As always, please add any sources or reading recommendations of your own in the comments section of this post.

Bibliography

Arnold, Rebecca. “Fashion.” Feminist Visual Culture. Ed. Fiona Carson and Claire Pajaczkowska. New York: Routledge, 2001. 207-22.

Ash, Juliet. “The tie: presence and absence.” The Gendered Object. Ed. Pat Kirkham. New York: Manchester University Press, 1996. 162-171.

Barthes, Roland. The Fashion System. Trans. Matthew Ward and Richard Howard. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983.

Boydell, Christine. “The training shoe: ‘pump up the power’” The Gendered Object. Ed. Pat Kirkham. New York: Manchester University Press, 1996. 121-132

Crane, Diane. Fashion and Its Social Agendas. Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Davis, Fred. Fashion, Culture, and Identity. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Hanson, Karen. “Dressing Down Dressing Up: The Philosophic Fear of Fashion.” Aesthetics in Feminist Perspective. Ed. Hilde Hein and Carolyn Korsmeyer. Bloomington: Indiana U. Press, 1993.

Hollander, Anne. Seeing through Clothes. NewYork: Viking Press, 1978.

Luck, Kate. “Trousers: feminism in nineteenth-century America.” The Gendered Object. Ed. Pat Kirkham. New York: Manchester University Press, 1996. 141-152.

Perrot, Philippe. Fashioning the Bourgeoisie. A History of Clothing in the Nineteenth Century. Trans. Richard Bienvenu. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994.

Stern, Radu. Against Fashion: Clothing as Art, 1850-1930. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2004.

Summers, Leigh. Bound to Please: A History of the Victorian Corset. New York: Berg, 2001.

Wright, Lee. “The suit: a common bond or defeated purpose?” The Gendered Object. Ed. Pat Kirkham. New York: Manchester University Press, 1996. 153-161.

Sources:

• Gray sweater – AE, hand me down,
• Plaid button down – thrifted
• Jean shorts – thrifted and chopped by me
• Sweater tights – drug store
• Boots – Dillards
• Bracelets – Big Lots

Endnotes:

It’s no secret that I’ve fallen a bit in love with shorts this winter. But while the J.Crew models seem to be easily pulling off shorts and bare legs with their winter cardis and jackets, I live in a city where no such skin exposure is plausible.

So if I want to do the shorts and sweater combo, I have to make sure to add a sturdy pair of tights in there as well. Enter: the sweater tights. Possibly one of mankind’s best inventions along with chocolate and This American Life podcasts. They’re soft, cozy, and actually much more insulating than a pair of trousers or jeans.

Since we’re featuring tights this week for our Fashion 101 course, it’s only fitting that I start my posts with my favorite kind of tights. While sweater tights don’t come in fun patterns or peek-a-boo fishnet materials, they usually do have a nice texture that give them some added interest and they are also far more snag-proof than their lighter and thinner counterparts. And not to mention oh-so-cozy and warm.

As for a side note on the shorts – I wanted a pair of shorts that would be similar to my trouser shorts, so I went to the thrift store back home looking for a pair. I found there to be a slight problem with cutting up a pair of existing jeans in my closet –  they’re cut to be fitted and thus are much snugger around my thighs than a pair of shorts ideally would be (this works well for a trouser shorts look but is a little too tight for my taste when it comes to also wearing them this length).

So I thrifted a pair of shorts that fit well and felt nice and roomy without worrying about length too much. I then cut off about 2 inches to make them my desired length. These were also cuffed initially, and while I like that on the J. Crew models above, I was aiming for a more rough fringed finish à la Renee Sturme or Christina from Second Skin (see examples below).

If you’re looking to show off your tights this winter, why not try a pair of shorts one day instead of a skirt or dress? Don’t have a good winter pair? Thrift a pair of shorts (you can always adjust the length yourself) or DIY a pair of old jeans you no longer wear. S.

8 March 2010 – Tight Swap, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Navy dress: Target
• Earrings: Honolulu swap meet
• Booties: Civico 10, via DSW

• Blue green tights: Hue
• Dark red tights: Hue
• Purple tights: Target
• Yellow tights: Gap
• Patterned tights: Celeste Stein

End Notes:

This week we’re exploring methodologies behind thoughtful tights usage, and for my tutorial I thought I’d demonstrate how dramatically tights can change an entire outfit.

I started with a simple dress in a soft neutral — navy — as my base, paired with my booties (or are they heeled oxfords?) which are a wonderfully indeterminate neutral somewhere between brown and gray. First up, blue green tights to create a monochromatic color scheme. The result is a trim, lean appearance, with dress, tights, and shoes all blending together for an illusion of length. It’s a sophisticated pairing that keeps the attention primarily on the dress.

Maroon tights were up next. I love how this deep, dark red adds richness to the navy blue, creating what we call a two-thirds color combination, that is, two colors — red and blue — from a triad. Because both pieces are darker shades of primary hues, they avoid looking like a cartoon or sports team pairing. While still sophisticated and slimming overall because of their relatively well-matched darkness to the dress, the maroon tights add a bit more pizazz to the look.

…

Bright purple tights create an analogous color combination with the dress. But, because the purple is lighter and more saturated than the navy, they “pop” more dramatically than the maroon tights did. As such, they give the dress a freshness that the other two tights-and-dress combinations did not have.

…

Ah yes, bright yellow tights. Or saffron, I suppose, if we’re getting technical. Like the maroon tights, this punchy pair creates a two-thirds color combination with the dark blue dress. But unlike the maroon tights, this yellow is a much lighter and more saturated shade, and they become the focal point of the outfit. As such, they transform a basic navy dress into a bold, lively “look.”

…

And then…patterned tights. After learning that this week was tights week, my sweet mother-in-law sent me this pair of swirly pink, navy, pale blue, orange, and red patterned tights. (She snagged them on clearance at Dillards; there’s a much better selection in stores than online, as is the case for stores like Gap and Banana Republic right now, I’ve found. Online, I’m drooling over some pairs of patterned tights in Anthropologie’s clearance: the Locket tights are marked down to just under $7, for example, and I would spring for the lace tights as well. And Bare Necessities has quite a few fabulous prints and textures on sale now as well.)

…

My husband isn’t sure what to think, but I’ve grown rather attached. Despite the admittedly wild overall print, the navy background of the tights helps to ground their connection to the dress. Sure, they’re a little wacky, but with these retro-inspired shoes and a curvy dress they add some spunk rather than scream “certifiably crazy”! I’d also be interested to try these tights on with this dress and my Steve Madden boots, thus mitigating the effect of the overall pattern going wobbly on my calves and ankles.

…

I like all of these combinations for different reasons and can see myself wearing each for particular occasions. I probably would not, for example, wear the saffron and navy combination to an academic conference, but I would wear it to a party or, let’s be honest, for a slow day in the library. Do you tend to use tights to add a pop of color or pattern to an outfit or to create an unbroken leg line? How do you decide what color to pull on?

Tights — as we’re defining them for the purpose of this Fashion 101 — are the heavier cousins of pantyhose, clocking in at over 40 denier (the linear mass density of fibers, of course). Brightly colored, textured, and patterned tights have been quite common in women’s fashion for the last few years, and if the runways of Fall 2010 New York Fashion Week are any indication, bold legwear will remain popular for at least another season.

Recommended:

Now is the time to grab tights in patterns or hues that you might not normally gravitate towards since they’re currently deeply marked down. E. has been taking full advantage of winter clearance sales for that very purpose. So has her always-generous mother-in-law.

Course Goals:

After completing this course in tights, students will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of how different tights can change the appearance of an entire outfit
• utilize tights to create the illusion of a (very) long leg line
• utilize brightly colored tights to create more complex color outfit color schemes, without looking like a Dr. Seuss character
• utilize patterned or textured tights
• demonstrate appropriate pairings of tights with open toed shoes
• demonstrate the effective layering of tights to create new colors or color combinations
• judiciously employ boldly patterned tights while avoiding the appearance of an eight year old girl

And because the Midwest weather has a wicked sense of humor, of course Academichic central will be experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures this week. Nevertheless, A. will do what she can given meteorological constraints, E. will be posting from her Spring Break visit to New York where it should still be a bit cooler, and S. will be returning to Germany where, indeed, it is still tights weather. If temperatures are still chilly in your neck of the woods, play along with us this week. And, as always, we’d love to see pictures of your best look with tights!

Sources:

• Grey Cardigan – H &M, embellished by me
• Purple Tank – Gap
• Denim Skirt – Gap
• Boots – Banana Republic, via ebay

I’ve had this grey cardigan for years.  For a while it was a staple in my wardrobe (making almost as frequent appearances as my beige cardi does now) but eventually, I just stopped wearing it much.  I got bored with it, but I couldn’t bring myself to toss it in the donation pile.  When E. decided to do a cardi-embellishing project, this seemed the perfect item to breath new life in to.

Despite the fact that E’s sewing and crafting abilities are far superior, I took on a slightly more difficulty DIY…but, trust me, if I can pull it off, so can you.

To make these little flowers you will need:

• Scrap Fabric (I used a purple jersey)
• Thread in to match your fabric
• Scissors
• A Needle
• A few pins

Cut  your fabric into 1-1 1/2 inch wide strips, 4-6 inches long (I used a variety of sizes). Fold the fabric strip in half and pin it to keep it folded.

Then do a running-stitch across the bottom (where the folded ends meet).

Pull the thread on one end to gather the fabric together. Use your fingers to adjust the gathering and shape the fabric into flowers.

You can either make a few stitches to keep the fabric in this shape, or tack the flowers directly to the cardigan, shaping a bit as you go.  I played around with the placement of the flowers for a while, but eventually settled on a keeping them on one side of the neck line.  I still have some fabric left over, so I can always add a few more flowers later.

I know have the DIY embellishment bug and I’m excited to go through my drawers looking for tired pieces just begging for a few ruffles or a corsage of purple jersey!

7 March 2010 – Embellished Cardigan DIY, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Embellished cardi: Target + Amy Butler fabric + a little DIY
• Navy top: Target
• Denim pencil skirt: Banana Republic Factory
• Gray knee socks: mom’s from college
• Boots: Steve Madden Iriss

End Notes:

I adopted this little green cropped cardigan from one of my sisters-in-law, but shortly thereafter it developed a little hole in the shoulder. Rather than throwing it away, I thought that it would serve as the perfect base for trying my hand at cardigan-embellishing. I started with this Blushing Bouquet cardigan from Anthropologie as my general inspiration:

A few simple steps:

1.  Select a fabric with a strong print. Iron on a length of fusible web to the back of your fabric.

2.  Cut out the pattern you want to applique. I tried to get a variety of sizes of flowers and leaves from my fabric.

3.  Lay out the cut-outs on your cardigan. I wanted mine to go all the way around the neck, so I couldn’t lay everything out at the same time. Instead, I selected a few flowers as anchor points and ironed those into place.

4.  Keep ironing the cut-outs onto your cardigan until you have the desired look. And… ta da!

A Few Notes: Any time you adhere a woven fabric to a knit, you lose the stretch of the knit. So, if you need your cardi to keep that stretch — particularly around the bust, for example — then refrain from appliqueing embellishments there. Also, be sure to follow the directions on whatever brand of fusible web you purchase for best results. And finally, I think this is going to be a handwashed laundry item from here on it. But I think it’s worth it.

If academia doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll just become a full-time cardigan embellisher. I know that, given time and supplies, I could very well make something like this or this or this. And look how many fabulous — and often surprisingly easy! — ways there are to fancy up your cardigan using ribbon or just scraps of fabric!

• Lace bits!
• Wee little bird appliques!
• JCrew look-a-like ruffled cardigan!
• (Archival Allure tries out two options herself.)
• Über-ruffles!

As always, we’d love to see what you’ve come up with yourself!

5 March 2010 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Navy button down – H&M
• Print dress – Banana Republic
• Purple cardi – H&M
• Thermal tights – from Romania
• Boots – thrifted

Endnotes:

I took these pictures a while ago back in Germany and just never got around to posting them. But it’s only fitting that I post them now during our Cardigan 101 week, since they illustrate an important contribution of the cardigan to one’s wardrobe: tempering a bold pattern.

Since the cardigan’s open front allows you to adjust how much of the layers beneath show, it functions much better than a sweater in covering up some of the underneath layer while still allowing a desired amount to peak out. This works especially well for mitigating a bold print or pattern with a solid block of color.

Early in the week, I experimented with a patterned cardi and pattern mixing. While a patterned cardi is certainly a fun item to own, I would suggest starting with some solid colored cardigans when first building a basics wardrobe. This item works well with patterns and prints and can do some of that mitigating work if you’re intimidated by too much print in your outfit. And it also works oh-so-well with other solid colored items, creating fun color block effects, analogous creations, or monochromatic color schemes. It’s tough to go wrong with a simple solid colored cardigan, even if you’re a novice to layering or color mixing. S.

The winner of the Solid Pleated Wrapping Scarf is Miranda, Comment #116.

Miranda checked out Echo’s new Spring line and said this:

I’m coveting the nautical links dress in primary blue or khaki. Usually I’m shy about full-print dresses, but it’s so summery!

Congratulations, Miranda! Please send us your address and we’ll get that scarf out to you as soon as possible.

4 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Neckscape – BabyEtte on Etsy
• Plaid button down – AE, thrifted
• Navy cardi – H&M
• Skinnies – thrifted
• Boots – thrifted
• Bag – thrifted
• Cat – Louie

Endnotes:

Yesterday, A. shared some of her secrets for layering a cardigan over a button down shirt, answering a common question we’ve received lately. Since she’s already given some great advice on the matter, I have only a little to add to the topic: I layer cardigans over button downs often because both cardigans and button downs reside merrily and plentifully in my wardrobe and so they’re bound to meet frequently. I find that it’s easiest to leave the cardigan unbuttoned when the button down is of a heavier or bulkier material (as is the case here). When the button down is of a lightweight fabric and is close fitting, then buttoning the cardigan is easy and doesn’t result in any bunching.

When dealing with heavier layers that are best left loose and unbuttoned (as is the case today), I find that balancing out the bulkier top half with close fitting pants or skinny jeans makes for the best proportions. While a belted cardigan over button down creates that nice definition up top which works well with a fuller skirt, a loose and bulkier top layer necessitates more structure at the bottom. It’s that ‘pick one’ rule: have one loose and flowey element countered by one close-fitting and structured element. S.

Neckscape by BabyEtte, originally uploaded by academichic.

4 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.