The Math Fashionista » skirts

Dress Week Challenge Day Five

Ana — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:36 +0000

I wore all black and white today. My original plan was to go the Austin Bloggers Meet-Up in the evening after school, and I was going to carry my red handbag and wear my red specs, which would have provided a little punch of color, but alas, math homework took longer than expected and I had to miss out this time (sad face). I know, that’s such a lame excuse. I’m hoping the meet-up will be a semi-regular thing, and I can catch it next time. I’d really like to meet Indiana Adams of AdoredAustin and interrogate her on her thrifting techniques and strategies. I can’t believe the amazing stuff she manages to find!

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.

Dress Week Challenge Day Four

Ana — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:02 +0000

This is one of my favorite skirts, and I was so excited to be able to wear it again, because I haven’t pulled it out since last winter. It’s a rather restrictive skirt, so if it’s above 80 degrees, I find it’s too hot to wear it. It was 78 degrees today, just under the cut off point. I decided to try wearing my heels because I didn’t have to do too much walking today. My feet ached a little at the end of the day, but nothing too bad. Dress Week is going great! I snapped some more photos of other participants in the challenge. I will be posting those Friday.

The skirt is Marc Jacobs, the shirt is from Express, and the shoes are Stuart Weitzman. Please excuse the wrinkles, the photo was taken at the end of a long day.

Dress Week Challenge Day Three

Ana — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:03 +0000

As hinted at in my post yesterday, I decided to haul out my lone cocktail dress and see if I could make it work in a more casual setting. Its “dressiness” is mainly due to the styling (low neckline) and the fact that it is made of a silk satin material, and has some sheen to it. I bought it last winter to wear to a fundraiser for a dog rescue group I volunteered for, and as far as I can remember, haven’t worn it since. I just love the pattern and bright colors, and it seems such a waist to leave it languishing in my closet. To dress it down, I layered a black cami under it (for modesty) and paired it with a denim jacket and ballet flats. If it had been cooler outside, I might have worn textured hose and my Doc Martens or some other flat knee high boots with it. Yet another option would have been a scarf and cascading cardigan belted over the whole thing. Now that I’ve worn it once, I’m starting to get all sorts of ideas….you will probably seeing this dress more in the future, hee.

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.

Dress Week Challenge Day Two

Ana — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:00:57 +0000

Day two of “No Pants Week” and things are in full swing! It was gorgeous and warm outside today here in Austin–perfect dress weather. I saw several of my dress week compatriots in the halls at school and they looked fabulous! The only hiccup came when I went to visit one of my professors during his office hours. He only has one chair in his office (which he sits in), so I had to put all my contortionist skills to good use in order to stay decent whilst basically rolling around on the floor so I could write notes at the same time (there’s also only one desk). Who needs yoga, right?

I can’t wait to wear my outfit for tomorrow! I don’t want to give too much away, but it involves trying to make a cocktail dress look casual (which can be a challenge in itself).

The sweater is Anne Klein (via TJ Maxx), the skirt is J. Crew, the necklace is Nine West, and the shoes are Me Too.

Welcome to No Pants Week on The Math Fashionista!

Ana — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:04 +0000

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.