Concept to Closet

Works Cited
skirt: thrifted
tank: ruche
wedges: clarks
belt: uo

This outfit was way cooler in my head. In fact, even in front of the mirror, I thought "Excellent, I look extra long today." But then the pictures tell the truth: I still have hips and my blouse and shoes don't come anywhere close to matching. By which point it's way too late to go back in and change and I've got to make the best of what I picked out and strut my stuff down the hallways anyway.



Which isn't to say that I don't like this outfit--just that it definitely isn't one of my recent favorites and the "concept to closet" translation didn't go quite as smoothly as I had hoped.

New Day, Same Skirt

Works Cited
skirt: anthro
top: forever 21
belt: j crew
wedges: fitzwell

Man, I'm so pleased to have this skirt taken in, you pretty much can't get me out of it! I can't believe it was almost in the giveaway pile. I might even wear it tomorrow, I love it so much. This was almost my first day of school outfit, but I nixed it because the shoes are a little too fun and sometimes I feel a little wobbly in them (not a good thing when you want to stride confidently through a classroom). But it was just right for a second day of school in a warm classroom. Sometimes I find navy blue an oddly difficult color to pair with other colors, but I once read that beige is a great match with navy and I wholeheartedly agree. But what else goes great with navy? I liked yesterday's light blue and also grey, but what about colors?? Is yellow too garish?

Our Man in Havana

Works Cited
skirt: anthro
shirt: thrifted
brogues: steve madden
bag: uo
book: our man in havana

I loved reading all your comments yesterday about what goes into a first-day-with-new-students outfit. (Plus it was fun to hear that Jill and Natalya have the same dress!). Spoozyliciouzz (who always looks fantastic) was right on the mark--for the first time in a new classroom, you want your outfit to be blank enough to keep them guessing. Even though this is my fourth year teaching, I still get the first day jitters!



This skirt has always been a little bit too big (see here or here or here), so I finally dragged myself to the tailor and for a mere $6, got it taken in to fit just perfectly.



Today's outfit feels very back-to-school, even though I spent the day mostly off campus doing my own research. I just finished my PhD coursework in the spring, so I'm starting a new stage of lots of solitary research and reading. So far it's wonderful, but I hope I can keep up the snazzy outfits during the days I'm holed up in my study reading :)

Happy First Day of School!

Works Cited
dress: h&m
flats: steve madden
necklace: macy's (old)

This is my first fall in 20 years that I'm not starting classes of my own and I'm realizing how different it is to dress for a first day where I am only teaching, instead of a first day taking classes, as well. I found myself much less concerned about looking cute and put-together, and much more concerned about what tone my outfit conveys.



So this outfit is pretty boring. But here's why: it's the first day of the new semester of teaching and I want to make a particular impression. I don't want to be too dressed up, because that reads as overcompensating. I don't want to wear a ton of bright colors, because that reads as "fun and carefree" when I want students to take me seriously (at least initially). I don't want to wear high heels because I do a lot of walking through my classroom and I want to feel comfortable. And I want to look at least a little bit intimidating, because the truth is, I'm kind of a soft teacher, so I need my first day attire to be a little tougher than I am :)

Hope all you other teachers and students are having/will have/have had terrific first days! xo

Summer's Not Over

Works Cited
dress: delia's
flats: uo

Classes start tomorrow, the stores are filled corduroy and wool blazers, and the autumnal back-to-school rush is in the air, but it's still 90 degrees! And sunny! And I'm not quite ready to let go of summer. So it's (at least) one last day where I can throw on a simple dress, no makeup, and the kick of some slightly menswear-inspired flats and enjoy my remaining hours of freedom (and by "freedom," I of course mean "preparing frantically for teaching tomorrow morning").

30 for 30 Roundup

Thanks for sticking with me during the 30 for 30! Here's a round-up of all the outfits and some of my thoughts on the challenge at the end. As for favorites: I love 10-14 especially, but you can tell I started to lose steam between 21-24 :)

If I were to do this again, there are a few things I'd do differently. For one, there's a skirt that didn't even make it into the 30 for 30, because it's my "going out" skirt and it's too short for everyday working wear, so it never even made it on the blog. Secondly, what was I thinking adding black pants for a July remix challenge? So next time, I will definitely choose pieces a bit more wisely.

It was also a great exercise to do while I was moving and trying to cull my possessions. Once I realized how many outfits I can make from my favorite pieces, it made it easy to weed out items that aren't pulling their weight in my closet. And it was a relief not to shop at all--one less thing to think about and extra motivation for me to be creative what I already have. I felt like I could make nearly endless outfits with 30 pieces, so now that I can let loose in the rest of my closet, I feel like I don't need to buy anything else until I wear and remix the heck out of the rest of my clothes.

Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement, Kendi! May my remix skills one day reach the ingenuity of yours :)

THIRTY!!!!!

Works Cited
dress: american apparel
scarf as belt: thrifted
gladiators: steve madden

I'M DONE I'M DONE I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And not a moment too soon. My little sister is in town and we're going to get first-day-of-school dresses (an old tradition carried over from childhood) this afternoon.



Thank you for following me through the 30 for 30, even though it took me approximately forever. It was so much fun to share all my remixes with you guys and to hear your comments and input. I'm excited for some new outfits--and for the Back to School Conference at Fashionable Academics--coming up this week. xoxo.

P.S. Want to make your scarf into a belt? Follow the fabulous Elaine's tutorial right here.

Twenty-Nine!

Works Cited
striped tee: target
skirt: old navy
yellow belt: j crew
flats: yellow box
teal bag: thrifted

I'm just squeezing out the last few outfits (albeit a week behind everyone else!!) but I'm still thinking of new ways to wear things--like my awesome jailbird tee. I like the simplicity of a black and white palette with a few (subtle) pops of color--yellow belt and complementary teal bag. Although I'm loathe to let summer go, I am starting to look forward to the crispness of fall. And I'm just getting excited about what to wear in the fall--white button-ups, corduroy, and wool--and, of course, LAYERS!

Twenty-Eight (and not shopping)

Works Cited
pants: gap
top: ruche
sweater: j crew
wedges: clarks
bangles: bought in new mexico

This is a simple outfit for a day polishing up my syllabus, sitting in a super air-conditioned office, and surviving some meetings. I am loving the versatility of this top, which I've been wearing like a tunic (like here) and tucked into skirts and shorts. This outfit isn't particularly exciting but I love the color combination of olive and teal--I like how the greens are in the same color range but the combination is a bit jarring.



I'm finally getting close to the end of the 30 for 30 and thus, close to the end of the ban on shopping. I went on a shopping ban once before--for four months or so in college. My reasoning in college was that I was buying items because I thought they would make me happier--I would tell myself "If only I had this sweater, then I could feel good about this outfit and be happy." Of course, clothes can't make you happy and once I realized that all I was looking for was contentment, it was easy to stop shopping and look for fun elsewhere.

This ban was far more fun than I anticipated. I don't have much money to shop with in the first place (thank you, public universities, for so generously funding your young teachers), but I do pick inexpensive things up every few weeks, which has resulted in a closet full of things I sometimes feel ho-hum about.

Seven weeks of not-shopping-at-all later, I feel palpable relief. After the first few days, I didn't think about acquiring new things. I didn't browse online or in stores; I occupied myself with different things--reading new books, backpacking, sorting through and purging the clothes I don't wear often enough. It was so liberating to work with fewer items in my closet that I've decided to purge lots and lots of what I don't wear, so that only items I love remain. And I think I'm going to keep going on this not shopping thing (with maybe a brief hiatus for the annual back-to-school outfit trip with my sister). I thought I would feel constricted being unable to shop, but in fact, it's the opposite. I feel freed by my resolve not to buy.

Have you ever gone on a not-shopping ban? How did you feel? I'm really curious!

Twenty-Seven

Works Cited
dress: loft
yellow sweater: target
belt: mommed
gladiators: steve madden via DSW
bag: uo (very old)

I know I've worn this dress about a million and two times but it is so versatile, comfortable, and it always makes me feel pretty. I'm spending a busy day reuniting with friends, running errands and entertaining Christopher while he assembles Ikea furniture from my perch on the couch :)



I've often worn this dress with brown accessories, but I wanted a bright pop of color today to change things up a little bit. I love this lemon yellow cardigan--it seems to go with a lot of my neutral basics and makes autumnal dresses like this one feel more cheerful and summery.

Although I'm excited to rediscover the rest of my closet, I have kind of loved having a limited wardrobe to work with. I don't agonize about what to wear and I don't second guess myself trying to find the perfect outfit. A bit like Rumsfeld, I think I get dressed with the closet I have not the closet I wish I had or might have in the future. Sometimes this means repetition, but often it means a better outlet for creativity, and I think I'll miss the surprising freedom of limited options when the 30 for 30 is over. Maybe a closet clean-out soon?

Vacation Brain

Photographic evidence that I like more than reading books and searching for deals at Target:



I know I've been away for days and days but just look where I've been--a place even more spectacular than the world wide web (those are the Sierras, near Sonora Pass). I promise I'll be back and better than ever starting tomorrow--the last of the 30 for 30, some new outfits, and my thoughts on not shopping.

Twenty-Six

Works Cited
tee: j crew
skirt: old navy
belt: thrifted
clogs: dankso

White just feels cooler in the summer, doesn't it?

Hope you're having a fantastic week--see you when I return.

Twenty-Five

Works Cited
tee: american apparel
skirt: american apparel
belt: j crew
flats: yellow box

I'm off backpacking as you're reading this (YAY!), but this is something I put together a little while ago that didn't make it up here. Even though I'm starting to feel like my outfits are getting repetitive at the end of the 30 for 30 (unlike miraculous geniuses like Kendi who keep coming up with sparklingly new ensembles), I actually like the limited closet. Though I have less to work with, it actually feels like I can decide what to wear more quickly. Less is more certainly feels true in this case.

Out of the Office, Into the Woods

I'm going to be "out of the office" this week because I'm going backpacking with family and Christopher. I'll be back next Tuesday the 17th but I have a couple leftover photos I'll post while I'm gone. I hope you have a terrific week and I can't wait to share some of my adventures with you when I return. xoxo

Twenty-Four

Works Cited
shirt: thrifted
shorts: thrifted, DIY
tank: f21 (my sister's hand-me-up)
birkenstocks: YES

These photos were a serious struggle. I probably took 80 of them, and only one turned out okay. The light was all wrong; my hair was all sweaty; I fear I look a bit like a tablecloth, but hey! not every outfit is perfect, right? And in the end, I wasn't naked, so this one did its job.

Twenty-Three (and some love for YOU)

Works Cited
dress: ruche
belt: j crew
sweater: j crew
maryjanes: dankso

I'm always relieved when an outfit comes together and it just works. I love it; I feel like myself; I can bicycle in it (with bike shorts); and it has just a little bit of color (what? the shoes count!). This does not always happen. I swear half the time I look like a hot mess in real life--sweaty in the summer, carrying a huge bookbag, not blessed by Christopher's ingenious meddling with lighting and angles.



On another, entirely random note, I just want to say THANK YOU for reading What Would a Nerd Wear. I don't say enough how grateful I am for my readers, for the people who leave sweet comments which make me feel so good, and for the funny and thoughtful formspring questions. I am even thankful for the lurkers! It is surprising and I am humbled that more than a dozen people want to see what I'm wearing and I'm so glad that you keep coming back here. It is such a pleasure to write for more than just my mother. So, hugs to you all today! I very much appreciate you.

Twenty-Two (or Variations on a Theme)

Works Cited
dress: american apparel
tee: american apparel
belt: gift
bracelets: found in a drawer during the move
sandals: birkenstock gizeh

Guys, it's so hot, I can't even think about what to wear. So I'm just wearing the same thing I wore yesterday, with minor variations. Tank dress + tee on top (in case of A.C.) + comfortable flat sandals + bracelet = easiest, most comfortable summer outfit for enduring the heat index of 114 (!!!) degrees. A few of you have asked to see pictures of Christopher. Well, you can see him on the Hot Guys Reading Books tumblr (sorry, Christopher, I couldn't help myself), but I could also occassionally persuade him to show up in a picture or two here, if that wouldn't be too schmoopy for you. Thoughts?

Giveaway: Misikko Flat Iron (CLOSED)

Remember the Misikko flat iron I reviewed last week? Well, lucky for you all, the sweet people at Misikko are offering one lucky reader a Hana Professional flat iron and some of their seriously magic Shine Serum, which will make your hair smell like you spent the day at an expensive salon.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below (with your email if your contact info isn't easy to find).

For extra entries, leave a separate comment for any/all of the following:
1. follow Misikko on twitter (@misikko)
2. blog about the giveaway on your blog
3. join Misikko's newsletter
4. "like" Misikko on facebook
5. interact with Misikko's facebook (leave a sweet comment, a picture, or a beauty question!)

I'll announce the winner next Wednesday, August 11. I'm sorry to my sweet international readers but this is only open to U.S. and Canadian addresses. Good luck!

UPDATE: The lucky winner is Aimee! Thanks for playing :)

Twenty-One

Works Cited
dress: american apparel
striped tee: target
flats: yellow box
sunnies: uo
bracelet: gift

Just an easy, breezy outfit for a super-hot day in the Midwest. Christopher and I are steadily unpacking our boxes and trying to get back to work, too. I'm busy bicycling around town to find internet, grade a few papers, and (slightly shameful confession) watch the Bachelorette finale.

P.S. Great giveaway coming up this evening :)

Twenty

Works Cited
skirt: american apparel
tee: j crew
belt: thrifted
sandals: steve madden

Big news entirely unrelated to style: Christopher and I moved in together this weekend! It was the longest but also one of the most fun weekends--and I'm thrilled to be co-habitating with my handsome new roommate.



I am also ludicrously excited to be dressed in actual clothes, instead of the cut-offs and chacos I've been wearing for three straight days while we hauled boxes, rearranged bookshelves and made endless runs to the hardware store. Wearing this bright orange skirt will never fail to make me feel bright and cheerful, even on the darkest days. Not that I need help in the cheer department today :)