Conferencing Wardrobe

Alma Mater Blazer (similar here)

DVF Bilboa (similar here; budget options here or here*)

Balenciaga Day

MBMJ pumps (similar here and here)

The major conference of any specific academic discipline provides an exciting opportunity for scholars to network, present their research, interview, and reconnect. Often, organizers rotate the schedule through a series of desirable locations, allowing attendees to have an added benefit of visiting fantastic cities while they do their jobs. 2011 attendants of the annual meeting of the National Communication Association were especially fortunate that New Orleans was selected as the host location. As I've detailed previously, I deeply and quickly fell in love with this wonderful city during my past visits. I was thrilled to return!

Old Navy Chambray dress (similar here)

Anthro belt

Chloé flats

Spanx tights

The cultural richness of New Orleans provided inspiration for critical discussions as well as fodder for intriguing distractions. I was able to do a bit of research for a military museum exhibits project I have been developing because the National World War II Museum is located conveniently in the Warehouse Arts District.

Exhibits at the WWII Museum

I was there as a presenter, but I also hoped to do some networking. This was the first time I was in attendance as tenure track faculty, so I felt a bit of pressure to up the professorial/professional ante. As a first-time search committee member, I found myself on the other side of the table at NCA's job fair. That was a really interesting experience from which I learned a lot! All of these occasions required a versatile but efficient travel wardrobe. My visit extended from Wednesday through Sunday, with travel from a cold clime to a warm one. And I had no intention of checking a bag (stupid fees!). So I planned my outfits to function with versatility, allowing for easy mixing.

 Same as above

I've never been a skirt suit person. I do own one very pretty, somewhat non-traditional brown tweed skirt suit by Nanette Lepore. But when I put it on I feel like I'm wearing someone else's clothes. I decided to leave the skirt suit for higher stakes professional scenarios. If I was on the job market, perhaps it would have seemed more useful or necessary? Instead I packed separates.

Alma Mater Blazer (similar here)

DVF Bilboa (similar here; budget options here or here*)

Balenciaga Day

MBMJ pumps (similar here and here)

My luggage contained:
1 Blazer (I brought two, wearing one as my "outerwear" while in transit, saving luggage space)
2 Black dresses (both wrinkle resistant, nicely tailored, wool numbers by DVF-- the Shawnessy and the Bilboa for DVF-philes)
2 pairs of shoes (one pair of cute flats, one pair of sensibly low pumps)
1 Day dress (for activities outside of the conference)
2 Pairs of tights (because although it is the deep south, it was still brisk, especially in the mornings and night)

To a Tee Blazer (similar here and here)

J. Crew top

J. Crew Matchstick cords

Stuart Weitzman flats

In transit, I wore a casual blouse, a blazer, and matchstick cords with comfy, slightly wide Chloé flats (not pictured... but my in transit shoes need to be a bit large because I always feel so swollen after a day of plane travel).

Although my suitcase was stuffed, causing me to pass on a beautiful See by Chloé coat from United Apparel Liquidators in the French Quarter, I was pleased with the items I brought. Sure, I was bored to death by my options at the end of the trip, but I think it was smart to prioritize conference-friendly clothing over my usual: vibrant statement prints.


*Don't discount ebay when hunting for DVF on a budget. I paid around the cost of the budget options a few years back when I bought my Shawnessy and Bilboa on the resale market. Watch for knockoffs because this brand does have counterfeiters. The helpful women at Fashionism can always offer assistance with authentication questions.

Do you know what it means...

I wore this outfit in New Orleans. I liked how my purple beaded top matched the magenta hue of the Drawing Parallels skirt. The friend I was traveling with actually thought it was a dress at first! She took this photo of me in Louis Armstrong Park. It was undergoing renovations so we weren't able to venture very close to the statues of Mahalia Jackson or the park's namesake, but we did stroll around a bit on a fairly sweltering day. We grabbed Popsicles from Meltdown in the French Quarter on our way there.

I already miss New Orleans terribly (hence the title of this post) and cannot wait to go back in November (when I am presenting at the National Communication Association's annual conference). I discovered so many new things on my second visit that I am excited to share with Chris.  One of the first spots I plan to show him is the French 75 bar in Arnaud's Restaurant. We already drank together at the Sazarac (and will certainly return) but this bar was also very cool, with very excellent cocktails. Upstairs from the bar is a Mardi Gras Museum that showcases the costumes worn in Carnival parades by the women in the family who own Arnaud's.

The daughter was the queen of Mardi Gras and also the queen in the parades of various other social clubs, so she got to wear all of these intricate costumes over the years. Aren't they amazing?

Ferrying about in New Orleans

Old Navy top

Anthropologie skirt

Chloé flats

Michael Kors bag

One of my favorite things to do in New Orleans is take the ferry to Algiers. I love that it is a fun, free thing you can do as a tourist, during which you see plenty of residents going from the Central Business District to more residential Algiers. It is interesting that cars and motorcycles can also utilize the vessel. Chris and I stumbled upon it when we were milling around the convention site for ISA when we first visited the city in February of 2010.

(photo of the Ferry from February 2010)

Despite living so near to the Monongahela River growing up, I didn't spend a lot of time on boats. My brother currently works on one. But no one in my family owns one so climbing aboard always feels special. Learning that this particular boat was free was quite an exciting find. The ferry ride consists of a very quick trip across the Mississippi River, which also feels special (to this Pittsburgh gal) because of the river's connection to the Ohio (and the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers that form it... Three Rivers pride and what not). The Ohio is the largest tributary of the Mississippi. After following the television drama, Treme my second ferry ride felt a bit more somber (No spoilers here! You'll just have to watch the show!). But my travel buddy was kind enough to snap this photo of the magenta Drawing Parallels skirt in action.

Quick Outfit from New Orleans

Gap cardi

MBMJ dress

Tory Burch flats

I've been trying to catch up from being in and out of town the last few weeks. I was lucky enough to make a visit to New Orleans recently and wanted to share an outfit I wore for cocktails and eventually dinner. I got to go to one of my favorite bars in the country.

Anyone have a favorite cocktail? Mine fluctuates depending on the season. But the Gin Fizzes at the Sazerac Bar (located inside of the beautiful Roosevelt Hotel) are in my opinion as delicious as the eponymous drink!

Mixing Colors, Patterns, and Textures

Because I've not really been buying much, lately I've been into layering and assembling pieces from my closet in ways that keep things feeling new and fresh. My recent trip to New Orleans happened to overlap with Mardi Gras and I encountered a slew of bright colors and textures mixed in unexpected ways on parade floats like these:

In outfits like these:

And in the unintentional haul of parade loot:

I didn't mean to accumulate so much stuff but during a parade Chris and I became acquainted with a nice southern family who keep piling it on due to their enthusiasm over it being our first time in New Orleans (not to mention our first Lundi Gras). By the end of the evening, I was inadvertently over accessorized.

But I came back from that trip feeling like the best way to beat the winter doldrums was to embrace colors and patterns that make me happy. So I've tried to do just that.

 

This year, I barely wore one of my patterned coats (MBMJ Domino) because I was reluctant to pair it with prints. But the other day when I went shopping in Shadyside with a friend, I decided to match this "punk harlequin clown coat" with a paisley dress.

The hues of navy and teal matched perfectly, (perhaps because the dress and coat came from the same designer) even though they were from Fall/Winter seasons a year apart from one another. Also shown: Linea Pelle belt and Seychelles At Last Boots. 

Perhaps it isn't the most daring entrance into the world of print mixing but it was my first non-patterned tights related print combo. I felt pretty conspicuous on Walnut Street. What do you think of it?

Mad for Plaids: More New Orleans dressing room photos

It was pretty cold while I was down south. With highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s, it barely felt like a break from the bitter cold of SWPA. And in my silliness, I actually thought I might get to swim in the unheated pool at the W New Orleans, where I stayed.

View from my room on the 22nd floor. I could see the casino, the Mississippi River, and the World Trade Center.

The sun made everything more bearable, at least. And compared to 2+feet of snow and highs in the high 20s, 50 did feel almost tropical. 

But spring fashions were ubiquitous on racks of boutiques and local outposts of familiar shopping haunts. I did manage to find a few warmer flannel options to layer for when I'd return to Pittsburgh.

 

This dress is a size medium and it was snug around my hips and thighs. I didn't buy it but I really liked the dark colors. 

This blue flannel dress had a flattering shape and was marked down to $19.99. I took a medium and have worn it many times since!

I also bought this foofy lace skirt from Urban Outfitters sale section and have worn it a few times already. If I wear it with too much black it can look a little more goth and witchy than I want. So I try to soften it with colored tights or a lighter cardigan.