academichic

10 January 2010 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Cropped jacket – thrifted
• Maroon top – thrifted
• Tweed shorts – thrifted
• Silk leggings – gift from mom
• Boots – Banana Republic
• Cluster of pins – thrifted

Endnotes:

One of my favorite purchases this winter have been these tweed shorts. I had been eyeing the shorts+boots trend from afar for a while and was excited to find the perfect pair of shorts to try this look myself. Trying trendy items can be a bit scary – you worry about how it will look on you and don’t want to spend a lot of money on an item you might only wear one season and then decide that it’s not your style after all. It’s no surprise that shows like What Not To Wear and fashion magazines often urge shoppers to invest in ‘classic’ and ‘timeless’ pieces. But sometimes it’s just more fun to buy something ‘timely’ and of the season. Two things I always look for when making such a purchase are:

1) Price – my budget is tight as a graduate student so I will only pay as much as I won’t regret having ‘lost’ if I change my mind about the said trend item a season later.

2) Fit – no matter how cute/stylish/cutting-edge an item is, it has to fit my body well or else I’m likely to feel double out of my comfort zone. Fit is key!

These shorts made the cut on both accounts and quickly won their spot in my heart as a new favorite. Thus far, I’ve worn them styled the following ways:

Assorted pics, originally uploaded by academichic.

Alternately, when it comes to embracing a ‘trend item’, what words of wisdom do you live by? What is your list of criteria for said item to find its way home with you? S.

10 January 2010 – Short Story, originally uploaded by academichic.

Gwen explains how the clothing swap works:

You show up with those items of clothing needing a new home (you know the ones I mean, the ones in your closet that you bought and thought you’d love but don’t) (it stands to reason that if it was once rad to you it might be rad to someone else).

You come ready to have fun. You try on clothes, swap, remix your wardrobe with some ultra-fashionable ladies.

To find out more about the event, including how it works, how it got stated, and who it benefits, check out Gwen and Liz’s sites.  While unfortunately none of us Chics will be able to make it to this fabulous event, we will be covering it here on Academichic so be sure to check back for a full report on what promises to be a fantastic evening of fashion, clothing, and fun and latter for  a DIY post on how to organize your own clothing swap.

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

25 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except for top.

• Sleeveless coral sweater: Gap Maternity
• Gray trousers: Ann Taylor Loft via eBay
• Gold earrings: Hawaii swap meet
• Metallic wedges: Target.com

End Notes:

Today A. and I had a meeting to attend with an editor on campus. While it would have certainly been acceptable to show up in one of my frequent all-jersey outfits, I jumped at the opportunity to pull out these favorite trousers and assemble a more business casual look. When I wore these pants for the first time back at the end of March — when my bump was much smaller! — I repeatedly told my husband, “I feel like a person in real clothes.”

And I felt great today, too, wearing a lightweight, sleeveless sweater in a fantastic color, perfect trousers, and a good metallic wedge. The attitude difference surprised me a little and made me wonder if I should make up “meetings” at least once a week until the baby comes just so I can “dress up.”

Between the incredibly hot, humid weather, my lack of on-campus obligations, my plethora of home-improvement and preparation projects, and this little thing called being eight months pregnant, my summer attire has been consistently far more casual than my usual academic-year looks. I think I associate that business-casual level of dress with being intellectually active and working to assert myself as a young scholar, so I suppose it’s little wonder that I felt just a little more sure of myself today. I know that I can be just as smart while wearing a denim skirt and tank top, but maybe I really believe it when I’m feeling a certain degree of put-togetherness.

I know some people feel like the “real” them is the person in jeans and a t-shirt and the “business” them is something they put on each morning. Thanks to all my scholarly readings on subjectivity I know that the notion of a “real me” can be problematic (thanks, Judith Butler!). But I’m curious how you all relate to different levels of dressing up. Do you feel like a certain register of casualness or professionalism or glamor is the most “you.” Do you know why you feel that way?

25 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

   

12 May 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Lace trim cami – Ann Taylor, remixed 
• Red-orange top – Zara 
• Green skirt – Old Navy, remixed 
• Green loafers – Anne Klein, remixed a lot lately 
• Tiny flower brooch – thrifted 
• Bike – we named it “Nerp” last night

Endnotes:

As it turns out, this week is Bike to Work week all around the US (or is this an international phenomenon?). So I’m very timely with my experiment of commuting by bike. Yesterday, after leaving the coffee shop,  I ran some errands such as going to the post office and the grocery store on my bike and found that wearing a backpack may not be the best way to transport my books, laptop, and few purchases. I got home with the back of my shirt completely soaked! So I’m now in the market for a bike basket or a pannier… stay tuned for its debut!

Following my continued exploration of inspiring bike-chic blogs, I present you with a few more links today: This is the Sartorialist on bike and so far my favorite street-wear-meets-bike-chic blog: Copenhagencyclechic. I also enjoyed perusing London Cycle Chic,  the San Francisco based Vélo Vogue, and the lovely Toronto Bike Chic site.  

In terms of personal blogs, I’m really enjoying reading about Dottie and Trisha’s bike commuting adventures, especially since their start-up stories make me feel like I can do this too. 

Today I’m taking a cue from all this reading I’ve been doing and biking in a skirt. My main hesitation (other than sucking at biking) has been style-concerned when it came to embracing a bike-commuter life style. Yes, I know it’s shallow, but I know I’m not alone in this. I want to be able to wear the same outfits and shoes I would wear commuting by car, foot, or public transport when traveling by bike. So I’m trying it out today with a skirt. To come later – once I’m a bit more practiced – wedges and heels!

 

Skirt detail, originally uploaded by academichic.Tiny brooch, originally uploaded by academichic.

And on the subject of heels, I just wanted to draw your attention to some new categories we’ve added. Based on several reader comments and questions, we’ve retro-organized all of our pictures under these three new categories: Beltless, Reaching New Heights, and Our Best Flatware. We’ve already embraced a week without belting to respond to a reader challenge and we will soon do the same with a week without heels. For now, if you’re interested in all our flat-footwared-looks thus far, check out Our Best Flatware, and if you love a good platform, see Reaching New Heights! S.

4 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:

Today’s the first day of our reader challenge to go beltless and it works very well with my plans to sit in front of my laptop and prepare for my comps all day long. I’m dressed for comfort in this casual top, rolled up chinos, and flip-flops.

I’m totally jumping (ha! get it?) on the “cuffing” band wagon this spring because here’s a trend that is not only cute but also works so well in extending the life of your winter wardrobe as summer approaches. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love it when fashion meets function! See how excited I get about it?  S. 

 

Some of our terrific commentators have recently raised the question, “What do you mean when you say ‘remixed’?” One asks:

If you wear jeans with Top1 and Top2, is it really “remixed”? To me, that seems like just wearing a wardrobe basic with more than one top.

I would consider “remixed” wearing something a different way rather than just wearing it again — for instance, a scarf worn in the hair vs. on the neck vs. as a belt, or a dress worn as a dress vs. backwards with a cardigan vs. as a skirt.

I, E., think this is a great question and since I’m the most frequent user of the term here, it made me think. Folks use “remixed” in a variety of ways in the community that birthed the term, wardrobe_remix over on Flickr. The strictest interpretation would indeed be “wearing something in a completely new way to produce a new look” and, often a wardrobe basic, like jeans, would not fit that definition.

I’ve been more loose with my interpretation here to include wardrobe pieces that I’ve worn and photographed previously, even if it is just a pair of jeans. While this might not be the most exciting use of “remixed” I’ve found it to be practical in several ways.

First, it helps me keep track of my wardrobe and to see what my core items are in practice, not just in theory. I knew that I loved my cropped navy blazer, for example, but I’ve been happily surprised to see just how much mileage I’ve gotten out of this little thing. Documenting that frequency helps with future shopping dreams, too. Now I want a gray blazer in a similar cut because I think it will serve a similar, foundational purpose in my closet.

1. 3 March 2009, 2. 26 March 2009 – With Jacket, 3. 15 April 2009, 4. 20 April 2009

Second, it allows me to be transparent about the fact that I have a limited — and at this time in my pregnancy, very limited! — closet. I don’t own one pair of jeans for flats and another pair for heels. I own a single pair, and using the term “remix,” even for those simple jeans, allows me to foreground how flexible they have been.

1. 28 April 2009 2. 24 April 2009 – Evening, 3. 30 April 2009, 4. 27 March 2009

Third, I do a lot of my “remixing” through color rather than altering how I wear an item. Part of that has to do with being preggers, but part of that is just my personal style and my love of coming up with new color combinations. Take, for example, my orange cardigan. I’ve worn it with purple, burgundy, blue-green, gray, and blue. I have never revolutionized how one wears a cardigan, but I love being creative with what colors I choose to pair it and I like keeping tabs on that to serve as color inspiration later on.

But I’m curious. Would you all prefer if we stuck with a more limited definition of “remix”? Do you have suggestions for another term that could be more broadly applied to signal that, yep, it’s the same ol’ pair of jeans? Does it matter to you at all if something has been worn previously? Do you sometimes worry that I don’t wash my jeans frequently enough given how often they appear? I’d be interested to know!

       

2 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Button down – Gap 
• Black jean capris – TJMaxx, remixed 
• Mug – Starbucks

Endnotes:

There is an interesting thread of dialog happening over at You Look Fab regarding ‘pushing the envelope’ vs. sticking to a personal ‘uniform’. I thought this went really well with the recent discussion we’ve been having here, in which we asked you what gets you out of your pj’s in the morning, especially if you work from home like we often do. As I see it, Step One is actually getting dressed. But Step Two – what you put on – is a whole other battle. It’s one thing to recognize that you should probably not wear the same clothes you slept in all day afterwards. But it’s interesting to think about how we approach that getting dressed part, as the ladies over at YLF are doing. 

For me, exploring my style by documenting it here and by talking about it with E. and A. has simultaneously harnessed it in to a more ‘specific’ look but also given me the courage to push the envelope more. Being more aware of my style has given me the courage to explore trends and looks I might have been afraid of before. I have a better sense of how to make them fit my sense of aesthetic. This applies particularly to my professional and evening attire.

      

2 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Where I do have a so-called uniform is in my casual wear and weekend attire. I have waxed poetic about the button-down before, so I’ll spare you the lengthy post on it, but it is my go-to ‘uniform’ item when I want to be casual, comfortable, and still a bit stylish. I find it a bit more chic than a t-shirt and jeans, but still as forgiving in shape (when unbelted) and comfortable. 

Several of the young moms who responded to E’s post mentioned the importance of getting dressed in the morning before attending to baby, older children, and other demands. It seems that in this case especially, having a go-to ‘uniform’ would come in handy. Why is it though that we often assume uniforms to be a stifling in style creativity, likely to be bland, and lacking inspiration? 

What do you think about having a style ‘uniform’? Check out the great discussion over at YLF and join in there or leave us a comment here, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic!  S. 

     

pattern close up, originally uploaded by academichic.

     

30 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• White top – J.Crew, remixed 
• Red tank – Old Navy 
• Skirt – Express, hand-me-down from friend about 9 years ago 
• Yellow shoes – Gianni Bini, remixed 
• Red button pendant- Brookberrys on Etsy

Endnotes:

Last night I sent E. a challenge, so she in turned challenged me. To wear yellow. No problem, I thought, until I went to my closet. I realized that I have a ton of yellow accessories (belt, shoes, earrings I made, my grandmother’s necklace, scarves, etc etc) but no yellow garments. There is a reason for that: It’s a color I really like but I just fear putting in large quantities next to my skin.  I fear it bringing out yellow undertones in my olive complexion, making me look jaundice-y and sickly. 

(I do have a shimmery gold top that I even considered wearing out of desperation for a moment, but I really just couldn’t bring myself to walk into my advisor’s office at noon today for our meeting looking like I belonged at a nightclub with a cocktail in my hand. Even “toning it down” with jeans still seemed to be pushing it.) 

Skirt print detail, originally uploaded by academichic.  

And I added the yellow shoes in hopes of bringing out the yellow in the print. But looking at this, I realize that I somehow managed to make an outfit that’s supposed to be predominantly yellow quite red. So to distract you – hey! Check out my cool button pendant from Brookberrys on Etsy! Look! Isn’t it cool how it’s a button?

(see, you forgot about the yellow already, didn’t you?) S. 

  

Button pendant – front, originally uploaded by academichic.

Button pendant – back, originally uploaded by academichic.