Sources:

• Skirt – Old Navy Sundress chopped by me
• Tank – Ann Taylor Loft
• Belt – Small Store in SF
• Shoes – Kenneth Cole Reaction
• Necklace – a lonely earring on a chain

Endnotes:

What they are saying on the news is true  – IT’S HOT IN THE MIDWEST.  So, you can expect to see lots of this straps, light skirts, and curly hair from me.  I’ve mostly been wearing shorts and tanks these days (or my swimsuit) while playing with toddlers.  So for a coffee/work date with a friend, I pulled out the heels.

This skirt used to be a dress, that just didn’t get enough use in it’s original state, so I chopped it.  I’ve been getting more adventurous with my scissors lately (and working on my limited sewing skills) and chopped three other garments just over the weekend.  I’ll try to post some results for my scissor session in the next couple weeks.   I just figure if the are old and/or cheap and I’m not wearing them anyway, why not attempt to give them new life.  The worst that could happen?  I end up with scrap fabric for when I eventually do master my sewing machine.

What about you?  Do you fearlessly chop?  Are you make impulsive (yet fairly permanent) alterations?

A.

Sources:

• Tank: Banana Republic
• Skirt: BR Outlet
• Belt: J. Crew
• Shoes: Gap Outlet

Endnotes:
I’m a little late in finishing up my Dress Your Best picks, and today I’m giving three cheers to my waist, my nose, and my shoulders. It probably comes as no surprise that I’d pick my waist as a “best” because of my obsession with belts and belting. However, I didn’t even know I had a waist until last year. I have always had a butt thanks to sports, but my waist didn’t whittle down until I was well into my 20s during a time when several factors caused my body shape and weight to completely change. I found that defining my waist took advantage of my new shape, and now of course I find it very hard NOT to belt things! As for my nose, it’s a perfect combination of my mom’s and my dad’s. Depending on which parent I’m with, people will often remark, “oh, this MUST be your daughter!” It’s pretty hard to “dress” for your nose, but since it is right in the middle of my face, I’d say I dress for it everyday.

Finally my arms. They’ve always been strong and toned thanks to hours lifting weight for lacrosse and now thanks to hour spent running and cross-training. In fact, I’m the “friend” that A. was talking about last year in her post about her arms. I love showing them off when I can in the summer with tanks or halter tops.

I realized during the Dress Your Best challenge that I was already dressing to show off my best parts, and for some reason it makes me sound conceited to say that there are many more than five parts of myself that I love. I feel like I’m bragging by identifying myself as A.’s “super-armed” friend, but isn’t that what DYB is all about? I know that many blogs talk about the vicious circle of body-bashing that women can get in to, but why is it so hard to admit that I love my body? I always valued whatever it looked like because I knew it was allowing me to do things like play sports or climb mountains – Do I ever wish I had a bigger chest? Yes. Am I thankful that my chest is small and is easily contained in a sports bra? Yes. Do I sometimes wish my thighs were smaller? Certainly. Do I love seeing my quad muscles flex when I’m running or climbing or just walking up stairs? You betcha! I guess what I’ve learned from this exercise is that whether you struggle to find the parts you love or love all the parts you have, no one loves everything all the time BUT it’s not bragging to admit what you do love… that’s perfectly O.K too.

Sources:

• Tunic Shirt: Edme & Esyllte via clothing swap
• Shirt (under): Banana Republic
• Belt: BR Outlet
• Skinnies: Anne Taylor LOFT
• Shoes: Dolce Vita via endless.com
• Necklace: Accessorize (gift)

Endnotes:
Nothing too exciting about this outfit other than the fact that I nabbed this great tunic shirt at the clothing swap I had recently. I have been having major problems getting excited to get dressed this week since it has been raining and in the 40s and 50s every day. Oh yeah, did I mention that it’s MID-MAY!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, I’m going bonkers and am absolutely fed up with freezing in my classroom, so after my valiant attempt at spring tights last week, I’ve thrown in the towel on skirts in favor of pants until I see some serious sunshine.

My verdict is still out on this outfit, but in theory it was great. The loose tunic top, stretchy comfort of Anne Taylor ponte pants, and my new Dolce Vita flats! How cozy? How comfy? How not tight on my tumtum! Alas, the tunic seems a little too flowy (it is a size 12, but you can’t be too picky when it’s swapped/free!) and the belt I added to tame things just wasn’t sitting right on my torso no matter where I put it for some reason. I tried using a skinnier belt that was colorful, a looser belt that sat low, and a wide stretchy belt to pull it all in, but nothing worked. This was totally one of those outfits that left my room in a shambles because I had pulled EVERYTHING out of my closet to try to make it work. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Any ideas on how to make this tunic work in my wardrobe before it get’s put back in the swap-pile?

L.

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?

Sources:

• Long Sleeved T: Splendid via Nordstrom Rack
• Camisole: Banana Republic Outlet
• Sweater: BR
• Scarf: gift
• Pin: grandmother’s
• Corduroys: DKNY via Filene’s Basement
• Socks: gift
• Oxfords: Crown Vintage via DSW

Endnotes:
Robert Frost had it right when he said in the poem “Two Tramps in Mud Time”:

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You’re one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you’re two months back in the middle of March.

Yesterday was chilly and rainy and grey. In the words of Tina Fey: blerg. I hope this is the last time I’ll be wearing cords this spring but you never know. I started this outfit with my socks. Yes, knee high, wool socks with sheep on them that my dad gave me many moons ago after he visited the Hebrides (which are islands off of the Scottish coast, in case you’re not up on your geography). Of course, since I started with the socks I decided that they needed to be displayed and so I cuffed my trousers.

This combination of sea green, grey, blue, and tan is one of my favorites and I’ve gotten a lot of wear out of this scarf (also from Scotland) over the winter. My chunky, cabled, cotton sweater was just warm enough, and this time I decided to tack the built in ties to the inside using safety pins and instead use a silver pin to hold the sweater together.

I’m pleased with the result and was cozy and warm for the whole dreary day. And best of all, I got to wear my Oxfords again! Yippy!

L.

Sources:

• Shirt and Wrap Shirt: Banana Republic
• Belt: J. Crew
• Necklaces: South Moon Under (gold), Orno Jewelry ("Mirari" in silver), family heirloom (fish charm)
• Scarf: gift from Myanmar aka Burma (via sister and bro-in-law)
• Trousers: Ann Taylor
• Shoes and Socks: BR

Endnotes:
Just a quick note since I’ve just arrived in London to visit my sister and brother-in-law. I thought I’d share with you my keys for successful long distance travel – at least when it comes to clothes, accessories and avoiding jet lag!

1) Comfy clothes – I still like to dress up when I travel, but these stretchy Ann Taylor trousers are very forgiving and layers on top mean that I can adjust my temperature easily.

2) Flat shoes – I’m a huge fan of flats to begin with, but I always travel in them. I also wear socks or stockings with them since you have to take your shoes off to go through the metal detectors and I’m not wildly enthused about walking barefoot in the airport. I try to avoid wearing belts also so that I have less to take off and put on during metal detector time.

3) Wear your jewelry – I don’t typically travel with much jewelry, but when I do I always wear all of it. I know most people put it at least in their carry-on, but I feel better knowing that I have my favorites close to me!

4) Walk – When I arrive at my destination I always walk rather than taking the moving sidewalk or escalator. On this trip my brother-in-law picked me up from the airport and after a lovely lunch we went for a stroll in Hyde Park where we bumped into several Anish Kapoor installations including “Sky Mirror”. I swear the sunshine and fresh air flushed whatever germs I had encountered on my trip right out of me! Moreover, after a quick nap I was ready for dinner and bed and am already on London time.

What travel tips do you have?

L.

The final two looks I prepared from the BR spring line fall neatly into the categories of “Teaching Outfit” and “Night without Grading” meaning, one of these I’d wear in my classroom and the other I’d wear when meeting my friends S., E., and A. out for drinks! The first look incorporates my two (new) favorite items: the stretchy flower belt and these little olive suede studded flats (neither of which is available online but this belt and these flats are similar, and these flats have the same flower as the belt on them, are equally adorable, and come in more colors in the store). The cropped jacket with a small ruffle and wider leg trousers dressed things up and the “Market Tote” was buttery soft and definitely could hold a day’s worth of books. I had first tried out the belting over a jacket look last week with a wide woven belt and blue blazer and I’m definitely a convert. I’d seen A., E., and S. do this before, but hadn’t tried it out myself until now.

Dinner Out?, originally uploaded by academichic.

This look, however, was fun, sleek, and definitely going-out-worthy. Had I not just recently stumbled into a few pairs of skinny jeans that I really like, I would have snapped these dark wash skinnies right up. The slight sparkle of the sweater (jacket?) and the skinny spike of these platform heels seemed evening appropriate and the soft silk edge of the tank and the cardigan played nicely off this bling-tastic necklace.

Sparkly!, originally uploaded by academichic.

So that’s it for my spring time inspirations from BR. A big thanks to the great sales people who allowed me to take photos in their store and helped me out! I know there has been some fruitful debate going on about this week of academichic playing dress-up with the BR spring line, and I hope that our readers have enjoyed seeing how we took new styles and brought our own aesthetic to some spring trends. Now we can rifle through our own closets with fresh eyes!

Sources:

• Dress: Banana Republic
• Belt: BR Outlet
• Necklace: Mass MoCA Store
• Shoes: BR
• Stockings (black and beige): Calvin Klein
• Large Fishnets: Givenchy via Marshalls
• Purple Fishnets: Gucci (gift)
• Beige Fishnets: Ralph Lauren via Lord & Taylor

Endnotes:
I was inspired by E.’s great post about how different colored tights can really change an outfit and I got to thinking about how we have been shunning good old-fashioned stockings (aka nylons, pantyhose, hose, etc.) lately. For me at least, beige or “nude” (aka “tan” or “flesh colored”, but not everyone’s flesh is the same color!) stockings remind me of a milestone in my life. In my school students weren’t allowed to wear sheer stockings until they were in 7th grade, while the younger kids had to wear opaque tights. Thus, wearing stockings was “grown-up” and much cooler.

Several readers have noted that tights make them feel youthful and wonder if tight-wearing has a certain age limit. Personally, I think I’ll wear tights as long as I want to, but I definitely see where these comments are coming from! For instance, even though E. wears colorful tights with aplomb, she commented on feeling like the yellow ones were giving her “Muppet legs.” I feel a little like that too especially with bright colorful tights. Stockings on the other hand have the opposite effect on me – especially black ones. I feel mature, business-y, and yet, I’ll say it, kinda sexy. Maybe it’s the idea that they show just enough skin or the way they give every curve a little more oomph. Maybe I’ve been seduced by one too many Victoria Secret ads. Anyway, for that reason I feel like stockings are adult, dressier, evening attire. But in the business world people wear them every day, so why am I hesitant to wear them at school?

I tried layering stockings with open-weave tights over, and that made me a little more comfortable, but I still felt “too sexy”… what does that even mean!? Maybe I’m asking a bigger question about “feeling sexy” being at odds with “feeling professional”? What do you think about stockings versus tights? I’d really love to hear what others have to say about this, since obviously I haven’t figured it out for myself!

~L.

Sources:

• Wrap Sweater – Thrifted
• Skirt – Banana Republic
• Ruffle Blouse – Gap
• Tights – Gap
• Wool Pumps – Urban Outfitters
• Earrings – F21

Endnotes:

The day I wore this (before the ground was covered with ice and snow) I spent way too long in front of the mirror testing out the many suggestions you all had for how to wear this cardigan wrap thingy.  I just couldn’t make any of the interesting pinning, belting, or tucking options work and felt a bit messy with it hanging open, so when I realized I was running quite late for my office hours I simply tied the long pieces in front of body.  I was actually fairly happy with the result – it’s less bulky and a perhaps a bit more effortless (only in appearance that is) than the belted version and a bit tidier than wearing it open. Overall a polished look of ease and comfort – my favorite!

16 December 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

16 December 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Sweater – BR Factory Store
• Skirt – Gap
• Blouse – Gap
• Belt – New York & Co
• Flannel Pumps – Urban Outfitters
• Earrings – gift from A2

Endnotes:

First, Happy Birthday S!!  Due to the 30 for 30 limitations, pre-travels laundry and packing, and a day of house-cleaning and grading, I couldn’t manage an S-inspired outfit for today.  But, I still wanted to send some birthday wishes, through the blogosphere, to one of my dearest friends! Love to you S. on your special day!

Argyle Love, originally uploaded by academichic.

I wore this outfit yesterday, when we had another unexpected bout of warm weather.  Once again I was glad to have this lighter skirt on my list.  I put this argyle sweater into the mix knowing that I wanted to do a little pattern mixing.  Notice I’ve got three patterns going here!

pattern mixing, originally uploaded by academichic.

Today is much colder and it looks like it will be cold for the rest of the week.  A2 and I leave tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with my family so today I am packing for four days.  Only being able to chose from my limited closet has made the packing go pretty quickly.  I’ll post my travel duds, T-day ensemble, and other weekend wear after the holiday.  Until then, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A.

23 November 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.