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Monday, June 24, 2013

Summer Fun: Taupe and Turquoise




In honor of my upcoming babymoon next week I wanted to leave you with a summer beachy look that even us preggos can pull off and look chic.  I love adding in some jewelry (like those fun bracelets) with beachwear.  Just remember to take the jewelry off if you're seriously sunbathing or swimming but for walking around and lounging in the shade, adding some accessories (hat, sunglasses, bracelets or a necklace) is always a fun way to punch up your beach casual look.

 More to come... I promise I won't go so long without a post next time :)

Summer Fun: Taupe and Turquoise


Pink dress
$105 - elleshop.jp


T-strap shoes
gap.com



Ray Ban ray ban optical
$180 - sunglassesshop.com


Charlotte Russe straw fedora
charlotterusse.com

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Date Night: Peplum, Lace, Stripes



How much do I love this outfit? Let me count the ways.

  1. The peplum
  2. The lace
  3. The fabulous green color
  4. The lace on the shoes
  5. The funky, cool and fitted black and white blazer. 
  6. The peacock earrings with the same shade of green and surrounding gold.
  7. The gold chains comprising the necklace.  
  8. The black and white, patent leather clutch! So fab!
  9. The fact that this outfit is a bit formal, a bit sexy, a bit funky and a bit cool without trying to hard.
 So far I counted nine ways. But the more I look, the more I find to love! *Sigh*  I cannot wait to be able to wear something similar like this on a night out.  I bought a funky black and white striped blazer last year from Modcloth and it's one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe, although I haven't figured out exactly how to "work it" yet.  This gives me a new idea!




Date Night: Peplum, Lace, Stripes


Lacy dress
$73 - liveclothing.com.au


Warehouse ponte jacket
$38 - warehouse.co.uk



Patent handbag
loriblu.com


Beaded bib necklace
simplysoles.com


Summery chic




As you may have noticed, I've been a bit MIA from blogging in the past couple months.  Mainly because I was so tired from work and pregnancy that I had a hard time doing anything at home but catching up on rest!  I promise I have a million and one ideas yet to post here so I have no where near dried up on my material yet.  Although posts might be a little fewer and far between, I thought I'd give you some much awaited for outfit eye candy to get your minds focused on summer wear. 

What can I say about this look except that I love how elegant and simple it is.  Dressed up but a bit casual, this can go from a daytime affair to a night out.  I am totally in love with white pants -- summer or winter -- because they always look so fresh and so crisp!  I definitely don't follow the from Memorial Day to Labor Day only white pants rule, so feel free to rock them out when you want to freshen up your style.  Particularly because there are so many great winter whites, how could you possible neglect white in the winter if you see something cute? Go for it!

I also think the top is elegantly sexy and sophisticated.  Adding in the lemon yellow really brings the summer into it all.  And then I thought, "Oh heck! why not add in some fun pistachio/minty hues in the accessories too?"  So that's what I went for.  Overall I would love to be able to pull this off at some chic daytime event like an outdoor sporting fundraiser or something along those lines.  I also love the model's hair tied back off of her face.  Although I'm a hair down gal, I can really dig how putting your hair up looks cleaner with this type of outfit. 

White pants are one of my favorite summer obsessions, what are yours??



Summery chic


Halter top
fab-vintage.com


Farhi by nicole farhi
my-wardrobe.com


Gianvito Rossi high heels
forwardforward.com




Stud earrings
factory.jcrew.com

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Spring Brights



Yay!  Spring has finally sprung in DC!  Well, more like summer with the temps in the 80s and 90s this week. But I hope the warmer weather is here to stay. Finally!

To celebrate my springy mood, I put together a bright and cheery spring day to night look that might even be great for the office.  Think corals and turquoise.  My favorite warm weather color combination.

As you can see, the prices on some of these items are astronomical! I mean, more than I'm willing to make on a monthly car payment, astronomical.  If you got the money to blow, that's fabulous.  But for those of us still budgeting until we hit the jackpot, I've also found some cute affordable alternatives. The look is really for inspiration.  Mainly think: a cropped bright blazer, coral/orange dress, turquoise accessories and some great neutral, go-with-everything-springy wedges!

For the "save" look (as opposed to the "splurge" look below) here are some great, affordable pieces for the masses.  Check out this dress, jacket, (or this jacket) shoes and purse to start!  Enjoy!  


Spring Brights


Paule Ka draped dress
$840 - harveynichols.com


Alice olivia
aliceandolivia.com




Antique silver ring
shopbijou.com


Lucky brand jewelry
lordandtaylor.com



Lipsy heart sunglasses
$23 - lipsy.co.uk

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Inspirational

So I've found another person, a lesser prominent celebrity that might be my next great maternity muse!  Check out this quote below provided by Jenna Dewan-Tatum about pregnancy (wife of Channing Tatum and fellow actor).

"It shouldn't be about how much weight someone has gained, their fashion etc . . . it's a beautiful amazing moment in time and not about vanity."
 I pulled the quote from an article on US Weekly.  As a pregnant celebrity herself, she's really hitting the nail on the head.  To read more on this check out: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/jenna-dewan-tatum-be-kind-to-every-pregnant-woman-201334#ixzz2PQIKC2CW 

She's right. Pregnancy is a wonderful time and with all that's going on during this time, it definitely pays to be kinder to the women going through the process.  Hormones can be a real nasty piece of work during this time to add to the physical stress on one's body.  I should know! I've had plenty of hormonal spikes over the past four months, some of which only affect my previously clear skin, and some which really play with my mood.  

To add to that, the complications of dressing for your continually changing body can be a challenge that no one should have to needlessly worry about.  There are so many options out there these days, you'd be hard pressed to try and not be cute during your pregnancy!  

Besides, I think if you're looking for inspiration, you can follow Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who has some great styles out there or check out some of Jenna Dewan-Tatum's looks.  She seems to be down to earth, not overexposed, and has looked very pretty throughout her pregnancy!  Three cheers to all those lovely maternity muses who are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside!

"It shouldn't be about how much weight someone has gained," Jenna Dewan-Tatum tweeted on Monday.
Jenna Dewan-Tatum at the 2013 Oscars.  Talk about pressure to dress up! Photo courtesy of US Weekly (usmagazine.com)
Photo courtesy of Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com)
Photo courtesy of celebritybabyscoop.com
Photo courtesy of growingyourbaby.com
The last two looks especially, a dress with boots and the maxi dress with a jean jacket are super chic and attainable! Adorable!

Blue Vixen

It's April but it's still pretty chilly outside!  I cannot wait for the spring to be sprung around here!

Till then here's a great pick me up outfit to chase away winter blues. My favorite part is that the blue dress is versitile and totally affordable!  This shape can flatter a multitude of figures.  If you're game, go for it.  It's only $60 at Modcloth! Now, that's a great deal for something can can be dressed down with flats or sandals or dressed up with heels and some fun accessories!  The way I've put it together is a fun and flirty way to maximize the simple dress. 

If you see the spring lurking around anywhere, tell it I've been waiting for so long already!


Blue Vixen



J Crew j crew
jcrew.com


Sequin enamel bracelet
charmandchain.com


Rock n rose
$63 - theiconic.com.au


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Spring It On

While I'm still waiting for spring to show itself around these parts, I thought I'd have some fun with some end of the season wintry looks.  I usually feel pretty drab, style-wise, with my look every day when I dress for the cold weather, which consists of a mid-thigh length puffy coat with furry hood, a scarf and my fuzzy, fleece North Face beanie.  These are usually paired with riding boots for walking to the Metro and from the Metro to work and I change into a pair of flats which I keep in the office.  Flats are the only things that make my feet comfortable these days because of the whole pregnancy thing!  Underneath my cold-weather attire, I do still change it up, from a dress, cardigan and tights to pants and a blouse but, boy am I tired of the same commuter look!  I'm still too chicken to put on a wool coat since I never know how cold it will truly feel until I venture outside (wind factor included) so I stay cautiously warm.  You know, just in case that icy wind decides to make its way toward my face!

That doesn't mean I don't want to try and look cute, chic and stylish in the colder temperatures too.  Maybe one day when the days start inching a few degrees north, I'll try to incorporate my wool coats back into the mix before they're retired until the next winter.  Till then, I do have a lot of great inspiration from others on how to look super fabulous in cooler temps!  Check out the Duchess below, who I'm very loosely following in maternity style now that we're both expecting.  Thank goodness there's someone to look up to because I don't know what I'm doing!  Her recent looks include hiding the bump behind really cute and fitted, but not tight, coats and pairing a hat/fascinator and cute pumps with her coat.  It's all about the coat really.  I've also noticed that cute swing coats are definitely stylish but are also good to hide growing bellies (whether that's your thing or not!) and they just look so darn cute.   Check out the cute "waiting for winter to end" look I put together on Polyvore below, so cleverly title "Spring it On" (if I do say so myself)!  The title is an homage to the phrase "bring it on" of course inspired by the movie with the same name too!  There were some great cheers in there. 

I also threw in a pillbox hat just for fun (although I've had no reason to dress up that much for anything -- hence the beanie! they're so warm and practical!) and a really cute pair of neutral pumps with a neon toe.  A little neon here and there goes a long way and adds much needed color and pizazz to the black and white outfit without being too loud.    The coat is a statement itself.  Obviously these shoes are ridiculously expensive, even if you had the money since they're very trendy and might not get worn as often as a basic nude or black, so I'd suggest checking out Bakers, Aldo, Steve Madden or your local department stores for a similarly bright pump.

Do I think I'd ever have an opportunity to dress up this much?  Maybe one day.  One can always dream of being titled and American Duchess/Marquess of something (the District of Columbia? a zip code?), somehow (no idea!), and having plenty of occasions to make appearances right? Of course titles and grants of that sort aren't favored around these parts, and for good reason,  but perhaps just a nickname of that sort would do... And maybe a tiara for special occasions!



Spring It On


Helene berman
$275 - julesb.co.uk


Charlotte Olympia oxford shoes
$875 - charlotteolympia.com



Hat
$120 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Friday, March 22, 2013

Confession: I Love Stretchy Pants!

Well, I never knew when I got this fortune cookie fortune a while back how right it would actually be!  I found out my husband and I were expecting earlier this year and could not be more thrilled.  Among some of the changes coming was a change in my wardrobe.

The first thing I noticed was that, even before you start showing, your pants become really, really uncomfortable.  At least when sitting, I noticed I had to unbutton those things while I sat to be comfortable!  Unfortunately, when I was savoring some Doritos during my lunch hour, and prior to my telling everyone we're expecting, a friend walked in on me with my pants undone, finishing up my chips!  As embarrassing as that was, it got worse when I had to get up and head to a meeting with her and noticed my pants were still unbuttoned and unzipped!  Yikes!  Luckily my shirt was just long enough to cover it and I was able to zip/button them up while I sat in the meeting.  Sheesh!   So, even though I had popped out yet, I knew pants were going to be a problem.  Two solutions I found were to get a bella band -- which holds up your pants while they're unbuttoned, thus helping you make the most of your wardrobe, and caving in and buying some maternity pants.  Luckily, there are soooo many cute options and I got some comfortable black skinny ankle pants from Old Navy!  Who knew how many cute maternity options there were out there?  And here comes my confession, I never thought I'd say this, but I LOVE THESE PANTS!  The waistband is stretchy but it's all stylish beneath that.  These are the ones I ended up buying.

So, in an effort to save money on having to buy a whole new wardrobe, I've also been stretching (literally) my current wardrobe.  One way is to use the bella band with my regular pants and another is to continue to wear my jersey dresses and tights.  Dresses can go a long way in pregnancy if they're a bit stretchy.  Also, I've noticed a lot of our favorite stores for basics, like GAP, Old Navy, etc., also carry maternity clothes, so you don't have to spend a lot in specialty maternity stores (A Pea in the Pod or Mimi, or Motherhood).  These every day stores also carry the cutest trends for less in maternity! Score!

Another thing to consider is that you'll want to find some stuff that you can wear when you're still trying go get back to your post-baby bod.  So I've put off finding any maternity tops just yet and have invested in some tops that are cut a bit bigger and on sale from Anthropologie.  Check out the Amira Henley (bought it!), the Sunburst Latitudes top (bought it!), the Hestia and Sweetheart Peplum tops (want them!), the Sequined Placket Henley (bought it!) and the rest of the cute tops on sale (want them!).   These are clothes that I know I will wear after baby's here too -- but maybe less often to avoid spit up, poop and pee!

Here are some of my favorite places that sell maternity wear.  You can walk into some of these stores but there are a lot of cute online shops as well.  If you shop online you'll love some of these options also!
  1. Old Navy
  2. GAP
  3. Asos online
  4. Isabella Oliver
  5. Top Shop
  6. Nordstrom online
These 6 are only my top favorite places to browse so far (I haven't bought much yet), but I've also seen cute things at Amazon.com, A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity.  Boy does Isabella Oliver know how to make a maternity dress! I think I could even wear some of those post-baby! 

Also, in the spirit of keeping things budget friendly, I love the idea of buying things from non maternity stores that you can grow into and also use afterwards like the tops from Anthropologie above and some dresses I've seen at Ann Taylor!  When they're made of spandex, polyester and/or jersey, you know they'll grow with you.  Also check out versatile wrap dresses which you can grown and shrink with!  There are quite a few Ann Taylor dresses I'd look forward to growing into.

And of course, here's my maternity muse:

photo courtesy of growingyourbaby.com

Always chic, always polished, always poised.  I love this lady's style!  It's much nicer to see someone dress well for their figure and mix affordable fashion with her higher end looks.  As much as I like some of the other pregnant celebs out there, I sure don't want to dress like them.













See what I mean? Too loose, too tight, too low cut, and too much! These outfits just have a lot going on when a pregnant woman already has a lot going on!



So here's where I am now:  




At almost 4 months in (next week) I've found a few favorite wardrobe pieces to keep stylish while remaining comfy!




Here's a second photo to showcase the actual bump, since I think the top up there does a great job hiding it!





So here's what's going on with my outfit. I got the top on sale from Anthropologie, which isn't actually maternity but works for maternity and also for post-baby. It's stretchy and comfy. The pants are pink corduroys from GAP and those gold loafers are also from GAP. Can I just say, those loafers are some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn, even in comparison to other flats! With expecting comes a lot of body changes and I'd heard of my feet swelling but I didn't know that shoes could just irritate me, swelling or not. With my feet hating most of my cutest heels and flats these days I needed something stylish, cute and comfy to wear for a while. I got these in my normal shoe size (didn't have to size up) and they work wonders! Another tip I picked up from reading endless reviews on maternity pants is to go one size up from your normal size when ordering. While even maternity pants in my own size fit really nicely and are stretchy and a bit loose, going one size up allowed me to wear these now and later on for a long time. I definitely notice they're loose enough that I have to pull them up occasionally throughout the day which I think is a great sign this tip works!

Any other helpful maternity clothing tips out there? I could use as much advice as I can get!