Observation

1. Dress - Moth/Anthro (remixed)
Scarf - H&M
Trench - LOFT (remixed)
Maryjanes - New York & Co. (remixed)
Tights - LOFT (remixed)

Yesterday my mentor observed me teaching. We had planned this in advance, but both of us forgot about it until she e-mailed me 20 minutes before class started. If I had remembered I probably would have written out an obsessively-detailed lesson plan and chosen a different outfit.  When I have been observed in the past, I have tended to go overboard on lesson-planning and try on a series of outfits before settling on something more black-and-gray and structured.

Had I remembered the observation I would have probably worn some combination of black and gray. I would have tried on this outfit and pronounced that the shape of the red dress + the gray tights and maryjanes was too Alice to be professorial.

2. Peacock Earrings - Accessorize (remixed)

Why did I equate observation with necessitating an outfit that sets a serious and professional tone for the first day of the term? My mentor has seen me in enough settings to know that I do not hold to a bland color palette and that my style is quirkier. She, herself, doesn't eschew color. And, to be honest, I think our students expect their arts and humanities instructors to display some quirky sartorial choices. For Pete's sake, academia offers a privilege of sartorial flexibility and self-expression that is not possible with a lot of other types of employment!

3. Teatime in Office

In addition to these reflections on being observed, I also observed something else: I am more productive and more confident in my various academic roles (instructor, historiographer, critic, witty bullshitter) when I dress like I have a job that is not attending yoga classes.

4. Sweater - Gap (remixed)
Tank - Banana Republic
Pants - Talbots (remixed) *these look great IRL, not so much in photos*
Earrings - the Corcoran Gallery, DC (remixed)
Bag - Joy Susan
Scarf - Boutique in Chicago

I agree with Sara of Orchids in Buttonholes who said, "Getting ready for my day as if I were going to an office has made a huge impact on my morale and my productivity and my sense of self." Even when I'm alone in my office grading or lesson planning I feel more confident in my ability to make decisions as a teacher and a researcher when I've outfitted myself as someone who is charged with a task.
I write this because I wanted to get away with wearing yoga pants and a sweater today. The devil on my shoulder told me that my best pair of black yoga pants look better on me than the black Talbots trousers do. The more attractive devil on my other shoulder, however, reminded me that yoga pants were NOT appropriate for holding office hours or attending a small reading group with faculty and grad students. The morale of the story: Take the advice of the devil wearing Anthropologie.