academichic

Sources:

• Tank: Banana Republic
• Skirt: Gap Outlet
• Scarf: Filene’s Basement
• Shoes: Tahari via endless.com
• Necklace: Accessorize

Sources (below):

• Tank: Splendid via Filene’s Basement
• Dress: Hourglass via Marshall’s
• Shoes: Gap Outlet
• Necklace: made by me

Endnotes:
By now most of you probably have read that the chics of Academichic are closing up shop at the end of this month. While I’m certainly sad to see this project end, I’d like to echo S.’s words today and THANK YOU all for your comments (both kind and critical) as these have pushed me to think far beyond my wardrobe into more theoretical questions of femininity, feminism, gender, ethnicity, economics, politics, and culture. Like S. said, we’ll each have longer wrap-up posts to get into our favorite discussions and wardrobe decisions, so I’ll hold off on waxing poetic for this post!

I thought it was appropriate that one of my last posts is very reminiscent of my first post – nothing beats a swirly skirt and light tank in the summer heat! However, one thing that makes a swirly jersey skirt even better is one that can be both a skirt AND a dress. I nabbed this at the Gap Outlet clearance section in June and have been experimenting with it ever since. Around the same time I picked up the blue dress in the images below and have been remixing that into a skirt. I was totally inspired by A.’s recent post about turning a strapless summer dress into a shirtdress, and you guys know how much I love “convertible season.” So here are two ideas that I’ve come up with so far for this skirt as a dress: trying a scarf/sash around the top OR using a scarf to give a little more coverage over the shoulders.

For the blue strapless dress I wore it a few times alone, but one day didn’t feel like being so bare up top and opted for a tank underneath. By pulling the dress (now a skirt) up right below my chest I made a kind of empire waisted dress that fell just below my knee. While I’m not sure that the length is very flattering on me, I know that mid-length skirts are “in” and it is very comfy this way.

Finally, I wanted to show off one of my favorite pieces of jewelry, which dresses up any outfit. My sister brought these small “evil eyes” back to me from Turkey and I love how they look all together (pun intended). I also strung one on the back so I have an “eye in the back of my head” so to speak.

What are your best convertible pieces? How do you style a dress as skirt or vice versa?

Sources:

Dress – Banana Republic Outlet (pre-pregnancy worn here)
Tank – Maternity, Target
Sandals – Target
Necklace – AE, years and years ago
Bag – Dots, bought in high school
Wooden bangle – thrifted

Endnotes:

In my last post, I embraced my pregnant belly as my ‘Best’ for Dress Your Best Week. But as I was trying to come up with my other ‘Bests’, I realized that I have to take a more wholistic approach this time around. Last year, when we picked our top five things to celebrate, I remember naming things like my legs, my hair, and my smallish chest. This time, those same aspects of myself have been distorted and changed by pregnancy.

My legs, which I loved for being shapely as well as toned and powerful from many miles of running, are still strong but no longer resemble the legs they used to be. I’ve gotten cellulite where there was none, they’ve been retaining water and looking and feeling puffy, and they no longer even accept the thought of being squeezed into heels. It’s all flats, all comfort these days.

My hair, which I always loved for being full and curly, is still full and curly but is now betraying me in that it’s gotten increasingly grey and I’m powerless to hide that. I started getting grey hair a few years ago and have consistently colored it as a way to hide that. Since being pregnant, I decided to skip the chemicals in hair dye and wait the nine months before getting another dye job. As those pesky wirey white hairs spring up all around my temples and forehead, I feel like I’m increasingly made to look older and more weathered than I am.

And, alas, that smallish chest that allowed me to easily fit into any top and not think twice about going on a run. Yeah…those changed about two months into the pregnancy and will likely continue to change (read: grow) as time goes on. Sigh.

I’ll spare you the laundry list of everything else that’s changed and will cut to the chase; perhaps this is what happens when you get older. Perhaps this is what happens to all women, regardless of whether you’re going through pregnancy or your body is just changing with the passing of time. Hopefully, as this happens, you realize that it’s not about pin-pointing that ‘perfect’ feature of your body but rather about embracing the whole and what it does for you. So I’m taking a much more wholistic approach here and celebrating my body in its entirety.

This same body that gives me a million and one reasons to feel frustrated also gives me just as many reasons to be happy and grateful. It’s been carrying my baby to almost full term now (and having had several friends for whom this has been a problem, I know not to take that for granted). It’s still propelling me forward on my bike, on walks, at yoga class, and in the pool. It’s healthy and resiliant and this, too, I know to value. And while it’s changing in many ways, in just as many ways, it’s still me. It’s still the same body that ran a marathon, that used to have a waistline, and that once long ago thought grey hairs and cellulite a thing of motherhood and adulthood. Well, here I am, on the threshhold of motherhood and certainly with both feet into adult life, so I might as well embrace all aspects of this stage. As my yoga instructor has us say at the end of each class, I bow down to the divine within me and I celebrate this body for all that it is.

Sources:

Above:
Dress – thrifted
Earrings – made by me
Yellow flats – Target last summer

Below:
Maxi skirt – AE
Tank – Maternity, Target

Endnotes:

For this take on Dress Your Best I am highlighting a body part that I would have never considered ‘my best’ in the past. In fact, I have written before about how my torso and midsection is what I tend to camouflage or visually alter through clever use of waistlines and belting. I do not have a naturally slender waistline and I spent many years feeling self-conscious about my midsection. But now that area has taken on new meaning as it’s been growing and housing a baby.

While dressing a pregnant body is not always as fun and ‘cute’ as the media and pop culture make it seem, it does offer a new way to approach getting dressed. Yes, clothes may not fit and finding something to wear may be somewhat of a challenge on most days, but the reason behind that are cause for celebration rather than mourning. So these past months, I’ve been embracing my midsection and celebrating my belly, not caring that it’s made my wardrobe shrink to a few viable dresses and tops at this point, nor that it obscures the view of my feet, nor that it causes endless challenges when looking for a comfortable position in bed. I love it for what it’s doing and what it represents to me now.

Of those few dresses that still fit me, I wore the one above to our baby shower this past weekend. It was a wonderful event and could have only been made better by having had more out of town guests able to attend. And notice those fun little tissue paper pompoms hanging from the tree? Long time readers may remember them from E’s baby shower with her first baby that A. and I co-threw with another friend. A. and I made those pompoms way back then and I was delighted to see them resurface in celebration of my upcoming baby (yes, they’re the very same ones, carefully saved and preserved by A.). If you want to see how we made them, check out our easy tutorial here.

There were many similarities between the shower we threw for E. and her husband N. two years ago and the one that was thrown for T. and I this past weekend. The main ingredients: a relaxed atmosphere, a co-ed group allowing us to celebrate with all of our friends and partners, easy but delicious backyard food, fresh flowers as decor, and small details that betayed the love and thought that went into the planning. If you want to read our tips on throwing a backyard baby shower, take a look at our post here.

Are you currently pregnant or have you been pregnant at one point? Would your belly have made it into a ‘Best Five’ list were you to Dress Your Best?

Sources:

• Dress – Banana Republic
• Tank – J Crew
• Necklace – made from an earring bought in China Town, SF
• Earrings – Banana Republic
• Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW

Endnotes:

The sun has finally come out for more than an hour!  I’m celebrating with open toed shoes! It’s still very humid but I’ll take it.

I bought this dress on super sale in the Fall and have worn it several times, but just never managed to capture a picture of it.  It’s a great simple dress in a lovely shade of grey.  Jersey dresses make life easier.  They are comfortable AND polished and they make getting dressed in the morning quick and painless – just add shoes and accessories.  That being said, not all jersey dresses work for me and I won’t wear any jersey dress with out wearing my spanx.  In comment on one of E.’s jersey dress posts reader Holly asked about our use of shapewear when wearing jersey.   I can’t speak for the other chics, but I love my spanx and my knock-off spanx and am not comfortable in a jersey dress without them.  Jersey shows everything!  For this dress I wore my thicker knock-off spanx I purchased at Target a few years ago because I really wanted a smooth line but wasn’t worried about the dress being too tight.    What about you?  What kind of shapewear do you use and with what garments?

For my little pop of color in this neutral palette I wore my neck jade-colored pendant.  I bought this pair of jade earrings from a street vendor just outside China Town in San Francisco.  I loved the shape and color and thought they would be a great addition to my short-hair earring collection.  Unfortunately, they are way too heavy – they stretch my earlobes (which I’m worried could have permanent effects).   So, I just removed the earring hook and strong the pendant on a silver chain…voila I have a new statement necklace!

Ok, one more day of classes!  I can do it!  Hope the semester is wrapping up nicely for all of you!

Sources:

• Dress: J. Crew (thrifted)
• Sweater: Zen via Filene’s Basement
• Belt: Anthropologie
• Shoes: Tahari via endless.com
• Necklace: gift

Endnotes:
I’ve worn this dress a lot since I bought it at a consignment shop this winter (same place that A. picked up her fab new blouse!), and I’ve consistently struggled with what to do about the ruffle around the neckline.

Well, genius that I am, I decided at 7:00am yesterday morning that the back part of the ruffle had got to go, so I took out my trusty scissors and happily took out the stitching holding on the back half. Why I hadn’t done this earlier, I’m not sure. Why I chose to do it at 7:00am in the morning while still a little delirious, I’m also not sure about. Regardless of the mysterious ways my addled morning-brain works, I’m happy with the results.

I’ve also had this sweater for a while and it was just about to go in the “swap-heap” before it was rescued for this outfit. It seemed good in theory to have a lightweight, cashmere, mushroom-brown cropped sweater, but in practice it has proven less practical. I’m not sure that this one outfit will totally redeem it, but it will at least survive until next fall because (drum roll) I’m packing up my winter clothes this weekend! I’m doing this in preparation both for spring (to finally arrive) and for a clothing swap I’m organizing next week. No better time than a season shift to clean out the old closet! A. and E. are hosting a swap soon as well, so keep your eyes out for some upcoming weekend workshops on the topic!

Finally, getting to the title of my post – I know I wear belts a lot, and I completely blame A. for this habit. I told you during belt week that belting is the gateway drug to becoming style obsessed (in a non-self destructive, good kind of way). However, my waist is not always happy being squished, and depending on how much I’ve consumed, my belts can get a little bit tight — until I found this belt on clearance at Anthropologie when A. and I were shopping in Boston. I know that plastic is generally not good for the environment, but stretchy, forgiving materials are very good for my post-winter but pre-spring training body, and this belt is plenty stretchy and very comfy.

Does your body noticeably change over the course of some seasons?

17 February 2011 – Tights Free!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress – BR Factory Store
• Blazer – Ann Taylor Loft
• Necklace – vintage, gift
• Boots – Steve Madden Intyce, via ebay
• Cami – Banana Republic
• Bracelet – gift from S.’s mom
• Earrings – gift from A2

Endnotes:

So, I know it is still tights week, but yesterday it hit 70 and today it hit 76 in Academichic Central.  I just couldn’t bring myself to wear tights on such a beautiful Spring-preview day!  Instead I pulled out a favorite jersey dress in a bright bold color and paired it with my still-new boots and let my knees catch the breeze!

I added my light cropped navy blazer and another pop of color in my necklace.

17 February 2011 – Tights Free!, originally uploaded by academichic.

This weather surely won’t last and I’ll likely be back in tights next week, so I hope you will forgive my tights week cheat!

Hope you are all enjoying a warm streak too!  A.

17 February 2011 – Tights Free!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Fuchsia top – thrifted
• Dress – Gap, thrifted
• Blue necklace – thrifted
• Wooden bangle – thrifted
• Tights – TJMaxx
• Boots – Dillards

Endnotes:

This entire outfit, save boots, tights, and undergarments, came from the local thrift store. It probably grand totaled at less than $10 for everything: dress, top, necklace, and bracelet. I can’t help it, I just love a good bargain. It makes me love an outfit like this even more.

Both the top (which is an empire waist turtleneck…hm, interesting) and the dress (also conveniently empire-waisted) were my attempts to add to my maternity wardrobe with items that could easily transition back into a post-baby wardrobe. I hadn’t planned on wearing these two together until I saw them accidentally hanging next to each other in my closet, making a loud but beautifully daring color statement. Add to this my newly acquired turquoise necklace and I’m right on track with my style resolution of embracing bolder prints, bolder color combinations, and bolder accessories.

After this combination came together, it reminded me a bit of the Diane von Furstenberg pre-Fall 2011 collection, which has been making its rounds on the interwebs. I don’t own enough turquoises and teals to recreate some of these looks but I do love how those cool tones play against the warmer tans, reds, and oranges. My version is a little more maroon and fuchsia with only a dash of turquoise thrown in, but still a valiant attempt at a punchy color mix, right?

{image source}

What are some of your favorite color combinations right now? ~S.

{My week 14 bump, as these pictures were taken last Friday}

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Target
• Pumps (both colors): Steve Madden
• Scarf: c/o Nepali by TDM Designs
• Necklace (below): F21
• Jacket (below): H&M, thrifted
• Yellow sandals: Old Navy
• Baby carrier: Ergo

End Notes:

The smart and stylish ladies over at Scholar Style Guide have declared this week “Wardrobe Workhorse Week, as they think about what items (or genre of items) they get the most use out of in their wardrobes. While I’m a little late to the party, I love this idea and I immediately thought of several specific items in my closet that have actually surprised me with how frequently they show up in my wardrobe rotation.

Back in July, I paid homage to this navy jersey dress for being an utterly remixable wardrobe staple despite the fact that it is not what I would generally term a true “basic.” To reiterate, when I first purchased this dress I was basically worried that it wasn’t bland enough to be a staple.

I was wrong.

Besides my previous examples of adding pops of color and layering under and over the dress…

I can also make it on trend:

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

I can fancy it up:

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

Or wear it with a baby carrier to run errands:

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

What makes this dress so versatile without being boring? Details like the full shoulder and wide sash give it personality, but neither of those elements are particularly attention-grabbing. The v-neck gives it potential for layering below and the slim skirt gives it potential for layering on top. In terms of color, navy is a soft, sophisticated neutral that plays well with others without being garish. Finish all this off with the fact that its washable cotton jersey, meaning it’s baby-friendly and biking friendly.

Move over, LBD, my Little Navy Dress is getting it done and taking names. Are you participating in Wardrobe Workhorse Week? What are the items you get the most use out of in your closet?

8 September 2010 – Wardrobe Workhorse, originally uploaded by academichic.

(Styling today is courtesy of baby e. who picked out my blue suede shoes from the closet, put them next to my feet, and then baby-signed “please.” He’s got good taste.)

18 August 2010 – Split Take Two, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Max & Cleo, from BCBG Outlet
• Scarf: thrifted
• Shoes: Steve Madden
• Sunglasses: vintage

End Notes:

(With apologies for the harsh sunlight) Like S. I stood in front of my closet for a while trying to think of a monochromatic outfit that didn’t turn me into a muppet…and came out empty handed. On the other hand, I think I’m getting the hang of split complements.

Pink, Yellow Green, and Blue Green, originally uploaded by academichic.

A pink shoe (from the red wedge of the color wheel), a blue-green dress, and a yellow-green scarf as a belt…and voila. Again, it’s kind of quirky and maybe I feel a little bit like a mix of Strawberry Shortcake and Kate Spade, but it’s also punchy and fun and puts an unexpected twist on the frequently preppy pink-and-green pairing.

Vintage Sunglasses, originally uploaded by academichic.

Plus, I’m wearing my new-to-me sunglasses and their funny inverted temples-with-wings, and they make me love whatever I’m wearing. My husband makes fun of my “bug eyed” sunglasses, but I remain devoted and I was tickled to find this pair at my favorite local vintage shop.

Several of you have commented on our “scientific” approach to color combinations and declared that you go by your gut instinct when it comes to mixing colors. I’m kind of fascinated by the implicit binary opposition between “scientific” and “emotional” approaches. Ever since middle school, I’ve been uneasy about the whole “right brain” versus “left brain” categorization and the suggestion that method and structure are somehow diametrically opposed to creativity and expression. Seriously, in seventh grade I had a little crisis (because that’s what seventh graders do) over what “side” brain I had and wanted to know if I could just claim a middle ground. A third space, if you will. (It ended up being something of a prophetic moment, I suppose.)

I’ve always thrived in situations where I have parameters or a methodology that opens up a new place or way to explore something. I find that structure feeds my creativity, or that a methodology helps me articulate and extend my intuition in really interesting and productive ways. I think this is a big reason why I’m in graduate school. I am passionate about shifting paradigms or interpretations of artworks within the boundaries of my discipline, using the methodologies that are available to me. Thus, the spill-over into my wardrobe “methodology” is hardly unexpected. I think that some of my favorite outfits have been ones that were created in response to some kind of challenge or within certain parameters!

Do you think that structure and creativity, “science” and “instinct,” are binary opposites? How do your proclivities — either for method or intuition or both — manifest themselves in how you dress?

18 August 2010 – Split Take Two, originally uploaded by academichic.

13 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Max & Cleo, from BCBG Outlet
• Belt: Gap Outlet
• Earrings: Honolulu swap meet
• Wedges: Lauren by Ralph Lauren, via Macy’s super shoe sale

End Notes:

You know that seafoam green belt that I’ve blogged a couple of times? It’s actually came with this dress: a wonderfully tailored jersey dress with inverted pleats at the neckline and pockets tucked away in the waistband pleats. I only had this dress for a little while before becoming pregnant, and I had been reluctant to pull it out this summer, wondering if I would fit it again and not wanting to be disappointed if I didn’t.

The good news is that my post-preggers body — particularly my breast-feeding boosted chest — quite possibly fills out this dress better than I did before. Whee! I want to be honest, however, and admit that not all forays back into my pre-preggers wardrobe have been as successful. Things have just…shifted…or something…and my pile of summer clothes to donate has grown. But, whenever I am tempted to despair over the fact that a skirt or a top or a pair of shorts no longer flatter my body, I try to remind myself that the fact that my body overcame some pretty substantial obstacles to have a baby in the first place, and that tends to refocus my perspective.

Speaking of refocused perspectives (like the segue?), S.’s post yesterday resurrected some of my personal neuroses concerning slogan tees. Due in part to personality, in part to upbringing, and in part to the fact that I have close relationships with people in radically different cultural, political, and religious spheres, I’ve never been much of a slogan tee kind of person. I would, to give one example, always prefer to write a long letter than go to a rally.

I am, unfortunately, quick to extrapolate and file. If I see a stranger wearing a certain t-shirt, I assume that I know the entire gamut of the owner’s political views, whether right or left, and I similarly assume that the same assumptions would be made about me. I have never had a good experience of striking up a conversation with a stranger whose slogan tee I disagreed with. Instead, after a few past encounters that devolved into frustratingly hyperbolic one-way expositions, I tend to shy away altogether. My personal rule of thumb has become one of only discussing politics with people that I have a close personal relationship with, in safe spaces where nuance and fuzzy gray borders and third spaces can exist. In these conversations, I surprise my friends and am surprised in turn as questions and counter-examples and confessions come out in messy ways that don’t lend themselves to pithy statements.

But this is my experience, and I’m willing to reconsider. I certainly think that there are inherently political aspects to how we dress, but I tend towards implicit rather than explicit expressions. Have you ever had your mind changed by a slogan tee? Has such a tee sparked a great conversation with someone of an opposing view? Do you make your politics or religion explicit in what you wear? I’m curious.

- E.

Caylin Wedge, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, originally uploaded by academichic.

13 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.