academichic

30 August 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Black Shirt Dress – BR Outlet
• Belt – BR Outlet
• Red Flats – Target
• Earrings – Gift from A2
• Bangles – Gift from S.

Endnotes:

With a little encouragement from E. and L., I purchased this black shirt dress from BR Outlet towards the beginning of the summer.  I love the wrap top, full skirt, and of course, the pockets!

I was dying to wear it all summer but never had the right occasion in the right weather, so it made it’s premier at our department start of the year breakfast.  These events can be tricky to dress for because you are asked to mingle with faculty, staff, and other students, meet new students, listen to announcements, conduct beginning of the year business, and what ever else your department chair might throw your way, all while awkwarly balancing a bad cup of coffee and a less-than-stellar pastry.

I, per usual, was one of the more dressed up graduate students, but I felt comfortable and confident – what more could you ask for?

It was at this department breakfast meeting 5 years ago that I first met E.  We both often tell this story of quickly picking each other out of the crowd, as we were the only two people in skirts that day.  After the breakfast we decided to go buy our books together and the rest is history. I’m glad that E.’s first impression of me was of a fashionable nerd!

7 July 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Black shirt dress – H&M
• Pendant – Anthropologie
• Scarf as belt – my grandmother’s
• Silver sandals – Target
• Bike – Electra Hawaii
• Helmet – Nutcase

Endnotes:

Happy Braid Wednesday! It’s been a while since I’ve participated, but a simple outfit of a black shirt dress tied off with a scarf belt provides the perfect back drop for a more elaborate hairdo. Last time I posted a close up of this braid style, a reader asked how I did it. It’s pretty simple – I just twisted my hair into two Dutch braids, one on each side of my hair. I brought the braids and all of the unbraided hair together at the nape of my neck, divided it into three sections, and braided that into one long braid. I then took that braid and gathered it up into a loose knot at the nape of my neck. (I have no good pictures of this from the back because it’s surprisingly difficult to photograph the back of one’s own head, so maybe another time when I can employ a willing photographer…)

7 July 2010 – Braid Wednesday, originally uploaded by academichic.

Scarf belt, originally uploaded by academichic.

Riding my bike and wearing a helmet presents some hairdo challenges. I can no longer throw my hair up into a topknot (unless I’m willing to undo and redo it every time I remove my helmet, which I’m not). I also haven’t been wearing my hair down much because it’s so hot and humid. So differing braid styles have proven to be the best option. Even braids started at the crown of my head like these ones can snugly tuck into the helmet and look pretty unfazed when the helmet is removed. I think I will continue to experiment with helmet friendly hairstyle as the summer continues.

As for my shoes, they were eager to participate in Braid Wednesday as well…

Braid Wednesday , originally uploaded by academichic.

Will you be participating today? Check out the Braid Wednesday Group Pool for additional inspiration. Or, alternately, do you have any tips for helmet friendly ‘dos? Thanks! S.

Pre-Travles Belting, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Shirt Dress – Gap
• Belt – Old Navy
• Grey Flats – BR Outlet
• Earrings – F21

Endnotes:

Sorry for being MIA for quite some time now, but I just got back from an amazing 10 days in Europe and am now trying to play catch up.

I spend most of yesterday in my sweats and Michigan State T-Shirt (my alma-mater – Go Spartans!!), but I have a couple outfits from before I left that I  never got a chance to post.  I promise that once I catch up on some emails, grading, paper writing, meetings. readings, etc I will do a lengthy post on how I managed to pack for 10 days in 4 countries in one carry on.

Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

Now, on to belting.  Often I grab for a belt out of habit.  I love how belts hold shifting items in place, emphasize my waist, and add visual interest.  I’ll admit that sometimes I default to belting when it just isn’t necessary, but some days a belt is an absolute must!

I purchased this shirt dress on super sale a few weeks ago and had to buy a size up to make room for my hips and butt, which means it’s a little to large on top and especially around my waist.  With out a belt this dress looks like a sack:

Belt Needed, originally uploaded by academichic.

The addition of the teal belt makes this a more colorful and interesting ensemble but it also kept the dress from creeping up and changes the proportions of the dress significantly.  Belt nay-sayers, you have to agree with me on this one, right?

Belted, originally uploaded by academichic.

Pre-Travels Belting, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Khaki shirt dress – Target
• Striped top – J.Crew
• Belt – thrifted
• Tights – Target
• Boots – Banana Republic
• Bag – thrifted
• Ring – gift

Endnotes:

This outfit was inspired by this recent one by the very lovely Kendi – like A, I have found plenty of inspiration on her wonderful site since the inception of her style blog. Her combination of colors and proportions is wonderful and I highly recommend checking out her site if you’re not already a regular reader.

I saw Kendi wearing a khaki dress over a striped shirt and thought, I have those items, I can totally steal pay tribute to this look by recreating my own version of it. And since it’s belt week here at academichic, I will articulate why I chose this belt over another (or none at all). As I’ve mentioned before, I have a short torso and thus I usually stick to thin or medium width belts. Wearing a wide belt over a top or cardigan when you’re short waisted only makes the distance between your chest and waistline seem that much shorter. But I do own a few awesome wide belts and I’ve found that the time to wear them is when I’m layering over a dress – the broader expense of fabric allows for the wide belt to be showcased without appearing scrunched into a much too small space. So I usually save my wider belt collection for dress days and my skinny belts for cardigans and or other such tops.

As for the ‘to belt or not to belt’ question – when it comes to dresses like this one that are just one expanse of fabric with no real focal point, I think the belt is necessary. (Sorry, I should have taken a ‘without’ picture to really demonstrate). Without the belt, this khaki number looks more like a lab coat than a dress. Case in point:  Check out Audi’s demonstration of the belted dress vs. the not-belted dress in her guest post at Already Pretty and see what I mean.

Circular, originally uploaded by academichic.

Also, a quick DIY tip – When I first started using belts as waist-cinching accessories and not just to hold up my pants, I realized that all my belts that were meant to fit around my hips did not tighten enough to be worn higher up around my waist. Rather than purchase a whole bunch of new belts, I got this awesome tool from T. that allowed me to custom-size several of my longer belts to fit smaller parts of my torso. I highly recommend this little tool if you’re looking to repurpose some of your existing belts as well!  S.

18 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

16 November 2009 – Two Dresses Redux, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Gray dress- Target, remixed
• Black shirt dress – H&M
• Gray tights – DM
• Black rushed flats – Kenneth Cole, remixed
• Earrings worn as necklace – TJMaxx, remixed
• Vintage onyx and pearl ring – gift from mom, remixed

Endnotes:

I went into H&M this past weekend to get a pair of tights, when I spotted this black shirt dress on clearance for 15 Euros. Having just relayed my love of shirt dresses to you, I was still on a shirt dress high and decided I had to ‘splurge’ and get this one. I’m glad I did because I can already envision all the ways this will remix with my current items.

Earrings necklace, originally uploaded by academichic.

For today, I created a monochromatic look by layering this black dress over my gray jersey dress. To keep with the monochrome, I turned these two onyx earrings into a necklace by stringing the first one on a silver chain and the second one onto the first earring for a cascading effect (A. inspired me to try this after seeing her repurpose earrings as necklace pendants several times).

Vintage Ring, originally uploaded by academichic.

My mother’s onyx and pearl ring and black flats with gray tights complete the monochromatic ensemble. While this may have been simple and subdued in color, I think it’s the details that make this outfit stand out; the ruching on the shoes, the jewelry, and the deep pockets on this dress (who doesn’t love a dress with pockets?).

Shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

And while we’re on the subject of colors, thanks to some of you for pointing out that fuchsia is spelled *fuchsia* and not fuschia. I’d like to pretend that it was my subconscious Germanization of the spelling, but that would be a lie.

To recap, since fashion blogging, I have learned the correct spelling of the following words:

• Polka-dot (not Polk-a-dot)
• Corduroy (not Chorduroy)
• Fuchsia (not Fuschia)

and I have also spent way to much time thinking about Gray vs. Grey.
S.

16 November 2009 – Two Dresses Redux , originally uploaded by academichic.

15 November 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:
All remixed:

• Pink cowl neck top – Nine West
• Khaki shirt dress – Target
• Brown woven belt – F21
• Brown tights – DM
• Boots – Dillards
• “Dance” pendant – It’s All About The Print on Etsy

Endnotes:

As E. is in the process of pointing out with her shirt dress challenge, shirt dresses are very versatile garments. (Read: you get a lot of bang for your buck!) I have worn this khaki shirt dress as a trench of sorts layered over another dress, for a more casual look over a button-down shirt, as a way to tone down a triad over a skirt and tee combo, and today, over this bright pink cowl neck top for a dressy-casual approach. I’m now excited to see what E. does with her shirt dress for more inspiration of how to ‘remix’ this favorite item.

And speaking of remixing, Jentine just wrote a lovely post on why ‘remix’ is such a kinder term than perhaps other alternatives. Well put, Jentine! S.

Dance, originally uploaded by academichic.

29 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

Gray jersey dress – Target
Khaki shirt dress – Target
Yellow belt – J.Crew
Gray wedges – Report
Tan bag – Etienne Aigner
Beads – thrifted

Endnotes:

I’m relatively new to this whole dress layering thing, but I’m catching on fast. Layering dresses is a great way to add warmth, length, or to simply remix your wardrobe in yet another creative way that makes you feel like you have far more clothes than you actually do.

Last Friday, I layered these two dresses for reasons One and Three named above. I joined my mom for a quick trip to Brasov, another near-by city that rocks, for her meeting with an old friend for coffee. Brasov has a very different feel (and look) from Sibiu and even the style on the streets seems more edgy and fashion-forward. I love spending a good hour sitting at a cafe in the main square watching people walk by and taking note of their outfits. I have a feeling that my own style will invariably change the longer I’m in Europe and under the influence of my surroundings here, and I will leave it up to you to discern the differences.

For now, while I may not have Sartorialist-like photos of the people of Brasov to share with you, I will leave you with a few shots of the city instead.  S.

25 August 2009 – Shifty, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Black shirt dress – Old Navy
• Brown leather belt – Gap Outlet
• Brown wedges – thrifted

End Notes:

Our recent recommendations on accessorizing a black shift dress made me all nostalgic for my little black wool shift dress. I love the silhouette of a great-fitting shift, and it’s a look that I missed while pregnant. Sadly, that wool LBD is not at all conducive to breastfeeding, nor does it hold up well to spit up, meaning that it will be relegated to storage for a little while longer. But, that doesn’t mean that the, er, spirit of the shift dress need be absent.

This morning I pulled out this slim shirt dress from my pre-preggers storage bin and buttoned it on with hopeful anticipation. And let me be honest. What you see in the photograph is the result of some thoughtful finagling, namely, wearing a black nursing cami underneath, leaving the top three buttons undone to accommodate my new breastfeeding bosom, and moving the waist of the dress up to hide my remaining baby bumpage by adding a wide belt.

Shifty Eyed, originally uploaded by academichic.

It sounds very complicated when I type it all out like that, but in reality it took only a few minutes of tweaking and slipping on a new-to-me pair of wedges to make me see something akin to my pre-preggers style (and body) in the mirror…just altered to meet the demands of my new life. Is it strange that I get a little creative adrenaline rush from my wardrobe trompe-l’œil?

Thrifted Wedges, originally uploaded by academichic.

23 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Magenta shirt dress – Target
• Woven belt – F21
• Patterned flats – Old Navy, remixed

End Notes:

It’s been two weeks since I gave birth to baby e., but today was the first time that I ventured out on my own without him. Sure, I ended up leaving the house 45 minutes and one feeding later than I had originally anticipated, but at least I was clean and clothed. I was even — wait for it — wearing a woven fabric rather than the knits that typified my late maternity wardrobe. I know, it’s a big step.

This wine color is one of my favorites, and I’m thrilled to have a whole dress in this hue. Since the button-up front of the dress makes it highly conducive to breastfeeding, this will likely be a new favorite day dress. While I have several ideas on how to restyle this in the future, today I opted for the most straightforward route: a belt to give waist definition and patterned flats to add a little interest.

Patterned Flats, originally uploaded by academichic.

As my body continues to recover from pregnancy and adapt to breastfeeding, my wardrobe remains in a state of daily flux. Will this bottom fit today? Can I feed baby e. in this top? How badly will stains show on this dress? Is it dangerous to wear this necklace around little grabby hands? It’s a rather unglamorous approach to getting ready in the morning but it’s also a different kind of creative challenge. How can I be functional and look stylish all while negotiating a body that seems to be a different shape every day? When I think about it that way I am intrigued, rather than frustrated, and ready to tackle my closet again.

23 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

We recently received this question from a fellow academic, who is about to graduate:

I was wondering if you could help me with a fashion problem. I’m graduating from university in a couple of weeks and I have no idea what to wear! We will be wearing the usual academic robes with hood on the outside and I’ve been told I should wear a button up shirt underneath to attach the hood to. The problem is that I’m not much of a shirt person so don’t really have any in my wardrobe. I was thinking of wearing a shirt dress instead but I don’t know if this is appropriate.

Congratulations on your upcomming graduation!  We love the idea of a shirtdress instead of a button-down shirt!  We all fancy a good shirtdress and, between the three of us, own a variety of cuts, colors, and fabrics.

We have two suggestions for the big day: first, find a shirtdress that feels special to you (just make sure it has buttons) and second, wear a fabulous pair of shoes!

Click below for our recommendations….

» Read the rest of this entry «