Endnotes:
I think S. brings up a great question: How do you best dress with stress? I had wondered at the beginning of this school year if during 9 months of dressing for classes 6 days a week there would come a point at which I absolutely could not stand to get dressed in the morning. For me getting dressed is fun. Obviously I enjoy it or else I wouldn’t bother playing around with what I wear, nor would I take the time to blog about it. Certainly in these last 9 months there have been days, or weeks even, when looking at my closet has inspired more dread than pleasure, but for the most part I’ve enjoyed starting my day playing “dress-up.” As I’ve said before, I use clothes to get me revved up, keep me motivated, and put on a brave front when I’m not feeling so tough inside.
However, in these last few weeks of school, as the weather has not warmed and the rain keeps falling, I have hit my wall. I have been going back to old, faithful staples that I’ve been wearing since I was in high school: corduroys and Birkenstocks. I haven’t blogged these outfits both because I feel “frumpy” in them and because it’s definitely not corduroy season in most of the country, so who cares how I styled a pair of cords in mid-May when really you want to know how to wear sundresses and straw hats?
Anyway, today I was actually feeling motivated enough to pull on a dress, a belt, and some cute flats. Pretty good considering there is a 70% chance of rain. Oh well, it’s time for me to bundle up for another afternoon of coaching in the drizzle. I probably will change out of these super comfy flats in favor of some waterproof sneakers, but who wants to see pictures of those?
This outfit is a nod to one of my favorite characters on Glee: Emma Pillsbury. (Who’s more than ready for the Glee season to start? February, really?!) Not only do I think her character is really charming, I also LOVE her wardrobe. It’s bright, cheerful, a mix of preppy with whimsical and romantic, and pretty much what I would want my wardrobe to be. If this were truly an Emma outfit, I’d be tucking that button down into a neat little pencil skirt, but I’m pretty sure that I’m many months away from pencil skirt wearing at this point. Instead, I offer you Emma inspired pairings with maternity jeans and comfortable flat boots.
I didn’t go for a monochromatic look but rather opted for two-thirds of a triad. Remember those triads on the color wheel? Triads are made by colors that are at equidistance from each other on the color wheel and produce a rather bold and loud effect. If you want some of that punch but in a toned down version, you can choose just two of the three triadic colors and compose a two-thirds combination (like the oranges and purples of this outfit do).
So to recap, purple, orange and green make one of the triads on the color wheel (see above). Can you tell what the other triad is?
Well, now that we’ve brushed up on our color theory and on Emma Pillsbury’s wardrobe on Glee, I’m back to work. Happy hump day! ~ S.
PS: If you’re also Glee-obsessed, who’s your favorite character? I would have to say that Sue Sylvester and Kurt are even dearer to my heart, but their wardrobes aren’t nearly as fun.
As you can probably guess from our background, these pictures were taken quite some time ago. I’m behind on posts (30 for 30 conclusion still to come) and am trying to catch up on some things before Academichic celebrates a birthday next week!
My little sister L. flew into Academichic Central to spend a few days with A2 and I before making the drive with us to my parent’s house for the Holidays. We spent our time baking Christmas cookies, shopping for gifts, and laying around the house cracking each other up. We took these photos before attending my department holiday party. We could barely keep straight faces as A2 struggled to snap a few decent shots before we headed out the door.
After discarding several options, I finally settled on my old workhorse, my black BR pencil skirt, and a ruffly plaid button-down and threw on my currently-favorite pumps. L. was working with a more limited selection, as she was living out of a suitcase. She went with skinny jeans and a black tuxedo front shirt and added some bling with her large J Crew chain necklace.
But, before leaving, we of course had to try out eachother’s shoes. I have been eying her adorable flats since this summer, and she has been jealous of my flannel pumps since she photographed my T-Day outfits the month before. I loved how the high cone-shaped pumps made her legs look a mile long in her skinny jeans. In the end, we quiickly switched our shoes back and took off for the party giggling as A2 pushed us out the door!
Thanks L. for an awesome visit! I miss you already! A.
Atthe half way point of the 30 for 30 challenge, I realized I still had several items on my list that I had yet to wear. I knew yesterday’s sweater and this blazer might be a challenge, which is exactly why I included them on the list. But, I added the skinny jeans because I thought they would be a go-to item. I just keep finding myself opting for either my skinny cords or ponte pants over the jeans. I’ve written about my struggles with jeans in the past and, while I have come to embrace skinny pant, I still haven’t found the perfect fitting skinny jean. These jeans look great when I am standing just right, but have the tendency to sag, thus exposing more of my waist/rear than desired and creating an unflattering droop in the crotch (yes, I did just type that for the world to read). So, I’m still on the hunt for that perfect pair!
Meanwhile, I’m playing with layers! I’m mixing textures and patterns and even lengths with this short blazer over a long sweater.
I have to admit, I felt a bit like a young Rococo gent with these ruffles cascading from my jacket paired with a cropped pant silhouette. Funny how the most “feminine” (in contemporary definitions) aspects of this outfit are what remind me of the 17th century “masculine” ensemble. Yep, I’m knee deep in a chapter draft and gender performativity is on the mind!
Endnotes:
I realize that you all don’t see me in casual outfits all that often, but I do dress in a more relaxed fashion for my Saturday classes. Since it is a half-day I tend to keep my outfit preparation minimal. I wore this last Saturday, and while winter seems to have blown in over the weekend, this ensemble was truly autumnal. I picked up these skinny cords at Filene’s Basement, which, at least for me, is a never-ending treasure trove of designer clothing at ridiculously low prices. I’ve lamented more than once that Filene’s has ruined me for shopping since rarely even at outlets do the prices come close to Filene’s (I promise they are not paying me to say all this!). Anyway, so these petite cords were a fab find, I scored a pair in black as well, AND they required no hemming. The color, which doesn’t come through very well in these pictures, is a grey/purple… something J. Crew might call “dove” or more likely “turtledove” given the season!
This little jacket is definitely a staple for any closet. I wear it with jeans to dress them up, cords as another (albeit preppy) layer, or full skirts (ala A. in this post). Finally, I was still a little chilly despite the shirt, sweater and jacket on top, so I grabbed my favorite scarf. Yes, this scarf is Burberry and instantly recognizable as an uber-trendy item (or at least very well branded). However, my scarf is special to me because it was my grandmother’s. Sure it has moth holes and places where her cigarette burned the coarse wool and general wear-and-tear from decades of use and love, but it’s Granny’s scarf and that’s what matters. (That’s me on her lap!)
My mother keeps asking me if I want a new one, one without holes, but I refuse. What special pieces are you holding on to that are in ill repair but you’d never give up?
Plaid flannel jacket: vintage, mom’s
Tank: Old Navy
Belt: swapped with A.
Skirt: Gap
Argyle navy tights: Banana Republic Factory
Oxfords: Civico 10 via DSW
End Notes:
With this admittedly lumberjackish outfit, I think I’ve worn every piece of my 30 for 30 at least once. While there are a few items of clothing that I’m eager to wear again, I actually feel like I am far from exhausting the possibilities of my original list and I’m not particularly tired of any of my 30 items. How are the rest of your 30 for 30ers feeling at this point?
In any case, it’s Friday at last, at the end of a long week, and that’s as good a time as any for some Monty Python gender parody, no?
While I might not think that Occam’s razor is the ultimate guiding principle for science, theology, or philosophy, I have to say that this law of economy definitely has its merits when it comes to getting dressed. Of all the variants, Leonardo da Vinci’s pithy restatement — “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” — translates best to figuring out how to wear this thrifted plaid shirt.
Indeed, the simplest solution — with a gray pencil skirt, belt, and wedges — seems to have been my best so far. Per the suggestions of many, I rolled up the sleeves and threw on a cuff bracelet for some extra oomph and subtle pattern mixing. The only thing I couldn’t quite decide was if I liked it better with the shirt tucked in our let out.
In the end I left it untucked. The more casual vibe was more appropriate for today’s activities, and I already had enough to worry about with this unseasonably warm, windy weather wreaking havoc in my hair!
I’m glad you liked my little photo narrative of my Monday. Today’s post is unfortunately far less entertaining as I’m playing a little bit of catch up with outfits from yesterday and today.
This (kind of) plaid button down shirt was an eleventh hour pinch-hitter in my 30 for 30 list, swapped in an effort to make me give up my security blanket “mom jeans” and try to figure out a way to incorporate this rarely worn shirt into my regular closet rotation. I blogged this once before, soon after I snagged it at Goodwill, but I never quite managed to style it in a way that felt like “me” rather than a costume piece.
I’m not sure that this look it quite there either — though the patterned tights and booties help edgify the preppier cardigan-over-button-down combo — but I think I’m getting closer. I swear I’ll figure this out by the time I’m through with my 30 for 30.
But since you all know my list, I’m also taking suggestions on how else to style that plaid button down!
Cardigan: NY&Co (gift from mother-in-law), edited down
Ruffle top: Banana Republic Factory
Belt: thrifted
Shorts: thrifted and chopped
Tights: Hue
Oxfords: Civico 10, via DSW
End Notes:
Today the strictures of the 30 for 30 challenge were exceedingly beneficial since I had to dress in a hurry. I just grabbed a top, a sweater, shorts, and tights and hoped that they would all work together. And I think they do.
While I didn’t initially intend for my 30 items to have such a cohesive color palette, dominated by gray, navy, marigold, eggplant, and olive, I think the end results definitely reflect my color predilections of the moment. If I stop thinking in terms of individual garments and focus more on color combinations, I think I’m more likely to end up with some pairings — like this one — that I wouldn’t have normally tried. It’s kind of a lot of frou up top, but I think the boxier shorts in a menswear glen plaid wool keeps it all in check.
Bracelet: Accessorize (also a gift from my sister who lives in London)
Endnotes:
When I bought this dress last spring on super sale from Anthropologie, I knew that A and S were going to be jealous. As you know they are queens of shirt-dresses (including ones that wrap) and both have an excellent collection of styles, colors, and materials, not to mention the styling that they do themselves to make these dresses even more interesting. After having admired shirt dresses on both of them, I knew that this plaid one would be a hit — and make A especially covetous because it has pockets!
Although, I felt that the danger with this dress was that the all over plaid was going to be too much and the fitted vintage shape could be seen as, gasp, schoolmarm-ish. The first time I wore this I paired it with a brown leather belt and shoes, and I’ve also worn my grey belt and shoes with much success.
However, this time around I wanted to go beyond neutrals and see what adding even more color could do to embellish this dress. The purple belt, like my other obi belts, was something I had scavenged out of my mother’s closet this summer. I’m not a huge pastel colors person, but I figured as an accessory this might come in handy for our color wheel challenges. I’m undecided as to whether I like the purple belt or brown belt more, but either way I was happy with this look and didn’t feel too old fashioned despite the vintage shape.
I also felt that the gold jewelry dressed up the look and the circle necklace went well with my Frye flats. I liked the lace edge camisole peeking out of the top as well and needed it because the dress is a little low cut.
Do you have suggestions for how I might make this dress less old-fashioned looking? Accessories I should think about trying? Other color combinations you think would work? Thanks for your feedback!
So here’s another incarnation of my ‘uniform’ look that I last wrote about. Except I’ve switched out the flats for orange sandals. This for two reasons: I like how the orange sandals pick up the shades of orange in the plaid button down tunic without being too matchy-matchy, and my much worn Palladium flats have finally been retired after four years of faithful service and many many miles together. They tore at last and I’m putting them to rest in Europe, where we have shared many a pleasant trip together. Thank you, Palladium flats, you were a wise purchase indeed.
So it was in this comfy reiteration of the same look I’ve been sporting for a while now that I enjoyed yesterday’s day despite the rain and clouds.I took cover in one of my favorite bookshops in Munich – the five floored Hugendubel on Marienplatz – and cozied up in their top floor cafe with a hot mint tea, a good cycling book, and some intermittent people watching on the square below…
The second challenge for the LGRAB Summer Games included reading a book on cycling, so I began that task with Mark Beaumont’s The Man Who Cycled The World. Beaumont writes about his adventures riding over 18,000 miles on his bike in 194 days and 17 hours (making him the new world record holder). This book is his personal account of that incredible and often painful yet undoubtedly amazing journey on his bike.
I love reading books about the sports I enjoy, such as running and now cycling. (So the girls over at Let’s Go Ride a Bike didn’t really need to twist my arm with this one). But I’ve never been one to get all technical and read about the mechanics of said sport. Rather, I really love a good adventure memoir that focuses on the thrill, excitement, and discovery resulting from engaging in a given activity. I also like historical or theoretical readings on the development of a sport, which trace the social response to and understanding of said activity. Some of my favorite reads on these topics are:
Running:
McDougall, Christopher. Born to Run. A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen. Knopf, 2009.
(This one made me seriously think that I should be running ultras. It just made me fall in love with the art of running all over again.)
Murakami, Haruki. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Knopf, 2008.
(I put it down and vowed to also run one marathon a year for the rest of my life. So I’m not really going to be able to do that, but I still think the book is beautiful and brilliant).
Cycling:
Mackintosh, Philip Gordon and Glen Norcliffe. “Men, Women and the Bicycle: Gender and Social Geography of Cycling in the Late Nineteenth-Century.” Cycling and Society. Eds. Dave Horton, Paul Rosen and Peter Cox. Burlington: Ashgate, 2007. 153-177.
Oddy, Nicholas. “Bicycles.” The Gendered Object. Ed. Pat Kirkham. New York: Manchester University Press, 1996. 60-69.
Simpson, Clare S. “Capitalising on Curiosity: Women’s Professional Cycle Racing in the Late-Nineteenth Century.” Cycling and Society. Eds. Dave Horton, Paul Rosen and Peter Cox. Burlington: Ashgate, 2007. 47-65.
(All really great and accessible articles on the social development of cycling and the gendered aspects of said activity, especially in the early stages on bicycle development).
Aesthetics and Sport in General:
Gumbrecht, Hans Ullrich. In Praise of Althletic Beauty. Harvard University Press, 2006.
(A beautiful and moving book on the aesthetics of athletics. I read this for a class on aesthetics a few years back and have since reread it for pleasure. Gumbrecht is a professor at Stanford University and I had the pleasure of meeting him shortly before coming to Germany. I had him autograph my book. Yes, I’m an academic groupie).
Do you have any great adventure memoirs you’d recommend? What are some of the books (aesthetics or athletics related) that have moved you? I’d love to get your reading tips! S.
