Academic Style: This is Not a Suit

Today was my first job interview in, oh, say, forever. I scheduled the interview (for an adjunct teaching position) less than a week ago and with my CV, teaching statement, and a folder of syllabi ready to go, I commenced sitting in front of my closet asking it "what should I wear??" and "why do I have so many hoodies and so few useful things??"

Asking around, I determined that my interview was not a suit situation. This was good because I do not own a suit. Eventually I'll go on the market for a tenure-track position and will invest in suits galore, and I picture a wild and fantastic JCrew trip and garment bags full of pinstripes. But that's about two years in the future. For this part-time position, a business-casual skirt + blouse or trouser combo would suffice. The Academichic archive on interview-wear was extraordinarily helpful in thinking about how to dress for success. (Does anyone else miss that blog as much as I do?)

Dressing up as a grad student is always a challenge. With no funds for a new outfit, I shopped my closet and, in doing so, brainstormed some combos that could work in any interview that skews toward the informal, or even for an informational interview or teaching situation. The most important thing is to look polished and deliberate, whether that means formal suit or A-line skirt. I'd hate to be uncomfortable or tugging on a skirt hem and likewise, would not want my outfit to distract from my credentials. My go-to is to pair the simple lines of a pencil skirt or basic trouser pant with two-tone colors to add interest (like a turquoise top and cobalt bottom, or rose blouse and mauve blazer) and then add one item of visual interest (scarf, necklace, blazer). Lord help me I LOVE a blazer. I also love a loafer.  

This first look is super simple. The visual interest comes from the color combination and everything else is neutral, but not matchy-matchy.

Blazer from Target. Blouse from Target. Skirt from Target. Scarf from Target. Pumps from Naturalizer. Earrings from Kohls.

This look, although streamlined, has lots of little interesting things going on: the lavender houndstooth against the aubergine blazer and burgundy shoe, the structured sheath. The color combination is just weird enough to be interesting, but not so weird as to be distracting.

Blazer (Aubergine) from Target. Dress from EShakti. Blazer (Black from Modcloth). Pumps from Naturalizer . 

I love the color combo below, which is a similar combo to what I ended up wearing to my interview. The blazer + brooch + loafer says "I am capable" while the colors say "I am self-aware" (and maybe "I love the ocean").

Blazer from Kohls. Blouse from Target. Brooch from Nordstrom.

 Trousers from Kohls. Loafer from Naturalizer. 

After shopping my closet and a bit of ironing, I ended up with the turquoise blouse pictured with a cobalt pencil skirt (from Target), camel belt, and thrifted croc loafers (croc-pattern, not Croc). I knotted a silky brown patterned scarf around my neck and felt just the right amount of "capable quirky academic."