White and blue

For spending the whole day outside in 110 degree heat, nothing beats a cool thin white dress. And I am unimaginative enough to accessorize it with blue. Or maybe I’m just lazy, since all my red and blue stuff are on hand but I have to dig through tons of stuff for other colors.

I fought the weather...

...and the weather won!*

My formula for surviving this crazy hot weather: wearing my coolest and the most uncomplicated of dresses. I guess I was lucky to snag this emerald and navy dress/chemise. It is perfect for Arizona’s weather.

…and after spending the whole day organizing my closet, I really wasn’t in the mood for an outfit that required a lot of effort!

* Ref. to " I fought the law and the law won" by Sonny Curtis. 

Poppy red

Dinner with friends which by a stroke of luck happened when there was an “art walk” in downtown Scottsdale. Phoenix has an active art community with lots of shows and I need to get my hand on the schedule!

Still subconsciously trying to balance the color scheme around me with reds. My Madewell poppy red dress, purchased a couple of months ago, got her first outing tonight. It was the perfect choice, like it had been made for a sultry night walking among beautiful paintings.

The moving company finally delivered our stuff. They unpacked and dumped everything un-ceremonially on the closet floor. I need to start organizing, before my precious babies suffer any more indignations.

What to wear for qualifying exam?

Back in October and November 2012, I took my qualifying exam and advancement to candidacy. For presenting my PhD proposal, I wore my navy shirtdress accessorized with a navy belt and necklace. I thought, navy being the color of authority as well as my power color, I was safe.

My committee grilled me for 2.5 hours starting from the first slide. At the end, they accepted my proposal and voted that I have enough scientific knowledge of the topic to pass the qualifying exam. However they judged my presentation skills subpar. I had to redo the presentation next month. In retrospect, I made two mistakes: first, I dressed feminine and not businesslike enough. The color alone did not save my bacon so to speak. Matching the sandals was also a mistake. A closed-toe pair of shoes would have been much better. Second, I sat down during my presentation and while answering questions and only stood up to write on the board whenever necessary. Both these mistakes enforced a less than serious and competent image.

For my second presentation I aimed to avoid any mistaken impression. I wore the traditional black and more business-defined pieces. A silk button down, black vest, a black and white necklace and boots provided a sleek silhouette which was a bit school-girly, a good image and  a bonus in this case.

The lessons from this experience:

-your average science or engineering  professors are not renowned for their sense of style. Stay in business-casual tried and true territory.

-although a more trendy or stylish outfit grants complements around the department, for official occasions people prefer more conventional outfits.

-an official event is not the time and place to demonstrate your creativity or sense of style. Stick to the more familiar visuals for the sake of your audience.

Edited: Here are what I wore to my defense and to my graduation ceremony.

A balancing act

My attempt at starting the week with a serious and businesslike attitude. A formal top, a belt and a clutch would surely formalize white shorts and sandals.

 With my limited wardrobe options (the movers haven’t brought our stuff yet!) I’m trying to balance out the beiges and browns around me with reds and blues. I just wish I could do the same thing to the landscape!

Sunday fun

Another day of exploring the neighborhood and then taking refuge from the heat in the local Barns and Nobel. The inspiration for this outfit came from today’s post on “Blue is in fashion this year”. For the day these Joe Fresh^TM shorts were turned casual with a tee and sandals for their first outing. Next time I will wear them with silk button downs!

For the night, I braved the elements and wore pants for the first time here in Arizona. The fact that our destination was the local theater and I was sure it would be super cold played a major role in my decision!

Exploring our new habitat

Spending the day exploring our new city and trying to find good food, some place to hang out with friends, a favorite coffee shop and my most necessary stores (I am counting Anthropologie and J.Crew in this category!).

For the day:

For the night:

The results of these excursions were finding a Sprouts (so comforting!), a barbeque joint (the best beef briskets I ever had) and the city’s main mall! I think I can live here… if forced! Ooh, almost forgot, I've found the city's public library, yoohoo!

First dinner party

Since my better half is very social and always making new friends or reconnecting with old friends and their families (from old kindergarten-college classmates to teachers to coworkers), I have to meet “the in-laws” over and over again in a sense. To meet these pseudo in-laws I’ve developed a fail-safe outfit strategy: a great dress in my power color, navy, with interesting accessories. This outfit reinforces my goody-two-shoes image which is not necessarily a bad thing.

For attending an informal dinner party and meeting hubby’s new friends (and their parents!), I went with my fantastic navy shirtdress spiced up with blue accessories:

Happy Fourth!

My yearly declaration of patriotism modified to our new climate:

I’ve moved…

…from beautiful Southern California to the deserts of Arizona. The temperature is between 115 to 105 in daytime and somewhere around 100 at night. The humidity… what humidity? The air is as dry as old bones! The landscape is a monochrome of khaki, beige and brown with splashes of cactus green. The houses are in the same sandy and khaki colors. The interior of our house is also an eye scorching symphony of beige and muddy green with yellow oak floors and cabinets.

 All this to say, I am in a cultural and physical shock and my artistic sensibilities are fatally injured. I don’t think I can live with this color scheme at all.

The most uncomplicated of my dresses had to be employed to battle the heat and a thin cardi for “AC + ceiling fan” interiors. 

On a positive note, we discovered Pheonix’s equivalent of BJ’s. Same loud atmosphere, same sampler of beers! The soup wasn’t equal to BJ’s clam chowder but the sandwich and salad were much better. The pizza you ask? Oh my god! So delicious it almost made up for all the faults Phoenix may have!

Oops!

Note to self: when packing, please remember to leave out the outfit you plan to wear on the way or you may end up with whatever is available and accessible!

Busy!

Having a hectic Sunday although the weather improved!

Day:

Night:

Steamed!

The 96 degree temperature and 80% humidity means you are being steam cooked slowly. Light cotton dresses are your friends here. For the day:

 

That cardigan was used to ward of chills from AC-ed interiors!

For the night: 

Heat wave

Temperature was in mid 90s today, which meant something light and cool for the outside and a bit of layering for the blasting AC’s inside. My black maxi dress has been made for this weather and that little linen jacket provided a bit of warmth when it was needed.

During the day:

At night:

On a mission

The Mission in San Juan Capistrano is one of my favorite sights in our neck of the woods. Although spring is the best season to enjoy its beauty and the abundant of flowers, it is still charming in early summer as well.

This chambray dress from last year can easily be my ideal piece of clothing. It’s simple, structured, can be dressed up or down, is light and airy, the color is a gorgeous indigo and most importantly has pockets. And of course it’s from Anthropologie!

This little linen jack from Target goes perfectly with so many outfits that I’m amazed why it’s not sold out!

Geo print

What I had on today? These geo print pants spiced up with a jacket and a twinkly necklace.
Why this sudden interest in Forever21? Because when I want to experiment with a new trend or a clothing item, I start with the least expensive version I can find. If that trend showed staying power or that item could work with the rest of my wardrobe, I will start looking for its higher quality pricier versions.  I’ve found out this is the best approach for convincing my classic loving self to try new things.

White out

I think I've finally found an acceptable white tee. I should have bought more than one!

Finally Friday

Having a lunch and shopping date with my friend was the best way to spend my Friday.

Emerald dreams

To spend half a day with friends, overdose on tasty seafood and window-shop in Asian Garden Mall, I needed something light and airy and chic. This wonderful dress fitted perfectly.

Flowers and lace

or black and white.

Playing with those Ikat print pants gave me the confidence to try on the scariest item of clothing: the floral print pants. This pair is from Forever21 and I just received it in the mail today. I had to wear it this evening for my grocery and takeout run, had to…

On another note, what do you think of Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill? One opened in our neighborhood last month. I tried it and was not impressed. I think I stay faithful to Daphne’s. What about you?

Sweet summer afternoon

These days I tend to cherish my downtime after more than a year of hard work and being stressed. It’s hard to collect momentum in the morning but my motivation to leave the house is the gorgeous weather we are having. For an afternoon of walking and running errands:

How I (finally) wore printed pants:

Back in April when I was still writing the main chapters of my dissertation, one Sunday afternoon, I decided to take an hour break and go bra-shopping. I knew what I wanted, double checking the Victoria’s secret catalog and website, so figured it would be an in and out excursion (including the 40 minutes drive to and from). I got to the mall and parked at the entrance as close to VS as I could to minimize distraction and temptation. I went in, found the bra and stood in the cashier line to pay for it. What I kept seeing was PRINTED PANTS… everywhere. Three women standing in front of me had them on, a few others still browsing were wearing prints and when I finally came out… I was seeing printed pants on three out of five women passing me. Ten steps out of the store and I made a decision. I always associated printed pants with older ladies and have resisted trying them on these last couple of years although they have become trendy from 2011. Maybe it is time to give it a try, yes? I headed first to Ann Taylor and then to J. Crew to try on printed pants. These stores had lots and lots of options, none of which looked good on my hourglass short-legged figure. To convince myself of not leaving any stone unturned, I went into Forever21 and looked for a pair of cotton printed pants. Lo and behold, the Shopping Gods delivered. These black Ikat pants fitted me perfectly and beautifully and the pattern looked good on me. The price was so low that I decided to get them in taupe as well. It is so hard for me to find well-fitting pants that whenever I do, I try and stock up!

My quick shopping trip turned into a three and half hours workout and then I was back in my closet trying to match the pants with tops. I have been wearing these pants a couple of times per week for the last two months and have been happy with the outfit I put together. I always match them with solid tops and keep to a similar color combination. Also I prefer my tops on the longer side with these pants and wear heels most of the time to avoid looking short. These are a few of outfits I put together with these pants.

Teaching them softly!

A couple of other outfits I wore to teach that Adult-learners class back in November and December of 2012. That class was part of another university and their students are professionals pursuing a degree. Therefore, all look very concerned about appearances.

My other outfits for this course: here, here and here.

Rushed!

I have been busy with organizing the whole day. Just had time in the evening before stores closed to rush out and buy grocery, a storage box, take-out dinner and painkiller.

Long time, no see!

Hello darlings,

It has been a very long time since I’ve posted here. I have been working hard on my research, taking exams to complete my degree’s requirements, teaching in winter quarter, writing a couple of papers and submitting to the journals, writing my dissertation and finally defending my dissertation. Therefore I was conserving my writing energy and creative powers for my academic work, necessary albeit dull and boring.

Now the wait is finally over and I can start posting here. I will give the highlights of my last seven months in the form of outfits I had on for those occasions.

There is also going to be some talk about lifestyle changes, defining new goals, and the turns a person’s life takes while I’m figuring out my new life and adjusting to some pretty big changes. Please bear with me, I promise to make them entertaining!