academichic

Fall Complements, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Grey Sheath Dress: Banana Republic
• Blue Cardigan: Cable & Gauge via Filene’s Basement
• Silk Scarf: Hermes (gift from mom)
• Blue Suede Shoes: Banana Republic
• Necklace: gift

Endnotes:
As you can tell from my blue-green palette the inspiration for this outfit was to complement the gorgeous fall colors that surround me in my New England setting. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take any pictures outside like A’s most recent shoot in Academichic Central, so you’ll have to use your imagination to see me in front of this red-orange tree.

Fall Foliage, originally uploaded by academichic.

This is the debut post for so many things that I totally love I’m not even sure where to start! This grey sheath dress was on super sale at BR this summer and because it is lightweight wool I had to wait until the fall to break it out. It fits like a dream. In addition, I had finally purchased (with the help of several rewards gift cards) my blue suede shoes after drooling over them for months. Turns out they weren’t even selling the blue ones in stores, so had to order them online. Fortunately I’d already bought the grey flannel ones (I refuse to apologize for my shoe habit), so I knew what size I needed (FYI – BR shoes run big – these are a 7.5 but I usually wear an 8 or 8.5). Between the wool and the suede I had fully embraced the New England fall.

Blue Suede Shoes!, originally uploaded by academichic.

I had tried this scarf tied as cummerbund look this summer and I liked it. I was reminded of the joys of belting over a sweater last week when dressing for A’s birthday tribute since she is a pro at belting. For this outfit I folded my favorite vintage scarf, double knotted it in the back, and tucked the ends in. It ended up making a cool wave-like knot in the back (and it stayed secure all day as well).

Wave Knot, originally uploaded by academichic.

I also finally figured out how to make the sweater thing work – don’t button it unless it’s fitted! Maybe you all had figured this out already, but I was consistently stymied in my previous attempts. This sweater had some stretch to it, and pulling it across also meant that it showed my shape more, which I liked. The blue in the scarf allowed me to wear my new favorite shoes and a piece of jewelry I rarely put on.

Scarf and Necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

The teal of the lotus flowers was a dead-on match with this beaded torsade. I’m not sure if this outfit qualifies as mixing neutrals because of the grey and navy, but I loved wearing this ensemble and will likely try to do a redux of some kind. I wish I’d been able to take a picture with some of the lovely orange leaves that have changed color up here because they were a beautiful complement to my sea-blue outfit. Nothing says fall like blue suede shoes and crisp colorful leaves, right? What in your closet makes you think of Fall? Do you have a new favorite piece for this season?

Sea-blues, originally uploaded by academichic.

Dress Code Blues, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Top: Banana Republic
• Belt: Banana Republic Outlet
• Pants: Banana Republic
• Shoes: Ciao Bella via DSW
• Fire Opal Necklace: my design
• Silver Bracelets and Ring: gifts

End Notes:
Following close on the heels of E’s recent post about skinny trousers, here I am wearing my go-to skinny black pants. Like many of you, I am apprehensive about the whole “jeggings” trend. I agree with E’s statement that I have no problem wearing skinnies on my own time, but I do question how professional it is in front of a classroom of impressionable youths. Dress code at my school is something that definitely needs work, and I find myself on a daily basis rolling my eyes at the distasteful ways in which these teen-age girls are parading their bodies around for all to see (please see my addendum and the comments on this post for an apology for this phrasing and further clarification and thoughts on this). I guess I am more old school than I thought, but I have strong opinions about what is proper and what is improper school attire. For me what it comes down to is material. I too have the ponte pants that E was wearing, but because the cut and material are clingier on me, I feel uncomfortable wearing those to school, but I frequently wear them for traveling because of their flexibility and weight. However, the pants I have on here have even more structure at the bottom to avoid a comparison with leggings, and the thicker fabric also helps to combat the nearly-naked feeling of the leggings, spandex, and even tights that some of my students chose to wear. While I am not a huge fan of the whole leggings-uggs-tunic ensemble, for me tightness is less of an issue than length. The skirt length my students seem to favor is about 1” below the behind, which I think is appallingly too short. However, my rant against skirt length is for another day. Today I’d like to talk about tightness.

Dress Code Blues, originally uploaded by academichic.

What is too tight? As one reader noted, pencil skirts are just as snug, but seem infinitely more work appropriate. Likewise, well-fitted tops and tailored trousers are certainly acceptable. So why the rage against the skinny? I guess what it comes down to for me is trendiness. There is a fine line between looking nice and looking like you’re ready for a night out on the town. Especially when it comes to black pants, I’d like to avoid seeming like I’m ready to hit the clubs at a moment’s notice. I agree that there are ways to play down the tightness of a pair of pants – either with a longer shirt or some layering on top to balance – but for me the litmus test is: If I’d wear it out for dancing, I will not wear it to school. Perhaps harsh, and certainly there are pieces that can span a transition between work and drinks or a nice dinner, but on the whole, if it looks too evening chic, I leave it for after 6:00pm. To make this outfit Friday-night worthy I would have opted for my wide patent leather belt, patent leather wedges and some sparklier jewelry. As it was, I went for a matte black woven belt, my black flowered flats, silver jewelry and a necklace made from an Australian fire opal pendant that I picked up when I was there in 2005.

Black Belt and Silver, originally uploaded by academichic.

Opal Necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

Now that I’m writing this I’m realizing what a fine line this is in my own head. I guess the answer is really “to each her own.” As for me, I’m more comfortable professionally wearing tight pants than I ever will be wearing a short skirt. I’m proud of my body, and I love my athletic curves. I do not think that tight clothes are the sole realm of those who are stick figures. Seeing as how E, A and I all shopped for the same Anne Taylor skinnies together, I’m interested to see what A has to say on this matter. You’ve probably noticed that all of us at Academichic have different opinions on these things and these kinds of questions are exactly the way in which sartorial choices can spark debate. Do you feel differently about tightness versus length? Which do you play with more?

Author’s Note:I apologize for not choosing my words more carefully and appreciate those who commented in response to this post. I can see how the phrase “parading their bodies around for all to see” could be interpreted, and I’d like to clarify my point. First, I am a feminist. I also teach in a secondary school (grades 9 – 12) and think that young people, girls and boys, should learn what is appropriate to wear in certain situations and what is not appropriate. The boys too need to learn things like taking off hats indoors, wearing dress shoes instead of athletic gear, and the value of tucking in their button down shirts. This does not mean that I am not a good feminist. Women and men should be allowed to wear what they would like. HOWEVER, and this is where my old-school side kicks in, I also believe that there are situations in which a very short skirt or a baseball hat are not appropriate and school is one such situation. Like it or not, what you wear dictates a great deal about how you are received. As our guest poster Sally McGraw of Already Pretty put it, “although we flex our creativity through our choices, we still dress within the bounds of social acceptability.” I would never pass judgment on a student’s character or intelligence or anything else about her based on what she was wearing, but I do find it within my boarding school teaching duties to help educate students about appropriate ways/times for self expression when operating within a school community. Because this is a residential school, the faculty technically act in loco parentis for these students. If these were my children of course I would want them to love their bodies, be unselfconscious, and express themselves as they so chose. However, I would also teach them when it is the right time and place to wear certain kinds of dress and when it is not. I see these same students day-in and day-out and what I am talking about here is just during the class day. Despite the fact that we are all on campus all the time, I don’t care what they are wearing on Saturday night, or at dinner, or over the weekend, or before breakfast. I also dress down at these times, and they see me wearing jeans, hooded sweatshirts, Ts, flip flops and any number of other casual elements. However, when the class day begins at 8:00am, I expect that they will be wearing clothing that is appropriate for the classroom and not distracting to themselves or others. I am not advocating repression, but I am proposing that certain guidelines should be followed in an academic setting.

~ L.

14 September 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Skirt – Gap Outlet (refashioned from dress)
• Navy Blazer – Ann Taylor Outlet
• White Tee – H & M
• Belt – Tie from another dress
• Brooch – Grandmother’s
• Red Flats – Target
• Earrings – gift from A2

Endnotes:

I’m more than ready for Fall – for corduroy, for blazers, for scarves and boots, for pumpkin spiced lattes, and cinnamon donuts and apple cider – but, as it turns out, I’m not quite ready for my summer love affair with this color palette to end.  I’ve always been drawn to a more nautical aesthetic during the summer months and am no strange to stripes.  The addition of these red flats to my wardrobe, however, quickly made the blue + white (especially blue and white stripes) + red combination my summer favorite.

I’m trying to transition this look into fall by adding my navy blazer.  It still has a rather summery (or maybe springy) feel to it, but I think it works.

I think this ensemble is all in the details – the blue and white pinstriped tie, fastened in a kind of droopy half bow, which picks up the blue, red, and white lining of the blazer (revealed at the cuffs, and the small silver brooch attached to my lapel.

14 September 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

I’m not sure how much more mileage I will get out of this blue-white-red combination as the weather cools and leaves turn and the corduroy and wool comes out, but I’m sure I’ll try at least one more fall version in the coming weeks.  And, I’m sure to get PLENTY of mileage out of this cropped navy blazer!

What about you, are there certain colors or aesthetics you are sad to leave behind as Summer transitions to Fall?  What fall colors and fabrics are you more than ready to embrace?

14 September 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Silk Scarf, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Button down: Banana Republic Outlet
• Scarf: vintage Hermes
• Belt: ?
• Grey pinstriped slacks: Banana Republic Outlet
• Silver Shoes: Corso Como via Shopstyle.com

End Notes:
This outfit was inspired by a resolution I made to finally wear this beautiful vintage Hermes scarf that my mother had given me for Christmas. My mother often wears gorgeous brightly colored silk scarves tied around her neck and shoulders and folded in half with the point down the back. However, I was in search of some more innovative ways of incorporating this piece. I’m not sure that what I came up with is revolutionary, but it worked for me. I folded it diagonally and gathered it into a narrow strip. I decided to put this inside my collar, sort of like a man’s cravat, and then loosely tie it at the chest.

Scarf, originally uploaded by academichic.

Keeping it inside my collar served to make the look more sleek, as it seemed too bulky outside. I also like that it is kind of a faux necktie. My fitted shirt is another workhorse of my wardrobe and is the type of staple that I stock up on when I find one that I like. This one was at the BR outlet in a Petite XS (a rare size!) and fits perfectly, so of course, I bought two in white and one in black. You cannot go wrong with a crisp, fitted white button down!

2010 Academichic – Grey Pants, originally uploaded by academichic.

I have had these trousers for a while, but they were too long when I purchased them. In a time saving maneuver I decided to try Singer Instant Hems ‘n Cuff Tape which is an iron-on adhesive that holds fabric together. These only needed to come up one cuff length so there wasn’t too much weight pulling at the tape. I think if I’d needed to take up more, I would have reinforced the hem with some quick stitching. Finally, metallic shoes for everyday.

Silver Shoes and Lotus Scarf, originally uploaded by academichic.

3 September 2010 – Back to School, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Striped Shirt – Gap
• Black Pencil Skirt – Banana Republic
• Black Lace Cami – BR Outlet
• Red Flats – Target
• Blue Tote – TJ Max
• Earrings – gift from Santa
• Bracelet – Hawaii

Endnotes:

While E., started on Tuesday, yesterday was my first day of class.  I haven’t been on the student side of the classroom for a few semesters now, but this Fall brings new challenges! I am fully in “the writing stage” and  will only be on campus once a week to TA for a class outside of my department.  I’m not worried about staying busy or managing face-time in my department, since I will be serving as peer mentor, attending the bizillion lecturers my department is hosting, and making frequent trips to the library located in the same building as my department.  Instead, I am worried about how I’m going to manage my time and actually get some writing done this year.  I’m sure this is a topic I will frequently return to here.  But, yesterday was not a writing day!

3 September 2010 – Back to School, originally uploaded by academichic.

I held my first office hours, did paper work and sent emails, all from my new office!  That’s right, apparently TAs in other departments get offices!  I then attended the class and met my students.  But, before my day was over I also went to a campus social hour for the LGBT community, which had me mingling with a dean, several staff and faculty, my peers, and my undergraduate advisiees.  Needless to say, it was a long day involving a variety of activities and a lot of walking.  So, I decided to keep it clean and simple.  I opted for my go-to black pencil skirt (a real workhorse of my wardrobe, as E.would say), the blue and white stripes I have been loving this summer in a structure button down, my red flats, and my “pride” bracelet.

Red Flats, originally uploaded by academichic.

And because, perhaps surprisingly, I didn’t actually have much to carry around with me today, I sported by stylish, functional, and professional little blue leather tote.  I felt polished, professional, stylish, and best of all COMFORTABLE all day!  Not bad, for the one long first day of what is sure to be a long semester.

3 September 2010 – Back to School, originally uploaded by academichic.

2010 Academichic – Warm Welcome, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Jersey Dress: Even via Off 5^th
• Scarf: ?
• Turquoise Shoes: Sam Edelman via Off 5^th
• Necklace and bracelet: family

Endnotes:
Please forgive my bland backdrop. I have just completed two days of new faculty orientation and am now heading into three straight days of full faculty meetings, so unpacking and decorating my new apartment have both been put on the back burner for now. I wore this outfit to my new bosses house for dinner tonight, and I have to say, it hit just the right note. The headmaster held a lovely dinner at his house to welcome us newbies into the community, so I wanted to be dressed up enough for the occasion of being invited to the Head’s house, but also casual enough to survive the 90 degree weather and end-of-summer vibe. Over the last two days I have consciously calculated my outfits to ease my colleagues into my style (i.e., I’ve been holding back on the full-on belting everything that I usually enjoy, and I’ve scaled down the accessorizing to a minimum). In fact, I didn’t even end up wearing the floral skirt I showed last week because, as many of you commented, it was a little too youthful for my first impression at a new job. Granted this has been a tricky time to broker, but I’ve still held to my mantra that over-dressing is better than under-dressing. This midnight blue jersey dress is perfect for the dog days of summer because it gives me full coverage while also being breathable.

2010 Academichic – Warm Welcome detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Turquoise Shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

I decided to embellish the built-in waistband with a little pop of color and then matched my turquoise faux snakeskin flats to the turquoise, purple, and green scarf. Because this was a somewhat celebratory dinner I also put on two of my favorite pieces of jewelry – my grandmother’s ultra-modern style turquoise bracelet and my Pisces zodiac charm necklace – both of which were handed down in my family.

Pisces Necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

Zigzag Bracelet, originally uploaded by academichic.

This bracelet is definitely a powerful piece for me, and I think the lightening bolt zigzag makes me feel a little bit like Wonder Woman, which was just what I needed when I was seated next to the Headmaster at dinner! What power-pieces do you have in your jewelry box?

Goodbye Summer…, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress – Marshalls
• Belt – BR Outlet
• Flats – Target
• Sunglasses – Marshalls

Endnotes:

Well, summer officially comes to an end this week as the semester begins tomorrow.  I’m looking forward to the Fall, but sure will miss the summer!  I successfully started a veggie garden, clocked over 400 miles with a new running buddy, met up with old friends, convinced my advisor my dissertation topic is a worthy one, and of course GOT MARRIED!!

These are pictures taken a few weeks back, while on one of the many mini summer vacations we took to visit friends and family.  This is the dress I bought to wear the night before my wedding, but knew it would get a good amount of wear.  I added the woven leather belt and red flats to dress in down enough for brunch and a walk around town.

Check back later this week to see what ensemble I pull together for the first day of the semester!

A.

2010 Academichic – Miss Bling Bling, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Blue dress: Banana Republic Outlet
• Orange-yellow scarf: Ferragamo via Filene’s Basement
• Orange-yellow Bling: gifts
• Purple belt: American Apparel
• Purple flip-flops: Nine West

Endnotes:
First, I wanted to voice how much I will miss S! She, E, and A, have worked very hard on Academichic and I am so happy to be a part of this fine group of women!
The title of this post comes from the catcalls of the street vendors in Florence who would entice the foreign students to buy umbrellas, pashminas, or anything with the David on it by yelling “Heyyyyy Miss Bling Bling” as we walked by on our way to school. Somehow I managed to leave Florence with only one pashmina, one umbrella and an apron with David emblazoned across it – all of which have since been lost – but “Heyyyyy Miss Bling Bling” remains my favorite attention getting phrase. This has been a hectic week since I’ve recently moved into my new apartment and have been busy unpacking, assembling furniture, and generally nesting. Despite the inevitable stress of a move it does present an opportunity to assess what things you have and what things you can give up – this orange-yellow rhinestone S-shaped pin was a definite keeper worthy of “Miss Bling Bling” distinction and deserving of a prominent place in my next outfit. It also perfectly matched this citrine ring.

2010 Academichic – Bling!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Additionally, orange-yellow has split complements of blue and purple, both of which are easier colors for me. This blue dress is probably too short to be work appropriate, but hey, it’s still summer where I am, and I don’t start work officially until August 30th! I have paired this bright blue primarily with black in the past, but that’s the great thing about the color wheel challenge – it has really made me expand the range of colors I’m wiling to combine and to think far outside the safe confines of a neutral pallet with occasional splashes of color. It seems to me that this whole exercise has been one in basically just going with it – “it” being showy, close, or seemingly opposite color pairings. Rather than the neat and clean matching with which I was brought up, the last four weeks have been dedicated to pushing myself to be a little off-kilter, break with the usual and do something on the edge.

2010 Academichic – Miss Bling Bling, originally uploaded by academichic.

For some reason the idea of a slant-rhyme comes to mind as an example of something that takes reading aloud, speaking and articulating the words, to really make sense and function as a rhyme. Likewise these outfits needed to be aired, tried out, messed around with in order to broaden my horizons more generally. I think after this I’ll be more likely to think of these kinds of complements and pairings in my everyday attire. But back to this outfit. Once I’d found the pin I knew that I wanted to wear it with this orange-yellow scarf and purple was brought in with the belt and shoes to complete the split complement.

2010 Academichic – Blue-Yellow/Orange-Purple, originally uploaded by academichic.

As reader GingerR asked after E’s post from August 16th, “I noticed that your outfit contains a very small percent of the start color. Any thoughts about how the proportions of color should be balanced and what that does to the quirky effect?” I think personally I’ve been more obvious in my blocks of colors because of this challenge, and so for the sake of fulfilling the color wheel module of the week some of my outfits have had bigger color elements than they might otherwise. If I were to do a redux of this outfit I’d probably ditch the scarf and showcase the pin — maybe placing it directly on the belt for maximum contrast or string it on a simple chain to wear as a necklace. I loved the scarf and pin together, but I would likely wear those two with more neutrals in order for them to have the most pop. I think the proportion of colors should be one or two as dominant and one as accent – mostly because it is hard to equally incorporate that many colors into one outfit without looking like a Kandinsky painting run amok. But that being said, it’s really up to you and what you’re comfortable with or what effect you are trying to achieve. What are your thoughts on proportions of colors? Has this challenge made you think differently about unusual color combinations? What pairings have you come up with?

13 August 2010 – Turquoise Triad, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• T-shirt: French Connection
• Skirt: J. Crew
• Sash: somewhere in Paris
• Shoes: Ann Taylor
• Jewelry: gifts

Endnotes:

First I wanted to thank one of our readers for pointing us to this most helpful and interactive color wheel online called Color Scheme Designer. You can select a color and then have it generate the complementary, triad, split complementary, and analogous colors! I wish I’d been using this since the beginning of the challenge, but I will definitely get some use out of it in my daily dressing as well!

13 August 2010 – Turqouise Triad, originally uploaded by academichic.

I guess E., A., and I all needed to feel like superheroes this week with our blue-red-yellow triads. I do feel like my red sandals might have wings! When we started this challenge I knew that this yellow and orange scarf was going to come in handy seeing as how it was one of the few pieces I owned that covered that end of the color spectrum. However, it is pretty short and doesn’t lend itself well to being used as a belt. As E. discussed in her post the other day, getting things to stay wrapped around your head can sometimes be tricky, and many of you have come up with helpful tips. I decided that to break up this analogous pairing of blue and turquoise (which I think counts as blue-green) I would use this bright swath as a cummerbund of sorts and simply knot it in the back.

13 August 2010 – Knot, originally uploaded by academichic.

Perhaps not the most polished fastening, but definitely effective and looks great from the front! The scarf also has a turquoise edge, so my accessories and top both pull from that as well. This bracelet was a gift, and it is simply turquoise chunks on a red silk string. I love that turquoise jewelry is so fabulous that it really can stand on its own with very little embellishment and the delicious shade of blue can set off such a range of other colors.

13 August 2010 – Turqouise and Scarf, originally uploaded by academichic.

Finally, to complete the triad – red shoes! These little flat sandals from Ann Taylor were red enough to pop and yet strappy enough not to compete with the rest of the outfit.

Red Sandals, originally uploaded by academichic.

I usually shy away from anything with an ankle strap because it cuts the leg, and I need all the length and illusion of height I can get. Although, I think these might be changing my mind about that taboo. What are your thoughts on ankle straps on shoes?

28 July 2010 – Opposite Day, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Top: August Silk via Filene’s Basement
• Skirt: Banana Republic
• Belt: Banana Republic Outlet
• Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti Design via Filene’s Basement
• Bag: vintage (below)

Endnotes:

I have to admit that when I first was told about the color wheel challenge I thought smugly to myself “this will be easy because I already wear lots of bright clothes in fun combinations.” However, the more I looked at my closet and pondered contrasting colors and triads the more I realized that while when it comes to blues, purples, pinks and greens I have options, my wardrobe was severely lacking in reds, oranges, and yellows. I had recently purchased this red belt to add a pop to an outfit, but the orange shirt was completely out of my comfort zone. I decided that any purchase that was an experiment would be capped at $10, and fortunately this shirt was on sale for $9. As a natural redhead, I had grown up avoiding orange and red because of my hair, but recently I have discovered that by staying in the cooler tints of these colors (more towards a sienna or rusty umber rather than “safety orange” and deeper, blue or plum shades of red) I am able to incorporate these without looking like a pumpkin.

28 July 2010 – Opposite Day, originally uploaded by academichic.

I have been looking for fun red shoes for a while, but have yet to find the perfect pair of red flats. My philosophy is – when in doubt, wear metallic shoes because they go with everything. You can probably tell from the scuff marks on these that I wear them often. A tip for wearing flats in the summer, which some of you might already know, is before putting them on put a little baby powder in each shoe and knock it all around the inside. This absorbs some of the summer sweat so your foot doesn’t stick (and your shoes don’t smell). As for my other accessories, this bag was something I found in the attic at home, which is a treasure trove of vintage clothes, shoes, and accessories from my mother and grandmother. All-in-all I feel terrific about this outfit, and I am very excited that orange has made a summer debut in my wardrobe and complements not only my jean pencil skirt, but also my red hair! Do you have any colors that you were always told to avoid? How have you worked them into your outfits? What other out of your comfort zone or experimental pieces have you added to your wardrobe?

28 July 2010 – shoes and bag, originally uploaded by academichic.