Sources:

Button down – ON, thrifted
Cardigan – thrifted
Belt – thrifted
Tank top – BE Maternity, via Target
Skinnies – ON Maternity
Boots – Banana Republic
Elephant pendant – had since childhood
Bag – Vintage Sears bag, $1 garage sale find

Endnotes:

Does this outfit look familiar? Well, if it doesn’t, let me just remind you of where you might have seen it last. I loved how E. took one of the looks she created with the items from Banana Republic’s Spring line and recreated it with garments from her own wardrobe. It got me wondering whether I could do the same. I figured that this look should be pretty easy to recreate seeing as how it’s composed of mostly pretty basic wardrobe pieces. So my plan was to go in my closet and look for…

A dark button down or tunic, dark skinny jeans, a brown leather belt, dark flats or dark boots, and a bright yellow bag. This last item wasn’t going to be a challenge for me since I already own the perfect bright yellow vintage bag, but if you were looking to recreate this look, I’d say that any bright color bag should do. The idea is to bring in that pop of color with an unexpected tote or purse.

As you can tell from the snow on the ground and from the fact that it’s snowing in these pictures, it’s nowhere near Spring where I live, so I opted for black boots over the dark flats and I also picked up a black cardigan for that extra warmth. And here is my version with items from my closet and slightly more winterized than the BR Spring line iteration…

What do you think? I think it worked out perfectly for a casual Saturday outfit and I’m excited to retry this look come Spring without the cardigan, the sleeves rolled up, and a lightweight pair of flats.

On a related note – I’m wearing my newly thrifted belt, which I am just loving, and am offering you this item as a clue to what this week’s theme is going to be… Yup, you guessed it! It was only a matter of time before we did a Belts Week here at academichic, right? Hope you enjoy the rest of the posts to come on this topic! S.

Before I say something about the outfit, I just wanted to note that I’ve loved the discussion on the background of Banana Republic’s name and the cultural nostalgia imbued in the company’s campaign. Thanks to my co-blogger E, I’ve learned a few new things myself this week. And thanks to those of you who chimed in with comments and further suggested readings on the topic!

In addition to questions regarding our collaboration with a large retailer this week, we’ve received several comments and emails expressing surprise at our decision to take on sponsorship. As sponsorship seems to function in different ways on different blogs, it might help if we clarify what it is that we’re looking to do so that those concerned about the future of academichic may find their questions answered. Readers who have expressed apprehension at the possibility of us changing our styles to reflect a company or sponsoring retailer may rest assured that this is not what we are looking to do. We’re simply looking for sponsorship in the form of a small ad (as seen with the sample on our sidebar) that would allow us to incure a bit of monthly income to offset some of the costs of this blog…our Pro Flickr account, the shipping on the almost weekly giveaways we host, and some of our camera equipment and accessories.

We love procurring our wardrobes through a variety of ways – sales, thrift stores, hand me downs, eBay, etc – and would never want to trade that in. (In fact, stay tuned for an upcoming Weekend Workshop that I’ve been working on regarding budget shopping tips!).

As long-time followers of academichic know, we’ve always accepted items for review that mesh with our style and aesthetic and we’re especially keen to do that when our readers benefit in the process; that’s how we are able to host those awesome giveaways.

We are especially happy to review and feature products that benefit a particular organization or project that funds causes we believe in and we also loved getting to collaborate with Banana Republic because we are all long-time fans of their quality-made and classically tailored items. We did not receive free items from Banana Republic for working with them but simply a limited time discount and the $50 gift card as a giveaway bonus to one of our readers. Since we already feature many items from this particular retailer on a regular basis in our daily outfit posts, we were delighted to explore their new Spring line and to be able to gift one of our readers a spending allowance at a store we love.

That, in a nutshell, is how we see our role in collaborating with companies and small businesses. Other than the small sidebar ads, our policies are same as they have always been.

And, lastly, I also want to add that it’s been nothing but encouraging to read all the comments and reactions to our sponsorship post because it’s shown us all how vested so many of our readers feel in the future of this site. It’s wonderful to see so many people care enough to comment or write in regarding the future of our blog. Thank you for that! We love working on academichic and we love seeing how many people care about the site enough to write in, comment, and engage in lively discussions week after week. We look forward to many more posts and conversations with you!

Ok, and now on to a few words on the outfit itself…

After showing you my two dress(y) looks, here come my casual outfits. I loved everything about this look because it’s one I could easily see myself wearing day in, day out. And can you believe I actually fit into a pair of Banana Republic’s jean leggings at almost 18 weeks pregnant? I did leave the top button undone and used the hair elastic trick but couldn’t believe how comfortable these pants were even in my preggers state. I would have definitely bought this pair if I weren’t quickly expanding and uncertain of what my post-preggers size will be.

I added this comfortable tunic and belted above the bump to give the outfit a bit more structure. Embellished flats pick up the dark neutrals of the rest of the outfit as does this silver and ribbon bracelet. And the best part? The awesome yellow bag that adds a pop of sunshine to an otherwise more somber look.

You can find the striped tunic here, the dark denim leggings here, the skinny belt here, the vintage -inspired stud earrings here, the bag here, and for the flats and bracelet, you’ll just have to go to the store.

Sources:

• Scarf – courtesy of echo
• Brown tank – Old Navy
• Cardi – J.Jill
• Brown cords – Ann Taylor Loft
• Boots – Dillards
• Yellow bag – vintage, garage sale find

Endnotes:

For a last nod to our scarf month, I’m excited to showcase my new Echo scarf that I received courtesy of Echo Design. A. and E. already showed off their beautiful new Echo scarves, wearing them as a belt and as an Ascot tie respectively. I tied mine in the European knot and wore it loosely as a pop of silvery-blue with this brown and chartreuse outfit. I love how light and breezy it is and how the slight crinkled effect and unfinished edges gives it a casual and worn-in look.

Echo scarf, originally uploaded by academichic.

Echo Design generously sent us a last scarf for a reader giveaway, which we will offer in a last scarf month giveaway post this coming week, so stay tuned for that! We also have new themes coming for the month of March, more Fashion 101s, and more DIY posts, so check back tomorrow to find out what’s to come in the new month. Meanwhile, I hope you’re enjoying the weekend and having a great Sunday. S.

28 February 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.

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.