The Missing Blazer

I want to tell you guys a little story:

     Last week an attorney friend of mine wore a nice dress to court.  I have no idea if she had a blazer or matching jacket with her, but that doesn't really matter since at the time she wasn't wearing it.  While waiting for the time for attorneys to check in with the judge an out of town attorney was looking for the day's calendar.  He approached the attorney and asked her if she was the clerk of court.  

     At first blush, that's not that big a deal.  She was hanging out in the area where the clerk normally sits.  But upon further reflection, it occurred to me that maybe he asked her if she was the clerk because she's a woman.  It turns out that all the clerks that I know are women.  And I would hazard a guess that most clerks are women.  So, while its not terribly surprising that someone would ask a woman standing near the clerk's are if she's the clerk, it is more than a bit bothersome.  I guess my question really is, was it simply her proximity to the clerk's area or was it her being a woman that made him ask if she was the clerk?
     There are a couple of reasons I bring this up.  The first is to point out that even in our super awesome modern world, there is still the old-fashioned point of reference that men hold the positions of power while women hold the support positions.  (This is quite awful for the simple reason that by being stuck in the support positions, women are relegated to the lower paying jobs with the least amount of power.  But this subject really is too complicated for this post just right now)  It  IS quite sad, however, that in a time when women make up at least 50% if not more of law school graduates and have done so for the past 15+ years, that such a point of reference still exists in the practice of law.  
     Now, while its totally possible that I'm thinking too hard and this moment isn't about sex and positions of power, I am 1000000% positive that if everything were the same but that my friend had been a man, the out of town attorney would NOT have EVER asked him if he was the clerk of court.  

Blazers by lawschoolfashionista featuring wrap jewelry

     Another reason I wanted to share this story is to tie it back into choice of dress.  While I completely support my friend's decision to wear a nice flattering dress to court, I think she would have been better served to have worn a blazer along with the dress.  A blazer is the perfect item to professional-ize just about any outfit.  A sundress is no longer an expression of femininity and girly-ism when its paired with a blazer.  With a blazer, a sundress is suddenly professional and an outfit that a woman in power wears.  The same can be said for a pair of linen slacks or a brightly patterned skirt; with a blazer each of these looks perfectly appropriate for court.  I guess what I'm saying, really, is that if you're in doubt about what you're wearing and want to exude confidence and power, grab a blazer.  Without one you could find yourself in an awkward position that really could be avoided.  Do you think I'm overthinking it?  Anything similar happen to you or someone you know? 

2 months later. . .

So its been a while, a little over 2 months in fact.  My life has been crazy busy and exciting and downright boring for that whole span.  I wasn't 100% sure I would come back to blogging, but here I am.  It seems I just can't get away.  In celebration of my return (or just random good timing) I've got a special offer for all of you, my lovely readers who have yet to give up on me! I have a $20 off eShakti promo that is valid for the next month, until September 15, 2011.  The code is AC0811.  The terms are these:

• The discount code is not case sensitive. 
• Only one gift certificate can be used per order. 
• The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. 
• This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. 
• This cannot be clubbed with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period. 

I know that I have loved ordering from eShakti before, (Check out my review here and the swearing in blouse here), and I certainly hope you'll take advantage of this offer and enjoy shopping at eShakti too!

Sickly Kid

I've been sick all weekend.  Its pretty much sucked.  My throat hurts and my cough sounds like a lawnmower being revved up.  Its just as sexy as it sounds.  Being sick didn't stop me from having to run errands and take the Fiance to work when his car decided to suck.  So, I got dressed in something comfy that wasn't sweats.  It was a tough decision, but I figured since I felt like crap, I should try to not look like it. 

The Details:

tee: Old Navy

Skirt: Consignment 

Normally with an outfit this simple I would wear a necklace to add a little sparkle or contrasting color.  It didn't even occur to me to add a necklace, or any other jewelry on Friday to this outfit because I was so out of it.  To be honest, its kind of a miracle I put on a skirt, soooo not having a necklace isn't so bad.  Besides, the Fiance thought I looked cute. :)

Review: Corioliss Clipless Curling Wand

     About three months ago, John from Misikko.com asked me if I would review one of their products.  Misikko.com is the home of Professional Hair Dryers, so I said yes.  They sent me a Corioliss Clipless Curling Wand and within days it had arrived.  Having never used a clipless curling iron, I turned to Youtube to figure out how to use my brand new Wand.  I found a few videos, and this one that recreates Taylor Swift curls was particularly helpful.  In addition to watching some videos on Youtube, I also checked out the girls at the mall kiosks that use clipless curling irons to figure out how they used them.  
     Once I figure out the basics of using a clipliss curling wand, I went ahead and tried mine out.  (Turns out that, instead of starting at the ends like with a traditional curling iron, you start out curling at the roots and work your way down the strands of hair.)  Without much effort I was able to curl my whole head of hair in about 40 minutes.  Once I curled it all I finger combed through the curls and slept on them.  The next morning the curls were still perfectly intact.  In fact, as the picture below shows, the curls were still perfect the next evening.  I would definitely measure that as a success.  

     The curling iron itself is pretty great.  Mine is black and came with a protection glove and a heat resistant pad on which to place the wand while I'm working with my hair.  In addition, the wand gets really got really fast and  doesn't have temperature settings so its either on and hot or off and not. Because the wand gets so hot, its really easy to get hair to curl.  With just a little bit of time for each section of hair, I got great bouncy curls all over my head.  I know a lot of people use Flat Irons to curl their hair, but I have to say this curling wand is pretty damn fantastic.  I would definitely recommend it and any of the other curling wands in the Corioliss Curling Iron family.     

Suiting Up

     This is one of my favorite outfits I've worn in quite some time.  My mom gave me this blouse from Zara after she wore it a few times.  Despite its pale pink color, I knew that I would wear it a bunch.  The reason I say despite the pale pink is that generally, such a pale color near my face wouldn't look so great.  However, because I wore a purple necklace between the blouse and my face, I was able to keep the pink from washing me out.  In addition to the necklace, my brown suit kept me from looking washed out as well.  
     By the way, I absolutely love this suit.  I think my favorite part is the high waisted skirt.  Once upon a time, I would not have even thought to wear such a high waisted skirt.  Recently, ie. in the past year or so, I have broadened my horizons with respect to high waisted skirts.  At the moment, 3 of my 4 skirt suits are high waisted skirts and I love them.  The silhouette has completely won me over.  Its both feminine and comfortable and most importantly, it works for my body.  Its pretty great to find a silhouette that is flattering for my body and especially one that I can readily find in stores.  Have you been fortunate enough to find a silhouette that works for you?  Do you have a silhouette you wished worked for you but doesn't?  

The Details:
Suit: JCPenney
Blouse: Zara (mom)
Heels: Nine West
Necklace: Target

Hair and the Law

  Sometime last week, someone asked me if I was pregnant.  I vehemently said NO!  It got me thinking though, not about pregnancy, but about my body.  The question made me feel chunky if not outright fat.  I mean, why else would anyone ask if I'm pregnant if I don't look larger than normal, right?  This made me feel bad.  And I realized how my feelings about myself are tied to my feelings about my body.  For many women, their body is their self and there is no separation.  For others, their perception is tied up in their hair.  I feel that way sometimes too.  When my hair is long and wavy and behaving, I feel young and sexy.  When its up and sleek I feel professional.  Luckily for me, I'm able to go from one extreme to another.  Other ladies, however, have a more complicated relationship with their hair.  My friend Neubia is one of these.  Her hair isn't just a thing on her head, but rather its a symbol of culture and heritage that is inevitably intertwined with her sense of self.  So I asked her to write a post on her hair and the choices she's made with regard to it.  Here is her story:

Law school sucks! Sorry, there is just no other way to put it. What makes it suck more is when your freedom of expression (i.e. individuality) is hampered as a result. Of course, now that I am a lawyer practicing in Fayetteville, NC, I understand that my alma mater, in voicing concern with my stylistic choices, was simply trying to prepare me for what I would face in the real world.  So what is the faux pas freedom of expression I've engaged in . . .

I HAVE LOCS! Some of you may know them as "Dreadlocks."   Screw that! There is absolutely nothing dreadful about my hair.  Hence, the shortening of my choice of hair style to just locs, rather than dreads.

I came into law school with natural hair. That is, I did not use chemicals to alter the texture of my hair.  Most of the time, I wore an afro. Sometimes I would wear braids or twists.  During my second year, I decided to embrace the tight coils that my hair often created on its own. One of the first comments I received when declaring that I was locing my hair (because in my early stages of locing, it just looked like I had twists), was whether I was considering a career at a firm.  Well, truth be told, I wasn't, but even if I was, if a firm is unwilling to hire me because of the grade, texture and stylistic choices I make with my hair, then I am unwilling to work there!

Making the decision to loc is not easy.  When most folks think of locs, they think of a chain such as this . . . Bob Marley, pot, rebel, Rastafarian, slacker, etc.  Well, as much as I enjoy Bob Marley, and consider myself a bit of a rebel, I am not a pothead, and I am a Christian.  I am also . . . (DUN, DUN, DUN) a lawyer.  That's right, people who wear locs are successful business types with expensive ass degrees from private schools, too.

There are 0, count it 0 other attorneys in this city with locs.  The word on the street is that the one guy who did have locs fell prey to the pressure and cut his off.  I refuse to conform! When I walk into court (most of the time to observe for now because we have local rules that take some getting used to) all eyes are on me.  In fact, one morning, I walked into the lawyers only area behind the courtrooms (exiting a courtroom) and was chased down by a bailiff.  "Can I help you?" he barks with his hands on his assault a black person belt.  "Excuse me?" I reply wearing WTF on my face.  "You can't be back here if you aren't a lawyer."  "Well, good news for you sir! I am a lawyer. Were you going to arrest me?" I proceed to fire off questions to him in rapid succession, none of which he is able to respond to because his face is still on the floor.  He walked away, likely still in awe that I, yes, the chick with the locs, was a lawyer. FFFFFFF you and the bus you rode in on!

While this moment was as heartbreaking as it was entertaining, I consider it one giant leap for nappy girls everywhere.  Do not underestimate us because we make the choice not to introduce chemicals into our world.  We can run with the rest, and indeed the best of them. So the next time you see someone with locs, take off your cap of ignorance, and don't make assumptions about them.  Each one, teach one.

Balancing Act

     I can't believe its May already!  Or hell, past the first week of May even!  Last time you heard from me I had been sworn in.  Since then I've gotten to actually practice law.  Its been pretty cool.  I feel a lot more comfortable going to court now that I can actually do things in court.  That and since I got sworn in I've pretty much been only wearing suits.  Before I got sworn in I would wear suits every now and again when I knew I would be seeing a client, but lately, suits have been a daily outfit choice.  That's not to say that I've gotten completely boring and *only* wear suits and button downs, however.  Instead I've gone for suits with interesting details.  For example, this blazer is the jacket half of a skirt suit I bought last weekend.  Unlike other black suits that I own, this one is short sleeved, which is perfect for the warmer weather.  Its also makes a more casual outfit more formal without going all the way to formal (if that makes sense?).  

    In addition to buying the suit that this jacket belongs to, I also bought this blouse (and a couple of others) as well as these heels.  It doesn't seem like the most responsible thing in the world, but I've needed new work clothes for a while, so I let myself have a mini-shopping spree.  I didn't go buck wild and in fact stayed at only one store.  I bought the one suit, 2 blouses, 1 embellished tee and 2 pairs of heels.  A pretty awesome take if you ask me.  The way I see it, its an investment in my image and place as an attorney.  There is a certain look I think I need to cultivate that is primarily formal but definitely personal.  I don't want to be a lawyer in a cookie cutter suit, so personal style is a must.  At the same time, however, I definitely want to maintain the right amount of formality.  Its a fine line, I think, and one that I'm figuring out as I go along.  

The Details:
Blouse: Anne Klein
Suit Jacket: Rafaella
Pants: Gap
Heels: Nine West  

Oh and hey look, I accidentally ended up doing the Everybody/Everywear challenge on the right day too!