Wearing Without Wearing Out

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
This wardrobe workhorse tank was my favorite item of the summer and these skinnies have become a wardrobe workhorse, too.

Composition:
navy and white striped tank (Gap)
dark teal cardigan (H&M)
brown leather belt (Fossil)
distressed skinnies (A&E)
cream patent leather flats (Sam Edelman via Zappos)

Usage:
When I wore this tank and sweater together again to a baby shower this weekend, I realized that I'd been planning a post about this outfit for a while but kept forgetting to attend to it.  This weekend, I wore it with my teal Mary Janes, and it turns out that they're a hit with all generations!

The shoe swap speaks to why I wanted to write about this outfit, though.  The patent leather flats I'm wearing above are one of my favorite pairs because they're my wedding shoes!  Putting them on is one way for me to feel like that perfect day lives on.  This is their first appearance on the blog, though, because I'm trying not to wear them out.  While all three of us here at SSG like to wear our favorite items frequently, I hate when this frequent wearing leads to wearing out.  Patent leather, in particular, presents a problem for me because I don't know how to take care of it properly.  Fellow commuters, do you also notice that the heel of your right shoe gets rubbed down from driving?  Almost all of my shoes reveal the marks of my 40-60 minute drive to campus.  With regular leather it's no problem because I can polish the mark away, but when patent leather starts to rub away, it's the end of the road for the shoes.  Unless I'm missing something.

Readers with freakishly good recall might also remember that I wrote earlier about ruining this tank while wearing it, too.  Luckily for me, my mother in law read that post and bought me not one but two! replacements.  So now this tank can live on in my wardrobe for years to come, which is fortunate because I'd washed the original so many times that it was starting to fade.

Prompts:

• Do you have any items that you love enough to be careful about how often you wear them in order to avoid wearing them out?  What are they?
• Seriously-- do other commuters do this to their shoes?  Or am I just driving wrong?
• Any patent leather care tips you can give me?

First Day of School!

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I styled this dress six different ways last week, and I wore this jacket during black-out week and with a printed skirt.

Composition:
eyeglasses (Kate Spade)
black shift dress (H&M)
red short sleeved jacket (via sister's closet)
Vickie, please note that I've created a tag for this per your request : )
black leather wedges (Lauren by Ralph Lauren)

Usage:
Last week, when I showed you several different ways of wearing this dress, I was kept this look in reserve because I'd decided I wanted to wear it on the first day of teaching.  I knew I wanted a fairly simple outfit for my first day, and I knew it would have to work in the heat, so wearing the only short sleeve jacket in my house was a logical choice.  Once I paired it with this versatile, simple sheath,  I felt polished, professional, and like me, which is exactly the combination I was hoping to achieve.  The jacket requires a belt, but otherwise I tried to keep the styling fairly minimal.

Naturally, it also had to be a glasses day.  I've said before that I feel more comfortable in my glasses in academic situations, but I also think that glasses give off a distinct "academic" vibe, so I made sure to wear them so that even freshmen who are untrained in recognizing instructors would know to take me seriously.  : )

My first day with my class went well, I think.  I had some nervous jitters about returning to the classroom for the first time in two years, and donning an outfit in which I felt confident was one way of helping me soothe my own nerves.  Once I got up in front of the classroom and started talking to the students, I felt right at home again.  I hope the outfit conveyed the "I'm an authority figure" vibe, though, because I was a lot more friendly than I normally am on the first day.  I generally like to abide by the "don't smile until Thanksgiving" approach (okay, I don't wait that long to lighten up, but you get the idea), but today I failed miserably at projecting a stern, serious attitude.  I think I was just too excited to be teaching again to execute an all-business demeanor.  Hopefully that doesn't backfire on me in the upcoming weeks.  And, in case you were wondering, I gave them the option of calling me Liz or Ms. Lastname, and they seemed to respond positively to being given the option.  Thanks again for your suggestions on that topic!

If you're interested in what other instructors and students are wearing for their own first days of school, check out the list of participants Fashionable Academics has compiled for their Back to School Conference.  And if you have something in your closet that you have been utilizing in a lot of different ways, as I've been doing with this sheath dress, please consider participating in our upcoming Wardrobe Workhorse Week!  We'd love to hear what accessories and items of apparel work best in your wardrobe.

Prompts:

• Fellow teachers: Does your style of dress and/or your attitude remain constant for every class, or are you stricter in dress or behavior near the beginning of the semester? 
• How far above the knee do you go when you're going to be in front of a class?  This is borderline too short for me, but since I think the dress is great, I'm going with it.  One inch shorter and I think I'd have a problem on my hands.

Wedding Fashion: Bridesmaid Dress

Draft:

Composition:
bridesmaid dress (David's Bridal)
silver heels (BCBGMaxAzaria)

Usage:
(Note: I'm traveling between June 16 and June 28, so I won't be commenting or responding to anything until I return.)

As I mentioned previously, one of my closest friends got married recently.  I served as a bridesmaid, and here's how I looked on the big day.  For me, picking out bridesmaid dresses presented a few problems.  I'm in another wedding this summer and in both cases, I told the brides that I would wear whatever they wanted - a giant taffeta gown, a tuxedo, really anything - as long as it sufficiently covered me up.  The problem is that I am bustier than the average bridesmaid.  To find a dress that fits my chest without looking obscene (hence, the covered up requirement) is harder than it looks.  I often have trouble wearing strapless dresses because they often do not provide ample coverage.  This dress, however, comes up high enough that it makes me look decent for church, much to my (and the bride's) relief.

For my hair, I requested a loose, side-swept updo, and I was pleased with how it came out.  The bride, per tradition, gave us the purple-hued jewelry that we wore on the big day.  Though I had little to do with how I fashioned or styled myself for this day, I ended up happy with the way that I looked.  In this blog, we try to think about the ways that we present ourselves through clothing and the messages we send.  Being in a bridal party presents an interesting stylistic arena as you do not necessarily represent yourself through your look (of course, there are exceptions to this).  I like to think of it as such: you represent your love, loyalty, and support for the bride through your clothing on her wedding day.  In the case of both weddings that I am in this summer, I am honored to stand by these strong, beautiful women as they take this step forward into matrimony.  To L and A, congratulations.

Prompts:

• Have you been a bridemaid?  How many times?  What did you wear?  How did you feel about it?
• Brides, how did think about styling your bridesmaids?

Wedding Fashion: Rehearsal Dinner

Draft:

Composition:
yellow and pink beaded dress (Catherine Malandrino)
black belt (Macy's)
black sandals (DSW)

Usage:
(Note: I'm traveling between June 16 and June 28, so I won't be commenting or responding to anything until I return.)

This past weekend my oldest friend, who I've known for 20 years, got married in an absolutely gorgeous wedding at which I was honored to serve as a bridesmaid.  The ceremony was beautiful and so touching, and the reception was a blast - one of the best times I've had all year.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Before the wedding, there's the rehearsal, to avoid confusion and panic (especially for me, the wedding illiterate bridesmaid) on the big day, and the rehearsal dinner.  For these events, I wore this dress. 

I adore Catherine Malandrino - her clothes are feminine, classy, and always have little flirty, sassy touches that set them apart.  I drool over her fashion but rarely get to experience it firsthand.  I'm lucky enough to own two of her pieces: this skirt, which I received as a Christmas gift, and this dress.  I got it awhile ago at a Nordstrom's, marked down from $500 to $150.  I haven't had an event to wear it to until now.

I very rarely wear yellow, but I like this festive, bright yellow and pink color combination.  The beading of the dress at the neckline gives it built-in bling.  Truth be told, I'm not completely thrilled with the way I styled this dress.  With all the color, I thought a black belt would look good, bringing out the black hints in the dress, and paired with the understated black sandals, the dress could really sing.  I think it looks ok but not great.  I wanted a pink belt, but I didn't have one/couldn't find one that looked good with the dress.  Next time, I'd like to try it with pink heels and a pink belt to really embrace the color.  Or would that be overkill?

Prompts:

• What suggestions do you have for styling this dress in the future?
• What do you wear to rehearsal dinners or other wedding related parties?

R-R-R-Remix

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
I pulled this dress out of the closet on the first day that was warm enough for bare legs.

Composition:
eyeglasses (Kate Spade)
acrylic necklace (Kohl's)
print sheath dress (H&M)
boring, uncomfortable white wedges (Michael Shannon via DSW)

Usage:

I'm experiencing a shopping slump.  I keep going to all my favorite stores in search of a few new summer dresses to spice up my warm weather wardrobe, and I keep failing.  Everything costs too much or doesn't fit well enough.  Even when I find something that fits at an affordable price, I just can't get myself excited enough about it to actually take it to the register.  Does this happen to you?

I've identified the following as possible reasons for my shopping slump:

• I have switched my brain over to "money-saving" mode, so unless something is a steal, it seems too expensive.
• I already love my own clothes much more than I like anything I'm finding in the stores.
• I know that if I buy something I like but don't love, I probably won't wear it more than 2 or 3 times this summer.
• I'm conscious that I might be trying to buy new things just for the sake of buying new things, so I can't decide if I really want to buy anything or not.
• I've just seen SATC2 and am becoming increasingly afraid that shopping turned the interesting women I met in season 1 into the mindless consumers I just saw in the theater. (There are great conversations about the film going on at Cohabitating Closet and Fashionable Academics, btw.  My blogging buddies are helping me remain confident that loving clothes and thinking critically are not mutually exclusive.)

So I've decided to take a new approach: embrace the fact that I really do like much of what I already have in my closet, but give those items a fresh feel by adding some key accessories.  I really like the way my new-ish turquoise necklace is giving old tops a new look, and this acrylic necklace "goes" with everything.  I love this dress.  I've worn it to weddings, showers, work, and probably other places I'm forgetting.  I like the print, the fit, and I even kind of like the strange pouchy detail on the front.  (It makes a big lunch look like a conscious fashion choice.)  Can you tell it's belted?  Probably not.  The belt is totally disguised by the print, even IRL.  But we know I love a belt.

Since I am trying to focus on why accessories matter, I decided that these shoes are giving me a bad attitude toward my summer wardrobe.  They're not comfortable. They're not interesting.  Because they only have front straps, I feel like I have to use my toes to grip them as I walk.  So, they're on their way out.  I purchased a new pair of summer wedges this week to replace them, and if all goes well, I'll debut those on the blog soon.  I hope to wear them to death this summer as I experiment with remixing all the clothes I already own (but many of which you haven't seen yet)!  I've also ordered some new nail polishes in bright, summer hues that I am hoping will add some much-needed pops of color to my summer attire.

Prompts:

• What puts you in a shopping slump?  What gets you out of one?
• What role do accessories play in how you think about the clothes in your wardrobe?

(Post Script: I considered naming this post "Hot and Fresh Out the Kitchen," as in, "This is the remix to Ignition, hot and fresh out the kitchen... it's the freakin weekend baby, I'm about to have me some fun," which pops into my head every time you guys use the term "remix" in your blog posts.  But I've got you all convinced that I'm a thoughtful person (right?) so I can't very well quote the despicable R. Kelly, even though this song reminds me of fond memories of my undergrad days... can I?  Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I just did! : ))

Wardrobe Malfunctions

Draft 1:

Draft 2:

Composition:
blue dress (Calvin Klein)
sea foam silk skirt (Catherine Malandrino)
white tank top (???)
necklace (borrowed from mother)
silver high heels (BCBGMaxAzaria)

Usage:
Once upon a time, Katie went to a family member's wedding far away from home.  She brought along a nice blue dress that matched her eyes and a pair of silver heels (Draft 1).  Unfortunately, while getting ready for the wedding, she found that the zipper of the dress had malfunctioned, rendering it unwearable.  Quelle horreur!  With mere minutes before she had to leave and no dress, what's a girl to do?

With wedding season now swinging into gear, there are lots of style choices to be made.  What to wear, how to accessorize, and many other questions must be answered way ahead of time since many of us travel to wedding sites.  As such, many of us cannot bring a variety of options for the actual wedding.  I thought, then, that it was an appropriate time to post about my wedding-related fashion panic attack and how I dealt with it.  Not, of course, to freak anyone out - wardrobe malfunctions are rare - but rather to discuss what to do when they do happen.

1. Denial is not productive.
When it became clear that the zipper of my dress would absolutely not cooperate - it had gotten tangled in the lining of the dress - it did not help to try to force the dress on.  Actually, in trying to manipulate the dress onto my body, I almost got stuck in it.  We got the zipper more than halfway up, then could not get it to go down so that I could take it off.  Extracting myself became an acrobatic feat that took precious moments away from the construction of an alternative outfit.

2. Remain calm and creatively reevaluate your options.
After freeing myself, I had to go through my suitcase to figure out what I could put together as an acceptable outfit in this unideal situation.  One of my best friends from college lives in the town where the wedding was held, so I had packed this skirt to potentially wear out on the town with him.  I had planned to wear it with a darker blouse, but the wedding was outdoors during a very warm, spring afternoon.  This white tank top gave it a lighter look.

3. Utilize all your resources.
Still, the outfit was too casual for a wedding.  The silver heels helped dress up the outfit, but it still looked too plain.  My mother had brought this necklace to wear to a separate wedding-related event, and it gave the outfit the extra oomph it needed.

Now this outfit wasn't what I wanted to wear to the wedding, and it didn't work perfectly.  However, I didn't look out of place, and I escaped having to wear jeans to a wedding.

What I learned from this experience was that even if you don't want to bring another dress/can't fit another dress into your suitcase, it's still good to think about what you might do if you're left without your first option.  Think about the other items you bring and how you can use them to put together something new.  Versatile items that can be dressed up or down are key.  Also, if you're traveling with people or know other people attending the event or who live nearby, ask if you can borrow clothes or accessories -- they'll really help give you more options.

Prompts:

• Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction before a big event?  How did you adapt?
• How do you pack for out of town weddings?