Packing: A Week at Disney World

This is a post I meant to do last summer!  We went to Disney World in June 2012 and had a blast.  I am mildly obsessed with packing, and always put a lot (read, "way too much") thought into what to bring, so even though it is a year late, I am still posting this!  Also, read about my planning and itinerary creation here: Disney World: Planning

It sounds weird, but packing for Disney was pretty tricky.  When we went to England a couple of years ago, I was determined to pack everything in a carry on, and so I carefully coordinated everything to minimize how much I had to take (see that post here: Packing Light: Ten Days in England).

The trickiness comes in because you will basically need two outfits for each day: not amenable to traveling light!  However, I knew that walking around the park would mean being hot and sweaty and I would want to change before going out in the evening.

For day, I chose basic T shirts, including some I usually use for running which are great at wicking away moisture.  Running shorts, sneakers, short athletic socks, and a visor finished things off.  I carried my Ameribag, which is designed to feel like it weighs less than it actually does.  I carried this because I knew I wanted to have my camera and water bottle in the park (hydration is crucial), but next time I think I would try to find a way to get away with less.  Actually, who am I kidding--next time I'll have children and will probably be the resident porter!

After spending the morning and lunchtime in the parks, we would usually come back to the hotel for a swim, nap, and shower before heading back out for evening activities.  Disney is super-casual, so I didn't worry about choosing anything too dressy: just khaki shorts and a white skirt that could be paired with any of the tops.  We wouldn't be walking nearly as much, so the tennis shoes and flip-flops were fine.

The extra items: I brought yoga pants and extra T shirts to wear on our travel days.  We rented a fifteen passenger van (there were 8 of us going--6 adults, a teenager, and a toddler--plus all our luggage), and this worked out well.  Comfort is key on a nine hour drive.  I also packed the necessities: pajamas, swimsuits, and a cover-up.

Here is everything (minus toiletries) as it went into the bag (a large duffle).  I liked rolling the clothes together (sorted by type:  tops, shorts, bottoms, swim, etc), because they take up less room, and don't get quite as wrinkled.  However, since then, I have purchased packing cubes, which I love.  They should feature in an upcoming packing post.

Here is a demonstration of the stack and roll method, although I am pretty sure it doesn't need explanation. 

I was pretty happy with the clothes I brought--I was comfortable and appropriately dressed and even though I brought two outfits for each day, they didn't really take up that much room.

One Dress, Three Ways: Maternity Autumn Work Wear

I know maxi dresses have been around for a few years now, but I have always resisted.  They just seemed so...long and flowy and conspicuous.  However, I have found that they are extremely forgiving of growing bumps, so when I found one in my favorite color (I know, gray is the most boring thing ever, but it's beautiful and versatile and I love it), I picked it up.  I was beginning to have second thoughts, however.  How was I going to wear this?  The top is rather awkward and, without a camisole, obscene.  I was wanting something to wear to work once classes start back this fall, and I rather doubted that this would work.  However, since the dress came from a consignment shop, it couldn't exactly be returned.  I decided to see what I could do with it.

Here is the back view, just to emphasize that the top was not going to work for creating a professional image on its own.

Look 1: Black Blazer.  At this point, I can still button the top button, but it would also look fine open.  I would wear this with a long silver chain necklace, which I forgot to put on for the picture.

Look 2: Blue Button Down with Brown Leather Belt.  I love belts and wear them almost everyday.  A friend asked how I would manage to wear them with the bump--just cinch them higher, of course!  I also think my brown leather boots would work with this look.

Look 3: Long Gray Sweater.  Gray on gray--love this.  I am hoping I don't stretch the knit out too badly as I get bigger.  Notice the strategically placed arm to actually make the bump visible.  I am 20 weeks along, and although the bump shows up in person, on camera it somehow disappears.

A few thoughts on making the maxi dress (typically a casual, summer item) work for the office in the fall/winter:

1) Pick the color/print carefully.  Solid charcoal gray (or black, beige, navy) can be made to seem appropriate.  Bright colors and huge prints might be a bit more tricky.

2) Keep the top covered.  Basically, it it going to make the dress look like a skirt.  I toyed with the idea of cutting off the top and adding elastic to actually make this a skirt, but decided against it--I think it is more comfortable this way, and I don't have worry about waist band placement.

3) Choose a fitted top.  To balance the long, flowiness of the dress, a more tailored piece helps.  A loose top with a loose dress is going to look sloppy.  A belt can make a looser top seem more fitted.

Just to point out a few things: first, none of these pieces is "maternity" and I hope/plan to wear them all again post-pregnancy.  Second, this is my first pregnancy, and I have no idea how big I will get.  Hopefully these (and a few other ideas that I have, some involving actual maternity wear) will see me through.  

Classes start back in late August and I am due in mid-December.  With teaching five days a week over the course of my third trimester in weather ranging from sweltering late summer to freezing early winter, this should be an interesting experience.     

Gibson Tuck

I have had a problem since I started teaching at E University: nobody believes I am a professor.  I definitely don't mind being mistaken for someone younger, and I am not at all yearning to look aged, but it is a bit off-putting at times: when I went to the registrar's office to have a student's grade changed, the registrar seemed suspicious that I was a student trying to commit some kind of grade fraud.  I actually started pulling out my ID card before she gave me the paperwork.  And, I guess, when I think about it, my look isn't helping much.  The picture below was, ironically, taken the day of the grade-change-incident.  It wasn't a teaching day, but I am still wearing a button-up shirt and dressy jeans and boots.  But...the hair, the trendy jacket, and the multiple bags probably don't communicate authority.

If it were only occasional cases of mistaken identity, I wouldn't mind so much, but something I read by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink has made me reconsider.  He cites a study in which students viewed two-seconds of video of a professor they had never met lecturing with the sound off and made a snap-judgment of that professor's effectiveness.  These judgments were identical to the evaluations made by students at the end of a whole semester.  Clearly, something about appearance is forming students' judgments and showing up in course evaluations.  Which made me think about the few comments I received on last semester's evaluations where students mentioned that I didn't seem authoritative, or lacked confidence, or seemed shy.  I am curious to see how appearance might play into this.  I did, after all, write a dissertation on how dress and appearance shape identity and can be manipulated to gain power.  So, I am conducting an experiment: this semester, I have worn my hair up every time I step on campus, I teach wearing dressing, skirts, hose, heels, the works.  The trendy bomber jacket stays home, as does the puffy blue parka.  So far, there have been a lot more addresses as "Dr."  rather than "Mrs." and definitely no "Miss."

I have tried several different hair styles and try to rotate between ponytails (the grown up kind, sleek, low, with hair parted in front) and various buns and braids.  I like period-hair styles, like the Gibson tuck below, but try not to wear them too often--I want to look more authoritative, not nuts.

I like the Gibson tuck.  It is very elegant, but easy to do--a basic ponytail tucked into itself with a few pins.  It looks a bit messy, because this is at the end of the day, but it actually has good staying power.  And, bonus, when I take it down at home in the evening, beautiful waves.

So, this will be a long-term experiment.  I will have to see how reactions go and student course evaluations.  Hopefully, these few tweaks will help students see me as a more authoritative figure.  Maybe they'll even start doing their reading!


And PS:  I know, the real focus should be--and it is--on crafting my teaching practice.  The appearance-manipulation is just a fun side-project.

Second-Hand is My First Love

I have been having this conversation with my sister lately that goes something like this:

Her: Hey, that's cute, where did you get that?

Me: Oh, that consignment store.

Her: Ack (I'm not sure how this sound is supposed to be spelled, but it's the sound that you make when you are expressing admiration and disbelief at the same time.)

"That consignment store" is how I refer to My Secret Closet, which I think is a very silly name, to the point of being embarassing to say.  What is not embarassing is finding really nice items for a very low price.  I have been doing the second-hand thing for about a year, and I don't think I will ever really be able to give it up.  Consider: I'm sure you all remember my most recent shopping conundrum, the need for a school bag.  I appreciated everyone's suggestions, and found some lovely specimins on ebay, but decided to check out the consignment store to see what they had.  I found a Liz Claiborne leather tote for $20.  After applying my credit from my items that had recently sold, the bag cost $10.  It's not the perfect bag - it's a bit trendy, but it is the perfect piece for right now.

I have bought several items from the consignment store, including my current favorite thing - my brown leather Ralph Lauren purse for $22.  And I don't stop at the consignment store.  I do it.  I go to Goodwill.  I know that there are mixed feelings out there about Goodwill.  On the one hand, it can feel a bit icky.  Unlike the consignment store, items are not tastefully displayed.  They are packed on racks under harsh lighting.  Goodwill requires courage and a bit of determination.  On the other hand, that courage and determination can pay off.  Like the lovely dress pictured above.  It is an Isaac Mizrahi for Target.  It has beautiful draping and pleating, a lovely print lining, and a layer of net tulle that causes the skirt to flare in that delightful 1950s style.  It is beautifully made.  It cost me $5.  That's right, for the price of a magazine, I got a dress.  There are drawbacks of course.  It is a bit large in the top, but nothing that my seam ripper and sewing machine can't make short work of.  It looks lovely with a garden green cardigan and brown leather belt.

Second-hand shopping is rewarding not just because of that thrill of discovery, and the satisfaction of saving tons of money, but also because it eases my conscience.  I wrote a while back on some things I had learned about where clothes come from and who makes them.  I wasn't very happy about it.  Buying things that are second-hand allows me to maintain a decent wardrobe without directly contributing to that process.  It's like recycling... but more satisfying!