Ode to Books

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I am immersed in books. At work, I help students with reading comprehension, I facilitate discussions about literature, and then I help students write about the books they’ve read. At school, I read and research and write about literature. At home, I read to my children and listen to my six-year-old as he reads aloud. When I volunteer in his classroom, I am often asked to help his classmates as they struggle through phonics readers. In the playground, I bring picture books and read to the children who want a break from more active play.

And I love it, all of it. If someone had told me when I was a kid that this would be my life when I grew up, I would have been utterly content.

After all, I was the otherwise obedient child who read under my covers at night by the dim light of my nightlight and then swiftly pretended to be asleep when my mama would come to check on me. I was the child who preferred reading to playing, to watching television, to playing video games, to practically everything. I was the child for whom books was the ultimate pleasure, a world where I could see and experience all things and all places and all times.

I’m still quite romantic about books. I still believe in the transcendent power of stories.

I also just really, really love books. I love the smell of books – the crisp smell of new paper and the musty smell of old tomes. I love how a book feels in my hand, I love the texture of the paper as I turn a page. I love the experience of curling up with a book in a comfy place. It is probably unsurprising, therefore, that as much as I embrace and often prefer the digital versions of newspapers and even magazines, I don’t like e-readers. They aren’t bad per se, but my attachment to the experience of reading actual books and to books as objects in and of themselves makes reading e-books a comparatively cold experience.


(I’m actually not a huge fan of Gertrude Stein. I think her work is fascinating and important, but it doesn’t move me. Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels have been on my reading list for a long time, but I’m determined to read them this summer. Then again, my summer reading list seems to add a few titles every other day, and Gaskell’s novels have been on the list since last summer.)

(Mostly, I picked these books because they matched my outfit!)

Sweater: vintage Philippe Adec silk and cashmere red sweater (hand-me-down from my mama)
Jacket: Marc Jacobs (old)
Shirt: J.Crew
Shorts: Q40 glam leather shorts (also worn here and here)
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: J.Crew
Accessories: Chanel sunglasses (hand-me-down from my mama), Forever 21 headband and teal earring (worn as brooch), Herkimer diamond earrings from Principessa (gift from Yubo)
Nail Polish: essie turqoise and caicos
Lipstick: NARS Jungle Red lip liner and Red Lizard lipstick
Books: teal giraffe notebook by Florence Balducci for Anthropologie (gift), Selected Writings of Gertrude Stein, The Cranford Chronicles by Elizabeth Gaskell

Blue Bow Belt

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I was up for a good chunk of last night with my youngest son who came down with stomach flu yesterday so I had a hard time waking up this morning. I finally dragged myself out of bed about 10 minutes before I usually leave the house for work so I had barely enough time to throw on some clothes and dash out the door. I did my makeup in the car (does it make it better if I tell you I save my eye makeup for red lights?) and, to my dismay, I got a parking ticket at school today because in the rush this morning I had forgotten to switch my pass from my husband’s car, which I drove yesterday, to my car.

So yes, wrong side of bed today and all that.

Still, I absolutely love my job; it’s hands-down the most rewarding and enjoyable job I’ve ever had so this morning wasn’t a complete wash in the least. I started one-on-one conferencing with my students on their papers this morning as well, and that’s one of my favorite parts of teaching writing. You can do so much with a student one-on-one that just isn’t possible in a large group.

Except for brief periods where I wanted to be a ballerina (tutus! need I say more?), a singer (I have had a longtime and ongoing infatuation with female singer-songwriters), and a lawyer (like my mama!), I’ve really always wanted to be a teacher. I adored nearly all my teachers growing up, and the idealist in me has always wanted to do something that made a difference in the world for good. In my last year of college I was actually applying to teaching credential/education MA programs with the goal of becoming a high school English teacher, but the birth of my first child sort of derailed those plans. In the past several years, I’ve tried a few other careers, but nothing seemed to fit. So it makes me really happy now to be doing something that I not only believe in, but I really, really enjoy.

Since I was in such a rush this morning, I wasn’t really thinking about anything in particular when I threw my outfit together this morning, but I like how it ended up. I nearly always try to buy clothes that I know I can mix and match with other items in my closet. You know those magazine articles that show how you can wear one shirt 5 different ways? That’s how I think when I shop. If I can’t imagine several ways an item can be worn then it really has no business in my closet to begin with.

I’ve never really worn belts before this year so I’m hesitant to buy them because I’m not always sure how or what to wear them with. This little blue bow belt was an impulse buy last year during one of Nordstom’s big annual sales, and I almost regretted buying it after it hung in my closet unworn for months afterward. Lately, though, I think I’m getting the hang of this whole belt thing.

I think belts and other accessories are great ways to incorporate trends without a big commitment. For instance, neon colors are really big right now, but no matter how much I love these uber-popular neon bags from The Cambridge Satchel Company, I can’t afford to spend that much on something that I’m not ready to commit to wearing for the next 10 years at least. But this neon yellow belt from J.Crew? I think I could splurge on that (maybe next month though?), and I know I could wear it a ton of different ways. And then the canvas bag I’m wearing from fieldguided is a nice little nod to neon without being totally overwhelming or breaking the bank.

I’ve talked about this before, I think, but that’s part of why I really like nail polish as well. Not only is nail polish just plain fun, but it’s an easy, low-commitment way of incorporating bright and silly colors. I don’t like manicures (I know, I’m weird) so I buy my own polish and paint my nails myself. It’s not always never super perfect, but I feel better about buying one new nail polish color a month than I would about getting a manicure every few weeks.

My mama, however, is always a little appalled by my nail color choices, I think. I admit that perhaps I take a little teeny bit of pleasure in her mildly disapproving “tsk tsks” though. Maybe in another ten years I’ll have completely grown out of this little bit of post-teenage rebellion.

And then on the opposite spectrum are my pearls, a wedding gift from my grandmother, that I know I’ll be wearing when my own grandchildren are getting married. My grandmother originally bought me a very, very long string of freshwater pearls, which she then had split into two lengths – the long one I’m wearing now with a pearl shortener clasp (also a gift from my grandmother) that makes it a few inches shorter than it would be otherwise – and a choker length necklace that I wore on my wedding day. As a set I can wear them so many different ways.

Shirt: Mikkat Market (also worn here)
Dress: laurie b. cashmere and tulle shift, worn as skirt (also worn here)
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: J.Crew
Bag: fieldguided
Accessories: Nordstrom blue leather skinny bow belt (similar at Forever 21), Forever 21 bow hair clip (old), pearls (gift from grandmother) worn with pearl shortener clasp (similar here), Herkimer diamond earrings from Principessa (gift from Yubo)
Nail Polish: essie turqoise and caicos
Lipstick: NARS Dragon Girl Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

Sheer Sleeves

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I hope you are all having a nice weekend. Yubo and the children have Monday off for President’s Day so they will be going to visit my in-laws tomorrow, but I still have class tomorrow.

This morning I took my eldest to a play date and then drove him to piano. He’s been taking piano for about a year and he loved it for the first six months or so after which the novelty faded and it set in that learning and, more to the point, practicing piano is hard work. Hard work that is often tedious and repetitive, even when you like your teacher and your mom is a super awesome home coach (of course!).

He doesn’t actively hate it, but he does drag his feet about practicing and would definitely rather have spent his Sunday afternoon setting up a lemonade stand at his friend’s house than forcing his left hand to coordinate with his right hand on the keyboard. Still, once he starts playing, he seems happy enough and the sense of pride and accomplishment on his face when he’s mastered a new song or performed at a recital is pretty priceless.

Regardless, I’ve tried to present piano in the same way I present school. Does he sometimes want to stay home and play with his legos rather than go to school? Yes, but school is not a choice. Same goes for piano: piano is not a choice. I’m sure some people might think that’s kind of harsh, but I truly believe that music and, ideally, learning an instrument, should be a part of a well-rounded education. My children are fortunate enough to have grandparents who offered to support their private lessons, and I feel blessed that my parents wanted to give that to them.

I certainly don’t expect my children to become concert pianists or to play at Carnegie Hall or even start a garage band (though if that’s what they want, I’ll be there in the front row cheering them on), but I do want them to understand and appreciate music and be able to have music as a creative and emotional outlet. I know that there are cognitive benefits to learning an instrument as well, but mostly I just think that music is a gift that they will have their whole lives.

That said, it would be nice if he just wanted to practice everyday without complaint!

This shirt I’m wearing was a gift from my friend Katherine of Mikkat Market. It’s probably not something I would have chosen myself, especially with my super hesitant online buying issues, but I really, really love it now. It’s so versatile – I can dress it up like this or wear it with a tank and jeans. I can layer over it or show off the pretty, pretty sleeves. Speaking of the sleeves, they’ve got an almost Renaissance thing going on, and thus make me inordinately happy.

I just recently learned that its some odd fashion rule that you’re not to mix black and brown (is this like not wearing white after Labor Day?), which I think is absolutely ridiculous as black and brown look perfectly lovely together. It all depends on what particular pieces we’re talking about, I think. Anyway, obviously, I’m mixing black and brown and taupe and grey so I hope that the fashion gods do not come down to smote me.

Also, I have brown hair so does that mean I’m not supposed to wear black? How very silly. I guess that just goes to show, rules are made to be broken. (Except my rules, of course, like my children must learn to play an instrument and give their mommy kisses everyday. Because my rules make sense.)

(Duh.)

Shirt: asymmetrical shirt, c/o Mikkat Market (different cut, but same color and sheer sleeves here)
Dress: Thakoon for Target, worn as skirt (old)
Shoes: J.Crew wedges
Tights: J.Crew
Bag: Louis Vuitton (gift from my mama)
Belt: Theory (old)
Lipstick: shu uemura warm nude 939 (discontinued) over Cle de Peau Extra Rich Lipstick T5

White Lace, Red Tights

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I’m really enjoying this semester so far even though I’m not taking any literature classes. While I do feel rather lit-deprived, the pedagogy course I’m taking has made teaching so much fun. It’s odd because the reading for the course often puts me to sleep it’s so dry, but the stuff I learn I then try out on my students and – lo and behold – it works! It’s so awesome!

In addition to the pedagogy course, I’m taking a required course in linguistics. I took a year of linguistics in college for my math GE requirements (I know, it’s weird that linguistics counted for math, but I was beyond thankful it did). I didn’t love it back then, but it was mildly interesting and it’s kind of a neat trick to be able to translate things into IPA. I can’t decide how I feel about the course I’m taking now for my graduate program. I see the usefulness in being able to understand the back-end, so to speak, of English, particularly when it comes to grammar, but my professor likes to go on tangents, as do some of my classmates, which means that often we spent half the class discussing things that have nothing to do with anything remotely associated with linguistics. It’s not that I mind tangents as a rule, but when it wastes half of a three hour class, I get irritated. Every wasted hour is time I could have spent eating dinner with my family, tucking my kids into bed, or watching Downton Abbey, dammit.

Aside from that particular life-shattering burden, school and work are engaging and fulfilling. I’m tutoring in the freshman writing lab this semester as well, and it’s nice being able to work one-on-one with students. And the discussions in my pedagogy course are so fun, mostly because my colleagues are amazing. It’s so great to be a part of a group of such motivated, engaged, hard-working, and yes, idealistic people. I know that in all probability we will all eventually end up grumpy, cynical, and bitter, but I really, really hope not.

Actually, if I ever end up like that, I hope I stop teaching and go do something else that I can be idealistic about.

This outfit was inspired by this Valentine’s Day-themed wedding shoot I stumbled upon while doing research for my parents’ upcoming 30th wedding anniversary party, specifically this photo. I loved the combination of the white lace dress with the red tights so much and her dress looked so similar to the one in my own closet, that I figured I could pull something similar together.

This dress is so soft and feminine, and I like how the red punches it up a bit and cuts down on some of that softness. I feel so different wearing this dress styled this way than, say, this way.

My hair is based off this Refinery 29 tutorial – I first did my hair like this for the holiday party my girlfriends and I throw annually. It’s super easy and even though my hair is still pretty short, I can still just manage to make it work. I like that it’s sort of messy; it feels very feminine, but in a un-fussy I-did-my-hair-in-under-a-minute type of way. Which I did!

I also really like the way it sets off this headband. It feels very Grecian.

Can you see my sunburn setting in? Stupid uber-pale skin. Nah, I like my blindingly pale porcelain skin, but its tendency to burn is kind of a pain. (Mind the puns!) Must remember to apply sunscreen to my shoulders now that the weather is nice enough not to require layering.

Dress: Anthropologie (also worn here)
Blazer: Madewell Academy Blazer (also worn here)
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: Zara wedges
Bag: vintage (from ebay)
Accessories: Anthropologie headband (old), Forever 21 hairpins (old) and scissor necklace, Herkimer diamond earrings from Principessa on Abbot Kinney (Valentine’s gift from Yubo)
Nail Polish: essie watermelon
Lipstick: NARS Heat Wave

*twirl*

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I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over the irrepressible urge to twirl when presented with the right skirt.

This brown velvet skirt has just the right weight and swish to conduct the most satisfying of twirls. Unfortunately, it was getting a bit dark when I got home from school today so all my twirling pictures turned out horribly blurry.

Curtsying isn’t so bad either though.

I tend to wear short skirts that I can wear with opaque tights or skirts that reach just past my knee. The key is to cover the knees. I’m not a big fan of my knees. Knobby little suckers, they are.

Shirt: J.Crew
Sweater: Zara (old)
Skirt: brown velvet MaxMara (old)
Shoes: J.Crew
Nail Polish: essie watermelon
Lipstick: Cle de Peau Beaute 16

Blood Orange Pleats

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We’ve been eating a lot of blood oranges lately and they leave these shockingly bright red-orange stains on everything. This skirt reminds me of them.

I go through phases with color – sometimes I wear a lot of bright, flashy colors – yellows and reds and hot pinks and greens. Other times, I feel drawn toward more muted colors – dark plum purples and navy blues and tans. But I am, at heart, a black is best kind of gal. My mama has great style, but it’s subtle. Her closet is a sea of blacks, browns, navy blues, and crisp white blouses. She has an eye for details and appreciates really beautiful design. My grandmother, on the other hand, has a very theatrical style – she has entire matching outfits of bright purples, pinks, leopard-prints. She comes from the era of bright lipsticks, perfectly coiffed hair, and matching shoes and handbags. My grandmother, even at 90, always makes an entrance in her bright colors and high heels.

So any color I incorporate into my wardrobe feels like a grand gesture, a nod toward the fun of theatrical dressing, of play. Black comes naturally to me; it’s timeless and dependable and always chic. But when I wear bright colors I feel like I’m dressing for adventure.

And I like that.

I guess this is all to say that when I wear color, I usually pair it with a neutral, like black. I like the juxtaposition and I feel like that one bright burst of color makes more of an impression.

For me, fashion is about wearing clothes that makes you feel beautiful, that makes you feel like the best version of you, that are fun, playful, irreverent, and interesting.

As a literary scholar, I tend to see stories in everything, and clothing is no exception. My clothes tell a story – about me and about the people that influence me. They’re just as much about where I come from as they are about who I want to be.

Shirt: Mikkat Market (similar shirt in blue)
Skirt: BCBG Max Azria pleated chiffon skirt
Shoes: J.Crew
Bag: J.Crew, worn as clutch
Accessories: vintage Gaultier sunglasses (used to be my mama’s), louloudo pouch necklace
Nail Polish: essie watermelon
Lipstick: NARS Heat Wave