January 18th, 2011 § §
Sources:
- Dress – Banana Republic Outlet
- Necklace – J.Jill
- Damask tights – Anthropologie
- Boots – Banana Republic
- Red cuff – H&M
Endnotes:
This is probably my favorite outfit worn since becoming pregnant. I’m not counting the first few weeks when my body was the same size as before and I could still wear everything I own just as before. I’m talking about my favorite outfit since my jeans and skirts all became too tight, since I switched to preggers pants, and since I’ve felt a bit self-conscious in clingy jersey dresses.
Yesterday I wrote about how I’ve been wearing loose tops and baggier layers to camouflage what I perceived as my ‘new lecturer 15’ look. Then, at the end of last week, I decided to just wear what I wanted to wear and not worry about prompting the “is she? isn’t she pregnant?” look from others based on my growing but not yet baby-bumpish midsection.
I loved this outfit because it wasn’t built around my changing body but came to be inspite of it. It’s got all these elements that I love and would have worn before: the little black dress, the pop of bright red color, the crazy damask tights…
Incidentally, the day I wore this, one of my students did ask if she should congratulate me. But no, not because she assumed anything by looking at me but because she had facebook stalked me (yes, we all had a good laugh over this before class, but be careful what you make available on your profile!) and she had seen my profile picture (the only thing visible to my students), which has me grinning and pointing to my belly. This particular student is a mother herself and was thrilled for me. As were my other students, who immediately congratulated me and asked questions about when the baby’s due and whether I’d have to suffer through summer while preggers (the answer, a resounding yes, as I’m due at the end of July).
Two of my classes now know that I’m pregnant and the response has been positive yet not overwhelming. While my students seemed genuinely pleased for me, once class began, our focus was on the course and the tasks at hand. Last year, we discussed the pregnant body as the ‘public body’ in the classroom during our roundtable discussion for Sal’s site Already Pretty. E. made some interesting observations based on her experience of teaching while pregnant and I’m interested to see how my experience will go as I become more visibly pregnant and my belly takes more of a presence in the room. Maybe I’m being naïve, but I don’t see things changing much.
This, of course, is due to the fact that I find myself to be on a pretty family friendly campus in a very family friendly department. My colleagues and chair have been very kind and positive and my students have shown the same consideration. Several readers have asked to discuss the question of academia and pregnancy/motherhood and I’d be happy to continue addressing this topic over the next months. I can only speak from my personal experience, which has been very positive thus far. In fact, I have a possible ‘very awesome project’ I’m working on for the month of May with a (male) colleague, who has been incredibly supportive and undisturbed by the fact that I’ll be seven months pregnant by the time this project comes to fruition and we’ll be spending a lot of time on foot carrying it out. So I’ll gladly discuss my experience, but I warn you that it’s been altogether good thus far, and I may end up gushing unabashedly.
I’d love to hear from others out there who are navigating a professional life along with being pregnant or mothering children. What were your experiences like? Alternately, if you’re someone who asked about balancing grad school with pregnancy, what are your main concerns? The work load? The response from your department? The reaction of your colleagues or students? Thanks, in advance, for your always stimulating feedback! – S.
Category: Beltless, Color Combinations, Dresses for Day, Maternity Style, Our Best Flatware, Pregnancy in Academia, Teaching Outfits, Theoretical
Tags: academia > little black dress > S.
September 20th, 2010 § §
Sources:
- Dress: Banana Republic
- Belt: Old Navy Outlet
- Shoes: Banana Republic
- Jade Necklace: my design
- Silver Ring: gift
- Jade Bracelet: gift
End Notes:
I purchased this dress last fall for a symposium in which I was a participant. This was my first graduate school foray into greater academe, and I bought this dress with the event in mind. I knew I wanted to look nice and certainly professional, but seeing as how the symposium was being held at a very forward thinking modern art museum, I figured that a suit was not the best way to go. As usual, Banana Republic had just what I needed.
The knee-length skirt, high neck, and cap sleeves of this dress all meant that I wasn’t showing too much skin, but the print kept the look fresh and steered well clear of the “polyester suits of yore” of which there were certainly a few on display.
The high waist also meant that this dress was made for wide belting! The bold black, purple, and cream print needed little embellishment, and I have been wearing this outfit with mostly black shoes and belts ever since. However, in the spirit of a new school year I decided to go way out on a limb and wear grey (can you tell I’m very sarcastic?). I had just bought these shoes with a 35% off coupon for Banana Republic that I had been holding on to for literally months.
These shoes might look familiar as they are indeed the sister shoe to the blue suede shoes I’ve had my eye on (which they apparently don’t sell in stores!). The wool material makes this a cozy fall/winter shoe and the stacked wooden heel is exactly the right height for daywear. I’m in love. I decided to do some neutral mixing with this outfit and in addition to the grey accessories threw in some of my favorite stones.
I adore green and the color of jade can vary widely from deep mossy greens to bright jewel tones. This bracelet was a gift all the way from China and the ring is from Peru thanks to my sister, who is a fabulous traveler and always brings me the best presents! The necklace is a product of another hobby of mine: beading. I find it meditative and creative at the same time, and much of the jewelry I wear is my own. This outfit was certainly the right fit for the symposium I was at last year, and once again has hit the mark this time as a terrific teaching ensemble. How have you transitioned pieces that were purchased with a specific event in mind into your daily wardrobe?
Category: Conference Wear, Dresses for Day, Office Hours, Reaching New Heights, Teaching Outfits
Tags: academia > belted > L. > neutrals > pattern > patterned dress
December 1st, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Ruffly Floral Scarf – Anthropologie
- Long Brown Cardigan – Urban Outfitters
- Black Jersey Dress – BR Outlet
- Tights – Gap
- Belt – NY & Co.
- Shoes – Kenneth Cole Reaction
Endnotes:
Today I am sporting ruffles and flowers together! Both fall outside my normal comfort zone.
Like E, I have been embracing ruffles more and more this season, but always paired with stripes or other hard edges.
When I saw this scarf at Anthropologie, I immediately thought of S. (although this is definitely my color palette) and was ready to pass it up, but little sister L. convinced my to try it on and play around with it. I decided a what better way to introduce an new aesthetic than through an old favorite – the scarf.
I’m letting this new wardrobe addition have center stage so belted it over my black jersey dress and chocolate-brown long cardigan. I think the pockets may be my favorite part of today’s outfit.
I’m thinking I might like this scarf even more with my new jeans and a simple v-neck tee, so I’m excited to give all the ruffles and flowers another go soon! Are you trying anything new this season? A.
Category: Dresses for Day, Layers Upon Layers, Reaching New Heights, Teaching Outfits
Tags: academia > belted > cardigan > floral > LBD > little black dress > neutrals > pattern > scarf
November 18th, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Black Cable V-neck – J Crew
- Houndstooth Trousers – Urban Outfitters
- Scarf – H & M
- Belt – Gift from Sal
- Boots – J Crew
Endnotes:
It looks like my student’s visual analysis papers have led to a great discussion. Now if I could only get this discussion going in the class room! I have found all of your comments about the marketing of clothing, particularly the use of essentalizing gendered language and the heteronormativity of such marketing, so interesting!
It seems the limitations of language is always an issue when trying to avoid generalizations. My students always struggle with this. What pronoun should they use when writing about the viewer of a work of art? Their default is always “he.” Understandably, they don’t want to use the awkward “he/she” (problematic for its conformance to a binary anyway). I encourage them to be specific whenever possible. Was the work of art created for a monastery? Then, the viewer was probably male. Is it a contemporary art work you saw at the museum? Then, use YOUR preferred pronoun.
Similarly, I try to demonstrate to them that claiming a figure looks feminine says very little about the figure. Be specific. Tell me he has an elongated neck and red cheeks if that is what you observe. If you avoid associating these characteristics with the figure’s gender (or sexuality, as some students did) you leave yourself open to other possibilities — its cold outside, its a mannerist work, etc.
I started this discussion yesterday because I wanted to talk about the combining of different aesthetics often labeled “feminine” and “masculine” and was finding myself frustrated not to have better terms to use. I was reminded by reader AC to be specific! I loved her suggestion of using the terms “geometric” and “organic” to describe yesterday’s combination of stripes and flowers.
I think once again today’s outfit is the perfect combination of geometric (houndstooth) and organic (floral vine pattern) and of loose (scarf) and structured (belt). I like that none of these terms – geometric, organic, slouchy, polished, loose, structured, carry any gendered connotations. It’s actually quite difficult to find descriptive terms that are not gendered in connotation.
What terms do you like?
A
Category: Layers Upon Layers, Mixing Patterns, Pants Please, Reaching New Heights, Teaching Outfits, Theoretical
Tags: academia > belted > boots > floral > gender > pattern > professional > scarves
November 17th, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Striped Cardigan – J Crew, birthday gift from mom
- Long Black Tee – don’t remember
- Grey Long-sleeve Tee (not seen) – Gap
- Grey Cords – Banana Republic
- Brown Boots – Banana Republic, via ebay
- Scarf – China Town, NY
- Silver Hoops – Banana Republic
Endnotes:
Online shopping has long been one of my favorite forms of procrastination. Now, this online shopping rarely actually results in purchasing, but I do love to make mental wish lists, get ideas for how to style items I already own, and be reminded that there are things deep in my closet that are suddenly in style again.
I often clip photos of ensembles I like or new styling ideas I want to try out. These images most often come from J Crew — I think they offer really creative styling that I wouldn’t think of myself, but can imagine recreating in some way.
Lately, I am also really liking Banana Republic styling too. I loved this warm cozy layered look and decided I could recreate it with items I already own. I swapped in my teal and grey floral scarf for the red plaid (although now I am pining for a large plaid scarf) and my brown boots for thee black (I wanted flats and my black boots have heels).
My cardigan is much thinner and shorter than the rather bulky sweater coat featured in the BR version and I discovered that my bootleg grey cords are a little too bulky for tucking into boots, so now I may be adding skinny-leg cords to my Christmas wish list.
I loved the layering of the bright read plaid over the monochromatic stripes, but I think the teal and grey, while a subtler use of color also makes for an interesting contrast. I self-consciously avoid the terms “masculine” and “feminine” when describing the mixing of elements that seem to have different feels to them (ie
stripes and flowers). I haven’t come up with an alternative way of describing this contrast, but want to steer clear of the essentializing language we so often see in the marketing of clothing.
Interestingly enough, the gendering of clothing has come up in several of the student papers I am grading this week. When attempting to do a visual analysis of a painting of an Italian nobleman, many students described his as effeminate because of the lace at his collar, the ring on his pinky, and the shinny black robe students misidentified as a dress. In my comments, I am reminding them that: 1) they should be careful about making essentialist generalizations about gender (their discussions went beyond the clothing) 2) they should remember that whether we consider clothing “masculine” or not is inextricably linked to culture, period, occupation, etc.
This reminded me of the great exercise reader N. uses in the classroom, in which she asks students to do a visual analysis of her clothing and then followed this with a discussion about interpreting clothing. I can’t wait to test this lesson out, but for now it’s back to grading for me.
A.
Category: Beltless, Color Combinations, Layers Upon Layers, Our Best Flatware, Pants Please, Research Casual, Theoretical
Tags: academia > boots > cardigan > gender > graduate school > monochrome > scarves
November 10th, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Blue Sweater – H & M
- Blue Scarf – Old Navy
- Brown Pinstripe Skirt – Gap
- Belt – New York & Company
- Tan Wedges – Gap Outlet
- Amber Earrings – Gift
Endnotes:
Like S., I love
brown and blue together, but had sort of forgotten what a fabulous color combination it is until
S.’s post last week. When I saw S.’s ensemble, I immediately started thinking about how I could appropriate the look. I particularly liked how sharp the brown and white geometric pattern looked paired with the two close shades of bright blue.
For my version I chose my brown and white striped skirt and, once again
hiked it up and belted it high around my waist. I reversed S.’s blues by layering my brighter more saturated blue scarf over the lighter sweater.
Now, if only this color combination could help me write the way it did for S.!
A.
Category: Color Combinations, Proportionally, Skirting the Issue, Teaching Outfits
Tags: academia > belted > pattern
November 9th, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Teal Cardigan – BR Outlet
- Short-Sleeved Argyle Sweater – J Crew
- Brown Skinny Belt – Ann Taylor
- Denim Pencil Skirt – BR Outlet
- Corduroy Blazer – Marshals
- Earrings – Banana Republic
- Wedges – Gap Outlet
Endnotes:
Today’s outfit was totally inspired by my desire to wear argyle –
a preppy pattern I love but don’t actually wear that much anymore (except my ridiculous collection of argyle socks). The argyle print was one of the many reasons t
he birthday gift scarf from S. was so perfectly me! The lovely turquoise and olive diamond pattern reminded me of this old J Crew short-sleeved sweater.
When I first got this sweater years ago, I wore it all the time. However, as my style has shifted some, I’ve struggled with how to wear it in a way that still feels like me. So, I amped up the color palette and went a little layering crazy and ended up with this cozy
analogous spectrum of greens and blues, accented by what better than caramel corduroy!
What pattern do you love but struggle to work into your daily wardrobe?
A.
Category: Color Combinations, Layers Upon Layers, Skirting the Issue, Teaching Outfits
Tags: A. > academia > analogous colors > belted > cardigan > denim pencil skirt > green > pattern > style
September 3rd, 2009 § §
Sources:
All remixed except scarf and beaded bracelet
- White Skirt – J Crew
- Rust Tee – Banana Republic
- White Tank – Banana Republic
- Woven Brown Belt – BR Outlet
- Necklace – gifted earring turned into necklace
- Beaded Bracelet – gift
- Gold and Silver Bangle – gift from S.’s mom
- Sandals – Forever 21
- Earrings – Banana Republic
- Bag – China Town, NY
- Sunflower Scarf – VintageThreadz
Endnotes:
Today’s ensemble is a bit of a summer-fall mashup. I am not much of one for following fashion rules, but I did think to myself earlier this week that I should get another wear out of my white skirt before Labor Day. The weather is still quite warm here, but like S., I am ready for my favorite season – Fall! I pulled out this burnt orange top and by the time I was done accessorizing I had a rather autumnal palette going. I think the contrast of the rust and white with accents of brown was the perfect color combination for a sunny September day.
As I mentioned earlier this week, I rummaged through my jewelry box and rediscovered a few pieces I haven’t worn in ages. This beaded bracelet is one of those finds and I love the colors and style of it. I paired it with the beautiful bangle S.’s mom gave me on S.’s wedding day.
We have been doing a bit of talking about accessories around here,
specifically brooches. I actually have a variety of brooches coming my way, so will be attempting to
“brooch the subject” very soon, however I think I will find this much easier to do once I am wearing scarfs, jackets, and sweaters on a regular basis. Another accessory I have trouble with is the small square scarf. I love big long scarfs that I can wrap around my neck a couple times or wear draped around my shoulders. Recently I have come to also like long thin scarves that I can use as belts. But with a scarf to small to fit around my waist, I am at a loss. S. does
wonderful things with these
little scarves, but I am just not a neck-scarf person. So, when I received this beautiful little sunflower scarf from
Vintage Threadz, it took some thinking to figure out how to incorporate it.
With sunflowers being an August to September bloomer, the scarf was such a perfect accessory for my summer-fall mashup, so I tied it around the straps of my bag. I used a similar trick with my large flower brooch, adding it to
a large tote and
a small clutch.
I’ll be passing this scarf on to S. soon to see what she can do with it, but I’m curious how you might style a small square scarf? A.
Category: Color Combinations, Office Hours, Our Best Flatware, Skirting the Issue
Tags: academia > colors > floral > scarves > summer style
June 20th, 2009 § §
A fellow grads student wrote and asked us to address the possibility of looking stylish while wearing a backpack:
In a few weeks’ time, I will be a grad student myself and will have to make the daily trips to the campus. My laptop will now always accompany me and, unfortunately, it is too large to fit into a tote bag – and way too heavy for me to carry it over one shoulder, especially with the added weight of books, notes and other necessary paraphernalia.
How can one look stylish with a backpack? Seems impossible. Please help! :)
We certainly understand the need to carry what feels like your entire life around in a bag! S. has posted about her bag of choice and E. and A. will eventually share theirs too. While none of us carry backpacks, we all agree we would carry one of these fabulous totes.
» Read the rest of this entry «
Category: It's in the Bag, Q&A
Tags: academia > backpack > graduate school > messenger bag > tote bag
June 4th, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Trouser Jeans – Gap
- Striped Cardigan – Gap
- Teal Cami – BR Outlet
- Plaid Scarf – H & M
- Sandals – Steve Madden
Endnotes:
It’s a bit warmer here then yesterday and significantly more sunny. In my opinion, the weather is perfect for sitting out on the patio with an iced coffee to plan my last day of summer class. It does seem a bit strange to be wrapping up a summer course while wearing a bulky cardigan and scarf, but the post-summer-storm-chill calls for it. Thanks for all the great thoughts about season-appropriate dressing. I don’t think I will need to worry about it too much after today, as it is slated to be back in the 80s by the weekend!
I love this cardigan and I think I could live in it! It feels a bit like wearing a robe or a big hoodie, but hopefully looks much more polished than either of those options. I only wish I had purchased it in every color option when I had the chance!
Category: Mixing Patterns, Pants Please, Reaching New Heights, Research Casual
Tags: academia > cardigan > jeans > pattern > scarf
