Teacher Tuesday: Orange and Red

I shouldn't start every post off with what a week, but seriously, what a week!  It's Friday, yet,I'm posting photos from Teacher Tuesdays. Here are the photos Rosie and I took after a long evening of classes. This photo doesn't do our outfits justice-- I didn't realize how dim our windowless classroom is until now-- but a photo is better than no photo.

Sometimes we end up coordinating with out meaning to, but here our outfits played off each other nicely.

Rosie is wearing all J.Crew with boots by Rag and Bone and a David Yurman bracelet.

I'm wearing a J.Crew factory baseball tee and necklace, my favorite metallic tweed pencil skirt by J.Crew, Hue tights in brown, leather pumps by Frye.

There's nothing like an accessory, whether it be a necklace, lipstick, or both, to complete an outfit.  I really enjoyed Rosie's vibrant red lipstick as a balance to her burgundy pants, bringing the outfit together from top to bottom.

My outfit was one that I took a risk on.  It may seem like I do that often, but sometimes I also get caught in my typical types of looks.  I decided to pair the orange baseball tee with my tweed skirt and balance the warmth of the top with brown tights instead of my usual black.  I balanced the sparkle in the skirt with the necklace.  I also bought out my lipstick collection to see which one would work best.  I decided on a nude, Half and Half, and a red blush.  Nudes are tricky for me, as I have yet to figure out how to apply enough that lasts without looking dry and chalky.  I may need to use a pencil, and maybe even a primer. 

Happy weekend to all!
Miss M

Glasses are an Accessory!

I've been super busy with life, but I am showing up daily.  In addition to being prepared with a thorough lesson, showing up requires a great outfit and a smile.

Here's what I wore on Monday:

Old Navy chambray shirt, J.Crew Factory houndstooth skirt, Hue tights, Frye Regina boots

My Frye boots are breaking in nicely.  Soon they'll be as comfortable as my Frye Regina pumps that I practically live in.

nameplate, beetle brooch from Forever 21, Guess watch

I curled my locs using pipe cleaners on wet hair.  Nothing like curls to change things up.  Day one is always the tightest, but I love how the curls loosen with time. 

heart studs from Forever 21, Warby Parker glasses

This was my first day wearing my new frames, the Burke from Warby Parker, and I am loving them!  Much needed change of pace, both funky and fun.

Here are the photos from my home try-on kit. I think I made the right decision. 

Until next time,
Miss M

Teacher Tuesday: Bringing Spring to Us

My, time is flying by!  Another frigid day in New York City.  Without planning, fellow-educator and future-principal Rosie and I were on the same page of bringing sunshine to us with our bright colors.  It may be cold, but we can still wear vibrant colors to help brighten up our days.  It's March afterall, and this is the time of the year where educators struggle most to keep up all the hard work.

Something I reflected on this morning while walking to work is: teachers are challenged with suppressing personal and job-related challenges so that they can do just that, teach.  Working with people, in our cases impressionable young people as well as adults, requires a lot of giving.  In order to give and to nurture learning, teachers often pretend that all is well, regardless of the reality.  However, doing so is especially tiresome because it is draining a reserve that is already depleted.  Therefore, at the end of the day, what is left?  How does a teacher maintain her personal life, while doing her best to maintain her livelihood?

While I don't have the answers to that, I do have a colorful wardrobe, and a collection of lipsticks that brighten my spirits. Here Rosie and I are catching the last of daylight after our afternoon graduate class.

Rosie: Boden short, J.Crew sweater and skirt, Hue tights, Ugg boots, awesome David Yurman bracelet. Rosie's tights are navy.  I really appreciated her colors today.  The lighter blue, red, tan and navy.  Perfect!

Me: pink J.Crew cardigan and mustard yellow skirt, purple Hue tights, brown Frye Regina pumps, Heroine lipstick.

My students told me I looked like a rainbow today.  My response was an enthusiastic thank you!  And I meant it!

J.Crew factory earrings on Me, custom earrings on Rosie

The beautiful thing about this photo is we each have on so many colors and none of them repeat.  Love love!

Being Myself at Work

A co-worker told me I looked sparkly today, and shiny.  Yes, I'll take it!  While my response was, I needed a little shine today, honestly, I enjoy sparkle everyday.  The older I get, the more I realize that I'm the type of woman who uses her favorite perfumes as she pleases, wears her lipsticks daily and does her best to live life fully.  If not now, then when?

Express dress, Gap 1969 denim shirt, Hue tights, Frye Regina pumps

One of my affirmations today, said in front of the mirror before getting dressed went something like: Thank you Universe for one more day to be myself.  More than the leather dress, this meant taking time to address and nurture social emotional learning.

I had an impromptu discussion with students today after class.  I always knew my students are dealing with all kinds of issues, but what I heard today bought tears to my eyes.  While I don't think a teacher should cry tears of frustration or anger in front of her pupils, I felt comfortable sharing drops of empathy with my students today.  Life can be hard, especially when it is out of your control.  But my message to all is, it gets easier. Learn from today, put your work in where it counts, and believe the future can get better.  It will.

bow mid ring and gold ring from Forever 21

On that note, I thoroughly enjoyed my outfit today.  Why not sparkle at work?  I believe in showing up in life.  I may be hours behind in sleep and with a never-ending to-do list, but that doesn't mean I can't do my best work.  What that looked like for me today was showing up in my faux leather dress that I eventually covered in chalk, and a tiny midi ring.  Yes.  Life is good.  As I prefaced the message I shared with my students earlier, I am blessed.  And while the discussion I faciliated wasn't planned, nor was it Common Core States Standards aligned, it was socially and emotionally relevant.  In my eighth year and current placement, I am struggling to find the space to do what I deem necessary: teach the whole child.



With that said, I enjoyed my mix of neutrals.  The blue tights were a nice touch to the denim shirt and leather dress look.  The brown leather pumps played off of the gold necklace and watch nicely.  As much as I wanted to wear my Heroine lipstick today, I figured purple lipstick and a leather dress would simply be too much for my kind of work.

Until next time,
Miss M

Sunny Saturday

Yesterday was awesome!  The weather was perfectly sunny.  I started the day off with a much needed run to the park with my dog.  Since I got up at 7 am, by noon I was off to the city to run some much needed errands, enjoy a delectable lunch with O and I get a budget prescription in Chinatown for my latest Warby Parker glasses.  Here's what I wore:

Express leather-like tights, J.Crew denim jacket, Converse white sneakers

A little out of focus, but fabulous just the same. 

I may be wearing all black and neutrals, but my accessories-- from the party on my arm, to my neon manicure, fuchsia lipstick and purple purse-- scream spring. 

This Coach cross over was money well-spent!  I knew I'd be able to wear purple like a neutral, just because. 

I love wearing white Converse with black pants. Yes. 

Girl About Town lipstick by M.A.C., Fever blush also by M.A.C.

As for what I bought:

A brightly patterned romper, studs and lots of midi rings from Forever 21. 

Not pictured: Heroine lipstick and a new tube of Girl About Town from M.A.C.  I also got a new embark eye shadow, which is the deep brown that I use to fill in my brows. 

As for lunch:

It was delicious!  Crunchy Vietnamese rooks, followed by a large bowl of Pho with eye of round, brisket, tendon and tripe.  

Until next time,

<3
M

Teacher Tuesday: Patterns & Lipstcks

It only took four days for me to post these photos from the latest "Teacher Talk Tuesday," but better late than never. It has been one of the craziest weeks I've had in a long time. I'll tell you: teaching never gets old. There is always something new to learn, a new challenge to navigate and a new part of yourself to explore. With that said, I slept nearly ten hours last night. Yes, craziness. 

Yet, there is nothing like a good outfit to get you through a busy, stressful or crazy week. I had four awesome outfits this week, but only had the time to capture one of them.  Here are Rosie and I before our evening, School Law class:

Rosie is wearing a floral blouse by Tucker, J.Crew Factory pencil skirt, awesome vintage necklace that was her grandmother's, J.Crew Factory tights, Taryn Rose pumps, Essie gel polish, and J.Crew FACE lipstick in the vibrant, chilli flake.

I'm wearing a J.Crew Factory dress (can you see why we're friends!) with a bow pattern, Hue tights, my new Fyre booties, J.Crew gold bangles, J.Crew Factory studs, Guess watch, Baublebar giraffe bangle and pave midi ring, and my favorite red, Ruby Woo by M.A.C.

Yup, we literally took this picture inside our classroom.  Hey, a fashionista-blogger with a full-time job and part-time studies, has to do what she's gotta do.

Here's a quick selfie from Friday morning at work.  Never too exhausted for a decent outfit: black jeans, chambray shirt, favorite necklace, Girl About Town lipstick by M.A.C, neon J.Crew flats.

Until next time,

Miss M

Teacher Tuesday!

Teacher Tuesdays starts... tonight!

As mentioned previously, I am currently in my third semester of graduate school at Hunter College for Aministration and Supervision.  There are some amazing individuals in my cohort, including a true fashionista, Rosie. I decided to start documenting our fashion look each Tuesday, at least for the remainder of this semester while we have classes from 4:30 pm until 9:30 pm. Yes, long days!

Today's photo was impromptu, but next week's will be more polished.  Needless to say, we looked fabulous!  Better in person, but stylish even with our change in shoes-- Ugg boots for both of us, as these New York winters are brutal!  And if any cold-weather-experiencing teacher does not have a pair of Uggs or Ugg-like boots, do invest ASAP.  Any professional who spends a lot of time on her feet deserves a luxurious, comfortable pair of boots that will keep her feet warm and massage them at the same time. I digress.

Here's a photo Rosie and I took  in between classes. 

Rosie: print sweater from Banana Repbulic outlet, necklace from Banana Republic, skirt from J.crew & not pictured, awesome J.Crew bracelet that accented Essie polished-nails beautifully.  I appreciated the navy in Rosie's sweater against her Hunter green skirt. Perfect. 

Me: J.Crew Jackie cardigan, blouse,  tweed pencil skirt, and gold bangles; J.Crew facory neckalace; Guess watch; and Ruby Woo lipstick. I throughly enjoyed my colors today. Again, work has been crazy and my colors get me through the day. 

By the end of the day, we both had on our Ugg boots. Having trekked from our teaching jobs in Brooklyn to Manhattan for a night if class, a change of shoes is a must!

My middle of the day selfie. I'm wearing red blush and a red lip. I am loving experimenting with my NARS exhibit A blush. I applied lightly-- still a deep, yet bright blush-- and added my Ruby woo. The effect, love love!

Until next time,

Miss M

Blazer Friday

Here's what I wore to work on Friday. My students loved my outfit, as did I. It was perfect for work and travel afterwards. I headed to visit my family in South Jersey immediately afterwork. Seriously. I caught the 3:30 train out of the city.

I am wearing my colors this winter. Spring can't come soo. Enough!  I have to take my photos a little further down the street thanks to this horrid patch of ice-sludge that just won't seem to melt in front of my usual spot. 

Arm and hand candy!  Plus my latest nails, a lot shorter than my usual talons. 

I'm wearing NARS exhibit A with half & half MAC lipstick. 

On that note, time to get ready for the work week. Things are crazy at work, so I'll be needing some strong outfits to get me through. 

Love,

Miss M