teacher style

The end of the year is near - only 8 school days left!!! - and I feel like I'm finally finding my teacher style groove! Today I'm talking about how I overcome my own teacher style challenges & sharing some great style tips from the experts over at the National Education Association Member Benefits. If you are a teacher, the NEA Member Benefits fashion tips are some really great resources that have helped me see new ways to overcome the difficulties of dressing for our jobs!

sweater: J.Crew Factory "Clare" cardigan

Cardigans are my #1 teacher style weapon. They help on those days that start out chilly (especially when you have to leave the house before the sun comes up!), & also cover up my shoulders when wearing sleeveless dresses/tops to maintain our conservative dress code.

dress: J.Crew Factory sheath dress

This basic black dress can be so many ways, easily accessorized with scarves, necklaces & sweaters. Its versatility comes in handy on my "I have nothing to wear days" & also quickly transforms from my teacher duties to any after school activities!

necklace: "Showgirl Fringe" necklace c/o Bauble Bar

My jewelry is the biggest part of my wardrobe that I can wear for both school & play. This necklace has been my go to piece for dinners out with my husband & long days at school. The gold fringe adds the right amount of jazz to any outfit!

shoes: Total Motion pumps c/o Rockport 

These are the most comfortable pair of heels I've ever worn! The soles are covered in padding & the heel is the perfect heigh to be flattering, without the pain! I just love the pink leopard spots, & the kids always give me the sweetest compliments when I wear these :)

Fit tip: I am typically a 7.5, but the 7 fits perfect in this style!

sunglasses: Carrera sunglasses ℅ Sunglasses Shop

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

Teaching has its own very particular set of wardrobe challenges that I never even considered before I became a Middle School teacher. Most schools enforce professional dress codes (dresses or slacks for women, slacks + ties for men), which oftentimes come with their own fit issues (but seriously, why are work clothes so awkward!?). But then teachers also have to consider the range of activities that they do during any given day - lunch duty, bathroom duty, recess duty, cleaning their rooms (I go through a can of Lysol wipes practically every week), setting up Science experiments, the list literally goes ON & ON! And while I can't speak specifically for the male teachers, female teachers also have to make sure that their skin is appropriately covered, ensuring that when they bend over to pick up pencils, or reach up to write on the board, extra bits are not peeking out!

Combined with the toll standing on your feet for 8+ hours a day takes on your legs & feet, picking out my outfits each morning is much more difficult than when I threw on jeans + a tee everyday as a graduate student.

May is teacher appreciation month, and The National Education Association (NEA) is also celebrating National Member Appreciation Month. To help their community of teachers and educators feel confident in their daily roles, NEA member benefits is taking about teacher style during the month of May. NEA gave three educators amazing makeovers with a style expert.

I loved getting to watch 3 deserving education professionals getting their style updated:

Jossette, is a paraeducator who wants a bolder wardrobe - see her transformation for yourself. Cameron, a 6th-grade teacher who’s stuck in a style rut - see his make-over. Tara, a 4th-grade teacher who is on a weight-loss journey & got her teacher style updated here. 

AND, along with the other amazing member benefits that NEA offers, they are now also giving away a personal style make-over too! 1 winner will receive a $1,000 Visa reward card for his or her own style shopping spree, and 25 winners will win $100 Visa gift cards, too. Check out all the details & enter here. 

Get social with NEA: Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest

This post was sponsored in part by NEA Member Benefits, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Shop these exact pieces:

lack of color

blazer: J.Crew camel blazer (now on sale!)

dress: J.Crew Factory crepe work dress (currently sold out, but I also love this dress with scalloped details & this dress is very similar + has pockets!)

necklace: Kendra Scott "Rayne" necklace

purse: Angled bowler bag ℅ Vera Bradley

See more of my teacher style outfits here.

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

I spoke last week to my teacher style rut & goal to find some FREAKING work pants... still working on the whole pants situation, but I am allowing myself to bust out some of my Spring clothes in order to break the monotony of my weekly wardrobe.

This transitional time of year - not quite warm, but not absolutely deathly cold either - can be a fun time to experiment with your clothes. This dress (previously worn on the blog here) was always in the Summer section, while this blazer (see all the ways I've styled it before here) solidly lived in the Winter area of my closet, so they never had a chance to meet before. Luckily I really wanted to wear this dress, but it was too cold to sport on its own, so I started seeking out appropriate outerwear & the blazer just stood out to me! A new combo was born!

So now that you have some insight into how my style choices get made before I've had an adequate amount of coffee... what recent mixes have you been surprised by?

This purse is a recent addition to my closet & I was shocked that I didn't own any white purses!

I then immediately remembered the time that I wore my brand new white purse with my brand new pair of jeans, causing my pretty Spring bag to have a giant indigo striped down the side... resulting in me dousing this baby in Scotch Guard & vowing to treat it better than bags that have come before it.

Vera Bradley is continuing to wow me - first with their release of amazing leather bags, & now for Spring, some super fun shapes! This is their "angled bowler" bag & I am equally in love with this sporty belt bag too!

Did you see Monday's post revealing my home office makeover?

Don't forget to enter to win the $1,000 shopping spree from Fab.com! Enter to win here. 

Shop these exact pieces:

duplicates

{ What I Wore: J.Crew Factory dress (not currently available, but I'm pretty confident it will be back soon!) & leopard belt // lace up heels (old, similar linked up below) // Rebecca Minkoff purse // Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses (mine are the green + gold) }

All Photos | Kate Davis Photo

I used to not believe in "duplicates", but as I have grown more into my style, I have found that if I love something it is usually worth getting a back-up! I have this dress in purple from J.Crew (see all the ways I've worn it here) & LOVE it, so when it popped up on J.Crew Factory in new colors, I new it was coming home with me! It makes a perfect work dress, but is also so versatile for many other occasions!

Do you believe in "duplicates"?

Shop all of the versatile dresses I'm currently crushing on from J.Crew Factory below:

Bloggers Who Budget: Fall For Less

Always my favorite collaboration each month, it is the Bloggers Who Budget! This month we are discussing our favorite Fall piece, under $60! For me it is this J.Crew Factory quilted puffer vest. It really is perfection, & right now only $58 (+ they let you stack on any teacher/student 15% discounts!! score!)

News Alert: Want to join in on the fun? The #BloggersWhoBudget Collab will now be open for you to link up with us starting next month. Join us in November for  "Mad for Plaid" featuring your favorite plaid piece under $75 & in December for "Holiday for Less"! If you have your own budget style, we want to see your look too! Swing by every third Monday of the month starting in November and follow the instructions to link-up with us!

Sharing My Sole | The Style Letters | Let It Be Beautiful | Here & Now | Pearls & Twirls | Stylin in St. Louis | Living in Color Style | The Pumpkin Spot

As you have probably noticed, more & more of my wardrobe hails from J.Crew Factory. They really have established themselves as a place to find quality pieces, of both the seasonally trendy & closet staple variety, for less! In the past J.Crew Factory offerings were hit or miss, with varying levels of quality as well. But in the last year, the store has upped their selection, always bringing consistent construction, & prices that fall easily into my budget.

My J.Crew Factory shopping game? I have found their sizing to be different than regular J.Crew store sizing, so I like to place a large order online (always spending enough to get free shipping!). I can then try on all the items in the comfort of my own home, easily experimenting to find what will play well with other items in my closet, & weeding out the cute, but not so functional pieces from the rest. We have a local J.Crew Factory store, so I make any returns in store to avoid having to pay any return shipping costs.

The three pieces making it into my teacher capsule wardrobe? This puffer vest, bejeweled striped top, and crepe dress (with pockets!). I actually purchased this dress from the regular J.Crew store, as it was on SUPER sale at the end of the Summer, & I am super excited to have found it in the Factory store as well. I am definitely thinking about scooping it up in black, as I love it so much!

{ What I wore to work: J.Crew Factory striped top, quilted vest, crepe dress (worn under the shirt as a "skirt") // Vince Camuto booties ℅ Nordstrom Rack (shop all booties) }

vest sizing: order a size down, I wear a XXS and am usually a XS-S in J.Crew Factory clothing

all Photos | Kate Davis Photo

suit up

Well I never thought that the topic of "interview attire" would bubble up so many emotions in me… but boy oh boy it did! Trust me, I have already gotten most of my pant suit dislike out by venting to Tyler (poor dear)… but somehow I still have more to talk about:

1. Maybe I shouldn't have called the occasion I wore this outfit to an "informal interview" - I had been asked to tour the school, a place I am interested in working in the future, & meet with some of the teachers. It was a pre-pre-pre-interview. I felt very comfortable in what I was wearing, I mirrored what other teachers were wearing & in fact what the founder of the school, that I met with during my visit, was wearing. It was during this encounter that I was invited to be involved in a formal interview for a position next school year & also given an offer for some internship/shadowing opportunities over the coming months. But seriously y'all, my query for interview tips had nothing to do with what I was wearing in that post… 

2. Furthermore, it makes me feel icky that in this day & age (it's 2014 people) women still have to dress up like men (i.e. wear a suit) to prove that we are "powerful", "professional" & fit for a job. I didn't wear a suit to my graduate school interviews. In fact I wore a fabulous pair of wide leg trousers, cashmere blazer & silk shell, with my 4 inch heel patent leather pumps. I got accepted at every school I applied, with competitive scholarships, the highest they offered, to boot. I refuse to believe that what I wear on the outside will ever outshine what I am bringing to the table on the inside. Maybe that is naive, cocky, or just plain ignorant, but I have yet to run across an instance where I have ever felt "inappropriately" dressed.

3. But yea - I get it. There is a system in place, & sometimes my "screw The Man" attitude makes it hard for me to play by the rules…. however, I assure you I can. Since my feelings about pant suits are less than rainbows & sunshine, I do not own one. I tossed my last pair of black dress pants in the great purge last month - they were so outdated, a remnant from a high school internship (yuck!). 

So where do I find appropriate formal interview attire? Suit & Sweet is where. Perfectly tailored Theory suit separates, delivered to your door, ready to help you feel the extra boost of confidence to ROCK the interview. Yup, rental suits! All the style, but without dropping the big bucks for something you wear only a few times a year. Their expert styling tips will prepare you for what to expect, even if you've been out of the game for many years (like me!). I also love that the Suit & Sweet teams donates the gently used suits to disadvantaged women looking for their own meaningful career.

all photos | Zipporah Photography

I chose the cropped trouser pants, something a little different!

And while I do like full jacket + pants look, I'm thinking that I am going to go with the sheath dress + blazer look for my big day! 

So do you ever have to "suit up" for your job?
What are other things that you wear to feel "professional" besides a full suit?

When it all boils down to it, I believe, "look your best, perform your best". (Was I the only one that in college fixed my hair & changed out of my sweatpants before tests because I always totally brought it when I did?)