academichic

Sources:

• Dress: Motherhood Maternity
• Necklace: consignment store
• Sandals: Jeffrey Campbell

End Notes:

One guess as to what I’m celebrating as my “best” today.

All that’s changed in the past year, of course, as I’m come to really, really love stripes. Maybe I’m just a late-bloomer like that. And now look, I’m wearing stripes when seven months pregnant. ALL OVER MY BODY.

As S. has already expressed, the rapid changes that your body goes through during pregnancy can be emotionally trying. It’s hard to see a body that you know transform into something that you don’t always recognize when you catch glimpses of yourself in a window or mirror. Being pregnant a second time is a different ballgame in the sense that I have some expectations of what could happen…but no guarantee that things will be at all the same. My hips are a little more sore, my face seems puffier to me, and chasing a toddler around while also carting pregnancy weight is exhausting.

But this time I also have the benefit of knowing what comes next: a child to cherish and nurture.

So I adore this dress. I love that it hugs all of my pregnancy curves. I love that it’s graphic and modern. I love that it makes me feel hip and proud to be pregnant. This isn’t a dress that everyone will love (either on themselves or on me, for that matter), but it’s helping me dress my best with a little sense of humor and a whole lot of confidence.

Sources:

• Coral tank: Target
• Maxi dress: Forever 21 (my “reserve” dress for my mini capsule wardrobe)
• Sandals: Jeffrey Campbell, via Gilt
• Necklace: Fig and Ginger

End Notes:

You may be a bit baffled by this post’s title: how is wearing a purple maxi dress and bright coral tank top particularly amenable to “fitting in” in a crowd? Or, at least, a crowd in the Midwest. It’s not, really. I was the only pregnant, maxi dress-wearing, color-blocking lady I saw all day. But you see, there was another element to this outfit: my now-ubiquitous summer hat.

And, apparently, if you want to commune with other hat-wearers, then the place to do that is on a weekday morning walk through the local botanical gardens. There were a LOT of straw hats to be seen there, from wide-brimmed floppy hats to fedora-style hats to tie-beneath-the-chin hats. I felt like a “real” garden-walker in my hat, rather than — as is sometimes the case when I wear my hat around the neighborhood — that odd pregnant hat lady. (Not that the latter has stopped me…it’s just nice to occasionally feel sartorially relevant.)

It’s also a great place to go if you’re almost-two and want to feed really large koi.

P.S. For those counting, this is outfit number ten of my 15 for 15.

Sources:

• Tank: Target
• Skirt: thrifted as a dress, chopped into a skirt
• Belt: swapped with A.
• Necklace: consignment shop
• Shoes: Banana Republic

End Notes:

Very Well-Known Bloggers like Kendi, Jessica, and Christine have all been wearing coral frequently this year, and I apparently have drunk the pinky-yet-orange Kool-aid, too.

In fact, I have yet to find a color combination involving coral — whether pale or saturated — that I don’t like.

And given this dusty purple + coral pairing it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Are you on the coral bandwagon? What combinations are you loving right now?

P.S. In case you’re counting, this is outfit number 7 from my capsule wardrobe of 15 pieces.

Sources:

• Jacket: Banana Republic Factory
• Necklace: Tilly Bloom
• Tank: Target
• Belt: from another dress
• Skirt: thrifted
• Shoes: Ralph Lauren, via Macy’s

End Notes:

Remember this thrifted midi-length skirt? I am really, truly in love with it now. Really, there’s something about the diaphanous nature of this skirt that makes walking seem inadequate. I wanted to glide, to float, to skip, or to twirl.

But, since today was a teaching day and twirling needed to be tempered with some authority, I grounded the outfit with a structured jacket and architectural platform wedges. Then, as a sly wink to my students, I added in my little Victorian-cat-in-a-dress necklace. It is, after all, the end of the semester.

Midi-length skirts are legendary for being “difficult to wear.” I’m not an expert on different body shapes, and I’ve grown increasingly skeptical of “rules” that limit the kinds of silhouettes I “should” wear. What I do know, though, is that when I wear this skirt it feels like a playful vintage throwback and it has significant mood-lifting capabilities. I can do that.

For those who might be toying with the idea of trying a midi skirt, the prevailing advice relating to wearing midi’s is to pair them with tall shoes. I have to say that, thus far, I agree with this general rule of thumb as it helps prevent visual stumpage (though I can also imagine wearing this skirt with flat boots as a transitional outfit into fall). To this wisdom, I would add that drapier, floatier materials, like this one, also seem like a wise choice, not only because they make for better twirling, but because the lightness of the fabric balances the overall volume at hand. I think that a hem length like this is the kind of thing where you just have to try something on at different lengths and with different shoes, while being willing to surrender the idea that this is going to make you look as tall as you can possibly be.

And, you know, if it doesn’t work out, then you won’t have to avert your eyes when, in ten years, the above and below photos stand a good chance of looking utterly dated and ridiculous. Ah, an ephemeral AND diaphanous skirt. Fitting.

Sources:

• Jacket: Banana Republic Factory
• Tank: Old Navy Maternity
• Necklace: consignment store
• Trousers: Loft Maternity, via eBay
• Shoes: Steve Madden

End Notes:

Folks, I speak from experience. Pregnancy and a stomach virus are not a great combination. Furthermore, pregnancy, recovering from a stomach virus, and caring for your spouse who has also succumbed to said virus, along with as your toddler, who, while remaining healthy thus far is considered toxic to most babysitting situations, is a tough combination as well. Still, we are all alive and eating bland food and drinking fluids. Yesterday was my first day on campus this week, and I wanted to look…not like I just got over the stomach flu.

There is something so disheartening about going back to work after recovering from an illness and having people cluck and coo, “Oh, you look AWFUL!” So, to disguise my still somewhat ashen pallor and to trick myself into thinking that I am full of energy, I decided to just throw on the most jubilant of colors and bank on the effects of reflected light.

I was so drawn to this jacket when I got it at an end of season clearance. I love it closed and cropped, open and floppy, or with extra wide lapels. Is it the most versatile jacket in my wardrobe? No. But it might be the happiest.

I also love all of the “almost matching” going on here: a hot red-orange jacket, coral beads, and magenta pumps. It’s enough to keep things cohesive but still spicy. And in the midst of all the rice and applesauce and crackers I’ve been eating lately, I’ll take spicy wherever I can find it. What do you wear when you want to avoid the post-illness doldrums?

So here is the last of my Banana Republic outfits – a casual yet fun look that I’d wear for drinks out with friends (were I not pregnant and able to drink…). This outfit started with those denim leggings I already raved about and an eye on this ruffle trimmed jacket. I knew I wanted a bright pop of color inbetween so I picked up this punchy coral top. I kept everything but the coral silk top in muted greens and blues and just let the coral do the talking. (This, by the way, is the same silk top that E. styled in navy here).

Although this outfit is pretty simple, I love all the details that make it special – the ruffle trim on the jacket, the lace trim on my cami, the darker silk trim on the coral top, and of course, the snakeskin clutch and awesome green leather platform wedges.

There is a lot of coral in Banana Republic’s Spring line and I for one love it. I bought the beautiful coral and navy scarf that A. styled in this outfit and have already worn it a bunch this week. I would have bought more from their Spring line if my body weren’t in a stage of (pregnancy) transition. As it is, it was fun to make outfits work for me in a non-maternity store despite my growing midsection. It’s how I’ve been approaching getting dressed with the things in my own closet – trying to make the most of non-maternity items by thinking creatively – and this experiment with a non-maternity capsule wardrobe at Banana Republic just served to remind me that I can do a lot with the things I already own at home from my pre-pregnancy days.

Here is where you can find the silk top, the jacket, the denim leggings, the t-strap wedges, and the clutch I wore.

Sources:

• Trench – vintage, was my grandmother’s
• Purple top – Target
• Red tank – Old Navy
• Red cardi – thrifted
• Jeans – “Flirt” jean from Old Navy
• Flats – Palladium
• Green tote – Kenneth Cole
• Scarf – thrifted in Munich
• Pendant – Sigrid Olsen, thrifted

Endnotes:

I’m wrapping up red cardi week and getting ready to allow other cardigans back in my life. For this last incarnation, I’m going for one of my favorite analogous color combinations: red and purple. I opted for a red and purple color block effect to add a bit of color to a simple weekend ensemble of jeans, flats, a trench coat and a tee + cardi mix.

Analogous , originally uploaded by academichic.

So I’m sure that you’ve noticed by now, that I wore this same red cardi all week. I decided to do this in an impromptu attempt to celebrate Spring finally gracing us with its presence. What better way to relish the nice weather than by wearing one of my favorite Spring time items in a favorite color?

Many a style guides will tell you that a simple cardigan in a neutral is a ‘must have’ for any capsule wardrobe. While I agree that a charcoal, dark brown, or black cardi will likely never be amiss, I think it’s much more fun to have a solid colored cardi in a color you truly love. E. has a wine colored cardi that she’s named as part of her capsule wardrobe must-haves, and A. has found wonderful ways to create many an outfit with her pale blue one. If you were to choose a non-neutral cardigan with which to build a ‘basics’ wardrobe, which color would you love to have? (My second favorite one is a purple one that also gets much wear and were I to add a new one to the mix: how about a pretty coral?) S.

And now for the week in recap. . .

12 August 2009 – Game Face, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Coral cardigan: BR Outlet
• Gray nursing cami: Target
• Gray bermudas: thrifted, chopped by me
• Red wedges: Naturalizers, via DSW
• US Soccer scarf (below)

End Notes:

I’m trying out an analogous color combination today: red-orange and red. Prior to our color modules, I thought that such a close match on the color wheel would be a clashing fashion faux pas. Now, though, I’ve decided that it’s all about having the confidence to claim it. The last thing you’d expect with a coral top is a bright red wedge, but that’s what makes it fun.

Really, though, I have another way to add a true red to my coral cardi: the US Men’s National Team soccer scarf. Because, yes, I am a football fan and today is a big game for us, a World Cup qualifier against Mexico in Mexico City. Here’s hoping that the USMNT’s back line plays as tightly as an analogous color combination.

12 August 2009 – Game Face, originally uploaded by academichic.

10 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Brown ruffle top – J.Crew
• Embroidered skirt – Talbots, borrowed from mom
• Pink cami – BR, remixed
• Black wedges – Connie, thrifted, remixed
• Purse – Garage sale, remixed
• Coral earrings – gift from dad

Endnotes:

After yesterday’s more clean-cut preppy look, I needed a good dose of floral and whimsy in my outfit today. So I borrowed this beautifully embroidered skirt from my mom and build an outfit around it.

To allow the skirt to shine as the centerpiece, I completed the look with a variety of neutrals. Now I’m well aware that many a fashion critic will argue that black and brown do not belong together, but I beg to differ. I subscribe to the Stacy and Clinton school of thought, which states that neutrals are neutrals because they go with everything, including each other. Thus, I have no problem with wearing a brown top and brown purse with black shoes.

What about you? How closely do you follow that old adage of not mixing black and brown? S.