Hello internet. It’s me, Rebecca. I took the last month off of Instagram because I need to graduate. Turns out that if you delete the Instagram app you can write 100 pages in 5 weeks #woops #distracted
But I missed my outfit picture community! So here are some outfit pics I took while I was away, plus a few thoughts on the shopping hiatus I took in January.
Are you ready for some ugly pictures?? I am currently on day 9 of an Instagram challenge called #12daysofminimalism. It’s pretty simple–on day 1, clean out 1 item, on day 2, 2 items, and so forth. So far I’ve learned that just because you have a capsule wardrobe doesn’t mean the rest of your life is not cluttered. Like ugh. Here’s what I’ve cleaned out so far.
Continue reading “I tried #12daysofminimalism”I am currently enjoying what we in dissertation-land call draft purgatory. You know, where you have sent a draft of something to your advisor, and they haven’t given you comments back yet. So you do nothing. For like a week.
Usually I love draft purgatory. But I have a lot on my mind right now, job market-wise, and have definitely learned over the last month that research is your only form of agency on the job market. You can’t control the jobs. The only thing you can do is try to graduate.
Anyway. Here’s what I’ve been wearing lately.
Shiny mules: These are the exclamation point on all my outfits now! $22 at Target. Another great source of styling inspo is Natalie Borton, who is rocking gold mules!
I got a request to post some good shirts that go under blazers–a topic that I think is always a problem for me (I’ve already ranted about it here). In the spirit of Cyber Monday, here are some nice work shirts at good prices!
Shawl color shell by Ann Taylor (which is 50% off everything through Monday, $30)
Continue reading “Cyber Monday: In search of work shirts”We’re all friends here, right? Can I just share that my shopping victory of the weekend was finding a suit I want and will actually wear, in a tall size, for $115?! I know that’s steep, but it’s hard to find anything cheaper when it comes to suiting unless you are lucky enough to find one second hand.
I accomplished this by using Black Friday sales to finally get some business clothes I’ve been eyeing. Yes, I know, the season of giving gifts to others, etc etc…but this is also a really good time to find business casual clothes at more affordable prices.
Here are some picks from the J. Crew sale, which is 50% off almost everything. That makes J. Crew almost affordable! Above, the suit I bought (jacket $75, pants $40). Below, some other good choices:
Continue reading “Shopping for business clothes using Black Friday sales”I have been trying not to look toooo much. But in terms of good gifts: I made a couple photo books today through Parabo (40% off so they were under $10 each–this is a really good gift for any older folks in your life who have a bunch of photos on their iPhone and don’t know how to get them off…). And Nordstrom Rack is doing 30% off clearance which is the only way I get my shoes.
I’ll do a round up on Cyber Monday I think!
Certain holidays are coming up. Here’s what I’m wishlisting, or what I might gift our grad office if I had any disposable income…
A book stand
I asked for one for Christmas last year and let me tell you, it is so much easier to take notes when you don’t have to hold books open with cell phones/staplers/anything on hand while transcribing quotes. It also just looks so nice on my desk. $11 on Amazon. More gifts below.
Continue reading “Gifts for grad students”If you don’t know about Sezane you should probably skip this post, because I think the cool French clothing company is out to steal my whole wallet. They’re unsuccessful, though, because $120 for a shirt is noooooope not happening on a graduate student budget.
….but that doesn’t mean I can’t look.
Looking at expensive clothes is actually a hobby of mine. It could be purely painful, but I actually like looking at the inspiration and then keeping a phone note of items I want to find on sale or thrift. In the spirit of that, here are some Sezane pieces I have been coveting, along with cheaper “dupes” of those items. Now updated for 2025!
Continue reading “Style on a budget: Sezane lookalikes for cheaper”
