academichic

28 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Button down – vintage, thrifted in Germany
• Skinnies – thrifted in Germany
• Gray wedges – Report, via Solestruck.com
• Purple cadi – H&M

Endnotes:

This week we’re looking back to some of our first blogging inspirations. One of the first wardrobe_remixers I bookmarked was Future Lint. Here’s a girl who does not shy away from color, pattern, or from crazy vintage pieces… and I love that! I also happen to think that anyone who dresses up as a pregnant cheerleader is someone I’d like to hang out with. Future Lint describes herself as a lover of thrifting, biking, and DIY’ing, so she had me from the get-go. I used to be much more conservative in my thrifting approach, and as E. once mentioned, often looked for pieces that didn’t look thrifted. When I discovered Future Lint’s photostream, I realized how much fun thrifting and vintage shopping could be. Here was a girl with a wardrobe that just begged to be noticed: full of fun details, eye catching color combinations, awesome one-of-a-kind pieces, and overall cheerfulness that I found contagious.

So when I came across this crazy vintage shirt on my last thrifting expedition, I instantly thought of Future Lint. This seemed like the kind of shirt she’d wear and wear beautifully, but I found myself a bit intimidated by it. It’s just so colorful and loud and I was tempted to put it back. Only I couldn’t, I sort of fell in love with it and even found myself reasoning that this was something Anthropologie might sell…right? Do you see it?

Shirt detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Well, I am so glad I had a Little Future Lint sitting on my shoulder and nudging me to buy it because I love this shirt. It makes me happy just to be in the same room with it. Stay tuned for lots more outfit combinations with this one. For starters, I let it take center stage with a pair of black skinny jeans and gray wedges. And the purple cardi is dark enough that it almost works like another neutral thrown over it.

It seems like my running theme of this week is ‘thrifted fabulosity’. All of my initial style blogger crushes have that one thing in common: they’re all thrift and vintage goddesses, making fabulous outfits out of previously loved clothing. I forgot about that for a while and it wasn’t until I came abroad and found myself on a really tight budget that I truly rediscovered my love of thirfting. In addition to thrifting, I also want to follow these ladies’ example in DIY’ing more this year. I’m going to attempt to be more handy with my own acquisitions, not letting slight alterations deter me from overlooking a great find. So thanks, ladies, for reminding me what got me so excited about blogging and participating in the style blog community when we first got started! I have one more vintage and thrift goddess to celebrate tomorrow, so check back for my conclusion of Tribute Week on Friday. S.

28 January 2010 – With Cardi, originally uploaded by academichic.

18 January 2010 – Mod, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Dress – vintage, thrifted in Munich
• Navy cardi underneath – H&M
• Necklace – Anthropologie
• Watch – Coach, on loan from mom
• Gray wool tights – drug store
• Boots – Banana Republic

Endnotes:

Today I’m wearing this awesome vintage dress that I thrifted over the weekend. I love the Mod look of it and wanted to keep with that ‘theme’ by adding knee boots, a long necklace, and my hair in a high knot. Many of you have asked about thrifting and vintage buying tips when responding to our question of what you would like to see more of in Year Two of Academichic. I am definitely no voice of authority on the subject of vintage, but I do love thrifting. I love that it’s easy on the budget; that it’s a sustainable way of shopping that allows for repurposing and reusing rather than adding to our landfills; and that it’s a great way to score unique pieces that have a bit of a history and mystery to them. Lastly, I also just love the process. For me, the hunt for that treasure is as much fun as the end result itself.

18 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

If you’re someone who doesn’t like to dig or look for that needle in the haystack, than thrifting may be more of a nuisance that a treat for you. But if you similarly enjoy the hunt, then hit up those flea markets, thrift stores, or consignment shops in your area. When buying used and deeply discounted, I am far more likely to try on things outside of my usual ‘look’, as was the case with this Mod dress. Because I’m more likely to impulse buy and end up with things that I won’t need or wear, I ask myself the ultimate test question:

Do I love this so much that I would wear it out of the store right now if I could?

This usually helps me keep my thrifting in check and my purchasing to a reasonable amount. We would love to keep discussing this topic with you in future posts and we would love to hear from you what it is that you’d like to address in terms of thrift store shopping or vintage buying (the latter being something we’re relatively inexperienced in). Leave us a comment with either your tips or your questions on this topic, we look forward to hearing from you! S.

18 January 2010 – Mod, originally uploaded by academichic.

1 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Vintage shift dress – was my grandmother’s
• Black shirt dress – H&M
• Brown belt – F21
• Purple tights – grocery store
• Boots – thrifted in Romania

Endnotes:

I found this vintage shift dress in my grandmother’s closet and since she no longer wears it, I claimed it for myself. She’s had this dress for longer than she can remember and I have faint memories of her wearing it from when I was little. I never paid much attention to it before, but seeing it now, I kind of fell in love with it. It’s got a great boat neck cut, white gum drop buttons that run down the entire left side of it, and Asian inspired artwork that runs along the hemline of it.

Dress layers, originally uploaded by academichic.

Admittedly, the teal, lime, and orange color scheme is a little loud and a little intimidating, but the details and cut make it so fabulous that I’m sure to wear it by itself come summer. For now, I mitigated some of its brightness by layering it under my black shirt dress and adding other neutrals such as a dark brown belt and dark brown boots. This entire ensemble is a somewhat strange conglomeration of disparate items, but over all I think it works. It feels quirky and fun and that’s not a bad way to start of the year, right? How would you wear this vintage shift dress, what would you pair it with? Do inspire me! S.

1 January 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

6 October 2009 – From München, With Love, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Blue scarf – TJMaxx, remixed
• Tan bag – Etienne Aigner, remixed
• Skinnies – thrifted, remixed
• Boots – BR, remixed
• Sunglasses – H&M, remixed
• Trench – vintage, from my grandmother’s closet!

Endnotes:

Greetings from Bavaria! I made it and I’m settling into my new ‘home’ here. It’s been a crazy few days, but I love this city and I love getting to use so much of my German as I’m desperately trying to take care of everything needed before I can settle happily into my research.

As far as first (style) impressions go, these Münchner sure know how to dress! I’m seeing a ton of very stylish men and women and taking note! And talk about the many chic cyclists on the roads.  As for my own outfit of this past weekend, it’s been a simple skinnies-boots-and-coat combo that manages to feel both practical and comfortable without screaming ‘tourist’.

A while ago, when I acquired this yellow bag, I asked readers how one knows when something is truly vintage. Well, this time, I know. This classic trench is definitely vintage since I can date it back to at least 1974, when I have photographic evidence of my grandmother wearing it:

These pictures were taken in Budapest in 1974 with colleagues of hers on a work trip. Can you spot her in the group shot below? (She later had the coat shortened to the length you see on me today).

This trench has made many more appearances in our family photo albums, as it was my grandmother’s one “good” spring and fall jacket. She’s often told how how “back then” you had “one good item” and you just took good care of it. She’s certainly done that since I was able to find it in perfect condition on this recent visit and claim it for wear.

Her point about having less things but of distinction calls to mind the difference between today’s consumer culture with emphasis on more, more, more and perhaps a more ‘vintage’ mindset of acquiring fewer pieces with quality and longevity in mind. Although I like the latter approach better, I must confess that thrift shopping and the ease with which one can collect and acquire things today makes me more of a participant in the prior category.

How to do you feel about this dichotomy, do you see yourself consciously opting for one approach over the other? And in this age of ready-made clothing, thrift-store abundance, and ebay-auction-accessibility, can these same ‘vintage’ mores still be applied? While you ponder those questions, I leave you with one more picture of my beautiful grandmother at age twenty-three, photographed with a monographed “V” for her name, back in 1950. S.

7 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed but earrings.

• Nursing tank: Old Navy
• Belt: Gap Outlet
• Floral skirt: thrifted
• T-straps: target.com
• Vintage flower earrings: Vintage Threadz on etsy.com

End Notes:

I don’t usually do vintage chic, but yesterday’s outfit had some kind of old school feeling going on. Maybe it was the fact that my mom had t-straps like this almost thirty years ago or that the lime-and-coral color combination in the skirt’s print had a little bit of a seventies vibe, but it seemed natural to belt the skirt up high and to pair these vintage flower earrings — another treasure from Vintage Threadz on Etsy — with the whole thing.

Vintage Flower Earrings, originally uploaded by academichic.

When I first snagged this skirt at a local thrift store, I only wore it with brown. It seemed a safe choice with such a bold, colorful print. This past winter, however, before the baby bump really popped, I wore it with rich plum and saturated blue green. (I’m realizing, somewhat belatedly, that the reason the blue green makes sense — in the scarf in February and in this tank top currently — is because it serves as a complementary color to the red orange flowers in the skirt.)

It’s easy to fall into a rut when trying to pair things with a particularly bold print. Now that I fit into this skirt again, I’m taking suggestions for what to partner with it. What would you like to see? Just how versatile can a salmon and chartreuse floral skirt be?

7 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.