23 October 2009 – Minimal

Posted on | October 23, 2009 | 12 Comments

23 October 2009 – Minimal, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Black sweater dress: Target
Gray skinnies: thrifted, skinnied by me
Gray suede wedges: Gap Outlet
Turquoise earrings: vintage beads from a wee shop in Wheaton, IL

End Notes:

As simple as this outfit is, it’s really a stretch for me. Not only are my pants ankle length, but I am also wearing a fairly shapeless sweater dress-slash-tunic without a belt. I know, I know. I’m totally living on the edge.

Angie from You Look Fab calls this surrendering the waistline. And it really is. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time you know that all three of us love to belt at the waist. Even when I was pregnant, I kept right on belting up to the bitter end. Letting this fairly shapeless sweater shift just hang out like this goes against my basic style instincts and the little Stacey and Clinton demons in my head.

Vintage Bead Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

And yet here I am. The skinnies add some needed edge and the wedges give some needed lift and length. What is really a basic outfit in terms of pieces and color becomes much more interesting because of the more unexpected play with proportion. And while it was tempting to figure out more accessories to add to the mix, I think this look achieves its greatest impact by embracing its inherent minimalism.

(And the better to show off my new-as-of-this-morning haircut, too!)

23 October 2009 – Minimal, originally uploaded by academichic.

Bump Watch

Posted on | February 7, 2009 | 2 Comments

Bump Watch, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Sweater dress – Banana Republic, gift from mother-in-law
Tights – Target
Wedges – Gap Outlet, well-loved
Belt – Target
Earrings worn as mini-brooches: my grandmother’s jewelry box

End Notes:

Now that I’m four months pregnant and none of my pants fit, I’m waiting for my baby bump to make itself known, more as a bump and less as a “Wow, she really overdid it at the buffet line.” My rapidly changing body sometimes frustrates me, often fascinates me, and consistently surprises me when I get dressed. A lot of my style “rules,” my unwritten set of guidelines for highlighting my best favorite parts and helping out in my less gifted areas (read, “chest”), no longer apply. Outfits that I used to love just don’t work anymore, and proportions that I was previously uncertain about now seem to work.

All that to say, I’m a bit incredulous as to how my wardrobe can still effectively hide my burgeoning belly. And there really is something there. To wit:

Now you see it (when I’m pulling my dress tight)…now you don’t (when I’m just standing there). It’s a little surreal, but also an interesting wardrobe challenge.