Pity Party (part 1)

I've been thinking about this post for a while now.  I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to write it, let alone post it.  You see, I feel like my blog is one facet of who I am.  If I put too much of my every day feelings into it, then it breaks that illusion and ceases to be what I thought it was.  I know that every once in a while I update about my life and how things are going in the "real world," but this post is different.  So---if you want to avoid a whole lot of navel gazing, self-pity and self-doubt, go ahead and skip this post.  If not, here goes. . .

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    If I ever write a book about my life during the next few months its going to be called "I failed the bar and then my life was a catastrophe."  You read that right.  I failed the bar exam.  By 8 points.  Passing score is 346 and I got a 338.  When I first read my score I was relieved.  It meant I knew the stuff.  I KNOW the law.  But then I realized it also meant that the pain I was feeling on the days of the exam were enough to derail my concentration enough so that I failed.  Sucks might be too mild a way to put it.  Rather than make this one really long jumble of words and emotions, I'll give it some order, I'll go in a timeline/subject matter sequence.
    The bar exam was the last Tuesday and Wednesday of July.  Jenn and I drove to Raleigh Monday afternoon, checked into our hotel, checked in with some  of our friends and went out to eat dinner.  Our plan was to make it a chill evening.  After dinner and before bed, I was getting all my stuff together and realized that the extension cord that I had bought a week earlier was 2 prong.  My laptop charger is 3-pronged.  So off I went at too late an hour for starting such a gigantic exam the next morning to Walmart to buy a power strip.  Once I got back to the hotel I realized that it was too late, around 11 pm, for me to take tylenol PM and wake up the next morning without feeling groggy.  Little did I know at the time, but this was going to screw me over.  I didn't sleep.  I may have fallen asleep for 2 or 3 hours, but it was SO not enough.  The next morning sucked so bad.  My chest hurt, my back hurt and I was running on pure adrenaline for a while.  I took a bunch of ibuprofen in hopes that it would kick in quickly enough for me to be able to continue the exam and concentrate.  
    It wasn't enough.  My scores tell me that during the morning essay section I didn't do as well as on the afternoon portion.  It could be because of different subject matter in each, but I think it was the pain.  I was so distracted and worried about the pain in the morning that I did poorly on the morning section.  That's not to say that I didn't do well.  I actually scored 8/10 on 2 essays.  I also scored 2/10 on 2 essays.  The 8s were both in the afternoon, the 2s were in the morning. 
    I spent the whole of the 2 days in pain and wishing I could sleep.  Just a little nap would be enough.  I powered through the rest of the exam realizing I didn't have much else of a choice.  The bar exam isn't like any other test I've ever taken.  In high school, if I wasn't up for an exam I could skip the day and take it again some other time.  Same was mostly true for undergrad (so long as there was a valid reason).  Law school exams were brutal, but at least the deans knew that I was dealing with pain and if the pain got to be too much they would allow me to postpone exams.  The bar is such that in order to get special accommodations an applicant has to apply for them and show medical documentation  and then it gets decided on by a committee of some sort.  Since I had been fine for so long without any kind of pain, it didn't occur to me to even try for special accommodations.  Thinking back on it, I doubt that even if I tried I would have had them granted.  Chest and generalized body pain, while distracting, doesn't seem serious enough.  
    Anyway, by the time I was mid-exam, even if I wanted to, there was no way I could ask for a timeout from the exam.  As it was I worked as efficiently as possible while taking breaks to walk around and drink plenty of water and down lots of ibuprofen so that I could survive the whole process.  
    Leaving the exam I was ecstatic.  I felt pretty good about my performance.  I knew the stuff pretty well.  But its a curved exam and my score would depend on the scores of everyone else.  I had to hope that I was smarter and better prepared than at least 30% of the people in the room.  Surely I was. Right? Yes, of course.  But really?
    Turns out I may have been, but it wasn't enough.  I still failed.  By 8 points.  


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In writing this story, I realized that it may take me several posts to complete it.  So bear with me.  Regularly scheduled programming will be coming soon. 

managing expectations

    One of the first things we learn in practical law school classes is that one our jobs as a lawyer is to manage the expectations of our clients.  This means making sure they know what to expect and what is in the realm of reality as opposed to the realm of TV or dreamland.  
    How does this connect with the blog?  Well, as it turns out studying for the bar sucks, a lot.  My routine as recommended by Kaplan is supposed to be this: in-class video from 9am-1pm, lunch from 1-2pm, homework from 2-6 pm, dinner/break from 6-7 pm, then more homework/reviewing from 7-9pm.  For the moment, I'm not sticking anywhere need to this schedule, and that's ok.  First of all because its the first week and I need to ease into it.  Second, because I like having a life.  Third, I don't want to burn out weeks before I actually take the bar.  Instead, my schedule, for the moment looks more like: in class video from 9am-1pm, lunch/break from 1-3pm, work (non-bar stuff) from 2-6pm, making and then eating dinner from 6-7:30pm, homework from 7:30-9pm, relax from 9-11pm, bed at 11pm.  
   I have managed my own expectations as to how much to work and when to work harder for studying for the bar.  What I haven't done is manage YOUR expectations of this blog.  You see, because I'm spending my mornings in a classroom in the law school, I am quite often cold.  This has resulted in wearing sweats to class.  I tried wearing jeans the other day and I was mighty uncomfortable.  So my rule for this summer is dresses or flexible waistbands, like the sweatpants I'm wearing today.  As a result, I'm afraid that you all might be expecting me to have tons of outfit photos with accompanying posts detailing my super cute summer wardrobe.  If that is true, I am sorry, but that won't be happening.  I'm hoping to have some cute weekend outfits and maybe an occasional weekday outfit, but I'm pretty sure my summer wardrobe will consist of sweats and t-shirts.  It kind of hurts me to admit that, but I would rather manage your (and my) expectations and exceed them rather than disappoint you all summer long.  
    Soooooooooo please forgive me.

I haz job

    Boys and girls, I have a job.  I interviewed about 2 months ago and got the offer 2 weeks ago.  The Fiance and I went to visit the office on Monday and Tuesday and we accepted the offer.  Its a small firm in a nice little town where I will get to practice the law I love, namely workers' compensation, personal injury and medical malpractice.  We're in the process of figuring out our living situation, where and when we'll be living there as well as other things like salary, benefits, commuting and of course a job for The Fiance.  Nonetheless, I am over the moon.  This is incredibly exciting and I wanted to make sure to share it with all of you.  Thanks for the support and believing in me. 

Graduated

Start of Summer

    I wore this outfit last week for my last day of work.  I am taking the summer off of work in order to study for the bar exam at the end of July.  This, however, doesn't mean I get to slack off for the summer.  To the contrary, I will be attending bar prep classes from 9-3:30 every day (and some Saturdays!) from now until mid-July.  Sounds like a spectacular way to spend my summer, no?
    I took this picture on our porch overlooking the backyard.  As you can see, I have a small container garden.  I am really good at growing lettuce, but not much else.  My strawberry plants are currently doing well though, so hopefully I'll have yummy strawberries soon.  
    Unfortunately I'm still super tired and sore from this weekend (2 6+ hour drives and sleeping on a terrible mattress 3 nights) and have very little to say.  I did manage to look great for my sister's graduation only to not have a single picture taken.  Oh well!  I should have several this weekend as it will be my graduation. 

The Details:
Sweater: Loft (consignment)
Green tweed skirt: Village (consignment)
Nude heels: Nine West
Belt: Target
Necklace: Consignment

DONE

    Ok, so I'm done with my exams (YAY!).  I have one group project left to finish up, but for all intents and purposes, I' done. Which means that I will be back to blogging.  BUT I also happen to have 208 items waiting for me in my google reader, so don't be surprised if I'm slow to comment for a while.  

Bravissimo dress

    Also, I have zero outfits from this past week.  That's not to say I spent the whole week naked, rather, I spent the whole week in sweats.  But that trend won't continue on to next week as I will be working from Monday through Thursday and then driving down to Atlanta for my little sister's graduation on Friday.  Speaking of which, I apparently jumped on the floral bandwagon with my graduation dresses.  Since my graduation consists of 2 days and I'll also be attending my sister's graduation, I figured getting 2 dresses would be a good idea.  May end up going to get a pair of linen pants and a blouse for my trip to Atlanta just in case that ends up working best.  Anyway, the second dress that I bought is to the right.  I'm really hoping that the Bravissimo dress gets here in time for my trip to Atlanta.  I would love to wear it to my sister's graduation.  But really the best about the dress is that due to the cut and shape, I should be able to layer a cardigan or blazer on top and wear it to work in the future.  

Talbots Dress

    The other dress that I got is intended to be my graduation dress.  I got it from Talbots a week ago and LOVE it.  I initially went to Talbots figuring that since the store caters to women and not teenagers, that I would probably be able to find an outfit that fits my body.  I was SO right.  I tried on several dresses that all looked really nice.  Talbots definitely designs their clothes for women with busts and hips, of which I have both.  I was quite surprised that I am a size 12, I expected to be at least a 14.  I guess my healthy living challenge is paying off.  Anyway, I will definitely be heading back to Talbots to shop as I feel comfortable in their clothes because they fit and are of high quality (even if a bit expensive).   

The perfect shoe

    AND THE SHOES!  I fell in love with these shoes the first time I saw them while playing around on Polyvore.  I was lucky enough to find them in the store so I could try them on with my dress.  They are also from Talbots and incredibly comfortable.  The description says that they have 3 1/4 inch tall wedge, but I'm pretty sure its closer to  2 3/4 as the shoe has a bit of a platform.  Nonetheless, the espadrille wedge was exactly what I was looking for.  The color, the heel height, the chunky heel (that won't make me sink in to grass on graduation day).  All in all, its the perfect shoe.  And if it happens to go on sale anytime in the very near future I may just have to buy another pair in black or brown.
    So yea, I highly recommend going to Talbots, or any other store you think is out of your age/comfort zone, as you never really know what you'll find until you go.  What are your favorite stores that cater to a different audience yet work for you? 

(This review (?) was completely unsolicited and most definitely not paid for)

Hiatus

You know how your favorite shows always have a mid-season hiatus?  Well, I'm taking one.  Mine should only be for the next week or so until I finish school stuff (exams and projects).  Then I'll be back.  I may schedule some posts so that my little spot of the internet doesn't get dusty, but reading and especially commenting on other blogs won't happen for a while. See you soon!

Today is my last day of classes

Yippee!

    Boys and girls, I survived.  Two in class exams, one take home exam and one project and I'll be done.  In fact, I'll be done by May 1.  Outfit post to follow, but I wanted to share my accomplishment with all of you, my blogging family.  

    I got this whole outfit from the consignment shop that I go to.  Both pieces cost me less than $7, tax included!  I about fell in love with this skirt when I saw it.  The dark pink background does a lot to keep the hot pink and sequins from standing out too much.  The color also keeps the skirt in a more "serious" tone without eliminating all the fun.  Did I mention that I got it for about $4?  Oh, and it's silk!

    You may actually recognize this top.  I happen to have it in two other colors, a light green and a light turquoise.  When I bought the original two last summer, I almost immediately regretted not getting it in brown and black.  Shortly after I bought the tops, they were no longer there.  I was sad.  So when I saw it at the consignment store I got *very* excited.  

VERY happy!

The Details:
Skirt: Liz Claiborne  
Sweater: LOFT
Heels: Nine West
Necklace: BR

Graduation Polyvore

    So--graduation is coming up and I've been thinking of a couple different options on what to wear.   My first option is linen pants, silk top, espadrilles and sparkly jewelry.  I didn't intend on making it all pinks and grays, but that's what Polyvore had for me. The second option is spring dresses.  At the moment I'm leaning towards option one.  At some point in time I know that I'll have to walk on grass, so the wedge of an espadrille would be great.  Also, I think pants + blouse is more flexible.  I feel like I'll be able to use the pieces and outfit more often and in more varied situations.  On the other hand, I'm not sure if the standard graduation wear is spring dresses.  Considering we're graduation from law school, I think dresses may be more optional than for graduating from undergrad.  But really, I'm not sure.  Anybody have any ideas or suggestions on what I should wear or where I should shop?

Graduation Take 1 by lawschoolfashionista featuring Banana Republic 

Graduation Take 2 by

Two in One!

    Last Wednesday I got up at my normal time and thought, "I'll wear that skirt I made and feel cute all day.  And hey! cute hair!" So I got up, got dressed, headed to school and survived my Secured Transactions class.  (it was touch and go there for a while)  Then at around 11 am I got an email basically saying, "Would you mind interviewing today?  How about 4 pm?"  So I got really excited, flustered and nervous in the span of 15 seconds.  Then I ran home to steam my suit, steam my blouse, do my hair and makeup, eat, and run back to school for another 2 classes before my interview.  (Mind you, I was half-freaking out the entire time).  

See? Happy girl blind to craziness of the day

    My interview turned out really really well.  Still no word yet, but I've got my fingers crossed.  I think my mom, grandmother and aunt all have candles lit too.  So, send good vibes, k?  Anyway, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I had no choice but to suit up and change outfits to show you all my interview suit.  I got this suit the Christmas break of my first year of law school, so December 2007.  My parents made it part of my Christmas gift since Spring of your first year is the first time you can interview with possible future employers.  
    At the time we were in Puerto Rico so we headed down to Macy's in San Juan where there were TONS of suits on sale.  I think I tried on 30 different suits.  I was looking for a dark colored skirt suit on the belief that in order to interview for law jobs you have to wear a skirt suit.  I got lucky and found this beautiful navy blue pinstripe suit by Nine West.  I was initially concerned that the jacket would be too tight, but despite my boobs having grown since then, the jacket still fits.  It was on sale and originally included a tank top-like blouse.  I have since given that top away because even when I bought it, the girls just didn't want to be trapped in it.  It was pretty sad since it was a dark blue with light pink polka dots.  
I have since gone with this more classic and covered up white button down with very thin black pinstripes.  It has a more put together and professional feel.  Which is probably why anytime I put this suit on I feel confident.  I am suddenly "on," which by the way reminds me a lot of how Batman is just Bruce Wayne until he puts on the batsuit.   Add my pearls, hose and heels and I'm super-attorney-wannabe. New super hero?  I think so! 

HAD to include this one--I look tough, right?

The Details: (Outfit 1)
Skirt: made by me
Blouse: Express (old)
Heels: Aerosoles
Scarf: Target


The Details: (Outfit 2)
Suit: Nine West
Blouse: ON
Hose: Hanes
Heels: Aldo
Pearls: strung by me

Capsule Wardrobe Challenge Day 1

    To kick off the Spring Capsule Wardrobe Challenge, I got creative.   Like really creative, and boy did it feel good.  See that pretty silk floral blouse there?  It's not a blouse, its a scarf!  I've had this scarf for several months.  It's my mom's, but she never wears it.  So last time I visited, I brought it home with me.  I've been at a loss as to how to style it until E. of Academichic mentioned the ability to style a scarf as a blouse.  So I ran with it.  In fact, this was the first outfit I put together for the Capsule Wardrobe Challenge AND I will be using most of the same items later in the week to put together a different outfit.  
    AND on top of feeling super creative, I got several compliments on my pretty silk blouse.  I told a few of my friends that it was actually a scarf and they were amazed.  I made sure to take a picture to show you all how I tied the scarf.  Had I not been wearing the dress underneath, I probably could have just tied the scarf together at my waist like I did at my neck, but because of the dress and in order to stay comfortable, I used a piece of ribbon to connect the two ends of the scarf at my waist.  I used the belt to keep the "blouse" from getting too poofy and to cinch me in at my waist.  The cardigan was both for warmth and authority.  Monday afternoon I have a class on mediation and it was my turn to be the mediator.  I wanted to wear something that was welcoming and somewhat authoritative without making myself look like a lawyer or judge.  (Not many others dress for their parts in the class, but I felt it would help me stay in the right mindset if I did).  I think I struck the right chord.  I got to practice my mediation skills and even brought the two sides to agree to a solution!  

Do you ever wear items in ways they're not "meant" to be worn?  How else do you get to be creative in putting together outfits?  

The Details:

Black sheath dress: Target

Tights: Hue (Steinmart)

Boots: Target

Belt: Target

Cardigan: August Silk (Ross)

Scarf: gift from mom

Capsule Wardrobe Challenge info

    Today is the first day of the Capsule Wardrobe Challenge.  Rather than posting pics the day of, I'm going to post pictures the day after.  Also, because of a scheduling conflict, my Friday outfit won't be worn until Monday.  You see, I will be taking my MPRE on Saturday.  The MPRE is the ethics exam I need to pass in order to be a lawyer (lawyer jokes welcome).  So instead of going to work on Friday, I'll be staying home studying for the exam.  So my last Capsule Wardrobe Challenge outfit will be worn on Monday and my roundup post should be done Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. 

Meet & Greet

    Wednesday afternoon, I went to an employer meet and greet hosted by the law school.  Since it was cold, I went with my black pant suit.  The problem is that I couldn't figure out what to wear as a blouse.  If it were an interview I would have worn a button down, but a Meet & Greet isn't AS formal.  After looking through my closet and coming up with a back up option Tuesday night (a light aqua blue sweater), I went to Target Wednesday after my first class in search for a nice shell which is perfectly within the rules of My Closet Shopping Challenge.

From L-R clockwise

1. Alex Pleated Top 2.Blair Blouse 3. Elizabeth Bow Top 4. Elsie Shell

    If you've been to a Target lately, you may have seen their Merona Collection offerings.  The current in-store offerings are a bit Mad Men + Spring inspired.  Thinking that the lovely tops would work under a blazer I tried some on, the ones pictured above to be exact.  I was *really* hoping the Elizabeth Bow Top would work, but it didn't.  Not sure if its because I had to try on a Large, but the neckline was just too low and the bow did not sit right under a jacket (ie it didn't look like it did on the model).  I was hoping to be able to just tie it in a knot and let the pieces hang, but the low neckline would have made that impossible without layering a tank underneath, which I did not want to do.  I ended up buying the Elsie shell as it was the best of the four I tried on (and fyi it did not fit me nearly as nicely as it does the model, but I digress).  I was a bit worried about the geometric print, but it turns out there was no need to worry.  
    On my way home, I stopped at the consignment store and found a beautiful red silk-spandex shell.  The owner of the store has known me for a while and gave me an additional 10% student discount off of the blouse that already had a 25% discount, so I was able to get it for $12, about half of what the the Target blouse cost.  I got home, steamed the shell, threw on my suit, did my hair and makeup, went to class and then to the meet and greet.   (As an aside, I highly recommend getting a garment steamer.  For fabrics such as silk and thin knits, it allows you to get wrinkles out fast. Also, by steaming you're able to remove a LOT of smells so you won't need to wash delicate items as often, thus making them last longer.  I was able to find mine at Bed Bath & Beyond on clearance as it had been returned and was listed at half price.  So keep your eyes open, you'll never know when you'll encounter a great deal!)
    Back to business: The meet and greet was fine.  There were 9 employers and the only one that I was really interested in didn't have the funding to hire attorneys.  The other employers were all big firms that have already hired who they're going to hire for the year.  I did talk to some of our career services ladies and they told me to keep an eye out for job fairs and the like. 
    What I like most about this outfit is that I felt really good in it.  Even though I've lost weight since I bought this suit, the jacket fit wonderfully.  The pants, not so much.  I had to MacGyver them into staying them into place by wearing Assets pantyhose under the pants and folding the top over the pants.  And it worked!  As I mentioned in this post, I like to keep my hair under control when at a career event, so I opted for a low bun with pinned back bangs.  The pearls were sort of an obvious choice considering my lack of jewelry.  All in all, I felt like I looked the part of a lawyer.  What do you all think, do I look like an attorney to you?  
The Details: 
Black Suit: Garfield & Marks (separates) 
Black heels: Aldo
Red shell: Patrick Christopher Selections via Consignment store
Freshwater pearls: strung by me
Earrings: Blue Nile


 

Dress For Success (Part 3)

    So the next model is yours truly.  I was put in a brown skirt suit with a pink button down.  The major flaw with this outfit is that it truly did not fit.  The skirt was WAY too long, the jacket was too big, and the button down was too small.  It looked like I was playing dress up.   Had I been able to shop for my own clothes and tried things on, I'm sure it would have worked out, but I didn't have that luxury.  So my recommendation is ALWAYS TRY THINGS ON!!!  If it doesn't fit, its better to find out in the store than on the morning of an important interview or event.
   Assuming I had been able to try things on, I probably would have gone with a smaller sized skirt making it a high waisted pencil skirt.  This would have fixed the length issue, at least somewhat anyway.  As for the jacket, I would have tried on a size smaller and compared the two.  Regardless of which size jacket, I would have to get the sleeves shortened as I have short arms.  As for the button down, there is no remedy other than going up a size.  And even if the shirt fit, I would have a tailor put a pair of snaps between buttons to ensure that there is no gaping.  All of my button downs have these snaps even though they fit.  The reason is that I know that I'll be confident wearing a shirt that just won't gap, ever.   
    The really cool thing about this suit is that it is machine washable.  The saleswoman that came with the clothes told us that the suits really are machine washable and they turn out nicely.  So next time I need a suit, I may just go to Dillard's and try one of these on.  Also, I peaked at the price tag, and they're not terribly expensive (as suits go anyway).  If I remember correctly, I think the skirt + jacket would run about $250.
   A seriously surprising thing was that the panelists were perfectly ok with my dark blue nail polish.  In fact, they didn't even notice it until I pointed it out.  They explained that because of my coloring (ie dark hair, light skin) dark nails didn't draw their attention.  In fact, the female attorney thought it was pretty cool that I was so trendy and could take advantage of that because of my coloring.  What is most remarkable is that The Judge had explained about 5 minutes prior to my modeling that no one should EVER wear black nail polish and then said that my nails were perfectly ok.  That being said, regardless of your coloring or trendiness, do not wear dark colored nail polish to an interview.  Even red might be too much.  I'm a big fan of nude or very light pink nail polish on myself.  This means wearing nail polish that matches your nails so that its not obvious you're wearing it.  The reasoning is this: if you talk with your hands, doing so talking with  with dark nail polish on can get distracting.  Also, wouldn't you question the judgment of someone who came to an interview wearing dark nail polish?  Even though I would think they were trendy or an individual, I also know that because an interview is a formal event, I would definitely question the interviewee's judgment. 
    The subject of my hair didn't come up, but the general words of wisdom from the panelists were to keep your hair out of your face so that the interviewer can look in your eyes and you don't look like a cyclops.  Personally, I tend to wear my hair straight or in a bun or french twist for interviews or other important career type events, but I keep my bangs out of the updo and carefully pin them back in a side sweep.  I do it to keep it all under control and look polished but to make sure that my face isn't completely bare.  I'm not a fan of keeping my face bare of my bangs when its up because I feel like it looks like I'm about to go running, but that's just personal preference.  
How do you feel about showing some individuality in an interview?  Better to express yourself subtly, loudly, or not at all?   

Blending In

    On gray rainy days you can either wear something bright to fight against the gloom like Tania of What Would a Nerd Wear or blend in, like I chose to yesterday.  For whatever reason, I've been loving gray as of late.  It just feels so much softer and less harsh than black, and since I haven't seen the sun since August, less harsh is good.  Also, I've been dying to wear this dress to school, but I couldn't figure out a way to wear it so that it wasn't too dressy or where I wasn't freezing.  My knee high boots and a dark pink tank were the perfect way to keep the dress from getting too dressy.  The dark pink tank just happened to match the flowers on the dress perfectly.  I was afraid that the built in bra in the tank would bug me since I didn't have time to cut it out of the tank yesterday morning, but I was lucky enough that it didn't.  I will, however have to remove the built in bra.  I get that for some women they work, but in order for me to wear a tank w/a built in bra, the tank ends up either almost not covering or entirely not covering the girls, which completely defeats the purpose of the tank.  For yesterday I just pulled it up so that the elastic was mid-boob and went on with my day.  I wouldn't recommend this with most outfits as its pretty obvious when you cut your boobs in half with elastic, but because I had 2 layers on top of the tank, I felt ok with it.  
    This blue cardigan rocked in keeping me warm.  I hadn't realized it until I took it off yesterday, but this cardigan is 100% wool.  From Target!  And I got lucky enough that I found it for $8 last time I was allowed to shop (ie ~3 weeks ago).  If I had known it was 100% wool when I bought it, I definitely would have looked and looked to see if I could have found more of them in different colors.  But its ok, I'm just glad to have added such a nice cardigan in a color that isn't black or white to my closet.
    I just wanted to include this last picture because 1. its cute and 2. it allows me to explain some how I take pictures.  I've mentioned before that I take outfit pictures by putting my camera on a tripod, setting the timer, then posing.  Well, before I even get to that step, I always take a test shot to make sure there's enough light for picture taking.  Well, yesterday while doing my test picture, Luna and Bella decided to get in on the action and peer out our glass front door.  Aren't they precious?


The Details:
Flower print dress: LOFT
Cardigan: Target
Boots: Target
Ombre tights: Target
Tank: Gap outlet

 

Dress for Success (Part 2)

    Lindsay is our second model.  She is wearing a great gray pant suit that fit her really well.  However, because she's 5'10", off the rack, the pants were too short for her to wear heels with the pants.  We used her as an example of a very low cut blouse, a too large necklace, a distracting headband and flat shoes.  Even though her look is almost entirely appropriate for an office, for an interview she would stand out, and not in a good way.  
    First off, her pants are too short.  When the panelists mentioned it, Lindsay explained that she has had to order all of her pants for suits.  Like many women who aren't "standard sized," whatever that means, she has to have her clothing fit to her.  In her case she has to order her pants long.  For other women it means hemming pants.  Regardless of what the fix is, fitting clothing to you is definitely worth it.  A suit tailored to your measurements is exactly the type of suit you want for an interview.  It may cost more to get a pair of trousers or a skirt hemmed at a tailor, but the finished product, a professionally fit suit that you won't have to worry about during an interview is worth it.       
   If the pants had been long enough, Lindsay would have worn heels.  Which brings us to the second problem with her attire, she's wearing flats.  You don't need 3 inch heels for an interview, but because interviews are formal, a shoe with some heel is expected.  Yes, even if you're as tall as Lindsay.  This actually came up when Lindsay was modeling.  One of our panelists, the judge, asked how tall women felt about heels.  He wasn't sure if they made tall women feel out of place or too intimidating.  Lindsay and the female attorney on the panel both said they were fans of heels on tall women.  I have to agree with them.  Knowing that a woman has enough confidence to wear heels on top of being super tall makes me happy.  I guess I'm living vicariously through tall women, but when I think of a tall woman wearing heels I think of a confident woman who is confident and isn't afraid of intimidating the boys or the other girls.
    The most glaring issue with Lindsay's outfit was her neckline.  Not only was the blouse cut too low, but the large and long necklace drew everyone's attention to that fact.  I'm pretty sure the top would never be office appropriate (unless worn over a button down for example).  However, the necklace could be office appropriate with the right blouse.   Nonetheless, neither of these would work for an interview.  A low cut blouse sends all sorts of wrong messages to an interviewer and the necklace is too distracting.  The reason pearls are almost always recommended is that they are a classic look that match everything and don't call too much attention to themselves.  So rather than showing off your new super funky necklace you found at a thrift store, its best to go for the classic standby of pearls for an interview.  
    Lastly, the headband Lindsay is wearing is too much.  It screams little girl rather than accomplished attorney.  And trust me, you don't want an interviewer thinking you're a little kid during an interview.  A better bet would have been a plain black headband, which is perfectly ok.  What matters is that you look polished and under control of your appearance.  If a headband is what you need to do that, then go for it.  Same with wearing your hair in a bun, french twist or a barrette.      

What do you think about Lindsay's outfit?  Anything you would do differently besides what I pointed out?  Is what she's wearing appropriate for an interview your field?  How about for a normal workday?  

Thank you Lindsay!  

Dress for Success (Part 1)

    Last Wednesday we had our "Dress for Success" program held by our Career Services and Women's group at the law school.  I took part as one of the models and also set up my camera so that one of our Career Services ladies would be able to take pictures.  For the event, we had three panelists critiquing our suits, shirts, shoes, hose, jewelry, hair, etc.  We did this so that the women in the first year law class who would be interviewing for the first time for summer law jobs would know what is expected of them and what is appropriate for interviews and firm outings and events.  A few of the lovely ladies have allowed me to include their pictures in this post so that I could let all of *you* know what works and doesn't for law school summer jobs and events.  

    Melanie, the president of the organization and one of my best girl friends, modeled a beautiful gray sheath dress and jacket.  Even though it was all the same shade of gray, which could come across as boring, the panelists commented that this was a "Boys, I'm here to play and kick your butt" type of look. (quote from a judge!)  
With regard to the sleeveless dress, the female attorney on the panel commented that as long as she was in the office doing work and there was no danger of clients seeing her without a jacket on, she would be fine working in the sleeveless dress.  However, she would always put the jacket on to see clients as well as to go to court. 
    Personally, I love this dress and am trying to convince Melanie to go buy it.  It's a simple dress, but has enough details, the black belt and ruffles on the sleeves, to keep it from getting dull.   To make it interview appropriate all you have to do is add the matching jacket.  But to give it some more personality, you could of course just add a statement necklace (or pearls if that's more your style), great pair of heels, a cardigan, a scarf, a brooch, a different belt, etc.  The advantage is that with a sheath dress in a dark color that flatters your figure like this does on Melanie, you can really add any accessory to dress it up or down because the foundation of the outfit is simple, classic and flattering. 
   I also wanted to add this picture of Melanie because the outfit is from her own closet and has the added bonus of showing that lawyers aren't always clad in gray.   This is a look that *anybody* can try as its just a few simple basics (black pencil skirt, white blouse, black heels) paired with a flattering blazer in a bright color to keep the outfit from getting boring.  This pale blue blazer takes the outfit up a notch and happens to make Melanie's blue eyes stand out. 

How do you all approach interviews and interview appropriate attire?  Would a sleeveless sheath dress and blazer be appropriate for your field?  How about the pencil skirt + non-matching jacket combo?


Thank you Melanie for letting me use your pictures!

(P.S. Most of the suits that we modeled were provided by Dillard's)  

Intertextualism

    On Tuesday, La Historiadora de Moda of Fashionable Academics wrote about how she is often inspired by other bloggers in putting together her own outfits.  Little did I know that the very next day, Wednesday, I would be calling upon one of her previous outfits to put together one of my own.  If you follow Fashionable Academics, and I definitely recommend that you do, you might remember this post in which La Historiadora de Moda listed her top 5 teaching outfits for 2009.  Her #1 favorite outfit was a red skirt, black turtleneck and purple tights and belt.  Well yesterday, while I was getting dressed I decided I wanted to wear this purple wrap shirt dress again, but wanted to make it look different.  Thinking of LHdM's previous outfit, I grabbed my wide red belt, black tights and boots and found myself happily invoking her style wisdom in my own way.
   For whatever reason, as you might tell from the past few days' worth of outfits, I like wearing dresses when its cold.  I think its because its unexpected and I like wearing tights.  But I'm not really sure.  Either way, I felt really great and confident in this outfit all day long.  And it was a long day.  Last night was our Dress for Success program in which yours truly got to model.  The point of the program was to show the first year class women what they should and should not wear to interviews.  I'll put together a post later that shows some of us modeling and showing what is to be expected at an interview and what should not be worn to an interview.  
    Just an FYI, pretend like my hair is down and curly and that I'm wearing black tights in these pictures.  I got home and forgot to take pics, so I got in PJs and ate dinner.  Then realized that this outfit was just too cute not to post, so I got dressed again real quick.  But by then my tights had been discarded and my hair was already up.  So, just pretend, k? 

The Details:

Purple Dress: Target

Black Tank: Old Navy

Black Tights: L'Eggs

Black Boots: Target

Red Belt: Target

See? Even Bella appreciates my outfit :)

First Day of the LAST Semester!

    So, what does a girl starting her first day of the last semester of schooling wear?  Today, at least, something warm.  I woke up this morning to 17F.  That's a good 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit colder than average for this time of year.   It's just plain cold.
    Today I went for something a bit daring.  Yes, leopard print is daring for law school.  Luckily the leopard print has  been toned down by being black and gray spots on a white background rather than the normal black, tans and browns.  But to give this top more pop, it has silver thread throughout the top.  I got this right before my shopping ban when I went to the mall with The Fiance.  To my surprise I found this at Express when they were doing their box sale.  It was further reduced and I paid something like $9 for it.   I'm quite happy with it even though its probably a bit longer than I would like.  I'll probably shorten it, but that's not a big deal for such a cute top.  
    To keep warm I layered this blue 3/4 sleeve cardigan over the leopard print.  It further toned down the leopard print, but also made the print stand out some as it was the center of attention amidst the blue of the cardigan and jeans.  I added the necklace Melanie gave me and my new favorite turquoise sueded flats.  
    Now on to the school stuff.  Today was the first day of my last semester of school, unless something unexpected happens.  I am very excited and ready for this.  Normally I get nervous and can't sleep the night before my first day.  Last night, however, I slept really well and woke up ready.  I really feel like I'm in the right place at the right time.  I'm not sure where this confidence came from, but there it is. 
    On a more mundane note, I'm waiting to see if I'll get in off the waitlist to a Mediation class.  If I take the class it would fulfill part of the requirement to become a certified mediator.  It would also look REALLY REALLY GOOD on my resume.  So, keep your fingers crossed and hopefully I'll get in off the waitlist.  If I don't make it, then I'm probably going to have to take Bankruptcy, which although useful, wouldn't be what I want.  Anybody else starting off classes this week?  How have you decided to face the new semester?  Do you get nervous too?

The Details:
Leopard Print top: Express
Blue cardigan: Merona Target brand
Jeans: Old Navy
Necklace: gift from Melanie
Flats: Target

Resolutions

 Source

Here are this year's resolutions/goals that I would like to accomplish: 

1. Walk Bella more often.  It keeps both of us healthy and active and teaches her how to deal with different situations.

2. Live Healthier.  This doesn't just mean exercising more often and eating better, although they're both certainly a part of it.  It also includes appreciating my body, taking care of my skin and hair and just having a healthier outlook.  
3. Graduate! :)

4. If I can't actually get married in 2010, I would at least like to set a date to get married in 2010. 

5. Closet Shopping Challenge.  As I explained here, I am going to not shop for clothes for my last semester in Law School.  Knowing that a full on prohibition would more than likely fail, I'm going to give myself some exceptions.

    a. In the event of an interview and if I need something, I'm not going to hesitate from buying something that I need.  

    b. If I do happen to get married this year, I'm allowed to buy a wedding dress this semester.

    c.  These shoes.  The Fiance told me after Christmas that had it not been for an ill-timed dentist bill, he would have gotten me a pair for Christmas.  So as a belated X-mas present from him, I will be buying these shoes (w/his help) sometime in the next couple of weeks.

    d.  Rain boots.  I need them.

    e. Accessories: brooches, belts, hosiery.  I'm not sold on the idea of not being allowed to buy this stuff.  I have very few accessories as it is, since if I'm going to spend money I'm going to spend it on the necessaries, ie jeans, tees, sweaters, etc.  So I think I'll allow myself to grow my accessories, within reason.  (I forsee consignment shopping more than anything).

I think that's it.  I recognize that my no shopping challenge isn't quite a ban, but it works for me.  I also realize that some of the above is more passive and more likely to happen (graduation) than others (walking Bella daily for example).  But the point is that I have some distinct goals for the year that I think I will reasonably be able to accomplish.  And in light of the uncertainty at the end of July, having some reasonable goals isn't a bad thing. 

What is your outlook on Resolutions?  Do you think they're useful or just a different way of approaching the same program (like the kitty above)?