fashion – PhD in Clothes

What I wore this week

What I wear when I’m out of ideas, my errand running uniform, and a review of the Encircled Revolve dress.

Millennial thoughts on losing our cool factor, aka, straight leg jeans will not make me younger

This blog post is actually me styling straight leg jeans as a skinny jeans loving millennial because I have several pairs and am still getting used to them. But I love that millennials are suddenly talking about what Gen Z likes! I love it because I’ve been teaching Gen Z for a couple years now and I definitely can’t wholesale categorize them as people (duh) but I have noticed the style changes they bring to class! So today I’m reflecting on incorporating new trends while also staying true to what I like.

Style on a budget: Sezane lookalikes for cheaper

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 2022!

What I wore, what I read: 10/15-10/19

This semester just went from 0 to 100 real quick. Here’s what I wore on a very “put your hair up and deal with it” week.

A week of outfits: Transitioning from grad school to 9-to-5

Today, my friend Sue, who graduated with her MA last year, talks about dressing for your first adult job!

Hi y’all! I’m Rebecca’s friend Sue. I just graduated and I’m back in the working world. Before I got my MA I worked at a Fortune 500 company, so I had to adjust my wardrobe for grad school (the West, a more casual vibe). I moved back to the East Coast this fall and started a new job so I had to adjust my wardrobe again.

Monday
I typically start the week in a dark dress – I think because it’s easy to roll out of bed Monday morning, put on a dress and not worry about mixing and matching. I typically pair with a cardigan or (maybe) a blazer. My office is business casual, leaning more towards the business than the casual…no casual Friday’s here! I had a few staple dresses from grad school but definitely have been in a bit of a buying frenzy and utilizing Rent the Runway Update!

What I wore: Fall conference edition

I’m sitting in Newark (drinking rosé, eating fries!) after a successful 3 days of conferencing. It turns out that being on the job market DOES suck some of the fun out of conferences because it amps up all nerves I’ve been harboring as-is. This conference was specifically for doctoral candidates on the job market to be seen by established professors in the same field, so as you might imagine, the pressure felt real.

Anyway. On to clothes. This was a fall conference, which is the best time to dress for because business casual is no longer too warm! Here’s what I wore…

How I’ve (successfully) used Rent the Runway

I just got back from the second wedding where I used Rent the Runway to get a dress, and I basically never want to buy a wedding guest dress in my life. Why would I store something in my closet when I can get something different every time that doesn’t contribute to clothing waste??

However, I have seen some horror stories about Rent the Runway (they average one angry instagram comment a post, I would say). So here’s how my experience has been (so far) and what I suggest to maximize your experience.

Round-up: Blazers for Fall

I recently had a friend ask me about colorful/statement blazers she could rock for Fall (hiii Amy!). So I thought I would do a round up here.

1) Nerd chic.

Corduroy AND double breasted? This is an academic YES. $56 at ASOS.

Outfits with Sam

A new series where I show off what other stylish grad students are wearing (if you want to be featured, message me!). This week I asked my friend Sam, a MA student, to show us what she wore.

Monday

I never wear my hair up because I don’t like my chipmunk cheeks, but I think it’s always good to stretch yourself. As a curvy woman, I love a set of good fitting jeans. These jeggings are from American Eagle, one of the only store that fit my wide hips and smaller waist. I thrifted the boots from Goodwill.