The graphic tee is from Express, the cardigan is from Banana Republic, the necklace is from J. Crew, the jeans are Seven For All Mankind (swapped), and the shoes are Miu Miu (from Buffalo Exchange).

The t-shirt is from Express, the vest and silk ruffle blouse (layered underneath the t-shirt and vest) are both from J. Crew a couple of years ago. The jeans are Citizen of Humanity and the shoes are Me Too.

Left to right are Christina, a math graduate student, Brandy, Tracy, Shannon and Christy.

So that concludes “No Pants Week” on The Math Fashionista. Last Monday, Margaret from New York commented on my blog, asking, “What’s the point of the challenge exactly? To be dressier? More feminine? Or is it strictly a kind of fashion challenge?” Here’s how I responded:

“Hi Margaret! Since I didn’t come up with the challenge, I can’t say the exact “official” reason for it, but according to some of the gals who are participating, they are mainly doing it to feel more feminine. I think a lot of women who work in math/science/tech (traditionally, very male dominated fields) sometimes shy away from dressing in an “overtly” feminine way. Not necessarily because they enjoy dressing in a more “masuline” way, but because they don’t want to draw a lot of attention to themselves or stick out, and they want to be respected and seen on the same level as their male colleagues. I know this is the case with the women I have spoken with personally about this. So, “Dress Week” was really just a fun fashion way of feeling more girly and dressing up a little. It was kind of to say, “Yes, we like math, and we’re smart and hardworking, but we’re also female, and that shouldn’t be a big deal.” I feel fairly confident wearing skirts and dresses to school, and do so regularly, but a lot of the women I attend with don’t feel as confident doing this, so I can say my personal reason for participating in the challenge is to show solidarity and to support my classmates and friends.”

I am lucky to attend school with such fabulous, confident women, and I had a really good time with this challenge. I hope if you are in similar situation in your life or at your workplace, you will likewise feel inspired and confident enough to dress up a little bit if you want to.

The dress is Milly, cardigan and belt are Express, necklace is Nine West, and shoes are Me Too.

Meanwhile, No Pants Week is going swimmingly. Normally, today would be my last post of the week (as I post one day in arrears, so take Fridays and Saturday or Sunday off), but I am going to finish out Monday through Friday in frocks (to meet the guidelines of the challenge). Because of this, I will probably post my outfit here either Saturday or Sunday. Also, I’m hoping to get a few more photos of the lovely lasses from school. If I do, I will also post those as well. Today, I managed to snap a few more shots of my fabulous fellow frock-wearers. Left to right are Christy, Tracy and Shannon, and Brandy.

If you are planning on doing something similar with a cocktail dress of your own, my advice would be to first evaluate the inherent “dressiness” of the item. If it is heavily embellished, has lots of glitz and shine, or huge bows and/or ruffles, it may be very difficult to make it work in a more casual setting (although maybe not impossible). Next, it will probably need something layered over the top–a cardigan or denim jacket is a no brainer. If it’s very low cut, try putting a cami under it for modesty. Lastly, pair it with flats. Just as heels make casual items more dressy, flats can make dressy items less so. If anyone does try this, please let me know! I’d love to hear about it.

Dress is Nanette Lepore, denim jacket is BCBG, cuff bracelet is CC Skye, cami is Banana Republic, and shoes are Me Too.

I managed to snap a few shots of my fellow “Dress Weekers” during tea time in the math building at school. Left to right is Shannon, Christy, and Brandy. Shannon is working on two Bachelor Degrees in Pure Math and Anthropology. Christy is almost finished with her Bachelor of Science in Pure Math. She’s off to a highly regarded math program abroad for the Spring semester. Brandy is a PhD graduate student studying Topology. She’s the lovely and talented brains behind the Dress Week Challenge. I’m lucky to attend school with three super smart, confident and fabulously stylish women.

I tweeted about the “No Pants Week” challenge a few days ago, and got several teasing responses, all along the lines of “Does that mean what I think it does?” Alas, no bare bottoms here (and yes, I am wearing a skirt in the above photos). “No pants” simply means “skirts and dresses only.” A female graduate student at my university came up with the challenge for herself and told several others who joined, and it spread from there to other math grad students. Now some undergrads are even in on the action (including myself). The only stipulation on outfits is that a skirt or dress must be worn, no pants (but leggings and tights are okay), and bonus points will be awarded for heels. Several of the lovely ladies participating have agreed to let me document their outfits, and I will be posting them here sometime this week, along with my usual dailies.

So, without further ado, here is my first one. The denim jacket is Gap, the tank top is from J. Crew, the belt is from Express, the skirt is DKNY, and the shoes are Stuart Weitzman.