Earlier this month I made the trip up north to Milwaukee for the eighth annual Midwest Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This year the theme was “Failure,” with the keynote address given by Jack Halberstam, author of Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender, and the End of Normal and The Queer Art of Failure.

While Halberstam delivered intriguing insight into anarchy and living “in the wild,” Halberstam’s outfit truly piqued my interest. Don’t get me wrong, the lecture was genius. I’d never really thought about social institutions channeling and validating knowledge production, or that we’re socialized into conformity. (Watch the entire talk below.)

But just look at that kelly green gingham shirt paired with a black jacket with green plaid elbow patches. I didn’t know Halberstam had such substance and style.





Halberstam explained the suit was from the Fred Segal men’s department. While trying it on, the sales clerk insisted the suit was supposed to have a shrunken style with shorter sleeves and a floodwater hem. But Halberstam loved the fit, even if it was the so-called “wrong” fit for a more petite frame, and bought it anyway. Word to the wise: Don’t take anyone else’s unsolicited fashion critiques. If you feel great in it, then it’s the right style for you. End of story.

Anyway, this was my outfit for the day:

Outfit details

At first, I was skeptical of teggings. How could they possibly work? Tights run so easily and are not nearly warm enough. Plus, the teggings are one size fits all, and one size fits all never fits me. How could they possibly be long enough? How could they last more than one wear?

A friend sent me some teggings to try out, and I must say, I have converted to the tegging. Imagine leggings and tights having a baby. It just doesn’t get better. Teggings are like magic. They were form fitting (I have have a problem with my leggings stretching out and sagging), exactly the right length, they stayed in place (didn’t ride up or down), and they are lasting at least as long as a cheap pair of leggings. I still have to layer these bad boys on colder days, but they are lightweight enough for warmer weather. Okay, I’ll stop gushing.

The always entertaining and thought-provoking Kiam Marcelo Junio also performed during the artist showcase. In this piece, Junio embodied Jerry Blossom, a character that creates discourse on sexuality, gender and class as a Filipina woman.





And, of course, it wouldn’t have been queer(ish) conference without fabulous street fashion:











View the full set from the Halberstam talk on the Plump Pinup Facebook page.

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