Erika S. outfits

frenchie french

Brooklyn is having a warm couple of days – it’s practically a winter heat wave at 55˚F!  This ‘warm’ weather comes right on the heels of about an inch of snow just 2 days ago.  I’m just happy to have a break from my snow/rain boots.  I just bought this dress online from Urban Outfitters.  It came out a really long time ago (a year maybe?) and I loved it right away when I saw it.  I did not love the price tag on the other hand, so I waited.  And waited. And waited.  Just about everything goes on sale eventually at UO, especially if it’s an ‘online only’ item like this dress was.  When the price finally dropped down to one I was willing to pay ($50) I ordered it right away.  I’m glad I did too!  The dress is made by Sessun a french line carried by UO stateside, but also available through ASOS.  I love this brand – so frenchie chic.  This dress garnered many compliments, including “Your dress looks like it’s slinging Pepsi!”.

frenchie french 3

sessun frenchie french 2

sessun

Sessun frenchie french

dress: sessun via uo – cardigan & belt – j.crew – necklace: f21 – tights: uniqlo – boots: steve madden

Erika S. outfits

winterizing

I love how some dresses can be winter-ized by just adding a few things.  This dress, I’ve taken from the balmy crisp SF weather, through to hot muggy Brooklyn summer, straight into the dry freeze-your-ears-off Brooklyn winter.  All it takes is the addition of a scarf, wooly tights, cardigan and suede booties.  Of course, there was a coat involved, but I left it off while inside.  Dress, during summer last seen here.  Next time, I’ll have to remind myself to use a few more squirts of Static Guard

scarf: topshop – cardigan and belt: j.crew – dress: f21 – tights: h&m – booties: steve madden

Erika S. basics

basics round up part 1: the booties

When booties are your jam, you tend to stock pile them.  Part one of my closet basics round up, the bootie.

I picked up my newest addition to the group this past week when J.Crew was having their 30% off sale items promotion.  I “needed” a brown bootie in my collection.  When I got them, my sister exclaimed that “they look exactly same as all the other shoes you have!” to which I replied, “no they don’t, they’re totally different!  They’re brown!”

If I were not such a sucker for shopping and spending my hard earned teacher cash, I’d be more realistic and be fine with having one pair of boots that go with everything.  But no, I’m a product of this consumerist American society, so I have 10 – all well worn and in constant rotation.  We all have that one (or many) thing that we get sucked into right?  Well, the first of my many things is…the bootie.  I like small booties and I can not lie.

Even more ridiculous and consumerist, I lust after these, these and these booties.  They will be mine.  Oh yes, they will be mine.

top, then grid in order of age: j.crew aggie boot – anthropologie inclined chelsea boot – zara studded cowboy ankle boot – ecote alexandra suede ankle boot – anthropologie woven clog booties – steven by steve madden noahh boot – dv by dolce vita jamison boot – boutique 9 cooper boot – nine west – bp from nordstrom

Erika S. outfits

empty days

It’s vacation and I should be grading lab reports. Instead, I’ve been lounging, cooking and eating. Lab reports can wait, I guess.  I got myself a new bag – a wannabe Alexander Wang bucket bag for a small fraction of the price.  Thanks to “fast fashion”, I can indulge in designer aesthetics without the designer price point.  Considering I’ll probably get sick of this bag within the year and just go back to my trusty Freitag tote anyway, I’m cool with the semi cheap-o construction and materials.   OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
beannie: topshop – glasses: warby parker – jacket and purse: h&m – puffer: marmot – jeans and sweater: uniqlo – booties: steve madden (my fast fashion version of the Isabel Marant Dicker boots)

Erika S. outfits

bright sunshiny day

Two days later and things are going much better.  Then again, I see ‘that class’ again tomorrow (first time since monday), so ask me again how things are later.  I think I have a game plan though, and it’s called “space”.  I’m giving those boys space and in return, they’re going to give me space.  At least, that’s how it’s working out for me in my head.  In the mean time, I’m up for some brightness in my life.  So I color blocked my day with a neutral and a hot red pepper color. That’s me – neutral for the most part, but sometimes I turn into a hot pepper and get angry.  bright

brighter5

brighter4

brighter3

brighter2

glasses: salt (old) – circle scarf: topshop – cardigan: j.crew – belt: gap (old) – dress: some cheapo no name from tobi.com – tights: uniqlo heattech (so warm!) – booties: steven by steve madden (on sale!)

Erika S. outfits

home work = домашняя работа

I have a good number of Eastern European/Cental Asian students this year, coming from countires such as Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan.  Many of them speak limited/survival English at best, but they all speak Russian.  So it’s been a struggle teaching them biology…in English.  I rely on using pictures to illustrate concepts, using vocabulary charts and other students to fill in the blanks.  Today, I learned a new Russian word, which I have been using probably all too often to describe everything.  домашняя работа (domashnyaya rabota), which means homework, as in “Unless you can tell me right now what the ‘Z-scheme’ is in photosynthesis, I can tell you straight copied your domashnyaya rabota from the internet.”  That’s right.  Do your domashnyaya rabota!!

This corduroy pea coat has been a staple in my closet for the past 6 years at least.  I got it ages and ages ago from the Gap, way back when my old roommate Lori worked there.  Its the best cut ever – boxy in the body but slim in the arms.  So you have room to move and layer underneath, but you don’t end up looking like Popeye the Sailor Man with huge arms.

coat: hella old gap – cardigan: hella old therapy – dress: gap – tights: uniqlo – high socks: asos – booties: steven by steve madden

Erika S. outfits, teaching

surviving tuesdays

How to survive a hectic Tuesday at school after a 3 day weekend:  an easy no-iron shrunken boy shirt and black super stretchy jeans.  It will take you 5 min to get dressed and you’ll be physically comfy all day while your patience and sanity gets  shredded to bits.

This was one of those Tuesdays, where grades are due, you have “guests” possibly coming into your classroom to “observe” the next day and kids pretend the no-talking-during-a-quiz rule is new to the world.  So before I got down to planning and grading, after my last class of the day, I had some fun with my trusty Smart Board and camera.  Cool colors!  The refresh rate on the board is pretty low, and I really want to make this a teachable physics moment, but I’ll spare you guys the lecture.

The rumply leftovers of the day:

glasses: warby parker – button up: madewell – belt: gap – jeans: uniqlo – boots: steven

Shout out to class A for taking it like a champ today and making all the connections between photosynthesis and cellular respiration!  (none of them even knows this exists, this is just my mental high five.)  Go on with your bad selves.

Erika S. outfits

stepping up

cardigan and skirt: j.crew – blouse: madewell – sweater tights: anthropologie (old) – boots: steve madden (old) – pedometer: fitbit – watch: marc by marc jacobs – neclace: family heirloom

By lunch time I *only* had 3550 steps.  Our school is in STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) testing this week, meaning the kids are spending their mornings reading questions and bubbling while I sit there and stare at them.  It’s very exciting.

Erika S. outfits, teaching

Weekend love note

It’s always fun to find love notes left for you from your students on the white board. Yesterday, one of my fav students, “A”, left me this love note.  She found the boxes of preserved specimens waiting to get dissected.  Guess who wants to take physiology next year!  “A” also played photog for me.  Good job, A!

glasses: bonlook – infinity scarf: american apparel – blazer: madewell – sweater: j.crew – belt: gap – jeans: uniqlo – booties – steve madden

Erika S. outfits

tiny flowers

It’s friday. The kids have finally stopped singing that Rebecca Black song on fridays.  I know floral jeans have been all over the blogosphere lately, my favorites here, there, here and there.  I’ve had these Forever 21 jeans sitting in my closet since last september and have only worn them once.  No better time than now to pull them out for the second time.  My students knew right away where I found these jeans.  One teenager even told me that she has the same pants.  Great.  I dress like a teenager.  A big teenager that can confiscate your hats and cell phones.  I really tall teenager who forces you to write TEA paragraphs about why income is the greatest indicator obesity in the US and then imitates your groaning.  Happy friday, kids!

glasses: bonlook – necklace, blazer and jeans: F21 – tank: target – v-neck: threads for thought via nordstrom rack – belt: gap – booties: steve madden – key lanyard: TMAHS