academichic

Today’s giveaway comes courtesy of Shabby Apple, an online boutique of vintage-inspired women’s dresses.  The “Toe the Line” dress, a 50′s-esque chambray shirt-dress, is part of Shabby Apple’s summery “Set Sail” collection.   We love the combination of  knee-length full skirt, over-sized buttons, and three-quarter sleeves, all in a lightweight breezy fabric.  Wear it with simple saddles and a sun hat or dress it up with red pumps for a summer date!

To enter to win this dress, check out Shabby Apple’s selection of women’s dresses and then leave a comment letting us know which one of their dresses is your favorite. For a second chance to win, “like” Shabby Apple on Facebook — and get access to special promotions and discounts — and leave a separate comment telling us that you did so.

The contest is open until Midnight US Central Time on Sunday, June 12, 2011. We will randomly choose a winner to announce on Monday.

Even if you don’t win, you can still take advantage of a special Academichic discount! Just enter academichic10off at check out.

Sources:

• T-shirt: found in attic
• Zip-up: Gap body (a long time ago!)
• Jeans: J Brand via Filene’s Basement
• Belt: Fossil
• Shoes: Frye
• Necklace: South Moon Under
• Bag #1: Timbuk2
• Bag #2: gift from High Mountain Institute

Endnotes:
Reader Sophia recently challenged me to post some of my less noteworthy outfits, and since school is finally out for the summer, I’ve been sporting some pretty relaxed duds the last few days. Grading calls for the utmost comfort and flexibility, and not surprisingly, jeans and a super soft T-shirt were my first go-to for this grading session. I’ve discovered that I love my straight leg jeans even more now that it’s warm enough to roll them up a few inches.

Something else that I’ve never posted, but is a big part of my daily life is my fantastic Timbuk2 laptop messenger bag. Because I got this one on sale at REI I didn’t get to pick the colors, but I love the size of this model, and if you order it online you can pick from many many colors to customize your bag. This one fits my laptop in a padded sleeve in the back and then has plenty of room in the front for books and many pockets and zippered compartments for the necessary pens, clips, and post-its that make grading possible. It might not be my most glamorous option, but in terms of practicality, it is perfect – and no, I’m not being compensated in any way to say that!

Next to comfy clothes and grading supplies, the most important ingredient for a good afternoon of grading is the perfect location. I did some work in my classroom over the weekend, but my ideal spot is definitely in a coffee house with a big table so I can spread out and consume endless caffeine. Where are some of your favorite spots to work?

Sources:

• Sweatshirt – Banana Repuclic
• Tank – Ann Taylor
• Belt – from L.
• Pants – swapped (originally from Gap)
• Flats – DSW
• Basket – gift from sister S. (similar ones can be found online and at Containers and Things)

Endnotes:

The end of the Spring semester is always so hard because there is so much to wrap up (final papers and exams to grade, materials to turn in, accounts to balance, shelves to clean out, etc) yet the weather is beautiful and all I want to do is spend my days outdoors.  Luckily, this weekend I was able to take a break from grading and visit the opening day of my local farmers market.  We took our puppy and A2′s parents with us and we all had a great time on what turned out to be a lovely spring morning!

Remember this outfit from our Banana Republic challenge? I loved the slouchy yet pulled-together nature of my farmers market outfit, so when it came time to head out to the market for real, I instantly decided to try and recreate the look.  I ended up purchasing the sweatshirt cardigan after styling it and had flats and a belt that would work.  The big item I was missing was the checked tunic, and I could not for the life of me find a suitable replacement in my closet, so I ended up with a simple tank.  I let the pop of color come from my pants rather than the top.

I picked these blue pants out of a pile at a recent clothing swap E. and I hosted, because I was drawn to the bright blue color.  I didn’t like the way the pants looked on me when I fist tried them on, but I knew I could likely alter them into some thing I liked more.  I do like them better with the cuffed bottoms, but I’m not crazy about the length of them – I wish they were a bit longer, like the olive ones I wore from Banana Republic.  I’m thinking about chopping them into shorts, something like these or these (which I would cuff like the first ones but would be a bit longer).  What do you think, leave them as cuffed cropped pants or chop them into cuffed shorts?

Sources:

Bike tee – J.Crew
Cardi – free from swap
Skinnies – ON Maternity
Loafers – Michael Kors, thrifted
Bike – 1969 Raleigh Sports
Helmet – Nutcase

Endnotes:

It’s no secret that I’m somewhat bike obsessed. Ok, maybe a little more than somewhat. So you won’t be surprised to see that one of my favorite tees is one with a graphic print of a bike on it. I got this shirt on clearance at J.Crew at the end of last summer, only to open one of my gifts on Christmas morning and find that my mom had gotten the same tee for me at J.Crew as well. I guess she knows me pretty well. Having two of this one very loved t-shirt makes me willing to stetch one out and turn it into a maternity top.

And speaking of J.Crew, have any of you seen this recent article regarding a picture in the J.Crew catalog that’s apparently causing quite a stir? The image in question is one of J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons and her young son engaging in a supposedly questionable activity… painting her son’s toenails pink. According to the news article, social conservatives are calling the piece “transgendered child propaganda.”  (The implications here being also that transgendered people should be shamed and not embraced). The claims range from suggestions that the young boy will need psychotherapy to recover later in life to accusations that J.Crew is exploiting the youngster to promote their “liberal, transgendered identity politics“. A bit much, right?

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We’ve talked in the past about how fashion is a powerful tool in perfoming gender and identity, be it in terms of race, sexuality, class, or ethnicity. We’ve also talked about how these accoutrements of fashion are used by adults to enforce gender performance in young children. This article is a perfect example of our culture’s obsession with visibly marking children as either male or female, feminine or masculine. The binary that shall not be disturbed.

As my husband, the feminist, pointed out – what if it had been black nailpolish on the little boy? Would that have caused as big of a stir? What is it about pink that is especially prickly when it comes to men adopting it? And what if the image had shown a little girl dressed in a baseball outfit? Would that kind of crossing of traditional gender boundaries have caused such an aggressive response? Even within culturally imposed gender norms, some boundaries are clearly more flexible than others.

To credit my husband with one more astute observation – that little boy is growing up with his mother greatly involved in the fashion industry. He likely observes her work with fashion much of the day. Nailpolish, an accessory, is just an extension of her daily work accoutrements. He most likely just wants to be a part of his mother’s life and involved with the things she’s passionate about. His wanting his nails painted should more likely be viewed as an extension of his love for his mother and his desire to share in her interests and activities. It’s sad that such a sweet demonstration of mother-child enjoyment is being demonized like this. Jon Stewart agrees with me, he also had a few things to say on the topic.

Perhaps you don’t agree and are oppsed to little boys wearing pink nailpolish. If that’s the case, I’d love to hear why that is. I welcome discussion from all perspectives on it and I hope that my making it clear where I stand on this debate doesn’t discourage others who disagree to chime in with their response. What is your take on the J.Crew image and the consequent media response to it? – S.

Tip to the Weekend, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Straw fedora: Banana Republic
• Dress: Banana Republic Factory (last blogged when preggers with little e.
• Jade ring: Chinatown vendor
• Bracelet: gift from A.
• Belt: from another dress
• Platform wedges: Crown Royale Vintage, via DSW

End Notes:

I would say that it was “unseasonably warm” in Academichic Central over the weekend, but if I’ve learned anything during my time living here it’s that crazy temperature swings define spring. So… ninety degrees in April called for an easy dress and a melange of accessories.

Last summer I became a hat lady, and I added to my hat collection this year with a little straw fedora. I’m wearing it as-is in these pictures, but I’m already plotting ways to personalize it a bit more (suggestions welcome).

I’m also bringing back my (admittedly small, but present) bracelet collection. I tend to eschew bangles and bracelets when I’m wearing long sleeves, but I enjoy the extra “oomph” they provide with bare arms.

I also continue to be in love with these platform wedges. I know they might not be practical through the end of my pregnancy, but they’re so architectural that they give me the structure that I crave when my summery dresses go all loosey goosey on me.

Do you have accessories that you love to bring out in warm weather?

Sources:

• Striped Tank – J Crew
• Blue Skirt – Gap Outlet (chopped from a dress)
• Belt – Anthropologie
• Flats – DSW
• Earrings – F21

Endnotes:

So, you may or may not have noticed, but I took a little blogging break for the month of March (other than an exception for L.’s birthday).  It was a busy month!  I turned in a partial chapter draft, applied for two fellowships, tiled my shower, visited Tuscan, bought a bike, tried several new recipes, prepped my vegetable garden, and got a hair cut!

Now, of course, my co-bloggers have managed to do most of this while continuing to blog (and teach full loads, train for races, give conference papers, and/or grow babies), but I needed and benefited greatly from a blog hiatus.   I’m happy to be back to show off my new hair.  I was going for a Carey Mulligan ‘do – some days it looks just like hers, but with out the help of my beloved flat iron, my hair has a mind of it’s own and I’m still  figuring out how to work with that!  It is fun and kind of liberating to embrace my naturally wavy/textured/something hair (not without a blow-dryer and some good product, mind you).

Sources:

Red cardi – free from swap
Dress turned tunic – Old Navy
Jeggings – TJMaxx
Flats – Joseph Seibel
Necklace – Earring turned pendant
Bike (below) – 1969 Raleigh Sports

Endnotes:

I’ve been wearing a lot of Jeggings on weekends and on non-teaching days. I never thought an item composed of the words ‘leggings’ and ‘jeans’ would enter as frequently into my vocabulary as it has, but given the comfortable fit and forgiving waistline, it’s become a staple in my casual preggers wardrobe.

These pictures were taken last Friday, which is my one non-teaching day of the week. I spent the day first cycling to my midwife appointment, then wasting a bit more time enjoying the warm weather and biking around our downtown, until finally settling into a coffee shop for some dissertation chapter revisions. Jeggings were a perfect fit (literally and metaphorically) for the kind of day I had. I paired them with a summer dress turned pregnancy tunic and comfortable flats and was good to go.

Have you embraced leggings or jeggings as part of your wardrobe? I think it’s great that these items are making a comeback because I loved them as a kid in the 80s/90s and I love them yet again as an adult. But I do have to add that I would never wear them as an alternative to pants while teaching or doing anything that would require me to look professional and I also only wear them paired with tops long enough to cover my bum.

What’s your take on the leggings/jeggings trend? – S.

23 March 2011 – For Play, originally uploaded by academichic.

23 March 2011 – For Work, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

In both:

• Dress/tunic: Tucker for Target
• Riding pants: Target

For play:

• Belt: Gap Outlet
• Scarf: Target, gift from mother-in-law
• Bag: Banana Republic, gift from mother-in-law
• Riding pants: Target
• Shoes: DSW

For work:

• Tank: Target
• Belt: thrifted
• Shoes: Steve Madden

End Notes:

I, too, succumbed to the siren call that is this magenta Tucker for Target posy frock, among the dresses reissued a week and a half ago. I really think that approximately one-fifth of the style blogging world owns this dress now…but that’s all the more reason to remix it, right?

I’m uncertain how many precious inches of skirt length my pregnancy curves are taking up right now, but it’s quite possible that I will never quite manage to wear this as a “dress,” per se. Still, the bright colors, delightful print, easy shape, and full button up front make this a great piece to wear through pregnancy and into a post-partum fall, even though it may only ever exist as a tunic in my book.

Over the weekend, N., little e., my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I all biked to a historic Italian neighborhood and spent the morning sampling bakery goods and poking our heads into cooking and soap shops. For our excursion, I chose warming pieces — a thin cardigan and scarf — that could easily be stripped off for biking and then put back on for meandering. These wallabee wedges provided a comfortable and sturdy base, and my new spacious green bag (thanks, mom-in-law!) carried the usual wallet, phone, and keys, plus little e.’s diaper changing paraphernalia, snacks, cup, and spare owl. (Yes, we keep a spare owl blanket around for little e.) The best thing is that I got to wear most of my favorite colors ALL AT ONCE. Whee!

I liked the color pairing of this top with the olive riding pants, so I decided to tweak things a bit to make it more appropriate for a teaching day. A navy tank served as a “vest” and I punched up the colors even more with turquoise suede pumps. In case you haven’t noticed, I sorely missed my colored pumps during the colder months and I’m so happy to have them back in outfit rotation.

I’m betting this tunic will make one more appearance during my self-imposed week of florals, and I welcome remixing or color palette suggestions. I’m thinking I could perhaps tuck it into a full skirt and have it serve as a blouse?

Sources:

• Jacket (below): Zara
• Scarf (below): Burberry (grandmother’s)
• Dress: French Connection
• Shirt: Banana Republic
• Tights: Target
• Shoes: BR

Endnotes:
One last post before I leave spring in London for the dregs of winter back on the East Coast. I did a little birthday shopping this weekend with my sister and this fabulous dress is one of the things that I nabbed while we were wandering around Selfridges. As you all know I love bright colors, but the neon trend was not something that I had embraced yet. Because of the range of neutrals also in this print, the fluorescent pink was just enough of a pop without becoming overwhelming, which at least for me, is the best way to start dipping your toes into new trends.

Because this was a night-time outfit (and hence the indoor pics, sorry!) I layered a long sleeved-T and tights under and finished off with my studded olive flats. For our walk to the pub I cozied up in my grandmother’s scarf and a khaki Zara jacket that I’ve had for ages.

In case you’re in London any time soon – or are lucky enough to live here already – I wanted to include just a few of my favorite spots:

Enjoy!

L.