plaid shirt | Chic Vic

Although I was born and raised in the inner city that rhymes with smokin’, there’s nothing hood about me even if I tried – save for this hooded leather jacket.

After successfully selling some of my unwanteds at Buffalo Exchange one day, I did my usual post selling song and dance on the sales floor. Not wanting to spend more than what I had earned in trade-in credit, I had to make an important, yet impulsive decision. Would you believe I chose this jacket over an equally amazing vintage 1940s beaded cardigan? Sometimes, even this vintage lady needs to let her hair down and embrace the modern.

The hooded bomber-esque style is more youthful than most things I have in my closet, which is a refreshing change from my usual feminine, dressy, and sometimes “old-lady” style preferences. I like that it adds a hint of laid back casual cool to my wardrobe.

With an equally fall appropriate plaid shirt and mahogany brown wedge sandals to match, I am ready for warm sunny days and brisk evenings – typical of autumn weather in the Bay Area. The leather hood doesn’t give me much street credibility, especially when it feels like I’m channeling the flying nun.

You can take a girl out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of a girl. Or off her.

vintage leather jacket (similar) / vintage plaid blouse (similar) / vintage Natural Comfort wedges (similar) / Gap skinny jeans (similar) / Urban Outfitters sunglasses (similar) / compass pendant necklace (similar)

I recently visited my alma mater where I studied my dura and pia mater, but none of that matters anymore, as it has no bearing on what I do at my 9 to 5. Psych!

It’s been a while since I’ve been on the UC Berkeley campus, but my visit reminded me of how beautiful it is. I love the architecture of the lecture halls and buildings. Red bricks somehow remind me of all things academic, which inspired my next look.

I’m a Professor Mix A Lot of sorts when it comes to mixing and matching patterns and textures. Case study: the almost tonal plaid skirt serves as a neutral canvas, allowing the vibrantly colored plaid blouse to dominate. However, one must also take into account the confounding variables of different fabrications and textures, such as the pleats and sheen of the skirt, the delicate lightweight cotton shirt, and the ruffled edge of the cardigan. In the place of schoolgirl knee high socks, I opted for the grown up version in the form of ooh la la nude fishnets. All of these add layers of interest to my outfit. Instead of following the crowd, I like to be an outlier sometimes. There is no regression toward the mean for me!

As my age gap closes in with the older folk, suddenly the undergrads look like such youngsters and the grad students seem mighty attractive. Excuse me Professor, when are your office hours?