Math Formulas + New Clothes = Stylish Outfits Part 2

I was so inspired by my first go around with formulaic styling that I did another one! I will admit, however, that this mix and match was not nearly as fun or bright as the first one so I found it much more challenging. I strayed away from the prescribed articles of clothing for two reasons: 1) I don't own a trench coat 2) I found trying to do this many neutrals together didn't really seem very "me". Ten more mix and match outfits are headed your way!

Here are the pieces I used to recreate the styles:
The Limited essential white collared shirt-TJ Maxx similar here
Nine West sling back pointed heel-old similar here
Aerosoles brown sandals-TJ Maxx recent similar here
New York & Co cream sweater-thrifted similar here also...
The Limited colorblocked stripe top-The Limited recent
Max Studio geometric skirt with pockets-thrifted similar here also...
INC black pleated skirt-thrifted similar here
Express Editor light blue pant-old (circa 2005) similar here
Merona crew neck cardigan in yellow star pattern-Target also...
Delia's navy and magenta striped cardigan-TJ Maxx similar here
Mossimo geometric dress-Target Clearance similar here
The Limited Drew pant in gray and blue plaid-The Limited also...
Exact stretch capri pant-The Limited
Merona Madge flats in orange-Target clearance recent
American Eagle flats in navy-Payless Shoes recent
Wool coat-vintage? thrifted similar here
Fitted polka dot tee- Forever 21 recent

Pinterest Updo!

I recently joined the wonderful world of Pinterest and have since pinned a few new ways to style my generally lifeless and thin hair. Here is the inspiration photo and how-to guide I pinned about a week ago:

I'm happy to report that it was just as easy as explained and it worked even on my generally challenging locks! It took about 15 minutes from start to finish and the only note I would add to the how-to part would be that I had to put a clear plastic on the end of my little braid while I braided it with the two unbraided strands. When I got close to the end, I slid the plastic band off and used it at the end of the new braid. I did this on all three sets of braids, otherwise I don't think I could've managed braiding with that little braid that kept wanting to come undone.

 I'm also proud to report that with only six bobby pins, this updo lasted all day at school!

Technical Difficulties

Let me begin by giving a HUGE thank you to all my wonderful friends and family that have taken the time to read my little blog and leave comments or send me kind words in emails. I really can't thank you enough!

And I will follow that up with a HUGE apology for my radio silence over the last week+. I have no excuse other than I think I may have bit off more than I can chew in trying to start two huge makeovers at once. The work I am doing in my classroom is without a doubt more important to me than overhauling my wardrobe and style so I apologize for the lack of outfit shots as I was more consumed with classroom issues. I will, however, admit that I am proud of myself because I have been putting together awesome outfits each day for school (and both students and colleagues are noticing!) but I cannot figure out how to snap decent pictures each day...Technical Difficulty #1 Amber at Ambular Logic always looks gorgeous in her photos (I should've taken up modeling with her when we were in high school...ha!) as does Bonnie at Delusions of Grandeur whose shots look like they were done specifically for a style magazine in beautiful outdoor settings. I may have to get a fellow teacher to take a quick snapshot each morning and email it to me as I can't seem to get up early enough to get one at the house. How do other bloggers take their photos? Or rather, who takes them?

(I LOVE the Simpsons)

This past week has been especially trying as it was our first full week with students. Each day I came home more tired than the last which added to the problem of rousing myself out of bed early enough to do any sort of photography at home. The first two days were tiring just because I was getting back into the swing of teaching, but Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were exhausting for another reason...Technical Difficulties #2-78. I'm flipping my classroom this year which relies heavily on technology, namely the internet. For three days last week we had little to no access to the internet. At first I thought just my wireless signal had gone down so I plugged my laptop directly into the wall, no luck. Then I thought it was just something temporary, "It'll come back on. It's 2012, the internet doesn't actually 'crash' anymore." It wasn't. So I was unable to show the videos I had planned on showing each day (the ones I had spent all summer filming), I couldn't read my students' homework assignments (they are doing online digital assignments through Collaborize Classroom), I couldn't take attendance, or access my email. By the end of Friday I estimated that after only 6 days of actual teaching I'm easily 4 days behind schedule.

So I hope you can stick with me through the ups and downs of this year! If you're here for mostly fashion I apologize in advance as that will always come secondary to me getting stuff done inside the classroom and putting my students first. If you're reading to follow my journey on this year of high-tech (when it cooperates!), student-centered, Common Core Standards teaching adventure I promise there is more to come!

And as a treat for sticking around this long...my outfits from last week!
(On the floor, not on me, sorry.)

Monday

Shirt: INC (thrifted)
Skirt: Studio M (thrifted)
Shoes: Nine West (old)

angled pockets on skirt

Tuesday

Shirt: TJ Maxx (recent)
Skirt: Talbots Outlet (recent)
Shoes: Payless (recent)
Neclace: Target clearance (recent)

Yes, I got saluted in this outfit!

Wednesday

Shirt: Target clearance (recent)
Pants: The Limited (recent)
Shoes: Payless (recent)
Necklace: Gift from Mom

Thursday

Shirt: Ann Taylor (thrifted)
Pants: Ann Taylor (old)
Shoes: Target clearance (recent)
Necklace worn as bracelet: gift from Secret Santa

I wore the shirt tucked in per a comment on my last outfit with this top and it was super flattering. I'm not sure if you can tell but the pinstripe on this pant is also purple...meant to be!

 Technical Difficulty #79: Getting a new camera to take some decent photos!

Patient Problem Solvers

The theme in my classroom for this year is "Patient Problem Solvers" which I took from Dan Meyer's presentation on the need for reform in math instruction in the US. The video is about 12 minutes and will probably bore most of you (unless you're a huge math nerd like I am and believe strongly in the need to move away from standardized tests and move back to actually teaching math and problem solving). If you like the video and want to hear or see more from Dan Meyer this is a link to his blog.

I was lucky enough to find that owls are incredibly popular right now (in both fashion and teacher supply stores) and there is no better classroom mascot to represent my desire for my students to leave my classroom wiser than how they entered.

Our school has a wonderfully talented retired art teacher that frequently subs at our site. I contacted her, showed her some cute owl stickers I had purchased and let her know that my classroom is decorated in blues, greens, and yellows. I dropped off some butcher paper to her last week and here is her masterpiece!

And as far as the fashion goes I have to ask for you to be patient there as well! Wednesday and Thursday (yesterday and today) of this week we were required to wear spirit t-shirts which are neither fashionable or exciting. I did jazz up my outfits by adding cute flats and my zebra belt yesterday and my royal blue/kelly green belt today. I didn't, however, feel they were blog worthy! So stay tuned for an outfit tomorrow which is our first official day with students attending all their classes.

Purple Tank and Zebra Belt

Today's outfit, #8 from the list is almost entirely thrifted. The purple Ann Taylor tank was $4. The pleated INC skirt was also $4. I purchased the zebra belt at Target on clearance and the sling backs date back to my days of student teaching. Happy Tuesday!

Outfit Debut!

Here goes nothing...my first post with an outfit! Today is my first official day back at school. A day that will be filled with a whole district meeting in the morning, followed by announcements of newly tenured teachers (that's me!), and a keynote speaker. Last year's keynote speaker was a magician...no really, a magician.

In honor of what is sure to be an amazing day it is only fitting that I wear something new and awesome. I have decided that I will not be showing the 31 outfits in order as it is nearly one hundred degrees here today and some of the outfits involve blazers and long pants. Also, I have a gorgeous bruise on my leg from trying to make the bed two days ago (I will continue to leave that task up to my wonderful husband lest I injure myself again). While I had wanted to show off outfit #1 it would show off that bruise so I'm going out of order.

Drumroll please!



I welcome any and all comments and constructive criticism; I'm learning and would love any advice!

I hope you have a wonderful magician-filled-Monday and a great school year!

Math Formulas + New Clothes = Stylish Outfits

I'm a math teacher (which you probably already know) and I'm stylishly challenged (which if you have met me anytime in the last 6 years of my teaching career you definitely know). When it came to putting together a new wardrobe from scratch I really didn't know where to start. I began by finding some awesomely fashionable teachers/professionals who blog about their style-->see blogs I love to the right. But when it came to actually putting the pieces together I was a little stumped.

Enter Pinterest! I found this awesome graphic from Banana Republic that is more or less a formula for making great outfits. Give me 13 variables and/or coefficients and I can write endless amounts of algebraic expressions, this is basically the same. It is fashion made easy for those of us who are really left-brained.

Here is my list of 13 items (actually ended up using a few more) that I used to make 31 different looks. Stay tuned to see a new outfit each day for the next month!

1) Ann Taylor royal purple tank-thrifted similar here
2) INC black pleated skirt-thrifted similar here
3) Nine West black suede wedges-from a wedding December 2010 similar here
4) Steve Madden leopard wedges-Plato's Closet (I've read that many thrifters don't consider Plato's Closet "thrifting" so I will list them separately) similar here
5) The Limited essential white collared shirt-TJ Maxx similar here
6) Express Editor black pinstripe pant-old (circa 2005) similar here
7) J. Crew Factory pencil skirt in royal purple print with Max Studio cream tank (TJ Maxx 2011) similar here
8) The Limited Drew pant-gift from Mom
9) Gap royal blue cropped V-neck cardigan-Gap Outlet recent similar here
10) J. Crew pencil skirt in double-serge cotton royal violet-Factory Store recent
11) Blue and green chevron tank-TJ Maxx recent similar here
12) The Limited orange bateau sweater-gift from Mom
13) Style & Co brown blazer-thrifted similar here