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?

Comfort

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
Liz and I both own these shoes, though in different colors.

Composition:
blue cashmere sweater (Saks, on sale)
jeans (Marshalls)
pumpkin Mary Janes (Seychelles)
glasses (Jill Stuart)

Usage:
Naturally, since we're in the busiest, most inconvenient part of the semester, I'm sick.  Despite fortifying myself with more vitamin C than even the scurviest sailor needs, I'm still ill, though admittedly not as bad as it could be - with the exception of yesterday, spent sleeping, dosing myself with orange juice, tea, and Sudafed, and then sleeping again, I've been functional, just uncomfortable.  Today, I had to pull myself out of yesterday's lovely ensemble of pjs to help moderate a professionalization session related to my big department service obligation this year.  I had a cute swingy skirt look put together in my head - I'm with E. over at academichic on loving skirts with movement - but my body physically rejected this look.  It wanted back in the pjs.  So I had to put together something more comfortable, but still acceptably professional.

Since it's a Friday afternoon, dark wash skinnies would do fine for pants.  These jeans are pretty stretchy, and thus are super comfortable.  I wanted heels to up the professional quotient, so I put on these pumpkin (or tan?) Mary Janes, which, despite being new, have quickly risen to the top of my comfy heels list.  For a top, I considered a classic button down or another top with more structure.  Again, though, I wanted something comfortable (Note: I realize that I keep repeating that word in this post, but really, "comfort" was my focus).  I pulled out this lightweight cashmere sweater, which is so soft it's more like a marshmellow hug than a top (that sentence proves that I'm not feeling well).  I completely agree with Sal at Already Pretty that cashmere is fabulous for winter, and I will definitely be seeking out more of it.  Obviously, on a graduate student budget, this fabric is not necessarily the most economical purchase, but as Sal points out, there are different price points for it, and I think that's cashmere sweaters (and scarves) are great investment pieces. 

Despite not feeling 100%, I still need to get in gear for the end of term, and this outfit successfully tricked my body into thinking it was still in bed, watching the occasional episode of "Arrested Development" between naps, while allowing me to be productive.

Prompts:

• What do you wear when you're not feeling well but still have professional obligations?
• Any tips for getting better/preventing illness?  I've heard about eating raw garlic, but haven't tried it.  Can anyone weigh in on it or offer some other advice?

Change and Predictability

Draft:

Composition:
black wool sweater (Loft)
grey trousers (Gap)
black patent heels (Nine West)
stud earrings, my latest favorites (Juicy Couture)
chain and fabric necklace (Icing)  -- Yes, it's shedding on my collar! It's definitively not high quality.
nail color (OPI "You Don't Know Jacques!")

Usage:
In response to Liz's complimentary post about my supposed ability to "manage uncertainty," today I'm sharing one of my most predictable ensembles.  Why?  Because, now that I'm spending more time in the classroom, I'm learning why experienced teachers like Liz prefer the manageable expectations of simple, go-to outfits.  For the first time, I get it.  Sartorial predictability is comforting when daily dynamics entail enough fluctuating factors.

Wearing this uncomplicated look took my mind off the clothes, allowing me to focus on instructing.  It didn't require the perpetual readjusting of layered garments, and it didn't necessitate the tugging on shorter hemlines or lower necklines.  The minimal jewelry and monochrome palette were less distracting for both me and, hopefully, for my students.  Which makes me think: there might be ways in which sartorial choices can detract from our abilities.  (Ah ha! An epiphany!  Don't laugh, I'm slow on the uptake.)  Sartorial boldness doesn't always allow for professional and intellectual boldness, that is.

Normally I subscribe to the opposite view.  I think, if I challenge myself intellectually, pushing myself to read new literature and entertain bold ideas, then why not also challenge myself sartorially?  Especially since, as this blog and your own attest, we consider issues of aesthetics an important component of education.  In the world of the mind, we like trying on new thoughts, and we welcome encounters with the uncomfortable.  Evolutions of knowledge and opinion are generally good things; they often indicate growth.  So it follows that we would consider personal style evolutions good things too; they can also indicate growth.

Cutting and dyeing my hair or pairing seemingly incongruous garments -- both enable experimentation with new articulations of myself.  Even if I don't adhere to them permanently or even long-term (as in the case of my cinnamon hair hue, which is merely a demi-permanent dye, I should tell you), at least I can test the waters.  How did Aristotle put it?  "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."  Perhaps it's the same with sartorial choices: dabbling in a hairstyle, or a print, or a bright color, without necessarily permanently accepting it into our self-concepts, is productive if only because the courageous choice allows us to think anew about the social spaces we occupy.  It's a worthwhile initiative, I'd say, to challenge ourselves aesthetically.  That's why I quite like blogging alongside you guys, and why I welcome the occasional dramatic hair transformation.

For now, as long as my substitute teaching endeavor lasts, I'll be entertaining choices on Liz's side of the style fence.  I have quite a bit to learn about, as she says, "preparing, preparing, anticipating, and preparing."  For me, resisting spontaneity will be a grand -- and worthwhile -- sartorial adventure.

Prompts:

•  How do you "prepare, prepare, anticipate, and prepare" sartorially?  I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'd welcome your strategies.  I've begun laying out ensembles the night before work -- does this count?
•   Liz asked this question yesterday, and I think it's a good one: how do you get yourself out of a rut?  How do you challenge your patterns of style?

Rut-Ditching; or, Pattern Mixing

Draft:

Earlier draft:
I wore this skirt and belt together when carrying my favorite bag.

Composition: 
black cami (Kohl's)
zebra print tank (Express via sister's closet)
green cropped cardigan (Express via sister's closet)
black and white print pencil skirt (NY&Co)
faux patent black belt (NY&Co)
black leather wedges (Lauren by RL)
nail color (OPI Can You Tapas This?)

Usage:
Anne-Marie's recent hair metamorphosis got me thinking.  Cut bangs, dye it a different color, and post pictures online for the world to evaluate?  I could never.  Sympathetic types might say "Liz just knows what she likes."  Less sympathetic types might say "Liz has trouble dealing with change," and downright  blunt types might say "Liz gets stuck in a rut."  All of them would be correct, I think.  Teaching high school helped me learn to prepare, prepare, anticipate, and prepare.  Teaching high school should have taught me that things don't always go according to plan.  However, I either didn't adequately learn that lesson while I was teaching, or I forgot it in the two years I spent as an Master's student.  This has been problematic lately, because this semester has been a constant reminder that I can't make things happen just by planning them.

Thankfully, the semester's not over yet, and there's still time to salvage my attitude toward it.  I might not be bold enough to make a change as significant as AM made with her hair, but her willingness to try out a new look made me think to myself: what is one thing I could do tomorrow to take me outside my comfort zone?  to remind myself of the benefits of sometimes pro-actively stepping outside the rut?  I decided on pattern mixing... with animal print.  I know this is kind of cheating, since the pattern on the skirt is very neutral, and combining two black and white pieces is not exactly experimental.  To my non-pattern wearing self, though, it felt like there was a LOT going on here.  All day long, I felt a slight unease, like "Oh, boy, yes, I am still wearing this crazy patterned outfit."  (Though I wore the cardigan all day, I took the second photo in an attempt to prove that this outfit IS kind of crazy.  The photo doesn't lie, though-- it was mostly in my head.)  I thought that uneasy feeling was good.  I still felt like me, but a more adventurous me, maybe.

So when I was confronted with more news this very day that suggested my plans had kind of backfired, I should have looked down at myself and thought: "It's okay.  I'm channeling Anne-Marie, who knows how to manage uncertainty much, much better than I do."  I didn't.  I got mad at myself for yet again insisting on trying so hard to plan ahead.  I hope that one day I'll actually learn the lesson.  Maybe the clothes can help.  If not the clothes, maybe the literature.  After all, I know what Robert Burns and John Steinbeck have to say about the best laid plans.  If not the literature, maybe the style blogging.  Because if Anne-Marie's post about her hair wasn't enough to convince me I should live a little more "in the moment," Sara's post on OiB today about being "mindful of where [she is] right now" should help.

Prompts:

• How do you respond when your foresight proves to be in vain?  
• What do you do to help get yourself out of a rut?  
• Do you have any pattern mixing suggestions?

Embracing Color

Draft:

Earlier Draft:
I wore this dress with different accessories at my friend's rehearsal dinner.
I used these shoes to talk about high heels being my fashion talisman.

Composition:
yellow and pink beaded dress (Catherine Malandrino)
pink belt (came with a dress from H&M)
pink heels (Bakers)

Usage:
This weekend, I attended my cousin's wedding.  In choosing a dress, I vacillated between three different dresses, before settling on this one.  One was this blue dress that previously malfunctioned before another cousin's wedding (the zipper problem has since been fixed).  The second was this black and red floral number that I wore to another friend's rehearsal dinner, which I ended up packing as a back-up.  However, I wanted to take this colorful number for another spin.  Considering the wedding was in a slightly warmer climate and knowing the couple's style, I thought that this dress would work well even for a fall wedding.

Last time, I paired the dress with a black belt and black shoes, going more neutral in accessorizing this already very colorful dress.  This time, though, I decided to just embrace color and add more pink.  I really like how the shoes looked with the dress, and I think I'll use this combination in the future.  As for the belt, I think this raspberry-pink looked better than the black, but it still wasn't quite right.  I'm not entirely sure what width and color would look best.  Oddly, the dress didn't come with a belt, though I think it looks odd without one, though maybe it would look fine unbelted on someone with a less curvy body type.  Still, though, I think the shape of the dress calls for something to define the waist.  Thoughts?

During this stressful, crunch time of the semester, it was really fun to get all dolled up, have fun with family, and dance a bit.  Here's wishing all of you some stress-releasing fun!

Prompts:

• How would you style this dress?
• Does getting dressed up make you feel good during stressful times or do you just want to wear comfortable clothes?
• What do you normally wear to weddings?

Student Conference Attire, Take Two

Draft:

Earlier Draft:
I wore this dress for a conference presentation in the spring.

Composition:
faux turquoise beaded necklace (Kohl's)
pale turquoise cardigan (Target)
brown printed jersey dress (Target)
brown stretch belt (Kohl's)
teal mary janes (Seychelles)
nail color (OPI You Don't Know Jacques!)

Usage:
After reading your comments on my suggestion that I was going to dress casually for my student conferences, and after reading A-Dubs's explanation of why she "feel[s] the need to bring it, sartorially" at this point in the semester, I had a change of heart.  I decided that those of you who suggested that meeting the students in the library created a neutral enough environment were right, so I decided to dress as I normally do when I teach.  It also occurred to me that I'd also be more comfortable in my regular "teaching" clothes than in a more casual outfit.  I'm still getting used to the different register of authority I'm experiencing as a graduate student instructor of undergraduates.  I'm more comfortable with the clear, distinct line drawn between "adult/authority" and "child/student" that I operated under in my high school classroom.  I realized that if I felt too casual, I might not be able to do my best work as a teacher during the conferences.

Looking back on the conferences, I feel like this was a good decision.  Most of the students seemed more at ease meeting with me in the library than they had been in my office.  When a few of the students suggested that I was too demanding or being too hard on them, it actually made me feel more comfortable to be in an open, public area than sitting in the corner of my office, too.  Those conferences were definitely the exception, though.  Most of the students came well prepared with appropriate questions to ask.  The real test, I know, will be if their next papers demonstrate an improvement.  If the conferences don't end up benefiting the students, though, I definitely benefited from them.  Having a chance to talk to each of the students individually actually reminded me of a lot of the things I really enjoy about teaching.  I think that having on my "teacher clothes" also made it easier for me to start the conference by asking how they are managing the transition into college without it seeming like I was trying to befriend them. 

An experienced high school teacher once told me, "Some days you'll find teaching exhausting, but if you find it exhilerating on most days, you know you've found the right profession."  I was worried that sitting through two hours of conferences for three straight days would wear me down, and several other instructors told me that they hate conferences.  I found my experience of holding conferences quite refreshing, actually, and I feel ready to guide them through the last few assignments with the hopes that they do better on those papers than the one I graded this week.  Because those were not good.  It's true what they say about a teacher's work never being done.

Prompts:

• If you teach, what do you find most exciting about working with students? 
• Whether you teach or not, are there any features of your job that you enjoy even though your colleagues disdain them?  What are they?  Why do you think you enjoy them more than others?
• And this is a sidebar, but how often do you theme dress?  I put on this almost-never-worn cardigan last week because, in my graduate class, we were discussing a novel in which turquoise stones figure prominently.  I figured I had to wear my turquoise necklace for this discussion, so I dug this cardigan out to complement it... and all the sudden, I had a great new way to wear this dress!

The Bruise; alternately titled, Copycat

Draft:

Earlier Drafts:
This dress is one of my summer staples.
I often wear this cardigan around the department.

Composition:
purple cardigan (Marshalls)
blue dress (Target)
purple tights (Hue)
pumpkin Mary Janes (Seychelles)

Usage:
Today I finally decided to dress up my favorite summer dress for fall.  I wear this simple blue cotton dress all the time in the summer, and I wore it in September with these cowboy boots.  This time, I decided to pair them with my recently purchased grape-purple tights and an eggplant-purple cardigan.  I call it my "bruise" look because of the color palate.  I like how the dark hues all fall in the same section of the color wheel: the colorful darkness (if that makes sense) feels good for November. 

Originally, I had envisioned this outfit with the aforementioned cowboy boots, but when I tried them on, they just looked off.  I still wanted that lighter neutral on my feet, so I pulled out my new Mary Janes, a shoe style I love.  Seychelles calls this color "Saddle Tan," but I think of it more as pumpkin.  I find that these shoes can function as an orange-y color and as a neutral, depending on the look.

These shoes may look familiar and for a good reason: they were Liz's first purchase after her shopping hiatus.  I loved her blue shoes, and I've trying to shore up more of a teaching wardrobe before spring.  In particular, I need some cute, teaching-friendly heels, and after seeing these ones (I actually didn't realize that they were the same ones at first), I bought this pair in a different color.  This isn't the first time two of us on SSG have owned the same pair of shoes: Liz and Anne-Marie own the same pair of snake print shoes, again in different colors.  Anne-Marie and I don't own the same boots, but they're very close.

I think that Liz, Anne-Marie, and I have relatively different styles, but we definitely overlap in certain areas.  It's always interesting when we're attracted to similar pieces.  For more on (all over) copycat looks, see Style Underdog and In Professorial Fashion.

Prompts:

• How similar is your style to that of your friends, colleagues, and/or co-bloggers?
• Do you own any of the same pieces as your friends, colleagues, and/or co-bloggers?
• What's your favorite summer piece to "fall up"?