Giveaway Sponsored by CSN Stores!!

Dearest readers, I'm happy to announce that we are once again teaming up with CSN stores for a fantastic giveaway.  One lucky reader will win a $60 gift certificate to spend at one of CSN's 200+ stores.  Perhaps your an academic on the job market this year and thus in need of a briefcase or perhaps you want a new crockpot for your kitchen.  Your options are essentially endless with CSN stores.

 
There are three ways for you to enter this giveaway:

1. Leave us a comment with a valid email address letting us know what you would spend the $60 on if you won.

2. Leave us a second comment telling us what you're most looking forward to about the winter holiday season.

3. Leave us a third comment telling us what your favorite item of fall apparel is.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian readers only, and extra shipping costs may apply for Canadian addresses.  We will close this giveaway next Wednesday (11/17) at midnight EDT and announce the winner on Thursday.   Good luck!

Accessorize-ing

I am still scrambling like all hell to tweak my syllabus into something perfect, but at least the book order is in.

1. Sweater - Express via Marshalls

Linen pants - Fresh Produce via Marshalls
Sandals - Bear Traps via DSW
Sunglasses - H & M (remixed)

I have a departmental meeting today and, lately, I've been running into colleagues, faculty, and even former students.* For that reason, I will now be banning yoga clothes for day time wear. I went with something simple and bike-able. It also strikes me as boring: beige and black, seriously? Which is why accessories are key:

2. Peacock Earrings - Accessorize
Scarf - London street vendor, a bijillion years ago

You must be thinking that Shakespeare's Feminine Ending was lucky enough to get a fabulous grant to go do research in England this past summer, or that she had a romantic continental vacation and went crazy at the Accessorize at Heathrow while catching her flight back to North America. Something more amazing happened.

For those of you who find that you need to spend time in Washington, D.C. for various reasons you may be interested to know that D.C.'s Union Station now has an Accessorize--in fact, Union Station has the ONLY Accessorize in the States. Last month I was changing trains there and took a walk through to get a cream puff at the Vaccaro's in the basement and almost went apeshit when I discovered it was no longer there (of course, the flagship Vaccaro's in Baltmiore's Little Italy and other locations still remain). However, when I returned up to the main floor I saw the sign: Accessorize. Impossible! I quickly forgot the fact that I was cream puff-less.

3. Bag - Accessorize

So, I picked up some accessories and went on my merry little way. And I love this bag--I can carry two or three books, a moleskin, a legal pad, wallet, iPod, etc. and it's perfect for my size. I also find the single strap works easier than two. And here's a final close up of the Peacock earrings, which remind me of the Arabian dance in the Nutcracker ballet:

*Question: When a former student doesn't *see* you when walking past you, but is staring off into space somewhere off to the left of him/her, is that because s/he doesn't want to see you or because s/he legitimately just stares off into space away from oncoming passersby? See, I've dealt with direct avoidance before: I was at the gym last year when a former student walked into the stretching room, saw me doing sit-ups, dropped his/her mouth open, turned on his/her heel and quickly exited. And I think s/he exited the gym. Any students/instructors out there have similar stories?

Bag of Bags

For the past couple of weeks I've experimented with hauling tons and tons of research material and essential items like old receipts and pens around in something other than the monstrous yellow messenger bag that sometimes creeps into my pictures. That's right: I got myself the cute turqouise Clark purse above for my wallet and other junk and carry my books around in reusable canvas when I need to. And this bag seems to go with everything, from the fantastic dress LHdM gave me above......
to the other fantastic dress LHdm gave me, as well as the one I'm wearing now.
Why do I love this bag? Let me count the ways. It's got 1970s-style lining and I love all the details, like the stitching that makes it look a little Corpse Bride/creature from 9. And it goes with everything. Even the couch.

Bag: Clark
Dress 1: Teeze Me
Dress 2: American Apparel
Couch: Ikea ($50 from fellow grad student)

How do you solve your huge amount of research hauling issues?

Dr. de Moda!

Today I successfully defended my dissertation.  A few days ago I started thinking about what I would wear to my defense.  I initially planned to wear my LBS (little black suit).  Then, I started thinking if there wasn't a way to show a little bit more of my personality but to still look polished and professional.

I found a lovely pink and black Tahari Dress at Filene's Basement last week when I was shopping with the Dissertating Yogini, but they didn't have it in any size close to my own, and I knew I wouldn't have time for alterations.  So on Saturday in an attempt to occupy myself I went to the mall just to take a spin around Nordstroms and Macy's to see if I might find anything wearable and on sale.  I figured that if I didn't I could find something in my wardrobe or revert back to the LBS idea if push came to shove.  I found the Tahari Dress again in a size that fit.  It was full price, but I figured even though I'll only defend my dissertation once, I could probably get more usage out of it as conference attire.  Boy was I wrong about that!  When I put in on this morning, I realized that I could see any and every line and bump in the mirror.  Even with a slip lines that in no way should have been visible were, so I put on hose.  I checked the mirror again, and saw that a huge line running up the middle of my butt was then visible thanks to the hose. What the fuck, Macy's mirrors?!?!?  Thanks for nothing.

Possibly no one but me would have noticed, but I couldn't imagine going through a defense already feeling horribly self-conscious about lines on my ass.  So I went for my old standby purple plaid dress with my old standby combo of dress + blazer and my briefcase.¹

1. Dress - Rabbit Rabbit (remixed)

Blazer - Calvin Klein (remixed)

Shoes - John Fluevog (remixed)

Briefcase - McKlein USA (remixed)

Cameo earrings - Secondhand via Ebay (remixed)

By the way if you google "dissertation defense attire" or "what to wear to a dissertation defense" or the like you will get hit upon some interesting threads.  According to one forum, most physicists would be laughed out of the room if they wore a suit and some economists had the impression that you could fail if you weren't dressed up enough because it might be a sign you weren't taking the event seriously. While I realized that my sartorial choices probably had no effect on the outcome of today's events.  I wanted to feel good about my appearance, and I wanted to feel like myself.  And since all of this outfit was remixed I felt comfortable in pieces that I know and love.

Have you ever had a similar outfit malfunction?  Would you have changed under similar circumstances or would you have forged ahead lines and all?

Wardrobe problem aside, I'm relishing this moment!  I'm off this evening to celebrate!

Date Night Tights

On Saturday night M. and I gave our dissertations the slip and went out for dinner at a wonderful local Italian restaurant and for dessert at our favorite ice cream shop in town.  It was good to get out of the house and away from grading and writing and trying to write decent prose after grading.  Plus, it gave me a legitimate reason to wear my new blue footless tights from We Love Colors.¹

 1. Dress - Nine West (remixed)

Belt - from another dress (remixed)

Footless tights - We Love Colors

Shoes - Steve Madden

Purse - Harrods (Gift and remixed)

Ring - Boutique in Salamanca (remixed)

For my fourth day of the Oranges and Apples bag challenge I carried this little purse that M. brought back for me from a research trip in London.  I love it.  However, I usually tend to carry larger bags because Lord knows I need to haul at least one monograph, three sticks of gum that fell out of the package, 18 old receipts, and a random finisher's medal from a half-marathon around with me in addition to my wallet, keys, phone, ipod, and lipstick.  Whenever I go out with a neatly organized, smaller purse in hand, I feel almost naked and like a fraud.  Plus, I can't smuggle pints of gourmet ice cream home in these small purses.... 

What do you tend to carry with you in your purse or briefcase?  Are you organized or is it all a (crumbling) facade?  And even more importantly, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Briefcases and Broomsticks

This is what I wore today to teach my class.  On a day such as today, when I was lecturing on early modern witchcraft and my students had bits of a witchhunting manual to read which included a tale about men's penises being stolen, I usually would have worn a blazer to keep my inner twelve year old in check.  However, I thought it was supposed to rain today so I chose a more breathable cardigan instead.  Perhaps, in retrospect, I should have gone with a blazer, because it didn't end up raining and I'm pretty sure at one point I was giggling a little bit more than I should have been.... Ok, a lot more than I should have been.  At least I had my briefcase to remind me to pull it back together.²

1. Tank - H&M (remixed)

Skirt -  Easy Wear (remixed)

Cardi - NY&Co. (remixed)

Shoes - Kenzie Girl (remixed)

Belt - NY&Co. (remixed)

Earrings - Target (remixed)

Necklace - Etsy (remixed)

Bracelet - Handmade Columbian jewelry (gift and remixed)

2. Briefcase - McKlein USA (remixed)

Ah, well.  It was an especially fun class for me to teach.  I love research, but sometimes there's just nothing better than the euphoria that comes from a great classroom experience.  What's your favorite thing about your job?

Equal Pay Day

Today I wore red to show solidarity with women around the United States on Equal Pay Day.¹  This year Equal Pay Day took place on April 20th.  That means that it took almost four full months into a new year for the average woman's income to break even with that of her average male counterpart in 2009, since we still only make about 77 cents on the dollar.   In other words, the difference between average income for men and women is about $12,000 per year and could pay for groceries for a family of four for about two years or for about nine months' worth of rent/mortgage and utilities.  To my mind this is clear evidence that the fight for true equality in and out of the workplace is not something that is over for women.  We literally cannot afford to treat feminism as if it is a dirty word.

 1. Dress - Red Dress Shoppe (remixed)

Cardi - Target (remixed)

Tights - TopShop (remixed)

Boots - Fluevog (via Ebay and gift)

Ring - Boutique in Salamanca (remixed)

Necklace - Gift

Scarf - H&M (remixed)

I think many of us have wanted to assume that the hard battles have already been fought, and that once more women received equal levels of education in the US that we would make significant gains in pay and make up a larger number of the managers, CEOs, endowed chairs, etc.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  And the gap in pay seems to be largest among those with the highest levels of education.  I wish I had definitive answers for how to achieve parity, but in the meantime things you can do include writing to your senators and attending rallies in your area. 

On a different note, even though, I don't own all that many bags, I decided to participate in a challenge with Franca.  She is challenging herself to carry a different bag every day for a week, and so am I.  For the first day, I carried my Virgin of Guadalupe tote bag that I got on a research trip to archives in Mexico a few years back.  It went well with my lecture on the Spanish Inquisition, which included an example of a priest who delivered a sermon with rather unorthodox views on the virgin birth and immaculate conception....

Did you wear red for Equal Pay Day? 

Weekend Wear: Peacock Bag

A few years ago, my best amiga in the world and I were sitting in her flat in Madrid talking about all sorts of things.  Somehow or another she ended up showing me this bag¹ that her mother had thrifted (I think in Puerto Rico) and had given to her.  I had a very strong reaction to it.  As I have told the lovely Jentine of myedit, sometimes I am confused by items of apparel or accessories that create such cognitive dissonance that I can't tell whether or not I love them or hate them.  This bag was one of those cases, and I just knew I had to have it.  My amiguita was less confused, and thus, she was more than willing to give it to me.

1. Peacock Bag - Gift (regifted and thrifted)

I thought it would make a great, quirky handbag.  I usually reserve it for the spring and summer months, but I decided that I would carry it when M. and I went to brunch on Super Bowl Sunday.  Of course, I ran into one of my former students at brunch, but she is also my neighbor, so my peacock bag did not surprise her....

Since Super Bowl Sunday is made for sitting on the couch and watching football with chips and dip, pizza, and beer, I knew my outfit² needed to be about comfort.

2. Sweater - H&M 

Skinny Cords - New York & Co. (remixed)

Tank - NY & Co. (remixed)

Scarf - Gift (from Argentina)

Boots - SE Boutique (DSW and about five years old)

It was a good thing my outfit was comfy because some of the commercials had me squirming.  I have to say I wasn't very impressed with them this year.  Most weren't very funny, and several of them had a pretty vicious streak of misogyny running through them, particularly the Dodge and Dove ads.  It disheartens me that this seems to be where we are at in 2010.  My students informed me that they were underwhelmed by the ads, too.  However, we really didn't have much of a chance to talk about it much last night because they were intent on spending the last few minutes before class cramming for the quiz they had.

Did you watch the Super Bowl?  What did you wear?  What did you think about the commercials?  And what item in your closet is a little bit odd but completely worth celebrating?

My Little Green Bag

When I posted about my interview attire, a number of you complimented my green briefcase.¹  I actually bought it back in November and have been carrying every time I teach since then.  I just figured you get bored seeing it with my outfits all the time....

1. Dress - Rabbit Rabbit (Filene's Basement and remixed)

Card - Target (remixed)

Belt - Target (remixed)

Tights - Hue (remixed)

Mary Jane's - John Fluevog (remixed)

Bracelet - Target (clearance and remixed)

Locket - Etsy (remixed)

Briefcase - McKlein USA (remixed)

A few years ago I owned a gorgeous red leather Samsonite briefcase, but in a fit of insanity I decided not to bring it back with me from Madrid when I moved back to the US in the winter of 2008.  Let's just say it is extremely difficult to fit a year and a half of life and academic research into two suitcases, a carry-on, and a personal item, and I made a foolish choice about what my personal item would be.   The beautiful bag did end up in good hands at least: I gave it to a dear friend who is a professor in Spain.

I then went through two Target bags in relatively quick succession.  One disintegrated early last summer and I broke a second one in August.  How do you break a briefcase, you may well ask.  The answer is by cramming far too many library books into a bag that you purchased for $25 at Target.  During the months of September and October, I perused briefcases online and kept my eyes open for a suitable one whenever I went to Filene's Basement or TJMaxx.  I saw a few possiblities, but I ended up deciding against all of them for reasons of price or style.  I knew I would have to spend more than I had for my past two briefcases to get something of any quality, but, on my budget, a $500 or even a $300 briefcase was out of the question.

At the beginning of November, I realized I would have to get more serious about my search with the job market season coming up.  I started searching in earnest, and it came down to this bag.  It was available in a range of colors, and it turned out that the green was about $25 cheaper than the same version of the bag in black.  A black briefcase is a classic, but I wanted something that would add a little color to my life. 

I also have decided not to overload this briefcase the way I have been guilty of doing others.  It can easily carry two or three books along with my laptop and folder of papers.  However, on those days when I'm toting around, say, 7 or 10 books I now carry a canvas tote bag as well.  Fortunately, I wasn't carrying many books yesterday, as it was my first day back on the campus of the liberal arts college where I'm a visiting faculty member.

What do you carry into campus or your workplace?  Briefcase?  Bookbag?  Purse and canvas tote?

Interview Attire in Action

I'm back from my conference, which was very good but extremely tiring.  I think that my interview went well, but I suppose I'll know for sure if I get invited for a campus interview here in a couple of weeks.  My fingers are crossed.

Large conferences and interviews can definitely be rather overwhelming -- if not downright intimidating -- but I honestly feel like there's no better way to project self-confidence and authority than dressing professionally.  Dressing in jeans and a t-shirt for an interview can indicate to a committee that you aren't really interested in the position for which you are interviewing.  Dressing in a suit¹ shows that you know how to play the part of an academic at a major conference and at an interview.

1. Suit - Calvin Klein (Filene's Basement)

Shell - Target

Tights - HUE

Oxford Spectator Pumps - r2 (DSW and remixed)

Briefcase - McKlein USA

Watch - New York & Co. (sale)

I realize I look a bit disheveled in these pictures.  I took them about five hours after my interview.

I ran into a lot of old friends and made some new friends at the conference.  I was able to have a coffee with my undergraduate adviser and to have margaritas in the sunshine (away from the conference) with my former housemate. 

Isn't she lovely?  She works on sustainability projects in southern California now and is planning a trip to Tanzania to do work on a project with other academics soon. 

So, my dear fashionable academics, do you agree with me about wearing suits to interviews?  What do you wear for interviews instead?  For those of you who aren't in the academy, what do you tend to wear to interviews in your profession? 

What's in Your Bookbag?

Last week we issued a CFP, looking for comments, pictures, and recommendations for briefcases, satchels, and other stylish bookbags.  One of our readers, Jenni, wrote in to tell us the results of her two year hunt for the bag that was perfect for her.  After much stalking and looking online, she purchased the Cole Haan Village Small Laptop Duffle (Holiday 2007 collection).  Jenni said this is "the bag I carry with me everyday.  I searched high and low for this, and I LOVE, LOVE it!"

Jenni is also having a book giveaway on her blog, and what academic doesn't want a good book to read over the holiday?  So go check out her contest!

Also we at Fashionable Academics would love to see the briefcases and bags that you use to carry your books, papers, and laptop in, so do answer our CFP by commenting and sending links or by emailing us a picture of you and your bookbag!

CFP: Academic Baggage

Most of us academics have items that we have to schlep around on a daily basis: laptop, a library book or two, a research file, car keys, etc.  What is your preferred method of carry?  Do you opt for a purse and a backpack or a briefcase or large tote?  Do you opt for a briefcase or a backpack?  Do you wheel around campus?

(Planet-Pink.co.uk)

(http://www.queenbee-creations.com/items/521)

If you are an academic on the job market this year, this is something worth giving some consideration.  Perhaps the MLA, the APA, the AHA, or other convention where job interviews take place is not the venue for your "I Heart NY" canvas tote bag or your Hello Kitty messenger bag (yes, I do own a Hello Kitty messenger bag).  You will want a briefcase or tote that is large enough to carry copies of CVs, sample syllabi, etc., but is not so cavernous or disorganized that you have to spend awkward moments digging in your bag for them.

  (Samsonite)

So, dear readers, please write in and let us know what you carry to classes and conferences, and feel free to send pictures!