The Balancing Act

When my husband saw what I had put together here he said to me, "Wow, that is so conservative." The way he said it made me feel like I was dressing for a luncheon with the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute to discuss why we need to ban the Vagina Monologues from college campuses. Instead, I was just dressing for the weather and for teaching/meeting with students.

1. Sweater - Limited via Marshalls (remixed)
Trousers - Talbots (same here in black)
Boots - Ann Taylor Loft (remixed)
Pearls - Gifted (16th Birthday from Dad)

Pearls are an accessory I had to grow into. I received them for my 16th Birthday from my dad and wore them, maybe, once every two years until the end of college. There was always something so stuffy, WASP-y, Country Club seeming about them. They didn't fit into my style in high school and college, which ran the gamut of appropriate attire for attending a Tori Amos concert, circa 1999--Daria/Angela Chase to early Alice in Anthro-land (tights, embroidered/printed A-line skirts, and well-heeled maryjanes). I think it was when I started attending weddings that I began to wear pearls for and then, gradually, began to incorporate them for the classroom, meetings, and conferences.

2. Sweatercoat - Charlie + Robin/Anthro (remixed)
Earrings - Same now-defuct boutique in KC that I bought these earrings at last decade

I love the black three-quarter sleeved sweater, I like how black looks on me, but when paired with gray and pearls, I yearn to add something more textured and colorful against it. That's where the purple ruffled sweatercoat comes in. It balances out the conservativeness.


I've been thinking a lot about the black + gray pairings, especially, because I'll be going to a major conference for my field in a few weeks. I'm sure to see a lot of it there.

3. Shakespeare (looking regal against my sweatercoat & accessories)

Do you also seem to play a balancing act with your sartorial and accessory choices? Are there any pieces you wear to work that almost seem to require another particular type of piece--either to even it out or to add something? I think I might wear the Twinkle Twinkle Dress this weekend when I give a response to a paper on lyric poetry--if I do that, I already know that I'm going to have to pair it with pearls, small earrings, a brown cardigan, plain tights, and the brown maryjanes. In other words, the dress will need to be toned down for the tone of the event.