Sources:

• Tank: J. Crew
• Cardigan: Banana Republic
• Necklace: South Moon Under
• Shorts: BR Outlet
• Shoes: BR

Endnotes:
I wore this to our last day of faculty meetings on Friday, and now that those are done, my grades are in, and my comments are written, I’m not totally sure what to do with myself. Being a boarding school teacher is a funny life because you’re 24/7 for 9 months, and then when the kids leave, there is this big hole left behind. Not that I don’t have hundreds of hours of sleep to catch up on and hundreds of books I’d like to read this summer… and at least a dozen that I have to read… but I miss the students and I miss being in my classroom everyday. Talking to grown-ups all the time is not nearly as fun as talking to 14, 15 and 16 year olds. Especially when talking to grown-ups means faculty meetings and trustee retreats!

About the outfit, it’s pretty neutral: navy, mustard, putty, and my favorite olive studded flats. In summer (and fall, and winter, and spring) I especially like to wear bright colors, so this is a very subtle palette for me. Maybe I was thinking that I’d blend in to the surroundings at the faculty meeting? Either way, this outfit does get me thinking about our up coming Dress Your Best weeks (starting next Monday!) because it showcases something I’m very proud of: my muscular legs. Start thinking about what you’ll be showing off!

Sources:

• Dress: Banana Republic outlet
• Sweater: BR outlet
• Belt: American Apparel
• Shoes: Pucci (gift from mom)

Endnotes:
That’s right – this week I had my last day of classes for the year, which means I’m almost done with my first year of teaching high school English!!! I remember at the beginning of the year when I was a) a new teacher b) training for a marathon and c) blogging for the first time and honestly I’m not sure how I got through all that. But, here we are, early June and I’ve survived – thanks in large part to the support of my friends (and co-bloggers) and family. Thank you to everyone who helped me through this year of massive transitions and first days – and that includes all of you who wrote encouraging comments! As our Dean of Faculty told me during the first week (when I may or may not have been crying in his office), “Every day is a first day in your first year of teaching.” And he’s right. Every time I stepped in my classroom this year, it was the first time I was teaching that lesson or discussing that book. As the year went on, I learned how to gauge my students more, and I could anticipate how each section was going to react to certain things and could begin to tailor things a little more. Having one year under my belt, as it were, makes me so excited for next year, when I’ll have a much better idea what to expect!

Anyway, back to the clothes. I wanted to wear something on my last day that would remind me how far I’ve come this year – and would include things that I love: anything pink and fabulous shoes. The base of this outfit is the same as what I wore on the first day of school. I switched in a bright green cotton cardigan for the turquoise one I ended up wearing the first day (not pictured), and moved my stretchy belt to the outside. This is definitely one of my matchy-matchy outfits since the pink and green are perfectly reflected in the pink and green of my fantastic satin Pucci flats.

The learning curve of a new teacher is pretty much exponential, and I feel so great coming out of this year with all the knowledge and ideas I’ve gained and cannot wait to implement new things for next year. I’m pretty sure that’s the best way possible to end a year – excited for the next year to come. Not that I’m not going to enjoy my summer. Oh, boy. Summer. Here I come! What are you all up to for the summer???

L.

Sources:

• Sweater: Clements Ribeiro
• Trousers: Banana Republic Factory Outlet
• Belt: J. Crew
• Scarf: Filene’s Basement
• Shoes: Steve Madden via DSW

Endnotes:
Grey and yellow, aka “grellow”, is not a new pairing by any means, but it is a new combination for me. Inspired by Audi of Fashion for Nerds as well as my cobloggers, I thought I’d give it a shot, and thus far I’m very happy with it. For my third to last day of school before spring break I thought a bright shot of sunny yellow would be appropriate and pulled out one of my favorite light-weight sweaters. My mom and sister got this for me at London Fashion Weekend in 2003, and though yellow has not traditionally been a big player in my wardrobe, the silk applique of the redheads and the bright colors made this sweater perfect for me. I threw on a purple infinity scarf to complement the yellow as well as to cover more of my neck since it’s still chilly here!

I love it, but because it is so distinctive I only wear it for special occasions or when I need a real pick-me-up. Seeing as how I am thisclose to spring break, I knew the yellow could carry me through until the weekend. I like how the yellow and grey play off of on another, and I think a key to wearing this combo is make sure that the tint is the same (i.e. the same level of lightness or darkness despite the difference in color/hue). Audi’s lemon yellow pairs nicely with a light heathery grey and E.’s saffron/marigold colored sweater looks great with her darker grey skirt.

Since I enjoyed the tucked in cardigan look I tried last week, I thought I’d do it again and wear a bright belt. I like how this looked and the only thing that I didn’t like was that these trousers are a little big on me, so I looked pretty rumpled on my bottom half. I love these little flats and they looked surprisingly good with darker grey stockings. What fun outfits are keeping you going until spring comes?

~L.

Sources:

• Dress (as skirt): thrifted (J. Crew)
• Shirt: Banana Republic
• Scarf (as belt): thrifted (Smithsonian)
• Tights: Target
• Shoes: Ciao Bella via DSW
• Necklace: gift

Endnotes:
This is a variation on something I wore in early January and is an example of one of the amazing things that a belt can do: turn a dress into a skirt! I thrifted this grey J. Crew dress and thought that I wasn’t going to be able to wear it until the spring because it was a) short and b) the ruffle around the neck made it hard to wear anything over it. I decided that the short factor would be at least slightly mitigated by same color tights, but the ruffle was baffling me. I searched for something that had a big enough scoop neck that the ruffle, at least in front, could peek out and was loose enough in the back that the ruffle there wouldn’t look too weird. To make my dress into a skirt I tucked the loose ends of my shirt into a scarf I tied like an obi belt and voila!

I also liked how the teal necklace complemented the pink shirt, and the layering with the ruffle was definitely attention getting as I even got two compliments from colleagues! I had a lot going on up top so the all grey bottom and black flats were more muted.

I’m happy that this super comfy dress has the potential to be winterized. Next time I think I’ll try something under it to see if the jumper look works. With a fresh 4-inches of snow last night it doesn’t look like I’ll be breaking out the spring clothes for a while yet! How have you winterized more springy dresses?

~L.

• Blue Button Down – J Crew
• Orange Skirt – J Crew
• Belt – Anthropologie
• Tweed Tights – Gap
• Shoes – Urban Outfitters
• Earrings – gift

Endnotes:

Yesterday was my first day of teaching for the Spring semester.  I loved my first day of school outfit from last Spring semester (so much so, I included it in my top ten list).  So, I decided to use some of the elements form that look to create something new.  I pulled out my bright orange wool skirt and tweed tights to start.  I wanted to keep the bold complimentary color pairing of orange and blue and retain some of the classic prep look the crew neck cardigan gave the original.

Inspired by another of my top ten picks, I decided to belt my tuxedo-front blue button down.  The central items in this ensemble are fairly “safe”  but the bright colors, particularly this combination of bright colors gave the outfit more personality.

This time around I decided to take that personality and run with it…

Anthropologie Belt, originally uploaded by academichic.

Instead of a simple brown leather belt, I opted for this blue cloth belt with its sparkly leaf pattern (a Christmas gift from my mom).  I also sported my fantastically strange eye earrings (a long-ago gift from a favorite TA supervisor).  I love these earrings because from far away they are just brown dangly earrings, but as someone approaches they see the little surrealist eyes staring at them.  The first time I wore these earrings in a professional setting was at the College Art Association conference several yeas ago.  I got a good mix of strange looks and gushing compliments.  I now often use them as a subtle way to make an otherwise bland professional outfit my own and can imagine wearing them with my interview suit (I’ll be applying to teach contemporary art after all).

Eye Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

This outfit was of course far from bland professional even with out the eye earrings.  On my short walk from my off-campus parking spot to the building where I teach I passed three former students and I got to thinking about how long I have been a TA (this is my 8th semester at my current university and my 14th all together) and it occurred to me that this may possibly be my last!  My funding is still very much undetermined, but it is a feasible possibility that I might finish my degree with grant money and never TA again!  This got me reflecting on my outfit.  Would I have worn bright orange and blue, a sparkly belt, eye earrings and my wellies (I wore them to walk to campus and never managed to put the pumps back on) for the first day of my first semester as a TA?  Probably not.  There are many reasons for that, including an evolving personal style, a growing level of confidence in my personal appearance, among other things, but it also has to do with my confidence in myself as a teacher.  I know I am a good teacher and so I worry less about what exactly my clothes are saying to my students.

Have you had similar experiences?  Once you are more confident in your job do you find yourself being more bold in your style choices?

Sources:

Both:

• Chocolate Skinny Cords – Gap Outlet
• Teal Cardigan – Banana Republic

Day (4):

• Pink Paisley Scarf – Old Navy
• Boots – Banana Republic

Evening (7):

• Blue and Green Paisley Scarf – Echo
• Wool Pumps – Urban Outfitters
• Earrings – F21

Endnotes:

While E. was taking (and I have no doubt rocking) her comprehensive exam yesterday, I had the pleasure of spending the day with baby e.!  I chose my chocolate brown cords (which keep showing up as black in all the photographs) a warm cardigan, colorful scarf, and my black wellies.  My bright two-thirds color scheme of blue and pink and baby e.’s yellow jacket made us into quite the walking triad!

The outfit was perfect for reading books, playing with stacking cups on the floor, exploring the backyard, walking to and playing at the park.  (note: it’s labeled 4 of 30 because last week in my application daze I skipped from outfit 3 to 5).

By swapping out just a few elements, this ensemble went from ideal for a play date with e. to casual dinner-date ready.

I traded one paisley scarf for another and my wellies for my olive flannel pumps, touched up my makeup, added a pair of earrings, and was ready to go!  This version is rather matchy-matchy with the scarf matching both the olive of my shoes and the bright blue of my sweater. I love wearing these earrings and scarf together because they almost match but don’t, which I think is supposed to be a no-no of pattern mixing — well, just call me a pattern mixing rebel!  A.

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?

30 July 2010 – Complements, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Top: thrifted
• Cardi: Target
• Shorts: Ann Taylor
• Ring: c/o Lala B Jewelry
• Sandals: Jeffrey Campbell, via Rue La La

End Notes:

In the last few days I went to New York, sans camera, for a whirlwind two and a half day dissertation research trip. I overlapped with A. for half a day, came home, and am now about to embark on a road trip to somewhere-in-Oklahoma for a family reunion with my in-laws. I will say, though, that take-offs and landings (and the very long lead up to both wherein you are not allowed to have tray tables down or lap tops out) is prime outfit-planning time.

I really struggled with putting together a complementary color scheme though, which is a little unexpected since I have worn them before, even when it’s not part of a challenge week. For some reason, though, I was really having a hard time. I think part of the problem was that I initially wanted to stay away from saturated complementary colors and instead play with complements in softer hues: lavender and yellow or peach and blue or something like that.

But you know what? Let’s be honest, I’m a saturated color kind of girl, and I know that I can wear mustard and royal purple well separately…so why not together? I’ll tell you why. Purple and gold are pretty quintessential school colors. Eep. No one wants to walk around looking like a college mascot. Still, I think the ruffles on the purple top and the play of proportion with a longer top and cropped cardigan, keep things from looking too school spirit-y.

La La B Ring, originally uploaded by academichic.

Jeffrey Campbell Sandals, originally uploaded by academichic.

Plus, school mascots don’t wear chunky rings and cutout wedge sandals, right?

Is there a color combination you now avoid because it brings back memories of school colors? Or rival school colors, I suppose.

30 July 2010 – Complements, 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.

Sources:

• Grey Jacket – Banana Republic
• Cardigan – Banana Republic
• Cinnamon Pencil Skirt – J Crew
• Tights – Gap
• White Scarf – sister M.’s
• Wedges – Kenneth Cole, via DSW
• Earrings – Gift
• Blue Tote – Emilie M., via T.J. Maxx

Endnotes:

This is what I wore for the first day of school on Tuesday.  I was introduced to my students, had a meeting with faculty, and some campus walking to do.

peep toes and tights, originally uploaded by academichic.

Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

Blue Tote, originally uploaded by academichic.

First Day of School, 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.