academichic

26 April 2010 – Rainy Day Greys, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Grey Jersey Dress – BR Outlet
• Blazer – J Crew
• Belt – BR Outlet
• Necklace – Hawaii
• Bangel – gift from S.
• Shoes – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW

Endnotes:

These pictures are actually from a while ago, but I didn’t post them because I look so sick in them, and rather drugged, especially in the photos with the blazer.  But, I really did like this ensemble and so figure you can excuse my puffy eyes and red nose (thankfully that horrible head cold has passed).

I wore this jersey dress and blazer combo to lecture to 130ish students for an hour and a half.  I was on cold meds and fighting a runny nose, but managed to pull through with a pretty good lecture, if I do say so myself.   It was hot and rainy that day, which is common this time of year in Academichic Central, so I needed to look professional while managing to stay cool and comfy.   I love this jersey dress for just that reason – it’s comfy and chic, but I felt I needed to take the professionalism up a notch, thus enter the blazer.

26 April 2010 – Rainy Day Greys, originally uploaded by academichic.

This blazer has been enjoying quite the revival lately.  Once I rolled up the sleeves (making in 3/4 sleeved and revealing the contrasting pinstripe pattern of the lining) it suddenly seemed much easier to style and much more versatile.  I’ve paired in with a fuller a-symmetrical skirt, with baggy jeans, and now with a jersey dress.  I’m thinking next I might try it with my grey pencil skirt and eventually even with some walking shorts. Hopefully when I pull it out next time I won’t look half as red and drowsy!

Blazer, originally uploaded by academichic.

15 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Green Dress – Banana Republic
• Teal Belt – Old Navy
• Brown Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction, via DSW
• Wooden Bangel – Gift from S.
• Wooden Earrings – Island Souvenir
• Earring as Necklace – NY & Co

Endnotes:

I seem to be having some trouble with my photography skills lately, so the below image is a much better representation of the beautiful analogous color combination than either of the full body shots.

Green on Green, originally uploaded by academichic.

I bought this dress on super markdown (it had a couple stains) at Banana Republic a couple years ago, but have rarely worn it.  I was so excited about the dress because I love the color and the cut.  Unfortunately, while I love the color on me, there is something about the cut that just isn’t right, so I haven’t ventured to wear it too much.  But, once again a belt has swooped in to save the day!  I spent some time looking at myself in this dress in the mirror trying to figure out what wasn’t working and I realized it was that the faux-wrap part of the dress hit me too high.  I often have issues with proportions in dresses because I have both long legs and a long torso so things are often too short and the seems often hit me in the wrong places. My small waist and large butt/hips/thighs don’t help matters.  I added this wide belt to visually lower the placement of the wrap.  The belt slightly overlaps the wrap making it look much wider.  The belt also adds a fun pop of color, making this an all over more exciting ensemble.

New Shoes!, originally uploaded by academichic.

I ran a half-marathon last weekend and then decided to do a total toning course a couple days later, so my legs are sore and my toes need special attention.  I assumed flats would be the most comfortable option, but for some reason of all my shoes (besides maybe my thick soled flip flops) these wedges proved the best option.  I wasn’t convinced they worked that well with my green and teal color combo, so I added wooden accessories to tie them in.

Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

Turns out, I am in love with this dress again – it’s fun and professional and is appropriate for both the classroom and my walk across campus in 80+ degree weather.  Plus, during a busy week, there is something to be said for an outfit primarily comprised of one piece!

15 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Brown patterned dress – Banana Republic
• Red cardi – thrifted
• Brown woven belt – F21
• Silver sandals – Target
• Coral earrings – gift from Mexico
• Ring – Kadoh in Munich

Endnotes:

Yesterday ended up being one of those cold and rainy days and I never even made it out of sweats and flip-flops (so no red cardi post, sorry!). I spent the day indoors, reading and writing up a storm, and only paused for a brief break to go on a run.

But today I’m back to red-cardi week with this simple combination of the red cardigan with my brown patterned jersey dress. This dress is a perfect cheat item because it looks polished and can even be dressed up for more formal events but in reality it’s just as soft and comfortable as wearing pajamas. While I loved how E. overlapped her coral cardi earlier this week and was thinking of recreating that look, comfort won out over style today and I left the cardigan open and relaxed.

Earrings detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Silver sandals, originally uploaded by academichic.

These silver flats are also somewhat of a cheat because they add a dash of glam with their shine and braided intricacy, but they’re really here for their comfort and ease of wear. I love when items look like they’re chosen for fashion but are really just as forgiving and comfortable as a pair of flipflops and sweats. Ideally, I think I would love this look with a pair of red wedges or platform espadrilles but I’m just not feeling it today – it’s Friday, I’m taking it easy, laying off the heels, and relaxing into weekend mode… S.

PS: I’m in love with this new ring that the As and another friend of mine talked me into getting when A and A2 were visiting me a little while ago. It comes from Kadoh – a really cute fair trade jewelry and accessories store on Sendliger Strasse near Sendlinger Tor in Munich. If you’re in the area, it’s worth checking out, all the more because of their really reasonable prices. It’s a great place to find a little something for yourself or a gift for someone else. (This silver and wood ring only set me back 9 Euros). Thought I’d share!

Patterns, originally uploaded by academichic.

17 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Target
• Top: Anna Sui for Target
• Belt: Old Navy
• Tights: HUE
• Wedges: thrifted

End Notes:

Right, so I’m currently a big, big fan of this navy Target dress. Today it went back and forth easily between campus and being back on the floor with baby e. The fuller dolman sleeves, the cinched waist, and the almost tulip-shaped skirt make jersey more fashion forward and give me some pretty serious curves.

I like how dramatically the feel of the dress changes with the addition of a wide belt and a patterned red top underneath. The combination only adds to the vavavoom factor while adding a little bit of a retro feel. And actually, the elastic-back gray belt serves a practical purpose: keeping the blouse beneath snug to the body and bunch-free.

17 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Like many jersey dresses, this one has an attached tie, which can be both a help and a hindrance, depending on how you’re trying to style a given look. We’ve all become relatively adept at wrapping attached ties around a cardigan to avoid unwanted bumps, but sometimes I find that I want more definition — either in color or texture or width — than a dress’s attached belt can provide.

Wide elastic-back belts like this one and my old standby wide brown belt are perfect for covering up attached dress belts. I wrapped the jersey tie around back then brought them to the front and tied a simple knot. I didn’t double knot as I would usually in order to sidestep a protruding and unsightly lump. While a single knot wouldn’t usually provide enough holding power, the stretchy elastic of the belt keeps everything together. As an added bonus, the width of the belt actually let me move the visual waist of the dress down just a little bit further, closer to my natural waist (yup, long torso strikes again).

Unrelatedly, in the time it’s taken me to type this post, baby E. has unloaded a shelf of books on 19th century French fashion, art, and imperialism, unpacked his box of toys, pulled up on the bottom step, and taken down a basket of cloth napkins. Good thing this dress has a lot of ease, allowing me to swoop in, super hero-like, at key moments.

17 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

8 March 2010 – Tight Swap, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Navy dress: Target
• Earrings: Honolulu swap meet
• Booties: Civico 10, via DSW

• Blue green tights: Hue
• Dark red tights: Hue
• Purple tights: Target
• Yellow tights: Gap
• Patterned tights: Celeste Stein

End Notes:

This week we’re exploring methodologies behind thoughtful tights usage, and for my tutorial I thought I’d demonstrate how dramatically tights can change an entire outfit.

I started with a simple dress in a soft neutral — navy — as my base, paired with my booties (or are they heeled oxfords?) which are a wonderfully indeterminate neutral somewhere between brown and gray. First up, blue green tights to create a monochromatic color scheme. The result is a trim, lean appearance, with dress, tights, and shoes all blending together for an illusion of length. It’s a sophisticated pairing that keeps the attention primarily on the dress.

Maroon tights were up next. I love how this deep, dark red adds richness to the navy blue, creating what we call a two-thirds color combination, that is, two colors — red and blue — from a triad. Because both pieces are darker shades of primary hues, they avoid looking like a cartoon or sports team pairing. While still sophisticated and slimming overall because of their relatively well-matched darkness to the dress, the maroon tights add a bit more pizazz to the look.

…

Bright purple tights create an analogous color combination with the dress. But, because the purple is lighter and more saturated than the navy, they “pop” more dramatically than the maroon tights did. As such, they give the dress a freshness that the other two tights-and-dress combinations did not have.

…

Ah yes, bright yellow tights. Or saffron, I suppose, if we’re getting technical. Like the maroon tights, this punchy pair creates a two-thirds color combination with the dark blue dress. But unlike the maroon tights, this yellow is a much lighter and more saturated shade, and they become the focal point of the outfit. As such, they transform a basic navy dress into a bold, lively “look.”

…

And then…patterned tights. After learning that this week was tights week, my sweet mother-in-law sent me this pair of swirly pink, navy, pale blue, orange, and red patterned tights. (She snagged them on clearance at Dillards; there’s a much better selection in stores than online, as is the case for stores like Gap and Banana Republic right now, I’ve found. Online, I’m drooling over some pairs of patterned tights in Anthropologie’s clearance: the Locket tights are marked down to just under $7, for example, and I would spring for the lace tights as well. And Bare Necessities has quite a few fabulous prints and textures on sale now as well.)

…

My husband isn’t sure what to think, but I’ve grown rather attached. Despite the admittedly wild overall print, the navy background of the tights helps to ground their connection to the dress. Sure, they’re a little wacky, but with these retro-inspired shoes and a curvy dress they add some spunk rather than scream “certifiably crazy”! I’d also be interested to try these tights on with this dress and my Steve Madden boots, thus mitigating the effect of the overall pattern going wobbly on my calves and ankles.

…

I like all of these combinations for different reasons and can see myself wearing each for particular occasions. I probably would not, for example, wear the saffron and navy combination to an academic conference, but I would wear it to a party or, let’s be honest, for a slow day in the library. Do you tend to use tights to add a pop of color or pattern to an outfit or to create an unbroken leg line? How do you decide what color to pull on?

1 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Teal cardigan: Anthropologie, gift from MIL
• Green jersey dress: Gap Outlet
• Brown tights: HUE
• Oxford booties: Civico10, via DSW

End Notes:

I’m starting off our week of Cardigan Fashion 101 with a non-standard cardigan: this floaty, drapey number in a gorgeous color that was a gift from my mother-in-law. It’s actually a fairly versatile piece as those long dangling bits can be tied in the front, back, or even behind the neck to create different shapes.

But today I’m using it to share one of my favorite uses for longer length (i.e. over the hip) cardigans: wearing it over a dress. I don’t think there’s a magic ratio of cardigan to dress that makes this combination work, but there should be enough of a difference between hemlines so that it looks intentional rather than sloppy. The benefits of this pairing are manifold.

First, there’s the obvious warmth-adding factor:

Second, a longer cardi over a patterned dress can help control a bold print.

Third, it gives you something to do with those very long cardigans that can sometimes look like bathrobes when worn over jeans.

Fourth — and my favorite — by belting the cardigan in place with a gap between the edges you can create a long visual line that is oh so slimming.

Perhaps because the longer cardi is a trendier shape, it also keeps the dress + cardigan combination — which admittedly has the potential to veer into stodgy territory — feeling a bit more modern. Especially when it’s in a fun color. Thanks, mom-in-law!

How do you wear your longer cardigans? Do you have a rule of thumb for layering them over dresses or top+skirt pairings?

20 November 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Cashmere scarf: “Scrunchy” from Nepali by TDM
• Navy jersey dress: Gap Outlet
• Cardigan: Marshalls
• Navy tights: Target
• Gray wedges: Gap Outlet

End Notes:

I built today’s outfit around this beautiful scarf that Nepali by TDM Designs recently sent to us. I’ve been craving more ruffles in my wardrobe this fall, so I love how this rippling cashmere scarf adds a great dose of dramatic flair to an outfit of basics, and because I wanted the scarf to take center stage, I kept the rest of the outfit in a muted palette of grays and navy.

Scrunchy scarf by Nepali by TDM, originally uploaded by academichic.

But there are more reasons than pure aesthetics to love this scarf! Nepali scarves are all made from natural, eco-conscious materials. Even more impressive, Nepali by TDM Designs works directly with craftswomen in Nepal, helping to provide them with a sustainable income and offering educational and health care services to their families. Smart style that empowers systematically disenfranchised women? Now that’s something that these feminists can definitely get behind!

20 November 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

3 November 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

• Brown patterned dress – Banana Republic
• Gray tank – Filene’s basement
• Blue cardi - H&M
• Blue scarf – TJMaxx
• Brown woven belt – F21
• Black tights – grocery store
• Boots – Dillards
• Earrings – gift from the As

Endnotes:

Yesterday’s outfit turned out to be a pretty perfect NaNoWriMo one, although my main thought when putting it together was that I hadn’t worn blue and brown together in a while and that needed remedying. Blue and brown is a wonderful color combination and seems to work in any season, don’t you think?

Brown and Blues, originally uploaded by academichic.

After mixing some blues with a good dose of brown, throwing a bit of gray in for good measure, and finishing with a pop of red in the earrings, I was set to start writing for the day.

We all know that boots and a scarf are a perfect cold-day remedy, but I’m now adding a jersey dress to that list as well. I think my perfect writing uniform for a cool fall day (if we’re taking pajamas off the list here) would include a comfortable pair of boots, a cozy pashmina scarf, and a soft pajama-ish textured jersey dress. Thus equipped, I was able to hit my day’s word count and spare time for some pesky dissertation work. Thanks, outfit!

Earrings detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

And on a related note, I’ve recently come across this wonderful post by writer Natalie Whipple on Tips for First Drafting. If you’re NaNoing along, you might also find it useful. I find her entire blog, Between Fact and Fiction, to be extremely charming and full of lovely advice and insights into the craft of writing. So if writing’s your thing, be sure to check it out! S.