- Printed Silk Scarf: vintage Burberry, mommed
- White Striped Tee: Columbia Sportswear, hand-me-down from SIL E.
- Navy Ponte Trousers: Banana Republic
- Brown Metallic Loafers: Naturalizer, via DSW
- Silver Woven Belt: UO
While this outfit wasn’t nearly as far out of my comfort zone as yesterday’s, it still pushed my boundaries in other ways. A combination of sore feet and a relative lack of creativity yesterday morning landed me with an unexpected conundrum: given the options available, could I wear pants and flats at the same time, and do so in a manner that felt as soft and comfortable as I was hoping to be?
I ended up with this combination, which includes some new-ish proportions for me: with my long-ish torso, relatively short overall height and relatively short legs, I tend not to wear long-waisted tops, particularly not with pants, and I rarely wear non-skinny pants with flats. I’ve tried to bring the visual focus back up with the belted scarf, which reclaims my waist from the expanse of white tee-shirt, while adding some visual interest with the bold scarf print and unconventional pattern mix. It violates the Stacey and Clinton proviso of always dressing to create the tallest, leanest hourglass figure possible, but wins bonus points for enabling me to look like I really wanted to get dressed today…even though I felt like I went to class (and my marathon of subsequent meetings) in my pyjamas.
What do you wear when you don’t feel like getting dressed? How has this evolved over time as your style has evolved and grown?
I made it! I’m taking a well-deserved break from taking outfit photos today to bring you the recap on my 30-for-30 experience. So, without further ado, what worked well, what didn’t, and what’s on my holiday gift list:
- Surprise! It was actually only 29-for-30, since I never managed to wear my navy pinstriped pencil skirt. The skirt never fit particularly well to begin with, and after an ill-fated hemming attempt, it’s in need of some professional help at the moment.
- Unsurprisingly, my remix MVPs were my dark-rinse boot-cut jeans, my black jersey dress, my long grey cardigan, and my brown riding boots. While it’s hard to reinvent a pair of jeans, remixing these helped me get over my pants-bivalence, and I was amazed at the number of ways I disguised this oh-so-simple black dress.
- Since I only own a few belts, I relied on scarves a lot as my “mix it up” accessory. As the challenge went on, I experimented further with the scarf-as-belt, and I wore more jewelry, more often (in part thanks to a generous donation from my mother). This holiday season, I’ve been begging for more belts, but also for more “statement” pieces of jewelry, hoping these items will enliven my wardrobe for months and years to come.
- Not shopping is easier than you would think! I’m not a huge shopper anyway, but because of that, I tend to have an easier time “justifying” the repeated small purchases that over time, can add up. Purposefully not shopping for a month gave me some relief from any stress of worrying about whether my clothing “habit” was putting pressure on the family budget, and taught me that I’m more patient than I give myself credit for. At so many moments that it would have been easy to cheat, I took a deep breath and said, “no, I’ll just wait on that,” and I was fine.
- I’ve come to love and appreciate the importance of mixed patterns and mixed neutrals in my sartorial lexicon. Expanding the universe of pieces I “thought” could go together radically changed the way I viewed my wardrobe, and made me way more excited to get dressed every day.
- What did I miss? By far the most-missed item from the rest of my wardrobe was my trusty, ancient pair of Dansko Clogs. While the leather uppers are pretty badly worn out after seven years, the soles are still kicking right along, and there were days when my sore feet needed the relief. I’ve asked for a new pair for the holidays this year, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to mix these into my wardrobe in a more intentional way, so that they don’t become my cop-out shoes, synonymous in my mind with “not getting dressed.”
- What else did I ask for, if I was on Santa’s good list this year? If Santa really loved me, he’d get me these oxfords and these slouchy ankle-booties. I was pretty doubtful about shoes in both of these genres, but after seeing so many remixers rock them this fall, I’m totally on the bus.
- What am I buying myself? After a break from shopping, I’m giving myself a few dollars to spend on the things I really felt were “missing” as I remixed my 30 for 30 items (and things I knew were missing from the rest of my wardrobe): one or two long-sleeved shirts, one light-neutral and one brightly-colored cardigan, and two pairs of tights, one in maroon and one in dark gray.(Ed. note: what did I actually buy, on my post 30-for-30 shopping “spree”? The aforementioned tights, three long-sleeved tees from the Gap (thank you, buy one/get one 60% off sale!), a skinny braided metallic leather belt, and a pair of black wintershorts from Urban Outfitters. I went a few dollars over my $100 budget, but I’m already planning a whole list of ways I can use these pieces to reinvigorate my winter wardrobe in the coming weeks.)
- Will I do it again? Absolutely. Though I’ll always be a remixer, because I don’t own a ton of stuff and I don’t have an endless budget for new clothes, I really appreciated spending this time focusing on being creative with a limited wardrobe. It helped give me a sartorial focus during a busy time, helped me work on a number of stylistic goals, and gave me a much more positive outlook on the things I actually do have.
- What was the best part? Meeting the other remixers! The 30-for-30 challenge has brought me into contact with so many great folks in the style blogging community, and inspired me to new blogging heights. I’ve loved meeting all of you, new readers and bloggy-friends, and I hope you’ll stick around after the remix is over. I’ve so appreciated learning about you and your styles, and being inspired by your amazing remixing skills. So, a big, big thanks to all of you: you make this effort both possible and worthwhile!
Fellow remixers, what did you learn from this challenge? What was your favorite part? If you’re done, what are you going to do now? How has the remix changed your sartorial or style-blogging goals?
- Scarf: Union Station Vendor
- Mustard Tank: Banana Republic
- Long Grey Cardigan: Ann Taylor
- Boot-Cut Jeans: Kut from the Kloth, via Nordstrom
- Teal Pumps: BC Footwear, via Zappos
- White and Yellow Oxford: J. Crew
- Mustard Tank: Banana Republic
- Belt: American Eagle Outfitters, circa the late 1990s, belted after Sydney Poulton
- Long Grey Cardigan: Ann Taylor
- Boot-Cut Jeans: Kut from the Kloth, via Nordstrom
- Teal Pumps: BC Footwear, via Zappos
And just like that…we’re done! I wore remix outfit #29 last night after my exam, and #30 today. While they’re quite similar and neither of them represents my bravest, boldest styling ever, I think these two outfits are a great example of the difference accessories and even small styling choices can make. Here, I made four relatively small changes and the result is a completely different silhouette, and a very different vibe. Again, neither look is making sartorial history here, but both of them are examples of ways to be a little more playful and a little more creative with outfits in the casual register, something I’ve struggled with. If you look closely at these photos, you’ll see why this post is late today: I got my hair done!
Treating myself to a little post-exam pampering felt a little indulgent, but I’m pretty happy with the results.
I love this long cardigan for warmth, but I know that it can feel frumpy sometimes and in certain settings, and it’s “one size fits all” (seriously?!?!) shape doesn’t always lie exactly where I’d like it to. Have you worn one this season, or in your 30 for 30 collection? What kinds of things have you paired it with? Are there silhouettes you think it absolutely doesn’t work with?
Congrats to all you remixers who are already done with the challenge, and good luck to those with a few (or more!) looks still to go! I’ll be back in the morning with a recap of the whole shebang…
- Black Jersey Dress: Ann Taylor
- Camel Turtleneck: Vintage D&G, mommed
- Belt: Filene’s
- Tights: HUE
- Teal Pumps: BC Footwear, via Zappos
I’m off to take my first exam of the semester, and after falling asleep chanting to myself the Lesser Included Offenses for various forms of criminal homicide (sad and true and sadly true), I knew that today was a day for a proven sartorial formula. Just like you wouldn’t change your running clothes or your long-run refueling strategy the morning of a marathon, an exam day is not a day for bold steps in a new direction. Instead, I tried to find the fun while playing it a little bit safe: layering my ubiquitous black jersey dress over a contrasting-neutral turtleneck for a slight play on schoolgirl chic, belting to define my waist, adding a necklace for some visual interest, and the outfit’s true saving grace, my teal pumps. It took two minutes, and I feel comfortable, confident, and ready to write for three hours (which, come to think of it, is how long it might take a quite fast person — not me! — to run a marathon).
What does your sartorial “game face” look like, whether for academic, professional or personal obligations? Do you rely on the unexpected touch to give you a lift, or enfold yourself in the comfort of old standbys?
- Brown Tweed Sweater: Vintage Ralph Lauren, mommed
- Navy Ribbed Turtleneck: Vintage Sportmax, mommed
- Boot-cut Jeans: Kut from the Kloth, via Nordstrom
- Skinny Belt: Ann Taylor
- Red Pumps: BC Footwear, via Zappos
My first exam is tomorrow, and I’m still on the mend from this cold, so my sartorial goal for today was to keep it stress free and comfortable through a long day of taking and reviewing practice exams and practicing hypos (a day you wish you were having, I’m sure). While if anything, this outfit borders on “nerd chic,” I actually loved the combination of two of my unexpected remix MVPs: this brown tweed sweater and my ribbed navy turtleneck. It may seem like sweater overload, but on this unseasonably cold day, I was glad to have the extra layers on to keep me warm and cozy.
Hey remixers: we’re almost done! Do you have mostly casual or dressier outfits left? Do you feel like you’ve needed more or less advanced planning as things have wound down towards the finish line?
The obligatory “proof of windiness” photo.
- Long Grey Cardigan: Ann Taylor
- White Tank: Banana Republic
- Scarf: J. Jill, gift from SIL’s wedding
- Skinnies: Kut from the Kloth, via Nordstrom
- Brown Riding Boots: Franco Sarto, via Zappos
Thanks so much for all your sweet comments over the weekend! I promise I’m not running out of steam on you guys, but the only thing more frustrating than being sick on a Friday is still being sick the following Monday. This might have been more inspired with the scarf belted, but even though there’s no crying in baseball (or style-blogging), there’s just no belting on sick days. As it was, I felt comfortable and warm underneath this cozy sweater and scarf, and a little more put together than I would have had I just stayed in my PJs all day.
What’s your go-to look on a I’m-sick-but-need-to-plug-on-through day? What’s your threshold of when you’ll succumb to the desire for cozy sweats instead of making yourself get dressed?
The lovely Beth Ellen tagged me for the “seven random things” meme, so, without further ado, seven things about me:
- When I call myself an “older, wiser law student” (often somewhat pejoratively), that’s up for debate: I went back to law school four years after I graduated from college, after a slightly rambling road that included working full time and getting a masters degree. But, because I was married before I even applied to law school, and I live in the suburbs about ten miles from our big-city campus, my experience is dramatically different in some ways to that of some of my classmates.
- I’m the only girl in a family of boys.
- I’ve never lived more than 100 miles from the house I grew up in — at least not for more than the two months I spent abroad in college.
- Husband D. and I met rock climbing. In an indoor climbing gym, but still. It’s a cool story, and I don’t have that many cool stories.
- Despite growing up with lawyer parents, I didn’t always want to be a lawyer. After many years of late-adolescent semi-rebellion (see #1), I’m fairly confident my calling was not a wrong number.
- I’m not really a car person, but I drive a clean-diesel Volkswagen and if asked, might talk your ear off about how great it is.
- I love running. Love. Sometimes, though, love is hard on the knees. And hips, and feet, and lower back. I’m working it out though, running, because you’re too good to let go.
Tag, you’re it:
Tiffany of A Reason to Be Fabulous
Plummy of Plummy: Developing Style
Dotty of dash. dot. dotty.
Sarah of Wearing it On My Sleeves
Sara of Orchids in Buttonholes
Liz of Scholar Style Guide
Katie of Interrobangs Anonymous
- Black Cardigan: J.Crew
- Dress: Express
- Black Tights: HUE
- Brown Riding Boots: Franco Sarto, via Zappos
- Necklace: Gifted
- Scarf: Union Station vendor
Yes. Today is, in fact, brought to you by Finding Nemo. Kendi’s always talking about remix equations, so here’s one for this outfit: it sits right at the intersection of “finals + sick = desire to attend study group in an adult-sized snuggie” and “meeting with dean + fancy-pants evening plans with friends = compulsory dress up day.” The mission was fairly clear, even in my cold-induced fog: dress up, without feeling “done” or constrained. I also knew I had to be dressed up for fourteen hours, so something that would move with me through a long and hopefully productive day was key.
I’m swamped today, and have an important appointment with a thermos full of herbal tea, so I’ll just ask one quick question: anyone have any great antidotes, either sartorial or otherwise, for the finals flu? While I’m not philosophically opposed to medicating, I can’t take anything that will make me too out of it, lest I blow the whole productivity thing right out of the water…
Happy weekend, everyone!
While I didn’t wear a snuggie, I did compromise by spending most of the day wrapped in this super-comfy scarf.
A few quick thoughts, with only six outfits to go!
- Does anyone have a good solution to the knot-poking-out-of-your-back factor when you wear a scarf as a belt? It’s the one real bummer about what’s otherwise a really great look.
- I know that I managed to use all my creative energy regarding this black jersey dress this week, but I felt really energized by its versatility and with how different it looks depending on how I accessorize it. It raises an interesting question, though: what do you think the threshold is for other people to notice you’re remixing the same items? How similar do two outfits have to be for someone to say, “Um, excuse me, ma’am, but didn’t you just wear that?” Does this depend on your professional or academic situation?
- I’m still going back and forth about extending the shopping ban through the rest of the holidays. I think I’m going with a middle ground solution (since, like a good liberal law student, I never met a balancing test I didn’t like): I’m considering purchasing a few targeted items (long-sleeve shirts(!?!), a slip and maybe a pair of grey or white tights), but otherwise forestalling shopping. What about you? Is your debit card burning a hole in your pocket, or are you appreciating a little bit of freedom from the role of consumption in your life?
- I’ve been struck by the role that “resource allocation” decisions have played as the challenge has gone on, and that’s probably the thing I’m most looking forward to being done with. It’s not that I miss the rest of my closet, it’s that I want to get up and not have to think, “okay, if I wear this today, I can’t wear it again…” Even though I’d love you guys to think I wore something new and exciting every day, that’s…just not true, and I’m looking forward to having a little more flexibility.
What about you: any great remixing discoveries this week? What are you most looking forward to about being done?
I’ll be posting outfit 25 tomorrow, and will continue wearing and photographing 30-for-30 looks over the weekend, but I’ll be taking a little bloggy break for the weekend to attend some family events and study for my first exam. Fear not: I’ll be back with more on Monday!
- Black Jersey Dress: Ann Taylor
- Green Layering Tee: mommed
- Brown Woven Belt: LOFT
- Necklace: Gifted
- Black Tights: HUE
- Brown Riding Boots: Franco Sarto, via Zappos
Holy attack of the ubiquitous black jersey dress, batman! At the beginning of this remix, I had predicted that I’d be wearing this dress all. the. time., and I was surprised to see that as of day 18, I’d only worn it twice. So, we’ll just chalk this one up to “making up for lost time,” right? Fear not: it’s been washed, and you won’t see it again for a while.
At either long or short last, depending on your perspective, today is the last teaching day of the semester! Even though it’s been a fine term, I’m relieved to have it be at an end and looking forward to getting some closure and a fresh start. And even though the weird schedule for turning in term papers means the term will carry over till February in some respects, I’m actually glad I’ll have some focus during this busy holiday season.
So, on this Very Big Day, filled with meetings and appointments and studying and classes and generally running around trying to get things done, I wanted an outfit that made me feel put together and ever so slightly powerful and…well, my feet were hurting and I didn’t want to wear heels! Learning to layer things under this dress has been a great way to extend its life into the winter and to make it feel “new” every time I wear it. The boots kept my feet warm and comfortable through many, many trips up and down the stairs in the law school building, and the belt and necklace (I wore jewelry? Three days in a row?) defined my waist and kept it a little less plain and ordinary.
In the interests of keeping things light in these waning moments of the academic term, check out this video, which, sadly, is not terribly funny to non-lawyers (nor was it made by students at my law school). It’ll help you review for a Con Law exam, or, in the preferable alternative, just make you laugh. Bonus points are available for catching the terrible legal pun that inspired the title of this blog.
Remixers, have you had an unexpected MVP of the challenge so far? Academics, how are you using both your sartorial choices (among other things) to inject some joy and laughter into this exam and paper season?
- Red Cardigan: Vintage Michael Kors, mommed
- White/Yellow Striped Oxford: J.Crew
- Belt: LOFT
- Dark Wash Skinnies: Kut from the Kloth, via Nordstrom
- Brown Riding Boots: Franco Sarto, via Zappos
- Necklace: David Yurman, gifted
So, yesterday’s mild, spitting rain is today’s near-Biblical flood, and I confess that the anticipated 2+” of rain and winds gusting to 50 mph did not inspire my very best sartorial creativity. I’m home editing a journal article and running errands all day today, so it’s a big day for noise-canceling headphones, herbal teas and plugging on through. Like Liz, I couldn’t quite decide if this particular set of tasks made me want to dress up for extra-bonus-inspiration points or hunker down on the cozier end of things, and I ended up landing somewhere on the casual end of the middle. I think the belt, boots and necklace jazz up this otherwise low-key ensemble (and keep it age appropriate), without making it too stuffy for a day spent mostly at home. I’m still ambivalent about this oxford, which doesn’t exactly love the hourglass aspects of my silhouette and likes the pear-shaped aspects even less, but I think pairing it with this slightly thicker cardigan worked a little bit better to keep the look cohesive.
Remixers, if you’re closing in on the home stretch, what’s been the hardest for you in these last few days? I’ve noticed there are some things I still haven’t worn, and probably won’t be able to work in (again: proper planning prevents p*ss poor performance…), so it’ll be something more like 27 for 30 on my end. What about you? How do you dress in abysmal weather, knowing you’ll mostly be inside during the day?
Hi! I'm S. Welcome to Narrowly Tailored, a blog about life and style from a law student and new mom. In short: work and life gets dressed; balance mostly gets amused.Follow Along
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