How I wore it: late Tuesday twofer!

Ugh, guys, what a week and it's only Tuesday (night). Fortunately, it's a short week, as another school year unit is ending, meaning a long weekend for me starting on Friday (and it's Greek Easter, so yay!) and five more weeks of school after that. Yay!

Since I got so much loot from my J. Crew Factory haul (two tops and four dresses [!!!]), I couldn't resist trying out more stuff the last two days.

I've been told for years that a chambray shirt is a great neutral piece that many women need in their wardrobes, so I saw a tunic that I liked on the site and into my shopping basket it went. This might have been the piece I was most underwhelmed with, but I ended up loving it on:

This was me yesterday (Monday). I just paired the chambray top with black pants and my green Fluevogs and called it a day. I felt like a cool art teacher all day: my top was comfy, my shoes and watch were green, and my bun was towering.

Something funny happened while I was taking pictures. Baby Boots loves the flash of my camera and giggles delightedly every time a picture is taken. Yesterday, after she saw me set up the camera after a few pictures, she went to the door where I take my photos and posed! So of course I went and
stood next to her for and this is the result:

Don't know why she felt the need to lift her shirt, but maybe she's just showing me how to pose more creatively...

Monday night was a tough night, as my husband and I had a long conversation about all sorts of things and it was eye-opening and draining and tough and cathartic. So today I couldn't really think too much about what to put on, so I went with the ghost of an idea that I'd had while looking at my new clothes. Since I needed a pick-me-up, I was bolder than I otherwise would have been:

Forgive the face: I'm trying not to crack up as Baby Boots examines the camera

I got this cool dress in the blue color you see above and in cream with big navy polka dots. The dress is short on, as you can see, shorter than I'm generally comfortable with, and shorter than I'd expected. I asked my husband, who was half-asleep, if the dress was too short to teach in and he assured me it wasn't. And he was right - I didn't feel self-conscious when standing up...it was sitting that was the issue! Well, that and wrinkles. If I ever wear this dress at work again, it will definitely be in cooler weather, with leggings, so that I just feel more secure. This time I paired it with black tights and my tough black Fluevog booties. It was more rock n'roll in my mirror and my brain than what the camera is telling me, but I felt badass all day long and my ninth-grade female students loved the dress. The other cool features?

Pockets!

And?

Exposed zipper, which I love!

Okay, I'm starting to catch more and more typos! Time to go to sleep!!

Monday

Chambray tunic: J. Crew Factory (online)

Black pants: Ralph Lauren, stolen from my mom, remixed

Green shoes: Fluevogs, remixed

Tuesday

Blue dress: J. Crew Factory (online)

Black tights: Gap (online), remixed

Black boots: Fluevogs, remixed

How I wore it: new loot

I've been having a lovely weekend, folks. Yesterday, Saturday, we went to some friends for lunch and had dinner with a former colleague of mine - a professor in my alma mater whose first year was my last year there as a grad student. Since then we've been friends and correspondents and he's really trying to find me a job. In fact, my alma mater will be advertising for a Sanskrit lectureship in the fall, to start the school year 2014, and he's told me I'm his top choice, so he's given me hints to how to strengthen my sort of "advertising" as a potential hire, not necessarily for this job, but for more hard-core tenure-track jobs in the future. Anyway, it's given me a lot to think about and a lot to worry about (most notably, my lack of time to myself), but it was great to see him and my other friends earlier in the day.

I had gotten a 25% off discount from Gilt for the J. Crew Factory and my loot came in on Thursday. Yesterday I débuted the most casual item from the haul and paired it with my still-new light Old Navy jeans and my newest Fluevogs:

Please welcome my cat, Amalía, into the photo

Casual tunics for the win! I was drawn by the simplicity of this item and I'm glad it's in my life. I actually liked the whole look a lot, but I'll be the first to say that my badass 'vogs definitely look better with a darker pant than with this super-light wash. I can definitely see, though, this look with sandals or light summer shoes for a simple outfit in the next few months. 

And that's me! Today we had brunch with some former students of my husband who are each pursuing graduate school and it was lovely. A nap for all, and now Baby Boots is busy having her snack. A happy, quiet weekend.

Hope the return to the week isn't too terrible for y'all!

How I wore it: redux

Happy Friday, y'all! This week has been ridiculously long and tiring for me and for all of my colleagues. The weather continues to be lovely and springlike, so I decided to try my red dress again, but this time in a new iteration. And wouldn't you know it, I kind of liked it!

The tall, messy bun strikes again!

Instead of colorful tights and caramel boots, I went with neutral tights and colorful shoes. And a colorful cardigan that I - weirdly enough - never thought to pair with this dress. It might have been a lot, but I really loved how I looked and I got a few compliments from teachers and students. 

So that was my way of honoring a springy Friday. How do you celebrate beautiful weather?

Striped cardigan: gift from my mom, by way of Ralph Lauren, remixed

Red dress: Calvin Klein, by way of TJ Maxx, remixed

Grey patterned tights: Gap, remixed

Green shoes: Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: overboard?

Hi all! Today was another glorious day, made even better with some retail therapy (I got a big shipment from the J. Crew factory and I just bought some stuff for Baby Boots from the Gap), which I can barely afford, but whatevs - at least I'll look good going into debtors' prison (I kid, I kid).

The weather was again beautiful today and we had a bit of a special schedule at work, one that involved almost no teaching on my part, so I wanted to go a little more casual than I did yesterday. So I brought out my turquoise jeans that I love so much and haven't worn since the early fall, as, duh, bright turquoise. They seem to me a more warm-weather pant:

I decided to wear the jeans with black: my cool, embellished t-shirt [wow, that link seriously depressed me: remember when I used to look like that?!] and old black flats made the cut. Of course, being me, I went totally crazy with accessories and wore all turquoise jewelry, but what can ya do... 

Also, fun fact: my hair is (barely) long enough for a high, messy bun!

Ugh, so shiny. But smiling at Baby Boots!

It's true; one of the aspects I miss from having super-long hair was my ability to wear gravity-defying buns. Well, with patience, an elastic, and a baby alligator clip, I can kind of approximate my old look! 

On that note, let's talk haircare. I tend to avoid that topic because I barely can take care of my own locks, but I'm starting to give it the old college try. First off, my hair is pretty thick. I'm not kidding: when I make an appointment at my salon, the computer automatically pops up a note saying that I get extra time because it actually takes longer to cut my hair because of its thickness. Anyway, because I tend to oiliness, I used to really avoid conditioner, but I realize that without it, my hair is dry and tends to frizziness. So every other day (unless I go swimming or work out, neither of which has happened in, um, a while), I wash and condition my hair. And then I don't do much. No product, barely blow-dry it, etc... BORING. So I've been hearing a lot about Moroccan/argan oil and how it's amazing for every hair type, blah blah blah. While I'm always eager to try things, I'm pretty skeptical about panaceas such as this one, but while at the pharmacy, I decided to give a try to a Moroccan oil treatment (just went with this one at random). Well, I used it on my towel-dried hair on Tuesday night and just a couple of hours ago, and I might become a convert. My hair felt fantastic on Wednesday morning, soft and silky, but not oily. Even today, when it would usually tend to look oily or too dirty to keep down, it was totally manageable and I could've worn it down with no problem. I look forward to seeing how it feels tomorrow morning. 

What I liked about this product was that it made my hair soft and smooth, but not oily/shiny. So what happens on the days when my hair is a little oily and it's obvious? Well, I go the opposite route! I use this every once in a while to sort of dry out/texturize my hair and give it more of a matte look. Even though it's not a traditional hairspray, I spritzed it on this morning when I got my desired high bun in order to give it less sheen and to, um, get beachy hair. Which is what it's for. I very much enjoy it.

I know that this seems diametrically opposed (want shiny clean hair! Want beachy, salty texture!), but as my hair is kind of always in flux, I like having different products that do different things. Do you have any fun hair tips?

Black t-shirt: Gap, remixed

Turquoise jeans: Gap (online), remixed

Black flats: Me Too, by way of DSW, remixed

How I wore it: spring, spring, spring!

Today was a beautiful day in Massachusetts and all my fellow citizens were celebrating. We woke up to temperatures in the 40s and they went up to the mid-60s by the end of the day. After yesterday's cold, raw, wet day, this was a welcome change - and it will be like that for the rest of the week, they say!

I decided to wear a maxi dress that I haven't worn since the early fall (and haven't featured since last July). Since the weather was still brisk when I woke up, I decided to pair it with a cardigan and short boots. I loved the way I looked and I got some compliments, but I have a few nits to pick, of course:

What is up with those stiff arms?!

(Well, first off, the dress was super-wrinkled, but whatevs)

Although I love them dearly, my husband has been complaining about my little cashmere cardigans for ages. He says they make every good outfit turn immediately into a dowdy old lady look. I thought he was just being silly until I looked at this photo and realized how darn, well, mumsy I look with this conservative cardigan over a slam-dunk of a dress. Of course, I did need a cover-up, so... what else could I do? Methinks it's time to invest in some lightweight, flattering cardis, what do you guys think?

It's a sad time in the Boots household, as I realized today that I have to say goodbye to the boots I'm wearing with this outfit. 

These wonderful cognac leather boots were bought for me by my husband in Athens for Christmas 2008. They've survived four years of hard wear. Their soles have been replaced once. However, upon taking them off today, I noticed that my heels felt very sore and potentially blistered - and I noticed that the boots' soles/heels have worn off and torn through and...considering I have twelve other pairs of boots, I think it's okay to retire them. I'M JUST SAD ABOUT IT! 

Alas.

Anyways, I must fly (as usual) to try to get to bed before it gets obscenely late. Good night!

Purple cardigan: gift from my mom, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

Green maxi dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Modesty top (underneath dress): Express, remixed

Boots: gift from my husband, by way of a shoe store on Ermou Street, Athens, remixed

How I wore it: ta-da!

So most of you probably know what's been going on in the Boston area these past few days (and today was the most dramatic day of them all!) and it's been pretty horrible and stressful and panic-inducing, but I'm gonna forget about it for the moment, yes? I feel that that's my prerogative. Let's talk about clothes.

The weather has been warming up this week and it's really been quite lovely the last few days. On Wednesday, I decided to wear my other new pair of Old Navy jeans (from the same recent purchase as this light pair) with my ... NEW FRYES. I mean, my new-ish Fryes. The ones I got in December) but still haven't documented. It was perfect for a rapidly warming-up day, although I did get a little warm on my way home, but I loved it. I love those boots. Whenever I think my new 'vogs are the best shoes ever, my Fryes have a way of reminding me a little who's boss.

So here you go. Baby Boots was super-clingy (we think she has four new teeth coming in, so, yeah, she's been a little ... moody) and demanded to be held during my whole photo-taking process (which delighted her, by the way: she's such a little ham!). Also, I'm giving terrible face, so... be warned:

Pretend you don't see my head and focus on the awesomeness of these boots. Am I right? Are they not amazing??? I love their color and their height. They're obviously not as tall as my burgundy OTKs, but they're at a great height for my leg, right below the knee. I've never worn them with colored jeans before and I think the combo looked great (also, I love these jeans - I hadn't realized how much I missed having a pair of dark blue skinnies!). For the top, I went with a simple tank and colorful cardigan. I was super-comfy all day and felt fresh and young.

Baby Boots has crazy hair - she takes after both her parents in that regard: we've even started using toddler conditioner to see if it helps tame her wild (and adorable) curls!

Stay safe, y'all. My husband went out to take out the trash and I'm on pins and needles. 

Striped cardigan: Ralph Lauren, courtesy of my mom, remixed

Purple tank: Old Navy maternity, remixed

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Frye Paige Riding Boots in saddle (?), by way of CountryOutfitter.com

How I wore it: power outfit redux

Hi all! So I've been planning to update for days and days and now, at past 11 PM on Sunday evening, I finally have a few moments to myself to do so.

Last Wednesday, I had my anticipated meeting with the head of school to discuss the possibility of me leaving (notably, a few hours later, while I was still at work, I found out that I didn't get the postdoc I wanted, so it was kind of a useless conversation, as my contract still found its way onto her desk by the end of that day). So I decided to make it a fun outfit. New boots, plaid pants of justification ("Damn, these boots would go so well with that one pair of jeans!"), and black layers: I felt badass all day long:

Yes. Am I right? I freakin' loved everything about this outfit and was so enamored of the new Fluevogs + skinny jeans combo that I recreated it the next day, but with black jeans. I couldn't resist. 

I mean, can you blame me? This outfit is made of win! 

So that's the scoop. I'm still applying to the Sanskrit jobs that are out there (surprisingly many, considering the field), which leads to a lot of heavy conversations with my husband about the probability of us moving/me getting a job/etc./etc. Heavy stuff. I've been a little down, to be honest, about kind of the poor choices I've made in the past, what with all the breaks I took from finishing my Ph.D. and how out of the loop I am in the field and how I coulda shoulda woulda. I don't know. I guess there's time now to make up for past mistakes (or inactions, to be precise), but I'm so tired from working full-time and being the mother of a toddler that I just don't know when I can do it all. 

Fortunately, the weather's getting nicer, summer vacation is 9 weeks away, and hopefully something wonderful will happen.

Good luck with the upcoming week!

Sweater vest: Brooks Brothers, gift from my mom, remixed

Black top: H&M, remixed

Plaid jeans: Gap (online), remixed

Black booties: Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: power outfit

Today I went into work with more than a little trepidation: not only was I working on slightly over five hours of sleep, but I was concerned about the probable meeting I was to have with my boss about my request for an extension on getting my contract back to the office. I wanted to saunter into work looking calm, cool, collected, and confident. I decided that I needed a "power outfit." In my last school, one of my favorite students loved the color red and whenever I wore a red dress, she'd say, "Señora, you're wearing my power color!" and that stuck with me. So in a silent nod to her, I decided red needed to be in my power outfit.

... That being said, I had no idea what to wear. The weather was supposed to be nice and warmish, and then rain and, well, Massachusetts in the spring. I didn't want to wear my new boots because I didn't want to be distracted. Then I was so tired that I went with some tried and true elements, some stuff that I liked from my last post, and called it a day. I will admit, though, I was kind of psyched with the final result:

Check out how tilted my camera was!

Oh, well, I didn't reinvent the wheel, but I did feel comfortable and cool the whole day. As I've said before, that shirt is a workhorse. I love it. As you know, I love me a good buffalo plaid and, as a child who came of age in the 90s, a checked flannel shirt is all right with me... 

In the end, there was no meeting and I got granted the extension: on Wednesday, I'll meet up with the head of school just to touch base, but her e-mails to me today were cordial and sweet, so I'm not as scared as I was this morning.

From a distance, you might see that I'm wearing a pendant: it's the same one I'm wearing in Saturday's outfit. It's pretty new: I got it from the same store where I got my fish pendant,  Paperface Studio. You can't really tell what it is from far away, but if you look closely, you may see that it's a Day of the Dead skull:

Some might find it morbid, but I love it. I don't come from a culture that celebrates Day of the Dead, but I love the symbolism behind the skeleton/skull figures and I couldn't resist when I saw this silver "sugar skull"! It is dainty and delicate, but has a satisfying heft to it: I love the detail!

All right, time for bed. What would your power outfit be?

Checked shirt: Old Navy (online), remixed

Grey tank: H&M (Athens), remixed

Red skirt: Dickie's brand, from a store in Philadelphia, remixed

Black tights: Gap (online)

Grey booties: Aldo, remixed

Silver skull necklace: Paperface Studio