academichic

Sources:

• Lace-edged Camisole: Banana Republic Outlet
• Cardigan: H&M
• Belt: American Apparel
• Skirt: White Rice
• Tights: Target
• Oxfords: Crown Vintage via DSW
• Necklace: gift from sister

Endnotes:
Really? Tights in spring? Tights in the middle of May?! Yes folks, sad but true. The daffodils are blooming, fruit trees have burst into fluffy balls of white flowers, and my allergies are going haywire (pun intended), but the chill is not out of the air some days where I am. I had sworn off wearing tights after spring break, mostly because my waist and stomach were tired of being constricted like that, but I had to give in and break them out on Friday last week. To really feel sorry for myself I started to look back at when other bloggers around the country had packed up their winter tights for the year.

The ever hip and stylish Clare of Between Laundry Days was still wearing tights (or at least posting tight-ed outfits) in April, but has recently been enjoying sunshine and nylon-free gams.

The oft-skirted and always adorably dressed Tanya of What Would a Nerd Wear decided to freeze her kneecaps one particularly cold spring day, but she hasn’t donned tights in weeks (just look back at her recent posts!). Even my lovely co-bloggers out in academichic central were ditching their tights back in early April!

However, I do have a (reluctant) tights companion in the artistically photographed, well dressed and hilarious woman behind Hello, Monkeyface!, who also paired spring florals with tights this month, and the queen of color combos, Audi of Fashion For Nerds, also sported some firey red tights recently. Thank goodness! I really was starting to feel sorry for myself (wink wink)

On the flip-side, the always thoughtful and encouraging (and well heeled!) Sally at Already Pretty lined up some great ideas for how TO cover up even when it is warm out.

How have you been keeping warm during the mud season between winter and spring? Do you have a cut-off point for some wintery items that you refuse to wear after a certain date or season change?

L.

So, let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that you can only have ONE colored pair of tights in your wardrobe. Or, maybe you’re trying to talk yourself into branching out in your tights-wearing. What ONE color would be the best starter pair?

There are probably more mathematical means of deducing the wearability quotient of a particular hue of leg wear according to your closet, but for my purposes, I have found that either purple or burgundy would be my recommended “starter” color. Both of these deep, saturated hues add a subtle richness to an outfit color palette without yelling, “I HAVE GREEN LEGS!”

That’s probably why both colors work well whether you’re showing just a few inches or a wide swath of tight-encased leg.

Further, both colors work with a variety of neutrals. Purple and brown is warm and familiar. Purple and black and white is unexpected but fresh. Navy and burgundy or black, white, and burgundy are timeless.

And, because they’re darker and richer, they can also be used to create more sophisticated monochrome palettes, such as wearing purple tights with a plum or magenta dress.

If you could only have one pair of colored tights, what color would you choose?

Sources:

• Dress: Banana Republic
• Belt: BR Outlet
• Necklace: Mass MoCA Store
• Shoes: BR
• Stockings (black and beige): Calvin Klein
• Large Fishnets: Givenchy via Marshalls
• Purple Fishnets: Gucci (gift)
• Beige Fishnets: Ralph Lauren via Lord & Taylor

Endnotes:
I was inspired by E.’s great post about how different colored tights can really change an outfit and I got to thinking about how we have been shunning good old-fashioned stockings (aka nylons, pantyhose, hose, etc.) lately. For me at least, beige or “nude” (aka “tan” or “flesh colored”, but not everyone’s flesh is the same color!) stockings remind me of a milestone in my life. In my school students weren’t allowed to wear sheer stockings until they were in 7th grade, while the younger kids had to wear opaque tights. Thus, wearing stockings was “grown-up” and much cooler.

Several readers have noted that tights make them feel youthful and wonder if tight-wearing has a certain age limit. Personally, I think I’ll wear tights as long as I want to, but I definitely see where these comments are coming from! For instance, even though E. wears colorful tights with aplomb, she commented on feeling like the yellow ones were giving her “Muppet legs.” I feel a little like that too especially with bright colorful tights. Stockings on the other hand have the opposite effect on me – especially black ones. I feel mature, business-y, and yet, I’ll say it, kinda sexy. Maybe it’s the idea that they show just enough skin or the way they give every curve a little more oomph. Maybe I’ve been seduced by one too many Victoria Secret ads. Anyway, for that reason I feel like stockings are adult, dressier, evening attire. But in the business world people wear them every day, so why am I hesitant to wear them at school?

I tried layering stockings with open-weave tights over, and that made me a little more comfortable, but I still felt “too sexy”… what does that even mean!? Maybe I’m asking a bigger question about “feeling sexy” being at odds with “feeling professional”? What do you think about stockings versus tights? I’d really love to hear what others have to say about this, since obviously I haven’t figured it out for myself!

~L.

Sources:

Dress – Gap, thrifted
Cardi underneath (for warmth and sleeves) – ON
Belt – Gap Outlet
Damask tights – Anthropologie
Wedges – vintage, thrifted
Necklace – thrifted

Endnotes:

What’s back, white, and damask all over? My tights! I got these from my mom from Anthropologie for Christmas (in a size up so that I can still fit into them as my waistline expands), and I think they’ve quickly become my favorite pair. But as much as I love them, I do find them a bit tricky to style. I tried them on with different dresses and I even attempted a few pattern-mixing looks, but all of it ended up looking too busy for me. Ultimately, I think that the easiest way to showcase a pair of really bold and patterned tights is against a simple and solid backdrop. In this case, I pulled out another trusty black dress, added black beads and black wedges, and just snuck in a pop of color with my red-orange belt.

A reader asked about wearing colorful or patterned tights on Monday, to which reader Kara replied:

I think a good way to ease into the brights is to pair them with knee high boots and a knee-length skirt so you only have maybe two inches of the tights showing. It tones it down a bit, but still uses the tights as an accessory (and warmth!).

I completely agree with that tip. As you can see from the demonstration below, I have worn these tights before with a simple black dress and black boots. In that incarnation, only a bit of the damask peaked out and the effect was much more subtle. Pairing the same tights with a black dress and with black wedges, in this case showing much more leg, let’s the tights take more of a center presence. So if you have colorful or patterned tights that you want to work into your wardrobe but are hesitant about, start small. Let only a bit of the tights peak out from between a hem line and your boots.

Also, a side note on the layering here. You may not be able to tell but this is actually a short sleeved dress. It’s too cold to wear without the added sleeves in the winter but when I tried adding a cardigan on top, it all ended up looking very bulky. Because of the tulip shape of the skirt, I prefer the more fitted upper bodice and defined waist look on top. So I layered a cardigan underneath the dress, essentially adding sleeves to it. I then used A.’s trick of layering a fitted camisole over the cardigan to keep it from bunching and shifting and to add a smoothing layer over the buttons and texture of this front closure garment. In the end, I was plenty warm with a cardigan, camisole, and dress layered over one another and with these thick wool tights. This outfit may not look like it, but it’s quite the warm and cozy little get-up.

And the bonus? I love the fact that the damask pattern is carried out on the back of the legs as well, giving your outfit that extra something as you’re walking away. ~ S.

In last year’s Fashion 101 on tights, I offered an example of how merely switching out tights could change the entire appearance of an outfit. This year, I thought I’d try out the same idea again, but with a different dress and shoe combination.

(As an aside, I really love the substantial ponte knit and demure shape of this little gray sheath, but it’s significantly shorter than what I usually wear. I don’t think I’ll be teaching in this dress until I let the hem down, but even for running about town over the weekend I felt…abbreviated.)

In any case, onward. The photo above shows the gray dress paired with gray tights. The monochrome scheme does mitigate my hem length issues, and I love how the browns of the belt and boots warm everything up. A touch more interesting than wearing black tights, but still cool and simple.

Next up, patterned tights. Meh. This is probably my least favorite look, not because I don’t like my patterned tights, but because I think they were the wrong value for this medium gray sheath. I think a darker patterned tight would have worked a little better, no?

Given my love of grellow, I definitely wanted to try pairing this soft gray dress with punchier saffron tights. I love the idea of these tights in theory, but sometimes when I wear them I get a little self conscious about maybe looking like I have Muppet legs. Here, though, I think they work well with the warm cognac boots to create a little bit of punch without breaking up my leg line too harshly.

I think this gray and red combination is one of my favorite iterations. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m channeling some Tania from What Would a Nerd Wear and her “gred”. There’s something classic but fresh and the tights look purposeful, not like a tacked on afterthought.

Finally, blue tights. I was prepared to not like this…but I really do. I don’t usually think of cobalt as being a “spring” color, but there’s a lot of it around this year and I think it’s a little unexpected with the gray and navy.

Do you have a favorite?

Sources:

• Shirt: Banana Republic
• Sweater: BR Outlet
• Skirt: BR
• Belt: J. Crew
• Purple Tights (under): Target
• Magenta Tights: no idea!
• Shoes: Gucci via DSW

Endnotes:
Like S. I had a little urge to wear something in recognition of Valentine’s Day, but I didn’t want to look like I was being too thematic. I knew I wanted to layer dark purple tights under my magenta diamond patterned ones, in what is kind of a reversal of my previous look where I layered dark purple fishnets over the magenta tights. This look is definitely a more solid statement, but the purple peeks through enough to make my legs look almost iridescent in the light.

I like to wear something bright on Mondays since my students are usually tired AND today it is actually about 40 degrees, which has put me in the mood for color and spring! Have you noticed how dark your wardrobe becomes in winter? My purple cardigan darkens the overall outfit but contrasts a little with my bright turquoise shirt. The pink belt makes the outfit super matchy, but I don’t care. I like it. I feel a little bit like Rainbow Brite in this get-up, but I just couldn’t bare to remix my neutrals even with a pop of color – I needed to go all out today. Come to think of it, maybe I am Rainbow Brite. We did come into being in the same year!

Regardless of my true identity, I hope the first thing people notice besides my tights are my new purple wedges! I scored these the last time I was at DSW and they were literally hundreds less than what they had been. I figured that it was a sign from the shoe-gods that these had survived months on the shelf and were in my size. Happy Valentine’s Day to me!

I didn’t even notice that someone had pried the little gold interlocking Gs off the back until I got them home. Oh well, I’m not one for labels anyway. How have you spoiled yourself today?

Sources:

Dress – Banana Republic Outlet
Cardi – thrifted
Bird pin – Kissing Toads on Etsy
Belt – Ralph Lauren
Tights – TJMaxx
Shoes – vintage, thrifted

Endnotes:

Happy Valentine’s Day! As the title of my post indicates, I’m wearing red tights today as an homage to Valentine’s Day and to kick off our current theme week – Tights Week!

I’m not usually one to dress to “match” a holiday, but I just couldn’t help pulling out this pair of red tights for today’s outfit. Just like I couldn’t help but make some red paper hears and red string garlands to hang around my kitchen over the weekend. And I couldn’t resist baking heart-shaped Swedish cookies on Saturday. Is this what they call nesting? I swear, this is the most I’ve ever gone out for Valentine’s Day.

To keep the holiday-inspired look to a minimum, I kept the rest of the outfit in blue and black. I just added that extra bit of red with a tiny bird and (red) flower brooch to pull the color of the tights into the upper part of the outfit.

Also, a side note on the cardigan – I thrifted this item just a little while ago while being in my Emma Pillsbury induced style coma. I loved the polkadots, the puffy sleeves and the cropped fit of it. But no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, this cardigan is just too big on me. Buttoned, or worn open, it just makes me look wide and boxy. So my solution is to wear it with the sides overlapping to create a snugger fit. I then used a belt to cinch it together and voila – a perfect fit. I also liked the look of this more structured and austere belt to tone down the ‘playfulness’ and ‘whimsicalness’ of the cardigan.

But back to tights now. All of this week we’ll be discussing our different tights wearing strategies, such layering tights, incorporating pattern or using various color tights and incorporating them into the outfit. To see all our previous creative tights looks, check out our new Flickr set on Tights. And feel free to leave a comment if you have any specific questions you’d like addressed during this week’s feature! ~ S.

Unseasonable, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dolman cardigan: Ann Taylor
• Top: Forever 21
• Necklace: c/o Beadle Bop
• Belt: thrifted
• Skirt: thrifted
• Tights: Banana Republic Factory
• Wedges: MIA, via DSW

End Notes:

It’s not secret that I have lots of issues with “seasonality.” Having grown up in a one season climate, I didn’t really understand that there were certain fabrics, prints, or even cuts that were deemed more appropriate for one time of year over another. While I do understand and appreciate that, say, wool trousers are better suited for winter than summer, I continue to feel a certain freedom to, say, wear a full white cotton skirt in February, should the mood strike.

All that to say, yes, I am wearing a flower necklace while there is still crunchy gross snow on the ground. And I’m okay with that.

I’ve really enjoyed reading all of the comments on S.’s post on gender and jewelry and A.’s post on jewelry as sign. It’s so interesting to read about all the different cultural traditions, connotations, and practices relating to jewelry. My own family does not have much of a jewelry tradition. I have a little Hawaiian “E” initial pendant that was my grandmother’s, but really other than that, my familial jewelry connection and associations are minimal. I’m not sure how much of this is particular to my family and how much is further connected to issues of ethnicity and class. I remember my mom and most of my Japanese aunties having very subdued taste in jewelry. This has changed a bit in the past few years with a growing interest in “beading,” but still, I got some good-natured ribbing for how big my earrings and necklaces were on past visits home to Hawaii.

Really, if we’re going to psychoanalyze this, let’s be honest. I am maybe a little homesick right now, and wearing a flower necklace lets me pretend that I’m wearing a lei. Take that, winter.

Sources:

• Necklace: “Mirari” by Orno Jewelry
• Bracelets: gift
• Ring: gift
• Sweater: Theory via Off 5th
• Yellow tank: J. Crew
• Blue dress (as skirt): Even via Off 5th
• Belt: mom’s
• Tights: Target
• Boots: vintage Charles David

Endnotes:
Hip hip hooray for jewelry week! I have been known to base whole outfits around a single piece of jewelry, wear my favorite pieces when I’m in an especially stressful situation, and to add serious bling to a summer dress. This outfit falls into the first category in that the colors were inspired by the Islamic mosaics and Moorish architecture that also inspire designer Carla Smiley in her Orno Jewelry line.

Smiley, originally from Lebanon, studied architecture in Canada before she designed her first line of silver jewelry. For this ensemble, I started with the necklace that my sister got me for Christmas and then built from there (pun intended). I first came to love these bright geometric mosaics when I encountered a mihrab niche in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC). The bright blues, turquoise, yellows and greens appealed to my eye. For this look I knew I wanted to wear multiple shades of blue and my yellow tank, but the layering that this outfit took on was unplanned. I put on my blue dress, then the tank over it, then tucked the tank into my obi belt so that the dress was now a skirt, and then put my sweater on top to hide the sleeve of the dress/tank and voila! The red tights also made a triad and I couldn’t resist. I actually got a “whow” on this in the dining hall today. I told the person I took that as a complement.

I finished off the outfit with two more pieces of jewelry that are vaguely architectonic. The bracelets, which look very modern in their stark lines and solid weight, are from Santa Fe. The ring, a gift from my sister, is from Peru.

As you can tell, I love jewelry and over the years have collected many necklaces, rings, bracelets, and recently pins. I also am a “beader” and have several necklaces that I strung myself. Be sure to come back on Friday for our give-away surprise and Saturday for my Weekend Workshop on how to make a necklace hanger! Check out more academichic baubles on Flickr. Enjoy the rest of jewelry week!
~L.

We recently received this reader question…

I have an on-campus interview (yay!) at a liberal arts college in a very cold climate. I just purchased a navy blue suit from J Crew: fitted blazer + pencil skirt. I’m going to pair this with a brightly colored shell of some sort and gray patent leather shoes. The problem is what to do with my legs. If I double up on tights, I think I’ll be sufficiently warm for brief jaunts outside. But what color tights would work best? Is black okay? Any suggestions you have you would welcome!

First of, congratulation on your campus interview! And we love the items you’ve chosen for this occasion: this navy J.Crew skirt (and matching blazer) and these grey patent leather Naot shoes. To winterize your legs, we agree that doubling up and layering tights might be a good idea. Now, as to what color tights to wear on the outside, here are a few suggestions:

Although we love how that navy skirt and grey patent leather shoes would look with a boldly hued pair of tights like this…

… we agree that the above combination might be best saved for a teaching day on campus. For that more formal interview attire, we would suggest opting for a more ‘conservative’ and ‘traditional’ color such as a navy or grey…

A pair of black tights may be too harsh with the lighter color shoe, while a grey or navy pair should blend more seamlessly with your skirt or footwear choice. Choosing a pair of tights in a neutral that picks up on the existing color scheme of your outfit should makes the tights fit right in with your look wihout drawing too much attention. And don’t forget to check how the pair of tights underneath affects the color of your top layer! This might be obvious but is worth stating in case your mind is on other interview related matters right now.

Lastly, we also think that a pair of open weave pattern tights layered over an opaque black pair of tights could create a subtle yet rich and interesting effect. It wouldn’t be too discernable from far away but would lend your outfit that extra bit of personality and individuality from up close.

What do you think, dear readers and fellow academics? What color tights would you recommend to for that polished and professional interview look? What have you worn for academic interviews in the past? Thank you as always for your contributions in the comments section! ~ Chics