Jill of All Trades

I'm becoming more and more certain that I'm a better person for sticking with this blog despite pressure from my colleagues.  Perhaps it's because I'm facing them again tonight, and this is like my pre-game pep talk, or perhaps it's because I'm embracing my, er, Renaissance woman? 

Case in point: I finally submitted my thesis proposal.  This means that it's now out of my hands, and it's up to the powers that be to decide whether I'm a) smart enough and b) well researched enough to take on the task I'm setting before me.  Since I knew this really just meant handing it to a secretary and not the committee themselves, I dressed spiffy enough to make myself feel smart enough to have done all that. 

Then, I came home and changed the turning signal bulb in Scott's car. How many of my friends can say they can do that? I think the strangest thing, however, is that I felt more confident changing the lightbulb (something I had never done, and something I knew my father-in-law would mock me for if I did it wrong). 

Warm Breeze

My apologies for freaking and randomly disappearing - I just had to add the pic to this post, but I fell asleep before that happened.  A big thanks to Sheila who, as always, brought me back to remembering that it's more important to do something that brings joy, than to feel shame for what others don't understand.  And in a surprise twist, it appears the president of my student association has stumbled onto the blog and doesn't see it as shameful either!  I do feel a little better about it now!

The benefit to the fall heat wave is that I can pull things out of my closet that I was bemoaning not having worn enough this summer.  This dress is one of those.  In fact, I don't think I even got a chance to wear it once!  Despite being inspired by (500) Days of Summer, which we watched last night, I decided I'd channel Zoey Deschenel some other day, and embrace the warm weather.  The sweater was necessary, since it was about 20 degrees cooler in the morning than it is right now, but it also makes it a bit more office appropriate.

I'm still belting "under" the top layer, which I still find interesting.  I felt kind of like a superhero walking home, though, with my cardigan flapping out behind me!

... what season is this?

Despite having been below average temperatures with lots and lots of rain over the last few weeks, this week, it's warm and sunny.  It's so confusing, I seemed to have forgotten how to dress for temperatures in the mid-twenties!

Details shot to show you colours

However, there is always still a cool breeze, to remind me it's fall, so I decided the altered corduroy skirt was the best bet for this in-between-seasons weather.  I paired it with a more summer demin strapless top (which is almost corset-like), and of course a cardigan, since I will be in the library this afternoon.

I had to do a last minute pedicure so I could wear my gladiator sandals, but I'll say it's worth it!!

Not only is the weather confusing, but my brain is too.  We had some friends over after a conference this weekend (conference wardrobe pics will be posted this coming weekend), and one of them got a hold of my camera.  Of course the comment was made: "What, making your own edition of vogue" when they realized all the outfit pictures I had on there.  I was mortified.

The academic world doesn't focus on what they consider "superficial ideas" such as fashion blogging.  As such, I've kept this blog rather private from most of my social group, both academic and not, but most specifically the academic types.  While each of them has their own un-academic pursuits (comic books, trashy tv, etc), they are private pursuits.  This blog is rather public.

Here is my confusion: these friends see me in many of the outfits I'm  posting, so it's not the style that embarrasses me.  It has to be the fact that I do post them that is the source of shame.   But if we spend so much time analyzing the social habits of case studies, the word choice of authors, etc, why is it so reprehensible to analyze the contemporary choice of clothing?  Doesn't our fashion say just as much about us as our behaviour and our literature?

So maybe if the academic scorns the blog world, I should bring the academic world to the blog.  What does my outfit say today about my value system? It says that I esteem utility (as the pockets on this belt are a lot more useful than I ever thought possible).  I value comfort (as the cardigan is necessary to fight the evils of over-air-conditioned institutions) and that I am a woman who takes control of things, and makes them what I want (as the skirt has been altered to my standards). 

But maybe I'm just trying to justify the existence of this blog.

What's in your purse?

I love that the trend this year was for big giant bags, because they are so useful!  Mine works as a backpack, shopping bag, lunch bag, etc. etc. etc.  However, when Hillary asked us to give her a birthday present by showing her what we keep in our purses, I realized how UN-pack-rat like my purse had become these days, since most days involve me sitting at my desk at home.  In fact, there were only a couple things where I thought: "Why are you there?"

I've grouped the items into four categories.  In Basic, we have the things I need to survive: my wallet, cell phone, iPod (with missing ear phones... hrmmm), and keys.  Yes, there are two sets of keys.  Since I'm back and forth to my parents so much, I have my car keys on two seperate sets, one for when I'm in my own city, and one when I'm in theirs, so I don't have a huge keychain.

The second group, going counter clockwise (because that's how I roll apparently), is for my school related "stuff".  This has the book I'm currently reading (Negotiating with The Dead by Margaret Atwood), my day planner, and a list of books that I think I've already picked up from the library.  Of course, there are also a number of pens/pencils.

The third group is the tooth group, which has basically everything I need for any routine maintenance /orthodontic emergency.  This includes wax for covering any poke-y objects, a gel to numb any sores from poke-y objects, floss, floss threaders, toothpaste, toothbrush, a mirror, lip gloss and mints. Yes, lip gloss is part of my orthodontic arsenal: wires chew the crap out of lips!

And finally, the random stuff I forgot was in there.  One is the blood type card I received when I got typed the other day (ok, when I got typed AND fainted).  I'm A+, which I think makes me super smart and awesome.  The most surprising thing I found in my purse was the fabric swatches and thread for my lastest craft project.  I can't tell you what it is, but I tell you, it's brilliant!!

 

GAMES!

I grew up in a province that has a legal drinking age of 18, but am currently living in a province that has a legal drinking age of 19.  The difference?  First year university students cannot participate in any activities held in the student bar, which is most of them.  So to still try to make the future English majors feel welcome, our first activity of the year was held in a common area without alcohol.  So what do English majors do when they can't drink?  Play Apples to Apples, the exciting game of matching adjectives and nouns!!! (I swear its more fun than it sounds).

It was a particularly rainy day when I got dressed, so I decided to have a little fun with tights and rainboots.  Of course, the rain stopped when I got out the door.  Oh well, I did get to splash in the puddles all the way home!!

PS - Since I got back from Toronto, I've been using a one week delay on my outfits.  While it was great when I was working, now that I'm at home, I definitely miss the daily musing.  Even though we're still on last week's outfits, I'm  switching back to the "live" updating next week.  I've only had one or two good outfits this week, so I'll throw them in here and there!

I'm one busy girl

I'm not taking classes, and I'm only working one job, which should make this year the easiest year ever.  However, I still somehow always seem to be on the run.  I had a book launch and a trivia night on this day, running from one directly to the other.  I decided that a boyfriend blazer (with sleeves rolled up) over a nicer top, and a more casual pair of jeans would work best.  I opted for some silver shoes in order to ad a bit of flash for when I got to pub trivia.

First Day of Fall

I wore this skirt to celebrate the first day of fall last year, and it was the last time I wore it.  I just didn't like the look it gave me.  I think it kills any curve that I may have.  However, when I saw a short purple corduroy skirt at Robber, I knew I had to have one. Of course, I couldn't justify spending that much on a skirt when I knew I had a corduroy skirt at home that I wasn't wearing. 

Solution?  I convinced my mother to cut it!  It's not quite as short as I'd like (I have a suspicion that after I left, she took the pins marking where I wanted the hem down a few inches), but I think if I did any shorter, I'd need to go with tights instead of knee highs!


The pictures don't show it well (it was a very dark day here, with lots of rain despite the forecast for warm and sunny), but I'm mixing grey knee highs with an olive skirt, with brown accessories (jacket, purse and shoes).  I generally don't mix a lot of neutrals, so I felt rather bold today.

Imerial Trooper

Scott makes a Star Wars or Star Trek reference when I wear this dress.  I might care if it wasn't so comfy.  While I usually go with brown accents, it was raining, so I went with black to coordinate my black trench coat.

The sweater dress is starting to show its age (I'm guessing it's from the mid-eighties), as there are little pulls in the knit, but I consider it the best fall dress ever. 

But I tell you - working your own schedule 6 days a week makes working someone else's schedule 1 day a week really tough!  What do you mean, I can't watch TV at 10? That's what I always do!  What do you mean I don't get to go for a run?  Sigh.  And to think I just did 4 months of full-time work on someone else's schedule!

Avoiding the Skinny Jean

I wore skinny jeans almost every day last week.  I think I have an addiction.  So this week, I decided to try to avoid them.

Monday was the first day back from my cross-prairie tour... making the usual visits: to my parents, the orthodontist, my grandmother, my grandparents, my sister, etc.  I also bought my wedding dress, which of course I'm having doubts about, but I have a feeling that is normal when the sample you try on is a 14, and you are not a size 14.  However, my doubts this time are significantly less than last time (when I almost bought a dress, decided I wanted my sister's opinion, then decided I hated the dress all together), and mostly revolve around: "But where am I going to find the right necklace".

Anyway, I didn't mean to go on a wedding rant.  My attempt to avoid skinny jeans mean reaching for... my straight jeans?  Man, I need some kind of fashion challenge, but unfortunately most bloggers are already avoiding jeans, mostly to fit office dress codes.

I sat around my home office today, so being comfortable was first priority, and nothing says comfort on a cold rainy day like a red plaid shirt! (And this is me just post shower... super red splotchy face and no make up!!!)

Groovin' on a Sunday Afternoon

All right, I didn't wear this on a Sunday, and I wasn't really grooving.  I was going to the orthodontist and then climbing in the car to drive even further east.  I wanted something comfy and this was... maybe a little too comfy, I was tempted to sleep in the dentist's chair!

Wasn't much too it - white tights, a striped dress, a belt, and a cardigan. Normally, I'm tempted to belt over the cardigan, but I decided to be crazy and let the cardigan flap freely in the wind!

Driving Wear

I love this sweater tunic.  Wait, make that loved this sweater tunic.  I suppose this is why we take pictures of ourself: to take a more critical eye at our wardrobes.  I saw this picture and thought: "What the heck is going on with the neck of this???"

In any event, it was super comfy to wear to drive home... and then have drinks with a friend.  It was good catching up with her - she'd spent some time in London (Ontario) and London (England) over the last year, so it had been a while since we'd seen each other!

Work World

I decided that I wasn't quite ready to step back into big girl clothes quite yet, and so I decided to keep with the skinny jeans for a day of work.  I also wanted to wear this jacket, and the skinny jeans helped with the Audrey Hepburn vibe I was going for. The jacket is also from thrifting!  I decided to pair it with a striped shirt to add some interest, but keep the monochromatic look.

Too bad I couldn't take a better picture!!

PS - to the ladies concerned about the crying first years, I explained it in yesterday's comments!

Stripes

So this is what I wore for my first Thesis Meeting.  I can't say it was utterly professional, but I also had to work our department's student association booth at first year orientation.  Since first years tend to cry when they meet grad students, I figured it would be best to look more like one of them.  This shirt is also from the trip to a thrift store with my mom a couple weeks ago.  My favourite part? It's super comfy!!

Being A Kid

Since I chopped off a crapload of hair (or at least that's what it feels like), I've had the issue with my who "Less Poo" lifestyle.  I'd been happily showering every second day for a number of months and had just finally switched over to every 3 days.  I was at the point where I could almost wear my hair down on the second day, so I was developing the whole: "Down, Half Up, All Up" pattern. Do you know how hard it is to have your hair up when it's definitely not long enough?

Braids seem to be my best option.

However, today is also the first day I have a reason to be out of the house for more than 15 minutes, so I had meticulously planned my outfit.  It was stylish, mature and sophisticated.  You know, everything pigtail braids aren't.

So some outfit altering later, I decided "Why not embrace the child".  This is another thrift store find.  While it does violate my: "no solid colour shirts" rule, I think the cute little buttons make an exception.

Thrift Adventures

When we were back home for the party and a picnic, my mom and I went to Value Village for their monthly 50% sale.  Since school wasn't back in, we were able to go in the morning before the large rush... this is not a sale I'd attempt in my current city, by any stretch of the imagination.  Even my parents smaller Value Village gets pretty crazy later in the day.

In any event, this isn't quite the A-Line denim skirt I've been looking for, but it pairs better with tights than my current one.

It was also "Belt a Scarf Day" on Fab Finds Under 50 so I added scarf.  I think it takes the outfit from being "I'm in high school" to a little bit older... but I won't lie... the belt and scarf came off the minute I stretched out to get reading!

Day Two of Thesis - still going!

The downfall to not necessarily leaving the house every day is that you tend to go for outfits that take a few more risks.  Today, I felt like I was wearing a costume, so when I started feeling a little sick, I gladly threw my pajamas back on.

I think it was the headband that made the entire outfit a bit weirder.  Not to mention the hair didn't work out the way it was supposed to in general.  After all, you really can't go wrong with skinny jeans, a tunic and a belt.

I have a feeling these black ballet flats are going to go a long way this year.  Well, at least until the snow flies.

Thesis Wear

I've been doing this "thesis work from home" thing for a week now, and believe me, it's tough getting dressed every morning.  Inevitably, I didn't do so well in the last part of the week, but I started off on the right foot!

I've been opting for this pair of jeans for a while - they're the Joe Boyfriend fit from a couple years ago.  They're probably a couple sizes too big, but with a belt, I avoid most accidental flashing issues.  They are, beyond a doubt, the most comfortable pair of jeans I own.

I doubled the shirts just for some visual interest.  However, the necklines didn't line up as well in life as in my head, so my solution wasn't to go back to the drawing board, but just to add a scarf.

Since it's been a touch chilly for the season, I added a jacket when I went Back-To-School shopping... possibly my most favourite time of year!!

Sunday Picnic

A friend from high school was diagnosed with Leukemia about 18 months ago.  12 months ago, their last course of treatment was to give him a bone marrow transplant, to ensure that he had the best chance at remission.  Since your chances of relapse decrease with different bone marrow, they call it your new birthday.  Those chances decrease even further after you've made it one year without a relapse, so this friend decided to throw himself a first birthday party.

Unfortunately, it was a cold day in the park, and rain ended it a bit early. However, it was a perfect chance to rush out to buy a last minute pair of white tights to wear with the dress I had packed for the trip back home. 

While the dress was rather cold, I was glad that I was wearing the special dress I bought in Toronto to this special occasion!

A stitch in time

The best thing I did this week was to take 10 minutes to alter my black skinny jeans.  Last time I wore them, I wasn't happy with the fit.  My thought was I could easily take in the waist band by removing it, increasing the size of the darts around the butt, and then re-attaching the band.  However, I quickly realized that these were detailed, high waisted pants, and it wouldn't be that simple.  Since I carry a bit of weight in my waist and hips, I have to watch how I wear skinny jeans, generally meaning I wear longer shirts with them.  Thus, the high waisted detail wouldn't ever really be highlighted.  As a result, I decided to shorten the rise of the jeans, since the waist band would fit much better lower on my hips.  Of course, I tightened up the legs while I was at it.

This shirt seemed to expand with time, so next time I might take Scott's advice and belt it.  However, it does tie in the back, so I decided I'd wear it as styled. 

Of course, the downfall to the outfit was that it wasn't great for cold weather.  Some friends threw a fundraising party for us (not as organized and formal as a wedding social) in his backyard.  We're definitely into fall weather, so the difficulty of finding a jacket that worked with the shirt, and the lack of socks made for a very long, cold night.  But since we did make a couple hundred bucks for our wedding, with virtually no effort, I guess I can't complain!

Private Butterfly Cowboy

Scott was going straight from work to class one night, so I decided to stick around downtown after work and do some shopping, since I had money left over from my budget for my Toronto trip.  This shirt was one purchase.  It's been so weird lately knowing that any purchases I make are supposed to be more casual, since my "full-time job" will be writing my thesis from home, something that requires comfortable (yet still stylish, since self-esteem is key to writing!) clothing.  I love the idea of butterflies and army jackets, and butterflies and cow boy boots, so I decided all three could work together. I'm not sure whether they really work together.  I was comfortable for my last day of full-time work... and of course, my haircut!!

Leg Extensions

 Despite my growing disdain of wide legged trousers these days, I knew I wanted to wear my trouser jeans at some point this week.  However, I couldn't wear what I wanted, it was far too hot out that day.  I'm noticing since I had H1N1, my waist is smaller, so my pants are fitting lower, and all my perfectly hemmed pants are too long, so trying to find heels that are high enough but comfortable enough for a full day.  It's pretty much exclusively due to this predicament that I'm looking forward to only working 1 morning a week in the office, and working from home on my thesis for the rest of the time.

Broken leg

 I laugh every time I see this picture because it makes my leg look like it's been awkwardly twisted.  It's not - these pants are just super wide legged.  I'm getting so tired of the wide pant look on me, but I knew if I wanted to wear this shirt / scarf combo, the bottom could use a bit of volume.  The scarf moved around a bit and looks a little off in this picture, but I do like the splash of colour near my face!