academichic

23 March 2011 – For Play, originally uploaded by academichic.

23 March 2011 – For Work, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

In both:

• Dress/tunic: Tucker for Target
• Riding pants: Target

For play:

• Belt: Gap Outlet
• Scarf: Target, gift from mother-in-law
• Bag: Banana Republic, gift from mother-in-law
• Riding pants: Target
• Shoes: DSW

For work:

• Tank: Target
• Belt: thrifted
• Shoes: Steve Madden

End Notes:

I, too, succumbed to the siren call that is this magenta Tucker for Target posy frock, among the dresses reissued a week and a half ago. I really think that approximately one-fifth of the style blogging world owns this dress now…but that’s all the more reason to remix it, right?

I’m uncertain how many precious inches of skirt length my pregnancy curves are taking up right now, but it’s quite possible that I will never quite manage to wear this as a “dress,” per se. Still, the bright colors, delightful print, easy shape, and full button up front make this a great piece to wear through pregnancy and into a post-partum fall, even though it may only ever exist as a tunic in my book.

Over the weekend, N., little e., my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I all biked to a historic Italian neighborhood and spent the morning sampling bakery goods and poking our heads into cooking and soap shops. For our excursion, I chose warming pieces — a thin cardigan and scarf — that could easily be stripped off for biking and then put back on for meandering. These wallabee wedges provided a comfortable and sturdy base, and my new spacious green bag (thanks, mom-in-law!) carried the usual wallet, phone, and keys, plus little e.’s diaper changing paraphernalia, snacks, cup, and spare owl. (Yes, we keep a spare owl blanket around for little e.) The best thing is that I got to wear most of my favorite colors ALL AT ONCE. Whee!

I liked the color pairing of this top with the olive riding pants, so I decided to tweak things a bit to make it more appropriate for a teaching day. A navy tank served as a “vest” and I punched up the colors even more with turquoise suede pumps. In case you haven’t noticed, I sorely missed my colored pumps during the colder months and I’m so happy to have them back in outfit rotation.

I’m betting this tunic will make one more appearance during my self-imposed week of florals, and I welcome remixing or color palette suggestions. I’m thinking I could perhaps tuck it into a full skirt and have it serve as a blouse?

22 March 2011 – Floral and Lace, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Cardigan: hand me down from SIL, embellished by me
• Dress: Banana Republic Factory
• Belt: Gap Outlet
• Pumps: Steve Madden

End Notes:

After I put this all together I realized that I was wearing floral, lace, and pink, all elements which, in recent western culture, have been coded as “feminine.” Interestingly, I don’t feel particularly “girly” in this outfit, despite the multiple “feminine” elements. My personal aesthetic is one that leans more towards graphic prints and lines and blocks of color, and I think that manifests itself here in the bold, flat flowers, substantial cording embellishment, and the admittedly random choice of shoe color.

Of course, as S. has pointed out before, pink and ruffles were previously cultural signifiers of masculinity and, as I argued last year, floral prints can and have had different cultural associations , like Empress Eugenie’s “political gowns” cut from floral patterns particular to Lyon or even my Caucasian father’s embracing of aloha shirts as business attire in Hawaii.This isn’t an outfit that’s going to change the world or radically subvert cultural norms, but when I realize that I am, in theory, wearing something similar to the fellow below, I have to smile and shake my head a little at how dramatically cultural signifiers can change meaning within a few centuries.

Portrait of a Man, Carle Vanloo, 18th c.

And yes, he is pattern-mixing his florals. Well played, sir. I’m taking notes.

Sources:

Scarf – Banana Republic, same one as styled by A. here
Trench coat – my grandmother’s from the 70s
Top – Anthropologie, hand me down
Skinnies – Old Navy Maternity
Loafers – Michael Kors, thrifted
Earrings – gift from A.

Bike – 1969 Raleigh Sports

Endnotes:

It’s Spring Break! And the weather is actually playing nice and making me believe that Spring is coming. Most of our snow has melted and I was actually able to get away with loafers and no socks! While my mornings so far have been happily spent in sweats and pj’s while I sit at home writing my dissertation, I have been getting dressed for brief sojourns out of the house in the afternoons. And this has been my go-to look for break: comfortable jeans, some kind of top, a lightweight Spring scarf, loafers or flats, and my favorite spring jacket – my grandmother’s trench coat.

As a nod to Braid Wednesday, I’m also wearing my hair in two braids wrapped around my head. I usually cross the braids over at the nape of my neck and then bring the ends upwards, pinning them with bobby pins on top of my head…

And if Spring isn’t ready to arrive in ‘real life’, it’s certainly arrived in my wardrobe and in my house. I’m finding myself drawn to floral prints and Spring-inspired accessories (like these tiny bird earrings I’m wearing) even more than usual. T. and I are getting our garden ready and our little seedlings are growing like crazy by the windowsill indoors. We can’t wait to transplant them outside and start our first garden and I can’t wait for bare legs and bike rides without a coat and for summer dresses that will be especially indulgent to my growing midsection.

What are you looking forward to this Spring? S.

Sources:

Blazer – MaxMara, hand me down
Striped sweater – Gap, thrifted
Jeans – ON Maternity
Boots – Banana Republic
Necklace – thrifted
Bike – 70s Peugeot Mixte via Craigslist

Endnotes:

E. is not the only one embracing stripes during her pregnancy. It seems like stripes are everywhere this season and after seeing the lovely Miss James rock them all the way to the end of her pregnancy, I became convinved that they were not to be eschewed just because of that extra belly roundness. In fact, how cute is this…

{image courtesy of Bleubird Vintage}

I’ve also been restocking my patterns because I’m really liking the rich effect of pattern mixing as of late. Although I wear a lot of pattern and don’t shy away from loud or bold prints (E. and A. have joked that I have a bit of a 70s couch aesthetic when it comes to pattern choosing), I don’t often brave the mixing of those. I’ve been clipping lots of pattern mixing images to my desktop inspiration folder and am looking forward to getting more adventurous with pattern this year. A sneak peak into my inspiration file…

{Clockwise from top: Dear Baby, Rockstar Diaries, Lucky Magazine}

It seems that stripes work particularly well with florals, as these clippings demonstrate. Since I own a fair share of florals, this should be a cinch. Do you mix patterns? How do you go about making sure the final result is interesting and rich without seeming overwhelming and dizzying?

On a more serious note, I’d just like to express my great sympathy for all those affected by the Tsunami that hit Japan this morning and then made its way to Hawaii and is continuing towards the coast of California. My heart goes out to everyone in those areas and I’m saddened by the loss of so many lives already. May you and your loved ones stay safe! ~ S.

Summer or Fall?, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Shirt: vintage
• Skirt: Gap
• Belt: mom’s
• Shoes: Le Petit Sperone via Filene’s Basement
• Leather Cuff: Martin Zalud and Alicia Zaludova via Mass MoCA store

Endnotes:
Similarly warm weather has swept all the way from Academichic Central up to New England and the temps are reaching the low 60s again after several days of bitterly cold rain. I welcomed this change and took advantage of it by wearing this breezy, cotton summer (or fall?) outfit. The brown skirt is something I traded with A. last summer since I had the exact same one in white! This skirt has narrow pintucks that create a subtle herringbone of “V”s all over. Hers was too short for her taller frame, but mine was just the right length for her. I replaced my white one with this skirt from BR and A. had another brown skirt as well. All in all a perfect trade. Anyway, I thought the brown skirt and shoes balanced the brighter bursts of color from the floral patterned shirt and blue belt.

Summer or Fall (close), originally uploaded by academichic.

The shirt is another vintage find from the attic, and the Peter Pan collar and delicate flowery design are definitely a throw back. To accessorize this outfit I chose a piece of jewelry I picked up this summer when I was visiting the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) in North Adams, MA. Museum gift shops are often a treasure trove of interesting and unique (and occasionally handcrafted) jewelry. This leather cuff is soft to the touch and the narrow incised lines and punched holes create a subtle geometric design.

Zalud Leather Cuff, originally uploaded by academichic.

I thought that the leather and wool of my accessories played off of the soft cotton and cheerful patterning of the rest of my ensemble. A balance, like the weather, of summer and fall.

16 September 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

• Burnt Orange Shirt – Banana Republic
• Skirt – refashioned from Old Navy dress
• Wedges – Anthropologie, via ebay
• Belt – New York & Co
• Earrings – gift from A2

Endnotes:

I  actually wore this skirt many times this summer, but just never got a chance to photograph and post it.  This knee-length high-waisted skirt started as a halter sundress.   I tend to shy away from floral, especially such a large all-over pattern, but really like this black, white, and tan graphic print; however, the dress was a little on the short side for my comfort level and needed to be worn with a halter top for cleavage coverage. I only wore the sundress twice: once for a dinner date and once for a Hawaiian-themed party. After purchasing a blue sundress to chop into a skirt, I was inspired to do the same with this garment and as a result, have gotten quite a bit more wear out of it.

As with earlier this week, today I was trying to stretch some of my summer wardrobe items into fall.  We are still getting some rather warm weather here in Academichic Central, so there was no need to add a jacket or cardigan, so instead I paired the tropical print with warm fall colors: burgundy wedges and a rust top.  The tweed and leather belt also added a fall flare and I think completed this transitional ensemble.

16 June 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Floral Blouse – Maurices
• Maroon Belt – Target
• Black Skirt – Banana Republic
• Black Cami – BR Outlet
• Pumps – DSW

Endnotes:

As I mentioned yesterday, for the next five weeks, I am teaching every morning. In an effort to not default to the jersey dress too soon, I pulled out this floral blouse from Maurices.  I picked this out earlier this Spring when I knew we would be doing a week on florals.  It’s rather outside my comfort zone and, in fact, the first time I wore it, I felt like I was playing dress up as S.  I decided to give it another shot today and to try and make it feel a little more me.  I added the thick belt that picks up on the pink flowers and adds some structure and hardware to the ruffly sheer top (belt anything and it seems at least a little more me!)

Needing a break from lesson planning yesterday, I treated myself to an iced coffee and a little grooming. Every once in a great while (like once a year) I get my eyebrows waxed and then maintain them by tweezing. I’ve been itching to have them professionally cleaned up again and have heard several people swear by threading – including my little sister L.  L has fabulous eyebrows and I generally trust her advise, so I mustered up the courage and had my eyebrows threaded!  I have to tell you, I think I am a convert.  It was much less painful and didn’t leave my skin raw, red, and tingly. Just thought I would share a little grooming secret.  How about you? Do you have any grooming tips to share?

Florals, originally uploaded by academichic.

Weekend Warrior, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Graphic Print White Tee – BR Outlet
• Jean Skirt – Gap
• Sandals – Charlotte Russe
• Bangles – Gift from S. and S’s Mom

Endnotes:

Last summer I posted a few pictures of my weekend warrior wear but never got around to posting pictures of the finished project.  We laid this patio and some new sod in our backyard just in time for E.’s baby shower.  This summer we added more sod and started a new project!  I’ll do a long post about this summer’s weekend warrior obsession.  Some of you guessed correctly after my clue from earlier this week – I’m building a raised vegetable garden.

Veggies, originally uploaded by academichic.

After a long day playing in the dirt, I got cleaned up for a trip to the farmer’s market and a casual dinner at friends.  I put on my comfy go-to jean skirt and a white tee.  I’m a big fan of the white tee in the summer, but it’s always nice when they have a little something extra, like an interesting neck line, ruffles, or a subtle print, like this one.

BR Outlet Tee, originally uploaded by academichic.

Bangles, originally uploaded by academichic.

So, are you a weekend warrior?  What’s your summer project?  Check back later this week for a full report on my new vegetable garden!

Weekend Warrior, originally uploaded by academichic.

14 May 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress – Old Navy
• Back Halter – Old Navy
• Belt – Old Navy
• Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW
• Earrings- F21

Endnotes:

For my final DYB post, I am dressing for my arms.  One of the most fascinating and wonderful things about this project has been to see how many different ways there are to love your body.  Many bloggers wrote about embracing the parts of their body that serve an important function, as S. and I did with our legs, and E. with her mom arms.  Others wrote about learning to love something society or shopping has taught them not to, like my ass and E.’s skin tone. And many wrote about loving a body part they have had to work, have invested time and energy into making it what it is.  That’s the case with my arms!

Arms!, originally uploaded by academichic.

I have naturally long limbs and after years of running muscular legs,  but my arms are not naturally muscular (and I have no baby lifting to make them strong).  I have long been admiring the fabulously toned arms of a good friend (and running buddy and colleague).  Her arms look amazing all the time!  After complimenting her on them many times and on a few occasions admitting my jealously, she offered to help me work on my arms.  I joined her a couple times at a total toning class on campus and then we went to the gym and she laid out a training schedule for my arms (I love running schedules, so this was right up my alley).

I have been working on my shoulders, triceps, and biceps on and off now for a few weeks and already see such a difference.  My super-armed friend suggested I wear a halter to show off my progress.  I’ll report back in a month or so with hopefully even toner triceps.  Next, I’m on to my back!

14 May 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

At long last, I present a tutorial for the tank dress I made a few weeks ago before the end of the semester blindsided me. I’ve been seeing these tank+patterned skirt all over the place lately, but frequently they were too short or too short-waisted for my particular proportions. After some googling, and studying the really excellent skirt tutorial and t-shirt dress tutorial at Ruffles and Stuff and the skirt with pockets tutorial at Freshly Picked, I decided that even my fairly rudimentary sewing skills could handle this project.

And since I celebrated my height yesterday for Dress Your Best week, it seems appropriate to post a sewing project prompted by my need for a longer-than-in-stores dress.

» Read the rest of this entry «