academichic

8 June 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Pearls – borrowed from my mom
• Polka-dot dress – Target
• Red tank – ON
• Red wedges – thrifted vintage Etienne Aigner
• Pearl earrings – my wedding earrings, sidewalk sale
• Wildflowers – picked in field outside of town

Endnotes:

Dear Readers, I’m back. I’ve been a pretty bad blogger lately but for good reason; I’ve enjoyed some much needed time away from the computer and with my husband and my family in Romania. Now that I’m back in Germany, I do have pictures to share from my time traveling and I hope to make a more regular appearance around here.

Today’s outfit shots are from some time last week when we celebrated my grandfather’s and my husband’s recent May birthdays at a little family and friends’ dinner out. I knew that there would be a good chance that I couldn’t get away with wearing jeans and sporty flats my entire vacation, so I had wisely packed one semi-formal dress and my red wedges for just such an event. This black and white polka-dot dress is dressy enough for a special occasion dinner without being so formal that it begs for attention.

Wildflowers and Polka Dots, originally uploaded by academichic.

When packing without quite knowing what my itinerary will entail, I like to choose items that can function for multiple occasions or registers and that can be mixed and matched in various ways. That often means neutrals (like this black and white dress) and semi-casual dresses or skirts that can be elevated to a more formal look or dressed down for everyday wear with the use of shoes, jewelry, or the right accessories. If a garment only appears to be useful for a certain type of event or setting and will likely only be worn one way, I tend to not pack it in favor of something that will present me with more options at my destination. Unless, of course, I’m packing for something very specific and unique, like a black-tie wedding.

How do you choose what to pack and what to leave behind? And since I’ll be doing a lot more packing in the weeks to come (as I leave Germany and head back to the US), what is some of the most useful packing advice you’ve received and could kindly share with us? Thank you! S.

For a plethora of packing-related posts, make sure to check out our Academichic Travels section here. Ever the academics, we love to document and theorize even our bag-packing methodologies.

Red , originally uploaded by academichic.

13 July 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed except flower:

• Black dress – BR Outlet
• Scarf as belt – J.Crew
• Black wedges – Connie, thrifted
• Flower pin – Blue Onion Marketplace

Endnotes:

As A. already mentioned, we’re reviewing our Fashion 101‘s on color and this week we are tackling neutrals and neutrals with a pop. The last time we wore neutrals (with a pop), I was under the mistaken impression that a pop of color could only be had when adding a bright or punchy item to the mix. Such as bright purple tights to a black and grey outfit or a pair of bright pink shoes to an all brown look. I’m now realizing that a pop can be soft and unassuming and still be an effective and unexpected accessory to an all-neutrals ensemble. As is this pale blue flower added to my blue scarf worn as a belt:

We received these beautiful flower brooches from Blue Onion Marketplace and I couldn’t have been more excited to use one of them to ‘pop’ my all-neutrals outfit today. I’ve worn a similar pink flower pinned to my jean jacket before and A. used hers to dress us a summer tote, so I wanted to explore another way of wearing it today. Pinning it to my scarf belt gave this little black dress and extra touch of summery whimsy, don’t you think? If you’re itching for one of these of your own, check out Blue Onion Marketplace and use the reader code ACADFREESH at checkout to get free shipping for the month of July!

And on the subject of neutrals with a pop, what is your favorite way to add a burst of color to an all-neutrals outfit? What ‘neutrals + pop of color’ puts a smile on your face? S.

Blue flower pin, 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.

4 July 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress – Sandra Darren, via TJMaxx
• Red cardi – thrifted, remixed
• Lace cami – Old Navy
• Black sandals – Target, remixed a lot
• Red Umbrella – London Fog, remixed

Endnotes:

Today we are celebrating the 4th of July and Indie’s 1st Birthday! (She was born on Independence Day last year, thus the name Indie). I love the 4th of July because it’s one of the few holidays (like Thanksgiving) where there is no gift-giving pressure and all that is expected of you is to consume lots of food, spend time with friends and family, and – Bonus!- take in a fireworks show at the end of the night. I have a weakness for fireworks because I don’t recall ever seeing fireworks while growing up in Romania so they were introduced to me relatively late in life. I love curling up on a folding chair with a blanket, sipping a delicious drink, and watching the sky come alive with lights and sparkle.

Before we end our night that way, we’re first meeting friends with their dog at a nearby park for a BBQ. We’re also treating Indie to more swimming fun for her birthday at the park’s lake. It’s raining right now but the forecast shows it moving past us soon and I’m looking forward to shedding the cardi and my umbrella as our BBQ approaches. I wanted to dress somewhat festively today since the occasion called for it, and I find a summer dress with flat sandals to be the perfect combination of chic and comfort for a day spent walking on grass and playing with the dog while also meeting other adults and wanting to look presentable. I’m also becoming increasingly drawn to a red and black color mix. It’s not the expected red-white-and-blue more usually donned for the 4th, but then again, I’ve never been one for matching my outfits to the holiday colors. How about you? Do you find yourself dressing patriotically on the 4th or holiday-festive in general? If so, how to manage to look festive without crossing the line into cheesy?

Whatever your plans for the day, I hope you have a fun and safe holiday weekend! S.

17 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

• Gray tank – Filene’s basement, gift from mom
• Blue dress as skirt – H&M
• Blue sandals – Birkenstock
• Bangle – Big Lots
• Necklace – AE
• Farmer’s tan – free

Endnotes:

You may remember this skirt as the dress I wore not too long ago. I still love it as a dress, but a recent picture of mamichan’s showed me how versatile this item can really be. She wore a shirred top as a skirt, drawing inspiration from Japanese fashion magazines she’s been reading. I found this to be a great idea for adding extra mileage to an existing wardrobe item without making any permanent alterations to it.

All I did is tuck the thin straps in and transformed the shirred bust area into a wide elastic waist band:

While Mamichan did this with a shirred top, I used a dress. The difference lies in the skirt length you will get when wearing one or the other. I have a shirred top I’m itching to try this with next and I think it’s the perfect item for a travel or capsule wardrobe. Especially a cami or dress in a less-memorable neutral could function one day as a top and the next as a skirt. Brilliant. Thanks, Mamichan, for the idea!

What are other wardrobe item conversion tricks have you picked up? Do you know of any other that allow you to wear one item in a considerably different way without making actual permanent alterations to it? Do share! S.