The Unintentional Capsule Wardrobe

This is my closet in its entirety right now:

It consists of: an entirely unnecessary lab coat, three pairs of pants (plus workout capris), one skirt, one formal dress (for a family wedding next weekend), three dressy-casual dresses, a long-sleeved sweater, two short-sleeved sweaters, two cardigans, a track jacket, two button-up blouses, a tunic blouse, three short-sleeved blouses, four or five casual tees, and four pairs of shoes (one not pictured), as well as necessary underbits.

While I have been continuing a slow closet purge, this capsule collection is still only a fraction of what I own and came about rather unintentionally -- I'm living and working in Texas for a month, and thus only have access to an abridged wardrobe.  Putting it together (the night before traveling, of course) was a bit stressful, trying to accommodate the necessary business casual dress code with Central Texas climate in garments I possessed...but I'm quite pleased with the end result: mostly neutrals (black, khaki, denim, chambray, cream), paired with light warms (mustard yellow, coral, rusty orange) and deep blues (cobalt, navy).

Dress: Old Navy

I've got to admit, the limited selection is actually quite refreshing.  I'm definitely the type to be overwhelmed with too many options; selecting the garments when packing initially felt constricting, but now paring it down so that I can literally see everything at once is very freeing in the morning.  

Getting comfortable with a substantially-limited clothes selection is important for more than just this month, too, because...well...

Yup, that's a baby bump!  I'm currently 16 weeks along and loving it.  About a week ago, I went from "Sure, I can probably get another couple weeks out of my pants" to "Haha, NOPE!" literally overnight.

I'm hoping to be more present these next 5+ months than I've been in the previous -- I think balancing a constantly-changing body with a limited closet will be a fun challenge, and of course there are belly photos to take!

Charlotte colored her hair, and I'm growing another person -- any big changes for you?  Do share!

I Love My Job!

Evidenced by the fact that I've used that title for both of my blogs within the past week, it's probably no surprise that I really love my job! Charlotte's question about dreams and what we want to be when we grow up gave me another opportunity to reflect on how really, truly content I am now.  We still have dreams -- someday the mister and I will have a dog, and kids, and a farmhouse on an orchard with chickens and a goat -- and there's some substantial uncertainty in our immediate future, but compared with the Very Unpleasant Recent Past, life is edifying and I am exactly where I'm supposed to be and it is good.

So, here's another day-at-the-pediatrics-clinic outfit.  This is totally true to my sartorial professional self, and I wore green and red (okay, burgundy) without looking like Christmas, and it's even a good hair day.  Winning on every front.

 Blouse: H&M, thrifted (from near Rocket Baby, char-let!) | Skirt: thrifted | Shoes: Camper, via eBay | Belt: thrifted, a favorite | Necklaces: gifts | Watch: Fossil, via Amazon | iPad cover: Make Things Better (front & back)

 
I got an iPad Mini to be my ectopic brain for rotations.  I am very much *not* a Mac person, and there are things about it that drive me absolutely bonkers, but it's a helpful tool.

The best part?  Getting to pick out an awesome, subtle-ly geeky cover.  River Song's journal was awfully compelling, but I ultimately went with the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Because...that's what it is!

P.S.  The weekend away mentioned with the honeymoon skirt was an absolute delight.  If anyone is interested in where to find a(n amazingly affordable!) slice of mountainous-but-near-the-seaside heaven in the Santa Cruz redwoods, I can totally hook you up.  Don't lie, you wish you were here...

Dressed for Success

Do you know what time it is?

 

It's Go Time. This is Test Day.  I am taking boards, right now.  (I am not live-blogging -- I totally took these pictures early and pre-scheduled the post.  You can't even have a StupidPhone in the exam with you, much less access to the internet).

 

I think I have everything that I need, but I'm thinking I probably should have sharpened my brain before we began.  It's feeling a little dull.

Someday, I will tell the story of this sweater and how it came to be mine.  Someday, I will talk about eating disorders, nurturing one's soul, and how my face is clear evidence that I've gained 10% of my body weight in the two months I've been prepping.  Someday...but not today.

Today I am taking boards. 

Spring Fashion Week - Wednesday

This is not the picture I was hoping to open with.  The first photo I was intending to share today is a "before" shot, of what these pants looked like when I first got them.  However, in the month since they've gone under the knife needle, said photo has gone MIA -- not on the memory card, not on the computer...Alas, you'll just have to imagine these pants -- these very same pants! -- as unflatteringly middlingly-wide-legged, dragging on the floor, and saggy in the crotch.  Why ever would I intentionally pay money for such unappealing pants, you ask?  Three reasons: first, they fit my hips, waist, and thighs really well -- and when you have a remarkable size difference between your waist and your rear end, finding pants that fit without gaps is far easier said than done; second, they were $1; and third, even though they're a marginally-embarrassing old-lady brand, I knew was reasonably certain was deluded into thinking that I could make them hip (and look much better than the currently-hip-brands-which-don't-actually-fit-my-hips).

  

BAM.  "After" photo.  Slimmed 'em up, cropped them, and took out all the weird baggy crotch business.  (Seriously, old-lady crotch pants?  What is your deal?)  This is my first wearable project since acquiring my favorite toy, and even though it's just a refashion rather than a made-from-scratch, I am SO excited.  Thrifting is already my favorite hobby these days -- imagine the potential when you can take something with just a few redeeming qualities and turn it into exactly what you wanted!  And now, I have professional-able cropped trousers, for $1 and an hour of my time. 

Today was a professional-dress day -- not for the two exams (one of which actually necessitated gym clothes), but because I was once again interviewing prospective students.  While I remember only too well the anxiety and heartache and desperation of that time in my life, I can't deny the thrill of the power of sitting on the other side of the table.  I feel kind of like an unlovable game show host ("You are the weakest link -- goodbye!")...and I like it.

Blouse: Anthropologie, thrifted (on this visit with Rachael!) | Pants: thrifted & redone by yours truly | Shoes: Fluevog, via eBay | Watch: Fossil | Sunglasses: Publix

That's right...I wear your grand dad ma's clothes, I look in-cre-di-ble, and I have probably more influence than you would prefer on the future of your career at this school.  Never mind that I'm wearing heels, pearls, and a lacy ruffled blouse -- I feel like a BAMF.

So...Spring Fashion Week, anyone?

Springing, or Holiday Dress

So, remember how I'm the type to dress for the holidays?  Well, green is my favorite color and I promise, I wore this on Tuesday and didn't realize until blogging it that it would post on the 17th.  Well, Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Given how I spent my entire life before college my background, St. Pat's is one of the High Holy days and though I haven't laced up those dance shoes for gosh, nearly eight(!) years, it still strikes me as odd to carry on with life as usual around this time of year.  Today, for example, I am studying for tomorrow's exam on Reproductive Physiology, when I *should* be drinking Guinness.  Alas...

Occasion: seriously professionalizing

You may also recall how strange it was to dress like a responsible adult for three days in a row.  This past week only -- "only" -- had two such occasions, but Tuesday had three different events totaling 6.5 hours of my day which mandated professional attire.  6.5 hours!  It's as if it's for real, now.  (And what 6.5 hours they were!  Lab with preggos, feeling their bellies and learning to do ultrasounds; interviewing applicants; and learning/performing actual pelvic exams, speculum and all, on an actual woman, who was a phenomenally patient and gracious teacher.)

Weird pose -- trying to show off all my little bits, and not look like a dork in the process.  Success on the first, not so much on the second.

Sweater: INC, thrifted | Blouse: INC, thrifted | Skirt: Express, inherited from an old roommate | Tights: Target | Shoes: b.o.c. by Born, thrifted | Watch: plundered from the mister | Earrings: old favorites

Coming up next, I've got a 10-day trip featuring four vastly different environs: a professional conference, relatively formal social events in Florida, Orlando's theme parks, and family time/Irish dance viewing in Boston.  How will I piece together 10 consecutive days' worth of outfits for two or three different climates and fit it all into one suitcase?  Truthfully, I have no idea -- so, tune in to find out!

Inspiration Gone Awry

I have long admired the look of a blousey top tucked into trouser jeans.  If that description leaves you raising an eyebrow in disbelief, allow me to illustrate:

Sources: Feathers & Freckles | Kendi Everyday | What Would a Nerd Wear

See?  Such a nice change from the skinny jeans that seem to be all we see, right?  Seems like it would be an easy look to emulate and make work for oneself, doesn't it?  So please, help me tease out the differences between those above, and this one here:

Trouser jeans: thrifted | Blouse: thrifted | Sweater: Kimchi Blue, thrifted (seen here) | Shoes: b.o.c., thrifted (seen here) | Earrings: Target | Belt: Target | Watch: plundered from the mister

I only caught a glimpse in the mirror before snapping that shot and setting off on my day.  Everything wore comfortably, but compared to my inspiration photos, it just feels frumpy.  I have a few suspicions about how to get closer to what I was aiming for: a sweater that hangs more openly and reaches the top of the inseam, thereby skimming the hips; and pants that are flared rather than true wide-legged trousers, as these are.  I absolutely love the way my professional-wear, dress-pant trousers fit -- such a nice, fluid drape -- but these denim ones are much more stiff.

How do you translate fashion inspiration into sartorial success?  What kinds of tweaking do you find yourself doing to make something look or feel just the way you'd hoped?

On Fashion and Function

I haven't regularly worn a watch in quite a while -- not since getting my first cell phone, my freshman year of college.  That watch (the silver one on the far right in the photo above) was a graduation gift from my father, and perfectly suited my aesthetic: simple, streamlined, not fussy, and worked very well stacked with the wrist-fulls of bracelets I wore all the time in my late teens.

However, it doesn't have a second hand, and now as I'm nearing the clinical stage of my education and career, I'm finding that to be a necessity as a piece of my professional equipment.  I scoured the internet and stumbled upon The Perfect Watch -- bracelet clasp, small round face, and that oh-so-important second hand, with a unique style I haven't encountered anywhere else.  It was what I needed, and everything I wanted...only, after an It's-SO-Sparkly-I-MUST-Have-It impulse buy brought me the teal one, and plundering the mister's watch collection landed me the leather one, I realized that everything I thought I knew -- about myself and what I wanted in a watch -- was wrong. 

Now, I'm sold on the large faces -- I think I like the aesthetic, and I definitely appreciate the practicality.  After all, functionality is why I'm even in the market for another watch.  I know that buckles don't bother me, but I still don't like the looks of most links.  I want something that will work just as well for me on my punk-rock pin-up days as it will when I'm channeling Kate Becket or Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.  Tall order, especially given my aversion to having things that are just like everyone else's.  I think I've got two favorites, each with an alternate colorway, but we'll see.

What are your timepieces, and how did you select them?  It feels strange to suddenly over-think the choice of an accessory that I completely ignored for years -- have you come back to anything after a break, and found that your taste has completely changed?