Behind (on) Breton, Behind on Everything

This week has been off to an extra hectic and a pretty crappy start (Bailey had a bad bout of colitis and much nasty cleaning was involved), and as a result, I'm extra behind on everything, including my look for Everybody, Everywear.  So here are my stripes a day late.   Thanks so much to Liz and Linda for this great initiative.  

(Striped Shirt - ?? (remixed), Cardigan - Anthropologie (remixed), Jeans - Express (remixed), Slippers - Target, Wine - Colores del Sol Malbec)

I almost forgot to snap photos because of the aforementioned suckyness of the past couple of days.  So I hope you will forgive me the slippers and wine, dear readers.

How do you bring a week back from the brink of disaster?  What are your tricks for styling up slippers?

Friend Friday 1/14: Polyvalent Perspectives

Both SFE and I (LHdM) are participating in Modly Chic's Friend Friday today.  To see a full list of participants and learn more about Friend Friday pop over to Katy's fabulous blog.


How do you determine what you will wear that day?


LHdM: A number of factors determine how I'm dressing on any given day. I tend to dress more conservatively during the first couple of weeks of a semester, when I'm still setting the tone in my classrooms. I tend to up the professional factor when I have a department meeting (unless it's at 8am on Friday when I can expect half of my department will be in jeans and sweatshirts) or a meeting with an administrator. My mood, the weather, and the fact that I don't like to repeat items from the day before too often also play roles in my sartorial choices.  Case in point, yesterday I wore a blazer when I probably usually would have worn a cardigan.

 (Shirt - Zoe D. (remixed), Blazer - George (thrifted months ago and only wearing now for the first time), Skirt - Anthro (remixed), Boots - John Fluevog Bondgirl (remixed)

SFE: 3 factors influence this decision: For whom will I be performing (self, students, faculty, committee, visiting scholar)? Weather (will it start out 40 and drop to 0)? Mode of transport (bike, bus, train, car)? After that it's whatever I feel like because if I don't like what I've chosen for the day I will go batty! And if I regret the ensemble I wore for teaching I'm ridiculously self conscious and off my game. This is why I developed the mantra, "when in doubt listen to the advice of the Devil wearing Anthro," because most of the dresses and skirts I own from Anthro are forgiving, flattering, and fun to wear. I might be bored with it, but I won't be uncomfortable.

The Devil's in the Details: SFE copycats LHdM's palette from Monday
Dress - Moth/Anthro - (ebayed & remixed)
long-sleeve tee - LOFT cardi - Banana Republic (remixed)
leggings - LOFT (remixed)
scarf - H & M (remixed)
wellies- Capelli via Marshalls (remixed)
Owl Necklace - Etsy/gifted

Do you plan outfits out in advance for a whole week, month, weekend?


LHdM: With rare exceptions, I almost never plan outfits in advance. Occasionally, I'll try to figure out an outfit the night before (see 8am dept. meetings above), and I'll plan outfits when I'm traveling or for job interviews, conferences, and other professional activities of that nature. However, even when I do plan my outfits, I often end up wearing something else, as I did for my dissertation defense.

SFE: Rarely--it really has to be AN EVENT. Even when traveling I really don't plan outfits, rather I pack things so I have choices. I do find it important to plan outfits for higher stakes situations, such as giving public presentations or defending my doctoral exams. In fact, I waited until after I took my exams to take a Friday to get my hair cut, go to Anthro, and have lunch with myself. I planned my outfit around the purple sweatercoat I purchased and paired it with the Most Versatile Dress I've Ever Owned. Sometimes, thinking about self-fashioning takes the pressure off. Oddly, weddings work that way, too.

Do you have any specific way of tracking outfits and items already worn so you don't repeat?

LHdM: Aside from the blog, no not really.

SFE: Same here. Sometimes SME will say, "You're wearing black, again?"

How do you discover new combinations of items in your closet? (Trial try-ons? Hanging items together?)

LHdM: I draw tons of inspiration from magazines, tv, and other bloggers. I'll see things on blogs or in magazines that I love and then I'll try to think if there's a way to put an LHdM spin on them with what I have in my own closet. I do occasionally try hanging items together, and every now and then I'll try on a bunch of different outfits -- usually for a special occasion or to procrastinate from some heinous task, such as grading lots of papers for a survey class.

SFE: Usually by trial and error. If I buy a new piece, especially a skirt or a cardi, I'll come home and see how it coordinates with everything else in my closet. Outfits can also be built around tights, scarves, and earrings. I also tend to draw inspiration from the same places as LHdM (blogs, paintings, BBC miniseries, and Vogue). But because of my height and shape I tend to copycat texture combination and palette rather than specific pieces. For example, if I wear a fitted blazer with skinny jeans tucked into riding boots (paired with one of my colorful scarves) I will look like a flamboyant jockey who stopped training, but if I see such an outfit on, say, Academichic I might think, "Huh. Teal on the top really brings together neutrals + black."

Trying out a new accessory: The Owl Necklace was a gift from a member of SFE's cohort to mark the occasion of the entire cohort advancing to candidacy. It was decided, over a pint, that SFE is the owl in the middle--the little one.

To streamline the process for 2011 what is one new thing you can do to cut down your dressing time?

LHdM: Holy shit, if I would just put laundry away in a timely manner my dressing habits would be revolutionized! I often do a load of laundry and then let it sit in the basket for a week. Then I will want to wear something, but realize it's crumpled up in the basket and have to figure out something else. I don't roll with the ironing.

SFE: SME and I need to put shit away (part of cutting down on anxiety, too). There are at least 3 times a week when I cannot find black tights, black slip, or black camisole because it's lost in a basket or drawer of black lycra.

So we're curious: how did you determine what you're wearing today? And what are your plans for this weekend?

25/30 & Friend Friday: Blogger Burnout

For those not interested in my take on this week's Friend Friday topic, you can scroll down for my outfit.

The questions for this week's Friend Friday post particularly interested me because I occasionally feel a bit of blogger burnout and a couple of times have even considered stepping away from Fashionable Academics.  So far I have always decided not to do so, but I must admit that I'm planning on taking a winter vacation from Style Nation this year.

1. How many hours a week do you spend blogging? Has that number changed since you started blogging?
To be honest, the time I spend blogging varies greatly from week to week.  It depends on whether or not I have other deadlines, lots of papers to grade, and what's going on on the blog.  Since I have co-bloggers, I don't feel compelled to write posts every day by any stretch of the imagination, but doing challenges like Kendi's 30x30 or compiling links and pictures for CFP's can greatly increase the amount of time I spend blogging.  The first couple of months FA existed I only posted a couple of times a week and I only commented on a few other blogs.  In general, the amount of time has definitely increased so that I probably average about 8-10 hours a week spent taking photos, writing posts, and commenting on the blogs of others.

2. There is always more you can do, write, read comment on... how do you limit your time spent on these tasks?
I'm sure for everyone it's different, but the biggest way I've found to limit the time that I spend reading and commenting is to comment mostly only on the blogs of those who comment on our blog.  When I check out a new blog, I leave a comment, if the comment gets returned, I go back and if/when I rapport develops, I add the blog to my reader and comment regularly.  I know that not everyone has time or inclination to return comments on a daily basis, but since the dialogue and community aspect is so important to me I prefer to read the posts of bloggers who make an effort to return comments at least once or twice a week.  I know some bloggers don't comment or almost never do other than on a select few blogs, and while I certainly think that's within their rights as bloggers, it makes me a lot less likely to spend much time in their corner of Style Nation.  I do still read a few of those kinds of blogs, but I tend to skim them more quickly or only visit them once every couple of weeks.  I'm sure there is a lot of great content that I'm missing out on because this method isn't perfect, but it keeps the amount of time I spend blogging to a reasonable level.

3. Have you experienced Blogger burnout yet? How have you dealt with that?
I have experienced some burnout.  The biggest issue for me is that sometimes I feel frustrated that even though our readership has grown a lot over the past few months, we don't seem to be getting many more comments on posts.  In fact, I'd say the number of comments has stayed the same or even decreased since January to March of last year.  I try not to let this bother me, but sometimes it does.  And when I start to obsess about the number of comments we get on posts that's what seems to trigger feelings of burnout more than any other aspect of blogging does.

4. This time of year is always a lot busier than any other time.  Will your blogging change as a result?
As I mentioned above, I plan on taking some time off this year.  I will be taking a 3-4 day break from blogging next week as I frantically grade final papers and exams.  I won't be posting, and I probably won't be reading or commenting on other blogs for that period.  I also intend to take about a week off later in the month.  I will be spending the holidays with family and getting some work done on some academic projects that I don't have much time to devote to during the semester because of my teaching load.

5. Could you foresee a moment in which you are not blogging anymore?  How would you identify that it's time to walk away?
Yes.  I can imagine a future in which I would stop blogging at FA.  I hate to say it but with the academic job market being what it is, there is a possibility that I might not end up permanently in academia.  I hate to think about that because I love what I do.  It can be demoralizing, but I cannot make the percentage of tenure track jobs in my field increase.  While obviously style outside of the professartorial interests me, I'm not sure if I would continue to be a style blogger without the particular context that I've been writing in for the past year and a half.  I would also consider walking away from blogging if it no longer gave me a creative outlet and if it no longer felt like a hobby.

Now on to outfit #25.  For my next to last day of teaching this term, I wanted an extra layer of warmth so I wore a dress as a blouse underneath a skirt.  With the addition of tights, a slip, and my favorite new cardi, I managed to stay warm when I had to dodge between buildings and while in my slightly drafty office for office hours.

 30x30 Items: 5. Patterned Red Dress - Nine West + 11. Black A-Line Skirt - Sandro + Sub 2. Melon Ruffle Cardi - New York & Co. + 26. Bondgirls - John Fluevog

Accessories: Tights - Top Shop (remixed), Boleyn Necklace - Wendy Brandes (remixed)

 What's your take on blogger burnout?  What are your plans for the weekend?  Are you grading final exams yet?  Grad students, are you writing seminar papers right now?

17/30 & 18/30: Two Day Teaching Week

Last week I only held my Monday and Tuesday classes and took a personal day on Wednesday.  I figured that since my Mon/Wed class is in the afternoon, attendance would be low if I had class the day before Thanksgiving and that since they had a research paper due online the night before that motivation would also be low.  I felt like I could use a break too, especially since I knew I would have to spend part of this holiday break grading papers and getting some other work done.

Monday's outfit was a retake on an outfit that I've worn several times before.  My inspiration for Tuesday's outfit was Vogue's December's Talking Fashion, which featured Rihanna and Dree Hemingway in festive and vibrant fruit-punchy colors.    

 30x30 Items: 4. Plaid Dress - Rabbit Rabbit + 23. Black Ruffle Front Cardi - Willi Smith + 26. Bondgirls - John Fluevog

Accessories: Brooch - Gift from Herr Doktor, Necklace - Etsy (remixed), Tights - Target (remixed)

 30x30 Items: 19. Grey Top - Zara + 10. Red Pencil Skirt - J. Crew (thrifted) + Sub 2. Melon Ruffle Cardi - New York & Co. + 26. Bondgirls - John Fluevog

Accessories: Necklace - Etsy (remixed), Tights - Target (remixed)

After a few days of rest, stuffing my face with pie, and decorating our Christmas Tree, Mr. Giles, I finally feel ready to tackle some grading today -- or I will right after brunch....

American academics, how were your Thanksgivings?  Did you brave the Black Friday madness like thechemist-coture?  Did you shop local for Small Business Saturday?  International academics, how are you guys hanging in there?  How many more weeks of classes do you have before the winter break?

14/30: Wrap Dress Rhapsody

I believe that Shakespeare's Feminine Ending is posting a bit later today, but, since I have a back log of 30x30 outfits, I thought I would just quickly post #14.  I wore this outfit last week on one of those days when I still was feeling crappy but had to teach my classes anyway.

 30x30 Items: 3. Blue Sweater Wrap Dress - Target + 16. Black & White Striped Top + 29. Red Mary Janes - John Fluevog

Accessories: Argyle Tights - HUE (remixed), Necklace - Thrifted (remixed), Earrings - Buttons N Baubles

While most wrap dresses don't work well for my figure, I've had surprising success with this wrap sweater dress from Target and with its twin in grey, which I purchased last autumn and got a lot of wear out of last fall and winter.  I suspect that the blue version will also become a cold weather wardrobe work horse.  What are your feelings on wrap dresses?  Do they work for you?  Do you have to worry about unseemly flashing with most wrap dresses like I do?

P.S. Nina of All Tumble Down also has this dress and has styled it up awesomely.

Copy Catting Style Underdog and Candy Confessional

Inspired by Style Underdog's awesome rendition of an outfit that Rachel Bilson wore, I pulled out my favorite thrifted red J. Crew pencil skirt.  Fortunately, because I have been on a Reese's Diet (which I seriously doubt is effective at Style Underdog's Merlot Diet) my skirt has just enough of a slight A-line cut that it forgives my consumption of several bags of candy over the past week.

(Skirt - J. Crew (thrifted and remixed), Shirt - Zara (remixed), Cardi - Larry Levine (remixed), Tights - Top Shop (gift and remixed), Shoes - r2 (DSW and remixed), Necklace - Wendy Brandes (remixed)

I had planned to wear my black and white striped shirt with this, but then I realized I also would have been copy catting myself.  So I swapped out the black and white shirt for the grey and black striped cardi.  Normally, I might have been tempted to belt this outfit, but after my ecstatic, several-day-long, frenzied encounter with the Halloween candy, I just went with the loose and drape-y.  And finally I felt ready to take a vow that I would not gorge myself on cheap candy again until at least Valentine's Day....

So how did you do with the Halloween candy?  Anybody else need to make use of the candy confessional?  Who have you been copy catting lately?

Thinking Pink

A few years ago I lost my beautiful and brilliant aunt to breast cancer.  She battled the disease valiantly and won a first round, but she relapsed. Eventually the disease took her.  After her diagnosis and since her death, I have taken part in a number of Susan G. Komen events.  I often click to fund free mammograms, and I considered Brides Against Breast Cancer as the charity to donate my wedding gown to.  So when I read about Blogging for Breast Cancer AWEARness, I knew I wanted to participate for at least a week or two if not for the entire month of October. 

On Sunday, I donned a casual outfit with some pink elements for a day of grading at a coffee shop with a friend who teaches at a SLAC up the road from me, food shopping, and lecture writing.

(Pink Tank - Target, Cardi - Willi Smith (TJ Maxx and remixed), Jeans - Express (remixed), Shoes - John Fluevog Bonnies (remixed), Little Woolf Necklace - Wendy Brandes, Crazed and Glazed over Eyes - c/o Grading Fest 2010)

Yesterday I was back in my trusty plaid dress for a day of teaching and extra office hours (Hola, midterms!).  I had planned to wear my bright pink flats with this outfit, but after my 8 mile run in the morning, I was having some trouble keeping the flats on my feet, so I went with my old faithful spectator, lace-up pumps. 

(Dress - Rabbit Rabbit (remixed many times), Cardi- Say What (remixed), Tights - HUE (remixed), Shoes - r2 (DSW and remixed), Belt - De Lonti (TJ Maxx and remixed))

Are you thinking pink this month?  Have you participated in any events to raise breast cancer awareness or to raise funds for breast cancer research?

Weekly Works Cited 10/2/10

Sally McGraw asks if we, as feminists, can reclaim what she terms traditionally feminine dressing.  The comments are extensive but definitely worth the read. 

L. of Academichic unleashed a bit of a controversy when she critiqued the dress of many of her female students in a recent post.

Kimberly's October Outfit Inspiration Calendar looks pretty darn awesome! 

Tania's orchard photo shoot, has me wanting to go apple picking sometime very soon!

Several stylish bloggers including Anne of The Cohabitating Closet and D-Med of In Professorial Fashion and myself are helping to raise awareness that it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  You can find out more about the Blogging for Breast Cancer AWEARness Challenge over at A Working Mom's Closet.

We hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Back To School Conference Panel 5

Panelist 1: Julia of Polka Dot Biker Shorts

 While Julia didn't actually have a first day of school this fall, she decided to commemorate the five year anniversary of her first day of graduate school.  You can read more about it here.

Panelist 2: Dorky Medievalist of In Professorial Fashion

D-Meds went rogue on her first day back to teach some Chaucer. 

Panelist 3: Liz of Scholar Style Guide

 

Liz went back into the classroom after a two year hiatus.  Check out her post about her decision to don a confidence-boosting outfit to combat the first day jitters.


Panelist 4: A-Dubs of In Professorial Fashion

A-Dubs paid tribute to a colleague with her first day outfit.

Panelist 5: Shakespeare's Feminine Ending

You can read more about her first day professartorial choices in her most recent post just below.


Thanks so much to our panelists for donning and submitting such great looks for their first days!  I've created a Flickr Set so that all the looks can be admired at once.  We still have more panels coming so stay tuned.

Back To School Conference Panel 4

Panelist 1: Millie of Interrobangs Anonymous

Millie went back to school, and her mom, continuing a long-standing tradition, sent her cookies.  Read about it here.


Panelist 2: E-Jo of In Professorial Fashion

Panelist 3: Kristin of Bird on Your Shirt
Kristin went back to school with new boots!

Panelist 4: Mary of Undergrad Fab

Mary went back to school for her last first day as an undergrad.  You can read about her last first day in her recent post.

Panelist 5: L. of Academichic

L. went back to school, but this time she experienced a first day as a high school teacher rather than as a grad student. 

Thanks so much to all of our lovely panelists for submitting such fantastic first day looks!  We still have more first day finery to show you as the Canadians and those on the quarter system go back to school this month and submit their looks, so stay tuned!

Back To School Conference Panel 3

Panelist 1: Cynthia at Be Fabulous Daily

You can read more about this stylish graduate program director's back to school outfit here.

Panelist 2: Elena of Caffeinerd

Elena went back to school a couple of weeks ago, but she's no longer a student.  She is now working at a school as a speech-language pathologist.

Panelist 3: Diana of Smiles Go With Everything

Diana has returned to her professional wardrobe and returned to school in her capacity as a middle school librarian. 

Panelist 4: E. of Academichic
E. went back to school in orange shoes.  You can read about her first day sartorial choices here.

Panelist 5: Jesspgh of Consume or Consumed

Jesspgh both started the school year and began her new job as a new faculty member.  You can read more about it in her recent post.

Again, thanks to all the stylish academics, educators, and students who are participating in this virtual conference!  We've been loving seeing all of your looks!

Back To School Conference Panel 2

Panelist 1: Dr. Da of Weather Geeque Chic

Dr. Da also looked very chic on the first day students were back on campus even though she doesn't teach on Monday's this semester. 

Panelist 2: Miss Studios of O Miss Studious

She wore flats for walking and heels in the classroom to boost her confidence during her first class of the term.  Also check out the fabulous dress she wore to the new student welcome party for her program.

Panelist 3: Emily Kennedy of A Radiant Mephit

Emily went back to school last week.  She's working on an MA in Sociology, and if you haven't read a little bit about her project you should.  It's fascinating stuff!

Panelist 4: Charlotte of Nightbook

Charlotte remarks, "As a creative writing teacher, I can dress more casually than my colleagues in other areas.  For my first class tonight, I wore my favorite Eileen Fisher linen jacket (thrifted), a gray knit  tank trimmed in lace (thrifted), black skinny jeans (Target), and Dansko Solvei sling-back clogs I bought on eBay years ago.  The room where I taught was un-airconditioned and I took this photo after class.  I looked far more crisp going out than I did coming back.  Even the students in tee-shirts and shorts were drooping by the time class ended."

Panelist 5: Adrien of All this Knav'ry

Adrien went back to school last week, but it was to teach her first class ever.  You can read more about her first teaching outfit here. 

Thanks so much to all of our conference participants!  More panels of fashionable academics in their first day attire are coming soon!

Don't forget to enter our Blogiversary giveaways!  A pair of We Love Colors tights or a Shabby Apple dress could be yours!

Weekly Works Cited 8/22/10

Firstly, this past weekend I met up with four incredible ladies, Sal of Already Pretty, Clare of Between Laundry Days, Kristin of Bird on Your Shirt, and Christine of FutureLint.  We went for brunch and then went on a thrifting adventure and Joe (who you can learn more about here) snapped a couple of photos of us on my camera that have been making their way around the interwebs.  Their blogs are all daily reads for me, so I was thrilled to finally meet each of these awesome women in person.

Check out the Best Practices Series over on All Tumble Down.  Along with many other fabulous bloggers, both Kristin and I have been featured.

Have you ever wondered what a PhD looks like?  Now you can see a handy illustrated guide.

Neither my co-bloggers (thanks AUH) or my readers (thanks Katie) will let me for forget that I have the so-called "two-body problem."  

If you specialize in literature or nationalism, you might be interested in this piece on what makes national literature national.

I'm sorry the links are kind of lacking this week.  I have spent most of my time in new faculty orientations and am behind on my writing projects as well as my blog reading.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Bad Ass Boots Conference

If you think summer isn't for boots, well, then, think again, my friends!  A few weeks ago, we issued a CFP for your best summer boots looks, and we got some absolutely fantastic submissions.

Here are the bad ass boots conference participants (in no particular order):

Keira of A Pretty Penny suffers through the heat for the sake of style in a fantastic summer boot look:

Tess of Quintessentially Quirky rocks her cowgirl boots in the summer months:

Chalkdust and Boots wore her lovely blue Veronica slouch boots (Frye) while in Hamburg:

She's also remixed her lovely summer boots for a wear in Boston.


Sally McGraw of Already Pretty rocked a summer boot look built on her grey Diesel Go-Gos:

I spotted her remixing these awesome boots again a few days ago.


Rad in Brooklyn of The Cohabitating Closet recently styled her bad ass lace-up Borns with neutrals:

Style Underdog exudes cool in her summer boots look:

Lydia of Chic on the Cheap looks great in her summer ankle boots and hat:

A-Dubs of In Professorial Fashion wears her "Bondgirls for the Beach":

Outfit info:  Boots: Fluevog Bondgirls, Bikini: Ellesport, Cover-up: Chapter One (via Winners)


D-Meds of In Professorial Fashion wears bad ass Fiorentini + Baker boots to write bad ass prose and to do bad ass yoga poses:

Charmalade of Toast with Charmalade jumps in her bad ass, thrifted boots:

La Historiadora de Moda wears her Fluevog Cowgirls in the summer sun:

La Historiadora de Moda pairs her Fluevog Katrin's with her Anthro Two Wheeler dress for an Edwardian-inspired summer boot look:

  

Thanks so much to all those who participated and shared their fantastic summer boot ensembles!  You have proven that boots with some slouch, cowgirl boots, and Fluevogs don't need to be shelved just because it's June or July.  I know that several other readers wanted to participate, but especially crazy heat waves made it difficult to submit to this conference.   Have you worn boots this summer?  Have you wanted to but been prevented from doing so by the heat?

We hope you'll consider submitting to our Back to School conference (see the side bar for details)!  We'll be taking submissions though the months of August and September.