Guest Lecturer: Allyson from Decoding Dress

Hi everyone! As you're reading this, Cary and I are embarking on the last day of our California vacation. Here at Academia Sartorial, we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday, but today I want to introduce you to the most thoughtful blogger I know, Allyson from Decoding Dress. And I mean thoughtful in all senses of the word: Allyson is very considerate, as you're about to see, but she also thinks a lot about fashion and why we make the sartorial choices we make, which is one of the things I love about her blog. Before you read, though, a disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I did not ask her to write any of the following...


Guest Post: Five Things I Love About Emily and Academia Sartorial

Hi there and welcome to my guest post! I'm Allyson and I normally blog over at Decoding Dress, but I'm a big fan of Emily and of this blog, so I was thrilled when she asked me to guest post while she's on vacation. I'm such a fan, in fact, that I decided to tell you five things I love about Emily and Academia Sartorial. Here we go!

1. I love the clothes. Emily and I share a common love of LOFT and she has an uncommon knack for mixing their laid back, feminine vibe into her wardrobe to make it fit the occasion perfectly. As someone who owns a lot of their pieces, let me tell you that's no easy task, no matter how easy Emily makes it look. Which leads me to say...

2. I love Emily's style. And when I say I love it, what I really mean is I'm insanely jealous of it. It's comfortably chic, feminine without being frou-frou, smartly casual. It looks effortless, which is part of
what makes it so lovely, but I've discovered that it takes plenty of effort to pull off. She's also broken the code on accessorizing perfectly. Her whole look communicates balance and serenity to me. All that said, however...

3. I love that Academia Sartorial isn't just about the clothes. I don't know about you, but I like a little real life with my outfit blogs. Emily hits the sweet spot here every time. I love the little glimpses into her day-to-day that she gives us. Whether she's sharing her passion for her students, showing us some pictures of her freshly refinished dining room chairs, or telling us about a get-together with an old friend, I really enjoy getting to follow along. I can tell Emily isn't in the blogging game just to show off her cute wardrobe. I feel like she's here for the same reasons I am: to be a part of something, to share a little of herself with us and to take a little of what we share with her and make something special out of it all. That's where friendships come from, and that's what community is made of. It's good stuff. Which reminds me that...

4. I love her philosophy. It's way up there at the top of the page. See it? "Style and smarts are not mutually exclusive." As a recovering post-secondary school addict I absolutely adore that. When it comes to fashion for women in academia the envelope is very, very tight and it takes courage to push it. (See this post at Threadbared, which is a bit dated but still relevant, for some very interesting background on the subject.) That's why I was hooked on Academia Sartorial the moment I read Emily's little bio blurb about getting a PhD in "not looking like a college professor." But lest you imagine this blog will be full of lofty academic commentary or rarified monologue peppered with ivy-covered buzzwords...

5. I love that it's all so accessible. Emily could doubtless wax prolific on any number of scholarly topics and leave the rest of us feeling like we should have spent a little more time cracking the books, but she doesn't. She lets her guard down and opens herself up to us. She's witty but never a show-off, modest about her accomplishments, and confident without a trace of arrogance. These are rare traits among the faculty -- the professorial life doesn't exactly encourage humility -- which is why I'm sure the students who are fortunate enough to be under her tutelage or care absolutely love her. And I think her fashion sense reflects her accessibility perfectly, which takes us right back to reason number one!

So there you go - five reasons why I love this blog and why Emily is one of my favorite bloggers! I know you have your own reasons, though, so why don't you share them in the comments? What a great gift for Emily to find when she returns from her vacation!

Guest Lecturer: Kimi from All the Fuss

I'm still on vacation, cruising the Pacific Coast Highway in sunny California. Today, the Guest Lecturer series continues with the smart and stylish Kimi of All the Fuss. I discovered Kimi's blog a few months ago and was immediately drawn to her sense of style and her sense of humor. She has a collection of graphic t-shirts to be admired, and makes dressing for Minnesota weather look like a very fashionable piece of cake. Personally, I'd be wearing a Snuggie all day, every day for nine months out of the year if I lived as far north as, say, Kentucky. Here she is, bringing a much-needed dose of coolness to this blog. Enjoy!

The good? Emily asked me to guest blog for her while she is on vacation! The bad? I stepped on a dead snake immediately after this picture was taken. Oh well. A reptile carcass is no match for an intrepid style blogger on the hunt for a good shot. Also, my backyard is overrun with garter snakes (as is the rest of the neighborhood, which is situated in a valley near a river), so chances are I will stumble across one now and then.

Administrative: Before you assume I parade around the office like this, let me assure you, I did wear a long cardigan all day. My office gets pretty chilly, and partially see-through tank tops aren't office appropriate on their own. I wore this (plus sweater) to respond to email, coordinate meetings, fix the printer, mail stuff, retrieve mail, take notes, and stare at the clock - you know, a typical day in the life of an office drone.

Sartorial: I wear this thrifted skirt ALL the time. I love it. In fact, this outfit is fairly representative of my go-to style at the moment: flowy skirt, fitted shirt, belt, and wedges or sandals. I feel good in this outfit. In addition to not falling apart immediately after being purchased, that is basically all I ask of my clothes: that they make me feel good.

Wait. Did I forget to introduce myself? My bad! I'm Kimi, and I blog over at All the Fuss. Come visit my little corner of the bloggy world sometime!

Many thanks to Emily for letting me crash at her blog for the day. Laters!

One of the many snakes we encountered this season (the "shovel" is actually a garden trowel).

Guest Lecturer: Shea from Bon Chic Bon Gastronomique

Meet Academia Sartorial's first guest lecturer, Shea from Bon Chic Bon Gastronomique! Shea is a French teacher, chef extraordinaire (see that French vocab I slipped in? Six years of college, y'all), and fabulous dresser. She blogs about fashion and food, and always makes me want to shop/eat. Okay, I generally want to shop/eat. But Shea inspires me to shop/eat better. I love her and I know you will too. Enjoy!

Bonjour Academia Sartorial readers, I’m Shea from the blog Bon Chic Bon Gastronomique. Emily asked me to guest post for her while she enjoys a summer vacation. (I know, I’m jealous too.)

When trying to come up with an idea for this post, I was thinking about the things that Emily and I have in common. We both share a love of the television show Friends, but I feared that a post filled with nothing but Friends quotes might not be quite right for a personal style blog. Then I realized we have something else in common: we’re both book lovers. (By the way, do you remember the episode when Joey was reading The Shining but he had to put it in the freezer because it was too scary? Sorry… couldn’t help it.)

A few weeks ago Emily styled an outfit that was inspired by a book cover, and I loved that idea so much I wanted to do it myself. So, I chose one of my favorite reads, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, and used it as the inspiration for this outfit.

I must say, I had fun styling an outfit inspired by a book cover. Next time I’m stumped about what to wear, I might just have to peruse my book shelves for some more inspiration!

Outfit details: t-shirt: Old Navy; cropped khakis: Gap; scarf in hair: so old I don’t remember where it’s from (which usually means Target); earrings: Target; sandals: Merona, Target