We would need to pack hiking clothes that would keep us warm in the highlands, which get down to 32 degrees fahrenheit at night this time of year, and then for the jungle climate of the Amazon, which gets up to 95 degrees fahrenheit. Moreover, there were weight restrictions for our luggage for both parts of our trip and we wanted to do carry-on for our long flight down to Peru. Backpacks it was, and we each managed to pack a sleepingbag as well as 10 days worth of clothes, both cold weather and warm weather, into each bag. Granted, we wore all our clothes more than once and did some hand-washing along the way. We also knew that we’d be taking infrequent and usually cold showers while traveling, so we were ready to be pretty dirty by the end.

Our packing lists ended up something like this:

And our bags ended up looking something like this:

LJ and I had a fantastic time despite the cold winds and rain that blew in from Argentina and Brazil which dropped the temperature around 15 – 20 degrees lower than normal for most of the trip. On the way from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo we had the opportunity to go to a remote mountain village where local women put on a display of their gorgeous handwoven goods. Along with two guides, 18 porters, and 11 other travelers, we successfully hiked the Inca Trail from kilometer 82 to the end at Machu Picchu and saw some amazing vistas of the craggy peaks in the Sacred Valley.

During our stay in the jungle we went on day and night hikes to see monkeys, parrots, macaws, alligators, snakes, tarantulas and many other birds and bugs. We also climbed up the 10-story canopy tower to catch a sunset.


LJ and I had joked at the beginning that this trip was really going to be a test of our friendship, and we definitely passed with flying colors. It was a fabulous trip overall and thanks to LJ for being a truly excellent traveling partner!

If you’d like more specific info about the trip please email us and I’ll get back to you. Please don’t forget to register for the Tom Bihn giveaway before midnight on Sunday!

L.

We are so excited to be reintroducing one of our favorite “challenges” at Academchic: Dress Your Best Week. In order to spread out the love, we’ll be hosting DYB for the next two weeks, and we hope that many of you will play along.

Particularly in the midst of shorts, tank top, and swimsuit weather, we often focus on minimizing parts of our bodies or downplaying characteristics that we don’t like or feel self conscious about. Do my thighs look big in these shorts? Does this shirt show my wobbly arms? Do these jeans make me look short? Does that swimsuit conceal my midsection? In order to bend our minds in another direction, we are purposely setting out to get dressed with the intent of to showing off our best – big or small chests, eyes, hips, lips, legs, arms, freckles, you name it – rather than minimizing our worry spots.

This idea all came about two years ago during a Fashion 101 on Proportion and was a big hit last year with many fellow bloggers participating as well.

For the next two weeks — June 20 – July 1 — it will be Dress Your Best weeks 2011 at academichic.com. Intrigued? Want to participate? What body parts do you love, no matter how big or small? Have great legs? Fantastic ankles? A graceful neck? Please leave a comment on this post telling us that you’ll be dressing your best, and we will also have chances for you to link directly to your blog or send us your pictures for our “Round Up” series at the end (see Round Ups 1, 2, and 3 from last year). Please click below for more info about getting involved!

We’re inviting you to dress your best with us! If you’d like to participate on your own blog and be linked to other bloggers who will also be dressing their best, follow these simple steps.

1. Leave us a comment letting us know that you want to be a part of Dress Your Best week. We’ll add your blog to a master list of participants which will be posted on academichic.com.
2. Write down a list of body parts that you love. We’ll be aiming for five apiece, but pick what seems right for you. You can look at some of the great lists that we received last year for inspiration.
3. During the weeks of June 20 – July 1, 2011, dedicate at least one post on your own blog to an outfit that you’ve built around one of your favorite body parts. Explain why you love that part of you and how your outfit complements it.
4. Link back to this post on academichic.com and, if you wish, download the banner or badge below and include it in your Dress Your Best posts to let your readers know about this week long effort.

We look forward to hearing from you!

- The Chics

If you could give one of your body parts a gold star, which one would it be? Better yet, which five? Download this banner or badge to include in your posts the next two weeks and let everyone know you’re dressing your best.

Sources:

Above:

• Cardigan: Banana Republic Outlet
• Belt: thrifted
• Dress: Ann Taylor Loft, with purple strip added
• Wedges: thrifted

Below:

• Tank: Target
• Skirt: Old Navy Maternity
• Sandals: Target
• Scarf: gift from S.

End Notes:

You know how some people can layer on accessories and look all put-together but not matchy-matchy or overdone? Yeah, I’m not one of those people.

I tend to be a single accessory kind of girl. I wear a hat. Or I wear a necklace. Or I wear a belt. I’m actually not that gifted at simultaneously wearing a necklace AND a belt. Sometimes I forget about jewelry altogether and just count on my bright shoes to see me through. And usually I’m okay with that.

Take the above outfit, for example. I think the graphic color blocking and the combination of coral, gray, and purple is striking enough that I don’t particularly miss having loads of accessories thrown on there. I admit, it would have been cute with some bangles and maybe some earrings, but I didn’t feel boring.

On the other hand, sometimes I’m guilty of adding an accessory because I feel like I should. Case in point, adding a patterned scarf to an otherwise simple striped tank and denim skirt combination. It’s not bad, per se, but it felt forced to me and in the end I think I really preferred the version without the scarf.

Maybe it’s because the scarf made me feel like I should be asking for directions to the nearest yacht. And I don’t quite know what to do with that. What kind of accessorizer are you? Do you focus on a key piece or two, or do you prefer to layer for depth and interest?

In any case, there you have it. Fifteen outfits from fifteen garments (plus free access to shoes and other accessories) and lots of stress-free dressing while I banged out a dissertation chapter draft. And while these weren’t the most ground-breaking, stylish outfits I’ve ever worn, they allowed me to feel put together and present while things other than getting dressed took necessary precedence.

If you’re wondering what I took away from this experience, it’s this: purple and coral are fabulous together.

Sources:

• Skirt – self chopped from a Gap Outlet dress
• Striped cardigan – thrifted a year ago
• Navy Belt – thrifted a month ago
• White Tank – Banana Republic
• Navy studded flats – Banana Republic

Endnotes:

This is the first outfit of my self-imposed blue and white stripes challenge.  I have to admit, while I had several outfits already in mind when I announced this challenge to the blog world, none of them seemed right this morning and I panicked.  Why had I told everyone I would do this!?  And, why did I have so many blue and white striped items that suddenly went with nothing else in my wardrobe!?  But, since I needed to get out the door eventually, I decided the best approach was to settle of the blue and white stripped piece and then work from there.  I love the bright blue color and the vintage style of this little thrifted cardigan.

I think I tried pairing this little cardigan with at least five things before choosing this equally bright (but not the same shade) blue skirt.  In the end this outfit was mostly decided by silhouette.  The cardigan is cropped and the wide white waist band emphasizes it’s crop-ness and a bit full (puff sleeves and a tighter waist band then body). I found that I really did not like the way it looked with a slimmer bottom so I pulled out my full skirts and ended up with this all blue and white ensemble.

Hopefully getting dressed tomorrow will go a bit quicker, but I think this might prove that I do not in fact work better under limitations!  A.

Remember my obsession with red, white, and blue (especially blue and white stripes) that lasted all summer and well into the fall?  Well, the obsession has morphed a bit and now it’s all about the blue and white stripes.  When visiting last week, my sister observed that I could probably go a week wearing a different blue and white striped item everyday.  Sadly, I could probably go two.

So, I’m taking a cue from E. and testing out my skills at remixing a restricted wardrobe (not quite a capsule wardrobe).  I’m modeling this more after E.’s Black and White Week, only I’m not limiting my self to pre-chosen items.  Remember when we set a self-imposed challenge to wear florals?  I suppose its more like that.  I’m challenging myself (instigated by little sister L.) to wear blue and white stripes everyday for at least seven days.   I won’t be posting outfits everyday, so this little challenge will likely stretch out over the next two weeks, regardless of how many outfits I come up with.

I’ll have my first blue and white striped look up tomorrow!  A.

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!

Tops: (5)

• Olive t-shirt (thrifted)
• White button-down tunic (thrifted)
• Coral tank (Target)
• Gray tank (Old Navy Maternity)
• Striped tank (Target)

Pants and Shorts: (2)

• Straight leg jeans (Old Navy Maternity)
• Navy shorts (consignment store)

Skirts: (3)

• Purple jersey skirt (thrifted as a dress)
• Denim pencil skirt (Old Navy Maternity)
• Navy jersey skirt (Old Navy)

Dresses: (2)

• Gray jersey dress (Ann Taylor Loft)
• To-be-determined…

Toppers: (3)

• Mustard cropped cardigan (Target)
• Coral cropped cardigan (Banana Republic Factory)
• Cropped trench (Forever 21)

And we’re off…

Sometimes the best moments of creativity come when you’re forced to make-do with limited resources. At various times the various contributors to academichic have experimented with capsule wardrobes.

• S. outlined her strategy for packing for an entire year abroad
• E. mixed and matched her way through a week of just black and white
• A. participated in a round of 30 for 30
• As did E.

And more loosely, we’ve outlined what we think to be our wardrobe essentials and our wardrobe workhorses:

• E.’s preggers essentials, round 1
• S.’s wardrobe essentials
• L.’s workhorse LBD
• E.’s workhorse blouson top
• E.’s workhorse navy dress
• A.’s workhorse pencil skirt(s)

There’s simply not a “right” way to create a capsule wardrobe and there are LOTS of Google-able resources out there for picking what you’ll need for various types of travel or for your lifestyle. Still, I (E.) think that there are a few considerations that are relevant no matter what your reason for living with a small closet.

• Consider your lifestyle needs. For the next couple of months, before I begin teaching a summer course, I’ll be spending most days at home, either caring for little e. or writing a dissertation chapter. Thus, I don’t really need to worry about incorporating items like dress pants and multiple blazers into the mix.
• Consider shape and silhouette. Things could get old fast if all select four skirts…that all happen to be pencil skirts. Try to include a range of silhouettes, not just the one that you love the most.
• Consider color. Here I don’t necessarily mean that you should pick a color scheme (though you could). I do think, however, that it’s worth reconsidering that navy top if you’re already including navy shorts and a navy skirt. If one color is too dominant, you won’t have as much to mix.

Now I‘m embarking on a capsule wardrobe maternity challenge, making at least 15 outfits from 15 garments (not including shoes and accessories) in an effort to minimize “nothing fits anymore” closet angst and inspire creativity. Stay tuned for my list of 15 picks tomorrow…

Sources:

• Cardigan: Target
• Button down: thrifted
• Belt: thrifted
• Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
• Wedges: thrifted
• Pearl ring: swapped

End Notes:

I’m undertaking an experiment of sorts. You know how I did Kendi’s 30 for 30 last fall while in the midst of qualifying exams and prospectus-writing? The structure of limited options helped me get dressed every day without waffling for too long in front of my closet. I don’t even want to tell you everything that I have going on right now because it makes me a little crazy to list it out. Suffice to say, I could use some parameters again. So, in the spirit of the 30 for 30, I’m exploring a capsule maternity wardrobe for a work-from-home mom of a toddler.

So here we go:

I’m limiting myself to 15 items of clothing and planning to make at least 15 outfits, but I’m giving myself free range of accessories and shoes. (I’ll give you my full list of 15 over the weekend.) Let’s be frank. These outfits are not going to shake up the style blogosphere, but they’ll be colorful. And machine washable! And, most importantly, I’ll be clothed.

Now, let’s ignore the fact that I’m wearing a non-ironed cotton shirt (I prefer to think of it as “artfully rumpled”) and instead talk about how a little cropped cardigan in a punchy color, funny little sleeve bows, and a big cluster ring of faux pearls can add a dose of personality to an otherwise blank canvas of jeans and a white button-down. How do you add whimsy or interest to the classic button-down and denim pairing? (And mamas — or mamas-to-be — what items would you absolutely have to include in a maternity capsule wardrobe?)

As for E., my next 30 days are looking rather  daunting (with the most immediate task being a host of grant applications to be submitted over the next two weeks),  so I too am hoping a limited wardrobe will help me navigated November style with ease.

When first reviewing the rules of Kendi’s 30 for 30 challenge, I thought I would likely play it safe and choose my most worn pieces, maybe throw in a new patterned item for fun.  But instead, as I compiled my list, I started getting excited by the challenge of figuring out how to remix items from my closet that I love but don’t get as much use out of as I would like.  So, I’ve picked a few items I have only worn a handful of times, including some I have yet to blog.  I’ve also included several (7!!) patterned items. Don’t worry, I do have a few security blankets in there, like a classic pencil skirt, a black wrap dress, and my secret love – the ponte pants. I have to admit I’m rather nervous about hitting publish on this post and not being able to change the list, which has been in constant revision since E. and I decide to join the challenge earlier this week. I bought all these things, I should be able to figure out how to wear them all, right? right!?

THE LIST

Shoes: (4)

• Steve Madden Brown Boots (ebay)
• Steve Madden Girl Black Pumps (DSW)
• Olive Wool Pumps (birthday gift from Urban Outfitters)
• Black and Brown Ridding Boots/Wellies (Banana Republic)

Dresses: (3)

• Striped Sweater Dress (recent Old Navy score for $7)
• Leaf-Print Jersey Dress (BR Factory Store, “swapped” from E.)

Skirts: (4)

• Orange Wool Pencil Skirt (J. Crew)
• Full Black Wool Skirt (Banana Republic)
• Pinstriped Brown Skirt (Gap)
• Classic Grey Pencil Skirt (Banana Republic)

Pants: (2)

• Black Ponte Pants (Ann Taylor)
• Brown Skinny Cords (Gap Outlet – similar to my navy ones)
• Skinny Jeans (Banana Republic)

Blazers, Cardigans, etc: (8)

• Turquise Cardigan (Banana Republic)
• Teal Wrap Sweater Thing (thrifted)
• Long Brown Cardigan (Banana Republic)
• Black Wrap Cardigan (Banana Republic)
• Argyle Cardigan (BR Factory Store)
• Wool Navy Blazer (Gap)
• Charcoal Chunky Wrap Cardigan (New York & Co)
• Long Grey Cardigan (Target)

Tops: (9)

• Teal V-Neck Shirt (BR Factory store, worn many times but not blogged)
• Patterned Blue Ruffle Tee (recent $8 purchase from BR Factory Store)
• Ruffle Tank (J Crew)
• White Ruffle Front Sleeve-less Button-up (Gap)
• Blue and Orange Plaid Shirt (Urban Outfitters)
• Olive Sweater (H & M)
• Purple Tank (Ann Taylor Loft, worn many times as layering piece)
• Maroon Top (Banana Republic)
• Cream Sweater (Forever 21)