Neutrality

works cited: forever 21 button-up; j. crew sweater; gap pants; necklaces found in a drawer; urban outfitters pumps

To continue on the theme of my addiction to pinterest, today I was inspired at the last minute by this really pretty image of a light gray blouse and beige-white necklace. After putting together the gray striped top with the almond-colored sweater, I was digging around for a necklace to spice things up and in a magical moment, I found these two necklaces in the bottom of a drawer--they aren't a perfect match, but they approximate the feel of the original image. See? I am a big fat copy cat again.



P.S. Speaking of pinterest, I also really love Dot's inspiration board--complete with a bunch of amazing looks from J. Crew's new fall collection--swoon.

(p)interesting

works cited: j. crew button-up and sweater; gap skirt; hue tights; old navy trench; thrifted purse; target boots; h&m scarf

Thanks to Mary's suggestion, I recently discovered pinterest, this amazing new site where you can take images you love and make a virtual bulletin board of inspiration. Up until last week, I stored great images and inspirations in my bookmark folder, which was unwieldy and made it impossible to find anything twice. Pinterest is easy to use, really aesthetically-pleasing, and dangerously addictive. I downloaded all my stored images into a style inspiration folder, where I can see everything at once. It reminded me about this outfit, which I bookmarked last fall and loved. I knew I could recreate it to embarrassing exactitude, because I think I have several of the very same pieces in my closet. I know I am a big fat copy-cat, but I do really love the image and outfit.
P.S. I switched up the font to make it easier to read, because a few people mentioned that it got a little murky in places. Don't hesitate to let me know if you're still having trouble--it's easy to tinker with. xo.

Change is in the Air

works cited: j. crew top; macy's necklace; anthro skirt; hue tights; target belt; steve madden boots

Nevermind the temps in the 20's, I know that spring is in the air and I'm dressing in its color palette, even if I can't shed any of my winter layers this week. I'm hoping the warm weather will follow if I just wear enough pink. Speaking of changes, the amazing new-mama-of-twins Mary gave my layout a much-needed spring cleaning facelift. (If you're an avid google reader subscriber like I am, click over to check out the newness.) I also have to sing Mary's praises for a second--if you're looking for a little help with your layout (or you're just html-phobic like I am), Mary is absolutely incredible, enormously patient, and wickedly talented. Plus she's adorable.
P.S. This skirt is on sale...which makes it regular-people priced at anthro :)

Pajamas in Disguise

works cited: loft trousers, thrifted wedges, target belt and tee, gap sweater, vintage glasses

After a decadently lazy spring break, Monday has been a rude awakening--a lot of papers to grade, appointments, meetings, paper assignments to conjure up, and overdue reading. And while my mind is full throttle back to work, my outfit is evidently less cooperative with the workweek. When I uploaded these photos, I realized how loose and drapey all these clothes are. Which made me realize: this outfit is accidentally pajamas in disguise. I'm hoping my closet gets its act together tomorrow, because pajamas, whether disguised or not, don't quite cut it for teaching.

Sunday Sponsor Spotlight

I choose sponsors for this blog carefully, so I can say confidently that I love what these companies have on offer. This month, I have my eye on a few things for spring:



Slightly nautical dresses from Spotted Moth (from left, the california poppy dress one of my best friends M. just bought; by the sea shore dress because I always love stripes; and the sea shanty dress, which is my new favorite).



Or super-feminine floral dresses in flattering silhouettes from Ruche (from left, frolicking through the wildflowers dress; the high tea elegance dress is a more sophisticated version of the dresses I loved to wear as a little girl; show me sunshine dress in one of my favorite colors).
P.S. Ruche has the most amazing, whimsical lookbook.



Structured cognac bags from Le Mode Accessories (I love the school days messenger bag for obvious reasons; the oh my dots handbag on right would be great for springtime dates). I also really loved their leather backpack which I wore last week and loved...it's now on its way to Andrea.



And, of course, eco-friendly and flattering bamboo apparel dresses from Five Bamboo (that's the red Rohre dress I can't get enough of on left, and Artemis on right). Also, there's still time to enter the giveaway from Five Bamboo to win a dress of your choice! Or, if you can't wait, you can create a store account and get 20% with the discount code: dresslikeanerd.

Why I Like Style Blogs

works cited: gap vest (gift from sister); target blouse; gap jeans; target boots; my mom's hand-me-down belt

The glossy, perfectly-curated, lit, and photographed magazine spreads feel like a double-edged sword. They are beautifully-done and inspire me to try new pairings, but they often leave me feeling not good enough, or rich enough, or hip-less enough (which is why I don't subscribe to magazines). It's also why I really love reading other people's style blogs--because they are a realistic look at just a regular person getting dressed in the morning. Sometimes an outfit works, and sometimes it doesn't, and one learns valuable things from each. Obviously, I'll never be as put together or glamorous as a magazine spread, but I learn more from seeing my own mediocre outfits photographed than I do from poring over the pages of Vogue. Often, I'll write about how I feel unsure about an outfit, but just as often, I try to put those feelings aside and see if there aren't things worth liking about any outfit--a color palette or an interesting silhouette that I might reuse in a way I like better next time. And this outfit is one of those--I love the vest that my sister sent me but I'm still trying to figure out how to wear it. Which reminds me of the other thing I like about style blogs--the interaction. Which is to say: do you have any ideas how to pair this vest? I'd be grateful for your suggestions!

Kelsey + Tania + Tucker

works cited: tucker for target dress; target belt; clarks wedges

It's clear now that quite a few bloggers also bought this tucker for target dress a week or so ago, and it's been wonderful inspiration to see it remixed on various blogs (like Academichic and What I Wore). But Kelsey and I decided to take it one step further and do a little remix swap. This is her take on the dress:



I love the way the green tights brings out the green of the dress pattern. And those shoes are (clearly) swoon-worthy. If you want to see details on Kelsey's outfit--and more pictures of mine!--head over to snappy casual (she really is this adorable all the time).
Thanks for swapping remixes with me, Kelsey!

Want to Sponsor What Would a Nerd Wear?

Would you like to sponsor What Would a Nerd Wear this spring? I have lots of terrific readers who (like my little sister) are always looking for new great independent online shops. Email me for rates and stats--I have a few spots available in the coming months.
Side note for anyone interested: I respond to all advertising inquiries, but I only accept sponsors which feel like a natural fit with my style and readership.

Lazy Days

works cited: dress c/o spotted moth; flats urban outfitters; cardigan the gap

Spring break has made me shamefully lazy. I graded midterms for all of 2 hours today and was so exhausted afterward that I went into a nap-coma on the couch for several hours. Luckily, tonight's schedule doesn't look very demanding--pizza, more Iris Murdoch, and if I'm feeling really energized, a viewing of Brideshead Revisited.
P.S. After I posted about this dress, spotted moth spontaneously sent it to me (thank you!!). It was a big treat in the middle of studying for my exams and I'm so glad it is warm enough to wear now.

Spring Picnic

Works Cited
dress: emersonmade
cardigan: j. crew
flats: yellow box
necklace: c/o little o by wolfbrother
book: the black prince, iris murdoch

Don't be jealous--it's been 70 degrees and sunny here and I have more or less refused to stay inside. Yesterday, Christopher and I took our bicycles, blankets, a kite, and our books to the park where we loafed around reading and napping and talking for a several hours. Then we snapped some shots on the way home. It was a heavenly day.



And yes, this dress was my self-reward for finishing my exams, and yes, it cost several months of my clothing budget, but it was so, so worth it.

[CLOSED] Giveaway: Dress from Five Bamboo

This giveaway comes from one of my sponsors, Five Bamboo, a Seattle-based company that makes eco-friendly bamboo clothing without releasing any toxic waste or harmful gas into the atmosphere. They are offering one lucky reader a dress of her choice (I have the blueberry dress in gray and it's versatile and comfortable--you can see how I've worn it here and here). I'd go for the Artemis dress (above)--you can wear it with boots and a cardigan during crisp spring days, or with flats and a big cotton scarf when the weather heats up.

All you've got to do to enter is check out the dresses and leave a comment with the name of dress you'd pick to add to your spring wardrobe (plus a way to reach you if you win). I'll pick a winner at random next week. Good luck! xo

The lucky winner is #447, Marleah.

Happy Second Day of Spring!

Works Cited
skirt: gap outlet (gift from mama)
tee: hanes
jacket: gap
sneakers: c/o keds
backpack: traveling from le mode

Yesterday was the first day of spring and what better way to celebrate than wearing sequins to the grocery store, getting lots of funny looks from midwesterners in their sweats, and then spending the evening barbecuing in the driveway (classy, I know). This is also my triumphant return to the internet after a long weekend of celebrating and staying far, far away from my laptop, so I'm planning lots of good stuff on the blog this week, including a great giveaway and a fun swap. And maybe even more spring sequins, sweatpants be damned.

ABD!

Works Cited
blouse: h&m
pants: gap
blazer: target
heels: macy's
finger-bang: borrowed from contador

Well, my big old oral exam was this morning and I passed with distinction (as you may have heard on twitter where I couldn't contain my excitement). So many of you sent me sweet well-wishes and good luck this week; I cannot tell you how much it helped me stay calm and positive when I was super nervous.
This is what I wore for the exam--it's not the world's most blog-able outfit, but it's worth documenting because these academic milestones can be tricky to dress for. I went for simplicity and professionalism--blazer and blouse and heels for height--but mostly I wanted to be dressed so that I didn't think at all about what I was wearing and could focus completely on what I was saying. Now I am just bursting with excitement and happiness to be finished with this academic challenge and onto the next. Only one thing remains to decide--how best to look celebratory in a photo:



A. Wring one's hands victoriously; B. leap up and down like a maniac; or B. the Contador "finger-bang." Your thoughts?

Twice As Nice

Works Cited
dress: target
belt: j crew
pumps: urban outfitters
blazer: banana republic

Why yes, this is the same bright magenta floral dress I wore yesterday. I've got to get my money's worth, so starting out with a bang and wearing it twice in a row seemed like the way to go (fingers crossed I don't run into many of the same people today). Sometimes I feel that variety is overrated--I find that I like wearing the same piece six times in a row and then moving on to obsessively wear something else. It helps me be creative with something new in my closet...even if I risk looking unwashed.

In Pursuit of Bright Colors

Works Cited
dress, tights: target
cardigan: j crew (gift)
boots: steve madden

Well, I caved to the marketing and finally bought something from the Target designer collaboration lines. I just love the way the blue version of this dress looked on a few bloggers this fall, and I don't own much in this dark pink/red shade (most of my dresses are shades of blue, gray, or black) so I was tempted to the point of purchase when I walked in to the store and there was this one lonely dress left hanging on the rack, miraculously in my size. It cost a little more than I like to pay for a Target dress so I'm planning to wear this baby into the ground, starting with a very standard Tania pairing--brown tights, boots, and mustard cardigan. But get ready to get sick of this dress, because I'm going to get my money's worth on it.

Over the Weekend

Works Cited
dress, cowl: gap
wedges: clarks
tights: j. crew
sweater: vintage
trench: old navy

I know the tights with open-toed sandals trend has really lost its deviant edge, but this is the first time I've tried it and I actually love the way it looks and found it a lot less dorky than I had potentially imagined it. Plus I'm dying for sandals but it is still tights weather around here, so combining the two was a good spring compromise. I was also in the mood for a loose, tunic-y dress (something I don't really have in my closet because I mostly choose dresse that highlight my waist) so this dress from gap--unbelted--was the only thing that fit the bill. My sister and I bought each other these Gap dresses two Christmases ago for $9 apiece, so every time I wear it, I smile thinking of the two of us standing in line with identical dresses to gift to each other. Rachie, I miss you! xoxo




P.S. A few other ways I've worn this dress.

Easy Does It

Works Cited
jeans: gap
boots: target
socks: j.crew
shirt: thrifted
sweater: j. crew
trench: old navy

I wasn't sure I was even going to photograph this outfit today--it's very much weekend-study-Tania with jeans, a button-up, and dirty hair. But as it turns out, this is the kind of outfit I've been in the mood for more often than not in the past few days, so might as well let my style blog reflect the style I've been feeling. Claire also has these boots, though I didn't realize it until after I bought them--now I'm going to be busy bookmarking her posts for ways to wear them. I'm back to the books now (my big exam is in 6 days so I'm kind of frantic lately...acks!).



P.S. I used Joanna's latest hair tutorial and I love the way it turns out--a messy, pulled back, but still volumized way to do kind of dirty hair.