Tights or No Tights?

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I celebrated this dress as a one-and-done outfit this summer, and I modeled this gray cardigan with my black shift dress.

Composition:
black hoop earrings (gifted by my MIL)
teal cami (Old Navy)
printed jersey dress (NY&Co)
gray cardigan (NY&Co)
teal Mary Janes (Seychelles)

Usage:
This dress doesn't photograph very well, but some of the swirly stripes are teal and the rest are black, gray, and white.  I like trying to bring out the teal, so I've worn it with this teal cami and with my turquoise cardigan in the past, but I like it even better with my new favorite shoes!

I broke out my boots a little early, but I'm still resisting the switch to tights.  When the temps start to drop, I also try to avoid wearing a coat at all costs.  We live in a fairly moderate climate, but nonetheless, I'll be in pants/tights and coats from at least November through February, so I like to hold off on them as long as possible.  I don't think this is necessarily because I dislike cool weather, though I do prefer it when it's warm.  All summer, I was hoping for jeans weather here and there.  I get tired of wearing the same items day in and day out, so I try to keep mixing it up until the weather absolutely forces me to make the transition.  I actually prefer cool weather dressing because there are so many more opportunities for layering, but I guess I don't want to layer up until it's necessary.  I'm also curious about how many of you wear brightly colored tights.  I don't own a single pair!  Maybe adding a few pairs to my wardrobe would shift my attitude toward them.

The alternate title to this post was "Look, no belt!"  Nine times out of ten, I belt my dress+cardigan ensembles, but I felt like stripe of black across my midsection would have interrupted my attempt to draw the attention toward the gray and teal in the pattern.

Prompts:

• Have you made the transition to tights yet?  Do you make the switch based on temperature, time of year, or something else?
• Where's your favorite place to purchase tights?  I'd like to find a few fun pairs, but I'm not looking to spend more than $10 per pair.
• If you dress differently from one season to the next, which is your favorite season for which to dress? 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
After buying this linen blazer in Savannah, Georgia, I dubbed it one of my wardrobe workhorses.
These western style treads helped me kick off boot season.
This brown tote is too large for dinner outings, but perfect for airline travel.
These frames make me look like my mom.

Composition:
olive green strapless jersey dress (Cannot remember!  Likely snagged at TJ Maxx, since I bought it with my sister, and that's where we normally shop together.  After years of wear, it's tagless.)
linen blazer (Gap)
boots (Steve Madden)
brown tote bag (gifted via Target)
necklaces and green cocktail ring (F21)
frames (United Colors of Benetton)

Usage:
I have a hunch this ensemble was subconsciously inspired by one of my former English teachers.  It's uncanny how I've mimicked her in these photos.  Long, drapey base layer, slouchy jacket, layered jewelry, thick-rimmed frames -- even the way I'm standing in the left most photo, tall and with my weight on my left foot, recalls her usual stance at the front of the classroom.  It seems she's made an impression on me.  Do you ever find yourself adopting others' mannerisms or dressing styles as your own? 

My outfit may have been incidentally inspired by my teacher, but it was prompted by a plane trip to Texas.  Yesterday morning I hopped a flight to Austin, hot on Clare's heels.  Over the next few days I'll be visiting various family members and attending Austin City Limits Music Festival for the second time.  I'm so excited!

I'll cut to the chase, though:  I chose to wear this dress not because it's the most figure-flattering garment in my closet (it's obviously not), but because wearing it feels like being wrapped in a cozy blanket.  Which is exactly how I prefer to feel on a chilly, non-stop airplane ride.  I added the blazer for warmth -- and because it didn't fit in my suitcase -- not for aesthetics.  And the boots?  I wore them for practical reasons, too: I don't enjoy sporting open-toed shoes while jet-setting, and I especially dislike having to traipse barefoot through airport security.  So, yes, my feet are swathed in thick, unattractive (yet comfortable!) cotton-blend socks inside those booties.  Since my flight departed at 7 a.m., I'm hoping no one but the airport security officer saw them.

Assembling an outfit based on practicality is a departure for me, as is wearing a frock for airline travel.  I normally wear pants, as you can see here and here, but I kind of dig this new look (especially sans blazer).  What say you?

Prompts:

• What's your favorite item to wear for airline travel?  What's your footwear of choice?
• Have you ever worn a dress while traveling?  How'd it go?  Do you prefer the one-and-done ease of a dress, or the comfort of pants and jeans?
• About that first question: have you ever found yourself subconsciously mimicking others in your dressing habits?

Katie No-Feet

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I wore this dress for my MA defense last spring.

Composition:
pink dress (H&M)
white, pink, and orange animal print belt (Cache)
black opaque tights (Target)
black flat/wedges (Payless)

Usage:
As readers of this blog know, I love unabashedly feminine outfits (and thank you to Sal over at Already Pretty for a great post on the subject last week).  I love florals.  I love heels.  And I love pink.  I wore this raspberry dress to my MA defense because it was perfunctorily professional but it was also in-your-face pink.  In other words, it captured my sense of self, making me feel comfortable and confident.  Also, the three people at my defense - my advisor, my reader, and our program's director - knew enough about me and my style that I knew they wouldn't think twice about my sartorial decision.

Now that the temperatures are dropping and the leaves are changing, wardrobes tend toward darker colors to match nature's ensemble.  Pinks and pastels are taboo, packed away until spring.  However, I really wanted to make this dress fall-appropriate.  My inspiration for this project was Halloween, probably my favorite part of fall. 

Taking away the matching belt that came with the dress, I added a belt that comes with another dress.  It's a white based dress with a bright pink and orange animal print.  The pink ties it to the dress, but the orange adds an interesting fall-y color contrast, while the print breaks up the pink color block.

To complete the outfit, I needed something darker on the bottom, not to mention something that would keep me warm.  The opaque tights add an appropriately dark element to the dress, really solidifying the fall/Halloween look.  However, they also blend in with the shoes that I wore, black flats that have an ever-so-slight wedge.  The combination makes me look like I do not have feet.  At first, I thought I should change shoes, but I found that I actually liked the effect.  It adds an uncanniness to the outfit that both fits with the Halloween theme and interestingly draws attention away from and even diminishes the very feminine look of the dress.  Though that wasn't my intent, I like the way that the accessories change this dress from a girly-girl staple to a still feminine but oddly spooky ensemble.

Prompts:

• Have you ever added an element to your outfit that makes it look uncanny?
• How do you adapt different seasonal looks for fall?
• In the second picture, I tried to do the melancholic-look-away-from-the-camera pose that lots of bloggers do which looks so great on their blogs but makes me look sleepy (a generous adjective to describe my face in that pic).  Any tips for blog picture poses?

Befuddled

Draft:

Earlier Draft:
I wore almost the same look (with tights) in the first outfit post on our blog!

Composition:
navy and white printed dress (Target)
gray woven stretch belt (Charlotte Russe)
gray slouch boots (Steve Madden)

Usage:
As I mentioned when I posted this look the first time, I think it makes me look wide.  I don't really care, because I like wearing a low slung belt once in a while, and I'm actually kind of disappointed in myself that I haven't found more ways to wear this belt since I got it.  I like the gray and navy color combination, and this dress feels like the right length to wear with these boots, so I enjoy wearing this outfit.  There are a few things that drive me crazy about it, though.  The fit and length of the sleeves is not good.  I wish they were an inch or two shorter and not so gapey.  I love the print on this dress, but the mis-matchedness of it drives me a little crazy.  The print does not line up on the sides, on the two pockets that are on the chest, or where the fabric changes around the neck opening.  (If I had ever studied clothes for real, I'd know what that is called, but I have no idea.) 

Yet, this outfit gets the most compliments, hands down, of anything I ever wear.  People I don't know compliment it.  People that have never said a word about anything else I've ever worn compliment it.  People who usually think I "try too hard" have complimented it.  One male classmate whom I adore, but who must be one of the least fashion conscious people in the entire world complimented it.  (He liked what he considered its celtic looking pattern.)  Sometimes the compliments are decisive, like when two of my officemates were chatting and one of them stopped mid-sentence to say "You look so cute today, it's ridiculous!"   On this most recent wearing, I also got "what a fun print," "this is my favorite outfit that you wear," "I think those boots look great with skirts," and "great belt!"  Usually it is women who compliment my style choices, but this outfit gets compliments from men and women alike.  Sometimes it's like people don't even know why they like it, and they issue a statement that might be punctuated like "Liz, I really like that outfit?"

I don't know why they like it so much, either.  I mean, I like it, or I wouldn't wear it.  It's fun to have an ensemble stored away that you know will elicit at least five compliments anytime you leave the house in it.  (I counted twelve on one of the days I wore it in the Spring.)  I just wish I understood why this outfit is so appealing to everyone, especially since I don't think it is stereotypically "flattering" to my body, and the top half feels like mismatched print mania.

Prompts:

• Can you help me?  What's so great about this outfit?  If I have "nailed it" here, I wish I knew why, so I could figure out how to apply these strategies to other outfits.
• Might there be other reasons for why the outfit gets so much attention?  Does it seem radically different than other things people are used to seeing me in? 

Weekend Wear?

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I last wore this ruffled blouse with a pencil skirt.
I paired this purple cardi with a neon shirtdress.
I really should wear these cargo pants with something other than this top.
I count these nude flats among my wardrobe workhorses.

Composition:
ruffled blouse (thrifted)
purple cardigan (Martin & Osa)
belt (Ann Taylor)
cargo pants (Target)
nude flats (Jessica Simpson)
red lipstick (Maybelline Color Sensational in "Are You Red-dy")

Usage:
My attempts to dress less, erm, sloppily on days off have resulted in overcompensation, I'm afraid.  I wore this get-up over the weekend to grab pizza with my husband and a friend, but both of them teased me for being "too dressed up" for a Friday night.  Those rascals.  However, since they're both clothing-conscious themselves, I've given their critique some thought.

Maybe it's the shirt's ruffles, or maybe it's the layered cardigan, or the skinny belt, or the fact that I'm not in jeans, but I can see why this ensemble would read as too stuffy for a pizza-and-wine type of evening.  In my pursuit of balance between the casual and the professional, then, I'm wondering about your typical weekend wear.

Tell me, s'il vous plait ... 

Prompts:

• What do you normally wear on weekends, or in any casual/non-professional setting?  Do your dressing habits shift dramatically, or do you maintain continuity between your "off work" self and your workplace self?  (Asking this question reminds me of my dad, who, upon returning home from workdays, announces routinely that he's weary of wearing his professional "costume.")
•  Do you associate specific garments with weekends?  What are they, and why do these read "off work" to you?
• Would you have worn my outfit, or a version of it, on a weekend?  Would you have worn it to work?  What's the ideal context for such a get-up?
• Unrelatedly, but still on my brain: does the juxtaposition of the cargo pants with the ruffled blouse make the outfit more or less appealing to you? 

Boot Up!

Draft:

Previous Drafts:
I declared these boots the more stylish cousin to the ubiquitous Uggs, and I over-accessorized with this belt back when I bought it in the Spring.

Composition:
eyeglasses (Kate Spade)
black cami (Kohl's)
blue oxford shirtdress (H&M via sister's closet)
black leggings (Target)
gray leather slouch boots (Steve Madden)

Usage:
I have so many random things to say about this ensemble that I'm not sure where to begin... but I'll just jump right in.

Do you guys watch How I Met Your Mother?  I still DVR it even though I think it peaked a few seasons back.  When I prepared to put these boots on last week, I thought to myself "Time to boot up!" as a riff on Barney's "Suit up!" catchphrase.  This personal joke I had with myself seemed even funnier when I realized that one of the reason I liked this shirt dress the first time I saw it on my sister was because it looked like she was wearing a men's oxford shirt, which made me think of some of my favorite 80s movies.  Why are the women in those movies always sleeping in a man's oxford shirt? Wouldn't that be uncomfortable?  Or did my 8 year old self assume they were sleeping in those shirts, when actually they put them on after getting up from sleeping in nothing?

This was also my first attempt at wearing leggings, which I picked up for $5 at Target last week as an inexpensive way to try to develop my casual styling skills.  I found myself nodding my head when Sally suggested that black bottoms and colored tops don't always bring out the best in one another, so I worked to try to incorporate the black leggings into this look.  I left the top button undone to let my black cami peek out, and I grabbed my snake print belt to try to incorporate the gray of my boots and the black of the leggings into the overall look. 

I wore this look to a mostly social event for my department.  Our program's new director wanted to give each of the professors a chance to introduce their work to the grad students, which would also give us a chance to speak with them informally.  I thought it was a great idea!  Even though I know most of our professors from my years in the office, and I know their field specialties, it was still fun to hear them paraphrase their current research projects in their own words.  I also enjoyed looking around the room and thinking, "Look at all this great style in one room!"  I wish I had photos to share.

Chatting with the professors afterward also felt a lot less intimidating than trying to schedule an appointment to meet with someone because you admire her/his work.  I was able to arrange a meeting with the professor I've been trying to track down since she returned from leave, so my attendance was a success.  The friendly vibe of the event was underscored when our program's director came up to me during the socializing portion and said "Liz, I want to talk about this outfit."  Her opinion?  She felt like the dress was bright and thus read as "Spring" attire while the boots and leggings read as "Winter" attire, and she didn't "get" the inclusion of the belt.  LOL!  I tried to explain that I don't really dress for seasons as much as for temperature, and I admitted that it was probably still a little warm for leggings+boots, but that I was ready to try something new.  Her final verdict was that she liked the dress, and she liked the boots, but she thought I "had a lot going on here."  This made me appreciate my decision not to wear my clear acrylic beaded necklace, which I had considered before deciding that would be too much.   Then we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of pantyhose, tights, and leggings.  In case you were wondering, she's a fan of Hue.  : )

Prompts:

• Have you made the leap to boots yet?  After I wore them three days in a row during last week's cooler temps, my sister asked me, "Is this boots week on SSG?"
• Are the black leggings providing too stark a contrast here?  Might I have looked less seasonally confused if I'd worn charcoal or navy leggings instead?
• Have you ever worn a man's oxford shirt for sleepwear or loungewear?  Is this actually comfortable?

Rainy Day Casz

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I wore this classic white button-down on a return flight from summer travels.
I wore this vest in an outfit I'm almost too embarrassed over to reference.  Let's call it a lapse in judgment, shall we?  Or, better yet, a "teachable moment," because I won't make that mistake again.

Composition:
white button-down (Gap)
wool blend vest (Old Navy)
dark wash boot cut jeans (Banana Republic)
black flats (Zara)
gold necklaces (gifted)
bracelets (thrifted and/or gifted, can't recall)

Usage:
Yesterday's day-long downpour posed a dressing challenge for me.  The temperature had dropped too low for capris or shorts, and, as much as I fancy my polka-dotted galoshes, I wasn't mentally ready to flip the boots-plus-jeans switch.  Actually, I typically wear dresses on rainy days.  Jersey dresses and boots.  No soggy hemlines to contend with and all.  However, since I've been in dress overkill mode lately -- having worn frocks here and here and a few days in between -- dresses weren't appealing to me.  So what's a girl to do but call on her closet classics?

For me, a white button-down shirt and a well-fitting pair of jeans solve nearly all wardrobe dilemmas.  Uncomplicated and understated, the combination epitomizes casual elegance in my book.  You might say, as Katie did yesterday of her jeans and tees, that it's a way to downshift sartorially without stalling out.  (Does this analogy break down, drivers of manual vehicles?)

By the by, I managed to sport jeans despite the wet weather by fashioning some good ol' fashioned cuffed pant hems.  Nothing innovative here.  Nothing too chic either.  But I did remain dry while puddle-jumping.  I unrolled the cuffs after stepping indoors.

Anyway, speaking of Katie, her post yesterday helped me identify my own refreshed perspective on dressing casually.  Like hers, my recent months have been low-key.  While job-hunting and tackling home DIY projects, I've been marinating in the world of anti-professional style.  Not that it's foreign territory to me.  As much as I hope Liz's dressing habits are contagious, I've not yet caught the professional attire bug.  But when I was busy with work and school, and supposed to "dress up," my version of "casual" was downright sloppy. Tanks and sweatshirts, and not cute ones.  My weekends and off-hours were like collapsing at the end of a very confusing, pseudo-professional sartorial sprint: I gave up.  The awkward effort of merging my rookie student style with an aspirationally adult style exhausted me.  Now, after time away, I've come to regard "dressing up" and "dressing down" as distinct yet equal counterparts.  Neither one is necessarily more "mature" than the other.  Rather than neglecting casual style entirely, or allowing professional style to absorb it, I'm trying to distribute my attention evenly between the extremes.  One result?  I hope I'm generating more creative, intentional-looking casual outfits.  Perhaps the above ensemble is evidence?  After all, it was a dreary "off" day, and I didn't wear a hoodie.  Or even my usual one-and-done jersey dress.  Hooray, progress!

Happy Friday! Oh, and Huzzah for October!

Prompts:

• How do you dress on rainy days?  Any go-to items or favorite combinations?
• How do you wear classic white button-down shirts?  Do they serve double-duty in your closet as they do in mine, acting both professionally and casually?  Or do you reserve them for one or the other style?
• Liz and Katie have both recently written about their professional versus casual dressing mindsets.  How do you describe your personal style on a scale from one extreme to the other?