February 24th, 2010 § §
Sources:
- Pink Button Down – J Crew
- Scarf – Old Navy
- Navy Skirt – J Crew
- Tights- BR Outlet
- Shoes – Anthropologie, via ebay
Endnotes:
In our last few days of scarf month I am taking on E.’s challenge to me to do a little pattern mixing, so I have paired this bold hot pink and paisley scarf with my bright pink pinstriped button down. I like the result of a business silhouette with such bold and daring colors and patters. I felt professional enough to teach and attend a job-search-committee meeting but I also think I brought a little extra life to both of these activities!
Now for a digression: This past weekend I took a group of students to an LGBT college leadership conference. I learned quite a bit and was reminded about many things I had learned long ago and have been excited to talk all about it with E. S. and lots of other people. But, here I want to reflect on how the whole conference experience, particularly the key note speakers and discussions with my students pushed me to think about clothing and self presentation.
While preparing to pack for the weekend I was struggling with what would be appropriate. E. asked me if I thought I would dress differently for such a specific crowd – LGBT college students. I think at some point in my life, I likely wold have chosen less “feminine” items and thought more about how I could easily convey lesbian through my appearance. I am now much more comfortable in both my sexuality and my physical appearance than I was back as an undergraduate, so that was not the issue (more on this later). Instead, I was caught up on the word “conference.”
These days conference conjures up some
pretty specific attire, but this was not an academic conference and I was not a presenter, yet I did want to be distinguishable as an advisor (not an undergraduate student) and was aware that I might make some professional connections. I ended up choosing
jeans with my wrap cardigan and skinny cords with a button down and was very happy with my choices all weekend.
Since this is getting so long already, I’ll save my next installment, in which I will suggest we are all dressing in drag, for tomorrow! In the mean time, I would love to hear for you. How much do you change your style depending on audience and situation? I’m not talking about the difference between pencil skirt for the office and jeans for the bar – but rather how do different crowds of people, and your desire to connect with them, influence your style? A.
Category: Beltless, Color Combinations, Mixing Patterns, Reaching New Heights, Skirting the Issue, Teaching Outfits, Theoretical
Tags: colors > gender > pink > professional > scarf > stripes
December 16th, 2009 § §
Sources:
- Black Sweater Vest – BR Outlet
- Black Henley – Gap
- Pink Button Down – J Crew
- Black Pants – Banana Republic
- Earrings – Gift
Endnotes:
Today I administered the final exam for my students. Apparently, this pink pinstriped shirt says “exam time” to me, as I just remembered I wore it for
last semester’s midterm too. I think I like it because its professional in style but a little more fun because of the bright pink. I have been wanting to wear
my black sweater vest again and apparently great minds think alike – S. and I both thought of the
button down/vest combo.
I layered the pink button down over a black henley so I could roll up the sleeves but still have a little extra warmth for the cold day and the cold classroom. I like the line of tiny buttons created by the three buttoned tops.
But my favorite part of the outfit, is by far these earrings. They were a gift from a professor I was a TA for years ago. I love wearing them with preppy professional looks as a surprising twist.
I’m not completely satisfied with how the pants work in this ensemble, but I do think the black on black keeps the outfit looking sleek. Hopefully I looked authoritative while simultaneously putting my students at ease.
Category: Beltless, Layers Upon Layers, Pants Please, Reaching New Heights, Teaching Outfits
Tags: academic fashion > colors > pattern > PhD fashion > pink > stripes
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
August 21st, 2009 § §
Sources:
All remixed
Endnotes:
Why I wore what I wore:
Being rather pleased with yesterday’s outcome, I decided to try another monochromatic non-neutral with a neutral base – purple, purple, purple! The necklace is one of the earrings S. gave me for being her “best woman” worn as a pendant. This is a remixed trick that lets me wear my favorite jewelry more often.
What I thought about as I wore it:
Last night I caught up with my childhood best friend, which was wonderful! She had heard through the family grapevine that I had a blog and had checked it out. While she was very complimentary, I have to admit my first instinct was to be embarrassed and that initial feeling has had me thinking all night and all day. My family knows about the blog, increasingly more friends know about it, and because it’s on the world wide web, more people with random connections to my non-blog life are discovering us. Yet, no one from my academic life (outside of S. and E. of course) know about the blog. Why? Because fashion and style are considered frivolous. We are suppose to be concerned with much more important things and I guess I assume professors and even colleagues would consider this a silly waste of time. Threadbared recently wrote a thoughtful and stimulating post on this very topic in which they also address the gendered and sexist aspects of academia’s fraught relationship with fashion.
I think as a feminist, my love of fashion might be further seen as contradictory. We begin to address this in our State of the Field and it is a topic the three of us continue to discuss amongst ourselves, but I would love to open this issue up to our always insightful readers.
My active involvement in the LGBT political and academic communities adds an extra layer of tension to self-styling. I find there are expectations for how I should physically present myself and often incorrect assumptions are made based on my appearance.
On our post on male academic style reader H. left a thought provoking comment about the gendered concerns of wearing an engagement ring in academia. What does our clothing and jewelry say to our colleagues and superiors about our commitment to our work, our politics, etc. While I don’t have an engagement ring, I would like to say that in regards to all of the above, I have tried to make it my policy that I will wear what makes me feel most comfortable and confidant, yet I have to admit I do often find myself wondering what my clothing says about me and hoping that the message I set out with is the one conveyed.
Do you feel pressure to look a certain way because of your job, your political leanings, your commitments to family or a particular community?
Do you find that colleagues or strangers make unfair or incorrect assumptions about you based on your style?
Category: Color Combinations, Our Best Flatware, Research Casual, Skirting the Issue, Theoretical
Tags: A. > belted > colors > floral > graduate school > monochrome > pattern > purple > style > summer style
July 31st, 2009 § §
We recently received this reader question in our inbox:
Can you wear grey pants in the summer?
Before I go ahead, is there any pointers you might have? Any help would be appreciated.
What a great question! Gray pants do have something fall or wintery about them and tend to be a rare item in summer fashion lines. However, if you have a beloved pair of gray trousers you want to keep wearing year-round, there are good ways to do that. Here are some clever outfit ideas from some of our favorite wardrobe_remixers on Flickr, who demonstrate just how to work that gray pant into your summer wardrobe:
blousier, originally uploaded by
Julie Mack.
The very stylish Julie Mack wears a medium gray pant with this soft pale blue blouse. The light color and fabric of the blouse lightens up the outfit all together, making the pants appear more summer appropriate as well.
Trick: Pair a more somber gray pant with a light and breezy summer blouse!
Mamichan, from whom we seem to draw endless style inspiration, wears her gray summer culottes with a darker top and flats. Although the hues are darker and the cuts more tailored, the pale gray of the pant as well as the just below the knee length make it an unmistakable summer outfit.
Trick: Choose a paler gray or a summer cut such as a culotte, capri, or cigarette pant!
Keeping it similarly light in hue, the lovely
Darling Dexter sports a pale gray trouser with a white top and short sleeved cardi. Once more, the lighter shade of gray makes it feel breezy and summery, while the white top and short sleeved cardi add to that light and airy look.
Trick: Pair a light gray pant with other pale colors for a soft and summery color palette!
Our own E. demonstrates how she made her gray trousers extend into the summer months by pairing them with a bright coral top. In this case, E.’s pant is a dark charcoal but can still look summery with the help of a bold and punchy color on top.
Trick: If you have a dark gray pant, play up the saturated color by adding a bright and bold top in coral, green, or magenta!
Category: Color Combinations, Pants Please, Q&A, Visiting Lecturer
Tags: academic fashion > colors > neutrals > summer style > what to wear
July 30th, 2009 § §
Sources:
All remixed
Red-Orange Cardigan – Gap
Teal Top - BR Outlet
Black Skirt – BR Outlet
Brown Belt – Ann Taylor
Brown Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW
Earrings – Gift
Brown Bag – China Town, NYC
Endnotes:
Much like yellow, I don’t own anything in true orange. Instead, I prefer the way a red-orange, rust-orange, or this more coral color, looks with my hair color and skin tone. I love all shade of blue and green, and particularly favor a good blue-green. Before these Fashion 101s, I would never have thought to pair this color with a shade of orange and still don’t feel completely myself in this outfit. I loved the way S. wore these complimentary colors on Monday and E’s version, also from Monday, so figured I should give it a try. To make it feel a bit more me, I am also mixing my neutrals!
Have you taken inspiration from any of our outfits and then made it your own? If so, send us a picture and tell us about it!
Category: Color Combinations, It's in the Bag, Office Hours, Reaching New Heights, Skirting the Issue, Teaching Outfits
Tags: A. > belted > cardigan > colors > complementary colors > green and orange > neutrals > professional > two-thirds color combination
July 29th, 2009 § §
Sources:
All remixed
Endnotes:
Today’s shades, purple and yellow, are true complimentary colors – straight form the crayon box. Purple is one of my favorite colors and I also really like the way it looks with my hair and skin tone. Yellow, however, is a whole other story! I like yellow on my walls, in my flowers, and in theory, I like it in my wardrobe too. In practice, it just isn’t for me. I have yet to find a shade of yellow that I am willing to wear near by face. When we first introduced these color challenges, I quickly identified some holes in my own closet color wheel and most of them were in the yellow to red family. I purchased some yellow bangles and let that complete any combinations that would require yellow.
Are there any colors that you love on other people or on the hanger but never on yourself?
Category: Beltless, Color Combinations, Our Best Flatware, Research Casual, Skirting the Issue
Tags: A. > academic fashion > cardigan > colors > complementary colors > pattern > purple > summer style
July 26th, 2009 § §
When we first explored the color wheel and experimented with various color combinations, we found it to be extremely helpful in lending us new eyes with which to see our wardrobes. This was so useful the first time around, that we decided to revisit the color modules and to challenge ourselves to a review session using our summer wardrobes. In our first review session we reexamined Neutrals and Neutrals with a Pop.
This week we will review Complementary Colors and the Two-Thirds Rule. To read more about this color mix lesson, click here…
» Read the rest of this entry «
Category: Color Combinations, Fashion 101
Tags: academic fashion > color theory > colors > complementary colors > summer style
July 18th, 2009 § §
We recently received a reader question regarding a destination wedding…
The rehearsal is a low country boil out doors on a beach, and the wedding itself is on the beach with a reception to follow within the resort. I can do beach wedding, but the issue is the reception. It is being held at a very formal, very southern resort, and one of the top ranked in the country.
A destination beach wedding sounds wonderful and we were so excited to brainstorm some outfit ideas for this event.
Since our reader’s dilemma was the transition from a more casual beach wedding to a formal indoor reception, we looked for dresses that could easily be dressed up or down. Here are some of our suggestions:
This J Crew dress comes with a under $50 price tag and is a gorgeous silk chiffon fabric in a beautiful “spiced wine” color. We love this for the deep rich hue and the flattering neckline. It could easily be made beach appropriate with flat sandals and a casual clutch, while switching to a pair of heels and adding a black or gray pashmina would make it reception formal.
This black and white floral Ann Taylor LOFT dress is another great casual-to-formal item. The knee length hemline and floral pattern make it casual and summery enough for a beach wedding, but the sophisticated black and white palette can quickly take it to evening formal.
We love the unique neckline of this Gianni Bini dress and the Grecian inspired feel of it. This one is guaranteed to make the wearer stand out! If you’re up for more of a splurge, be sure to check this one out at Dillards, along with the pages and pages of gorgeous dresses they have to offer.
Here are some tips for a successful beach-to-evening look:
- Look for shorter dresses with a looser cut (less tailored and more breezy)
- Plan for a change of footwear! Flat sandals for the beach and heels for the reception
- Brighter colors and prints are more easily made beach appropriate but can just as easily become formal as black or grays
- Look for silk or chiffon blends and avoid 100% cotton – it’s easier to dress down a silk-blend fabric than it is to dress up a cotton dress
- Add “evening” accessories like a black or charcoal pashmina to take the beach wedding dress to indoor formal
We hope that these suggestions provide you the inspiration to put together that stunning beach-to-evening outfit for the upcoming wedding! As always, we open the forum to the rest of you to chime in with your helpful advice. More ideas and suggestions are always welcome and much appreciated!
Category: Dresses for Evening, Night Without Grading, Q&A
Tags: colors > summer style > wedding style > what to wear
July 16th, 2009 § §
I am locked up in my office struggling to meet a writing deadline. So, instead of showing off my tee-shirt and sweats, I thought I would procrastinate and answer a few reader questions:
Grey vs. Gray:
In response to my “Shades of Grey Post” yesterday, Clare asked “Do you spell it grey or gray? Any particular reason?”
A few of you pointed out that grey is a colour and gray is a color, as in the former is the British spelling and the latter the American spelling. I did a quick little study and found that Banana Republic, Gap, and J Crew all use grey and gray interchangeably in their online catalogues. J Crew tends to use terms like “dark charcoal” “graphite” “slate” “heather cloud” and “mineral grey” – only proving my point that there are many wonderful shades of this color – whatever you call it!
Repeat Outfits:
After some very sweet comments about my J Crew Inspired outfit, ShopKim asked “in an effort to remix and keep the blog interesting, do you avoid duplicating outfits even though you loved it?”
The short answer is yes! I loved this ensemble and plan to replicated it exactly, right down to the shade of lipstick! I often wear similar combinations multiple times, but usually make at least a slight variation - a different pair of shoes, different layering pieces, different jewelry, etc. But, once in a while I manage to just hit the nail so perfectly on the head, the entire ensemble must be worn again. When this has happened in the past, I just don’t post a picture for that day. Thoughts on this?
The Summer Scarf:
Several of you asked me to report pack about how I felt wearing the scarf all day yesterday.
The scarf was great once I was inside the coffee shop, where air tends to be too high, and I needed to pull out a cardigan anyway. I did, however, find it too warm for my time spent outdoors. I love scarves and have a rather large collection of them. I can honestly say that I can’t wait for real scarf weather when I can out all of my favorite scarves back into rotation. But, I think until then, the will likely stay stored away.
We love getting your questions and suggestions. We have received a few that need more time to tackle and a large collaborative post from the Chics. In the next few weeks look for A Back to School Shopping Tutorial, What to Wear to A Beach Wedding, An Interview Style Workshop, and other reader-inspired posts. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or email us with your questions!
Finally, I leave you with this message from E.:
“Thank you all for your warm congratulations! We are doing well and I am just so delighted that baby e. is finally here. I’ll be slowly creeping back into the swing of things over the next few weeks, but right now I need to go stare at my beautiful son! -E”
- A
Category: Q&A
Tags: colors > fashion > scarf > scarves
24 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.
pink pattern on pink pattern!, originally uploaded by academichic.
24 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.
