One of the last things that still fits... (sort of) OOTD

My summery clothes that don't have elastic waists have been sorely neglected all season. Every time I try to make something work, I'm left with stuck zippers, snug bodices, and belly-shortened lengths. So when I had to go to campus for an orientation event, I was really nervous. Most of my colleagues still do not know that I'm pregnant. It isn't at all a secret but the semester's end happened to correspond with a time when I wasn't showing at all. Picking something somewhat professional from my remaining regular clothes was really tough. I went with this black Theory dress which fit (sort of). Honestly, until I saw these photos I didn't realize how bust-emphasizing this dress had become in my current physical state.

In retrospect, I'm glad that the overly air conditioned buildings necessitated a cardigan for my meetings.

I'm not even a huge fan of summer clothing and I find myself sad to see my regular wardrobe options dwindle. Fall, which is my favorite clothing season, is going to be even more difficult.

Outfit details:
Theory dress (similar here)
Kate Spade Daycation totebag (current season here; similar here)
Miu Miu jeweled flats (current season here; similar here)
Redraven Studios Bib Necklace
Michael Kors watch (buy it here)
Misc. bamboo enamel bracelets

p.s. Thank you for all the kind words generated from my previous post. I'm so excited to raise a strong, smart, stylish child!

On repeats and no repeats

J. Crew factory rosette cardigan (similar here)
Kate Spade dress (current season version)

Gucci wedges

Heathered bittersweet Spanx tights

Vintage necklaces, Linea Pelle leather bracelet, Target enamel bangles, Betsey Johnson watch

Alternate title: Why I don't (30 for 30) remix. The ideology of consumerism is powerful. The lure of the consumer fix and the emotionally transformative prospects for retail therapy continue to inform purchase decisions among even the savviest shoppers.* I've long believed in the idea that through repeated wearing, a garment's use-value increases (so if you take the cost-per-wear calculus, it becomes less expensive to the purchaser the more you rotate an item through your ensembles). Still, that desire for more, newer, better has meant that so many of us continue to pursue quantity, regardless of quality. Personally, I know I have too many clothes, even if the majority of the stuff I buy at this point is of nicer quality. Reading through the intelligent and practical thoughts of "The Year of Nothing New" helped me better understand my own personal tendencies for amassing quantity. And rewearing pieces (without self-imposed wardrobe constraints) is something I practice constantly (monogamous dressing is my pastime). I admire that so many people participate in the 30 for 30 challenges, as I do think they can inspire creativity and innovation among people who have limited wardrobes (during extended travel, for financial reasons, or just for the sake of relative minimalism). But I have never considered participating in such challenges myself.

Like many of the various remix challenge participants I find myself thinking that I have too much.  Even after consistent edits and weeding, trying to be as ruthless and unsentimental as possible; even after multiple resolutions to "buy less, buy better," I still find myself capable of avoiding repeats within the fall and winter months of the semesters. I suppose that sounds obscene to some. And I guess I should clarify that I don't mean each outfit I wear is always completely new. But the central component of an outfit can easily be swapped for each new semester audience. After all, right now I only teach my students two days per week. When I have a wealth of options it makes me think I should rotate for the sake of equitable use even when I get the urge to repeat (to the same audience) in quick succession. So I try to go through a rotation of outfits that is organized based on season.

Obviously some pieces can't be worn in the dog days of late summer and others simply are not practical to sport when it is 10 degrees below freezing. So my wardrobe strategy is seasonally dependent. Within the rotation my goal is to maximize what I have without pretend limits and with realistic attitudes about when to cut something from the roster (hence the difficulty I've had in finding pieces to include in Jewish Girl's rounds of the Use it or Lose it Challenge). Especially when they are novel or especially flattering, I find myself wanting to wear some pieces every day (like the above dress). But I resist, perhaps irrationally.

Should variety be the default when your options are plentiful? I often wear the same outfits in quick succession when they can be spread among diverse social circles. Some days I even want my own personal super hero uniform to involve an arsenal of the same garment that I thoughtlessly and happily sport all the time. I envy the simplistic chicness of a wardrobe consisting of all neutrals and/or just a reasonably small number of key pieces. And yet (like so many privileged Americans) my own relationship with consumerism  has been such that "more" often conflates with "better." Maybe it is the inevitable side effect of existing in a Supersize-happy culture?

Lately when I find myself staring into my wardrobe, wondering what to wear, I fantasize about that small, perfectly-edited, neutral-tone wardrobe where everything matches and everything is unfussy and chic.** And repeats are inevitable.

*For an academic take on the intersections of faith and shopping, see this excellent book by historian, Lizabeth Cohen.

**I acknowledge fully the immense privilege it is to have such a non-problem (aka a "privileged person in the developed world problem" which is increasingly becoming my more nuanced version of the useful shorthand meme, "first world problem").

And if the wind is right you can find the joy

I've been trying my best to keep perspective and not feel subsumed by the reality of my impending wedding. I really think it is important to be grateful and emphasize in my brain space that no matter how many small issues might crop up along the way, having a wedding is an immense privilege.

And despite the rhetoric, I don't need to permit such an occasion to consume my life, my activities, or my emotions. I haven't always been successful at keeping this perspective in the front of my brain space. I am human and the ubiquitous messages proclaiming that weddings are ultimate pageants of individual expression and symbolism can be pretty difficult to ignore. I hadn't anticipated the pressure I'd feel to feel specific ways about aspects of the wedding. For example, I felt like I was *supposed* to follow the bridal industrial complex's diet cottage industry messages by trying to whittle myself into some impossible-for-me size. I didn't do that, of course. But I certainly felt like I was supposed to.

I have felt like I was supposed to project back to those who inquire about how I'm doing (as though weddings are an ailment for which one needs consoling) the caricature of a frazzled, stressed out, wedding-obsessed bridezilla. As far as I can perceive, I haven't done that either, in part because I don't actually believe such a caricature exists outside of the spheres of entertainment television and media that created her. Sure, people grow to be immersed within familial negotiations and many become weary with concerns over budgets during the planning stages, but I believe those situations warrant some amount of flustered bewilderment. Entrenchment within a negotiation to be true to myself while pleasing not only my parents but symbolically honoring the entire history of my familial heritage is daunting. And that is precisely the high expectation that many attempt to meet. Trivializing weddings into mere vanity and flagrant materialism might be apt if one disregards the (yes) loaded (and yes, sexist) but significant microhistories of weddings within individual familial contexts. This is another aspect I hadn't considered; How incredibly important a wedding can be in terms of unifying those who have enveloped the couple since they were infants.

Despite my wedding being scheduled for 8 days from now, I have time to do fun, relaxing, non-wedding things. I keep saying if it isn't done by now it probably doesn't need to be done. That's not true of course, because we aren't allowed to go set up yet. But it brings me peace to think that I don't to obsess about what we should have accomplished. Is it going to be perfect? Of course not. But that is really ok with me. I only hope it is ok with all the other people to whom it matters.

The photos in this post are from a boat trip Chris and I were fortunate enough to take with our friend Elaina and her lovely parents. We got to see one of the most incredible Pittsburgh sunsets I've ever witnessed. And we got to watch it all from Allegheny River. We went on Wednesday after I got home from work. And it was a nice reminder to keep a reasonable perspective about all of this.

I think weddings colonize as much time as one wishes to let them. They are intended to be joyous occasions, so it is no surprise that so many brides to be immerse themselves within the excitement of the planning process.  Maybe I should have titled this post in defense of the mythic "bridezilla?"

All of this is to say that I appreciate those of you who have stuck around through my wedding babble. And I can promise that it will be concluding relatively soon!

Black Dressing on a Hot Evening

Wore this to my friends' house in Highland Park for happy hour to wish them bon voyage for the summer, then to a late dinner at the Brillobox. When Chris saw me he was also wearing all black, yet he still managed to ask, "Who died?" The lightweight cotton of this dress was all I could bear to wear on such a hot day. So I accessorized instead of layering. Later on in the evening, Chris asked, "Where's the funeral?"

Theory dress (from Bloomingdales) (similar here and here)
Marc by Marc Jacobs captoe mary jane flats (from yoox) (similar here and here)
Marc Jacobs quilted Blake bag (from a bag swap on TPF) (similar here, here, and here)
Swatch oversized watch (from the Swatch store in the Pittsburgh airport) (similar here and here)
Rosette necklace (gifted to me from friends for the holidays) (similar here and here)
Flower bracelet (gifted to me from my Mom) (similar here)
Anthropologie crystal initial necklace (similar here)

I can believe the wild weather swings lately. I hate dressing to beat the heat.

Recent outfits: Nanette Lepore, Theory, Mike and Chris, Burberry

I wore this to teach on Monday. It was chilly!
Floral pixel print dress from Nanette Lepore (similar here)
Black ruffle trim v-neck cardigan by Aqua (similar here)
Hue tights
Chloé flats (similar here)
Swatch Irony watch
Detail:

I wore this to teach last Friday:

It was not this wrinkly when I put it on. I am going to have to steam this before I wear it again, for sure! It was a day when I only seemed to grab black and gray garments so without a forecast of rain, I decided to grab the teal suede ebay score Chloé flats to brighten up the palette.
Black tie waist dress by Theory (similar here, here, and here)
White House Black Market short sleeve sweater cardigan (similar here)
Hue tights
Chloé double strap mary jane flats in teal green suede (similar here, here, and here)
Vintage cameo necklace and Swatch watch

This dress would likely photograph poorly even if I took better photos than those produced through iphone and mirror. But I promise its details are really cool. I wore this out on a rainy night to a few bars/clubs. I left my jacket in the car so the combo of silk dress and suede shoes was not a bright one.
Green silk dress by Mike and Chris (similar here)
Hue Tights
Marc by Marc Jacobs captoe mary jane pumps in teal suede with burgundy leather trim. (similar here and here)
Marc Jacobs Stam hobo in mouse gray (similar here and here)
Swatch watch and shell bracelet

The rainy forecast of April showers gave me the chance to throw my black patent Burberry trench coat with a hood over most of the above.

I got this jacket at an outlet mall in Florida last Labor Day weekend, when I vacationed in Ft. Lauderdale. I need to have it tailored a bit up top and I have to cinch the waist tighter than shown. But I am happy to be able to wear this again.

Similar here, here, and here.

I still have to wrap my reviews up but am busy with grading. So I should be able to finish on Thursday.

Seeing Double, Sometimes Triple: So Nice I've Bought It Twice!

My friend Dina from the fantastic fashion and beauty blog, Eye4Style made a recent entry about wardrobe duplicates and it got me thinking about the things I've loved so much that I had to return for seconds. Her post featured a visual of the iconic Louis Vuitton Speedy in its many incarnations over the years. Bag collectors often buy multiple pieces from a collection in different color and shape variations.

Motorcycle and Turnlock styles in multiple shapes/colors

There are a few reasons to engage in this type of consumer indulgence. Repeat purchases are smart buys if you find something that fits you perfectly, or if you fall in love with a piece that will transcend trends but perhaps not last forever. Shoes are a good example. Lots of people have bought and rebought their favorite pair of sneakers or their comfiest ballerina flats. While soles can be replaced with the help of a capable cobbler, certain shoe uppers just aren't able to last forever and continue to look great. You can only polish for so long.

Shoes by Theory, Tory Burch, and Marc by Marc Jacobs

It doesn't surprise me that the bulk of my multiples are footwear. My first items I recall buying in duplicate (or in this case, quadruplicate) were pairs of Converse Chuck Taylors. I bought them in different colors (black, navy, pink, white), different heights (high top, low top), and different rubber trims/captoes (black vs. white). Since then there have been a few new shoe favorites added to my multiples roster.

Items in multiple colors or colorways will add versatility to an otherwise safe wardrobe. When I develop an ensemble that I really like to wear, changing the color of a component piece enables me to repeat it more often without becoming bored. I have the same cashmere boyfriend cardigans by Cece  in six different colors. Over the last few seasons, I picked up my favorite Marc by Marc Jacobs dresses in multiple colorways when they've popped up on sale.

Liza and Alessandra Pussy Bow (what a tragic name)

If it is something that you just totally love, available for a competitive price, then multiples can be a safer bet than introducing something entirely new to your closet. I don't even like to think about the number of risk purchases I've made that have sat with tags still attached, gathering dust. But I love my multiples!

When I found good deals on merino wool Design History cardigans at TJ Maxx, I bought them in three colors. I also do this with tshirts and corduroy pants. The American Apparel deep V in 50/50 blend and the JCrew Matchstick cords come to mind. Staple pieces like these see a lot of wear. They are able to last longer and stay nicer if I have a few in the rotation.

What types of garments, shoes, and accessories have you bought in multiple?