10 May 2010 – Dressing My Waist

Posted on | May 10, 2010 | 21 Comments

10 May 2010 – Dressing My Wasit, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Blue Button Down – J Crew
Jeans – Banana Republic
Black Cami – Gap
Black Belt- NY & Co
Black Heels – DSW
Bracelets – gifts from S. and S.’s Mom

Endnotes:

I have a belt obsession. It’s no secret. I will belt anything and everything. I love to belt. But, here’s the thing, belts look good on me. I belt to emphasize my waist, which is one of the best parts of my body. I have a soft spot for button down shirts – it’s something about the classic simplicity of them – but they are not usually the most flattering on me. Much like I did with my boxy button-up blouse a few weeks ago, I left this shirt unbuttoned, crossed it over, and belted it around the smallest part of my waist. I’m quite pleased with the effect.

Tow added bonuses: the bright blue of this shirt makes my blue eyes pop and these dark skinny jeans combined with black pointy-toed heels make my legs look long and slim. I’m planning to dress for both of these features later this week, but I am unabashedly claiming them all as good parts in one post!

I am a little concerned that these jeans may be creeping into jeggings territory – but, that’s for another post.

10 May 2010 – Dressing My Wasit, originally uploaded by academichic.

1 July 2009 – Midweek Casual

Posted on | July 1, 2009 | 8 Comments

1 July 2009 – Midweek Casual , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Plaid button down – AE, thrifted
Red tank – ON, remixed
Navy bermudas – Old Navy
Flats – Palladium, remixed

Endnotes:

Today is just one of those days. I’m not feeling particularly motivated to put on a dress or accessories, I probably won’t leave the house (I’m doing loads of laundry after our trip and working on my dissertation proposal from home), and I just want to be comfortable. But as you’ve all noted before; it just feels so much better when you get dressed even on those kind of days. If you follow Heather Armstrong on Dooce, then you may have read her recent post on how she managed to shower, get dressed, AND put on mascara (she just gave birth a couple of weeks ago, so she is rather sleep deprived and preoccupied with her new baby). She mentions how this small act of self grooming made her feel like she “could crush solid granite with [her] hands”!

Because I also subscribe to the school of “getting dressed even when you don’t feel like it”, I still put on non-pajama clothes even when I might not see anyone or leave the house all day. That’s when I reach for old-faithful – the comfy button down shirt - and a pair of pants or shorts. It helps to have a go-to outfit, something you know you’ll feel good in and can just throw on and be done. To me, it makes a huge psychological difference to get dressed and put on make-up even when I could spend the day in sweats and with unwashed hair. (I may not quite feel like I could crush granite but that may change once I add a baby to the mix). S.

29 May 2009 – Plaid Shirt Three Ways

Posted on | May 29, 2009 | 8 Comments

Plaid Shirt, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed but borrowed shirt:

Plaid shirt – Urban Outfitters, on loan from weardrobe!
Purple Cardigan – Gap Outlet
Skinny Jeans – Gap Outlet
Flats - Old Navy
Earrings – gift from E.

May 2009 – Plaid button down, originally uploaded by academichic.

All remixed but borrowed shirt:

Plaid button down – Urban Outfitters, on loan from weardrobe !
Khaki shirt dress – Target
Brown woven belt – F21
Yellow pumps - Gianni Bini

Endnotes:

We have been so lucky to get so many wonderful items on loan from the weardrobe closet. The concept behind the closet is that you get to see how other stylish people wear the same item in many different ways, and you help “inspire fashion creativity”. We here at academichic love the idea behind this since we’re always looking to each other and other style bloggers for inspiration.

We all tried our hand at the versatile Possibilities sweater from Anthropologie, and yesterday, E. and A. both showed how they rocked the same plaid tunic in different ways. A. and I also experimented with this cute plaid button down from Urban Outfitters, which I wore under my khaki shirtdress and she paired with her cuffed skinnies and purple cardi. We both used boldly colored shoes to emphasize the bright and beautiful shades of purple and pink in the shirt pattern, while using the neutral of the khaki and jeans to add balance to the outfits.

It looks like we weren’t the only ones who thought that this brightly colored top deserved an equally bright and fun shoe to go with it. Fellow style blogger Jess of What I Wore styled this same shirt a couple of weeks ago, and we just love the fun gold sandals she paired with it:

may 16 outfit 2, originally uploaded by Midwest Jess.

One shirt, so many options! It’s easy to fall into a habit of wearing the one item in your closet in the same way with the same color combination over and over, so this style experiment has been a great reminder that even something as basic as a button down can go a long way in creativity and versatility. Thanks, Jess, for providing a third and fabulous example of how this item can be worn! S.