9 July 2010

Posted on | July 9, 2010 | 12 Comments

9 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Leaf pendant: c/o Vintage Threadz
Top: Banana Republic Factory
Belt: from another dress
Skirt: ages old, from Ross
Bracelet: gift from Anna
Turquoise pumps: Steve Madden, gift from MIL

End Notes:

Today I got to do one of my favorite things: teach a class with A.! We had a “focus” day on Manet’s infamous painting Olympia and talked through — and demonstrated — a range of methodologies that have been applied to this well-known work. The fact that you can approach a single work of art in so many different ways is one of those nerdy delights that cements my certainty that I am an art historian at heart.

Turquoise Steve Madden Ulltra Pumps, originally uploaded by academichic.

A not-quite-as-nerdy delight? Pairing these bright turquoise pumps with an otherwise neutral outfit. All hail, the pop of color heel. Since I wasn’t going to be by baby e. in this outfit, I decided to accessorize a little more than I have lately, using blue green and green jewelry to tie the outfit together a bit more. And, oh yes, I’m pattern mixing my florals in the top and the bracelet. It’s wild, really.

Bracelet, originally uploaded by academichic.

I’ve been flipping through old outfits, imagining what they might look like with a turquoise shoe and getting excited about the possibilities. I think it might be time to return to the color wheel for another round…

9 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

14 June 2010

Posted on | June 14, 2010 | 9 Comments

14 June 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Jacket: Banana Republic Factory
Tank: Target
Belt: Old Navy
Skirt: thrifted ages ago
Wedges: Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW

End Notes:

Somewhat ironically, although S. and A. have been having days of simple or repeat duds while traveling or working away from campus, I’ve been secretly relishing the excuse to dress up every weekday for my translation course. The only problem is that since the class consumes so much time my picture-taking and post-writing moments have been severely constrained!

While one cannot ever entirely separate clothing’s form from its function, I do feel like I’ve been dressing primarily for function for quite a while now. When we started this blog, I was dressing to accommodate my growing baby bump. Then, I was dressing for ease of frequent breastfeeding (nursing tanks and surplice necklines). Now, I’m dressing to be able to bike to campus in hot summer weather (hence the recent lack of pencil skirts and pants). While I may sometimes whine about how the demands on my body circumscribe wardrobe creativity, I have to admit that the default primacy of functionality in my clothing choices certainly reinforces the notion of style always being understood in a social context, of clothing as woven (pun!) into our lives of doing, not only being perceived.

Perhaps I should also qualify the notion of “functionality.” Certainly some spandex and sneakers would arguably be “more functional” for commuting via bike. But I’m not really interested in finding the “most” functional outfit, just as I’m not really interested in finding the most creative or aesthetically pleasing outfit. For my specific ride to campus, for the specific schedule of my day, for the particular thermostat levels of the classroom I’m in, and from my particular closet, I make choices. It’s this sense of clothes-in-context that first drew me to style blogging, and what I miss when I’m just flipping through a JCrew or Anthropologie catalog or looking at Banana Republic’s lookbook online. I love seeing how clothes accompany and enable the “doing” of people’s lives, right down to the various iterations of skinnies-and-tunics or tanks-and-bermudas that let S. and A. do all that they do.

14 June 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

12 May 2010 – Leg Work

Posted on | May 12, 2010 | 22 Comments

12 May 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Silk scarf – erre, thrifted in Munich
Brocade blazer – Koan, thrifted in Munich
Tee – gift from e.
Jeans – S. Oliver
Boots – Banana Republic
Bag – Liz Claiborne, thrifted
Earrings – gift from husband

Endnotes:

Just like last year, I’m listing my legs as one of my favorite things about my body. It’s hard not to love something that’s carried me through the hundreds of miles it took to train for two marathons, several half marathons, and the odd 5Ks and 10Ks along the way. And just this coming Sunday, I will be lining up once more at the start of a half marathon here in Europe, willing my legs to do their best as they carry me the 13.1 miles it takes to get to the finish line.

Running has had a tremendous effect on how I view my body. I used to focus on it solely from an aesthetic perspective (the indulgence of the young and the healthy, right?) But viewing it from a mere aesthetic vantage point meant that I focused far more on its limitations and flaws than on its triumphs and achievements. Forget the physical makeover that came with running – let’s just talk about the mental makeover for a minute: I now appreciate my body (and particularly my legs) for their amazing physical capability. This merging of form and function has given me new eyes through which to view my body and I can no longer harp on some insignificant flaws – like a few cellulite dimples here or some thigh-jiggling action there – when these two machines of pure strength and endurance continue to carry me over so many miles and through all kinds of weather, just to test what I am capable of.

Braid Wednesday, originally uploaded by academichic.

Pattern Mix, originally uploaded by academichic.

(Have you experienced a shift in perspective that has made you appreciate your body for its function as well as its form? Without having gone through this myself, I hesitate to make this assertion, but I think that childbirth must have a similar effect. I’m also guessing that having recovered from a serious illness or accident must make someone appreciate their body for its amazing healing capabilities, its endurance, and its strength – qualities that I would all call beautiful.)

To celebrate my legs, I’m wearing my favorite jean style as of late – the skinny jean. It was right around the time I got to Germany that I fully embraced the skinny jean and started wearing it with or without boots to tuck the jeans into. And to think that I was afraid of this trend when it first started, when I should have been happy all along to embrace a style that highlights one of my best features – my legs. Thanks, skinnies! S.

30 April 2009

Posted on | May 1, 2010 | 8 Comments

30 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Argyle Sweater – Banana Republic Outlet
Grey Skirt – Old Navy
White Ruffle Blouse – Gap
Belt – made by me with Blue Onion Flower Pin
Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW
Earrings – American Eagle

Endnotes:

Yesterday was my last day of teaching for the semester! I still have 40 final exams to grade, but nothing to prep. So I now have a little over a month off of teaching before summer courses start and I will be teaching everyday! I’m most excited about this time off from teaching because it means I can finally devote more time to dissertation research. But, I also hope to be able to get in a bit more cooking, gardening, and other things that tend to fall by the wayside when the workload is heavy.

Floral and Argyle, originally uploaded by academichic.

This outfit is essentially the same outfit I wore this Fall, but I swapped out my solid beige cardigan for my argyle one. I love that this cardigan contains all of the colors of the soft neutral palette created by the first version of this ensemble. I was also excited to pull out my hand-made floral belt for my last look of florals month! A.

J-Crew inspired flower ribbon belt, originally uploaded by academichic.

30 April 2010 – Early Weekend Floral

Posted on | April 30, 2010 | 14 Comments

30 April 2010 – Early Weekend Floral, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Cardigan: Self-embellished
Gray tank: F21
Jeans: Gap Outlet
Yellow sandals: Old Navy

On baby e.:

Shirt: FC Barcelona
Plaid shorts: Old Navy

End Notes:

Baby e. and I enjoyed some time outside this morning since we’ll be likely be housebound for the rest of the weekend if the forecast of heavy rain comes to be. For this week’s floral venture I’ve returned to my floral embellished cardigan with its big, overlapping Amy Butler poppies. With a gray tank, cuffed skinnies, and yellow patent sandals, it’s a pre-weekend, mothering-friendly casual look.

Yay, baby e., originally uploaded by academichic.

Also, how cute are plaid shorts for babies? When I hold baby e. do we count as pattern mixing plaid and florals?

I’ve decided that I definitely gravitate towards bolder floral prints rather than micro-florals. I suppose that’s something I should experiment with…maybe I can talk A. into letting me borrow her floral print blouse for a day. Do you have a strategy for giving trends a test run? Do you thrift? Borrow? Wait for clearance? Just take the plunge?

30 April 2010 – Early Weekend Floral, originally uploaded by academichic.

28 April 2010 – Blazers, Florals, Belts, and Tights!

Posted on | April 28, 2010 | 18 Comments

8 April 2009 – Blazers, Florals, Belts, and Tights!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Blazer – J Crew
Floral Blouse – Maurices
Skirt – Banana Republic
Purple Tights – BR Outlet
Black Shoes – DSW
Bangle- gift from sister M.

Endnotes:

First for today’s outfit, it all felt like a little much to me – too much going on in one outfit, yet there were parts of it I really liked: the mix of florals and stripes, the blazer with my grey pencil skirt, purple tights with my black pumps. I’m just not crazy about seeing it all mashed together. I do like that this outfit seems to make up for my failure to participate in blazer week and my limited contribution to tights week and is undoubtedly a comfort-zone stretching use of floral. Guess I’m making up for lost time with this one!

Blazers, Florals, Belts, originally uploaded by academichic.

Now, for my thoughts on the very interesting discussion S. started the other day. I am very interested in S.’s post and especially in all the thought-provoking comments, particularly because I am currently engrossed in reading and writing about postmodern appropriation, camp, kitsch, the cultural, political, and symbolic significance of clothing/costume, the performance of gender and race/ethnicity, gender and ethnic drag, and cultural hybridity — all which seem to play some role in this discussion.

When I hear the term appropriation, I can’t help but think of specifically post-modern appropriation – of the variety practiced by critical artists beginning in the late 1970s. Thus, I tend to think of appropriation as self-conscious and always at least potentially critical and subversive. These postmodern artists also point out that everything is an appropriation, there is no pure original. This idea was raised be several commenters. How do we determine what culture is begin appropriated and what is appropriation and what isn’t?

I think this also relates to the idea of cultural hybridity. There is such overlap in cultures and there has been such a long history of exchange – especially when it comes to clothing - it becomes very difficult to claim an authentic or original source for anything. So where do we draw the line? One line suggested in the discussion taking place int the comments was the issue of power dynamics, colonization, etc. – but this seems sticky as well. First, power relations have shifted so much in history and I’m not convinced that their can’t be something subversive about the appropriation of the colonized… I’m still chewing on this.

One thing I found very interesting that was suggested by several readers and by S., is this idea of costume/kitsch as the litmus test for appropriate appropriation – in other words many of you seemed to feel that if the appropriation doesn’t seem costumey or kitschy then it’s ok to wear something associated with another culture. My fist question is again, how do we define this? How do we judge kitsch vs. authentic? But, further does wearing something made by a people of a certain culture make it less offensive or more intellectual, etc than wearing something purchased at urban outfitters? Many cultures make objects specifically for tourist consumption so tourists can feel authentic.

In terms of subtle vs. costumy, I think costume, kitsch, camp, and drag all have the potential for subversion and criticality that the subtle appropriation lacks. I raised this in my discussion of drag vs. a uniform and I think this idea of the self conscious performitive use of clothing should apply to items drawn from other cultures.

Ok, this is getting ridiculously long and I’m not sure where I am going with it anymore! So, I will open it back up to you…. How do you make the distinction between costume and not costume? Is costume necessarily offensive or can it be more political and critical in practice? Is all clothing some form of appropriation anyway?

28 April 2009 – Blazers, Florals, Belts, and Tights!, originally uploaded by academichic.

22 April 2010

Posted on | April 22, 2010 | 9 Comments

22 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Blue Blazer – F21
Pinstripe Skirt – Gap
Green Ruffle Tank – Old Navy
Green Flats – Banana Republic

Endnotes:

I had good intentions of giving florals a fair shot today, but stripes once again won out. I tried adding floral accessories for a bit of pattern mixing, but I like the mix of the double stripes better. I promise I’ll try harder tomorrow!

Double Stripes, originally uploaded by academichic.

I love both this full skirt and this short-sleeved navy blazer and have worn both many times, including a few times paired together. In fact, I have worn both so much that they have both seen much better days. The skirt has a small tear in the front that I expect will only grow and the blazer is continuing to fade and loose its shape. So, I am now on a mission to replace these wardrobe staples. Today starts my official quest to find a lightweight full skirt in a neutral color and a short or 3/4 sleeved navy blazer. And, I am enlisting your help! If you find anything that you think fits the bill, leave a comment here or shoot me an email. I’ll be sure to report back on my own finds. A.

22 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

13 April 2010

Posted on | April 13, 2010 | 17 Comments

13 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Floral Blouse – BR Outlet
Belt – NY & Co
Green Skirt – Thrifted
Brown Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction
Necklace – Gift from A2

Endnotes:

So, I’m finally getting around to participating in this month’s self-imposed challenge to wear more florals. Like E., I’ve had my misgivings about floral prints and tend to be drawn towards stripes, argyles, paisleys, and plaids, that is, when I venture to wear any pattern at all. Yet, I have found myself drawn to all the beautiful floral items out this Spring and am hoping to pick up a few new pieces to expand my floral collection.

Of the few floral items I do own, most tend to be more subtle like this neutral blouse with a pattern of budding white vines. I picked this top up at the BR Outlet precisely because it is so far outside my bod both in terms of print and shape. I wore it once this winter under a cardigan, but since then have not been able to figure out how else to style it – I’m not crazy about the way it fits. I decided to leave it unbuttoned and cross the sides over and tuck them into my skirt – I love the v-necked wrap-shirt result .

13 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

I paired the blouse with my grass green skirt and brown accessories because I loved the color combination. I don’t the the pairing would have worked nearly as well if I had left the blouse buttoned and billowy as intended. The slimmer silhouette on top balances out the full flowy skirt. I added my large enamel pendant for a bit of floral mixing. The abstract budding vines nicely echo the pattern in the blouse.

Mixing florals, originally uploaded by academichic.

I don’t know how many floral based ensembles I can create with my current wardrobe, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Are you a florals person? Are you tempted by the Spring trend?

Pinstripe Jacket Four Ways

Posted on | March 22, 2010 | 22 Comments

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.

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16 March 2010

Posted on | March 16, 2010 | 17 Comments

16 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Patterned top – vintage, thrifted
Pinstripe skirt – Talbots
Belt – thrifted
Gray tights – drug store
Boots – Banana Republic
Navy vest – thrifted

Endnotes:

As E. already mentioned, this week is all about trying new things and breaking out of our belting routine. So I’m trying a conglomerate of new things with this look: wearing a high waisted shirt with the top tucked in; using a wider belt to join the seams of those items; pattern mixing to boot; and belting under a top layer such as this vest. (Also, don’t hate me for wearing the same skirt from two outfits ago, but I just brought this back from home with me and I suffer a mild case of separation anxiety every time I put it in the closet and attempt to wear something else).

So for the outfit breakdown:

1) Pattern mixing has been popping up everywhere and I love the richness and depth created by it, so I’ve been trying to experiment with it more myself. I like the general tule of thumb of pairing a bold pattern (colorful nature motif on the top) with a subtle pattern (horizontal pinstripes on the skirt).

2) I like the idea of “fusing” the two patterns together by covering where they meet with a neutralizing solid item, such as a belt.

3) Leaving the shirt untucked created a much messier and schizophrenic look with the overlapping patterns and didn’t quite look intentional, whereas tucking the shirt in and belting over the seams provides a nice buffer between the meeting patterns and gives the appearance of intentionality.

4) A wider belt covers more ground so it worked much better than a skinny belt as a cover for where the shirt and skirt seams meet (although my go-to in belting is a skinny belt for reasons stated below).

5) I have a short torso and belting with a wide belt and tucking in my top made me feel like my top half (from skirt waistline to shoulders) was only about 3 inches high. This look is really not something I usually opt for and I felt very stumped and scrunched in on top. Enter the elongating vest. I felt instantly taller and slimmer with the addition of the long navy vest, drawing the eye up and down and extending to my hips, creating the illusion of a longer torso and more proportional upper half.

Subtle pattern mix, originally uploaded by academichic.

I apologize for the epic size of this post, but there is still more to come. On our Belting Post, we received the following question from one reader:

I would love some tips on how to wear a belt with my body type, an apple! I’ve always heard that belts are great for every shape, but I feel like I have a hard time getting it right.

I feel like I should address this since I am also an ‘apple’ shape. For my thoughts on the matter, click to read more after the jump…

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