Sources:

• Dress – Lands End Canvas
• Belt – from L.
• Bag – Old Navy
• Headband – J Crew
• Sandals – H & M
• Earrings – Banana Republic

Endnotes:

Since this is not my last post, I’ll hold off on my goodbyes.  I would like to start addressing some of the (thought provoking, as to be expected) questions you all raised.  First, some thoughts on shopping.  This dress is the only new thing I have purchased all summer. I spent $10 at Goodwill in May and I can’t remember the last time I purchased something before that. I have to admit that this isn’t typical for me. Being a grad student, I’m always on a budget, but my expected summer funding fell through so now I am on an extra tight – counting my iced coffees kind – of budget.

So, how did I come to purchase this dress for almost $40? Well, I got the Lands End canvas catalog in the mail back in April and loved this chambray dress.  I showed it to my mom, my sister, friends, anyone who would look at it.  I thought about it.  I pulled it up online and looked at it there.  I imagined the various situations for which I could wear.  I looked at it online some more.  It went on sale.  I thought about it some more.  I got a coupon in the mail. I got dressed several mornings and thought: “that dress would be perfect for today.”  I told A2 I was thinking about ordering the dress online.  I thought about it some more.  Finally, three months after seeing the dress in the catalog, I broke down and bought it.  And, don’t think I didn’t consider sending it back.  So, yes this in an extreme version of my shopping neuroses, but not totally outside my norm.  I tend to agonize over any purchase over $20 and am notorious for my buyers remorse which has me bring a third of what I purchase back to the store.  Sorry, no great shopping strategies to share!  But, don’t you feel like you know me a bit better now?

So what are your shopping neuroses?

On another note, I got my haircut again.  A bit shorter this time.  And, I’m wearing headbands again!  Funny story: Years after S. and I had met and become close friends and well into this blog project, we were reminiscing about how we met and what drew us to each other.  We both wore Dansko’s.  I was a training for my second marathon and she had just started loving running.  She was super out-going and I was trying my best to survive in a class for German scholars.  And, apparently, she liked that I could pull off a headband!  Back then my hair was fairly short and I wore headbands on a fairly regular basis.  When S. told me this – probably just 6 month ago or so, I loved her that much more!  I’m going to miss sharing this special project with these incredible women.  Oops, I guess I’m getting all sad and nostalgic too.

Sources:

• Shirt – Gap
• Dress – J Crew
• Flats – Target
• Earrings – Aldo

Endnotes:

I promised there would be more blue and white stripes to come!  I wore this nautical (/patriotic?) ensemble on a much-needed date this past weekend.  We just went up to our local brewery for a casual dinner and some delicious beer and most people (including A2) were in shorts and a t-shirt. But, when a much-needed date comes around, you better believe I’m going to spruce it up a bit more than that.

I love summer dresses!  They are perfect for many of my favorite summer activities: casual date nights, summer parties, outdoor brunch, picnics, BBQs, music in the park, and so on.  I don’t have nearly enough casual summer dresses (I now have a decent selection for summer weddings),  but also don’t have the money for any new ones at the moment.  So, I decided to revisit my closet.

I have been particularly pining over summer shirt dresses with cap sleeves and popped collars – preferably in blue and white stripe pattern.  I’ve long loved this dress from Shabby Apple and for some reason this weekend the inspiration struck to try and recreate a similar look with pieces in my closet. So I pulled out a very old strapless white seersucker dress from J. Crew and this blue and white striped button-down shirt and started playing around with it.  I’m really happy with how the look came together and I think it approximates the Shabby Apple dress – full skirt, shirt collar, breast pockets, a tie at the waist, and of course, blue and white stripes.

I’m already thinking about other shirt + dress/skirt combinations that will give me a similar silhouette.  How are you creatively working with a summer budget?  A.

Sources:

• Striped Top – Gap
• Shorts – Banana Republic Factory Outlet
• Red Flats – Target
• Earrings – Aldo (altered by me)
• Bracelet – gift from S.’s mom

Endnotes:

Here is my second blue and white stripe based outfit.   It’s nothing ground-breaking, but here you have it.

I know you aren’t all fans of shorts this length, and I’m still not %100 confident when wearing them. But, I do, as many of you mentioned, feel more comfortable pairing them with a top with sleeves, and particularly this boat-neck, square-cut, three-quarter sleeve knit top that is all wrong with my skinny jeans. I certainly wouldn’t wear this outfit to school, but it was perfect for sitting outside with  iced coffee  and a friend.

On another note, what do you think of these earrings?  Since my new haircut I have been on the lookout for large dangly earrings and I love wood accessories for summer.  So, when I spotted large wooden disks hanging from a jewelry rack this weekend I grabbed them.  Unfortunately, when I turned them around I saw that layered on top the wood were two intricately decorated gold disks – just not at all my style.  They were cheap so I bought them anyway and did a little DIY (I just used pliers to remove the gold disks).  Now, I’m not sure if they are too big.  Thoughts?

Sources:

• Skirt – self chopped from a Gap Outlet dress
• Striped cardigan – thrifted a year ago
• Navy Belt – thrifted a month ago
• White Tank – Banana Republic
• Navy studded flats – Banana Republic

Endnotes:

This is the first outfit of my self-imposed blue and white stripes challenge.  I have to admit, while I had several outfits already in mind when I announced this challenge to the blog world, none of them seemed right this morning and I panicked.  Why had I told everyone I would do this!?  And, why did I have so many blue and white striped items that suddenly went with nothing else in my wardrobe!?  But, since I needed to get out the door eventually, I decided the best approach was to settle of the blue and white stripped piece and then work from there.  I love the bright blue color and the vintage style of this little thrifted cardigan.

I think I tried pairing this little cardigan with at least five things before choosing this equally bright (but not the same shade) blue skirt.  In the end this outfit was mostly decided by silhouette.  The cardigan is cropped and the wide white waist band emphasizes it’s crop-ness and a bit full (puff sleeves and a tighter waist band then body). I found that I really did not like the way it looked with a slimmer bottom so I pulled out my full skirts and ended up with this all blue and white ensemble.

Hopefully getting dressed tomorrow will go a bit quicker, but I think this might prove that I do not in fact work better under limitations!  A.

Remember my obsession with red, white, and blue (especially blue and white stripes) that lasted all summer and well into the fall?  Well, the obsession has morphed a bit and now it’s all about the blue and white stripes.  When visiting last week, my sister observed that I could probably go a week wearing a different blue and white striped item everyday.  Sadly, I could probably go two.

So, I’m taking a cue from E. and testing out my skills at remixing a restricted wardrobe (not quite a capsule wardrobe).  I’m modeling this more after E.’s Black and White Week, only I’m not limiting my self to pre-chosen items.  Remember when we set a self-imposed challenge to wear florals?  I suppose its more like that.  I’m challenging myself (instigated by little sister L.) to wear blue and white stripes everyday for at least seven days.   I won’t be posting outfits everyday, so this little challenge will likely stretch out over the next two weeks, regardless of how many outfits I come up with.

I’ll have my first blue and white striped look up tomorrow!  A.

2010 Academichic – White Shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Jersey Dress: 5/48 via Filene’s Basement
• Sweater: Banana Republic Outlet
• Bag: J. Crew
• Shoes: Gomax
• Necklace: my design

Endnotes:
After days of hours and hours of sitting and trying to absorb the barrage of information that was being hurled at me, I need this weekend! I wore this outfit yesterday for my last day of full faculty meetings (thank goodness!). I was trying not to be too dressy, but still pulled together. I like this jersey dress because it is super comfortable, has an elastic empire waist, and sports a bold pattern.

2010 Academichic – White Shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

I’m trying to really live up these last few days of summer so I decided to throw on my bright green cotton sweater to keep away the chill of air conditioning. I also have been carrying around what seems like reams of paper – schedules, class lists, forms, handbooks, folders – and this slouchy summer bag has served me well. The bag is actually a patchwork of different brightly colored patterned squares and has a hot pink lining. I bought it at J. Crew, but the sewing pattern of a patchwork bag would be fairly simple to copy if you had some extra material or a few clothes items you were cutting up.

Pattern on pattern, oh my!, originally uploaded by academichic.

This bag is perfect for adding color to an outfit, and, in this case, playing several patterns off of one another. In addition to my summery bag I’ve also opted for wearing white shoes. Labor Day is fast approaching and I wouldn’t want to violate the age-old fashion rule to not wear white shoes after Labor Day or before Memorial Day. Although, with the right pair of white shoes I would happily discard that advice. Either way, these little paten leather flats are pretty much like slippers so they only come out in the summer months. What seasonal fashion rules to you break?

2010 Academichic – White Shoes, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress – Marshalls
• Belt – BR Outlet
• Flats – Target
• Sunglasses – Marshalls

Endnotes:

Well, summer officially comes to an end this week as the semester begins tomorrow.  I’m looking forward to the Fall, but sure will miss the summer!  I successfully started a veggie garden, clocked over 400 miles with a new running buddy, met up with old friends, convinced my advisor my dissertation topic is a worthy one, and of course GOT MARRIED!!

These are pictures taken a few weeks back, while on one of the many mini summer vacations we took to visit friends and family.  This is the dress I bought to wear the night before my wedding, but knew it would get a good amount of wear.  I added the woven leather belt and red flats to dress in down enough for brunch and a walk around town.

Check back later this week to see what ensemble I pull together for the first day of the semester!

A.

11 August 2010 – Boho Experiment, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Scarf: courtesy of Echo Design
• Top: Target
• Skirt: Target
• Sandals: Jeffrey Campbell

End Notes:

Triadic color combinations — three colors that are equidistant from each other around the color wheel — do not appear frequently in my outfit choices. It’s one of those combinations that can quickly veer into Crayola territory when the colors are too bright or the colorblocking is too severe. But, as with my earlier foray into saturated complementary colors, I decided that color module weeks deserve a bold effort.

11 August 2010 – Boho Experiment, originally uploaded by academichic.

It’s nice when a pattern does half (or in this case, two-thirds) of the work for you. This oblong scarf from Echo Design already pairs a mustardy-gold with a true red, and with a navy top they form a fairly traditional color combination. Had I worn a khaki or white skirt on the bottom, this could have been an exceedingly classic outfit.

But, for whatever reason, I wasn’t feeling particularly demure when I got dressed, and I was far more interested in finding what I like to call “my inner S.” You know, the super cool, bohemian, quirky chic look that S. does so well. So on went a turquoise tulip skirt (which knocks the triad off by just enough to be interesting) and funky cut-out sandals and…oh yes, I tried to wear a scarf wrapped around my head.

11 August 2010 – Boho Experiment, originally uploaded by academichic.

And I liked it.

Unfortunately, between my super slippery hair that denies bobby pins purchase and baby e.’s grabby hands, the head scarf had to relocate to my neck. But I did find it kind of exhilarating to venture off from familiar style territory by trying a more quirky look in a classic color scheme. It’s like a meta-style-juxtaposition.

Any tips on keeping a scarf in place around your head, especially when you have a shorter hair cut or slippery hair?

11 August 2010 – Boho Experiment, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Tank: Sparkle and Fade via thrift store
• Cardigan: Gap Outlet
• Scarf (as belt): ?
• Shoes: Nine West
• Shorts: Banana Republic Outlet
  (below)
• Tank top: Banana Republic
• Cardigan: Theory via Off 5th
• Pants: Anne Taylor Loft
• Belt: Betsey Johnson via Filene’s Basement
• Shoes: Ciao Bella via DSW

1 August 2010 – The Big Apple, originally uploaded by academichic.

Endnotes:
Like E and A, I too was in NYC briefly last week, which gave me the opportunity to dress up a little more than I have been recently. I missed E’s visit, but A and I enjoyed a lovely day of museums, galleries, and of course shopping! We were having such a good time we completely forgot to document our outfits for the day, but I’ve recreated mine as another example of how to bring color into the city. Magenta and turquoise are definitely two of my favorite colors and happen to be two-thirds of a color wheel triad as well (blue-green, red-purple, and the third is yellow-orange). I included this studded belt to bring up the edginess factor and the flats and stretchy black pants doubled as chic and amazingly comfortable. Today I am back out in the country, and I wanted to create a two-thirds outfit with this green apple tank top that I had recently thrifted. The blue cardigan fulfilled the color wheel part, and the scarf-as-belt brought in purple, turquoise, and more light green.

1 August 2010 – The Green Apple, originally uploaded by academichic.

As you can see my scarf went from securely held down by belt loops to loosely knotted at the waist. I’ve often used this scarf as a belt, but I’d never tried the over-the-sweater belted look until I was inspired by my “cohort” from their scarf Fashion 101 challenge from last February. I’m learning as much as you are! Next up for Color Wheel Fashion 101: Neutrals (with a pop)!

2010 Academichic July 21 – 09, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Top: Banana Republic
• Skirt: Banana Republic Outlet
• Belt: American Apparel
• Shoes: Tahari via DSW
• Necklace: gift

Endnotes:

Hello everyone and thank you E., S., and A. for inviting me to be a “post-doc” on Academichic! As E. mentioned I recently completed my M.A. and have departed the mid-west for the cooler climes of New England. Having come from extreme humidity it was refreshing to arrive in my new home and realize that come winter I will be able to layer, experiment with colorful sweaters, and show off my collection of tights. But back to right now…this summer look was inspired by a recent museum visit during which Little Dancer Age Fourteen by Edgar Degas was featured. Her proud stance, tight bodice, and knee-length tutu stood out in a room full of museumgoers in shorts and T’s. I know it is dangerous to dress-like-art (see Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian dress from 1965), but I went for it anyway.

I have been wearing this flowy white skirt all summer, but usually with slouchier more bohemian tops and a wide woven belt. However, this is my favorite combination yet, and the fitted top gives me definition that helps to offset the fullness of the skirt. I am happy that my stretchy purple/maroon belt creates an analogous color paring with the lilac tank, and the tiny ruched edge poking out above the belt adds to the ballet feel of this outfit.

originally uploaded by academichic.

I try to stay away from being too “match-y” but I could not resist wearing this amethyst necklace on a gold chain to help tie in my gold wedges. I am a big fan of metallic shoes (as regular readers will see in the future!), and I pare them with casual, formal, day, night, pants, and skirts — anything that needs a little shimmer! I love these wedges because they seem to be the perfect height to make my calves attain that long-lean-I-spend-2-hours-a-day-doing-pilates look (without actually doing the pilates). Also, being 5’3” it helps to boost me up a few inches.

originally uploaded by academichic.

originally uploaded by academichic.

That’s all for this post. I look forward to hearing from you and sharing more wardrobe ideas with you in the months to come!

L.