Red, White, and Meeeow!

Draft:

Composition:
jeans (JC Penney's)
white long sleeved shirt (Old Navy)
red scarf (street vendon in NYC)
animal print flats (Minnetonka)

Usage:
After the controversy over my last post - and the ensuing questions about appropriate attire for being seen around one's department in an unofficial capacity (not teaching, not for class, etc.) - I thought I'd post an outfit that I think pretty adequately represents my normal departmental attire. 

First, though, a few notes about our departmental culture and my current position within our department.  I mention these things because I think that departmental context is absolutely key to reading clothing.  First of all, I'm a graduate student still in coursework.  I used to work as a graduate assistant in an administrative position, and I began a TA-ship this year, but I have a course release for this semester, so I have few formal obligations on campus.  So when I'm actually around campus, I'm attending class, meetings (with professors, reading groups, and as part of a big departmental service obligation I took on this year), or talks...or I'm just doing work in my office.  Our departmental culture values style - we have some great female professors for scholarly and stylish role models - but it also tends to be a pretty welcoming, laid back department. 

That said, I have few reasons to really "dress up," and our departmental culture doesn't really require it.  So I try to look casual but still put together.  I consider this look to be representative of my current "uniform."  If you see me around our department, I'm probably wearing a long sleeved t-shirt or another type of simple top, jeans (usually a medium to dark wash), and flats.  If I have time that week, I paint my nails during a reading break (this week: OPI An Affair in Red Square).  Most often, I throw in some bright colors or prints.  Sometimes, I'll substitute the flats for heels.  I usually wear my glasses, but every once in awhile, I'll wear my contacts.  As for this outfit, I've mentioned before that I love the combination of animal print and red, and I think that the combination of the bright scarf on top and the fun pattern on the bottom gives this basic uniform a little personality.

Prompts:

• We've discussed uniforms (or lack thereof) before.  Do you have a casual "uniform"? 
• How do you dress around your department when you're not there in an official capacity, say just doing work in your office?
• How do most people dress in your department (or work place)?

Travel Switch

Draft:

Composition:
patterned dress (Target)
grey scarf (gifted)
grey boots (Old Navy)
navy bag (Target)
frames (United Colors of Benetton)
silver hoops (Fossil)
silver monogrammed bracelets (gifted)

Usage:
Sorry this post is coming to you late, readerfriends!  I spent yesterday traveling and returned home to a last-minute job interview, so I'm slow to begin today's tasks.  Not to mention, I didn't wear this outfit as planned during my weekend trip to Texas.  The switcheroo worked out well, except that I'm tossing my original, prepared-well-in-advance post about the dress's airplane-riding merits out the window.  Here's what went down:

Last week, I packed this dress and these boots for my return flight from Austin.  My suitcase contained enough tops and shorts to last me all three days of ACL, so this patterned frock was my intended leftover for a day of traveling.  So were the coordinated scarf, bag, and boots.  However, after arriving and inhaling that good ol' Southern humidity, I had a change of heart.  Wasn't an outdoor music festival the ideal venue for celebrating the last of summer's bright prints?  Why force fall colors and fabrics in 80 degree weather?  So, in favor of lingering in summer longer, I switched out my intended drapey burgundy tee and boyfriend jeans for this cheery frock.  I wore the boots with it, but I ditched the scarf and bag.  My motivation was simple: wear warm weather clothes while there's still time!

Are you like me, slow to retire summer's colors and fabrics, or would you have found a way to wear an autumnal look to the concert despite the weather?

Also, the change-up has me wondering about the evolution of my packing habits.  When traveling, I don't typically prepare outfits for each day.  Instead I prefer a mix-and-match method: in which everything in my suitcase goes with everything else in my suitcase, and I can pair according to each day's mood.  However, for this trip, I did prepare an outfit for each day; I planned each look down to the jewelry, in fact.  And it backfired!  I reverted to my old mix-and-match habits despite my attempts at sartorial organization.  Maybe I'm not meant for pre-planned ensembles?  Are you?  Under what circumstances would you pre-plan your looks for travel?

Prompts:

• When traveling, do you pack so that your clothes and outfits are interchangeable?  Or do you pack according to an outfit schedule and stick to it?
• When do you retire your bright "summery" prints and lightweight fabrics?  Are your choices temperature dependent or not?

Lady in Red Has a Story to Tell

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I wore this scarf as a neckerchief with Breton stripes for Dress Your Best Week.
I paired this bangle bracelet with blue and orange for my brother's graduation.

Composition:
red patterned scarf (a giveaway from La Merce in Barcelona, Spain)
silver necklace with dove charm (Ornamental Things in Austin, Texas)
red dress (Ya via Party Dress in Fells Point, Baltimore)
bracelet (thrifted)
yellow flats (Target)

Usage:
This weekend I learned something about myself:  whenever I travel, I dress in trinkets from past journeys.  For me it's instinctual.  Perhaps that's why I haven't noticed until now.  Apparently I like story pieces, garments or accessories or shoes that remind me of where I've been.  My sister recently recalled our all-time favorite set of Story Shoes: a banged-up pair of suede cowboy boots, now too ragged for use.  She wore them for a year in high school during her grand Tour de Colleges.  Then she flew to Barcelona to visit me, at which time she graciously entrusted the boots to my care.  Those trusty, well-worn, high-steppers carried me all over Spain and through much of the U.K.  They led a full existence, those booties, and they mark for my sister and me what we consider a life-changing year for both of us.

This Fourth of July weekend, I traveled with my husband to visit his family in Bethany Beach, Delaware.  We've been celebrating Independence Day at the Delaware shore for five years now, since before my husband and I married.  Five years doesn't sound like a long time now that I type it, but it has been long enough to accumulate memories and some sentimentality to boot.  Normally, once we arrive, I spend the weekend in bathing suits and his sister's hand-me-down Bethany Surf Shop T-shirts.  This holiday, however, I kicked off the occasion with a new dress, the first red frock I've ever owned.  Perhaps now, after sporting it during fireworks and the like, this fiery number will acquire significance of its own.

I paired the dress with other items that hold meaning for me.  The scarf I snagged for free during a crazy festival weekend in Barcelona.  Since headscarves have my attention this summer, I wore the red patterned fabric as a kerchief.  The necklace I purchased at Austin City Limits music festival last fall.  The dove and rose charms made me feel pretty all weekend, even though the rest of me was coated in mud from the torrential downpour.  Ah, fond memories.

The latest addition to my story piece collection is an antique brass cameo ring, which I purchased last month at a boutique in Savannah, Georgia.  I wore it last week in an easy outfit inspired by the charming city itself.

Prompts:

• Do you wear certain items of clothing specifically for the memories you associate with them?  If so, tell us about your favorite story pieces!
• Have you recently acquired un recuerdo?  Where did you find it, and how does it function as a memento for you?
• Has anyone seen the play Love, Loss, and What I Wore, now running at The Westside Theatre in NYC?  Have any of you read the book on which the play is based?  I'm dying to see the show, because, from what I can tell, it relates to women and the histories our clothes tell.  Fun!
• Anyone else feel conflicted over the associations between women and the color red?  I can't clear the mental hurdle of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.  Am I too limited in my understanding?

Scarving and Summering

Drafts:

Earlier Drafts:
I wore these slouchy jeans for a relaxed night on the town.
I paired these sandals with my favorite jean jacket.

Composition:
Road Trip Wear (above):
nautical patterned scarf (the sale bin at Irresistibles)
violet layered tank (Swell)
boyfriend jeans (Gap)
strappy sandals (Target)

Safari Chic Challenge (below):
green patterned cotton scarf (Old Navy, eons ago)
khaki shirt dress (Gap)
three-strand woven belt (Lulu's)
bangles (thrifted)
aviator sunglasses (Fells Point Surf Co.)
strappy sandals (Target)

Usage:
Many thanks to Sally of Already Pretty and Jessica of What I Wore for featuring Liz and me in your style challenges yesterday!  We had fun crafting the ensembles, and we especially enjoyed joining forces with other bloggers.  For our first-time and new readers, thanks for stopping by!  We hope you stick around.

Today I'm exploring uses of the patterned head scarf, the accessory which Vogue magazine calls in its latest issue (page 64, if you're interested) the "ubiquitous" hairwear of the summer.

Last weekend I embarked on a road trip to New England with my husband, my girlfriend, and my girlfriend's husband.  Our destination?  Connecticut!  Our mutual amigo from college married his gal in Enfield, and the four of us were thrilled to celebrate the occasion with him and his new wife.  Their wedding also served as a great excuse to explore historic Greenwich.  So, on our way back from the affair, we shopped along Greenwich Avenue.  I wore the above outfit to stroll the shops with the locals and to brunch al fresco at an Italian restaurant.  (I'm embarrassed to confess to our native New England readers that I ate pasta instead of lobster that day, but I promise I sampled your famed regional delicacy during the weekend!  Lobster in its original context was as delicious as I had imagined.)

These slouchy boyfriend jeans seem to work better with this purple top than with this baggy brown one.  And the layered tank suits my flat-chested self by adding volume.  The scarf was an afterthought, to be honest, but  I hadn't blow-dried my hair that day, so doubling-over the width of the gauzy fabric and wearing it as a headband served as a great alternative to a baseball cap.  I loved the scarf's hue, and the nautical pattern gestured good-naturedly at my waterside context.  It's always nice when a styling afterthought becomes an outfit's centerpiece.

Feeling emboldened in my scarf experimentation, I repurposed one of the long, cotton variety into hairwear for Jessica's Safari Chic Challenge.  Normally, I wear this particular accessory around my neck, doubled or knotted in various configurations.  Seeing that my khaki shirt dress could use a pop of color, I tried wearing the lime-patterned fabric in this way, coiled around my neck.  It looked too bulky.  I wanted to look breezy, imagining myself on the exotic African plains.  So this time, I wore the scarf like a kerchief, tucking my hair into a knot at the nape of my neck.  The result?  Behold:

What do you think of these looks?  Would you wear the scarves differently, tie them in a knot or in a bow, throw them o'er your shoulder like a continental soldier? Or, erm, abandon them altogether?

Prompts:

• Are you wearing head scarves this summer?  How are you sporting this look?
• Why do you wear scarved hairwear?  Are you exchanging hats for scarves for a bit of sun protection, to escape laborious hair styling?  Or, do you favor scarves for less practical reasons?
• Native New Englanders (and others, too!), what do you think of my Greenwich shopping look?  Should I have worn something more context-friendly, like, say, a navy polo dress and boat shoes?
• What do you think of the Safari Chic look?  Too literal?  Not enough Meryl Streep a la Out of Africa?

Dressing Your Best Week: Ahoy, Toned Abs and Arms!

 Draft:

Earlier Drafts:

Oh, have we met, linen skirt?

We're in cahoots, nudie shoesies.  

Composition:

Breton Stripe tee (H&M)
linen skirt (H&M)
braided leather belt (Target)
red patterned scarf (snagged during La Merce in Barcelona)
nude suede heels (Seychelles)

Usage:
This week Liz, Katie, and I are excited to participate in Academichic's Dress Your Best Week!  We're cooking up outfits which flatter our best attributes, and we encourage you to join our feel-good fashion fest.  Last week, in preparation, Academichic readers contributed lists of five favorite features*.  Here's my list:

1. complexion
2. toned shoulders and arms
3. small ankles
4. clavicle bones
5. flat stomach

There they are, the motivators of my private fist-pumping.  Behold.  Admittedly, it feels awkward to boast about my body, but I'm encouraged by the exercise.  If I so readily own my flaws, why not own my features as well?

Today I'm also thrilled to hop aboard the Breton Stripes boat hosted by What I Wore.  For a complete roll call of Jessica Schroeder's nautically-bedecked readers, stop by her notable blog!

Luckily, the two sartorial themes - Dressing my best and dressing Breton - have converged on the very day I had hoped to celebrate my arms and my stomach.  Over the weekend, I struggled to compose ensembles which highlighted these attributes.  After scouring my closet, I realized many of my tops, like this one, include detailing which detracts from my middle.  I have to confess: I typically use fabric to beef up my figure, to give the illusion of a curvier body.  I don't often wear body-hugging silhouettes precisely because I think my frame is too boyish.  To compound my Dress Your Best predicament, I felt stumped by the question of dressing 'tastefully' (the cultural definition of which likely merits a separate post).  I asked myself, how can I feature my abs in a sophisticated way?

Then I remembered one of Liz's posts challenged the perception that narrower equals more flattering.  She contended that a woman should embrace low-slung belts and horizontal stripes specifically because those garments highlight her hips and abs and breasts.  I'm not curvy, I thought, but wearing horizontal stripes might serve my purpose, too.  Casting a visual line across my body - rather than down my body - might draw attention to the stomach and arms I love so much.  And choosing a tee of the cap-sleeved variety would further showcase my arms.  (Is it just me, or do women cover their arms all too often?)

I won't lie.  While sporting this outfit, I felt proud of my body.  Why don't I wear horizontal stripes more often?  Perhaps, as Katie suggests, the "no horizontal stripes" rule is another one I should revisit.  I might benefit from assessing whether or not it works for my own figure, rather than presuming its universal application.


Prompts:

• What's your take on the "no horizontal stripes" rule?  Always a no-go?  Depends on the person?
• Do you think this outfit accomplishes my goal?  Would you have styled it differently?
• What do you like about your own body?  Hop aboard the Dress Your Best Week train!

*For a directory of Dress Your Best Week participants and links to their personal lists, visit Academichic's run-down here.

Status Symbols

Draft:

Composition:

black long-sleeved t-shirt (Old Navy)
jeans (DKNY)
"ruby slippers" (DSW)
Burberry scarf (gift from mother)

Usage:

First off, I realize that I'm wearing a winter-y outfit in front of the blossoming spring flowers, but I didn't have a picture of this outfit - which I did wear recently - until this morning, when the natural lighting and lovely landscape beckoned.  So please forgive the seasonal clash.

This outfit is one of my staple outfits for class or maybe a Friday afternoon lecture.  It looks put together, but it's also casual and comfortable. 

I want to make a note about these shoes, which are one of my favorite pairs.  I call them the "ruby slippers" because, well, I'm cheesy.  They have a tiny heel, enough to give me a little boost, but they're still very comfortable, perfect for walking around campus.  I like them because they're an easy way to add spice to an outfit.


I love the neutral palate of this scarf that still contains just a hint of color.  These soft colors makes it extremely versatile.  It's also warm, comfortable, well-made, and just plain pretty.
...now of course, you realize that my hedging is leading up to the inevitable: a Burberry scarf is one of the most easily identifiable designer items.  To put it bluntly, it's a status symbol.  When I received this item, I loved it for the aforementioned qualities (comfort, adaptability, quality fabric and make, etc.).  However, I can't deny that wearing it does mark me in a certain way as a consumer of expensive designer goods, which frankly makes me a bit uncomfortable, especially considering my graduate student status and tiny, tiny budget.  Sometimes I wonder if I would still feel this way if I made more money or if I worked in an atmosphere where designer pieces were the uniform.

Prompts:

•   Why are we attracted to designer pieces?  status?  quality?  mixture of both?
•    What is the status of designer clothes in your work environment? 

Curvy Women's Dilemma

Draft:

Composition:

Green Tank Top (Old Navy)

Jeans (JCPenney)

Blue Flats (Payless)

Pink Scarf (gift from friend in Italy)

Usage:

My first outfit is actually a spring break outfit worn on one of the first warm days of spring.  On this particular day, I had a few things on my agenda: shopping trip (a fruitful one that you will see the spoils of soon), coffee shop for research and writing, and watching March Madness games with my boyfriend at our favorite local watering hole.  I wanted an outfit that was cute, casual, and comfortable.  I also wanted something that could transition from day to night.

I own a couple of these basic Old Navy tank tops, which are great for layering.  It was too warm for a cardigan, but a little too cool for just the tank top.  So I put on this scarf, which warmed me up just enough and gave it a little extra something.

I love these flats.

They're my favorite color - a deep, cerulean blue - and the faux jewel details give them a sparkly kick.  They're also super comfortable, perfect for long days.

Thinking about the great points that Liz made in her last post about rejecting the notion that women should always look "narrower" by doing things like deemphasizing our hips, I wonder what people think about the way certain clothing is designed with "hanger" women in mind.  For example, in this post, I'm wearing a pair of skinny jeans, which I recently bought.  I resisted this style for a long time because I had trouble finding ones that fit my hips properly.  Some types of clothing, like big ruffly tops or the bandage dresses that were extremely popular in the celeb world about 6 months ago, are certainly meant to be worn by very slender women.  I think that there are ways that curvier women like myself can style clothing designed for slimmer bodies -- belting tent dresses so they don't hang limply off our bodies, for example -- but sometimes I feel that my body is simply incompatible with certain styles.

Prompts:

• For my fellow curvy ladies, how do you deal with the difficulties of having a womanly shape in world where designers cater to smaller frames?
• And, because I love my figure* despite my occasional frustrations, what items do you wear when you want to flaunt your curves?

*As a Christina Hendricks wannabe, I really wanted one of the Joan Harris (Holloway) dolls until I found out that they were modeled on Barbie's figure, not Christina Hendricks.