academichic

17 September 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress: Banana Republic Factory
• Belt: thrifted
• Pumps: Steve Madden

End Notes:

Although I may have recently expressed my preference for the versatility of a little navy dress over a little black dress, I still think there’s something very timeless and chic about a well-fitting black sheath.

For my first day of having my students all to myself (this is where I rub my hands together and cackle, right?) I wanted to keep things sleek and minimal without being severe. I eschewed separates in favor of my trim little black dress. The fit is spot on, the pleated neckline is a subtle but rich detail, and the kind-of cap sleeves give it something of a retro feel.

Belt and Pleats, originally uploaded by academichic.

You had to know that I was going to wear a colorful shoe, right? I’ve realized that I am far less likely to hide behind a podium when teaching if I’m wearing a bright shoe. A bold heel deserves a bold presentation style.

17 September 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

For some reason, I don’t usually think of pairing black with cool analogous colors, but I think the skinny green belt and teal shoes added just the right amount of oomph. I admit, though, that when I glanced myself from the waist up in a mirror prior to leaving for campus I nearly despaired. Did I look to school marmy? Too prim? Too severe? Should I just throw on a string of pearls and be done with it? But then I remembered that I was wearing turquoise shoes and everything was okay.

And…isn’t my alleyway magical? And anti-gravitational?

Anti-gravitational Alley, originally uploaded by academichic.

9 Sept 2010 – Hello, High School, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Black Sheath Dress: Banana Republic Outlet
• Magenta Elastic Belt: American Apparel
• Black Wedges: Bandolino via DSW
• White Flower Pin: Gift
• Turquoise Bag: ILI via Helen’s Leather

Endnotes:
The first day of school is finally upon us! I must admit, after the five trying days of faculty meetings and five exhausting days of pre-season, I was beginning to forget why it is I took this job and uprooted myself all the way to New England: the students! I realized that especially when it comes to secondary school education, it really is all about the students. We are here to be role models for them, to excite them about new subjects, and to push them to deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them. I know it is a cliché, but I felt like I gained energy from being around them, and once the campus was buzzing with excitement, I could hardly wait for classes to begin, which they did today. Of course since it was the first day of my first year of teaching I had been figuring out an outfit in my head for weeks (and it seems so were the folks at Fashionable Academics who have put together this great compilation of several first day ensembles). Everyone told me that setting the right tone in your classroom could dictate how the entire year unfolds… talk about a lot of pressure on one outfit!

9 Sept 2010 – Setting the Tone, originally uploaded by academichic.

As E said, the lovely contributors of Scholar Style Guide have undertaken a week dedicated to the workhorses of their wardrobes. For me, this outfit encompasses several can’t-live-without items. The black sheath dress was a recent purchase at the Banana Republic Outlet store. It was the only one on the rack and fortunately it was my size. E. might have said good-bye to the Little Black Dress in favor of the Little Navy Dress, but as the Beatles said, “You say goodbye, and I say hello.” Hello little black dress! I have a feeling this one will be the basis for several variations as it lends itself well to colorful pairings while still looking sleek and professional, which happens to be the tone I was going for on this first day. The wide elastic belt is another staple that spends more time on me then it does hanging in my closet. I have a purple belt that is the same as this magenta one. I also have a grey stretchy belt that gets a lot of business. For this outfit I wanted to look polished, but also show some of my clothing personality – which as E mentioned when I first joined Academichic involves a lot of hot pink.

Black Wedges, originally uploaded by academichic.

My new black wedges gave me a little height; although, let’s be honest, most of my students are still taller than I am. The flower on the toe made me think to wear this white flower pin that I’ve had for ages and have never worn. Unlike Carrie Bradshaw whose flower pins sometimes seem to dominate her outfit I hoped that this little pop of white would soften what was otherwise a very dark outfit.

White Flower Pin, originally uploaded by academichic.

And finally, the new school bag. I will post more on this later, but I wanted to share my new bag with you all, as it was the most perfect graduation gift from my mom.

Turquoise Bag!, originally uploaded by academichic.

The leather is soft, the color is amazing, it is big enough to hold my laptop, books, and folders, but not bulky. It also has both handles and a shoulder strap (see second picture). Between the belt, the pin, and my fantastic new bag, I felt confident, energetic, and, really happy to be in the classroom in my new role as secondary school teacher. Good-bye grad school, and Hello high school!

- L.

16 February 2010 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• black dress – H&M
• black tights – from Romania
• black boots – Banana Republic
• Pedant – Anthropologie
• Scarf under belt – thrifted in San Fran
• Belt – TJMaxx

Endnotes:

This look was inspired by one of the Hermès scarf-tying tips found in their online tutorial. While most of their knots were familiar to me, I came across this idea and was pleasantly surprised: layering a scarf under a skinny belt to make an interesting scarf/belt obi is another great idea for sprucing up an otherwise ‘blank canvas‘ look. So this past weekend, I pulled out my black shirt dress, added black tight and boots, and went grabbing for my scarves and skinny belts. I tried several scarf + belt combinations until I settled on this one, really liking the analogous combination of the orange fabric with the red leather.

Scarf + Belt detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

I tucked the ends of the scarf underneath the scarf sash, so that they didn’t stick out at the back (as shown in the Hermès image above). I then belted the scarf obi in place and was pleased to discover that the belt helped keep the scarf from shifting or moving even while walking around with a coat thrown on top of it. This was such a simple way to add a point of interest to a monochromatic outfit and I think the scarf adds so much more depth and richness than just the belt on its own. I am definitely going to experiment with other belt + scarf combinations, creating blue and green analogous pairings or perhaps bolder complimentary color mixes the next time around.

What do you think, would you give this one a try? S.

16 February 2010 , originally uploaded by academichic.

26 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Cardigan – Banana Republic
• Black Jersey Dress – BR Outlet
• Scarf – Gift from Kimberly
• Teal Shoes – Seychelles, via Solestruck.com
• Tights – Target
• Belt – Sister M.’s
• Bracelet – Gift from S.

Endnotes:

Yesterday I did a tribute to Sara of Orchids in Buttonholes, and while she was certainly an early blog love for me and remains a favorite, the two blogs that first engaged me in style blog reading were Already Pretty and Fab Finds Under $50.  I think E. and S. found many style blogs appealing long before we started academichic, but I had a hard time getting into them and it wasn’t until I discovered Already Pretty and Fab Finds that I was able to embrace the genre and celebrate what all style blogs have the potential to contribute.  So why these two admittedly very different blogs?  Part of it is that I can image that I would like to hang out with both Sal and Kimberly in real life – turns out I do like the real Sal quite a bit – but more importantly is the focus on positive body image and body love.  I’ll save my Sal gushing (which always includes a mention of her Drag Queens Post) for another day, because this is a tribute to Kimberly!

When I first started thinking of how to put together a Kimberly outfit, I thought of these shoes and then built the outfit from there.  Kimberly has the most fabulous collection of shoes, which directly inspired me to pick out these shoes last Spring– I wanted a pair of statement shoes!

Packing Update!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Accessories, originally uploaded by academichic.

1 November 2009 – Opera Outfit, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:
All remixed:

• Black dress – Target
• Black belt – Banana Republic
• Silver clutch – Charlotte Russe, thrifted
• Black tights – Grocery store
• Gray wedges – Report “Calico”, via Solestruck.com
• Ripple shawl – Blue Onion Marketplace
• Earrings – side walk sale, my wedding earrings

Endnotes:

So it doesn’t quite have the same ring as Superbowl Sunday or Ice Cream Sundae, but it does describe what I did yesterday and it is as exciting to me as football and ice cream might be to others.

We’re officially off! National Novel Writing Month began yesterday and if you’re participating then you’re likely sharing my nervousness and excitement as you begin your novel. Thank you to the lovely Andrea for putting a little NaNo support group together and encouraging everyone to share their first paragraph on her post. I’d also love to hear from any of you who are partaking in this –  I invite you to NaNoWriMo obsess away in the comments section of this post! (And if you want to add me to your writing buddies, my NaNoWriMo name is Academic Abandon.)

Wedding Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

As for my outfit yesterday, I did not wear this to write but I did wear this to the Opera after my required word count was met. One of the things I love about being in Germany is being able to get 6 Euro tickets to attend the Opera! No joke, attending the Opera here can be cheaper than going out for two beers and by far more chic!

I told you I’d likely keep wearing this same black dress over and over, and so I did. This time around I went for a more dramatic effect with black tights, a black velvet belt, and a POP of color (that’s how loud it was) with this red-orange ripple scarf from Blue Onion Marketplace. Sorry about the poor image quality, but I snapped this just on my way out and the lighting in my room is horrible. So you can just pretend to be seeing this outfit with this background and then you get the idea. How else would you style this LBD other than with a pashmina scarf and a belt? S.

Ripple Shawl detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

24 October 2009 – Night at the Opera, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

On S1 (above):

• Black dress – Target, remixed
• Silk tie belt – from another (thrifted) dress, remixed
• Vintage brooch – was my grandmother’s
• Pink pashmina – H&M, remixed
• Gray wedges – Report, remixed
• Pink clutch, Ann Taylor, remixed

On S2 (below):

• Ivory shimmery top – recent H&M purchase
• Black pencil skirt – recent H&M purchase
• Ribbon weave pumps – bought in Romania years ago

Endnotes:

Saturday night found S2 and I enjoying a wonderful production of Janacek’s Janufa at the Munich Opera House. The night ended with enthusiastic Bravas and Bravos from the audience and we, too, shared that enthusiasm despite having seats that allowed us to see no more than 65% of the stage at all times… ahh, the nosebleed section of the Opera.

Since I’m abroad this year and have a limited wardrobe, I wore my one black dress that I packed and will likely wear for all formal events to come. By styling it differently each time, I hope to avoid having you (and me) groan, this outfit again?! as I pull it out over and over. This time I added a pink and tan obi belt, which comes from this silk dress I wore on my last opera visit, and a pink pashmina. I also took a cue from A., who’s done this brilliantly a few times lately, and added a sparkly brooch to my belt for added drama and dazzle.

Vintage Brooch, originally uploaded by academichic.

Ideally, I would have worn these shoes with the above outfit, but had I packed those, last night would have likely been their main starring role on this trip. Instead, I brought my trusty gray wedges, which can be dressed up enough to go with a Little Black Dress but are also a smarter every-day, get-lots-of-mileage-out-of-me shoe choice.

24 October 2009 – Night at the Opera, originally uploaded by academichic.

Meanwhile, S2 looked stunning this this ivory shimmery cowl neck top and black pencil skirt combo. But I think her shoes truly did steal the show here: cream peep-toes with a dark brown ribbon weave, lovely! A great example of how a patterned shoe can add the perfect finishing touch to a basic outfit.

Ribbon weave shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

I think it’s also worth noting that we went to the Opera wearing outfits comprised almost entirely of Target, H&M, and thrifted pieces. And we didn’t look that bad, right? I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend as well, whatever Saturday night found you doing. S.

Munich Opera House, originally uploaded by academichic.

9 October 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Black Jersey Dress- Banana Republic
• Earrings – Birthday Gift
• Brooch – Vintage Threadz, etsy
• Clutch – Grandmother’s
• Shoes – Seychelles, via solestrcuk.com

Endnotes:

When we posted advice about what to wear to a winter wedding last weed, we certainly were not thinking winter wedding season would be so soon be upon us.  It was cold and gloomy last night in Academichic Central, perfect weather for a movie night at home, but I had an elegant evening wedding to attend!

Based on the formal language of the multi-layered invitations I deduced that this would be a rather chic event.  I have been to a few black-tie optional weddings and have always worn the same black halter dress from  Banana Republic, changing out the accessories and shoes.  I love the dress and I usually love how it looks on me, so I didn’t even bother trying it on, but for some reason, last night I just wasn’t happy in it.  A2 tried to convince me to wear it, but I wasn’t leaving the house in something that didn’t make me feel good.

Packing Update!, originally uploaded by academichic.

Suddenly I had very little time to throw together a formal look for a gloomy night.  I dug through my closet but everything was either too casual or too summery.  I settled on this jersey dress because the color, the unique neckline, and detailing at the waist  all making it a little more evening appropriate.   Yet, it was still jersey dress.  I decided it was nothing that a great shoe and a little sparkle couldn’t fix!

Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

Brooch, originally uploaded by academichic.