29 August 2009

Posted on | August 30, 2009 | 16 Comments

29 August 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All Remixed

Floral Print Halter Dress- Old Navy
Black Halter Top – Old Navy
Brown Belt – BR Outlet
Brown Wedges – Kenneth Cole, via DSW
Wooden Earnings – New York and Company
Wooden Beads – Hawaii Souvenir
Wooden Bangles – Gift from S.
Woven Clutch – Eddie Bauer
Flower Pin – Blue Onion Marketplace

Endnotes:

Last night, A2 and I attended a luau-themed wedding shower. When I heard we were expected to dress for a luau, I immediately rolled my eyes, but then I remembered this dress and actually had some fun building this chic luau ensemble.

I have worn this dress before with the black halter and with black accessories (earrings, belt, shoes, and clutch), but this time I decided to work with the mix of black, cream and tan in the floral print and add brown accessories. I think nothing says island like wooden jewelry, and in fact the necklace came from a trip to Hawaii several years ago.

I think the woven clutch also has a bit of an island feel, but since I used it to create a safari look not long ago, I decided to add my Blue Onion Marketplace flower pin to make it feel more luau appropriate. I wasn’t sure how this idea would transfer form over-sized woven tote to small woven clutch, but I actually loved the end result and am glad to have found yet another way to use these great flower pins.

Flower Clutch, originally uploaded by academichic.

30 June 2009

Posted on | June 30, 2009 | 12 Comments

30 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Brown tank – J.Crew, remixed
Jersey dress – BR Outlet
Brown woven belt – F21, remixed
Gladiator wedges – Target, remixed
Bangle – Big Lots, remixed

Endnotes:

As much fun as our road trip was, it’s now back to reality and back to work. On our drive home yesterday, I complied my to-do list for the week and today I’m at the library and dutifully tackling it. After a week of much sitting in a car, it felt great to hop on my bike and pedal to campus. And increasingly a believer in the Velocouture movement, I’m seeing that you really can wear what you’d wear regularly and still bike commute. I wanted to wear this summery jersey dress today and my gladiator wedges and I was not to be deterred by my mode of transportation.

I know I’ve said this before, but one of my main concerns about biking was that I would have to change the way I dress and to sacrifice my style in order to do so. Fortunately, there are a growing number of chic cycle blogs like Lets Go Ride a Bike (no, really, check out this post!), Girls and Bicycles, and all of the Sartorialist-style bike blogs I listed in my previous posts here that showed me otherwise! So with laptop (in my back basket) and iced coffee in tow, I was out the door and to the library, where – if you’ll excuse me – I really should get to work now. S.

14 June 2009

Posted on | June 15, 2009 | 4 Comments

14 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Flower Dress – Old Navy
Black Halter – Old Navy
Woven Belt – Thrifted, remixed
Black Sandals – H & M, remixed
Earrings – Hand-Me-Down from sister M., remixed
Yellow Bangles – Gap Outlet, remixed

Endnotes:

After spending most of the weekend working, I was ready for a nice evening out. The weather was beautiful last night, so we decided to enjoy dinner and Margarita’s on the patio of a local Mexican restaurant.

I purchased this dress on sale at Old Navy a couple weeks ago, but as it isn’t exactly teaching-appropriate, I haven’t had much of a chance to wear it. I was a little uncomfortable with the skin-exposure, so put a black halter tank under the dress (a favorite trick of mine), which I think also gave the cotton, summery day-dress more of an evening feel. The black accessories further helped to elevate the elegance of this ensemble. The belt was a necessary addition for changing the empire waist to a high waist — a much more flattering silhouette for me. -A

Back, originally uploaded by academichic.

16 May 2009 – Sisters!

Posted on | May 17, 2009 | 6 Comments

16 May 2009 – Sisters!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

On E.:

Gray dress: Banana Republic Outlet, remixed
Orange scarf: Target, remixed
Orange pumps: Dolce Vita, via solestruck, remixed

On H.:

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft
Belt: Talbots
Sandals: Target

On L.:

Navy blue dress with neck ruffle: Old Navy
Beaded sandals: Target

End Notes:

My youngest sister-in-law, H., graduated this weekend from high school and we flew to Houston to celebrate her accomplishments as an outstanding scholar and decorated athlete. She is also very well dressed, and since that was not recognized in the graduation festivities proper, I thought it was worth mentioning here. I love that she wore a traditional color — white — for graduation, but in such a modern way. The graphic cut of the lace overlay, the breezy shape of the dress, and the brown leather accessories keep it all fresh and young.

L., who is a sophomore in college, was also looking cute in her short navy blue linen-blend dress. The ruffle detail at the collar made the simple, easy shape more feminine and her bright beaded sandals added a fun punch of color and texture.

I love these girls and I know they are going to make fantastic aunts for my little one!

16 May 2009 – It’s a Bump, originally uploaded by academichic.

One sister-in-law wasn’t able to make it to graduation, but hopefully she’ll be the feature of a guest post in a few weeks when she comes to help me prepare for the baby…

16 May 2009

Posted on | May 16, 2009 | 7 Comments

16 May 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Khaki shirt dress – Target
Green tee – H&M
Purple cord skirt – AE, remixed
Red-orange belt – Gap, remixed
Orange gladiators – AE, remixed
Wood and leather necklace – AE

Endnotes:

Ever since I thrifted this orange shirt dress a while ago (and realized how wonderfully versatile they are), I’ve been on the look out for another shirt dress in a neutral color to add to my wardrobe. Ideally, I wanted one in navy or black, I’m not really a khaki wearer. But when I found this one for $8 on clearance at Target, I decided that I was willing to compromise. Added persuasion factor: it was the last one left and in my size. It was meant to be.

And the khaki color does make it feel somewhat Safari-ish, which is one of this spring’s looks, so who am I to fight it? I think the wooden and leather necklace along with the French braid also add to the Safari-ish feel. Although, what I’m more excited about is that I’m wearing a triad (a rare but always fun color combo!).

Wood and leather necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

And while I’m thrilled about my new shirt dress, the triadic color combo of today’s outfit, and the BBQ graduation party I’m going to this afternoon, what’s I’m most thrilled about is that I completed my third and final comprehensive exam and I am done with all of my requirements but my dissertation! I’m not quite ABD* (since I still have to get my dissertation proposal written and approved), but I, along with A., am now ABP! I couldn’t be happier about this! S.

*ABD = All But Dissertation (and yes, that’s official terminology although it sounds silly).

**ABP = Coined by E. and stands for All But Prospectus, which is where A. and I both are in our academic career right now.

16 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

26 April 2009

Posted on | April 26, 2009 | 8 Comments

26 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Dress – Sam and Max, via TJMaxx
Sandals – Target, remixed
Turquoise earrings – Ann Taylor, remixed

Endnotes:

We’re having some gorgeous weather here in the Midwest and it’s a bag of mixed blessings. One the one hand, it will be wonderful to enjoy the sunshine at our annual end of the semester department picnic in the park this afternoon. On the other hand, laying in the sun for half the day, seeing everything in bloom, and having the outdoors beckon to me makes it pretty darn difficult to focus on work precisely at the time of the semester when it’s most crucial.

So today I’m accepting that I’ve lost the battle and instead of fighting the weather, I’m joining it; I’ve put on my most flowery and summery dress to match the outdoors and the park that is so wonderfully in bloom. S.

26 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Print close-up, originally uploaded by academichic.

21 April 2009

Posted on | April 21, 2009 | 9 Comments

21 April 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Teal jersey dress – BR Outlet
Green cami – BR Outlet, remixed
Navy jacket – Forever 21, remixed
Black belt – thrifted, remixed
Velvet flats – J. Vincent, remixed
Statement necklace – From Kimberly’s giveaway!

Endnotes:

This week we’re experimenting with style trends and how we adapt them to fit our wardrobes. One Spring 2009 trend that is showing up everywhere is the statement necklace. Kimberly rocks the statement jewelry quite often and lucky for me, I won her statement necklace giveaway, scoring this fabulous piece that I am wearing today! Thank you, Kimberly!

Statement Necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

I love the color of this necklace and, incidentally, I just found this jersey dress at the Banana Republic Outlet that matches the necklace color perfectly. I think this would make for a killer evening look; the necklace, the dress, a great pair of heels, and perhaps a pashmina draped over the shoulders.

But alas, it’s the end of the semester and all I’m seeing these evenings is the screen of my computer and the pages of my books. I still wanted to adapt this look to fit my life right now and so I styled it for a day of teaching and meetings on campus. By adding a flat shoe (this is also by necessity since it’s only day two post-marathon) and a fitted jacket, the statement necklace and dress combo become business-casual and day-wear ready! S.

21 April 2009 – Day wear ready, originally uploaded by academichic.

15 April 2009

Posted on | April 15, 2009 | 14 Comments

15 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Leaf dress – Banana Republic, remixed
Teal cami – Banana Republic
Red-orange belt – Gap, remixed
Grey wedges – Report, via Solestruck.com, remixed
Earrings – gift

Endnotes:

I am jumping on the clavicle band wagon and saying that I also love my collarbone. I think the area around a woman’s neck and shoulders is extremely beautiful and the right kind of garment can beautifully emphasize that. I like to feature my clavicle as soon as the weather permits; once it’s warm enough, I love a scoop neck, a deep v-neck, a surplice top, or a halter to show off those bones and shoulders.

15 April 2009 – Up close and personal, originally uploaded by academichic.

The clavicle is also special to me because it’s the only bone I’ve ever broken. As a baby, I rolled off the bed while my mother was changing me and broke my collarbone. I of course have no recollection of this, but it’s the only tale I can offer when people compare ‘war scars’ and broken bone gore. It’s also comforting to know that a bone I broke as an infant is now a part I really appreciate for its aesthetic appeal – it points to the amazing healing ability of the body, and as I mentioned yesterday, I love to love things for both their form and function. S.

Earring detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

How to Creatively Restyle Dress Belts

Posted on | March 29, 2009 | 9 Comments

We are all big fans of wearing day dresses, and our combined closets boast quite a few dresses with tie belts. We have found that a great way to remix these dresses and to give them a different look is by adding a cardigan (also a good way to break up an all-over pattern).

The problem with putting a cardigan over a dress with a tie is that you can easily end up with an unwanted bulge around your waist. If you simply remove the tie, you loose the waist defining benefits it can provide. After some experimentation, we have found that one of our favorite looks is to wear the tie on the outside of that cardigan. Doing so maintains the figure-flattery of a belt and helps to pull a whole outfit together.

We have had a few reader questions about how we create this look — literally how we get the tie on the outside of the cardigan — and we’re happy to offer a handy photo tutorial.

If the tie is detachable (not sewn into place) you obviously just remove the tie and wrap it around the cardigan at whatever point of your waist you want to emphasize as S. did with this great geometric print dress. The added benefit of the detachable tie is that it can then be used with other outfits to add a pop of color or pattern or to simply add definition.

Now, if the belt is sewn into the dress itself, things get a bit more complicated!

The below step-by-step applies to dresses with ties attached to the back, front, or the sides.

Pull the ends of the tie towards the front of the dress:

Cross the tie in front:

Hold your cardigan in place and pull the ties around the outside of the cardigan:

Wrap ties around back:

Tie in place:

Smooth out the ties:

And you’re ready to go:

If the ties are longer you can tie in front or to the side. This method also applies to tunics or any other top with a tie that you want to layer with a cardigan.

13 March 2009

Posted on | March 13, 2009 | 2 Comments

13 March 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Grey top – Victorinox
Silk wrap dress – thrifted yesterday!
Black woven belt – thrifted yesterday!
Boots – Dillards, remixed
Earrings – Dillards, remixed
Dog – Indie, remixed

Endnotes:

While I was out and about yesterday, I stopped in the second of the two thrift stores I’m aware of in T.’s town. I was feeling a bit down after a round of rather unpleasant work-related emails, so I indulged in a bit of retail therapy. I figured that thrift retail therapy is a little more permissible than the non-thrift kind.

And my mood was pleasantly lifted by this silk wrap dress I found, as well as the woven belt I scored and am wearing with it today. I have a brown woven belt that I wear all the time so I know that this black version will get lots of play too. I also found a great pair of wedge sandals that I can’t wait to wear as soon as it gets warmer. This dress, too, is more of a summer item but I just wanted to wear it already so I layered it over the things I happened to have brought with me to T.’s house.

Here’s the thing about silk dresses though: silk dress + dog = tricky business. Every time Indie gets near me, a new wet nose spot appears on my dress. At least silk is as quick-drying as it is to wet-spot accumulating. S.

Detail of dress and pattern on it: