Downplaying (the blogging) and Updating (the clothing)?

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I wore a summer variation of this outfit here.

Composition:
grey button-down shirt (Gap)
black pants (Gap)
fedora (Target)
black belt (ShopMamie)
nude suede heels (Seychelles)

Usage:
On Tuesday I mentioned that a last-minute interview awaited me after my return from Texas, and I had every intention of posting about the outfit I wore to it today.  Academichic has hosted a fabulous interview attire round-up this week -- what better time to join the conversation?  However, the current state of the job market and my tenuous personal prospects have me paranoid about detailing an interview for which I'm still awaiting a response.  Is that irrational?  It might be.  My fear of being discovered by a potential employer on the blogosphere is likely unfounded.  Still, mind if I wait 'til next week to share?

Relatedly, do your employers or superiors or even students read your blogs or know you keep them?  Does that knowledge affect your professional relationships?  If so, how?  How do you address questions about blogging in work environments?

In the meantime, I'll share an outfit that has become my transitional fall-back during the unpredictable early autumn chill.  I built a version of this ensemble in August, when sleeveless tops were still wearable and fedoras felt smooth in a "Summertime and the livin's easy" sort of way.  The fedora has followed me into fall because I'm growing out my hair, and the current awkward length of my locks necessitates a hat.  (The in-between stage of growing hair is a real drag, isn't it?  But I'm certain there's a useful life-lesson metaphor to it.  Something about having to endure awkward phases while achieving one's goals.  Hm.)  In the coming months I plan to break out my cloche hats and knitted beanies, but I'm in no hurry.  Winter will require me to wear hats from December to March, after all, so I'll eat my fill of them eventually.  Have you adapted any summertime outfits for autumn?

Happy Weekending!

Prompts:

• Do your colleagues, students, or employers know about or read your blogs?  How do you address questions about blogging in work environments?
• I already asked this question, but I'll restate it here: have you updated any favorite summertime outfits for fall?

Audrey Might've Worn a Fedora

Draft:Earlier Drafts:
This strapless top's silhouette is surprisingly versatile.
These heels "go" with e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  But I've said that already.

Composition: 
fedora (Target)
black strapless top (ShopMamie)
multi-chain necklace (Talbots)
black Audrey pants (Gap)
nude suede heels (Seychelles via Piperlime)

Usage: 
This week Katie reassessed her closet and determined that her attraction to floral prints may indicate that she's a more "ladylike" dresser than she realized.  Liz noted that Katie had previously described her style as "easy elegance," and asked if Katie considered the terms "ladylike" and "elegant" synonymous.  Their exchange was helpful to my own thinking because, although this week I've grappled with the definition of "ladylike" and danced around the idea of elegance, I hadn't speculated about the ways in which the two meanings may intersect. 

Months ago, noted photographer and illustrator Garance Dore published a post entitled "What is Elegance?" on her personal fashion blog.  I like Dore's definition of this frequently-used, often-abused term, for it emphasizes conduct over clothes and decorum over dressing habits.  It encourages me in a You're-Never-Fully-Dressed-Without-a-Smile sort of way.  People can be elegant with or without the "right" style savvy, she suggests.

Rex Harrison's character Henry Higgins learns a similar lesson in the 1964 film My Fair Lady.  When his efforts to refine Audrey Hepburn's street-smart protagonist Eliza backfire, Henry realizes that Eliza's je ne sais quoi renders her more elegant than any of his rules of form.  She is dignified despite, not because of, his insistence on social and sartorial graces.

I mention this film because, not-so-ironically, it derives from the same Mad Men era we've been discussing this week.  Consistent with the social undercurrents of 50s/60s fashion, the movie's very title challenges the notion of femininity.  For starters, it's possessive, suggesting that the fair female in question might be owned by, or at least indebted to, her teacher/admirer.  Therefore, it also implicitly asks, when exactly does Eliza become a "lady," before or after Henry instructs her in navigating high society?

I think the meanings of "ladylikeness" and "elegance" might intersect here, at the concept of social shrewdness.  Dore's characterization certainly esteems "politeness," "attention to others," "poise," and "a sense of culture" as primary qualifiers of elegance.  And media evidence from Audrey's classic films to Frank Sinatra's 1950s tune "Luck Be a Lady" demonstrate that, for women coming of age in these pivotal decades, "lady" likely had similar connotations.

If this is true, are these terms simply equivalent to "ethical conscience" or "social awareness" or something like it?  Do they mean being kind or even genteel enough to get along in society?  What implications would accepting these definitions have today?  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm interested in sorting through these ideas because so far next season's fashion marketing has depended on them.

Even if we don't reach any conclusions on the terms, I'm glad our posts this week have sparked such lively conversations about the development of feminism and the resurgence of vintage fashion.  We're energized by your insightful comments, comments like Mackenzie's: 

"I'm with you that 'ladylike' is a difficult word to use in grappling with your clothing ... But the silhouettes themselves? Rock, rock on. Not wearing something because of its previous connotations of bondage is just as much a form of bondage ... Let's all wear what makes us happy and only call it 'ladylike' if we are ready to be called 'ladies' in whatever we wear."

Prompted by Mackenzie's suggestion to wear what makes me happy, I've compiled an outfit inspired by Audrey Hepburn's monochrome look in the 1957 film Funny Face.  I've thrown in a fedora to gesture at Sinatra, too.  The overall ensemble is my nod to his confident swagger and Audrey's gamine boldness.  How does it resonate with you?

Thanks for the great discussions this week!  Have a happy weekend.

Prompts:

• How do you define "elegance"?  "Ladylikeness"?  Do you think they're synonymous?
• Why do you think Audrey Hepburn is regarded as a fashion icon?  What does she represent to you?
• How do you think our style mindsets are like or unlike those of the 50s/60s?
• More practically, this one-size-fits-most fedora business is not working for me.  Is this hat supposed to cover my ears?  How are you guys wearing them?