Sprummer Day 4 -- Proportion Play

The clinic where I've been working lately has a no-white-coats rule, and I've got to say, I really like it.  It means that rather than just trying to look professional, it's worth it to put some effort into dressing cute, because it's actually visible.  It also means I get to wear things, like this majorly-dolman-sleeved sweater, that simply wouldn't work worn under a lab coat.

Sweater: thrifted | Pants: thrifted | Sandals: Chinese Landry, thrifted | Necklace: gift

I can never figure out what color this sweater is (disclosure: I'm slightly colorblind).  Is it grey?  Lavender?  A kind of putty-taupe?  No idea.  It does go well with the wall, though.

This is a new type of silhouette for me.  It doesn't do the things I'm used to or address my usual style priorities.  It's fun, though, to push those boundaries a little, to play with proportion and shape and emphasis in ways that differ from my MO.

You know the drill...Sprummer Fashion Week!  Let's go give everybody some love.  =)

Jewelry Preferences

As much as I'd like to burrow into my blankets and hibernate until April, I decided to poke my head out of my little nest and share some jewelry ideas with you!

I'm actually not a huge fan of jewelry.  I rarely wear it on a daily basis.  I don't have "signature pieces", and most of it was purchased on the cheap, or given to me.  But, as I've been thinking lately about how my jewelry preferences have changed throughout the years, I wanted to document where I'm at now.

So, travelling from least favorite to most favorite, we start with...

This one's a gift from my sister, Andrea.

Bracelets:  I don't know if it's because I have very petite wrists, which cause things to slide around all the time, or if I just never got into the habit of wearing them, but bracelets are my least favorite jewelry item.  I think I own three.  Sometimes, they add a nice bit of sparkle, or pop of color, but overall, I prefer other jewelry options.

These were included as a bonus gift in a blogger's giveaway I won, years ago.

Earrings:  It's not that I don't enjoy earrings.  I really do.  I have my ears pierced five times - two on the left (cartilage and conch) and three on the right (twice in my lobe and tragus) - but I don't change my earrings very often.  Once I find something I like, it stays in my ear for months.  There was a period when I changed the earrings in my lobes frequently, but after the hole in my left earlobe got torn (long story, but gratefully, not a painful one), I gave away a lot of my fun earrings.  Now, I go for silver earrings, of various sizes and shapes.

Bicycle pendant - Forever 21

Coin - I think it's a Euro?

Heart - a gift from a boy I used to mentor

Necklaces:  Necklaces have always been at or near the top of my list of favorite jewelry.  There was a pearl necklace period and a long necklace period.  I have necklaces that double as watches and ones from overseas.  I don't wear chokers anymore, but other than that, I've kept most of the necklaces I've gotten throughout the years!

I bought my sisters and I matching mustache rings for our birthdays a few years ago.

I'm pretty sure this ring is broken now.

Rings:  Rings are my current favorite, especially stacked rings.  In the past, I've had eczema on my hands, which requires lots of special lotion.  Since I don't like to gunk up the diamonds on my engagement ring, I kept having to take it on & off.  Stacked rings give an interesting look without stones, so I've moved more in that direction lately.   As I said, I have very petite hands, so finding rings in general stores (like Forever 21, etc) can be challenging, so yay for Etsy!  However, a dozen or so years ago, I found some awesome stacked rings, that actually fit my hands, at a department store, but lost them at a bowling alley.  I don't even like bowling, so it was insult to injury.  I miss those rings...

What are your jewelry preferences?

Pumpkin Spice

You gals are all just the best.  Have you *seen* the love everyone is pouring out on each other?  It's a total feel-good fest all up in Fashion Week. 

Truthfully, I have yet to imbibe pumpkin spice anything this autumn season (shocking!), but it seemed like the right name for this outfit.   

 

I love that skirt.  It looks all stiff and woolen, but it's actually very soft, and nubbly.  Can't go wrong with the bias cut, either -- hangs like a straight skirt, but lets you walk.

Blouse: thrifted | Necklace: clothing swap | Skirt: thrifted | Shoes: Clarks

Not much more to say about this, it's a pretty standard work outfit.  Though, I must mention that it is exhausting having to dress like a professional adult every.single.day.  I can't decide if that's made better or worse by the fact that I have limited options, with two pairs of dress pants and two, maybe three pairs of shoes that don't kill my feet to be standing all day.  I know nurses wear those so-ugly-but-everyone's-in-scrubs-anyway Dansko clogs; how do teachers and other who walk all day do it, without resorting to sneakers?

Mirror crud, sorry, but it shows so nicely most of the colors in the skirt.  Perfect for autumn, with a pumpkin spice whatsitcalled...

I hope you haven't gotten your fall fashion fix yet, because there's a whole lot more happening and the party's at Deanna's.  Have fun!

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...

Spring Fashion Week - Tuesday

So, this is basically a love letter to my green pants.

My green pants are amazing.  They're ever-so-slightly loose, wearing a bit more like trousers or sweatpants than jeans.  They are corduroy, which immediately ups the awesome factor.  And they are this delightful neon-apple green that never fails to make me smile.  Watch out, world, katie has green pants.

I also really like this sweater -- it's such a lovely chunky open-knit lace, and *exactly* my skin tone.  A sweet feminine touch, which is an amusing contrast to the oh-so-bold green pants. 

Tank: Target | Sweater: Anthropologie, thrifted | GREEN PANTS: thrifted | Necklaces: birthday gift from the mister (black), Kohls (turquoise) | Sandals: Kalso Earth

Does that one look overly senior-picture-y to anyone else?  It's okay; if I'd had my green pants then, I totally would have done my senior portraits in them.  Also, apparently I spend so much time in the hunched-over-studying posture that I am physically incapable of relaxing my shoulders anymore.  It's okay, trapezius muscles, you can chill out, there's a fence there holding you up.   

Curly hair!  And a far more realistically-katie facial expression.

If Spring Fashion Week is what brought you here, thanks for stopping by!  Now, go check out what everyone else is up to.

Reasons to Wear Red

I admit it, I'm one of those folks who will dress up in the appropriate colors for a holiday.  No over-the-top themed sweaters with crazy matching jewelry or anything, but red/white/blue for national holidays, green for St. Patrick's, harvest colors for Thanksgiving and sparkles for New Year's.  So, it's probably 100% likely I'd have worn red on Thursday anyway because duh, Valentine's Day.  However, for the past two weeks our school has been emphatically encouraging us to wear red on the 14th in support of "Humanism in Medicine."  While I think they would have gotten a more accurate representation of solidarity on a day when people weren't otherwise inclined to wear the same colors, it was still really cool to see so much support.  As a classmate described it, I am an "accidental osteopath" -- I found my way here due to the constraints of other parts of my life, but I recognize how blessed I am to be surrounded by colleagues with similar priorities of being empathetic, compassionate people and doctors.

Occasion: a Valentine's date with the sweetest elderly patient

We had follow-up visits with patients in a nearby senior residential community, and hence had to dress doctorly.  I was excited to break out this skirt, a recent thrifting score -- not only is it nubbly tweedy wool in a plaid pattern (two of my favorites!), but all the seams are on the bias (diagonally across the grain), which gives it more flexibility and a great fit, for a non-stretchy pencil skirt.  Also, I'm pretty sure that these are my favorite shoes.

Shirt: H&M | Skirt: thrifted | Belt: thrifted | Tights: Hue | Shoes: b.o.c. by Born, thrifted; similar, similar | Necklace: gift from the mister

Do you dress for the holidays?  Intentionally do the opposite?  Ignore 'em and wear whatever?

Indeed.

Survival Mode

Finals week: that not-so-wonderful time of year when I obsessively ignore everything except studying.  I have actually told my husband "I have to banish you now" at least twice in the past few days.  Facing down seven(!) exams in four days, it's full-on Survival Mode.

Occasion: treading water

Day when I have to go to campus and pass for a human being have been variations on this formula, but home days have seen me never bothering to abandon the PJs.  However, a necessary run to the post office -- because not only is it finals week, but it's the holiday season, too -- meant reverting to no-brainer basics.  I may not be the most fashionable person in Berkeley, but at least people aren't crossing the street to avoid me, like the other crazies. 

Turtleneck sweater: thrifted | Jeans: hand-me-downs, originally from Gap | Shoes: Marshalls | Necklace: a gift

Bonus: not only did my necklace highlight the layered colors, but it kind of looks like Christmas lights.  So, that's a plus. 

So, how do you get through rough weeks -- psych yourself up and go in swinging?  Stick to a tried-and-true routine?  Desperately tread water?

[Student] Doctor Kate

A few times a month, we have labs (or in this case, an exam!) where we have to dress up, don our white coats, and act as the physicians for actors who come in to play the roles of our patients.  My nametag has my given name on it, while "katie" is my handle in daily, informal situations, but I have taken to mentally calling myself "Kate" when in professional garb.  "Kate" is my alter-ego, my ideal professional self, who stays cool under pressure and can pull together clinical know-how while staying present with and attentive to the patient.  

Occasion: pretending to be a doctor

I've got a long way to go before the real me is close to the Kate that I hope to be, but until then I can still dress the part.  Professional attire in my cohort is oh-so-conservative -- I haven't seen any of my other classmates don colored tights, but I do like that rich jade green and with everything else in inoffensive black and grey, why not?

Dress: thrifted | Cami: thrifted | Belt: Target | Tights: Target | Shoes: Naya via db shoes | Earrings: gift from the mister | Necklace: Kohls | White coat: courtesy of OPSC

Cheers,

Kate katie

Exercising Opposites

I am not entirely sure about this outfit.  I really the combination of opposite colors -- that deep, grape-y violet and mustard yellow -- and I like the silhouette, but I don't think it wore as well as it looked.

 

Occasion: a Friday (ie. short day) of lectures

The dress is a slight a-line and would be fine on its own, except that it hits me about two inches higher on the leg than I feel comfortable with for school or professionally.  I've worn a black skirt under it as an extender before, but I wanted more color this time.  This yellow skirt, though...it's so full.  I know petticoats worked that way, but all that fairly stiff material (almost like denim) under a much lighter-weight, narrower dress was just awkward.

Such a cheeseball face, but it shows off that lovely necklace a bit better, and the interesting texture that the tone-on-tone stripes add.  I really do like these colors together, so I'm sure I'll give this pairing another shot at some point.

Now, while we're on the subject of cheeseball...

Dress: H&M | Skirt: thrifted | Shoes: Target | Necklace: a gift from the mister

Cheers,

katie