Professor Mix-a-lot Does Women's History

Hello. My name is Ray, and I'm addicted to mixing patterns.  When putting in my schedule and course request for spring of 2012 earlier this week, I asked to teach either a graduate readings seminar on early modern Europe or an upper level course on mixology.

 (Dress - Nine West (remixed), Cardigan - Population, Tights - We Love Colors (remixed), Boots - John Fluevog Bondgirls (remixed)

On a more serious note, what I'll probably actually end up teaching next spring  is a couple of survey courses and an upper level course on women in pre-modern Europe.

Strange.  If you had told me back when I started graduate school that I would teach a course on women's history, I would have laughed in your face.  A class that I TA'ed for early in my grad student career was taught by an older, white, male faculty member, and he repeatedly asked me (the only female TA in the class) if I wanted to give parts of lectures about women in modern American history.  I kept telling him no, and he kept saying, "oh, yeah, because you do the early stuff...."  To which I kept responding that no, it was that I didn't do women's history.

After dabbling in radical feminism, I had over time lapsed into apathy before slowly coming to the more moderate brand of liberal feminism that I began grad school with.  And part of that meant to me at the time was that I could choose what I wanted to do with my life, what I wanted to focus my studies on, what I wanted to write my dissertation on, and at that point what I wanted to research had nothing to do with women.  It surprised me to encounter such entrenched gendered assumptions on the part of a faculty member.  Surely he had seen women come through the PhD program before and not work on women's history; surely he noticed some of his female colleagues didn't specialize in the history of women!

Less than a year and a half later I had defended my MA thesis, made the jump from early America to early modern Europe and the Atlantic World, and somehow issues of gender were slowly becoming increasingly salient to my new research.  I won't give you the details, but part of that meant was that my choices had changed and my repeated claim that I didn't do women's history was no longer true -- even though I'll be the first to admit that it still rubs me the wrong way that someone would assume that just because I am a woman and a historian that I must be a women's historian.  While I still consider myself primarily a historian of Spain and of early modern Europe, I came to the conclusion that it would be a disservice to the actresses, female troupe managers, and women audience members I research to not be a women's historian, as well.  

So there you have it.  My confession.  I'm a women's historian.  And a pattern mixing addict.  I apologize for neither.

P.S. Were you expecting me to reveal my name?

Feminist Origins: My Childhood

First an outfit that I wore last week for a day of teaching.  Honestly, this was one of my favorite outfits in a long time.  It turns out that wearing silk pants is even more comfy than wearing pjs.

(Pants - Club Monaco (remixed), Tank - Target (remixed), Cardigan - Target (remixed), Boots - John Fluevog Mallory (remixed) Scarf - Jones New York, Earrings - New York & Co. (remixed))

I have been thinking a lot about feminism lately.  It's not just because of our CFP (enter by Friday 2/25!) either.  I don't want to get into a political rant, but I've been feeling lately as if women are under attack from certain political constituencies in the United States, who want to redefine rape and who want to pull funding from organizations like Planned Parenthood, which provides annual exams, STD testing, and birth control to women with low income who do not have sufficient health insurance.

But like I said, I don't want this to become a rant because I don't think that's productive.  Instead I want to explain my stance on feminism across a couple of posts over the next week or so.  The first of these has to do with the origins of my sense of gender equality through my childhood experience.  It was my upbringing that helped shape me into the essentially liberal feminist that I am.  I rarely write a post this personally revealing, but here goes.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where limitations were not put on me because of my sex or gender.  From an early age, I believed that I was just as capable as any bo(d)y, and my parents fostered that.  To the best of their abilities and limited income, my zoologist/teacher/professor father and my teacher/housewife/computer geek/counselor mother gave me equality of opportunity and taught me to shun stereotypes and stereotyping.  I believed and still do believe that discrimination on the basis of gender, class, race, physical appearance, or religion is wrong and that women's work should be appreciated and equally compensated.

Growing up, I had cowboy boots and a couple of barbie dolls.  I had dump trucks and Anne of Green Gables books. I loved Spiderman, Indiana Jones, Wonder Woman, and Jane Goodall.  I climbed trees, fished, and camped.  I put on lipstick and had a favorite clutch purse.  I did cartwheels.  I rode my bike and popped wheelies.  I had pet snakes and pet hamsters.  I was good at math and reading.  I wore jeans.  I wore dresses.  In the first grade I got in trouble at school for telling one of my classmates at lunch that shithead and doodoo brain meant the same thing.  At home, my parents agreed that I was right about that but suggested I not use such language at school.  As I got older, I did science fairs.  I did Model UN.  I was a cheerleader.  I did kung fu.  I curled my hair.  I cut my hair short.  I watched football.  I painted my toe nails.  I took Calculus and AP English.  In essence, my parents didn't gender my toys, my opportunities, my academic achievements, or my activities.  They let me decide what I wanted to do (so long as I mowed the lawn and didn't incur huge long distance phone bills and kept my grades up), and they supported me while I pursued those things.

It was never suggested to me that I should be anyone but me.  My parents encouraged me to be smart, strong, capable, opinionated, politically aware, intentional, independent, generous, and a third wave feminist.  They encouraged me to call bullshit when I saw it or heard it.  They raised me to make my choices without the constraints of gendered assumptions.  So much so, that I'm still occasionally surprised that these constraints exist and are still so deeply embedded in much of American society.

Blazer Up

I'm currently exhausted and feeling behind on pretty much everything.  I'm going to try to work my way through a stack of papers while I'm administering a midterm in one of my classes this morning.  If I can make it through today, I might be able to come close to breaking even on everything but sleep by the end of the day tomorrow.  Because I need a little bit of extra scholarly oomph to my day, I'm planning on wearing a blazer today, but I'm actually posting the one that I wore last Tuesday for today's event at Everybody Everywear.  (I said I'm behind.  I might not have time to snap photos today....)

 (Blazer - H&M, Blouse - New York & Co. (remixed), Skirt - J.Crew (thrifted and remixed), Polka Dot Tights - Top Shop (gift and remixed), Boots - John Fluevog Bondgirls (remixed), Earrings - New York & Co. (remixed))

I've had this pale pink blazer for a few months and have worn it a few times, but this is the first time I've worn it on the blog.  It may not replace my velveteen blazer in my affections, but it has quickly become one of my new favorites in spite of the facts that the pale pink can make it a little hard to style and that it seems to be a magnet for disaster.  In the few times I've worn it, I had a pen explode on me once (fortunately only getting on my hand) and a salsa incident another time.

How would you style up this blazer?  Do you have any items that seem to attract red sauces, wine, and sharpie?

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?

19/30 Mixology

Last Wednesday I took a personal day.  I slept in, answered a few work related emails, watched multiple episodes of Angel and Buffy, and made chicken parmigiana.  I probably would have done it all in yoga pants, but Kendi's challenge and the advice of the devil wearing Anthro compelled me to spend a little time doing some pattern mixing too.

30x30 Items: 12. Shifting Buttons Skirt - Anthropologie + 16. Black & White Striped Top + Sub 3. Duck Boots - Ugg

Accessories: Belt - from another dress (remixed), Necklace - Gift (remixed), Tights - TopShop (remixed)

Is it wrong that I love these Ugg Duck Boots?  Have I lost all my street cred?  Because if I have, I'll, ya know, challenge you to a dance off -- or maybe just go back to work on an article for publication -- in order to get it back....

P.S. Elena of Caffeinerd also has this Anthro skirt, and she just got engaged while in Dublin.  Head over to her blog to congratulate her and to check out her skirt stylings.  Congratulations again, Elena!

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.

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?

Polka Dots and Puppy Dogs

The other day I spent almost twelve hours on campus.  I taught an 8am class, held office hours, taught a 12pm class, graded some quizzes, had coffee with a colleague, wrote part of a lecture, and attended the first meeting of a student organization (I'm its faculty advisor for the year).  So when Bailey decided to hijack my outfit photos that evening I really didn't have the energy to fend her off.

(Dress - Target (remixed), Sweater - Willi Smith (TJ Maxx), Tights - Top Shop (gift and remixed), Shoes - r2 (DSW and remixed), Scarf - gift from Sal)

It's kind of nice to come home to a silly puppy dog at the end of a long day...

even if she does keep you from showing off your awesome polka dot tights.

This outfit marked the return of tights wearing for me after a summer of bare legs.  Have you busted your tights out yet?  What about your fall jackets?  Guys, what about you?  What fall wardrobe elements are you pulling out of the closet?

Dressing My Best for Blogger Breton Stripes Day

This week a couple of us are participating in Academichic's Dress Your Best Week, along with many other style bloggers. If you haven't checked this out, you really should.  So many men and women have body confidence issues, and the idea of dressing to emphasize what you actually like about your body instead of dressing to minimize what you perceive as its flaws is a wonderfully empowering way of flipping a fashion rules paradigm on its head.

Five of my favorite things about my body are:
1. my eyes
2. my hair
3. my hour-glass shape
4. my ass
5. my shoulders/upper back

In this post I'll be celebrating my hour-glass shape and my derriere.

Today is all about intertextuality, as I'm also participating in What I Wore's Blogger Breton Stripes Day.  The outfit that I'm posting is one that I wore a few days ago that I built around this Breton striped top and around emphasizing my body's natural curves, including my small waist and curvy hips and butt.¹ In order to draw attention to my hour glass shape, I used two different patterns that met at my waist to create a point of contrast. I also tucked in my shirt into my skirt and belted the two pieces together. 

 1. Shirt - ??? (Filene's and remixed)

Skirt - H&M (remixed)

Scarf - ??? (thrifted and remixed)

Wedges - diba (DSW in 2005 maybe)

Sunnies - Esprit (thrifted)

Belt - from another dress (remixed)

Honestly, I loved how this outfit came together.  I loved it so much that I insisted that M. and I go out to dinner when I got home from campus that day because I didn't want to change out of it.  I felt polished and sassy, which is a combination that I don't always feel that I'm able to pull off very well.  And in this outfit I definitely felt unapologetically body confident -- like I had dressed my best....

Have you been wearing Breton striped items this season? If you want to see some fabulous looks featuring Breton stripes head over to What I Wore right now!  How do you dress to maximize your body shape? What's one good thing you've done for your body and for your body image today?

Thanks so much to the ladies over at Academichic for hosting this great blogging event, and also thanks so much to Jessica of What I Wore for putting together Blogger Breton Stripes Day!

Trending Topics, Take 2

On Tuesday I spent most of the day working on dissertation revisions from home.  I might not have been inspired to change out of pjs that day, but a little before noon a package, containing ModCloth birthday loot from a friend, arrived for me.  I mentioned in a previous post that I haven't owned a pair of shorts -- aside from gym shorts -- for years.  Well, now I do.  The length of this pair of shorts is way outside of my bare skin comfort zone, so I paired them with my wonderfully thick and vibrant magenta nylon/licra microfiber tights from We Love Colors.¹  I'm glad I gave this trend another shot because I actually really loved the result! 

 1. Shirt - ??? (Filene's and remixed)

Shorts - ModCloth

Tights - We Love Colors (remixed)

Boots - John Fluevog (remixed)

Scarf - thrifted

When I hit a wall in my work in the afternoon, I convinced M. to go for a little walk with me and take some photos.  It was the perfect weather for pairing tights with shorts and wearing 3/4 length sleeves without a jacket.

I still don't think I would wear tights and shorts to teach in, but I might venture to campus to the library in them.  What do you all think?  Would you wear shorts (over tights) to give a lecture?  Would you wear them to do research at the library or archives (not at the Vatican, though, of course) or lab?

If you haven't yet entered my birthday giveaway, please do!  I consider your readership such an unexpected and awesome gift every day!

Purple with Polka Dots

I wasn't feeling super inspired when I was getting dressed yesterday.  I've been sick again since the weekend and just getting through preparing lectures, teaching, and grading has had me pretty much wiped out by the end of each day this week.  I've had no energy for much besides, which is really frustrating because I'm supposed to turn my dissertation into my readers in a week and a half and run a half-marathon in less than three weeks.  Since I wasn't feeling so hot, I just went for comfort with my cotton purple dress and my black cardi.¹

1. Dress - Target (remixed)

Cardi - Target (remixed)

Tight - Top Shop (remixed)

Scarf - ?? (remixed)

Loafers - Ann Klein (DSW and remixed)

Belt - from another dress (remixed)

Ring - Salamanca (remixed)

I tried to pep up my with my polka dot tights and a colorful, patterned scarf, but I felt like I should be teaching at Clown College, considering how red and puffy my nose was (and is).  I really wished I could have just stayed in pjs with cups of hot tea and episodes of LOST.

What are your tricks for powering through a week when you're not feeling your best?

Q & A with La Historiadora de Moda, Part II

A couple of weeks ago, I answered your questions about my personal life.  Now, as promised, here are the answers to the questions that you all asked me about my professional/academic life.

 (My messy home office in my old apartment)

Sal asked: What will you miss most about being a grad student?
To be completely frank, there's not much I will miss about being a graduate student other than the friendships that I have made in graduate school.  I don't want to give a negative impression of my program or experience in grad school.  I have been very lucky with my advisers and the number of opportunities that I have had to do research, to teach my own classes, to present at conferences, etc.  However, I've definitely reached a point in my life and in my career where I am ready to move on. 


adressandabike asked: What attracted you to academia?
As an undergraduate, I had some great history professors who were enthusiastic about their teaching and their work, and that enthusiasm was contagious.  Also my late father was a teacher and later in life a professor (in the biological sciences), and I'm sure that influenced me.  My mom has produced evidence in the form of marked up elementary school textbooks that show an early obsession with history, especially with that of Spain.

Julia asked: If you weren't in your field of academics, what kind of career would you like to have?
I honestly don't know, which is probably why I'm so panicked about the possibility of nothing working out for me on the academic job market.  I love doing the kind of research that I have been trained to do and what I have been doing this year as a visiting faculty member.  If I didn't have such a black thumb, going to work on an organic farm would intrigue me as a back up plan.

A-C asked: What is your PhD thesis on/what is your specialty?
I'm not going to go into too much specific detail here, but my PhD thesis is about commercial theatre in early modern cities and drama's relationship with political culture and public opinion.  My specialty is Europe 1500-1800, but my research focuses mainly on Spain and its empire.  If you want to know more, you'll have to wait for the book.  :P

Anna asked: What courses are you currently teaching? If you could teach anything, what would it be?
Currently I am teaching a course on pre-modern Western Civilization and one on The Reformation.  I'm really enjoying teaching the Reformation and would love to do it again.  If I could teach whatever I wanted, I'd love to teach a course on medieval and early modern Spain and one on early modern cities.

KC asked: What is your favorite book?
I wrote about my favorite novels in the last Q & A post, but I figured I owed you one favorite academic book.  Peter Burke's Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe really shaped my thinking in my early years in grad school.  


And you didn't ask, but here's a typical work outfit¹ for me these days:

1. Dress - Teeze Me (Filene's Basement and remixed)
Cardi - Target (remixed)
Tights - HUE (remixed)
Belt - From another dress (remixed)
Boots - Fluevog (remixed)
Necklace - Boutique in Santiago de Compostela (remixed)
Earrings - Etsy (remixed)

My hair is still not super long, but it's getting long enough that I can experiment and play with braids a bit more than I could a few months ago.

What is your field of specialty?  If you aren't an academic, what was/is your favorite subject in school?

I’m a Lumberjack and I’m OK

The NY Times photographer, Bill Cunningham, hits the streets of Manhattan weekly to photograph the styles “On the Street.” In a recent post by Bill he talks about the growth of “Lumberjack plaids ……in painters palette colors” I really have been afraid of all things flannel and steered clear of plaid prints. Something about them doesn’t quite fit with my personality. But taking my cues from the trends I have recently added a piece of red, black and yellow flannel plaid to my closet and I must say that I would not want to live without it now. Here I wear it with a blue high waisted track jacket and boyfriend jeans while I get some work done in the lab. I’m embracing my inner lumberjack, and it feels warm and cozy and doesn’t look half bad either. Who knew that I would like the lumberjack-wearing flannel look? Is there a fabric or pattern that you have stayed away from because of tropes associated with them?

Trending Topics

Today I have no intention of stepping foot outside the house.  I came down with a cold a couple of days ago, and I'm trying to get as well as I can for my operatic double date tomorrow.  I also have a mountain of papers to grade.  I decided to use my current status as a shut-in to take the opportunity to try a trend that I like on other people but that I have feared I would not like on myself at all: shorts over tights.  It is a trend that I might have flirted with back in the youthful days of my 90s, but to be honest with you I have only owned one pair of shorts that aren't gym shorts in the past ten years.  I don't really like shorts and in my twenties I decided that I should accept that and move on.  However, I've been seeing so many other lovely bloggers rock this trend that I decided to give it a try.

First I took a pair of jeans that I've had for several years but that I haven't worn for several months and applied a pair of scissors to them.¹  I figured that even if I hated the look I wouldn't be out of pocket, in violation of shopping ban, etc.

1. Jean Shorts - Lucky Brand shorted by me

Tights - Target

Shirt - H&M (remixed)

Hooded Cardi - Larry Levine (Filene's Basement and remixed)

Boots - John Fluevog (remixed)

And I'm glad that I didn't go out of pocket.  My lack of confidence in the outfit and the fact that I am unwell showed in all of the photos.  I might give the shorts over tights thing another chance some other weekend in the future, but this is not a look that I would ever wear for teaching or into campus.  This first attempt definitely falls into the category of outfits that don't work.  My suspicion is that this look is just not me and that any shorts in my life are for gym-wear only.

What about you?  How do you feel about this trend?  Are there any trends out there right now that you like on other people but feel alien to your own personal style?

 

An Unexpected Pairing

On Monday I knew that I wanted to wear my argyle tights.¹  They had been languishing, unworn in my wardrobe since the last time I wore them (on Christmas day), and I just couldn't in good conscience leave them sitting in the tights drawer any longer.  I paired them with this grey dress that I love for its tremendous comfort.  I added a patterned scarf, a belt, and a pair of Fluevogs to create an outfit that had some unexpected pairings and visual interest.

1. Dress - Target (remixed)

Shirt - Target (remixed)

Tights - HUE (Filene's Basement and remixed)

Mary Jane's - John Fluevog (remixed)

Scarf - Target

Belt - from another skirt

Earrings - ???

I don't know about you, but I can sometimes still find mixing patterns a little bit challenging.  How do you mix your patterns?  Are you pattern friendly or pattern phobic?  And do you think pattern mixing is best left for library days rather than classroom days?  I'm still on the fence on this one.

Florals and Stripes

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I've been on a shopping ban for about 2.5 weeks now.  In case you've been wondering, so far it's been relatively smooth sailing because I have been avoiding temptation.

The shopping ban's main purpose was to keep my budget in line even with the added expenses of attire and beauty for my upcoming wedding.  It had a few other purposes, though, as well.  One of which was a sort of learning exercise.  I wanted to be forced to make better use of what I already had in my closet.  I had been wondering, though, if the ban would make me fall horribly behind on current trends (not that I like or wear all of them).  When I read the most recent issue of Glamour, I realized that most of the trends that I would be willing to try anyway (especially for teaching attire) I'll be able to make work with what I've got.  For example, jumpsuits make me look and feel like a blob, and thus, they are not something I would think too much about buying even without the shopping ban.  However, mixing floral and striped patterns¹ is something that I am willing and able to do.

1. Shirt - ??? (Filene's Basement)

Cardi - Target (remixed)

Jeans - Express (remixed)

Boots - Steve Madden (remixed)

Belt - From another dress (remixed)

Earrings - Gift (remixed)

Now, in my opinion, mixing stripes and florals is a trend that I think is translateable into classroom appropriate attire.  However, I do think that female academics should approach floral patterns with a bit of caution, especially those who are younger or look quite young and especially early in the term when it is important to set the tone for the next ten to fifteen weeks.  Florals can make one seem "girly," which is not always the message an instructor wants to send to her students.  And -- for better or worse -- students do notice what we wear.

What do you think about this trend?  And, for those readers who are academics, what do you think?  Do you think I'm just a croaking Cassandra?  Have you, did you, or will you wear a floral pattern on the first day of the term?


Oh, and, there's still a couple of weeks to answer our CFP.

Whimsical Snow Stomp

Today I had to run some errands, meet some students during my office hours, and give a lecture in one of my classes.  Since I have about a half mile walk each way to the bus stop and nobody in this town shovels their walks, I have to resign myself to wearing snow stomping boots for the worst of the Midwestern winter.  It can break up the boot monotony to pair a pair of bad-ass boots by mixing patterns and by wearing something a little more whimsical . . . for example, polka dot tights and a dress with a fun pattern.¹

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

Cardi - Target (remixed)

Tights - Topshop

Boots - John Fluevog (remixed)

Belt - from another dress (remixed)

Necklace - made by me (remixed)

Ring - shop in Salamanca (remixed)

I was so excited to finally wear these awesome tights!  M. ordered them from Top Shop for me over the holidays, and they didn't arrive until right before I left for my conference. I would have liked to pair them with a shoe that would show them off more, but that will have to wait until Spring Thaw.

Bailey realized she hadn't said hi to you, dear readers, in a while, so she wanted to make an appearance today.

Of course, she can be very fickle.  After begging to come on the photo shoot, she decided that she didn't want to look directly at the camera.  I think she's still a little miffed about having to be boarded while we were out in California....

On my bus ride home from campus tonight I saw the most amazingly dressed man.  (His briefcase and reading material led me to think he might have even been an academic.)  He had on an amazing grey coat and  orange scarf and black pants tucked into some awesome rubber boots.  I think after five winters in the Midwest, I'm starting to realize that it is indeed possible to be stylish and stomp in the snow.

So, how do you style your snow stomping boots?  And am I the only one who is already sick of winter?

Channeling My Inner Betty Draper - Holiday Party Edition

I love Mad Men and my personal style has been significantly influenced by the character of Joan.  However, there's much to love about Betty Draper's sophisticated, pretty style too.  My fiance and I hosted a Holiday Party the other night, and I tried to channel my inner Betty Draper with my party dress¹, pretty prints, cooking, and hosting skills.

I couldn't find one of the attachments to my food processor, so I had to grate about a million potatoes for latkes by hand before the festivities could start.

1. Dress - White House Black Market

Floral cardi - Target

Tights - Target

Suede pumps - Nine West (DSW)

Cameo Choker - Etsy
Bracelet - Gift
Earrings - Edwin Pearl (Filene's Basement)

We were joined by a number of friends in festive attire for the latkes and other goodies and festive, holiday drinks, like pomegranate cocktails, mulled wine, and candy cane flavored beverages.

You can see my cameo choker better here.

Have you been to any holiday parties yet?  What did you wear?  We Fashionable Academics hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season!  Stay safe and warm and on top of your academic (or other work-related) responsibilities!

Weekend Wear: Peacock

The other day I received these lovely peacock tights from ModCloth, and I couldn't wait to wear them!  I should have worn them on Weird Friday, but I was just too cold that day and had to wear jeans.  (When I got home from my Friday afternoon run with my librarian friend, I spent the next three hours wrapped in fleece blankets sitting next to a space heater and trying to convince Bailey to stay on my lap!) Yesterday wasn't quite as cold, though, and I wanted to wear these tights¹ for a bit of grading, class prep, holiday shopping (I'm getting a bit of a late start this year), and tree decorating. 

I felt like this outfit was fantastic, but later when I saw the pictures, I realized that it wasn't as awesome as it seemed in my head.  However, in the spirit of fashionable academic honesty, I decided to go ahead and post the pictures anyway.  (I know some other lovely bloggers, like Chelsea, have also posted some outfits that they thought were less than perfect.) The whole reason that I started doing outfit posts on the blog was to get over my phobia of having pictures of myself taken.  My gut reaction on seeing any picture of myself was to judge, judge, judge, and pick, pick, pick.  I've come a long way in getting over that, but I still sometimes catch myself criticizing my outfit post pictures in ways that I never would those of anyone else.

                                                                                    1. Tights - ModCloth

                                                                                        Dress - American Apparel

                                                                                        Shirt - Moa Moa (Filene's Basement)

                                                                                        Cardi - Remixed

                                                                                        Wedges - Mia (DSW)

                                                                                        Belt - From another dress

Has this happened to you?  Have you put together an outfit that you thought was fantastic only to later realize that it didn't work for you?  I'm also curious as to your thoughts on American Apparel.  I love their colors and their labor policy, but everything I buy from them stretches out really quickly or falls apart after two washes.  What's up with that? 

New Hair and New Trends

I blogged yesterday about breaking up the academic routine and mentioned that one way to do that was go to the salon in the middle of the day and get your hair done and read trashy, gossip magazines.  Well, that's just what I did yesterday.  I wanted to get in a visit to my stylist before my mom and in-laws arrive for Thanksgiving and before the final, last mad push of the term begins.  I'm really happy with the results.  I love the dark red.  It feels much more me than the blonde highlights did.

Today, in an attempt to continue preventing a potential style rut, I decided to try belting a scarf.  It's a look that I've been seeing quite a bit lately.  I put this look together with a shirt dress that I don't wear that often because don't like the tie waist very much.  I took advantage of the scarf and the belt to just knot the tie and tuck it into the dress itself.  I also thought it was time to wear my new red argyle tights.¹  I've been seeing a lot of argyle this season, too.

I was a little bit uncertain about trying the scarf-belting trend, but I'm pretty pleased with the way the outfit turned out. It was about all I had to be pleased with today, as I have a sore throat and a terrible sinus headache. I've been fighting this cold for a while, and it's finally won.  Instead of going out tonight to meet up with some girlfriends, I'm home wrapped in blankets and drinking hot tea.

 1. Short Sleeve Turtleneck - Necessary Objects (Filene's Basement)

Shirt dress - Target

Scarf - Target

Tights - HUE (Filene's Basement)

Belt - from another skirt

Spectator Pumps - r2 (DSW)

The liberal arts college where I am an adjunct has the whole week of Thanksgiving off, so today was my last class there for a week.  I'm grateful to have only one class to teach next week.  I'm hoping to get over the cold I seem to have come down with and get caught up on some of my own research stuff over the weekend and early in the week and then cook up a storm on Wednesday and Thursday.  (Look for a gratuitous apron post.)

How do you feel about belting scarves?  How do you tend to wear your scarves?  What are some of the new trends out there that you are trying or planning to try?