10 August 2010

Posted on | August 10, 2010 | 10 Comments

10 August 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Red-Violet Tee – H & M
Purple Belt – Gap
Grey Skirt – Old Navy
Red Flats – Target

Endnotes:

So this week, we are reviewing analogous color combinations and triads. I often find myself swathed in various shades of blue and green and blue-green, so an analogous combination is not much of a challenge for me. But, an analogous combination on the warm side of the color wheel is a whole different story! I rarely wear red, orange, or yellow, and the purples I wear tend to have more blue than red in them. I have enough warm colored accessories (my red flats, fuchsia pumps, orange floral flats, yellow bangles, etc) to complete a triad or complimentary combination, but mixing warm color with warm color is still a true challenge for me.

I’m not too sure about today’s color combo. I think the right shade of red-violet with red could be quite nice, but I only had one red-violet top to play with. I considered doing a neutral shoe and wearing a red belt instead of the purple one, but the belt had too much orange in it.

I picked up this purple belt on super sale at Gap last year. I love the shade of purple, it’s skinny width, and the pleated leather details, but this is certainly not custom-fit belt! With this outfit, even the last whole left the belt hanging too loose, so I just pulled it rough the buckle and knotted it on the other side. I actually like the effect and it managed to stay in place all day.

Tied Belt, originally uploaded by academichic.

So, what about you? Are you a warm colors person (reds, oranges, yellows) or do you head towards the opposite side of the color wheel (the blues, greens, and violets)?

3 April 2010 – Red Cardi Recap

Posted on | April 3, 2010 | 12 Comments

3 April 2010 – with Trench , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Trench – vintage, was my grandmother’s
Purple top – Target
Red tank – Old Navy
Red cardi – thrifted
Jeans – “Flirt” jean from Old Navy
Flats – Palladium
Green tote – Kenneth Cole
Scarf – thrifted in Munich
Pendant – Sigrid Olsen, thrifted

Endnotes:

I’m wrapping up red cardi week and getting ready to allow other cardigans back in my life. For this last incarnation, I’m going for one of my favorite analogous color combinations: red and purple. I opted for a red and purple color block effect to add a bit of color to a simple weekend ensemble of jeans, flats, a trench coat and a tee + cardi mix.

Analogous , originally uploaded by academichic.

So I’m sure that you’ve noticed by now, that I wore this same red cardi all week. I decided to do this in an impromptu attempt to celebrate Spring finally gracing us with its presence. What better way to relish the nice weather than by wearing one of my favorite Spring time items in a favorite color?

3 April 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Many a style guides will tell you that a simple cardigan in a neutral is a ‘must have’ for any capsule wardrobe. While I agree that a charcoal, dark brown, or black cardi will likely never be amiss, I think it’s much more fun to have a solid colored cardi in a color you truly love. E. has a wine colored cardi that she’s named as part of her capsule wardrobe must-haves, and A. has found wonderful ways to create many an outfit with her pale blue one. If you were to choose a non-neutral cardigan with which to build a ‘basics’ wardrobe, which color would you love to have? (My second favorite one is a purple one that also gets much wear and were I to add a new one to the mix: how about a pretty coral?) S.

And now for the week in recap. . .

9 February 2010

Posted on | February 9, 2010 | 28 Comments

9 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Purple “Neck Scape”- BabyEtte on Etsy
Black Cardigan – BR Outlet
Skirt – Hand-me-down from friend
Belt – F21
Purple Tights – BR Outlet
Wellies – Banana Republic
Earrings – American Eagle

Endnotes:

BabyEtte over on Etsy sent us a few of these incredible “Neck Scapes.” I have to be honest – when I first put these layers of jersey around my neck this morning, I was skeptical. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to wear it, how many times to wrap it around my neck, how it should lay, and what I should wear with it, but after a few sweater/shirt changes and a bit of playing, I am sold! It’s surprisingly warm and cozy and received many compliments on it today. I’m excited to play around with it some more.

BabyEtte “Neck Scape”, originally uploaded by academichic.

The rest of today’s outfit is also a bit of an experiment. A friend gave me this wool mini skirt and challenged me to give it a try. This skirt is completely outside my usual comfort zone: it’s short, it has front patch pockets, it’s tulip shaped, and it has polka-dots. But, for some reason it appealed to me and I was surprised to like it once it was on.

Skirt Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

I definitely need opaque tights to be conformable with the length and because it is sitting so low on my hips, I needed a longer top. I don’t know why I am being so matchy-matchy this week, but I kind of like the purple tights mirroring the purple “Neck Scape.” I decided to wrap this rather bulky sweater a bit tighter and belt it. I think (at least from far away) it looks like an asymmetrically buttoned cardigan.

For extra warmth, I layered a long sleeve tee and a short sleeve tee under the cardigan and doubled my tights. I finished it all off with the perfect snow storm accessory – my new, much loved, Banana Republic wellies.

What do you think of the “Neck Scape”?

9 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

7 December 2009 – Opera Night(s)

Posted on | December 7, 2009 | 25 Comments

7 December 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Purple beads – Yves Rocher and F21
Black onyx earrings – TJMaxx
Black dress – Target
Purple tights – Rewe (grocery store)
Gray wedges – Report, via Solestruck.com
Belt – Banana Republic
Flower pin – Dulken & Derrick, via Blue Onion Marketplace

Endnotes:

Last night I saw one of my favorite operas, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and it was amazing. The performance put on my the Munich Opera was beyond words, it was just soooo good. I’m still in awe.

I wore, of course, my same ol’ go-to: this little black dress and my gray wedges. The following montage shows how the same dress and shoes managed to look pretty different with just a bit of creative restyling using scarves, belts, and jewelry each time I wore it to the opera here. Even if it doesn’t look all that different to you, it felt like a whole new outfit to me each time and that’s the point; I didn’t feel like I was just wearing the same thing every single time I dressed up. I cast my vote for last night’s black and purple look as my favorite thus far. How about you? Which do you think worked best?

I wore my hair in a dutch braid that wraps around into a messy side knot and I accessorized with layered necklaces and a gorgeous purple flower pin from Blue Onion Marketplace. Speaking of which, make sure to check back later today to see if you were one of our three lucky winners who will receive their own Dulken & Derrick flower pin following our weekend giveaway! S.

7 December 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Details in purple, originally uploaded by academichic.

27 September 2009

Posted on | September 28, 2009 | 9 Comments

27 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Purple Tee – H & M
Brown Cami – Old Navy
Skirt – Old Navy
Belt – BR Outlet
Sandals – Forever 21

Endnotes:

Saturday’s weather didn’t last long and it was back to almost 80 degrees here yesterday. I didn’t mind wearing sandals but I just couldn’t wear a tank top or summer skirt again. This lightweight cotton skirt in Fall colors seemed like a good compromise. I have always worn this skirt with either a shade of teal (to pick up the flowers), brown, or white. But, inspired by the more daring color play of both E. and S. with their floral skirts, I chose this bright purple and love the result. It think, combined with the thick leather belt, the color combination gives this extremely casual and inexpensive skirt a more sophisticated look and makes it all a little more autumnal.

My weather widget promises a cool, sunny week ahead so watch for corduroy and scarves coming soon!

16 September 2009

Posted on | September 16, 2009 | 15 Comments

16 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed

Purple Cardigan – Gap Outlet
Grey Tee – Old Navy
Black Cami – Banana Republic
Black Skirt – Banana Republic
Scarf (worn as belt) – H& M
Black Flats – Urban Outfitters
Yellow Bangles – Gap Outlet
Earrings – Forever 21

Endnotes:

Today, I am continuing my experimentation with scarves and layered necklines to rejuvenate my summer wardrobe. I wore this scarf as obi/belt this past winter and loved it and I think it works well here with the purple and grey and the little bit of a textured cami layered under the ruched v-neck.

Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

I got dressed, snapped some pictures, and headed off to a morning meeting before getting a chance to check in with the blog. I have to say, I was amused, but not surprised to see that E. and I were both wearing our matching purple cardigans today.

The three of us own several of the same items, E and I in particular have some of the exact same pieces in the same color, many of which we actually purchased while shopping together. Many a mornings I have received a quick email or text message alerting me that E. is wearing one of said items and I have more than a few times called E. while getting ready for an evening event to be sure we are not wearing the same dress.

But, this purple cardigan has become too much of a go-to item for both of us to even bother with. While this may be the first time we have both worn and blogged this cardigan on the same day, just last week when she wore hers with jeans, I was wearing mine with a brown skirt, but never got a chance to post it.

I mentioned this shopping trend of ours a month or so ago when E. and I were wearing the same cardigan in different colors. I explained then that owning the same items as these two lovelies has never bothered me and I know it doesn’t bother S. or E. since they have both, at one time or another, encouraged me or each other to purchase the same item as them.

Would you mind terribly if you showed up to class or work in the same sweater as a fashionable colleague? A.

20 August 2009

Posted on | August 21, 2009 | 42 Comments

20 August 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed

Purple Floral Tee – Old Navy
Grey Skirt – Old Navy
Purple Belt - Gap
Purple Cardigan – Gap
Black Flats – Urban Outfitters
Necklace – Gift from S.
Earrings- Gift from E.

Endnotes:

Why I wore what I wore:

Being rather pleased with yesterday’s outcome, I decided to try another monochromatic non-neutral with a neutral base – purple, purple, purple! The necklace is one of the earrings S. gave me for being her “best woman” worn as a pendant. This is a remixed trick that lets me wear my favorite jewelry more often.

Purple Purple Purple, originally uploaded by academichic.

What I thought about as I wore it:

Last night I caught up with my childhood best friend, which was wonderful! She had heard through the family grapevine that I had a blog and had checked it out. While she was very complimentary, I have to admit my first instinct was to be embarrassed and that initial feeling has had me thinking all night and all day. My family knows about the blog, increasingly more friends know about it, and because it’s on the world wide web, more people with random connections to my non-blog life are discovering us. Yet, no one from my academic life (outside of S. and E. of course) know about the blog. Why? Because fashion and style are considered frivolous. We are suppose to be concerned with much more important things and I guess I assume professors and even colleagues would consider this a silly waste of time. Threadbared recently wrote a thoughtful and stimulating post on this very topic in which they also address the gendered and sexist aspects of academia’s fraught relationship with fashion.

I think as a feminist, my love of fashion might be further seen as contradictory. We begin to address this in our State of the Field and it is a topic the three of us continue to discuss amongst ourselves, but I would love to open this issue up to our always insightful readers.

My active involvement in the LGBT political and academic communities adds an extra layer of tension to self-styling. I find there are expectations for how I should physically present myself and often incorrect assumptions are made based on my appearance.

On our post on male academic style reader H. left a thought provoking comment about the gendered concerns of wearing an engagement ring in academia. What does our clothing and jewelry say to our colleagues and superiors about our commitment to our work, our politics, etc. While I don’t have an engagement ring, I would like to say that in regards to all of the above, I have tried to make it my policy that I will wear what makes me feel most comfortable and confidant, yet I have to admit I do often find myself wondering what my clothing says about me and hoping that the message I set out with is the one conveyed.

Do you feel pressure to look a certain way because of your job, your political leanings, your commitments to family or a particular community?

Do you find that colleagues or strangers make unfair or incorrect assumptions about you based on your style?

20 August 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

15 August 2009 – True Triad Love

Posted on | August 16, 2009 | 7 Comments

15 August 2009 – True Triad Love, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except belt…

Purple Top – BR Outlet
Grey Denim Pencil Skirt- Old Navy
Green Flats – BR
Green Bracelet – Gift from S.
White Tank – BR
Orange Ribbon Belt – American Eagle

Endnotes:

I wanted to wear one true triad before this week was up, so last night for a casual dinner and a movie I rocked the orange-purple-green triad in all its glory!

I have paired this purple top with my green flats many times before, but the addition of orange was a stretch for me. I did this triad in the winter with a more blue-green and a red-orange. Throughout these color challenges, I have endlessly remixed those floral red-orange flats and my coral sweater because they are about the only orange-ish things in my wardrobe. I really just don’t own a true orange. At least, that is what I thought, until I was digging through my scarf box and discovered this orange ribbon belt at the bottom. I am pretty sure this came with a pair of shorts form American Eagle, purchased over 5 years ago, and I have never worn it since.

Purple and Orange!, originally uploaded by academichic.

As it turns out, I love the way the orange and purple look together (much like I learned I love yellow and purple). I still don’t think orange is a color I will be going out and buying in bulk, but a few more orange accessories might be a nice addition to my personal color wheel.

Have our fashion 101s inspired you to shop for any one color in particular? What color?

DIY: How to Make a Wedding Bouquet

Posted on | August 7, 2009 | 13 Comments

DIY: How to Make a Wedding Bouquet, originally uploaded by academichic.

My entire wedding party consisted of me, A., the groom, and his brother. With this manageable of a group, A. and I decided that it would be both cost-efficient and more meaningful to make the bouquets and boutonnieres ourselves. No, neither one of us had ever made anything of this sort before but we were determined to give it a try.

Once we got the hang of it, it went surprisingly smoothly and we’re convinced that with a good set of instructions, anyone can do this. To learn how to make your own wedding bouquet, click here for instructions…

(more…)

1 August 2009

Posted on | August 1, 2009 | 2 Comments

1 August 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed

Red-Violet Tee – F21
White Tank – Urban Outfitters
Skinny Jeans – Gap Outlet
Sandals – Old Navy
Necklace – Gift

Endnotes:

Like S., I love the two-thirds combination of green and purple and have paired them together several times. I’ve most often done this using a more teal-green or by throwing on my green flats. I’ve only done the red-violet and this pale turquoise once before – wearing the same tee with a different necklace. I don’t know that this is a color combination I could do with large swaths of color, but I do like the way the pop of color at the neckline adds so much to this otherwise very simple, research-casual ensemble.

I plan to spend most of the day writing at a coffee shop, but if I am productive enough, I may treat myself to a short trip to old navy (only because I have a 30% coupon – thanks Cora). I’ll be sure to report back any great purchases! -A

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