10 June 2010 – Simple Duds for Simple Days

Posted on | June 10, 2010 | 22 Comments

10 June 2010 – Simple Duds for Simple Days, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Tank – J Crew (on super sale)
Navy Shorts – J Crew
Sandals – Charlotte Russe
Earrings – F21
Bangles – Various

Endnotes:

I’m having trouble getting posts up lately because I am spending most days make-up-less in shorts and a tee-shirt or tank (that is when I am not in running shorts, dirty gardening clothes, or sweats) because it’s HOT here and I’m just prepping for my summer course at home or at a coffee shop with breaks to run and tend my new garden (details coming soon I promise). I’ve actually taken a couple outfit pictures of myself in said shorts and tee but never feel like they are post-worthy. Often on these kinds of days, I could care less about color combinations, summer trends, or really even proportion. I know this is not what a “style blogger” is supposed to say, but it’s my dirty truth! Truth: I wear sweats for many hours of the day and I have no problem going to Home Depot in dirty work shorts or the grocery store in my running clothes (pre-run only).

Today I wore a new tank from J Crew clearance and threw on a handful of bangles to dress up my shorts and sandals uniform, and the result was cute enough to post.

Bangles, originally uploaded by academichic.

However, I do sometimes worry about suggesting that I always look put together for all events. In fact, even with a cute tank and bangles, sometimes I still look a mess – I just usually omit the outtakes from the post. One of many outtakes from today:

Outtake, originally uploaded by academichic.

Some people do look put together all the time (I honestly think E. is one of those people) but not me! I’m not going to start posting tees and shorts or outtakes, but for some reason, this week I felt compelled to confess that some days I really do look like a What Not to Wear candidate.

What about you? Do you always look polished at the grocery store? Does the style-blog genre make you feel like you need to look cute at Home-Depot?

10 June 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

5 July 2009 – One Last Spin

Posted on | July 5, 2009 | 13 Comments

5 July 2009 – Last Spin , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

Fuschia scarf – J.Crew
Purple tank - Banana Republic
Cuffed skinnies – Abercrombie, thrifted
Orange gladiators – American Eagle
“Pride” necklace – garage sale find

Endnotes:

This morning, I took Nerp for one last spin around the neighborhood before heading back to academichic central for a few days and then on to visit my parents for a week. I figured I’d get one last ride in before being without a bike for a couple of weeks. I tell you, this cycling thing is addictive!

Since I spent a significant portion of my day in the car today, I needed an outfit that was no-fuss and accommodating to my schedule. Flat shoes for ease and comfort while loading and unloading my car and light layers to combat the heat were a must. So I drew my inspiration from the cute outfits A. and her sister L. sported just last week and put together this purple tank with my cuffed skinnies. I added a hair scarf for both the fun detail it provides and the function it serves in keeping my hair out of my face and off my neck in this brutal heat.

These flat gladiator sandals have become a staple in my summer wardrobe and I’m surprised how often I wear them given that they are a bright punchy orange. But if you follow this blog, you know that neither of us three shies away from a bright and colorful shoe! I used to think that all I needed was a black and a brown shoe for each season and I’d have my bases covered. But why stick to brown and black when there are so many more fun options out there?

We recently received a reader email asking us how we know when to pair a colorful shoe with our outfits and whether there is a good rule of thumb for how to combine colored footwear with colors in the garments. Before we try to develop a methodology of our own on this subject, I’d like to pose these questions to you: Do you play it safe with you shoes or are you also a fan of the colorful and patterned variety? If so, what’s your ‘rule of thumb’ when incorporating a colorful shoe into your outfit? And when do you make colorful footwear work and when do you decidedly steer away from it? S.