Quest for Fashion Sense was inspired by James Thurber’s The Thirteen Clocks and channeled the the “colorful yet dark and forbidding looking” cover into a colorful but edgy outfit that makes great use of layering.

Sources:

• H&M Corduroy Jacket
• Esprit Cami
• Max Rave Red Jersey Dress
• Grey Leggings
• Mossimo Over the Knee Boots
• Silver Feather Earrings (gift from a friend)
• Blue Flower Ring (gift from a friend)

—

Miss B from Missing From Academia found inspiration in the Stephen King novel Wizard and Glass, creating an outfit in dusky, mysterious hues with a bit of shine.

Sources:

• Novel: Wizard and Glass, Stephen King
• Outfit: (if this is relevant)
• Knit Skirt: Target
• Button Up: Limited
• Patterned Tank: New York and Co.
• Scarf: Thrifted
• Shoes: Charlotte Russe

—

Emily of Academica Sartorial chose Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead as her launching point. She writes, “The neutrals with coralish red were there in my outfit, as well as the geometric patterns in both the book cover and the headband. And I felt a little 1940s, which is when The Fountainhead was written.”

Sources:

• Dress: Gap
• Cardigan: Target
• Shoes: Target
• Belt: vintage
• Necklace: Brian Moody
• Headband: gift

—

Demeiza was inspired by the riotous cover of Samantha Harrison and Bari Kumar’s book India Bazaar and the outfit she put together — including an armful of bangles, a patterned scarf, and a t-shirt screenprinted with the image of a squirrel on a motorbike — helped brighten up a day of reading and writing since it reminded her of her own visits to South Asia.

—

As a grad student in literary history, Kristin found the cover and content of Albert Camus’ essay collection Resistance, Rebellion, and Death to be a compelling choice. A simple v-neck tee and vest are reminiscent of the graphic quality of the book cover, and I like to think that the bare feet are part of the “resistance, rebellion!”

—

Katie from Interrobangs Anonymous had double the inspiration! She put together an outfit of blues and greys with a patterned silk scarf to mimic the covers of Ancient Denvers: Scenes from the Past 300 Million Years of the Colorado Front Range by Kirk Johnson and No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod.

Sources:

• Grey dress – thrifted
• Blue cardigan – Target
• Blue, cream and tan belt – thrifted
• Blue and cream silk scarf – thrifted
• Blue and white silk scarf – thrifted
• Blue ballet flats – Old Navy
• Turquoise “coral” earrings – World Market

But then, she also realized that back in November she had dressed like one of her old etymology text books!

I can’t say that I ever thought of dressing like a science textbook, but I am SO glad that Katie did. Isn’t it a fun cover and outfit?

—

Salazar from 14 Shades of Grey took inspiration from a book that she bought because of the cover in the first place — Sally Gardner’s, I, Coriander — and created a soft but playful outfit mixing shades of green and floral motifs.

Sources:

• Blouse: from home, remixed
• Cardigan: thrifted, remixed
• Jeans: The Limited thrifted, remixed
• Flats: Me Too, thrifted
• Belt: thrifted
• Flower Pin: self-made, from Michael’s fabric flower

—

Katie from Striped Socks Play Ping Pong chose the graphic silhouette cover of Phill Gatenby and Craig Gill’s The Manchester Musical History Tour as her starting point. She layered a cool, angle-seamed scarf over a little black dress to mimic the one point perspective on the cover and then added a sweet little silhouetted bicycle pendant and graphic ring as accessories.

—

Page found inspiration in the cover of Fanny by Erica Jong, one of her all-time favorite reads. Not only does her outfit reflect the color palette of the cover…it also embraces the spirit of the title character.

Finally, you can see Emma from in her Flickr stream here. (Sorry, Emma, I couldn’t download the picture itself!)

I hope I got everyone who sent int submissions, and thanks, everyone, for playing along! It was fun for us to see what you all came up with!

Kate met with stylist Tracey at a Minneapolis based Karen Kane shop. The two looked for comfortable and easy pieces that Kate could take on her backpacking trip to Europe. Kate was also trying to add more rich and colorful pieces to her closet full of black and neutrals. We were excited to see some shots from Kate’s shopping day at Karen Kane (and thought we’d share them with you too) and to hear that the event was a success. Tracey loved working with Kate and we heard that Kate left thrilled with her new purchases. (And on a side note, doesn’t Kate have the best haircut?) Below are some of the items Kate tried on…

Thanks, Karen Kane, for hosting this giveaway and congratulations, Kate,  on your win! And we wish you a fabulous time on your trip through Europe this summer!

Stay tuned for more giveaways on academichic in the future!

Sources

On P.:
Sweater: Banana Republic
Skirt: Banana Republic Factory
Tights: Hue
Booties: Target

On H.:
Sweater dress: Target
Leggings: Gap
Boots: Nine West Outlet

On L.:
Cardigan: Loft
Dress: H&M
Leggings: Walmart
Flats: H&M

On E.:
Mustard top: Forever 21
Dress: Target
Tights: Target
Oxfords: Civico10 via DSW

End Notes:

I’ll have a triple post tomorrow catching you up on what I wore from my 30 for 30 adventure over Thanksgiving weekend, but tonight I couldn’t resist posting these pictures of my beautiful sisters-in-law that we took today right before they left town.

You remember my sisters (in-law), right? I so enjoyed having them (and the rest of my in-laws) visit over the past few days. They’re a lively, creative family and we always have so much fun together. Even more impressive is the fact that my sister-in-law P. is back for a couple of months’ break from living overseas with not-that-much luggage in tow. In her world, a 30 for 30 in clothes is a piece of cake. She’s doing something like a 30 for 120!

And look! They’re a quick study when it comes to jumping shots.

Must be all those years of ballet.

I love you all, sweet sisters. Thanks for a great half week together!

Prancing, originally uploaded by academichic.

Submission 1:
For both an on-campus interview and two rounds of conference interviews, Emily wore this classic black suit with knee-high black boots and a colorful shell.

She shared her thoughts on the black interview suit:

People are down on the black suit. I am pro-black-suit, for a variety of reasons. First: I’m a New Yorker. I routinely pair black with black and more black. I think black looks great. Second, my research is very much at the edges of my discipline: my methods, my subjects, and my normative frameworks are very clearly stated, and none of them are things that my discipline takes seriously at first blush. Therefore, I want to be able to crib some of the seriousness of the “black-suit” framework. And, finally, as the wearing of knee-high boots might suggest, I want to work in a lot of more funky and relaxed elements–and, as with my work, I want to balance that out. I think I can get away with some funkier elements if I’m putting them alongside a black suit.

Submission 2:

A-C wore this fabulous pinstriped suit for a law-firm interview, which she landed!

Submission 3:

Kari of In Kari’s Wardrobe sent us three Interview ensembles:

1: Black pencil skirt, black blazer with two buttons, cobalt blue button-down woven shirt, red, white and brown abstract patterned scarf, small silver hoop earrings, nude microfishnet patterned hose, bright red patent leather pumps. This was the outfit she wore to interview for the job that she currently has.

2. Black pencil skirt, black blazer with two buttons, peacock blue button-down blouse with pussycat bow, freshwater pearl earrings, cream ruffled handbag, nude microfishnet patterned hose, bright red patent leather pumps.

3. Gray sheath dress with tie detail at neck, black two-button blazer cuffed to bracelet length sleeves, nude microfishnet patterned hose, burgundy pumps, pearl stud earrings.

Submission 4:

Marie isn’t on the job market but is on the hiring committee for the position of speech-language pathologist at a public school, so she pulled together an outfit from her own wardrobe to show us what she would like to see an interviewee wear.

In her words:

The key ingredients are a fitted jacket, a tailored bottom, a good bag, and something (anything!) in which to take notes. Why, oh, why do so many applicants show up without any means of taking notes? Future applicants take note: take notes. If you are taking notes, it implies that you are seriously interested in the job. Make-up and hair should be neat and clean. A little something extra (scarf, great bag, statement necklace) will earn you bonus points on the forced-choice matrix. No, not really, but I do love to see a little personality from an applicant.

Submission 5:

Recent college graduate Erin sent us a picture of herself in her favorite interview ensemble formula, taken after a great interview. She got the internship and loves it!

Her Formula:
Green Cardigan: old school H&M
Checked blouse: Nordstrom Rack
Black Pencil Skirt: Forever 21 (their XXI Forever line is a little bit nicer and more resistant to instant deterioration)
Pink Ruffle Flats: Payless
Acrylic Cameo Brooch: LA Craft Fair

We LOVE how confident all of these ladies look in their chosen ensembles, proof positive that confidence is the very best interview accessory. Good luck to those of you currently job searching and interviewing. Please continue to send us your interview attire to share with readers.

We frequently receive emails and comments asking us to recommend style sites for men.  Well, we decided what better way to showcase male academichicism then to ask one of our favorite academic men to offer his style advice in a series of guest posts.  J. is a masters student at E. S. and A. (and formerly L.)’s Midwestern university but hails from New York.  This semester he will be taking classes, tackling a thesis, and stepping to the front of the classroom for the first time as a TA. His style is polished and professional but still a bit fun and quirky – and we love it!  We are happy to welcome his voice and his style to the site, so welcome J.!

Sources:

• Pants- Brooks Brothers
• Shirt- UNIQLO NYC (More on this great store for cheap men’s basics in a later post)
• Shoes- Sperry from Nordstrom Rack
• Belt- Very very very old J.Crew but it is my favorite
• Bag- Penquin from Nordstrom Rack

Endnotes:

Thanks E, A, L, and S for bringing me on board. It is great to be reunited through the virtual world. I too am a grad student of art history along with A and E, though I tend to study the “older things.” Because of my research, and for fun, I travel to Italy at least twice a year. I am always in awe of the way older Italian men dress. They seem to have no qualms with introducing vibrant colors into their wardrobe and have an impeccable taste for fine fabrics and great fits. I have often used the memories of my travels for inspiration when I get dressed each day, though I try to mix it with classic preppy American style.

This leads to the story of my pants! Gee they are bright. In Spring 08 I traveled to Rome and was shocked by the variety of pants that men wore. Pants of every fabric, pattern and color. Often the men would don a pair of burnt orange trousers with green suede driving loafers as they sat in the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. I was hooked. Since that trip I have been collecting lots of “crazy” pants but I could never seem to find a pair of red ones. That is until this summer. It was fate that one day I walked into Brooks Brothers and they had this pair on sale.

(Note: A. talked me into rolling up my chinos, a look that was very hot this summer. I have tried it before when I was back in NYC this summer. I was apprehensive at first, but am now a convert. This does not mean that I will roll every pant I own. I have tried and failed. But with chinos like these, it’s a way of making them more fun and casual.)

Rules for bright pants. First, guys are naturally fearful of color. Most stick with black, grey, and some rebellious guys venture for navy. It will take time to get used to wearing colors and there is a way to do it gradually. Start with the cool colors of the color wheel and then start moving into the warmer colors. We naturally feel more comfortable in blues, greens and even purples (THE BEST COLOR FOR MEN). As you begin to feel more comfortable in these more subtle colors then begin to reach for the yellows, oranges and reds.

Secondly, working color into the top half of your outfit is a lot easier then on the bottom, but the impressions are worlds apart. People notice a guy with red pants. Thirdly, as is the case for my outfit, allow the color to be the focal point. Do not try to pair it with an equally colorful or patterned shirt. With my pants I decided to wear a simple blue banker collar shirt. The French blue is classic and subtle. The banker collar adds an element of refinement to the shirt which dresses it up and also bespeaks authority.

For my belt and shoes, I chose simple leather goods that matched and blended well with the red, blue and white combo. My affinity for Sperry Top Siders can not be expressed in this blog post. A classic for all men, beginning when we are in grade school, the Sperry has had a recent revival. I found these at the Nordstrom Rack in NYC along with my laptop case.

The last rule: like S. A.. E. and L. always say, wear your outfit and colors with confidence!

J.

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!)

Sources:

On S:

• Silk lace blouse – gift from mom
• Black tank underneath – H&M
• Skirt – $1 sidewalk sale, consignment shop
• Belt – Ralph Lauren
• T-straps – Talbots

On T:

• Retro print button down – thrifted in Germany
• Shorts – J.Crew, thrifted
• Sunglasses – street vendor in Puerto Rico
• Shoes – Nike

Endnotes:

If you’ve been reading academichic for over a year now, then you may have been around last summer when T. and I got married. Hard to believe that a whole year has flown by already. Last night, we celebrated our first anniversary by dressing up and revisiting ‘our wedding restaurant’ for a patio dinner and drinks. And since it’s neutrals (with a pop) week, I made my outfit abide by wearing an all black ensemble with a pop of color from this bright blue skirt.

We both chose a dressy-casual look since we wanted to bike to the restaurant and the heat index was still well in the high 90s. Since T. wanted to wear shorts, I opted for a more casual skirt and top look rather than the dress I initially had in mind. The lacey top adds a good dose of ‘dress-up’ but the full cotton skirt provides a good balance and gives this all a more relaxed feel. I just found this skirt at a summer sidewalk sale for $1. It’s slightly too large on me (the waist is a bit too loose) but I loved the color and the good construction (it’s from Talbots originally) and decided to try to make it work. A useful little belt later, this skirt does just fine as a high-waisted belted bit.

T.’s outfit is similarly comprised of lucky thrift finds. His retro print button down comes from a thrift store in Munich that I used to frequent and his J.Crew shorts come from the same consignment store where my blue skirt was found. T. isn’t much of a shopper for clothes but he does give me free reign (and good indications of what he needs) and lets me fill his closet on my thrifting expeditions. Do you and your partner shop for each other?

On our way to dinner, we passed the ceremony site where we said our vows one year ago and stopped to enjoy the memories. It’s been such an eventful year and we’re so excited to see what adventures this next year will bring. After a short pause for nostalgia, we peddled on to the restaurant where cold mojitos and a delicious dinner awaited. Happy Anniversary, T! S.

Sources:

On L (left):

• Vintage romper – thrifted in LA
• Shoes – Payless
• Hoops – her first pair from age 6
• Bracelet – gift

On S:

• Navy tank – Old Navy
• Leggings – Target
• Silver skirt – Express, via TJMaxx
• Silver flats – Target
• Off-the shoulder tee – thrifted and cut up for 80s party
• Earrings – loaner from L.

On T (right):

• 80s workout jacket – from his closet in the 80s
• Jeans – Izod, bleached for 80s party

Endnotes:

While A. was enjoying a serene (I assume) picnic in the park with her friends and A2 this weekend, T., our roommate L., and I spent a rockin’ night at an 80s throwback party. It was ace. We all pulled out our best 80s garb and improvised by making some last minute DIY alterations to complete our looks. T. actually owned this black, white, and neon orange workout jacket back in the 80s (don’t ask) and he made his white jeans by soaking a pair of old jeans from his to-donate-pile in a bucket of water and bleach solution for an hour. He even pegged his pant cuffs the way he used to have the cool girls at his schools help him do it during his 80s childhood.

80s Party – L & T, originally uploaded by academichic.

Meanwhile, our roommate L. sported an awesome pink, green, and yellow striped romper that is an actual vintage piece she scored at a thrift store in L.A. a while back. L, a native Californian, was hoping to actually wear this item this summer (since rompers are definitely making a come-back) but was dismayed to see that Midwest fashion hasn’t quite embraced the romper look yet. So she played it safe and pulled it out for our 80s theme party instead, where she more than rocked the look with her matching pink hoops and perky side ponytail.

80s Party – L & S, originally uploaded by academichic.

I improvised by throwing items together out of my existing wardrobe and just making a last minute run to Goodwill for this oversized teal tee. I then had T. cut the neckline for me while I was already wearing it (to easily see how much to cut off), creating that signature one-exposed-shoulder look of the 80s. Big hoop earrings and my own big poofy side ponytail finished my ensemble.

We had such a blast listening to 80s chart toppers, pulling out any 80s slang we could remember, and hanging out with our friends. We even rode our bikes there (teens in the 80s always rode bikes and then threw them carelessly on their front lawns, right?) and, of course, posed in the Karate Kid Shower Curtain photo booth. It was totally boss. S.

Rollback to the 80s, 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.

3 June 2010 – Nanny Diaries, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

On H.:

• Top: Gap
• Navy skirt: Gap
• Flip flops: Rainbow

On E. (below):

• Top: F21
• Belt: Gap Outlet
• Skirt: refashioned from an old pair of jeans
• Wedges: Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW

End Notes:

You may have noticed that baby e. has been making more photo appearances at academichic lately. Since I have been taking this intensive French translation course, baby e. has been going through some mom-withdrawals and has been adamant about keeping physical separation to a minimum whenever I am at home.

Or maybe he’s just angling to break into the style blogging world.

Aunty H. and baby e., originally uploaded by academichic.

In any case, I’ve been delighted to have a series of “nannies” for baby e. — relatives and dear family friends — staying with us in succession for the next few weeks. Sister-in-law H. is with us for a few days now, and she and baby e. have entertained each other while I’m slogging through French translations. Of course I had to photograph H.’s outfit today since it’s one of my favorite color combinations: yellow and navy. H. agrees that while bright yellow might be an intimidating color, it’s frequently much more flattering than pastel yellows. Plus, the pattern of the top intersperses this saturated yellow with white, adding visual interest.

3 June 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

(Look! Baby e. and I are in a shower of sunshine!)

Meanwhile, I thought I’d employ the tried-and-true “throw on a non-sequitur shoe” approach. There is no real reason that a purple and tan patterned wedge should work with a bright orange eyelet edged top, but I think I was emphatic enough to force the issue. Kasmira of What I Wore Today is a fantastic example of the power of the non-sequitur shoe. While I have to make a conscious effort to eschew the safe option of my tan wedges, I have to admit that picking my red wedges or orange pumps when a neutral shoe would have sufficed is an almost sure-fire way to make an outfit “special.” Do you buy into the idea of the non-sequitur shoe?

Wedges, originally uploaded by academichic.