academichic

5 August 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Flutter Tank – J Crew
• Black Pencil Skirt – Banana Republic
• Black Pumps – DSW
• Necklace – made from a gifted earring

Endnotes:

I don’t know if the color of this top is exactly a neutral – its a kind of putty color that sometimes looks olive. J Crew calls it “mink.”  I’m a sucker for all the lovely shades of grey J Crew has invented but “mink” is less than helpful as a color description.  But, I’m using it as a neutral and considering this a mix of black and brown.  I wore this top with navy last time, but I think the black makes the “mink” look so much richer.

The top came with a thin waist-creating tie which I removed for this iteration. I tucked the base of the top into my high-waisted skirt and let the flutters drape over the top.  I think it makes this otherwise sweat detail a little more dramatic, even edgy.  I usually think of mixed neutrals as creating a generally soft look or sometimes a very polished professional look, but in this third stab at the color wheel challenge, I wanted to push my use of neutrals into a new kind of look.   I think “edgy mink” is definitely new for me!

4 August 2010 – The Color Purple, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Tank: Gap Outlet
• Wrap: Banana Republic Outlet
• Belt: BR Outlet
• Shorts: BR
• Shoes: Frye
• Necklace: South Moon Under
• Bag: Liberty of London
• Rings: family heirlooms

Endnotes:
It seems like the title “neutrals with a pop” is roughly how we here at Academichic tend to dress on a more regular basis, and this casual outfit falls firmly within my usual aesthetic. The ruffled top is the same as the one A. wore with her striped tank, but this one is taupe rather than grey and likewise goes with everything.

4 August 2010 – The Color Purple, originally uploaded by academichic.

We actually purchased these at different times, but like A. said, we shop together a fair amount and channel each other’s style easily. I removed the belt/sash that came with it in favor of this brown skinny belt because I wanted it to be more prominent. It also compliments my brown shoes.

Brown Frye Flats, originally uploaded by academichic.

You probably recall the frenzy around Frye boots a few years ago, but they also make a variety of other shoes including these darling flats. I loved them so much and found them terrifically versatile for both work and casual attire that I bought them in black as well. My mother has always told me that if you find something that you really like and it fits well, buy it in several colors! My purple tank top is an example of this philosophy and is only one of the myriad colors that Gap has on offer right now. I love these tanks and own them in an array of different colors. I’ve used them in layers, as undershirts, with cardigans, or just hanging around the house. The bright colors are excellent for bringing “pop” to any outfit and the price (around $4 on sale) makes it possible to get a variety of hues. Once I had settled on purple as my accent color I remembered this sweet little Liberty bag was in my closet. Since I would only be carrying around a wallet and cell phone today, I thought I’d use it as my purse.

4 August 2010 – The Color Purple – Accessories, originally uploaded by academichic.

Oh, how I relish these summer days without bags full of books, laptops, and papers! If you love florals and prints (as seen featured on Academichic in April this year), Liberty makes fabrics full of gorgeous colors, and as you probably remember recently collaborated with Target on a line of clothes and accessories. My necklace and rings were gifts, as is much of my jewelry in general. These rolling rings are my mother and grandmother’s from Cartier. They are totally classic and have obviously stood the test of time. I like to stack them because the thinner banded one is actually a little big for my finger and the thicker one holds it on. Although this ensemble all together is a little dressy for where I am currently, these slate-blue shorts are strictly casual.

4 August 2010 – The Color Purple, originally uploaded by academichic.

I would probably not wear them in the classroom or on campus because the length is a bit shorter than I am comfortable sporting in any kind of professional setting. What is your most comfortable length? Is it different for shorts versus skirts?

1 August 2010 – The (big) Green Apple, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Tank: Sparkle and Fade via thrift store
• Cardigan: Gap Outlet
• Scarf (as belt): ?
• Shoes: Nine West
• Shorts: Banana Republic Outlet
  (below)
• Tank top: Banana Republic
• Cardigan: Theory via Off 5th
• Pants: Anne Taylor Loft
• Belt: Betsey Johnson via Filene’s Basement
• Shoes: Ciao Bella via DSW

1 August 2010 – The Big Apple, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:
Like E and A, I too was in NYC briefly last week, which gave me the opportunity to dress up a little more than I have been recently. I missed E’s visit, but A and I enjoyed a lovely day of museums, galleries, and of course shopping! We were having such a good time we completely forgot to document our outfits for the day, but I’ve recreated mine as another example of how to bring color into the city. Magenta and turquoise are definitely two of my favorite colors and happen to be two-thirds of a color wheel triad as well (blue-green, red-purple, and the third is yellow-orange). I included this studded belt to bring up the edginess factor and the flats and stretchy black pants doubled as chic and amazingly comfortable. Today I am back out in the country, and I wanted to create a two-thirds outfit with this green apple tank top that I had recently thrifted. The blue cardigan fulfilled the color wheel part, and the scarf-as-belt brought in purple, turquoise, and more light green.

1 August 2010 – The Green Apple, originally uploaded by academichic.

As you can see my scarf went from securely held down by belt loops to loosely knotted at the waist. I’ve often used this scarf as a belt, but I’d never tried the over-the-sweater belted look until I was inspired by my “cohort” from their scarf Fashion 101 challenge from last February. I’m learning as much as you are! Next up for Color Wheel Fashion 101: Neutrals (with a pop)!

30 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress – BR Outlet
• Belt – Old Navy
• White Tank – Banana Republic
• Grey Flats – BR Outlet

Endnotes:

I took this picture at 6:15 am before leaving for NYC so please excuse the tired face.  I am now in NYC having a great time and will post a picture or two from my visit soon.  For my early morning flight I chose a comfy jersey dress in a bright color and grey flats that would easily slip off at security and allow me to walk all over the city one I arrived.

I have to admit, I felt slightly out of place at the Met Library (and in the upscale cappuccino joint nearby) in my bright colors.  I probably would have looked more like a New Yorker in one of my black or grey jersey dresses or better yet my black pencil skirt.  But alas, this is NOT neutrals week!  So, I added my favorite belt to make a 2/3 color combo blue-green + red-violet (+ yellow-orange).

Any New Yorkers out there participating in the color challenge, proudly wearing their bright colors? Bright berry pink even?

A.

I, E., always find it difficult to dress well during the last month of summer. Maybe it’s the heat or the fact that stores start showcasing snuggly chic sweater dresses in August, but for whatever reason it helps me to have some sort of structure or challenge when pushing through the final month before the fall semester begins.

So, much as we did last summer, we’ll be revisiting our Fashion 101 modules on color combinations, looking for fresh ways to pair outfits and accessories and pushing our color comfort zones. S. is excited to finally have access to a whole closet of options again (rather than her module wardrobe from a year abroad), A. is ready to utilize her growing collection of colored belts, E. can’t wait to play more with her new bright footwear, and L. is eager to kick-start her time at Academichic with some pops of color!

We’ll be starting with “two-thirds” and complementary combinations. (And in case you’re like me and need a little handy cheat sheet, you can download a little 4×6 printable pdf of the color wheel with some examples of the color combinations we’ll be exploring. Yes, I’m sticking mine on my dresser.)

As Winona alluded to in her guest post on spring trends, florals are ubiquitous this spring, blooming on all manner of garments and accessories. The florals range from graphic to mini, but the predominate feel seems to be vintage throwback prints. Now, it’s not as if all three of us chics were impatiently waiting for florals to return to the “in” column of style. In fact, A. and E. both had traumatic past experiences with floral prints, particularly in the match-with-all-available-female-relatives variety.

Add to that a question we return to frequently on Academichic: how and what do your clothes communicate? As a general rule, florals are socially coded as feminine. How might that affect how you are perceived in a work environment, like the American academy, that still tends to pit femininity against Serious Academic Pursuits? I (E.) know that, at least on some level, I do fear being dismissed intellectually were I to show up to give a conference paper in a floral frock. La Historiadora De Moda of The Fashionable Academics has mentioned before that she sees florals as being “anti-authoritarian,” so she tends to avoid them for the first weeks of a semester when she’s establishing her position in the classroom, but then pull them out during exam time.

Are we over-thinking it? Maybe a little. But that is how we roll.

I’ve also realized that there are some fascinating histories and alternative uses of floral prints. For example, in the Second Empire in France, Empress Eugenie wore floral brocade silk to certain official functions because it was domestically produced by the silk makers of Lyon. She thought of these dresses as her political gowns, and wore them despite admitting to her stylist that she feared looking like a couch. Or think of the role of floral print fabrics in other cultures. In Hawaii, where I grew up, floral prints are defacto business attire for men in the form of aloha shirts. My dad’s closet primarily consists of floral aloha shirts, and for him they function as a means of announcing insider cultural status. I say all that to remind myself that there is room for florals to mean other things and to operate in provocative ways.

Which is good, because we’re challenging ourselves to self-consciously incorporate this spring trend of florals into at least one outfit a week for the month of April. The idea is to both experiment with how florals can be subtly and seamlessly added to our personal styles, but also to push ourselves to try looks outside of our comfort zones. In the process, maybe we’ll even figure out if florals can be subversive. As always, we welcome you to play along and to send us your own successful floral looks and any tips on wearing florals well!

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.

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.

Webster’s dictionary defines a “belt” simply as “a strip of flexible material worn especially around the waist as an item of clothing.” Belts can be utilitarian — to hold up pants or a skirt, to hold a garment closed, to hold tools — or purely decorative, just adding visual interest. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably realized that all three of us are devoted fans of belting. In fact, at one point last year we were challenged to go a week without belts, an endeavor that certainly pushed us to be careful with our belting love.

For this Fashion 101 on belting, we will again be pushing ourselves to think creatively about belting and to articulate the reasons behind our choices, rather than relying on them simply as an easy or default accessory.

After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Explain and demonstrate different reasons — both functional and formal — for using belts
• Demonstrate an understanding of what width of belt best suits their figure and a specific outfit
• Demonstrate how different color belts — both neutrals and brighter colors — can change the appearance of an outfit
• Demonstrate how belts of different materials can change the appearance of an outfit
• Demonstrate how a belt can change the shape or proportions of an outfit
• Create belts using scarves, ribbon, or other materials

To see our belt related posts for this course, check the Tutorials and DIY sections on our Taking Notes page.

As always, we welcome your questions and your participation!