academichic

Last week, S. made a list of her wardrobe essentials, the glue that holds her wardrobe together. I’ve been thinking a lot about wardrobe foundations since being pregnant. How does one, exactly, put a wardrobe together from scratch? My list of essentials at 6 months pregnant is of course strongly influenced by my pre-preggers style that I’ve tried to maintain, with some tweaking, as my bump has grown. And actually, compiling this list — a mix of extendable existing garments and new maternity purchases — revealed a couple of holes in my preggers wardrobe that I need to try and remedy shortly!

While S.’s and my lists overlap quite a bit, you’ll of course notice that the particular shapes and colors we use as our “essentials” are different and influenced by our personal style and our body types. You may also notice the big gaping absence of a white button down in my list. Anathema! But I rarely wore button downs pre-preggers (being long-waisted and thin made that difficult) so I felt no compunction at all to add it to my list of preggers essentials. I need a bumper sticker that says, “One person’s white button down is my magenta cardigan.”

Click through the jump for the full list…

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14 April 2009 – The Best of Bones, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Magenta cardi – Express, remixed
Blue tunic – TJ Maxx, remixed
Gray trousers – Ann Taylor Loft Maternity, via eBay, remixed
Metallic peep-toes – Target.com, remixed

End Notes:

Seriously, I could not have been more thrilled that so many of our readers listed off their collarbone as one of the body parts that they love most about themselves. I, like A., am particularly proud of these sweeping bones. In fact, in the early days of my relationship with my now-husband I bluntly pointed out that he should recognize the charm of my clavicle. (Yes, I called it a clavicle and yes, he did appreciate it.)

Digression: My mother was an occupational therapist and when I studied biology I had a lot of random bone and muscle names pounded into my head. Clavicle, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and xiphoid process remain some of my favorites. Does anyone else have a favorite oddly named bone or muscle?

Anyway, I’ve learned that, between my collarboneyness and small chest, I can wear a variety of open necklines — like a surplice top or a wide v-neck — without being too va-va-va voom for school. Today I’m taking full advantage of this favorite part and wearing a wide square neck tunic. I’ve sometimes seen square necklines suggested for women with larger chests or hourglass figures. I have neither, of course. I wear it pretty much exclusively because showing a little collarbone makes me feel confident and a smidge sexy.

 

Collarboney, originally uploaded by academichic.

13 April 2009 – Above the Belt, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Sweater dress turned tunic: Target
• Belt: thrifted
• Jeans: ON Maternity, remixed
• Boots: Steve Madden Iriss, well-loved and remixed often

End Notes:

This week in our Fashion 101 series on Proportions we’re getting dressed with our “best” in mind. Can you guess which feature I’m highlighting today?

I’m thrilled to be pregnant and couldn’t be happier that I’m showing more. I’m still figuring out how to show my bump off best or if there are silhouettes I can wear now that would not have been flattering to my pre-preggers shape. I think today’s outfit — with a belt going under my bump — counts. A drop waist was never on my pre-preggers style radar, but I’m loving how this new belt-placement works on the body I have now. Inspiration points for this whole concept have to go to the fabulous Spanish mama over at My Daily Style.

The pregnant body occupies a strange place in our contemporary society, with a weird obsession over who is and who is not doing pregnancy “right,” judgments made solely by looking at a woman’s physical appearance. After struggling with PCOS, I’m even more determined to keep a positive body image throughout this longed-for pregnancy. All that to say, even the parts we love about our bodies often come with very personal stories, experiences that have powerfully shaped how we identity ourselves. Maybe that’s why today’s outfit, in all its simplicity, is a pretty big deal to me. Go, Bump, go.

13 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

 

8 April 2009 – Citrusy, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Yellow cardi: BR Outlet, remixed
• Green tie-neck top: Banana Republic, remixed
• Gray skirt: Mimi Maternity, via eBay, remixed
• Orange pumps: Dolce Vita, via Sole Struck, remixed

End Notes:

My most well-loved visual strategy for re-adjusting the proportional lengths of my torso and legs is wearing higher-waisted bottoms. Like S., I managed — through lots of trial and error — to find the appropriate “fit” of pants at different stores that hit about an inch below my (rather high) belly button. At Banana Republic I am a “Martin” girl. At Old Navy, I am a “Flirt” devotee. At Ann Taylor, I am “Laura.” No matter how “in” they may be, low rise pants are not my friend. A higher rise means the illusion of a longer leg line.

Pre-preggers (and until I popped), I wore my skirts at or over my belly button. It was an elegant and easy way to fool folks into thinking that my legs were a lot longer than they actually are. Unfortunately, in maternity land, the high waisted skirt is essentially non-existent, and I found this to be probably the hardest style transition to make between my pre-pregger and pregger bodies.

And then I found this gray skirt that does two miraculous things. First, because it’s stretchy with an elastic back panel I can wear it right at my belly button and, from the front, I see a familiar, favorite proportion that makes me feel like me. From the side, though, the bump is still happily present. It’s an unusual silhouette for a preggers lady, but for me it manages to strike a balance between letting me still recognize my style and showing off, rather than hiding, my new shape.

 

8 April 2009 – Citrusy, originally uploaded by academichic.

 

7 April 2009 – Curvy Lines, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Turquoise cardi – Gap, years ago
Leaf print top – H&M, remixed
Black trousers – Target maternity, remixed
Pointy toe flats – Target, remixed
Orangey-brown hair color – courtesy of being pregnant.

End Notes:

The main problem I have with maternity pants is that they, by necessity, have to sit far lower on me than I would normally prefer. The lower rise (often with a stretchy panel that needs to be concealed) means that my shirts have to also be longer, a fact that initially caused some angst for long-torso-me.

Two tricks I’ve recently figured out, though, and will probably continue to use post-baby, is the long monochrome line approach and the blending cami strategy. I’ve found that if I can create a long, lean line of color from my torso through my pants, my legs will appear longer and balance out my top. The simplest way, of course, to achieve this would be to wear a black top, black pants, and throw a brighter open cardigan or jacket on top. But, since our Pattern Mixing Module, I tried to follow the same principle but with a black and white print. Because the vines on this top run vertically, they keep your eyes running in a smooth up and down.

Another trick I’m trying today is to let a little cami show. Wearing a very long black cami underneath the printed top covers the stretchy maternity band, giving me the illusion of a valuable inch or two in the rise. A higher rise, means a longer leg line and, again, a seemingly shorter torso. This may not be the most elegant solution, but imagine how bifurcated I would look if I were wearing, say, a white cami underneath.

 

6 April 2009 – Snow Day?, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Brown cardi, lace print top, trouser jeans, gray wedges: all remixed.

End Notes:

For our first day of our Fashion 101 on Proportions, I am — somewhat by necessity — keeping things simple. The Midwest Weather Beings decided to do what they do best and, well, SNOW today. In April. After I no longer fit any of my pullover sweaters.

As I mentioned in our introduction yesterday, I have what I sometimes fondly refer to as a “never-ending torso.” It took a long time for me to realize that I have a long torso. In college, I never understood why my roommate’s shirts never quite made it to my belly button and why I looked terribly awkward in low rise jeans. Once I recognized my particular proportion, though, I learned that I would be a lot happier if I used my clothes to lengthen my legs and to break up my torso.

Of course, now that I’m preggers, there’s another dimension to consider in all this! There is no such thing as higher waist pregnancy jeans, for example! So, throughout the week I’ll frequently be describing tips that I used pre-pregnancy and have adapted to fit my particular style moment.

Today I’m combining two surefire strategies: heels and a belt. It’s so simple, but it works. The heels — in this case, gray wedges that provide a comfortable boost of height, let me wear longer jeans that elongate my bottom half. And, since I have to wear longer shirts now to cover my bump, I belted everything at the smallest part of my torso, right under my bust line. The belt divvies up what would otherwise be a long stretch of white t-shirt, allowing for the illusion that my legs start higher than they actually do.

A note on belting. This is the first time in my long-torsoed life that the smallest part of my torso really was right under my bust. Pre-preggers, my waist was a lot further down. To help bring the proportions up, I would often wear a wider belt that would break things up more effectively:

 

e – Purple & Red, originally uploaded by academichic.

Now, as an added bonus, one more subtle tip from today’s outfit! This cardigan has long sleeves, but I rarely wear them pulled all the way down. I’ve found that long, solid colored sleeves draw eyes down, highlighting how my legs start right around the same place that my sleeves end. Instead, by pushing them up to elbow or three-quarter sleeve length, I again am able to visually break up my torso length. Tricky, right?

 

6 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

 

3 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Navy blazer: BR Outlet, remixed
• Gray trousers: Ann Taylor Loft Maternity, via eBay
• Pink flutter sleeve top: Old Navy (with added gray belt)
• Orange patent heels: Dolce Vita,via www.solestruck.com

End Notes:

Every spring since I’ve lived on the mainland I go through this phase where I really want to dress like a tree. I know, it’s strange. But, flowering spring trees are still a relatively new phenomenon to me, and I think that there are few things more lovely than pink and white blossoms lining delicate gray branches.

Of course, being preggers, there’s not much that I can do to look “willowy.” And in fact, when I put on this pink blouse this morning with my gray trousers I felt a little bit too much like a pastel-wearing maternity model. So good thing these fabulous orange Dolce Vita shoes had just arrived from Sole Struck! The analogous color pairing makes the pink and gray a little more modern and, while I may not exactly look like those lovely cherry trees, I am still feeling springy.

I adore these shoes. They will add an unexpected pop of fresh color to my spring wardrobe and they manage to be sexy while still friendly to my gradually preggers-compromised center of gravity. I have become an increasingly devoted fan of colored shoes, and I am jealous fairly regularly of S.’s shoe collection of red, burgundy, pink, and yellow lovelies. Is anyone else having bright-shoe-spring-fever? What colors are you craving?

 

Dolce Vita Pumps, originally uploaded by academichic.

 

31 March 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Red-orange cardi, blue pleated top, bangle, and gray suede wedges: all remixed.
• Gray skirt: Mimi Maternity via eBay

End Notes:

Being pregnant has reinvigorated my belief in the necessity of having strong, classic pieces at the core of a wardrobe. While I love having special “statement” pieces, I simply can’t deny the ease, polish, and security that certain simple basics give me.

As I’ve tried to cobble together a small, efficient, and stylish wardrobe for this pregnancy, I knew that one thing that I needed to have was a slim gray skirt with a great fit. It sounds like that would be easy enough to find, but it took a good month and a half of scouring eBay every day until I found this wonderful charcoal skirt from Mimi Maternity and hustled it away for $15, including shipping.

And I love it.

It hugs my bump, it sits higher on my torso than most maternity skirts, mitigating the danger of stumpiness, it’s soft, and it has the perfect shape. So, interwebs, prepare yourselves. You will be seeing me a lot in this skirt. Let’s be honest, it will probably make an appearance again before the week is out!

 

31 March 2009 – Bumpy, originally uploaded by academichic.

 

30 March 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Green jacket – Dillards, maybe? Altered by me.
• Pale blue cami – Target
• Bright blue tunic – TJ Maxx
• Jeans – ON Maternity, old standby
• Metallic peep toe wedges – Target, new standby

End Notes:

I’m working from home today, trying to get ahead enough on required course readings in order to start drafting my term papers. The end of the semester is in sight now, and it makes me a little panicky about finishing everything and, oh, I don’t know, getting ready for the life changing event of having a child.

I think I subliminally matched my side yard in my outfit choice for the day. The tunic is the exact same color as my recycling container and the green jacket echoes the newly emerging hostas. And here is a style inspiration mantra to remember, folks. Never be too proud to match your recycling container, especially if it happens to be an awesome blue.

 

30 March 2009 – Hello Hostas, originally uploaded by academichic.

 

25 March 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress (with sleeve ties!) – Target
• Woven belt, Steve Madden boots, necklace, and cuff – all remixed

End Notes:

Today is a paper and paper-proposal writing day, so I’m keeping things simple in a jersey dress (also part of my Target spree in Colorado). I am inordinately excited about the sleeve ties; when dressing primarily in jersey, it’s the little details that spruce things up.

It’s a little chillier today than earlier this week, but I’m embracing the opportunity to squeeze in some more wear from my beloved boots. As excited as I am for spring, I am regretful to pack away these boots. I can’t really think of anything else in my winter/fall wardrobe from which I am truly sad to take a leave of absence. While I love my coats and my thick patterned scarves, I’m ready for a break. These boots? Not ready.

What about you? Is there a colder weather item that you’ll be sad to pack away for the next two seasons? What are you trying to get one last wear out of? (And yes, I just dangled a preposition.)