How I wore it: splash of green

Knowing that this week would be significantly cooler than our last few weeks of highs in the 80s, I knew that I wanted to wear my black jeans and my green Fluevog oxfords. But I was stuck from there. I hate figuring out last-minute what to wear, so I looked through my closet/dresser last night, trying to figure out which top to wear. Finally, frustrated, I decided to just wear all black and let the shoes do all the heavy lifting.

Which kind of worked?

I dunno. This isn't the kind of outfit to wax ecstatic over, but I can't say that I wasn't pleased by its simplicity. My only complaint is this shirt: it has no stretch to it, so I'm constantly pushing up the sleeves and trying to adjust it correctly over my pants. It gets SO DROOPY by the end of just one wear. I find a long-sleeved black tee kind of a necessity, so that's why I don't get rid of it, but I'm definitely finding myself looking for excuses as to why I shouldn't wear it: maybe it's time for it to go to the donation pile...!

I was excited to wear real pants today - I've been biking in leggings + dresses a lot, so it was nice to wear jeans. I tend to wear sportier shoes when I bike, but it was kind of nice to have the low heel of the Fluevogs to hook onto my pedals. 

I gotta say: for an outfit that barely came together in the end, I'm pretty pleased with the results. Maybe sometimes we just gotta go for the monochromatic + splash of color! On the other hand, I'm hoping to wear new/new to the blog clothes this week, so stay tuned!

Black top: Gap (online), remixed

Black jeans: Old Navy (online), remixed

Green shoes: Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: sleeve on my heart

One of my favorite guilty-pleasure long-reads is the novel Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. It's supposedly based on true events and it's a fun adventure read, but it's not great literature. I bought it in India for 740 rupees when I was studying in Pune in 2004. I had brought very little reading material with me, being mindful of my suitcase, so I quickly found myself with nothing to read. I went to a bookstore with some friends and I found Shantaram, bought it, and have been devouring it regularly since then.

Anyway, in the book there's one character, an Indian named Vikram, who loves the whole cowboy/Sergio Leone aesthetic and tends to dress in black with pointed-shoe cowboy boots, a hat hanging from his neck, and (American) western designs on his shirts. One character, famed for her cleverness in wordplay, says that he's the kind of person who wears "his sleeve on his heart." The narrator/main character says that he finds this kind of remark slightly unkind and confesses that he admires a person who can live out his obsession so whole-heartedly.

This is a long introduction to say that I wore my Beatles sneakers today. Along with some other stuff:

Meet Monkey, y'all.

When I bought this buffalo plaid dress last year, I had no idea how often I'd wear it. I mean I more than got my money's worth for it: it's good for biking, it's excellent as a winter layering piece... it's great. As I was going through my closet this morning, I was wondering if today would be my last wear of it, though, as I have so much in this pattern, and this silhouette isn't particularly one of my favorites. However, once I had it on, I changed my mind. Three different people complimented the whole look, and you'll be indifferent happy to know that I decided to keep it. 

Not much else to say about that. Back to the shoes, though, which you can't really see... I don't know. Anyone who meets me knows pretty quickly what I'm about (India, Beatles, biking...), but I like showing it, too. I like having a ukulele necklace and a lot of Beatles clothes. I like wearing my sleeve on my heart. Or, in this case, my feet. I mean, I know how to dress appropriately for any occasion: what's wrong with having a little fun the other days?

Buffalo plaid dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Black leggings: Adidas, by way of TJ Maxx, remixed

Beatles sneakers: ArkhamPrints shop, on Etsy, remixed.

What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man...

A little over a week ago, I got an e-mail from Frye (because I stupidly registered for their mailing list) telling me what was new for fall. In their e-mail, they featured these booties:

source

These are the Ray Belted Booties and I fell in love. I have noticed in the past few years that my own aesthetic has been unconsciously admiring that new/old alt-folk look - you know, well-worn oxfords and booties and vests and maybe suspenders. The younger teaching fellows that swarm my school in the fall always look like they belong in Mumford and Sons (for a hilarious look at that fashion, check this out). In fact, I describe one of my young colleagues' look as 'Amish chic.' Because that is exactly what it looks like.

Anyway, these booties spoke to me on that primal, "maybe she's in a bluegrass band" level. I love that they're already distressed: they look as if they've belonged to one forever and gone on amazing adventures.

But they also cost $328, so after admiring them wistfully on the internet, I deleted that e-mail. However. However. My husband is a very good man. He decided to buy them for me. He was going to wait until October (so that the September paycheck could kick in), but it's been a little hard at home - he has a piece due and I've been taking care of Baby Boots all by myself - so he ordered them for me last weekend from Zappos. They arrived Friday morning. 

Here is what they look like in person:

Pay no attention to the messy closet in the background. Dig that fun tote bag, though...

They are... amazing. My husband literally gasped when I pulled them out of the box. I love them so much. I feel as if I could be in a Traveling Wilburys video while wearing them. I could hang out with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty in these boots. 

Here is a view of them on my feet:

Art!

I cannot wait to wear them and to see what I'll do with them, naturally. The weather is supposed to warm up quite a bit again this week, so it'll be a while, but, oh man, I cannot wait. Skinny jeans, skirts, leggings ... the sky's the limit with these beauties. 

I felt so guilty about another pair of boots that I immediately donated my old black Fluevog booties. They were never the right shape for me and they were a wreck. All my outfits with them? Imagine how much better they look with these! Can't wait.

How I wore it: think pink

I never was a kid who was crazy into pink as a little girl. Nor was I the kind of kid who hated it, rejecting all the feminine froufrou that I was supposed to like. It was just...there. I don't remember wearing much of it as a kid - probably because my mom doesn't particularly like it that much, I don't think, and she didn't tend to dress me in it.

In my adolescence, like a typical New York kid, I discovered black and never looked back.

But as I've grown older, I've shown a marked preference for pink accessories: my old Filofax was pink, my iPad cover is pink, and I chose a bright turquoise/pink phone case last year when I updated my cell. You saw my Marimekko dress last week and I think it's clear...I do pink, now.

Today I didn't bike into work because it was pretty drizzly all day long. So I decided to wear my man-repeller pants with some colorful elements:

No comment on Baby Boots' amazing color story today. Or her bewildered expression.

I've owned that striped tank top for a couple of years now - you can see it in one of my posts over a year ago, but the denim jacket is pretty recent - from the spring. The pants continue to photograph awkwardly and I think that is mostly the fault of the camera angle: if you could see my ankles, as you could in real life, the line of my legs/pants would be a little less stumpifying. Since it was cool today, I kept the jacket on for most of the day, although I did take it off when overly impassioned in class. 

You can't see it well, but I added a fabric rose hair clip in my bun today. Since I kept my jewelry simple (light silver pieces), I thought it would be fun to add some visual interest to my hair. I bought two of these rose clips in CVS YEARS ago...I think even before I cut off all my hair in 2011! The first time I wore one of them in public was earlier this summer, when I went to a friend's place for dinner wearing this exact same outfit. I liked the effect, so I recreated it today. 

And that's all, folks! I'm exhausted from our four-day week (not even a full week!) and I'm ready for the weekend to start. I have exciting boot news to share, so stay tuned!

Jean jacket: Old Navy (online)

Pink striped tank: Gap

Black pants: Gap (online), remixed

Chucks: Converse store, remixed

How I wore it: LBD

This summer for me was all about the LBD...

... the long black dress, that is!

I retired my old, five-year-old striped maxi in the spring, as it had stretched too much for me to be comfortable wearing it. So I bought myself a black, racerback maxi from Old Navy [side note: I just bought two new short, bike-able dresses from Old Navy and I can't wait until they arrive!] and and have been wearing it on and off since basically mid-May. I wore it to commencement at my husband's work, I wore it to my own school's graduation, and I wore it at least once a week in Greece. Today was the first time I'd worn it to a normal work day and it was the perfect choice for the transitional weather from hot and humid to rainy and slightly cooler:

I wore a lightweight linen jacket in the morning and in the afternoon, when the A/C at my faculty meeting got a little intense, but I was basically like this all day, as it was very hot and humid in my classrooms. It's the simplest thing ever, no? Just a long black dress. I think it cost me a little over $20. But, for some reason, when I wear it, I feel magical. It's flattering and hugs me in all the right places - three different female students gushed over it today, including one girl that is not that fond of me (we didn't have a great...classroom experience together). I paired it with my old moccasins, which you can't see so very well, but I promise they're there. 

I have some exciting boot news to share soon (sigh) and I'm already a little overwhelmed with getting back to the grind, but... we're inching closer to the weekend, so I'm feeling happy... Happy Thursday evening!

Black maxi dress: Old Navy (online)

Moccasins: Minnetonka, by way of Lord and Taylor (New York), remixed

How I wore it: Chucks on with Saint Laurent

You guys, it was the second full day of classes today and I am COOKED. I was able to bike commute today and it made everything bearable, as did the temporary cooler temperatures (it has been HOT here), but oh my word. Who would've thought that two full days of classes could be so tiring?

As I mentioned yesterday, while I liked my back-to-school ensemble, it was missing something. Between the lack of glasses, the different silhouette, and ... I don't know ... some sort of missing ingredient, I didn't feel like myself very much. And that can be tough. But today? Hoo boy, I felt like myself.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a full-length picture of me today, so you'll have to imagine all of the following elements together...

When I went shopping on Newbury Street back in June for our summer trip to Greece, I entered the Marimekko store there on a whim. And we left with a dress for me, a tote bag, a dress for Baby Boots, and an outfit for our little goddaughter in Athens. The dress I chose is COMPLETELY different from my previous style, but oh my goodness, I love it so much. Here you go:

now on sale!

I don't know if you can tell, but there is exaggerated drapery in the waist/hip area, which would've been anathema for me in the past, but when I tried this dress on back in June, I fell in love. I took it with me to Greece and wore it about once a week, if not more often. It was definitely my "cool girl in Athens" dress. 

Here is a wrinkled view of it in a terrible selfie:

I am hot, no?

Yikes. I didn't realize how wrinkled my dress was (all day?! ALL SUMMER?!) until I took this picture. But you can KIND of see how it falls on me from kind of an upper view. I guess I'll have to take a full-body picture later. I'm sure you'll see this dress again before too long...

Here is how the bottom half of my body looked:

Yup, I wore my new Chucks for the very first time! They were comfy and great and all the kids really liked them. Only one kid commented on my dress, but he happens to be an amazing tailor/designer, so I'm glad that he of all people stopped to compliment my crazy drapey dress. 

Because I was biking today, I wore my shorter black leggings under the dress: perfect combo. 

And just because, here's a selfie of the ladies of the house:

Forgive the weird Baby Boots shot: she is entranced with 'Monsters Inc'  and I didn't realize how odd she came out. And, yes, she is also wearing stripes. 

Aaaand THAT is how my head looked today. Glasses and all. And I loved it.

My American reader(s), are you excited for this three-day weekend? Woot woot! Have a great one!

Striped dress: Marimekko

Black leggings: Adidas, by way of TJ Maxx, remixed

Beatles Converse sneakers: Arkham Prints shop: on etsy.com

How I wore it: winding down

My first outfit post in over two months! Amazing!

Today was my second to last day of summer vacation (*shuddering sigh*) and it was busy with, of course, medical appointments (we came home last Monday: on Wednesday and Friday I had medical appointments, on Thursday my husband had one, today was the dentist for me, and tomorrow we go to the vet). So, yes, I had to go to the dentist today. I took a longish bike ride in the morning and decided to go with the spirit of biking to my appointment, although I took the subway for it:

I bought two elements of the outfit in Greece this summer: in Molyvos on the island of Lesvos, as a matter of fact. I'm not one to own short/cropped tees, but I was so charmed by the breeziness of shirt, the bike pattern, and a weird summer confidence that I bought this sucker. Today I paired it with my black jeans, which are a little higher-waisted than some of my other jeans, so that worked out well for us. 

The sandals were also bought in Molyvos, from a little leather shoe/sandal shop. This kind of chappal-style sandal was super-popular in Greece this summer  - I saw a lot of Athenian babes wearing similar shoes, but I liked mine the best... and for sixteen euros, who am I to complain? Here's a close-up:

They're very comfortable: I broke them in in one night in Athens, walking long distances with my husband and our house guest to get from home to dinner and back (it was the night of the Parliamentary elections, so there was no service in one of the main subway stations that would've been our transferring stop, so we ended up walking miles). Anyway, they were comfy from the beginning, but after that first night they became like slippers. I really like them and they seem to go with everything. What do y'all think?

So that's it for now. Starting Wednesday, I have meetings and next week marks the beginning of classes. BOO!

Bike tee: bought in a boutique in Molyvos, Lesvos

Black jeans: Old Navy (online), remixed

Red sandals: bought in a store in Molyvos, Lesvos

How I wore it: smoothie date!

I'm not going to apologize profusely AGAIN for being out of touch for several months. I'll just apologize a little, but with the caveat that I think this is the new me: I don't want to give up blogging yet, but I don't think I'll the most regular cat as I continue...

I'm now on summer vacation, which is lovely. The school year was tough on a lot of us, and the end of the school year was tough on my school. However, it was bittersweet, as I watched the seniors - the group of kids with whom I started working at my school - graduate after our four years there together: I was even asked to hand out some diplomas, so that was super-special for me.

Now that it's summer, some plans are afoot. I've been biking a lot (more to come, as we're off to pick up our bikes from their yearly tune-up in a couple of minutes!) and working a fair amount on a huge document that I have to edit for work - I'm getting paid extra, don't worry! I've read some Sanskrit, but I'm saving the bulk of it for when we go to Greece next week. Oh, yes! We're going to Greece next week for PRETTY MUCH THE REST OF THE SUMMER, so that should be a thing. We didn't go last year, for almost the first time, so Baby Boots and I will have a much-needed catch-up (my husband went over New Year's). We have a wedding to go to, dates to go on, and walks to take, so I hope to be documenting more on the other side of the pond, since I have a ton of new clothes to show y'all.

But let's get back to today. This morning, I went on a smoothie date with a beloved colleague: she just started working at our school last September, but we quickly became friends. She's not an American citizen, so her visa situation is a little iffy at the moment, but we decided to make the best of it and get some smoothies (and take a long walk, and end up at my place to snuggle my kitty) while we at least were in the same city. Since I knew I couldn't be bothered with biking or anything, I thought I'd go fancier than my usual grubby outfits these days (I'm not wearing all the stuff I want to pack to Greece to keep it fresh):

Blast from the past, huh? All stuff I used to wear a lot before - and maybe even in the same iteration! God, this grey top (a tunic, but tucked into my skirt today) used to be a favorite, huh? About five years ago, I wore it ALL THE TIME, especially when my leggings craze kicked in (that seems to be going strong, still). While I still get a thrill every time I see this tunic in my dresser, I must admit that - while I love it - I rarely wear it these days. Just goes to show that even old favorites can fall out of favor a little bit.

On that note, I've noticed that my own tastes are changing for the moment. While I still like good waist definition as much as always, I've been gravitating toward more relaxed silhouettes, some examples of which I'll be packing to Greece. I don't know why - it's not the most flattering thing on me, but I think as I get more comfortable with my body, I'm more curious to experiment with shapes that I like, but that I've just never liked on me. It should be interesting... 

Oh, see my new glasses? I got them about a month and a half ago and never documented them for you! I LOVE THEM and so does everyone around me, but I'm still working on how to make them really sing on my face. Wear my hear up more? Down more? More stuff? I don't know right now, but I'm loving them all the time. I think that - while I had a nice break with my Ray-Ban Clubmasters and there's nothing to say I won't go for them again in few years - my face just looks better with an all-around thicker frame. You'll see them in more detail, I'm sure, in the future. Thanks, Warby Parker! 

Well, looks like it's time to get ze bikes! Bye for now!

Grey tunic: American Apparel, remixed

Linen skirt: Gap, remixed

Houndstooth shoes: Target, remixed

How I wore it: meh

Hey, all.

I really liked my outfit today and it got its usual seal of approval from my fashionista advisee (the pants, which you will see below, I've worn three times in not-very-different iterations), but the photographic version is sadly limited...

Meh, right? I love these pants, which I ordered from the Gap: they are a nice, thick fabric with a big, pleated waist and cropped at the hem. I love them on and I loved them in the picture online: they remind me of Bianca's whole look, but when I tried to photograph them today, not so much... Between the camera being above me (stumpifying and not able to show the cropped quality) and the light issues (columns of black!), you can't really see them. Sorry.

I took a sideways mug shot version of my outfit and it's almost worse:

You can see where the pant hits me on the leg, but you can also see that I have a phantom pot belly as the pants are a smidge too big on me. Yay for losing weight healthily, though, right?

Ugh, what can I say? Sometimes things look better in person than in poorly-placed cameras. Sometimes things look better mentally/shop windows than in execution.

I still love these pants, though.

As a PS, though, how boss would this outfit look with my new glasses that should be coming soon? 

Chambray shirt: J Crew Factory [online], remixed

Black pants: Gap (online)

Houndstooth shoes: Target, remixed

How I wore it: cool cat

Folks, it is GORGEOUS outside! 80 degrees and sunny! I have today off, as it's the last day of our final little break between school units (our next one is in five weeks and it's SUMMER VACATION!) and I got all my grading done on Saturday evening. I've had a tough few days - my husband's best friend from Greece came to visit for a business trip and he is the HOUSEGUEST FROM HELL. So I thought that today would be a welcome lonely day.

It's only a little past 2:30 PM as I write this: plenty of time to get in a bike ride before strolling to pick up Baby Boots and then going to a playground with her.

But earlier today I had to go to the dentist and decided to look cute(...-ish) while doing so. Behold!

Ah, yes, my old red skirt workhorse, a Beatles tee, and my newish (about two months old) Chucks. Pas mal, n'est-ce pas? 

Say good-bye to those glasses soon. On Friday I went to the Warby Parker store in Boston to put in an order for the glasses of my dreams. The store was beautiful and a perfect glasses-buying experience: I called it "an Apple store for glasses" to my husband. It was full of Beautiful People and Beautiful Glasses. I kind of...want to work there. As always, as soon as I start mentally cheating on my current specs, those specs start to look real good to me. Oh, well. If I miss them, I can just get new lenses for them next time I go to my optometrist. 

Back to the outfit: 20-year-old me would've LOVED this outfit. Honestly, this is kind of how I dressed a lot when I was 20. I definitely bought the skirt that year and I paired it a lot with tees and bright sneaker. Okay, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. 

(lots of French today. Sorry. Did I mention that I also teach French?)

Anyway, that's all on my end. I'm pretty psyched about the weather and it's supposed to stay lovely throughout the week. My family and I are going to Maine (Portland area) for the first time on Friday afternoon for the weekend and we're very excited! I'll keep you posted on everything!

Beatles tee: Old Navy (online), remixed (?)

Red skirt: Dickies brand, from store called Guacamole in Philly, remixed

Chucks: Chuck Taylors store

How I wore it: busy!

I was excited today to have clear skies and a chance to wear boots that were not my huge-ass Sorels. Granted, it was very chilly all day, but hey - I'm getting *sigh* used to it. My big motivation today was wearing the gifts that my husband brought home from Greece on Saturday. At the same time. Let's see how I did, shall we?

I really liked this look when I thought about it, but in execution it was a bit ... much:

I mean, bright sweater, vest, novelty scarf, leg warmers, and what else?! Granted, it was under 20 degrees Fahrenheit all day, so I definitely needed all those clothes, but when I was hoping for "layered," I think I emerged as "boxy." 

Anyway, that nice bright sweater was a gift from my husband/mother-in-law. They went shopping for it on the last day of my husband's trip. Naturally, the computer isn't translating the color well, but it's a pure hibiscus: not red, not orange, but rather a tropical shade in between. I actually have a lipstick that color! 

My other gift was from my aunt-in-law/godmother. She sent my husband home with a big, honking watch, which I love:

Professional office shot!

Drool, am I right? It's huge and I love me a huge watch. I've been on an unofficial big watch hunt for some years now and I think it might be time to finish the search. I mean, at this moment, I have four watches on rotation when - until a few years ago - I only used to have one. I don't know if it's progress or not, but I think it's time to stop...

Speaking of things stopping (see what I did there? I'm a master of segue!), I think it's time for me to hop in the shower and start the long process of getting to bed, as I have a lot to do tonight. Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Vest: Desigual, by way of zulily.com, remixed

Scarf: gift from my best friend, remixed

Hibiscus sweater: Benetton (Athens), gift from my mother-in-law

Black dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Black leggings: HUE, by way of Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Leg warmers: TJ Maxx, remixed

Boots: Frye, by way of countryoutfitter.com, remixed

Watch: Ferendi, gift from my aunt-in-law

How I wore it: Pajama Day

Today was Pajama Day at school. Naturally, I didn't participate, but I wore a flannel-y skirt…

That's the best you get today: I'm tired

Because the colors are all wonky, I promise you I'm wearing a blue and black patterned skirt. And shoes. Boots, rather. You might recognize this skirt as one I bought five years ago, when I still worked at my old school of the draconian dress code. I would wear this skirt on ridiculously cold days and sneak boots underneath it. Now that I can wear boots whenever I want, I get less rule-breaking thrills from this skirt, but I still enjoy wearing it on cold days, and it looks great with my witchy, pointy Fluevogs. 

You'll be happy (or indifferent) to know that my corneal abrasion is doing better. My ophthalmologist says that the abrasion itself is 100% healed and I just have to take care with the structural integrity (his words - I didn't care to go into more detail) and just make sure to keep my eye(s) hydrated. Gross.

Speaking of injuries from my daughter, she just bonked her dad in the face with her head after her bath. I was sure she'd smashed his cheekbone from the strength of the strike, but it seems that a bitten tongue is the worst he suffered. Naturally, she refused to apologize, so we just stuck her in bed and said good night to her without reading her any stories. Sometimes when she's tired, she's SO NAUGHTY and I feel like a bad mama. Oh, well. At least she's down for the night…

And I think I'm next. Good night!

Black top: H&M, remixed

White tee (underneath): H&M, remixed

Skirt: Gap, remixed

Boots (not visible): Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: TGIF. For real.

OMG, you guys. Remember how, in my last post, I told you that I'd had a rough couple of days? That my beloved new Sorels were drying because they had been caught in our awful Tuesday floods and then that Wednesday morning I had felt super-sick and was sort of bearing the brunt of that for the whole day?

Well, a few hours after I posted that, I was reading to Baby Boots before putting her to sleep: she was lying in her bed and I was sitting on the floor next to her. She got excited about something we were reading, flung out her hand and…poked me in the eye, scratching my cornea. I took yesterday (Thursday) off work because my eye was so teary/painful and went to an ophthalmologist to confirm that I had a corneal abrasion. I did and now I have to wear a "contact lens bandage" in my right eye and put in drops twice a day. It could be a lot worse, but… dang.

At least I'm not wearing an eyepatch.

So, yeah, this has been a sucky week and I couldn't be happier to see it come to an end. I hope to take it easy over the weekend and not strain my eyes too much and hopefully be right as rain again on Monday. Phew!

So anyways, since it snowed yesterday, I decided to not take my chances (I was going to wear "pretty" boots) and put on my practically-totally-dried Sorels with a new workhorse:

I don't get it: this dress really inspires me to go nuts. And wear my hair down, apparently.Anyway, I added my oatmeal sweater and new leg warmers to the whole shebang and I was marvelously comfy and warm all day. Unfortunately, I seem to have gotten a couple of blisters on my toes - maybe from walking a lot yesterday and today in these boots? I totally hope that won't be a lasting issue…

So that's my Friday! What's up with you? Any war wounds from this week?

Sweater: Old Navy (online), remixed

Buffalo plaid dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Black leggings: HUE, by way of Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Leg warmers: TJ Maxx

Boots: Sorel Joan of Arctic, by way of zappos.com, remixed

How I wore it: snuggly

Hey all! Today I wore an outfit that I had already worn in a slightly different iteration over the weekend. I'd been looking forward to it all week and little wonder:

It's all my favorite elements in one outfit! Grey, black, leggings, and boots. Man, a couple of years ago, I would've just called it a day and worn this every day. I don't think the proportions are perfect - as much as I like these loose sweatshirts, they are a little unflattering, but, hey, at the end of the day, comfiness is important, too. Maybe the sweatshirt is too long for the short dress, too. Stuff to think about… 

Also? I came to a realization last night and this morning. And this might be too personal, so I'll give you a chance to not engage for a sec…

Okay, so here it is: I'm sick of hating my body. Now this is not a mindblowing realization. God knows, Sal makes a career of telling us why/how we shouldn't hate our bodies. But honestly? I've been in a weird grapple with my body for over twenty years. That's tiring, y'all. And another stupid thing? My body isn't objectively problematic. And that sucks. It sucks that I have this perfectly fine body that I obsess about because of stupid things such as my mother's criticism when I was younger or the fact that I can't bike because it's fucking cold outside and I'm scared of biking too late at night. I mean, yesterday I had an unpleasant evening - TMI alert - I had my first mammogram. Breast cancer runs in my family on both sides and my doctor wants me to start getting checked now, as opposed to waiting till later (results came back normal: yay!). So, although I wasn't scared per se, I was anxious about the repercussions of all of this. I decided that I deserved treats. So after the appointment, my husband and I drove to the grocery store and stocked up on treats I like: roasted corn snacks and yoghurt-covered raisins. So I ate some of those, had a small dinner, and generally felt boss about life. A couple of hours later, I felt fat and gross for having eaten yummy little unhealthy-ish snacks as well as dinner.

So, screw it. I'm done. Or at least, more honestly, I'm going to try to be done. My body is capable of wonders: it walks me a couple of miles a day to go to work and get my daughter. It is capable of biking without tiring for hours. It grew a person. It enjoys intimate time with my husband. I shouldn't hate it anymore.

Who's with me? 

Grey sweatshirt: Old Navy (online), remixed

Black dress: Old Navy (online) remixed

Leggings: Old Navy (online), remixed

Grey boots: Frye Paige Cuffs, by way of eBay, remixed

How I wore it: profesh

Hi all!

Woo, I disappeared for a few weeks there, didn't I? Stuff got a little bit busy and then it was Thanksgiving and then I was busy and trying to rest and…whatnot. Hi.

How were your Thanksgivings (for my American reader(s))? Mine was nice. I had a five-day break, but it felt short. Today we went back to work, but just the teachers, as it was Professional Day.

After four (out of five) days of wearing leggings, I decided to damn the haters and just wear my teal corduroy jeggings with a sweatshirt and call it day. Even though I didn't, I wanted to feel as if I could curl up and take a nap anywhere at a moment's notice:

Yikes. I mean, I know that leggings aren't pants, but still. You know what, though? Screw it. I was super comfy and cozy all day today and got lots of compliments on my bright "pants." I think on a real day, I wouldn't dare to wear this sort of outfit - my legs are far too weirdly-shaped (thick and curvy up top and then tapering down low) for such a short, non-tunicy top. Oh, well, win some lose some…

How do we feel about it being December…?

Grey sweatshirt: Old Navy (online)

Pink striped tank (underneath): Gap

Teal corduroy jeggings: HUE, by way of Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Flats: Target, remixed

How I wore it: mismatching yeti

Today the skies opened and it rained all. Bloody. Day. Long. Even though my department was meeting a potential part-time hire today, I decided to embrace the weird and try out my early Christmas present…

…See, I'm helping chaperone a bunch of high-schoolers on a trip to Quebec in February, so I requested some hard-core winter boots from my parents for this coming Christmas. Based on Sal's recommendations in the past and the fact that almost every New England woman wears them between November and, like, March, I decided to go with Sorel's Joan of Arctic line. Although the temperatures were never that frigid today, between the pouring rain and the rawness of the day, I decided to just do the wacky:

… I wasn't kidding

Um, so yeah. I decided to just throw on my new standby, the buffalo plaid dress, and a sweater on top, but for some reason I really wanted to mix patterns (or clash hideously, however you see it), so I pulled on the Fair Isle leggings, as well. Add my paw-like boots and, um, I have a look, all right. 

… True story, I loved it. 

I don't know, I just felt like a BADASS all day long, stomping around in my big-ass boots, different patterns and colors all over the place. I don't know, it just worked for me. I mean, I fully recognize that I look eccentric at best, but screw it: I felt like a million bucks.

Here's some more clowning around, courtesy of Baby Boots and me:

Monkey see, monkey do…

Happy Monday, folks!

Sweater: Gap, remixed

Buffalo plaid dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Fair Isle leggings: Old Navy (online), remixed

Boots: Sorel Joan of Arctic, via zappos.com

How I wore it: dressing for success…or health, at least

This week I've been feeling a little under the weather, trying valiantly to stave off a cold and get through this last week of the academic unit (another four-day weekend ahead!) - not that my classes change (yay, language classes!), but it still feels like the end of a chapter at school and for my students. I haven't gotten sick for real as of now and I think that staying active (biking when I could, walking when I couldn't bike) has been helping me: that's generally the way it is. If I can distract my body/mind from getting sick, I usually feel a little better.

Yesterday (Friday) dawned cold, grey, and drizzly after seemingly endless rains the day before. However, the weather gods said it wouldn't rain for the rest of the day and I had a certain outfit in mind, so I went for it:

You guys, as disloyal as I feel to all my Fryes (um, five pairs), I really think that these cowboy dealies are fast becoming my favorite boots. I love how my legs look in them, they make me feel like a badass, they add a certain edge to every outfit, and not a day has gone by that I've worn them that people haven't commented. 

Yesterday, I thought to wear them with an all-black palette (wow, I didn't think when I ordered that short Old Navy dress a couple of summers ago that I'd wear it all the time in all seasons), but the problem was, of course, the layering. I put my old green cashmere cardigan over the whole shebang, chose turquoise accessories (and a turquoise scarf, not pictured), and went on my way. And it was worth it: two different female students lauded my outfit to the heavens and a bunch of different people (kitchen staff, colleagues, students, moms at daycare, and a random stranger) complimented my boots. Special!

You may also notice that I'm wearing my hair down, which I rarely do. It's, in fact, the second time I've done so this school year. I'm paranoid about harming my hairline by wearing my hair up all the time, so I decided to give it a bit of a rest. I always feel like an unkempt male lion when I don't do up my hair, but I can't deny that I felt pretty sultry with it down… 

Green cardigan: gift from mom via Lord and Taylor (NYC), remixed

Black dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Black leggings: HUE, via Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Cowboy boots: Corral via countryoutfitter.com, gift from husband, remixed

How I wore it: new beginnings

Hello, all! Today was a day full of new accessories and new-ish (new to the blog, at least) clothes in general. Sometimes there's nothing like wearing new(-ish) duds to make you feel as if all is right in the world.

I bought this awesome buffalo plaid (we know how I feel about this pattern) dress online at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago and wore it once before (not documented). When I first got the dress, I planned to wear it the way I did today, but that first day, the weather was too warm and sunny for boots. Today? Right on point:

Pay no mind to the play mouse at my feet…

Baby Boots is such a ham. She loves having her picture taken and now insists on posing with me and holding my hand for the camera. 

Anyway, so that's my new dress. It's fun, huh? It's also short. I mean, thank goodness I've gotten so into leggings lately, because DAMN. I felt a little inappropriate today between my short hem and my tall boots, but -

Oh, what's that? The boots? No big deal. JUST THE SAME BOOTS THAT I'D BEEN LUSTING AFTER SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2008 AND FINALLY GOT LAST MARCH. 

I don't know where to link to, as I've told this story a bajillion times (I think), but the boots you see above are pretty much the reason I'm so obsessed with boots. On election night of 2008 (six years ago today - did you vote?), I came across these beautiful Frye lovelies in an Urban Outfitters where my friend and I were killing time before going to a party. Not knowing anything about boots (or Fryes, for that matter), I looked at the price and hurriedly put the boots down, although knowing in my gut that I'd never seen such pretty boots. Wouldn't you know it, they were limited editions, never to be made again. There was much mourning. A few years ago, Sal talked about setting a saved search on eBay when looking for a particular item, so I decided to try my luck. After years of getting e-mails from eBay about Frye Paige boots in size 10 appearing, I finally spotted this pair - my pair, in my size - for sale this past spring. After a tense auction, I won them, and here they are. I love them so much. In a perfect world, they would've been new (gently used), but whoever owned them before took amazing care of them and they're almost perfect. The leather is this buttery, soft pebbly leather that's just so good. The grey is perfect. You…see why they started my boot obsession (or compensation?), no?

I didn't get a picture of the back, but this is the full cuff detail (these are the now-disappeared Paige Cuff models, after all):

Frye Paige Cuff (Slate) - Casual Women's Boots   (see more cuff bangles)

I love that contrasting buckle on the back.

Mmmm, so anyway. I really liked this outfit. 

But, I also have to think about my outerwear choices now, as we set the clocks back on Sunday morning and now I come home after the sun sets. I want to keep bike commuting as long as I can and I don't want to feel unsafe biking home just because it's 4:30. So… I bought a really reflective running jacket. Aaaaand a new helmet, just because it was there:

Upon arriving at work. I am such a Fashion Babe, no?

The jacket is neon, obnoxious, and VISIBLE. The helmet? Ahhh, well, it's an indulgence. I've had a deep love for the Union Jack ever since I got super into the Who in college - there was a time in my life where I had a Union Jack somewhere on my person at almost all times. I'd seen this helmet around for some time now and I'd always resisted it because I had a perfectly good, serviceable bike helmet already. Well, on Saturday I went to a fancy bike store (which mostly serves twee biking ladies) to look for reflective outerwear. Since they didn't have quite what I wanted (I got my jacket at a City Sports), I decided to drown my disappointment in an indulgent new helmet. My husband thinks that I'm being a disloyal Argentine; I think I'm showing off my love for Quadrophenia. 

So, whaddaya say? Today I felt great having all this new stuff to enjoy. Do you ever feel like that?

This was the take where we yelled "Cheeeeeese!"

Plaid dress: Old Navy (online)

Black leggings: Hue by way of Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Grey boots: Frye Paige Cuff, by way of eBay

How I wore it: Maxwell plays the fool again

Happy Monday, y'all! It was so hard to go back to work after what was, essentially, a one-day weekend. However, I was happy to try out a new look and wear a new bauble. Let's explore, shall we?

Stiff!

I have a problem, guys. I can't stop buying fun leggings. Is that a thing? It's all the fault of the biking. I keep on thinking that they're good investments to keep my legs warm while I bike to work, especially on these mornings where I wake up to temperatures in the 40s. These were no exception. 

That black dress I'm wearing has become such a workhorse. I mean, I wear it a fair amount over the summer, but I never imagined it would become my most-worn basic layer this year. I guess, since it's pretty short, I only feel comfortable wearing it to work over leggings, so I just sort of gravitated toward it for my new commuting patterns. 

I love my black Fluevog booties and I love them with leggings, but I don't know if I'd wear them again for biking. They're pretty big on me, and I felt as if I didn't have that much control over the pedals. Not a feeling I'd particularly like to repeat. I mean, it wasn't that bad, but I'm glad that tomorrow will be warmer and I can just wear normal shoes again. 

You can't really tell in that picture, but I'm wearing a new necklace. I ordered it last weekend and it arrived on Saturday:

A ukulele necklace! It's kind of a lame thing to buy for oneself, but I honestly think that learning to play the ukulele (or starting to learn how to play the ukulele, to be honest) has changed my life for the better. It brings me so much peace and I think it's doing wonders for my mood - also, it has to be good for my brain to learn a new skill, no? I bought this necklace from Etsy.com, from GirlBurkeStudios. This shop has a lot of charms for enthusiasts of different activities and I'm grateful and happy to have this tiny little ukulele with me when I can't actually play my real-sized uke. 

Well, my friends, I should go and start making dinner for my family. Hope you're all having a great start to the week!

Black sweatshirt: Old Navy (online), remixed

Black dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Leggings: Threads 4 Thought, bought at Whole Foods

Black booties: John Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: remember…?

… Remember how I used to work in a school where I had to dress in skirts/dresses and hose every day? And no boots, just closed-toed shoes? Because… ladies?

Well, I decided to channel that yesterday and today for parents' visiting weekend at my work. I wish I had gotten a photo of yesterday's outfit, but my camera lost battery power just when I was about to shoot. So you'll have to make do with today's slightly more sedate version of "CLASSY POWER TEACHER"!

Behold:

Remember THIS photo location?!

Yup, an old pencil skirt, a drapey black tee, fun patterned tights, and old grey flats. Not the most inspired outfit, but sort of fun to look like a (semi-) responsible adult again in my wacky little progressive school.

Baby Boots continues to be sick - she actually got a full-blown cold last night - so we spent the rest of my day taking care of her and the rest of the weekend looks as if it'll be much the same. Alas. I'm just hoping I won't have to miss work on Monday…

Happy weekend!

Black tee: Gap, remixed

Pencil skirt: Banana Republic, remixed

Grey patterned tights: Gap, remixed

Grey flats:Adi shoes, ℅ CSN Stores (now Wayfair, I believe), remixed