift from A2
• Necklace – pearls from my mom, my sisters, E. S. and L.

On E:

• Dress – Forever 21, refashioned (twice) by E.
• Necklace – Forever 21
• Belt – Gap Outlet
• Shoes – Lauren by Ralph Lauren, via Macy’s

On L:

• Dress – Max and Cleo, via Filene’s Basement
• Shoes – vintage Calvin Klein that she had re-soled

Endnotes:

When A2 and I decided to get married, we opted for a small ceremony in a special place with just our families.  We wouldn’t change a thing about it, but we knew from the start that this would mean following the wedding with a big party.  We wanted to celebrate with all of our incredible friends and extended family.  So this past Saturday, three months after our wedding, that is just what we did!

And of course, all the chics (J. is less than thrilled about this new title) were in attendance and dressed to the nines!

L. wore a smashing black cocktail dress with a full floral detail around the bottom.  My favorite part? It had pockets!  She finished the look with a pair of vintage satin Calvin Klein kitten heals that she had re-soled.

As to be expected, this was a party full of fabulous footwear!

OMGshoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

S. actually wore the shoes she wore for her own wedding last summer.  They were the perfect sparkly addition to her sparkle-topped halter dress in my favorite color.

I also wore the shoes from my wedding ceremony – one of my favorite parts of my wedding ensemble and the inspiration for the party dress.

Cheap Custom Wedding Shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

While not rocking party shoes, J. snazzed it up with a stylish and playful bow tie.  His slacks and blazer hit the perfect note for this semi-formal event.

J’s Bow Tie, originally uploaded by academichic.

E. looked radiant in her bright orange dress. I think that is exactly how I described her the first time she wore this dress, which she has now refashioned twice. I enlisted E.s refashioning skills for my own custom party dress.

I considered wearing the dress I wore for the wedding ceremony, because I loved it and felt beautiful in it, but in the end decided I wanted more of a party dress for this event.  I still wanted to wear my shoes and the pearls (see the story here) and to keep with my grey color scheme AND didn’t have much money to spend on it.  I found this dress at J Crew and loved the color, the full skirt, and the price (I ended up paying $35 for it).  It started as a halter dress, which seemed a little less formal than I was going for and was not fitting me perfectly in the bodice.  I showed the dress to E. and she quickly came up with the idea of using the halter ties as straps and adding an off-white ribbon around my waist to draw in the shoes and the pearls.  The crossed straps added visual interest to the back and allowed us to raise the neckline some.

So thanks to E. I got wear a custom dress with my custom shoes and jewelry!

CustomDress – Thanks E.!, originally uploaded by academichic.

A. & S., originally uploaded by academichic.

A2 & L., originally uploaded by academichic.

I am particularly lucky to be able to count this stylish bunch among my closest friends.  J. S. E. and L. each played such a huge role in the wedding and party preparations and I can’t thank them enough. We couldn’t have had our dream wedding or thrown such a perfect party without them!  I don’t know when we will all be in the same place at the same time again, but I am so grateful it happened on this one wonderful night!

J. S. E. and L. – A2 and I love each of you so much! Thank you!

A.

The Chics!, originally uploaded by academichic.

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Target
• Pumps (both colors): Steve Madden
• Scarf: c/o Nepali by TDM Designs
• Necklace (below): F21
• Jacket (below): H&M, thrifted
• Yellow sandals: Old Navy
• Baby carrier: Ergo

End Notes:

The smart and stylish ladies over at Scholar Style Guide have declared this week “Wardrobe Workhorse Week, as they think about what items (or genre of items) they get the most use out of in their wardrobes. While I’m a little late to the party, I love this idea and I immediately thought of several specific items in my closet that have actually surprised me with how frequently they show up in my wardrobe rotation.

Back in July, I paid homage to this navy jersey dress for being an utterly remixable wardrobe staple despite the fact that it is not what I would generally term a true “basic.” To reiterate, when I first purchased this dress I was basically worried that it wasn’t bland enough to be a staple.

I was wrong.

Besides my previous examples of adding pops of color and layering under and over the dress…

I can also make it on trend:

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

I can fancy it up:

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

Or wear it with a baby carrier to run errands:

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

What makes this dress so versatile without being boring? Details like the full shoulder and wide sash give it personality, but neither of those elements are particularly attention-grabbing. The v-neck gives it potential for layering below and the slim skirt gives it potential for layering on top. In terms of color, navy is a soft, sophisticated neutral that plays well with others without being garish. Finish all this off with the fact that its washable cotton jersey, meaning it’s baby-friendly and biking friendly.

Move over, LBD, my Little Navy Dress is getting it done and taking names. Are you participating in Wardrobe Workhorse Week? What are the items you get the most use out of in your closet?

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

(Styling today is courtesy of baby e. who picked out my blue suede shoes from the closet, put them next to my feet, and then baby-signed “please.” He’s got good taste.)

Labor Day Weekend Wedding, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Banana Republic
• Belt: Old Navy
• Shoes: Lauren by Ralph Lauren, via Macy’s

End Notes:

I attended a wedding over the long weekend (no, not Jessica’s) and relished the opportunity to get fancy. Despite a big downpour right before the beginning of the ceremony that resulted in slightly damp and frizzy guests, the wedding and the subsequent reception were lovely.

Labor Day Weekend Wedding, originally uploaded by academichic.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to choose what to wear to a wedding, since I’ve been a bridesmaid for the last three that I’ve attended. As such, I waffled for quite some time about to wear to this weekend and actually packed two options. A 4:30 p.m. wedding at a church, but a formal evening reception at an art museum…? I tried to bring down the bright “shiny” of the dress with a wide gray belt (rather than the matching silk sash that came with the dress) and taupe wedges (rather than metallic stilettos).

Analogous Sisters, originally uploaded by academichic.

Among the many, many benefits and delights of attending a wedding with my in-laws is the fact that, with my sisters-in-law, we form a kind of critical style mass. We must have all been on a shared fashion wavelength, since we managed to put together a harmonious continuum of both color and formality. Sister-in-law H., on the far left, wore a bright coral sundress from Anthropologie with a built-in green patterned waistband. It was fresh and sweet and age appropriate. Sister-in-law P. chose a coral and black patterned dress from BCBG. The strapless silhouette and chiffon fabric up the formality but the print keeps it fun. Sister-in-law L. went the Grecian goddess route in a softly draped pink jersey dress with a black waistband. L. is a senior in college, and she already has a really fantastic sense of what looks best with her proportions and dresses to capitalize on that.

Plus Mom, originally uploaded by academichic.

(Plus, it makes my mother-in-law — in her blue floral print Talbot’s dress — stand out all the more!)

Pre-Wedding Dinner, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

On A:

• Dress – Max Studio, via Marshals
• Shoes – Seychelles, via DSW
• Earrings – gift from S.
• Bag – Crystalyn Kae

On A’s Mom:

• Navy Jersey Cardigan – Talbots
• White Cami – Talbots
• Seersucker Capris – Talbots
• Sandals – Born

On A2 (below):

• Navy Button Down – Ralph Lauren
• Seersucker Pants – Gap
• Sandals – Reefs

On A’s Dad (below):

• Polo – Ralph Lauren
• Shorts – Ralph Lauren

Endnotes:

The night before the wedding the we went to one of favorite old stomping grounds for dinner and micro-brew. Everyone arrived in town at different times and just showed up to the brewery to join our enormous table in the rooftop beer garden.  There was no need for a rehearsal so we all just enjoyed relaxed evening laughing, swapping stories, and  getting excited about the big day.

My mom and I did not coordinate our outfits, but clearly we were on the same wave length with our navy ensembles finished off with our strikingly similar  large brown totes.  I loved my mom’s little jersey cardigan paired with her cropped blue and white seersucker pants.  She was trendy but age appropriate.   We both wear blue well because it makes our eyes pop.  I get my blue eyes from both my parents, but you can clearly see I get my height from dad.

As it turned out A2 apparently also got the memo about navy being our pre-wedding color.

Blue, originally uploaded by academichic.

Both of my parents are brand loyalists.  A majority of my mom’s wardrobe comes from Talbots, including the beautiful black linen dress and blue linen jacket she wore for the actual wedding.  My dad is a true Ralph Lauren fan and owns a polo in just about every color and his wedding suit was also Ralph Lauren.  In the past, I have rarely found much from either of these companies (though A2 swears by Ralph Lauren with her own impressive collection of polos) but have recently been liking more and more from Talbots (more on that in a post to come).

Finally, dearest readers, thank you so much for the outpouring of well wishes and kind words.  It has been so much fun and incredibly heart warming to read all of the comments on the wedding post, so thank you all for adding to the incredible high I’ve been on all week!

A & A2, originally uploaded by academichic.

28 June 2010 – Outdoor Wedding, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Pink eyelet dress – Ann Taylor, thrifted in San Fran
• Pink flower pin – H&M
• Yellow shoes – Gianni Bini
• Silver cuff – gift
• Gold clutch – BR, gift from mom
• Flower earrings – my wedding earrings, side walk sale

Endnotes:

This past weekend, T. and I attended the wedding of two good friends of ours. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony in a park followed by a wonderful reception at a local restaurant. The couple looked gorgeous and the day couldn’t have been any nicer or more enjoyable. Everything was great, barring perhaps the insanely hot temperature – close to mid 90s during the outdoor ceremony part. I knew it was going to be sweltering and so I tried to dress accordingly.

I had initially planned on wearing this light and airy white dress (also thrifted) that has a tulip shape to the skirt and a deep V cut-out in the back. It’s also knee length and somewhat more formal than the pink cotton number I ended up wearing. I had envisioned adding the same flower brooch for that touch of summery flair and my red wedge sandals…

But after I brought up the discussion on wedding guest attire during my last wedding-related post, so many readers chimed in with emphatic protests to wearing white as a guest that I first wavered and then retreated entirely from said ensemble above.

Although I still don’t agree with the idea that certain colors (even white or black) should be taboo for a wedding, I couldn’t help but lose my resolve to wear what I wanted to wear because I realized how many people might read my choice as something other than what it was. I wanted to wear a dress that would be elegant yet summery and day-wear appropriate; light and breezy for the heat; and flattering on my body shape. I had no intentions of outshining the bride or diverting attention to myself. And while I know that, I decided that a sign is not only what you (the wearer) decide it is, but also what the other person – the receiver – reads it to be. So despite my best intentions, if the majority of readers (and by extension, perhaps the people attending this wedding?) would misinterpret my wearing of white (with polka-dots, mind you) to a friend’s wedding, then it would be a battle lost.

28 June 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

In the end, I was happy with the pink dress, I don’t think the bride would have cared either way about my choice, and I forgot all about my outfit once the celebration started and I enjoyed the time with my friends. But this incident just reminded me once more how powerful certain sartorial symbols are and how ingrained certain signs and signifiers continue to be. I’m appreciating that even when I don’t agree with said symbolisms and signs, I still cannot opt out of what they mean to others. S.