hello again, Old Friend

This skirt and I have a long past.  I originally bought this skirt in about 2003/2004 on a Target clearance rack for about $3.50.  What a steal!  I got lots of compliments on this skirt over the years.  In fact one day, my post doc advisor (geeky engineer) stopped in my office on the way to a meeting to say "I can't stay, I'm on my way to a meeting.  I know this is out of character for me to say, but that skirt is fabulous on you, and I just had to stop in and tell you that."  But then I lost 50 pounds, and the skirt no longer fit.  It was the last item of clothing that was too big that I parted with.  I kept hoping I would have some inspiration on how to alter it, but came to the realization that it just had to go.  Then about 1.5 weeks ago, I came across this skirt on Ebay in my new smaller size!   I paid more than the first time I bought this skirt, but I know from experience that it will be worth every penny!  So excited to have it back in my closet.  I have tried to replace it a few times over the last 2 years (this being the closest).  The other zebra skirt will be heading to a Goodwill donation box, now that this one is back.

change of plans

I had an outfit all picked out for today.  Was already dressed in it....and then I saw this post, and it completely game me inspiration on how to style a blouse and sweater I have been having difficulty with.  The shirt while nipping in at the waist is still pretty flowy/ loosey-goosey and looks funny with a belt over it.  The sweater is a little bit too much of a scoop neck for the classroom, but didn't look right with a cami.  Plus the print of the blouse is a little much for me when all over my top half.

The black tights and black boots were already on from my original outfit, so I just left them on.  The dark boots and tights wouldn't be my first choice, but they are good enough for a Monday.  The sweater is Ann Taylor Loft, the blouse is Mossimo, and the skirt is Abercrombie and Fitch.....all via Goodwill.

I hope it is just the light

This is a dress I wore Wednesday night to a party.  I was wearing a raspberry pink bra, and in this photo it looks like you can tell the color of my bra.  I hope it is just the flash........I would have changed bras if I knew it showed through.

I forgot to take a picture of my Thanksgiving outfit....but believe me when I say I looked cute in a brown tweed skirt and orange crew neck sweater.

dressing for summer....I mean fall.

Temperatures in the 70s here again today.  I spent 4 years in Canada, where our summer highs were in the 70s!  I am still challenged down here to wear light weight clothing, but that has fall colors.  Because my summer color palette  seems wrong in November.

These boots feel like I am wearing slippers all day.  The madras skirt is J Crew via Goodwill.  The sweater is Talbot's, and the t-shirt underneath is also via Goodwill.  This outfit works well for this time of year as it is light weight but fall colors.

no skirt today

Today, despite being a teaching day, is not a day for a skirt or dress.  I am taking one of my classes out to set up some weather stations on campus.  While I will make the students do the manual labor, I think I would feel funny instructing them in hammering in stakes in a skirt and heels. 

This outfit isn't very exciting.  But it is also a pretty standard academic look....black pants, patterned shirt, colored cardigan.  The cardigan was a new with tags Goodwill find, and the shirt is an Ann Taylor ebay purchase.

all new to me

I had debated waiting for a special occasion to wear my Anthropologie find, but decided a Wednesday is good enough occasion.  I need to do some work with weather instruments today, and I am not teaching, so a good day to break out these cords to wear with the new cardi.

These grey corduroy pants are Gap via Goodwill ($3.79), the pink t-shirt is also via Goodwill ($3.79), and as previously mentioned I found this Anthropologie cardigan with the original tag still on at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $3.99.  It's all new to me, and I am loving it!

easy peasy

Today I dressed in a flash.  But I am comfy and happy with the outcome.

Grey dress for a grey day

It is an overcast Monday here.  the sort of day where you wish you could wear pajamas all day.  I am tempted to hide at home and catch up on grading, but I have a few things I need to do on my office computer.  And while I don't have office hours today, my students have a problem set due tomorrow, so I am sure there will be a lot of unscheduled drop bys.

I got this sweater dress in September of 2008 at H &M.  It is as comfy as one can get, which is exactly what i wanted on this dreary Monday.

Anthropologie at Salvation Army

I know, I know, I am always raving about the Goodwills in Charlotte.  But I have had some excellent luck at Salvation Army Stores as well.  Today I was way on the other side of the city for a weather balloon launch with my students and on the drive down there I passed a Salvation Army Store I didn't know about.  So on the way home I decided to stop.  At the Goodwills in the Charlotte area, everything is the same price basically....pants, skirts, sweaters, and tops are $3.79 plus tax, and dresses and jackets are $4.99 plus tax.  But at the Salvation Army Stores each item is individually priced and tagged.  (They staple the prices right on....annoys me when they staple right through silk!).  Tags are different colors and different prices.  Certain days of the week certain colored tags will be half off.  The weird thing about this system is that who ever is tagging the items tends to have no idea their actual worth.  I have bought 100% cashmere sweaters (one with a store tag still on, and one J Crew) for $1.99, but I have seen shirts that originally retailed at Walmart for under $10 tagged at $4.99.  I have found some great things at Goodwill (like this Anthropologie skirt) but today the Salvation Army Store put Goodwill to shame when I found this Anthropologie sweater:

It was brand new!  Here is a close-up of the Anthropologie tag right by the Salvation Army tag:

Yup, I paid $3.99 plus tax for this brand new sweater.  I often make up stories for the clothes I find at Goodwill and the Salvation Army.  I decided this sweater was a gift (hence the price cut out of the tag).  But the gift recipient could never bring herself to wear it, as it seemed too girly for her taste with the pink colors, floral like pattern, and ruffles.  And thus it ended up at the Salvation Army,  for me to find.  My girly side will proudly wear this sweater.  Perhaps tomorrow for my brunch date?

This sunny little Ann Taylor Loft sweater, also came home with me from the Salvation Army for $1.99.

I am convinced that every thrift store has at least one steal of an item waiting for me, if I only have the patience to find it.  But today the Salvation Army thift store had two gems waiting for me.

evaluation day

Today is my peer teaching evaluation.  We have them done once every semester.  I have one of the "old boys" in the department doing my evaluation, so I decided on something that was classic.  Talbots silk skirt, Talbot's cardigan, red ribbon came with the skirt.  The shoes are actually a burgundy velvet.

My aunt got me to try on that skirt at the Talbots outlet in summer of 2009.  She convinced me it was classic, and it was a steal at about $10.  The cardigan was purchased this fall with birthday money and was also on super clearance ($7).  It truly is classic, and I am glad to have it in my closet.

somedays I just want to wear pajamas to work.........

.......but alas, while academia is pretty casual, I don't think I can wear pajamas to work.  While I didn't teach today, I was proctoring an exam for a colleague, so decided I shouldn't look like one of the undergrads in my pajamas.  So I went for something that felt like pajamas.

These boots are super comfy!  I got this dress off of ebay this past summer, and while I like the print I felt like it was a lot of print, and it hung on me like a potato sack.  Plus the side zipper sticks out funny on the one hip......as if the sipper is too long (why does a stretchy t-shirt material dress have a side zipper anyway?) So this dress has sat in my closet, and was starting to be a regret purchase.  But with a ribbon to add definition and a drapey cardigan to hide the hip zipper issue, I really kind of like this dress.  And it really felt like I was wearing my pajamas all day as the dress is basically a giant t-shirt.

a little joe in the a.m.

This proposal mid-semester is brutal.  But it has to be submitted by 11:59pm tonight.....hopefully it doesn't take me till then.  I teach from 11am-3:15pm.....so heading in early to get as much proposal stuff done as possible before I start teaching.  Hence the coffee.

The sweater is 100% cashmere scored at Goodwill.....who doesn't love cashmere at under $5??????  I still think these pants look more flattering in person than pictures.  Could be that I am still in just socks, and in the real world they hang better because I am wearing heels and have better posture.

high ho, high ho proposal writing I go

I have a huge proposal due tomorrow......so I am comfy as it will be a late night.

IF I was doing 30 for 30

So the fashion blogging world is currently all about of people taking on Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge.  (Read about the challenge here.)  I decided not to do the challenge for a couple reasons:

1. It  finally turned cold enough here for me to start wearing some of my Fall and Winter clothing.  I love fall and winter clothing more than summer clothing, and thus I want as many opportunities as possible to wear the sweaters and corduroy skirts in my closet.
2. This summer I spent the month of July living out of a suitcase (was only home for 3 nights), so I feel that was my own little 30 for 30 challenge.  Especially because I had to have clothing for everything from climbing snow covered mountains in Calgary, to attending a wedding, to attending a professional meeting, to a weekend at my parents' summer cottage. 
3. While I applaud the participants' commitments to not shop for 30 days, several of the posts I have read thus far discuss buying things specifically for the challenge.  I don't mean any offense my this, but it sort of seems like someone committing to not buy any more junk food for two weeks, so before that two weeks starts they stock up on potato chips and ice cream to get them through that two weeks.
4. I am single, and if I actually manage to have a date or  two during the next 30 days, I want my full closet at my disposal.

But despite my decision to not participate, I couldn't help thinking....what would I chose?  and why?  So I am going to show the pieces I would chose IF I was going to participate.   I could make some promise that I will post each day what the combos would have been.......but if I was going to go to all that work, I might as well actually do the challenge and go the extra step to wear the outfits, right?  So this single post is the extent of my 30 for 30.  The main things that factored into my choices:

• Mixture of solids and prints.
• Not going for the obvious....both trousers I chose have a pattern, because using plain black pants seemed too easy.
• Not limiting myself to one neutral family......would be easy to pick things that all go with black, or all go with brown.
• Mixture of textures.
• Varying necklines and shapes to garments.

So without further adieu, here is what I would have picked IF I was doing 30 for 30:

Basics: White button down shirt, black sheath dress, black knee high boots, jeans, gray cardigan, black cami, and white cami. (i.e things in every woman's closet)

Shirts: black and white polka dot, red wrap, black lace, black and white striped, blue and white striped oxford, beige cowl neck, Badgers t-shirt, mustard t-shirt:

Where is the color you ask?  Check out these colorful sweaters: lime green cardigan, red floral cardigan, purple cashmere turtleneck, orange crewneck, and royal blue with open neck.

Need more print?  How about these two dresses:

 

A few more odds and ends....chunky beige sweater,  olive green corduroy a-line skirt, brown plaid pants (that I would need to iron the cuffs of), and black and gray striped pants:

And to top it all off....or rather bottom it off, 3 pairs of shoes/boots to join the black knee-high boots as my footwear:

Well that's it...........actually it is only 29 pieces, but since I am not really doing the challenge, I don't have to play by the rules!

Who needs a neck?

I know that fashion experts are always talking about extending the neck line.....and that only people with model like necks should wear a turtle neck.  Well, I love a turtle neck, even if it makes me look like a floating head on a more-covered-than-a-nun body.  Especially on a fall day when I still have a cold.

cashmere is a girl's best friend...........

On a cold rainy day where I am sick (achy all over, sore throat, slight fever) cashmere is the only clothing item besides pajamas and yoga pants that can make me feel better.  So a cashmere sweater and jeans it was.

I really wanted to cancel my class this morning, as I was not up to lecturing.  Instead, I gave them a group assignment that they could do in class, or do before the next class.  Considering 2/3 of them had an exam later in the day, most were quite happy I wasn't lecturing.  And then I gave an exam in my afternoon class.  I wonder what my students thought, as they never see me this casual....not to mention no make-up and unwashed hair in a ponytail.  But getting to campus was effort enough feeling the way I do.  Plus they were too concerned about their test to worry about what I was wearing.

reality vs. mirror

I feel fabulous in these black pants in the mirror.

But in the picture, I feel like they are ill fitted and give me a non-flattering shape.  Oh well, they are the only basic black pants I have that I can wear with heels, and the feel great.  The sweater is Ann Taylor via Goodwill.  I have put it on several times only to take it off because it didn't seem to work, but today I thought it worked effortlessly with the white button down.  I don't teach today, but I have a meeting with the dean, so didn't want to look too casual.  You can't see it, but I am wearing these fun shoes with this outfit.