academichic

4 May 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Gray nursing cami: Target
• Purple top: Banana Republic Factory
• Belt: Old Navy
• Colorblock skirt: Banana Republic Factory
• Wedges: Naturalizers, via DSW

End Notes:

I’ve been tending towards high-waisted + full skirt looks lately, but I thought it might be time to try mix things up. This purple top extends just over my hip bones, creating a kind of makeshift drop waist silhouette. To remind everyone that I have a real waist, though, I belted a little higher than usual. The resulting color-blocking is different than what I’m used to, but I think it’s a look that has visual interest without looking too over-worked. And during paper-writing week I’m all about not looking over-worked. In more ways than one.

I am very late to this party, but I wanted to throw in one more comment to the discussion S. started on appropriating cultural artifacts and to which A. added her thoughts on camp and costume. As S. emphasized in her last post, clothes are never worn in a vacuum, they are always understood in a context.

But to that, I’d like to add that clothes are never worn on a blank canvas. Bodies matter, and cultural perceptions of bodies — especially perceived ethnicity — also affect how we understand a person’s garment choice. This is understandably a touchy and complex subject, and the question of the role of bodies in identity formation is something I wrestle with frequently in my own work.

In the example that S. gave of being told that she looked like a “gypsy,” I would suggest that it was not just her gold earrings that prompted such comments but also her skin tone and long hair. Her body combined with her garments triggered certain culturally-entrenched notions of “what gypsies look like.” I don’t think that she would have gotten the same response if she had the same coloring and haircut as A., for example. Conversely, I sometimes dress “against” my body when I return home to Hawaii. There are many physical attributes that contribute to why I am, in many contexts, perceived as being full Caucasian. But I identify most strongly as an Asian American from Hawaii, and when I’m back in the islands I try to dress to align myself with that cultural identity.

One more example. I took a course this semester taught by a professor from Jamaica who is black. On the final day of class, she wore a striking outfit of white pants and a long, light cotton tunic with a palm frond pattern; she accessorized with sandals and coral earrings. I was tempted to spend all of our class period mulling over the implied politics of that choice, about how the effect might have been different had she been a white Jamaican or an African American or an Asian American. How might the effect have been different if she was teaching ten years ago or thirty years ago?

All that to say, bodies are not blank canvases when it comes to how the garments on them are perceived, and we would do well to refrain from thinking of any one kind of body as “neutral.” In that, I would echo Elizabeth Grosz, who, in her book Volatile Bodies: Toward a Corporeal Feminism, calls for bodies to “be understood as fully material and for the materiality to be extended and to include and explain the operations of language, desire, and significance” (Grosz 210).

(And for an entirely different aspect of perceiving the body, be sure to check out our upcoming Dress Your Best week!)

4 May 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• White eyelet top – TJMaxx
• Red cardi – thrifted
• Skirt – Boden, thrifted
• Necklace – Sigrid Olsen, thrifted
• Red wedges – Etienne Aigner, thrifted
• Earrings – my wedding earrings, local sidewalk sale

Endnotes:

Another beautiful day here in Munich and so I’m once more happy to pull out Springy items like this floral skirt, a light-weight eyelet top, floral accessories, and – as promised – my red cardi. I did a long run this morning and enjoyed seeing so many people out on bikes, walking, lounging along the river, and basking in the sun. Please, please stay, weather!

Details, originally uploaded by academichic.

Wedding Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

So on a somewhat related tangent – I’m wearing these awesome red wedges today that I was lucky enough to thrift for a mere $3 last summer. There is something very sassy and emboldening about a red shoe, don’t you think? They also reminded me of something I’ve been wanting to bring to your attention. A while back, we put together a bibliography on fashion history and theory for you and you were so awesome to  add a bunch more great titles to that list. (Some of those I’ve since checked out and have used for my research, so thank you, again!)

Right after publishing that post, I was flying back from the US and came across this article in the US Airways Magazine. It is a short excerpt from Linda Grant’s upcoming book The Thoughtful Dresser. I read the excerpt and was absolutely sold on it; it’s beautifully written, provocative, thoughtful, and witty. This comes as no surprise since Grant is an award winning novelist. I was reminded of this today because the excerpt opens with a story about a “glorious, scarlet, insouciant” red high heeled shoe. So if you’re interested on exploring the topic of fashion, culture, and history some more, check out the excerpt from Grant’s book and see what you think. The book comes out in the US on April 20th, if you’re then moved to read the entire work. S.

IMG_8120, originally uploaded by academichic.

7 October 2009 – Ode to A., originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Turquoise cardigan: Gap
• Blue green top: BR Outlet
• Brown skirt: BR Outlet
• Red Wedges: Naturalizers, via DSW

End Notes:

S. and I are paying homage to A-style today, and this is my interpretation of an A-worthy outfit. While S. riffed off of A.’s adept layering of ruffles under a cardigan, I’m playing with some of A.’s signature colors: shades of blue green. A. definitely knows how to work this color palette, and she always looks great in it.

A. has become my dearest friend in my department over the past few years and has helped keep me sane through some storms of academic drama. We work extraordinarily well together, whether we’re co-teaching a class, planning a lesson, curating an exhibition, or just tandem shopping. She’s a hard worker, incisive thinker, warm teacher, and supportive friend.

Happy birthday, A! Here’s to another year of impeccable style and fashion-forward feminism. Will you be premiering one of your birthday gifts today?

7 October 2009 – Ode to A., originally uploaded by academichic.

12 August 2009 – Game Face, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Coral cardigan: BR Outlet
• Gray nursing cami: Target
• Gray bermudas: thrifted, chopped by me
• Red wedges: Naturalizers, via DSW
• US Soccer scarf (below)

End Notes:

I’m trying out an analogous color combination today: red-orange and red. Prior to our color modules, I thought that such a close match on the color wheel would be a clashing fashion faux pas. Now, though, I’ve decided that it’s all about having the confidence to claim it. The last thing you’d expect with a coral top is a bright red wedge, but that’s what makes it fun.

Really, though, I have another way to add a true red to my coral cardi: the US Men’s National Team soccer scarf. Because, yes, I am a football fan and today is a big game for us, a World Cup qualifier against Mexico in Mexico City. Here’s hoping that the USMNT’s back line plays as tightly as an analogous color combination.

12 August 2009 – Game Face, originally uploaded by academichic.

20 July 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except flower:

• White button down – J.Jill
• Green cami – BR
• Cord tulip skirt – thrifted
• Maroon wedges – Etienne Aigner, thrifted
• Scarf as belt – J.Crew
• Flower brooch – Blue Onion Marketplace

Endnotes:

Today’s outfit is largely uninspired – just a white button down and a corduroy skirt. I wore an almost identical incarnation of this here. (So to answer the question of whether we repeat outfits, the answer is a most definite yes!) But as A. mentioned, just changing up the accessories or shoes can give the same outfit a whole new feel. Today I’m doing just that: I swapped the black sandals for these maroon wedges and I added this gorgeous purple flower brooch to a different scarf to create this attention-grabbing belt.

This Dulken and Derrick vintage flower brooch comes from Blue Onion Marketplace and is officially one of my new favorite accessories. I thought it would be too large to wear as a belt, but I’m loving the pop of color and surprise placement of it, and think that it’s just the thing to elevate this simple outfit to another level.

If you’d like a flower brooch of your own, hurry and take advantage of our reader discount code “ACADFREESH” to receive free shipping through the month of July!  S.

17 July 2009 – Summer neutrals, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• White lace trimmed cami – BCBG
• Drop waist top – ON
• Tan linen skirt – H&M, remixed
• Cardi – NY & co., remixed
• Silver bangle – gift from dad, remixed
• Maroon pumps – Etienne Aigner, thrifted, remixed

Endnotes:

As the week’s review session on Neutrals progresses, my outfits are also getting increasingly lighter in hue. I think it’s easier to pair darker neutrals (brown, navy, black) together or to construct outfits entirely made of those. I’m more hesitant to put all whites, creams, or tans together and probably would not have thought of this look were it not for our color challenge. But I am happy with the result: the soft tans and whites make for the perfect summery outfit and are great for showing off a tan (bonus!).

For the indoor version, I’m taking along a cream light-weight cardi that keeps with the color scheme of the outfit and still allows the maroon pumps to act as the only pop of color here.

And while we’re on the subject of these shoes, I just want to mention how lucky a thrift find these were and how fortunate I was that they were slightly too small for A. (who spotted them) and just slightly too large for me. When compromising on shoe size, never compromise by getting a too small shoe! A slightly larger shoe (about half a size up) is a much easier fix. I simply got a pair of shoe insoles (the cheap kind that you find at Walgreens and are cut to size) and used them to fill in that extra space in my pumps.

A. clued me in to these as she uses them in a couple of her shoes. The advantage to these cut-to-size insoles is that you trim them to fit your entire shoe, thus taking up an even amount of space from everywhere. They also do not need to be glued into place (no sticky underside!), which also means that you can take them out during colder months when you may wear those same shoes with thick sweater tights. I’ve had my share of traitorous too-tight shoes, but no more! Now I err on the slightly larger size when needed and use this handy trick rather than suffer scrunched-in toes and painful blisters. Hope this trick helps you too, if you weren’t already aware of it! S.

8 July 2009 – Welcome Baby e., originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Purple Top: F21
• Pinstriped bermudas: Gap Maternity
• Red Wedges: Naturalizer
• Necklace: gift from Husband N.

Endnotes:

This is what E. was planning to wear to meet me for coffee after her doctor’s appointment on Wednesday afternoon.  She packed a pair of flip-flops (or “slippers,” as she calls them) so as not to upset her doctor.  Not all women can sport high wedges at almost 9 months pregnant.  What her doctor doesn’t know, is that E. is not your average pregnant woman!

Back detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

But, as it turned out, E. never made it for our coffee date!  Her lovely son, beautiful baby e. was born early Thursday morning!  Little did E. know that this would be her “birthing-day outfit.”  Luckily, those “slippers” came in handy for waddling around the hospital and made a perfect pairing with her hospital gown!

E., N., and baby e. are all doing well and should be home from the hospital soon.  Here is a sneak peak at the gorgeous little guy!  (I promise to post some pictures from my baby e. visit.)

Welcome to the world baby e.!  We are thrilled you are here!  -A.

Welcome Baby e.!!, originally uploaded by academichic.

6 July 2009 – Conversions, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed but bracelet:

• Purple cardi - H&M
• Turquoise maxi skirt worn as dress – AE
• White belt – Banana Republic
• Yellow vintage bag – Garage Sale
• Red wedges – Etienne Aigner, thrifted
• Earrings – gift from mom
• Bracelet – old, don’t remember source

Endnotes:

I’ve been noticing this trend on the internets lately and decided to try it out for myself today; wearing a longer skirt as a dress. You might remember this turquoise number as my maxi skirt, which I don’t wear very often. But having discovered this trick, I think this item will get a lot more use from now on.

I first saw the lovely Clodo from wardrobe_remix doing this with a bright floral skirt and then I was going through the archives of the Uniform Project and noticed that Sheena did a similar thing with a plaid maxi skirt underneath her black “uniform” dress. So what do you think about this skirt to dress conversion? Have I tempted you to run to your closet and try it yourself? If so, feel free to snap a picture of your creative self in your skirt-to-dress look and send it our way, I’d love to see how you make this trend work for you! S.

Sources:

All remixed.

• Lace print tee: Forever 21
• Denim skirt: Old Navy Maternity
• Red wedges: Naturalizers, via DSW
• Turquoise necklace as bracelet: Target

End Notes:

There are some clothing combinations that have become classics for a reason. It’s hard to go wrong, for example, with a white tee, dark denim, and a pop of red. With this simple of an outfit it’s the little details that keep things interesting: the turquoise bracelet (actually a necklace doubled over!), the stitching on the red wedges, and the lace print on the t-shirt.

I do love this lace tee and it has served me well throughout the pregnancy (here I am wearing it at 20 weeks, 25 weeks, and 30 weeks!). It reminds me a little bit of a t-shirt I had as a little girl, one with a silk screened tuxedo ruffle and suspenders in turquoise and magenta emblazoned on the front. I’m pretty sure that I loved it. A quick browse through Etsy just confirmed that such wardrobe innovation was not limited to the 1980s and, indeed, in a few weeks I will have to decide whether such attached accessories will be appropriate for my son or daughter.

After looking at these utterly adorable onesies from Sam and Coop, I think I’m going to go with “yes.”