Whatever Works

 

The first two weeks of the semester are always a disaster an adventure, and adding a family wedding on the west coast in between them does not -- spoiler alert -- make them any easier. But I have survived, nay thrived, and lived to tell the tale. I'm now sitting on my front porch, drinking a glass of wine, and basking in my glory. Or perhaps just basking in the humidity. I'll take what I can get.

Knowing that these few weeks were going to be mayhem, I made sure to take outfit photos every day before the semester started. I knew this would make it easier to maintain a semi-regular blog presence. I had no idea it would also help me get dressed every morning, but it did. When I woke up on Monday morning with a brain full of jet-lag and student meetings and syllabuses and no room for fashion, I simply copied one of the outfits I'd photographed a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, when the jet lag hadn't dissipated, I did the same. By Thursday, when I could no longer blame my foggy brain on jet lag, I'd run out of outfits for this week, so I reached further back to the archive and wore this beauty from early in August. It's like a "pin to present" or "make it work Monday" but so much easier because (1) I already have all the stuff and (2) I know how it "works" on me. (Don't worry, Erin, I'll actually copy someone other than myself for the next Make it Work Monday!)

I was delighted to wear this outfit not once but twice in the past few weeks. (I rarely see the same people day in and day out -- I mean, the freshman I teach just showed up two weeks ago!!!) My favorite part of the ensemble is that the two statement pieces, the necklace and the skirt, both came from Target and have held up incredibly well despite being purchased years ago and match each other perfectly and do so through two colors that I love, yellow and green. I felt like a pattern-and-color-and-bling matching ninja. Not really, but maybe someday!

necklace: Target [old] | skirt: Target [even older, not dissimilar] | tank: LOFT | cardigan: Target [this year's colors] | shoes: Banana Republic [exact -- limited sizes now, but I'm sure they'll restock soon!] | bag: J.Crew factory

And We're Back!

Hello out there! I fell off the face of the earth for a while there. First there was a week-long vacation (wonderful) and then there was back to school (also wonderful... remember, I'm a massive nerd).

This outfit, which I wore when it was still technically "summer recess" (i.e. the undergrads hadn't shown up), is my sorry attempt to achieve this lame summer goal. I decided to go with tan as my neutrals this time around and it seems to have worked. Still not a particularly ambitious remix, but hey, these pants do fine all on their own.

pants: J.Crew Factory | sweater: J.C. Penny | belt: American Eagle | bag: J.Crew Factory | shoes: Banana Republic [exact]

Wrap It Up

On days when I have nothing to wear, I wear a patterned wrap dress. On days when nothing fits, I wear a patterned wrap dress. On days when I can't figure out if I'm supposed to wear something casual, or professional, or dressy, I wear a patterned wrap dress. They require minimal accessories and styling, they're comfortable and forgiving, and they're appropriate for just about every situation. 

I bought this dress at a consignment shop the summer before I started graduate school and boy have I gotten my $20 worth! I've been able to wear it as my body has fluctuated and have lent it to friends of different shapes and sizes. I've worn it to conferences, to teach, and out to dinner. I've thrown it in many a suitcase since it packs down small and doesn't wrinkle. If you're building a professional wardrobe and have limited space, time, or money I cannot recommend a patterned wrap dress enough. 

dress: Max Studio [consigned] | tank: Rock & Republic [consigned] | bag: J.Crew Factory | shoes: Banana Republic [exact]

Fancypants

The thing that I love about these pants is also the thing that I don't love so much about these pants. They are interesting enough stand on their own, which means getting dressed is super easy. But by the same token, I've had them for seven years and I've only ever worn them with a black shirt, black belt, and black shoes. I'd like to try to style them differently sometime this summer, but for now, if it ain't broke...

pants: J.Crew outlet [old] | t-shirt: Banana Republic | belt: Gap | shoes: Nine West outlet | sunglasses: LOFT

Gone Fishin'

I recently completed a very large writing project, so lately I've been filling my now utterly empty brain with very interesting questions. One such question was posed by Caroline a few months ago: "What colors would pair well with orange?" Although I don't have a ton of orange, I like wearing it, but I have a long list of colors I won't wear orange with. I won't wear it with black, because I think it looks to halloweeny. I won't wear it with brown, because I think it looks to drab. I won't wear it with blue, because I think it looks like I'm on a collegiate sports team. 

I think green works great, though. Maybe not hunter green, because I think it looks a little huntery... but lime green has managed to escape my taboo list. And the assistant at our local pharmacy agreed, complimenting me on my bold color combo not once but twice -- once when I dropped a prescription off in the morning, and again when I picked it up in the afternoon. So green it is!

I wore this to run errands, think deep thoughts, and NOT write for the first time in months. It was awesome! I'll miss the cold, empty library soon, but I'm enjoying a few days off.

shirt: J.Crew outlet | shorts: Banana Republic outlet | belt: American Eagle [ancient... we're talking high school] | bag: J.Crew outlet | shoes: Franco Sarto via DSW | sunglasses: LOFT | earrings: Target 

Put a Bird on It

When I saw this commercial for Portlandia, it hit a little close to home. Looking around my living room right now, I see framed prints of birds, a bird statuette, and three bird-printed pillows, not to mention a decorative bird cage and a paperweight shaped like a duck. My first thought upon seeing the commercial was, I better cool it. I probably don't need a bird on everything. But you know what? I like birds. They're pretty and they make other things pretty. So I'm embracing my desire to put a bird on it, whatever it is. And here is the wonderful if somewhat pathetic result: an outfit with not one but two bird-printed fabrics. I bought the tote bag a for a few pounds at the Victoria and Albert Museum in order to lug stuff around London when I broke my leather tote. The dress is a slightly more recent addition from the Banana Republic outlet. And by the way, the birds love hanging out with the giraffe charm I'm wearing as a necklace. Do I go overboard with critters? Perhaps, but I'm not sorry. 

I wore this for a trip to the beach (and a beachside pizza parlor)! It's still too cold to swim, but it was an absolutely beautiful day.

dress: Banana Republic outlet | tote: V&A Museum Shop | hat: sidewalk stall in Brooklyn | sunglasses: LOFT | giraffe charm: gift from my best friend | belt: Old Navy | shoes: Franco Sarto via DSW

A Few of My Favorite Things

I adore every single piece of clothing I am wearing today. I love the stripey sweater. I love the lime shorts, even if they're rumpled. I love the green-and-yellow necklace. I love the gold shoes and belt. I love the Russian sage, which though it is not a piece of clothing inspired this outfit. I noticed the purple flowers yesterday and immediately knew, first of all, that I wanted to use them as a background for an outfit photo and second, that they would look great with my lime green shorts. And I was right! I'm phenomenally pleased with myself.

I wore this for a day of writing, writing, writing.

sweater: LOFT | shorts: Banana Republic factory | necklace: Target | belt: J.Crew factory | shoes: Lindsay Phillips | shades: LOFT