Thursday, September 2, 2010

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Autumn

Draft:



Earlier Drafts:
I wore this ruffled top for dinner with the girls.
These wedges became my go-to shoe this summer.

Composition:
cream "dandy" tank (Ann Taylor)
navy shorts (Marshall's)
green ruffled wedges (Steve Madden)
watch (Fossil)
green earrings (Target)
Sword of Destiny (my boyfriend's childhood relic that now lives in his office)

Usage:
For the first time in awhile, the first day of school did not involve me going to work in the office, going to class, or really anything that necessarily involved school.  I'm not teaching this semester; I'm lucky enough to just be able to focus on my classes for fall term.  So technically, I could have stayed at home, away from campus, blissfully ignoring the beginning of the new school year.  Instead, I responsibly started out the year by going to campus, reading, and settling into my new schedule that isn't all that scheduled save for sheer will and discipline on my part.  It'll take some getting used to.
(Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I'm just used to having much more of my time accounted for).

Anyways, even though I didn't have to meet with anyone or really do anything in particular, I still wanted to look put together.  Usually, I find the first day of school, as I think most people still on an academic calender do, the beginning of the fashion transition into fall.  However, on an extremely hot, sunny day, the last thing I wanted to do was think about long pants, fall colors, and boots (I'm melting!).

So I threw on my favorite summer wedges - which, side note, I recently walked over a mile in, and they passed the comfort test - slicked on a great, bright summer polish (OPI My Chihuahua Bites!), rocked a pair of (decent length) shorts and was out the door.  Now had I not been going to school, I would have worn a more casual tank top with these shorts as I did when I was traveling.  To add a little more "look" to this look, I added this feminine, ruffled top.  I like the way its ruffles go with the ruffles on the shoes and how it instantly dresses up the shorts and sandals.  I think it accomplishes a nice summery transition into the rigors of the academic year.

Prompts:
  • What do you wear around campus when you're not teaching/working/in class?
  • Is the beginning of the school year a fashion transition for you?  Do you think of fall as starting and/or summer ending with the beginning of the school year or do you go with traditional seasonal changes?

2 comments:

Katie, Interrobangs Anonymous said...

The photo of you with "The Sword of Destiny" reminds me of the time I first met my friend Eric's girlfriend (now wife). They were walking down a hallway in our museum, and she was carrying a sword. Upon being introduced, we shook hands and she said, "Wow, you have a great handshake!" The only thing I could think to say in return was, "And you have a sword..."

Scholar Style Guide said...

One of the things I found hilarious/awesome about teaching high school was that all my fresh faced youngins would show up to the first day of school in their new jeans, hoodies, etc because "back to school shopping" so frequently means buying fall clothes. They would be so desperate to wear their new duds that they'd endure temps in the 90s and faulty a/c just to show them off. I loved it. Maybe because it reminded me of those little excitements of being young and in some way helped me feel connected to my own youth.

You look great in this first day ensemble. I also love your phrasing in this statement:
"to add a little more 'look' to this look." Somehow it just feels dead on. When I'm trying to talk about my outfits I struggle to figure out how to explain that extra little bit of effort that separates a ho-hum outfit from a good outfit. Maybe we should think up an official term to coin for this act of adding a little more look to the look. : )

-Liz