Sources:

Take #3:

• Striped Tank – American Eagle
• Shorts – Gap Outlet
• Hat- Banana Republic
• Sandals – H & M
• Earrings – gift from S.

Take #4:

• Pink Skirt – Limited
• Striped Top – Banana Republic
• Belt – Thrifted
• Grey Shoes – BR
• Earrings – gift from S.

Endnotes:

Here are takes 3 and 4 of my self-imposed stripe challenge.   I think takes 1 and 2 were both much better, but I am happy to finally get my hat on the blog.  Several months back, before it was sun hat season, E. and S. convinced me to wear this hat.  I wore it a few times before chopping my hair and then was hesitant to pull it out again after the haircut.  I’m not convinced it is the most flattering look, but it sure is practical!  I wore this outfit at an outdoor festival over the weekend and it was nice to keep the sun off my head and face and it hid my increasingly  post-rain curly/frizzy hair.

Take #4 looked better in my imagination, but I do love the bright color pairing and that I got to use my newly thrifted belt again.   I wore this for my first day of teaching summer school yesterday and then took the pictures after finding out the class was canceled due to low enrollment.  I just couldn’t manage a picture in which I didn’t look at least slightly dejected. Looks like I wont have as have many teaching outfits to show you over this summer, so hope you don’t mind seeing some writing duds!

A.

Sources:

• Cardigan – Banana Republic
• Scarf – H & M
• Belt – SF Boutique
• Skirt – Banana Republic
• Wellies – Banana Republic
• Earrings – souvenir from Cayman Islands
• Bangles – gift from S.

Endnotes:

Like many places it seems, Academichic Central is in danger of being washed away with all this rain!

Multiple days of heavy rain mean to things: my wellies are getting a workout and my hair is ridiculously curly. I’ve been trying to take advantage of the short breaks in the rain to fit in a run, plant something, or do other outside projects.  I keep reminding myself that all this rain is good for my new plants, my compost, and my lawn.  Plus, I feel really “hard-core” when I start my run in the sun and finish it in a down pour or when I have to slip on my wellies to slop through the muddy lawn to my compost bin.

But, this means when I finally get cleaned up to head to campus, I don’t want to look like I am wearing my rain gear.  The rain was too persistent (and my trek through campus too long) to wear regular shoes, so I opted for my secret wellies (people often can’t tell they are rubber instead of leather).  Like L., instead of using bright colors, I found other things in my closet to make me think of spring.  I chose this light gauzy scarf and wooden accessories – items that make me think of sunny islands rather than rainy cities.

Come on May flowers!

Sources:

• Blouse – Thrifted
• Skirt – from L.
• Boots- Steve Madden Intyce
• Earrings – hand-me-down from sister M.
• Bracelet – gift from S.’s mom
• Denim Jacket – Gap
• Bag – Crystalyn Kae
• Aviators – Banana Republic

Endnotes:

While visiting L. last weekend (so we could watch a friend run the Boston Marathon) I scored several new-to-me items.  L. was in the process of cleaning out her closet to get ready for a clothing swap she is organizing, but she let me have first dibs!  I came home with a few great things including this beautiful black pencil skirt.  I was running out of light when I took these pictures so you can’t see its lovely texture or the great kick pleat in the back.  The skirt was too long on L. but is the perfect length on me.

This fun patterned blouse is also new-to-me.  I picked it up at a consignment shop in Boston (the one purchase I allowed myself to make, despite the many tempting shops L. and I wondered into).  It’s not at all my typical style: it has a bold (non-stripe) pattern, puffed sleeves, a tie at the neck, little bead buttons on the shoulder, and a bib front.  But, for some reason I was really drawn to it.  I like the funky modern pattern mixed with a more vintage cut.  Both L. and E. agree with me that this has quite an S. vibe

And, as I’m a rediscovering my collection of large earrings, I emphasized the drama of the graphic pattern with these big cut-out black earrings – a hand-me-down from my little sister.  This outfit gave me a much-needed boost of confidence for some not-so-pleasant meetings on campus.

I like that the blouse is a bit playful even with its more severe and formal cut.  I emphasized the playful/casual side by choosing boots instead of pumps and my denim jacket instead of a trench.
I have always loved hand-me-downs!  When I was little my mom used to come home with bags full of clothes from a friend at work who had two girls, each just a year older than my older sister and I.  We were always so excited to dig through the clothes and pick out what we wanted.  Their clothes were always much trendier than what my mom bought (which had to be timeless enough to pass through 5 girls).  I didn’t even mind hand-me-downs from my sister since she was older and cooler (plus, as I’m the second oldest, my hand-me-downs only came through one sister).  I still love getting my friends and sister’s unwanted items.
What about you?  Where you a hand-me-down kid?  Are you still?

Sources:

• Shirt: Target
• Sweater: thrifted
• Skirt: Banana Republic
• Ribbon Belt: by me!
• Stockings: Calvin Klein via Filene’s Basement
• Shoes: Tahari via DSW

Endnotes:
Belts were my gateway drug into the world of style. I so envied the sleek/stylish/fun/creative belts that the other Chics wore, that I finally drank the Kool-Aid and got some for myself… and I’ve never looked back. I have pink belts, custom made belts, wide belts, skinny belts, obi belts, stretchy belts, scarf belts, metallic belts, and belts that are literally made out of metal. I have worn belts to define my waist, turn a dress into a skirt, and add color to an outfit, and I keep looking for new inspirations for using my growing collection. Needless to say, I love belts and today’s is no exception. In fact my entire outfit is based off of the colors in the belt. Pink, pale blue, gold and cream are picked up in my shirt, sweater, and shoes – unfortunately I did have to wear sheer stockings today because my brain couldn’t figure out a pair of tights that would work – Do you have some suggestions!?

I dug this fantastic vintage ribbon out of a box of sewing equipage that was my grandmother’s and have been meaning to do something with it for a while now. It is so fabulous with the bright pinks and greens, subtle blue, tiny gold detailing and stuffed (yes, with real batting!) damask flowers and butterflies that I knew I wanted it to mostly stand on its own, and making it into a belt was as easy as 1-2-3!

Click “more” for the DIY of How to Make A Ribbon Belt with Button Closure

Ok, seriously, this is super simple, and again, I’m sure someone else has done a tutorial about this as well, as I’m certainly not inventing the wheel with this one. Also, for a no-sew ribbon belt look at A.’s post here.

Materials:

• Wide Ribbon – check out thrift stores or vintage shops for old ribbon or swing by your local fabric or craft store to see what they have. A great solid color could work too if no patterned ones are jumping out at you. The trick is to get ribbon that is stiff enough on its own that it will not end up curling into a tube around your waist. It needs to lie flat even when pulled a little at the ends.
• Skinny Ribbon
• Measuring Tape
• Scissors
• Needle and Thread
• 1 large-ish button

Step 1:
Measure around your waist – make sure you are measuring right where you want to wear the belt because at least in this version it’s not adjustable. (I’d love to hear how people have made this type of belt adjustable too! Again, my brain is struggling right now.)

Step 2:
Measure the wide ribbon and cut 3-inches shorter than your waist measurement, but with enough ends to fold over and sew down to make a clean edge.

Step 3:
Measure out the skinny ribbon to complete the full waist measurement – one end needs to make a loop and the other is a doubled over piece that has the button sewn onto the end. Make sure that your button is big enough to catch in the loop and that your loop is folded in such a way as to hold the button facing out rather than flipping it down (you’ll see what I mean when you try)

And that’s it! Enjoy your home-made ribbon belt!

Sources:

• Scarf – Echo
• Sweater – Banana Republic
• Tee – H & M
• Skirt – Banana Republic
• Boots – Steven Madden Intcye, via ebay
• Belt – Ann Taylor
• Bangles – gift

Endnotes:

This week we are celebrating/investigating belts!  Belts and scarves form a significant part of my daily wardrobe.  If we did a survey of all of my posted outfits, I bet we would find that an easy majority involve a scarf, a belt, or both.  The first time I saw a belted scarf, I knew it was for me.  The belted scarf has since become one of my signature looks.   I wear this paisley scarf all the time, but always with the long ends of the triangle tied up under the wide point.  Then, I saw Kendi wear a similar scarf and knew I had to try it.

For me, I think part of pulling of this particular belted-scarf iteration, means embracing the skinny belt.  I tend to opt for the wide (usually stretchy) belt more often than not, but I think the lightness of this scarf calls for a thin belt.

Do you belt your scarves?  All scarves, or only particular styles?

Sources:

• Patterned Top – BR Factory Store
• Navy Cami – American Eagle
• Grey Pencil Skirt – Banana Republic
• Navy Tights – Target
• Grey Lace Tights – Gap
• Shoes- Banana Republic
• Necklace – Gift from A2
• Earrings – Morocco, gift from a professor

Endnotes:

Yes, this is just a slight variation on the outfit I wore only a couple of months ago.  I often re-wear outfits I like, sometimes exactly as I wore them before, but I don’t usually document the repeated wears.  I loved this outfit the first time I wore it and knew I would likely repeat it, especially as the weather warms up.

15 February 2011 – Layred Tights, originally uploaded by academichic.

Since it is Tights Week here at Academichic, I decided to switch up the tights and shoes.  The navy tights worked so well with it last time so I kept them and simply layered these grey lace tight over the navy, creating a rich pattered and textured look.   I think they plays off the pattered ruffly top really well.

I chose to wear them with my grey suede peep-toes.  Last time we experimented with tights I did a long post on wearing tights with open-toe shoes and then became an addict to the look for the rest of the spring.  When I did the little experiment, I was surprised how much I liked the lace/open pattern tights with the cut-out shoes.  The one aspect I wasn’t crazy about was how my bare legs/toes looked peeking through the tights – layering fixes everything!

Layred Tights, originally uploaded by academichic.

I stuck with the blue earrings from Morocco that I originally wore with this ensemble, again because I love the way it plays off the top.  This time I added a more substantial necklace – this little mirror on a chain A2 bought for me years ago.

I’m so happy I figured out this lace/open pattern tight over solid tight deal, because I had several of these kinds of tights in the back of a drawer that are now getting to see the light of day.   A.

• Blue Button Down – J Crew
• Orange Skirt – J Crew
• Belt – Anthropologie
• Tweed Tights – Gap
• Shoes – Urban Outfitters
• Earrings – gift

Endnotes:

Yesterday was my first day of teaching for the Spring semester.  I loved my first day of school outfit from last Spring semester (so much so, I included it in my top ten list).  So, I decided to use some of the elements form that look to create something new.  I pulled out my bright orange wool skirt and tweed tights to start.  I wanted to keep the bold complimentary color pairing of orange and blue and retain some of the classic prep look the crew neck cardigan gave the original.

Inspired by another of my top ten picks, I decided to belt my tuxedo-front blue button down.  The central items in this ensemble are fairly “safe”  but the bright colors, particularly this combination of bright colors gave the outfit more personality.

This time around I decided to take that personality and run with it…

Anthropologie Belt, originally uploaded by academichic.

Instead of a simple brown leather belt, I opted for this blue cloth belt with its sparkly leaf pattern (a Christmas gift from my mom).  I also sported my fantastically strange eye earrings (a long-ago gift from a favorite TA supervisor).  I love these earrings because from far away they are just brown dangly earrings, but as someone approaches they see the little surrealist eyes staring at them.  The first time I wore these earrings in a professional setting was at the College Art Association conference several yeas ago.  I got a good mix of strange looks and gushing compliments.  I now often use them as a subtle way to make an otherwise bland professional outfit my own and can imagine wearing them with my interview suit (I’ll be applying to teach contemporary art after all).

Eye Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

This outfit was of course far from bland professional even with out the eye earrings.  On my short walk from my off-campus parking spot to the building where I teach I passed three former students and I got to thinking about how long I have been a TA (this is my 8th semester at my current university and my 14th all together) and it occurred to me that this may possibly be my last!  My funding is still very much undetermined, but it is a feasible possibility that I might finish my degree with grant money and never TA again!  This got me reflecting on my outfit.  Would I have worn bright orange and blue, a sparkly belt, eye earrings and my wellies (I wore them to walk to campus and never managed to put the pumps back on) for the first day of my first semester as a TA?  Probably not.  There are many reasons for that, including an evolving personal style, a growing level of confidence in my personal appearance, among other things, but it also has to do with my confidence in myself as a teacher.  I know I am a good teacher and so I worry less about what exactly my clothes are saying to my students.

Have you had similar experiences?  Once you are more confident in your job do you find yourself being more bold in your style choices?

Sources:

• Blue Ruffle Top – Banana Republic Factory Store
• Grey Skirt – Banana Republic
• Navy Tights – Target
• Flannel Pumps – Urban Outfitters
• Necklace – gift from Mom

Endnotes:

Finally!  I’ve finished posting my 30 for 30 challenge (you can check out all 30 of my looks by clicking on the “30 for 30 by A.” tag below).  I really enjoyed this little experiment, even if it did take me twice as long as I had planned.  That seems to be the way things most of my life plans go (eh em… dissertation). But, it’s done now and I am quite happy with most of my looks.  I think I will save the recap for another time.

For outfit #29 I combined the my workhorse skirt, which I surprisingly only wore for 3 out of 30 outfits, and my ruffly patterned top.  I included this top in my 30 items because it was new and I was worried about working it into my regular clothing rotation.  The challenge helped show me it’s versatility and now I can’t wait to mix it in with the rest of my closet.

29 of 30, originally uploaded by academichic.

——–

30 of 30, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Striped Sweater Dress (worn as top) – Old Navy
• Wool Plaid Blazer – Gap
• Striped Skirt – Gap
• Tweed Belt – New York & Co
• Navy Tights – Target
• Flannel Pumps – Urban Outfitters
• Earrings – gift from professor

For my final remix I tried a little bit of everything! I wore an item purchased just before the challenge started (the sweater dress) and an old standby (striped skirt).  I picked and item repeated over and over in the challenge (flannel pumps) and one worn only once before (the plaid blazer).  I mixed my neutrals and my pattens (wide stripes, pin stripes, tweed, and plaid).  I also wore a dress as a top.  I like the richness of the textures and colors and the playfulness of the silhouette and pattern mix.  All and all I think it’s a good way to end this little style experiment.  Now I can move on to outfits featuring some Christmas gifts!

Thanks for sticking with me and for having a little patience as I slowly plucked away at my 30 for 30!

Pretty as a Peahen, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• All: Banana Republic
• Pin: grandmother’s
• Tights: Target
• Shoes: Ciao Bella via DSW

Endnotes:
I feel like this outfit was based on a very A. kind of palette…. Or E.… or S., but for the most part purple plays only an accessory role in my wardrobe as does darker iterations of teal like this shirt. I find this odd since, if asked, I’d mention both of those colors as favorites.

Plumage, originally uploaded by academichic.

Anyway, I’m on the hunt especially for more prominent purple pieces to add to my closet. The bottom half of my outfit is pretty darn bland, but that’s what happens on mornings when 8:00am class is calling! I tried on my purple fishnets over these tights (similar to this look from December), but it didn’t work so I ended up all in black. I think if I wear this outfit again I’d opt for my dark grey pencil skirt (that A. has as well).

Peahen side, originally uploaded by academichic.

The scarf around my waist was a last minute attempt to break up the otherwise lengthy torso created by the cardigan, but this scarf is not long enough to tie, so I secured the ends with a silver pin. The scarf I wore as a belt last week was huge, so folded in half diagonally it reached around and tied in the front, but a reader commented that many scarves are not so generous. For shorter scarves, pinning or looping once around, knotting and tucking in the ends works as another way to make the scarf work as a belt.

Pinned Scarf Belt, originally uploaded by academichic.

My favorite details from this outfit, and indeed the inspiration for the title of this post, are the “petals” (according to BR) that cascade down the front of this blouse. To me they looked like peahen plumage and the color scheme of teal and purple also seems peacock-esque. Perhaps next time I should wear some bright blue or turquoise jewelry to really go all out.