Slouchy Style

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Today was my first day back at work. It’s hard to describe my job because it’s really sort of an odd gig. I guess it’s kind of like the TA-led discussion sections I had for large lectures in undergrad. Regardless, it was nice to see my students again even if they didn’t appear quite as excited as I was about returning to class. Because of that, we played an ice breaker game to ease the transition and I gave them candy.

Candy makes everything better. Except, I guess, your teeth.

This outfit just feels very slouchy to me, like everything is just hanging off my body. But not in a bad way, I hope. The tie-front blouse from Mikkat Market I’m wearing is one of my favorite pieces. I wear it with nearly everything; it’s very versatile. And I love the color of the BCBG Max Azria scarf I’m wearing. It’s actually two-tone with a bright pink-orange coral and then a more pale and subtle pink.

(I’m on the phone! Yubo called me mid-shoot.)

For the past year and a half I’ve embraced my inner geek and used a roller briefcase at school to carry my laptop and books. I actually have scoliosis. I’m fortunate that I still look pretty symmetrical from the outside (though my x-rays tell a different story), but carrying a heavy bag on a regular basis isn’t a good idea. This semester, however, I’m trying to carry a lighter load and use a large purse or canvas bag instead of my roller bag. I used to take all my notes on my laptop, but this semester I’m going back to handwritten notes. I think I retain the information better that way anyway. I’ll still have to use the roller on days I need to lug a lot of books to and from campus, but not everyday.

This canvas bag is from Kimchi Mamas, the Korean American mothering blog that I co-founded several years ago. On the front is the image of a woman in a hanbok wagging her finger (the Kimchi Mamas logo designed by one of our contributors, halfmama) and on the back is our motto: “Burn your tongue.”

(Why, hello there, toes.)

Blouse: Mikkat Market
Shirt: J.Crew
Pants: Mikkat Market
Bag: Kimchi Mamas canvas tote bag
Shoes: Marc Jacobs (old)
Scarf: BCBG Max Azria two-tone scarf
Nail Polish: essie watermelon

First Day of Spring 2012

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It’s raining here today and like any good Angeleno, I have no idea what to do with myself when it’s raining. Is it even possible to take pictures outside when it’s raining? It must be, but I really have no idea!

On the bright side, I got to use my rainbow umbrella today, which I love to pieces, but would have looked weird in my indoor pictures. Also, apparently it’s bad luck to open an umbrella inside? So instead you have me posing awkwardly next to our piano. It’s a gorgeous piano though, is it not?

All this to say, I usually dislike indoor outfit shots and mine are no exception. Our house photographs horribly; the lighting is poor, the carpet is dark (ick), and a large portion of the house is wood-paneled (1960s ftw!). So this, my friends, was the best I could do under such horribly difficult circumstances.

Woe is me, right?

On the bright side, today was the first day of classes for the spring 2012 semester, and I attended a seminar class that is part of a college composition teacher training program I was accepted into right before we broke for the holidays last year. Next fall, my cohort and I will teach our own freshman composition classes. Since we’ll be spending quite a lot of time together over the next couple years, it’s quite fortunate that everybody in my cohort seem like genuinely nice people with sharp minds who are serious about learning to teach composition well.

After class, I went to dinner with a couple of women in my cohort that I knew from previous classes. We ate tacos and talked about theory, literature, and film (I admit, the conversation was a tad heavy on Colin Firth swooning) and laughed a lot. It was so fun! It’s so nice to make friends with people that share your interests (Colin Firth and otherwise).

My outfit was inspired in part by these images of Peony Lim and Alexa Chung, who are quite unreachable in their loveliness. And my silly necklace is just a fun, irreverent nod to my nerdy enthusiasm for the resumption of classes.

Sweater: Saks Fifth Avenue cashmere (hand-me-down from my mama)
Shirt: Anthropologie tunic
Skirt: Zara
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: J.Crew
Accessories: Forever 21 reader pendant necklace and pearl earrings (gift)
Nail Polish: essie watermelon

Happily Overdressed

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Today was my first official day back at work after the break. Since I work at a university (the same one where I attend graduate school), most of my colleagues dress pretty casually. And it’s not like I don’t ever just throw on my favorite pair of jeans and a comfy hoodie, but I really enjoy dressing up so I try to take every opportunity.

When I was staying at home with my children during their earliest years, it was so easy for me to stop caring about myself. Motherhood during those first few years was almost indescribably beautiful and moving, but it was also utterly absorbing. Without really realizing it, I poured my whole self into the raising of my children and while I’m so glad I was able to do it, I think I sort of lost sight of my self as a whole, individual person.

I’m still working on it, but going back to school was part of me reclaiming some sense of balance.

Another part, as frivolous as it may seem in the grand scheme of things, is this. Fashion. Beauty. Clothes. Makeup. Painting my nails and (I’m loathe to admit) showering regularly again. While I concede the frivolity of fashion in the grand scheme of things, it makes me happy. It’s fun.

When I dress up, I feel beautiful and confident and strong. Not that I don’t feel those things when I come home and change into sweats and wipe off my lipstick, but that’s just the thing. Home is the place where I am safe, and that’s where I was for the greater part of four years. Now I go out into the world, and I enjoy the experience of creating myself for the world, so to speak.

Moving on from the philosophizing and on to the clothes! The jacket I’m wearing is a beautiful opera jacket by Dolce & Gabanna that my mama bought on sale some time ago, but then didn’t end up liking for her. It’s convenient that she has a daughter, is it not? The sleeves are so perfectly poofy at the wrists – I just love it.

Jacket: Dolce & Gabbana black silk satin opera jacket (hand-me-down from my mama), similar (with cropped sleeves) here
Shirt: J.Crew
Skirt: Anthropologie
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: J.Crew glitter oxford ballet flats
Purse: vintage, worn as clutch (from ebay)
Sunglasses: Chanel (hand-me-down from my mama)
Nail Polish: essie watermelon

Field Trip

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This morning I helped chaperone my son’s kindergarten class field trip to a local restaurant. The kids were so well-behaved and it was pretty adorable to see them holding hands in pairs, walking behind their teacher through the neighborhood like Madeline and her classmates following Miss Clavel through Paris.

The restaurant even provided coffee for the parents and teacher during the children’s pizza making lesson and then provided a couple of pizzas for the adults when the pizzas were ready to eat.

Best field trip ever!

This sweater I’m wearing was a gift from my mama when I was in college. I like that it can be worn open or buttoned up high so it serves as a turtleneck. It also has pockets, which is nearly always an automatic plus in my book.

Everything should have pockets.

On a side note, I’m kind of unhappy with my hair at this stage. I’ve been growing it out from the pixie cut I had a year or so ago, but it’s just at such an annoyingly dull stage right now. I’m tempted to just chop it all off again, but that’s not really what I want either.

Jacket: Moschino Cheap and Chic (borrowed from my mama)
Sweater: Theory (old)
Shirt: J.Crew silk tank
Shorts: Mikkat Market glitter shorts
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: J.Crew glitter oxford ballet flats
Sunglasses: Chanel (hand-me-down from my mama)
Accessories: Banana Republic earrings (old)

Academic Chic

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I had an appointment with one of my professors this afternoon. The semester doesn’t start till next week, but my prof has offered to sort of co-propose a special session at the next MLA conference in one of my main areas of interest. It’s not all that easy to find mentors, and at my university, it’s particularly hard to find mentors in my focus area.

So I’m pretty excited.

It’s very tiny in the pictures, but the bracelet I’m wearing is actually a little gold pig charm hanging from red and blue elastic bands. In the Korean tradition, babies are given gold jewelry on their first birthday and this was a gift for my second son.

I really like it so I’ve appropriated it. Who doesn’t want a little golden pig?

Although I’ve been wearing heels more lately, I usually wear flats to school. But I try to wear shoes that are sensible and cute.

I love how these play on those black and white wingtip oxfords. And they’re glittery. It can’t get much more awesome than glitter, am I right?

Five more days till my first day of classes! I can’t wait!

Sweater: Banana Republic (hand-me-down from my halmoni)
Shirt: Mikkat Market black asymmetric draping tee
Skirt: J.Crew plaid mini skirt
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: J.Crew glitter oxford ballet flats
Gloves: J.Crew ribbed fingerless glovettes
Bag: Marni (borrowed from my mama)
Sunglasses: Chanel (hand-me-down from my mama)
Accessories: gold pig charm bracelet (gift)
Nail Polish: essie watermelon

Textured Layering

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I had lunch at The Curious Palate with a couple of my high school girlfriends this afternoon. There are six of us that live locally, and we try to meet once a month as a group for what we half-jokingly refer to as our ajumma meetings. In Korean, ajumma refers to a middle-aged woman. I don’t usually get a chance to meet with them outside of those monthly meetings so I was happy to be able to induce a couple of them into grabbing lunch with me today before I start school next week. We’ve been friends for a long time, and quite suddenly it seems we’ve all grown up into women.

Every time I see them, I am filled with such a feeling of affection for them.

Meeting with them also gives me a fun reason to dress up.

It was sunny today, but chilly. Since I had my heart set on wearing this sleeveless grey cashmere and tulle dress, I piled on the layers – over and under. Before I knew it, I had unintentionally ended up with a very textured outfit -  cashmere and tulle and velvet and (naturally) glitter.

Since the colors were pretty muted, I found myself wishing I had a pair of bright heels, but nail polish is cheap and it’s a fun, easy, and relatively subtle way to add color to a look. This red is by essie and with a name like watermelon, you’d think it would be more pink. Like, you know, watermelon. But it’s more of an orangey-red, which was exactly what I wanted.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! May his memory give us the wisdom and courage to reach for our better selves.

Jacket: Theory purple velvet blazer (old)
Shirt: Mikkat Market black tie front blouse
Dress: laurie b. cashmere and tulle shift
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: J.Crew
Purse: J.Crew, worn as clutch
Accessories: vintage Gaultier sunglasses (used to be my mama’s)
Nail Polish: essie watermelon