academichic

13 November 2009 – Take Two, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Plaid dress: Target
• Wine jersey dress: Gap, shortened by me
• Purple tights: BR
• Gray suede wedges: Gap Outlet
• Vintage flower earrings: Vintage Threadz

End Notes:

This is take two of my self-imposed challenge of restyling this new plaid dress once a week for several weeks in a row. Today’s take is inspired by S.’s inspired dress-layering, where the button down shirt dress almost functions as a trench of sorts.

Whereas the last time I wore this dress I went for something of a western vibe, this time I wanted to make the dress appear a little more feminine. The close analogous color pairing of wine and purple is one of my new favorites — it has a richness that seems perfect for fall — and my little flower earrings, graciously sent to us from Vintage Threadz — added the final little touch.

Vintage Flower Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

13 November 2009 – Take Two, originally uploaded by academichic.

7 October 2009 – My Birthday Suit!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:
All remixed but the skirt

• Green Skirt – thirfted w/ E.
• White Sleeveless Blouse – Gap
• Cardigan – Banana Republic
• Earrings – Gift from E. (birthday last year)
• Bracelet- Gift from S.
• Pashmina – China Town, NYC
• Brown Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW
• Belt – New York & Company

Endnotes:

I planned this outfit out last night so it is not at all influenced by S. and E.’s posts today… do these two know my style or what?! :)

7 October 2009 – My Birthday Suit!, originally uploaded by academichic.

7 October 2009 – My Birthday Suit!, originally uploaded by academichic.

15 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:
All remixed except skirt which is old

• Green Top – BR Outlet
• Scarf (worn as blouse) – gift from Kimberly
• Brown Skirt – Gap
• Woven Brown Belt – Forever 21
• Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW
• Earrings – Banana Republic

Endnotes:

It is still much warmer here than I would like it to be and I am getting sick of my summer wardrobe!  One of the easiest ways to remix clothing is in the layering, but as I have mentioned before, this is more difficult to do in warmer weather.  Interesting color combinations are another great way to change the look of a remixed item.  Yesterday I paired blue-green and red-orange for a casual complimentary color scheme, but in the end it was my layered neckline that I liked best about the outfit.

This got me thinking about ways to creatively layer pieces and to bring more interest to the neckline of some of my go-to knits.  I love the pattern on this scarf, sent to me by the lovely Kimberly of Fab Finds Under $50, and have often thought how great it would be to have a skirt or blouse with this pattern on it.  So, partially inspired by E.’s scarf tacked to cardigan from several months ago, I tucked this long rectangular scarf around the neckline of my shirt and used the belt to hold the ends in place.  As I got dressed this morning, I was worried about the scarf slipping around all day, but so far, so good.

Neckline – Scarf Shirt, originally uploaded by academichic.

13 August 2009 – A2, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

On A2:

• Jeans – Gap
• Green Tee – Old Navy
• Navy Polo – Polo Outlet
• Sandals – Reefs
• Necklace – Hawaii Souvenir

On A (below):

• Shorts- J Crew
• Navy and White Striped Shirt – Gap
• Lime Green Tank – American Eagle
• Red-Orange Flats – Old Navy
• Lime Green Necklace – Gift from A2

Endnotes:

I have long been trying to get A2 to do a “Visiting Lecturer” post but it wasn’t until I told her I was inspired by her analogous color combination that she agreed to make an appearance.   I love the triangle of bright green created by the layering of this Old Navy graphic tee under a Navy Blue polo and I think the slivers of green peeking out of her sleeves are perfect.

Jeans or chino pants with a polo or button-down comprise A2′s daily uniform, yet she continues to surprise me (and S. and E.) with brilliant color combinations and pattern mixing.

14 August 2009 – Inspired by A2, originally uploaded by academichic.

For my inspired outfit I am keeping the navy button down over a bright green layering piece paired with neutral bottoms, but I am attempting to pass this off as a triad.  I figure if S. and E. can both cheat the color wheel a bit by exchanging blue-green for green in their orange-purple-green triad, then I can swap navy for blue-violet in my blue-violet, red-orange, yellow-green triad!

Necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

I promise to try a true triad before moving on to next weeks color challenge of monochromatic and split complimentaries.

Enjoy your weekend!  -A

14 August 2009 – Inspired by A2, originally uploaded by academichic.

14 August 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

For today’s analogous color mix, I’m venturing over to A.’s side of the color wheel and wearing green and blue together. It’s not a combo I often wear, but one I should definitely give more consideration. This outfit began with this bright green puffy-sleeved tunic that I thrifted while visiting my friend A.P. recently. We managed to squeeze in a bit of thrift store shopping as a nod to our olden days together and it was great. When I first picked up this top, I thought it was way too loud and way to puffy-sleeved, but I tried it on anyway. Both A.P. and I loved it on and I love it even more today. So if I may be pedantic for just a moment:  judging clothes on a hanger is often misleading. Try stuff on!

To create an analogous color play, I added this blue and green scarf around my very messy hair today. I’m also excited to wear my new earrings, which T. gifted me on our wedding day.

And yet another wedding item: my flip-flops. I bought these as a back-up shoe in case my heels became too uncomfortable after hours of standing or if I had to drive the MG home and needed a more sensible shoe. I didn’t need to resort to them, but it was still worth the $12 investment to have them on hand just in case. I can’t imagine anything worse than worrying about blisters and achy feet when you’d want to be enjoying your wedding day. Plus, it provided a nice little excuse for me to peruse the shoe section at Target, which is always a (pretty affordable)  treat. S.

13 August 2009 – ThisClose, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Blue green nursing tank: Old Navy
• Cream cotton skirt: BR Outlet, remixed
• Green scarf: thrifted
• Silver slippers: some store in Queens

End Notes:

I think I am finding a new love for very tight analogous color combinations. One of my favorite winter outfits from this past year was a tight analogous pairing of yellow and yellow-orange, yet I seem to forget that these next door neighbor pairings work so well until reminded by our handy color wheel.

Today all it took was wrapping this thrifted, soft green scarf around my waist to add something a little extra to an otherwise plain tank-and-skirt combination. The scarf is long and narrow with a tiny beaded fringe, and I just tied a square knot in the back and let the ends hang.

13 August 2009 – ThisClose, originally uploaded by academichic.

It was the perfect, simple outfit for a walk with baby e.  in his stroller to run an errand. He’s not participating in our color review, but I think he looks quite fetching in this two-thirds combination of orange and green:

baby e, originally uploaded by academichic.

With Purse, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

Today’s analogous combination is green and yellow. The inspiration for this look came from the skirt, which already does the analogous mixing for me. Its soft interweave of blues, greens, and yellows more than proves that colors neighboring each other on the color wheel create subtle yet harmonious mixes.

I purchased this skirt for my MA graduation and have since worn it for a handful of special occasions, such as celebrating A’s completion of her Comps or a visit to the Memphis Opera with T. a few years back. For the most part, it sits all lonesome in my closet not seeing much of the outside world. That’s because I’ve subconsciously dubbed this skirt a special occasion item, thus relegating it to a life of hermitic preservation. But I think it’s a shame that those items we love most, are often the ones we wear the least, reverentially ‘saving’ them for that special occasion or event that warrants their exposure to the world.

The lovely Sal of Already Pretty had a wonderful recent post urging readers to essentially live in the moment and start enjoy the bodies they have today. Rather than mourning a past ‘perfect’ body or holding out for a better body yet to be attained, she argues that we should embrace the one we’re living in now. With slightly less gravitas, I urge you to enjoy the clothes you love today, saving less of your favorite items for an event still to come or as a memento of a special occasion gone.  Why not enjoy those beloved garments on a more regular basis?  S.