academichic

Pops of Pink, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Sweater: Theory via Off 5th
• Shirt (not pictured): Splendid via Filene’s Basement
• Scarf: vintage Christian Dior
• Belt: Banana Republic Outlet
• Pin-striped Slacks: J. Crew
• Shoes: Ciao Bella via DSW

Endnotes:
For the last day of our Pink Week and Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness, my pink is a little more subtle than my previous outfits. I thought that the bright yellow and red (and pink and orange!) flowers on this fantastic scarf along with the orange-red belt helped to offset what was a very dark outfit.

Granny’s Scarf, originally uploaded by academichic.

I don’t want to seem preachy, but I wanted to share a little about my personal reasons for participating in events raising money to fight cancer. This scarf was my grandmother’s, and she is the first person in my life who was claimed by cancer (in her case, lung cancer). Every time I do the Relay for Life, I think of her. She was much too young to have died, and she is the reason that fighting ALL types of cancer is so important for me. Participating in events like RFL and Breast Cancer Awareness Month makes me feel empowered.

We each have our own reasons for taking up the causes we do, and no matter what that cause is, it is nice to know that we can each make a difference.

~L.

• Please click to Give a Free Mammogram!
• More information and support can be found at The American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen Foundation

BreastCancerAwearness, originally uploaded by academichic.

Minimalism – Pink Stripes, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Silk knit tank top: Banana Republic
• Belt: Betsey Johnson via Filene’s Basement
• Skirt: gift via London Fashion Week-end
• Wedges: L’Autre Chose via London Fashion Week-end

Endnotes:
This outfit is my first attempt at the fall trend of “Minimalism.” Strangely, when E., A., and I read that Minimalism was “in” for the fall, the three of us, who are all trained in art history, wondered what exactly Minimalism in the context of style meant? For some reason it just didn’t make sense. The definition of Minimalism we had come to know was closer to the Encyclopedia Britannica version which states that Minimalism is:

Chiefly an American movement in the visual arts and music originating in New York City in the late 1960s and characterized by extreme simplicity of form and a literal, objective approach… Use of the hard edge, the simple form, and the linear rather than painterly approach was intended to emphasize two-dimensionality and to allow the viewer an immediate, purely visual response. They turned for inspiration to the impassive, quiet works of Barnett Newman and Ad Reinhardt, exponents of the color-field branch of Abstract Expressionist painting.

Canto XIV, Barnett Newman, 1964, originally uploaded by academichic.

True to this definition Stylebakery.com defined Minimalism as having “clean lines, sleek silhouettes, a lack of embellishment… these are the hallmarks of this season’s minimalism trend. With looks so understated, perfect tailoring and quality fabrics are a must.”

Minimalism by InStyle, originally uploaded by academichic.

I decided I needed to take the plunge with Minimalism. I wanted to include pink for day 4 of Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness, but I tried to keep the outfit as simple as possible. Similar to E’s note that her potential interview outfit was influenced by a Marc Rothko painting, the double lines in this skirt have always reminded me of Barnett Newman paintings (one pictured above). I feel so confident when wearing this skirt that it was actually what I wore to a very important grad school interview in NYC. Maybe it’s because my sister bought it for me at London Fashion Week-end (a perk of having a sister who lives full time in London!), but I feel more sophisticated and fashionable when I put this skirt on. To complete the “Minimalist” look I decided on a simple silk knit top, and matching wide patent leather belt and wedges. I think wearing the belt officially disqualifies me from being 100% on trend, but I’m not the one walking down the catwalk, so I styled this outfit for me.

Black Wedges, originally uploaded by academichic.

I didn’t wear this to school, but I did wear it out on the town for one of my rare nights off. Where I am in private secondary school-land, we just finished up Parents’ Weekend, so I took the opportunity to go out to a nice dinner with some friends and eschew the dinning hall food for a night. I liked this look and will definitely make another more daytime appropriate attempt at Minimalism. I’m already envisioning my nude fishnets, nude leather shoes, and grey sheath dress…. with no belt!

Minimalism, originally uploaded by academichic.

Remember it is still Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please see the links below and remember to do a self-exam and encourage the women in your life to do so as well. Prevention and early detection are key!

~L.

• Please click to Give a Free Mammogram!
• More information and support can be found at The American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen Foundation

BreastCancerAwearness, originally uploaded by academichic.

1 October 2010 – Black and White Week, Day 5, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Cardigan: Banana Republic, free from swap
• Pants: Ann Taylor
• Top: Old Navy
• Shoes: Target

End Notes:

E.’s black and white week, day five. Black and white goes casual. That’s all, folks.

30 September 2010 – Black and White Week, Day 4, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Cardigan: (worn backwards) Banana Republic, free from swap
• Skirt: thrifted
• Belt: thrifted
• Necklace: Target
• Shoes: Steve Madden, via Macys

End Notes:

E.’s black and white week, day four. Party in the back.

I once saw someone on wardrobe_remix wear her cardigan backwards. Sadly, I no longer remember who that was, but the idea has stuck with me and the pearl buttons on this cardigan seemed like they would make such a reversal look intentional.

Pearl Buttons, originally uploaded by academichic.

30 September 2010 – Black and White Week, Day 4, originally uploaded by academichic.

Necklace detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

29 September 2010 – Black and White Week, Day 3, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Top: Old Navy
• Skirt: thrifted
• Belt: thrifted
• Shoes: Madden Girl, via DSW

End Notes:

E.’s black and white week, day three. Stripes + florals.

Black on Black Pattern, originally uploaded by academichic.

28 September 2010 – Black and White Week, Day 2, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Blazer: Ann Taylor
• Top: Forever 21
• Pants: Ann Taylor
• Shoes: Steve Madden, via Macy’s

End Notes:

E.’s black and white week, day two. Ruffle out, buttons up.

Blazer Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Lace Neckline, originally uploaded by academichic.

27 September 2010 – Black and White Week, Day 1, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Cardigan: Banana Republic, free from clothing swap
Top: Forever 21
Belt: Target
Skirt: thrifted
Shoes: Madden Girl, via DSW

End Notes:

E.’s black and white week, day one.

Lace Neckline, originally uploaded by academichic.

Pearl Buttons, originally uploaded by academichic.

E.’s Black and White Week, originally uploaded by academichic.

I (E.) have a couple of really intense academic weeks coming up, so I decided that this week I would go minimal in both my wardrobe and my posts (and thus will not currently be commenting on the conversation L. started about dress codes, modesty, and high schoolers). I thought that the best strategy for getting dressed this week would be limiting my options. And, because I do my best work under pressure, I figured that I might as well get around to experimenting with the creative possibilities of black and white clothes, a palette that I don’t wear that often.

I picked five black and white garments that (mostly) had some kind of visual or textural interest:

• A white blouse with a ruffled hem and lace neckline, from Forever 21
• A thrifted pleated pencil skirt, with a black on black abstracted floral pattern
• Slim black pointe pants from Ann Taylor (my one real “basic” in the mix)
• A mini-tweed three-button blazer from Ann Taylor
• A striped tee from Old Navy
• A black cardigan with pearl buttons, originally from Banana Republic, but obtained through a free clothes swap

I’m sure that colorful shoes will show up this week, but mostly it will probably end up being enforced pattern mixing. My hope is to post text-free for the week, simply showing you what combinations I end up. I don’t think I’m going to blow your mind with super-fantastic combinations, nor is this as ambitious as Kendi’s 30 for 30 challenges but it might keep me a little more sane this week. (But don’t despair, colorphiles. We have a fun surprise post this week in which my deep love of saturated color is on full display.)

Black on Black Pattern, originally uploaded by academichic.

Blazer Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

White tee – H&M
Wrap skirt – Boden, thrifted in San Fran
Yellow flats – Target
Necklace – thrifted

Endnotes:

No, your eyes are not failing you; this is neither a monochromatic ensemble nor do the colors make a split complimentary combination. I am sporting a triad (pink-blue-yellow) on my skirt, but even that’s a week too late.

I really tried to make a color challenge happen yesterday morning. I stood in front of my closet door and stared at the contents for a while before giving up and reaching for a trusted combination I knew I’d feel good in; this gorgeous Boden skirt, a simple white top, a navy cardi, and these yellow flats for a unexpected pop of color in the shoe. You see, yesterday was my first day of new faculty orientation and I was going to be meeting a bunch of new colleagues and university people and I just wanted to look both professional and comfortable (i.e. – like ‘me’) and the color challenge just wasn’t working with me on that one.

So while I knew I was dropping the ball on the color challenges, I went with my gut and picked the outfit that spoke to me. (Essentially a summer version of this fall favorite). I decided to post this because I think it’s a realistic depiction of how getting dressed often goes; you envision the expectations of others, you try to live up to some picture in your mind of how you should look, and you end up feeling frustrated when it doesn’t all come together the morning of. Even worse, that sometimes ends up ruining your day before you’ve stepped out the door or you end up wearing something you think you ‘should’ wear and feeling uneasy in it all day.

At said faculty orientation, I attended a very interesting session on planning for your first week. The instructor noted that all it takes is fifteen minutes for a first impression to be made. So it’s important to set the stage of how you want the year to go in those first fifteen minutes of class. If you don’t want your students coming to class looking disheveled or wearing pjs, then you might not want to show up looking like you’ve just rolled out of bed either – that sets the tone for the semester to come. I think this applies to other things as well; how you show up to an interview will set the tone for that hour, how you show up on a date will likely set the tone for the dinner and drinks to come, and how you show up to meet your partner’s family will likely affect how they understand you until they get to know you better.

This is not to say that there is a correct way to look for any given activity (there is a plurality of looks that work for most given contexts). It’s just to say that first impressions matter and that it’s not weird that we end up spending so much time thinking about what we put on in the morning. I opted for something that made me feel good, feel like myself, and was university-appropriate in my agenda despite knowing that it wasn’t what I was ‘supposed’ to wear for the day (I say that very tongue-in-cheeck since our color challenges are self-imposed and I hardly thought that E., L, or A. would begrudge my rogue outfit choice here).

How do you figure out how to best present yourself in a first-impression situation and do you remember to strike that balance between dressing as you should and dressing as you want? S.

PS: I met a lovely reader at faculty orientation who recognized me from the site and came to say hi. Hi, Rachel, it was great to meet you!

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.