28 June 2009 – On Our Way Home

Posted on | June 28, 2009 | 7 Comments

28 June 2009 – On Our Way Home, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Patterned scarf – souvenir from MN, remixed
tank – “MG Girl” tank purchased at previous MG meet
walking shorts – ON, remixed
sandals – Target, remixed

Endnotes:

We’re on our way home! These days are spent logging as many miles as possible on our journey East. I’m recycling elements from previous outfits you’ve seen on this trip, as one has to do when traveling. So back out come the black see-no-spills-on-them walking shorts, my go-to black sandals, and one of my favorites patterned scarves.

I haven’t posted any outfits over the past few days because show days are spent with everyone wearing MG logo shirts associating owner with car and club location. I, trying to do my part as good future daughter-in-law, sported my fair share of said garments. Although today’s outfit is still of the MG variety, it is my one “chic” MG top and often the envy of many female show attendees. I got this “MG Girl” tank at a show a few years ago, where I got the display model since they were selling out quicker than you can imagine. This just goes to show how male dominated these car meets are perceived to be, that the moment someone offers a female-geared product it just flies off the racks. I’m always surprised by the lack of female-targeted products when there is no shortage of female attendees or drivers at these meets. I guess old stereotypes die hard.

At this particular show, however, I spotted one very stylish woman wearing a cute denim shirt-dress with a red and white MG logo on the back. It was fitted through the waist and then flared out flatteringly to the knees, crating a lovely silhouette. Of course I had to approach her and ask her where she found such a stylish MG dress (of all things!) and was hardly surprised when she revealed that she had made it herself. She had purchased the cute dress and applied iron-on patches to it, making a one-of-a-kind design. Not only did I love this woman’s innovation and style but I was also impressed with the greater implication of such a move: instead of allowing herself to be limited by the male-centric offerings of MG products, she thought creatively and made her own garment, reflecting her sense of style and challenging assumptions about what (gendered) bodies enthusiastically claim a car logo on their apparel.

As I leave you with a gratuitous shot of show day, I ask you: what activities or passions do you have that don’t fit the “feminine” mold society has created for women? S.

15 June 2009

Posted on | June 15, 2009 | 24 Comments

15 June 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Gray tank – Hanes
Plaid button down – J.Crew
Charcoal walking shorts – Gap, remixed
Black sandals – Target, remixed a lot
Yellow bag – Garage sale find

Endnotes:

I’m reunited with Nerp! How I’ve missed my little bike! Nerp resides at my fiance’s house and since I don’t have a bike rack on my car, I have no way of transporting him* back and forth with me. But we’re together again at last! To celebrate, T. and I rode our bikes to our movie date last night. We rode to a friend’s house, where he and his girlfriend joined us on their bikes, and we all rode and chatted and savored the evening air on our way to the dollar theatre. Dottie was my inspiration for this, since she and her husband go on regular bike dates and it was as fun as she promised it would be!

Today, I’m riding Nerp around town and I’m also carrying my new/old yellow bag. This is my find from our garage sale adventure on Saturday. It’s the only thing I got and I spent a whopping One Dollar on it. I loved the yellow color, the vintage cut and spacious size of it, but it was in the most deplorable condition. The “before” shots don’t fully reveal how dirty and dingy it looked and I was about to pass it up when T. convinced me that we could clean it and give it a second chance at life.

T. suggested I mix Mr. Clean with water to dilute it and use a brush to scrub the plastic (faux-leather) exterior clean. The Mr. Clean solution worked magic, just see the difference for yourself:

Before and After:

What really got me was this clasp that looks just like the enclosures on my first school bag in the first grade. The only label on this bag is the embossed “Sears” right below the clasp. So here my question to you: Is this what one might call vintage? How do you know when something is vintage and not just old? What makes an item deserving of the “vintage” label and by what standards do you call it that? Please enlighten me!

Vintage or not, I love this cheery yellow bag and it’s large enough to hold my laptop and just the right size to fit in my bike basket. S.

*Yes, Nerp is a “he” although he may look like a ‘girl’ bike – Nerp doesn’t believe in gender-normative appearances and refuses to be bullied into looking masculine just because he identifies as such.

8 June 2009 – Shorts Story

Posted on | June 9, 2009 | 13 Comments

8 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

Wine top: Forever 21, remixed
Pinstripe bermudas: Gap Maternity
Metallic wedges: Target, remixed many a time
Gold earrings: Forever 21, remixed many a time

End Notes:

Thank you all for your kind words yesterday about my fabulous MIL and SIL! And yes, there will be gratuitous nursery shots as soon as I finish off a few little sewing projects. I think the room looks lovely and every time I peek in on my way upstairs I grow so excited to have a little one in his or her little space soon!

In the meantime, though, I have five and a half weeks to go until my due date and these maternity shorts from Gap are going to help carry me through. I love that they hit the mark between casual and tailored and the lighter color is perfect for summer.

Aren’t shorts a funny thing? I think there is a dissertation out there just waiting to be written about the evolution of shorts in American women’s wardrobes. The changing shape, the rising and falling hemlines, and the shifting appropriateness of wearing shorts for more than just weekend yard work…I find it fascinating. And then, too, there is almost a kind of a personal journey of figuring out where — or if — shorts fit in your closet. I battled my mom to wear short-shorts while in high school, I relegated shorts to yardwork for a year post-college, and then I jumped wholeheartedly on the walking short bandwagon a few years ago. What will happen next?

What about you? Tell me a shorts story. What role, if any, do they play in your closet and would the “you of five years ago” be surprised to see that?