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.

20 June 2009 – Gallery Opening

Posted on | June 22, 2009 | 8 Comments

20 June 2009 – Gallery Opening, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed.

Black tunic: worn backwards, gift from brothers
Gray skirt: Target
Red wedges: Naturalizers, from DSW

End Notes:

A friend’s work was included in a local juried exhibition, and my husband and I went out to show our support at the Saturday evening opening. As I’ve mentioned before, choosing what to wear to an art opening is fraught for art history grad students. There is always a sea of all sorts of fabulousness at these events and I wanted to remain true to my own relatively understated style while still making a statement. I stuck with a classic black, gray, and red color palette, but rather than simply trying to gussy up my jersey pieces with lots of sparkly jewelry I wanted to play with interesting shapes and proportions that would make the whole look more appropriate for an evening out.

S. has worn some of her dresses backwards before and I wondered if I could do something similar with this black tunic. The pleated, scooped neckline became a sexier scooped back, and by unbuttoning the small row of buttons that created a keyhole in the official “back” of the top, I ended up with a new, split neckline. And, rather than wearing the tunic over pants or shorts, I tried it out over a skirt. This is a really unexpected proportion for me, but I love the kind of drop-waist flapper vibe it creates.

As the bump gets bigger, it seems like the ways I can wear items also grows increasingly limited. So I was thrilled to get a little bit of my experimental creativity out in this look and I’m encouraged to look at some of my other maternity gear in new ways. After all, with only four weeks or so left I might as well squeeze out all the wear I can, right?

20 June 2009 – Gallery Opening, originally uploaded by academichic.

20 May 2009

Posted on | May 20, 2009 | 19 Comments

20 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed:

Black tunic – gift from brothers, from Ross, I think
Bermudas - Liz Lange for Target jeans thrifted and cropped by me
Black pointy toe flats – Target

End Notes:

This is a really new proportion for me — a long tunic over walking shorts — but I think it works with my 7 months worth of preggers bumpage. I’ve worn this tunic before, layered over a sweater or under a jacket, but this is the first time it’s been warm enough to wear it alone and show off the fun neckline and pleated detailing.

Neckline Detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

As for the shoes, I was skeptical of pointy-toe heels for a long time before becoming a convert to their leg-lengthening optical abilities. A pointy-toe flat functions in much the same way, but without having to negotiate a stiletto heel. I love how these pleated flats are a bit more edgy than a ballet slipper but are just as easy to run errands in, which is what I’m doing today.

Pointy Toe Flats, originally uploaded by academichic.

Finally, let me gush to you briefly about my new haircut. Every once in a while I convince myself that I should let my hair grow out a bit. This time, I got it into my head that the almost inevitable preggers face-bloat necessitated a longer haircut. But, really, I’m a short hair girl at heart and this stacked bob with a dramatic swing in front gives me far more confidence and spunk than a longer ‘do would. My mother-in-law has a wonderful stylist in Houston whom I adore and who understands and loves the texture of my Japanese hair. As he vigorously razored my locks yesterday he kept telling me, “I don’t mess around. You are going to remember me for four months.” Oh, Long, I will remember you. There is nothing like an awesome haircut to make a preggers woman feel hip and chic again. Whew.

20 May 2009 – Bumpage, originally uploaded by academichic.

30 March 2009 – Fitting In

Posted on | March 30, 2009 | 4 Comments

30 March 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Green jacket – Dillards, maybe? Altered by me.
Pale blue cami – Target
Bright blue tunic – TJ Maxx
Jeans – ON Maternity, old standby
Metallic peep toe wedges – Target, new standby

End Notes:

I’m working from home today, trying to get ahead enough on required course readings in order to start drafting my term papers. The end of the semester is in sight now, and it makes me a little panicky about finishing everything and, oh, I don’t know, getting ready for the life changing event of having a child.

I think I subliminally matched my side yard in my outfit choice for the day. The tunic is the exact same color as my recycling container and the green jacket echoes the newly emerging hostas. And here is a style inspiration mantra to remember, folks. Never be too proud to match your recycling container, especially if it happens to be an awesome blue.

30 March 2009 – Hello Hostas, originally uploaded by academichic.

12 March 2009

Posted on | March 12, 2009 | 4 Comments

12 March 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Gray sweater – Forever 21, remixed
Black tunic with pleated neckline – gift from my brothers, upon hearing I was pregnant
Jeans – Old Navy maternity, remixed
Pleated pointy-toe flats – Target, remixed

End Notes:

Because I have an eternally long torso, I’ve tended to avoid long tunic tops with pants. The combination frequently made me look like I possessed the world’s shortest pair of legs. But, two things have changed. First, I now have a growing baby bump that demands even more fabric for coverage. And second, I have been so inspired by the likes of wardrobe_remixers Archibald Maximillion and Mamichan, who both play with proportions in fun and oh-so-chic ways in their daily outfits.

Thanks to those lovely ladies in particular, I’ve been venturing out more into tunic-land. Today I’m keeping it simple with a monochrome palette and trying to draw attention up with a gray grosgrain ribbon and a little pleated neckline. The tunic look may woo me over yet.

I’ll be out of town again this weekend, attending a wedding in Colorado. But look for a special “packing post” from me over the next day or two! – e.