Glam

This semester, I'm teaching film for the first time. I've studied film and written about film and incorporated film into my other courses, but now it's the real deal: the intro class for film majors. I'm sad to admit that when I embarked upon this process, I spent relatively little brain power bulking up on discontinuity editing and the Hollywood star system and auteur cinema compared to the mental space I devoted to the questions "Am I stylish enough to teach film?" and "What does a film teacher wear?" Despite all evidence to the contrary, I am under the impression that the kinds of people who teach film wear sleek all-black outfits and have edgy asymmetrical haircuts. Why I think I need to look like Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to be a credible teacher of Casablanca is unclear to me, but there you have it.

This is what I in fact wore to teach Casablanca. Neither edgy nor artsy. But it does have what I consider to be relatively subtle touches of Hollywood glam in the red blouse and leopard-print pumps. Red and leopard are super glam, right? In retrospect, I could have added even more glam -- maybe a gold necklace or sparkly earrings -- without the outfit turning costumey.

The lessons I learned in film class today? Film teachers need not look edgy, or wear black, or have asymmetrical haircuts. A touch of old time glamour works just fine. And perhaps they should know something about film.

blouse: LOFT (this seasons colors -- I can't decide if I love the "ominous teal" or "maize gold" better!) | jeans: Gap | belt: American Eagle | shoes: Franco Sarto | bag: J.Crew Factory | bangles: J.Crew Factory