Ain't No Mom Jeans

Mom Street Style - August 2009 Mom

If anyone has doubted that stripes are having their moment, just scroll back through our Mom Street Styles - we've seen a plethora of cool moms in stripes lately.  However, what I love most about this look (in addition to the twist on the nautical stripes) is that it shows a great way to wear our summer camis well into Fall.

Meet O.E. (a childhood nickname from when her younger brother couldn't quite pronounce Anne Marie).  She's our August mom for wearing killer denim, doing the layering thing perfectly, looking well-rested and relaxed, rocking the hoop earrings and having a cool nickname.  What's not to love?

First things first:  The denim is William Rast.  For those of you that haven't tried them, William Rast denim is butt-lifting at it's best.

Gap's Denim Comeback: Perfect For Moms! (And $20 off until Thursday)

I am a jean snob.  A complete, utter jean snob.  I am all about my denim - it's the currency I think in.  For example, when considering a purchase, say, one of the new iphones....I always break it down into jeans.  "Hmmmm...that iphone is going to cost me the equivalent of 1.5 pairs of jeans! Oooo....tough choice."  I think that once you've gone designer denim (the fabrics! the washes! the way your ass looks!) you'll never go back.  

However, I have a problem.  Since my son started walking, about 6 months ago, I have worn out no less than 3 pairs of my beloved designer jeans.  We're talking serious holes in the knees (not even in a good way), or a major fit change due to frequent washings.  Flaws that I cannot fix.  So I've moved on to yet another $200 pair.  And there I go -- running after little man, bending down, crawling on hands and knees, rolling downhill, using them as a dirt/snot/chewed up food wiper - activities that my pre-baby, martini sipping self never previously required of my denim.  So when Gap announced their new 1969 Premium denim line (and claimed that it could hold up to designer criteria), I was intrigued.  And, when I found out that their line starts at roughly $59 (and is $20 off until Thursday) I had to try it.

Ain't No Mom Jeans Has a New look!

I'm sure you've noticed by now...we've changed our look. We're just over a year old and it was time.  Like a new lipstick, it feels great.

Love it?  Hate it?  Let us know.  

xo,

S

How To Bring Back Your Fab Pregnancy Hair and Save the Environment By Using the Right Shampoo

I believe that I, S, have found the secret to fabulous, shiny hair:  get pregnant. 

The problem with that philosophy is that it eventually ends.  No matter how long you breastfeed, your hormones eventually stabilize, while your fabulous hair falls out and goes back to it's normal dull, limp, frizzy state.  (I should know - I've been testing the limit on breastfeeding to prevent the return of crap hair).  So my consolation prize?  John Master's Organics shampoo and conditioner.  It is the closest approximation I have found to fabulous pregnancy hair.  I have tested this completely unscientific survey on myself and my mother.  Here are the "facts":

I have long, sometimes veering on tragically-long colored hair that is otherwise in pretty good condition for living in the high altitude desert that is Denver.  John Master's Evening Primrose Shampoo For Dry Hair and the Honey and Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor leave my hair soft, shiny, and almost pregnancy-like.  Seriously.

My mother uses the same conditioner, but she also uses his Honey and Hibiscus Hair Reconstructing Shampoo.  Her post-chemo hair grew back curly, and is now going a bit gray, so she ends up with frequent coloring in a very humid climate.  As a result, her hair texture is coarse.  The changes this shampoo-conditioner pair wrought were virtually tear-inducing.  In a happy way, of course.  NOTE:  I started with the Honey and Hibiscus Hair Reconstructing Shampoo, but it was too heavy for me.  This is a serious shampoo for seriously dry or coarse hair.  

The Uninspired, The Unflattering, The Trends of Fall 2009

The 2000s have been an interesting decade from a fashion perspective.  In recent years, the look of the moment was "anything goes".  We paired military trends with 1920's dresses, boho 70's tunics with 80's riding boots, wore curve-hugging dresses reminiscent of a 1950's housewife, and re-invented the skinny jean.  It's like this decade has featured the greatest hits from the 20th Century, remixed.  Which is so liberating: find the most flattering shapes for your body (is your body type a skinny 60's mod or a curvy 50's housewife?), mix with anything else that strikes your fancy, and you have self-expression through fashion at it's best.

Not to belabor the point, but another good reason for mixing up previously seen fashion trends is to prevent one from looking like they are in costume.  Rule of thumb:  Costumes are great for Halloween, or a theme party, but if you feel as though you are in one, something about your outfit is wrong.

NOTE:  You'll need this rule to get through this fashion season.

Fall 2009, is, in my opinion, uninspired at best.  At worst, it's tired, unflattering, ridiculous fashion.  If you are looking to spend wads of cash to look like you just came from an 1980's-meets-the-Jetsons party, this is your decade. "Jane!  Stop this crazy thing!!"  I wish.

Key Fall 2009 Trends

Paper Thin Cover-Ups for Cooler Summer Nights

When you gotta, go, you gotta go.  And my girlfriend's daughter, Aubrey, had to go.  Poop, actually.  Which she pointed out to her mother in a very matter-of-fact voice that only a recently potty-trained three year old can muster.  After an initial moment of panic, "You have to POOP?  Now?" Aubrey's mum, Sarah, recovered and dug a hole in the sand.  Aubrey looked hesitant.  "It's a sand potty." Sarah reassured her.  Then, in a whisper to me, "What will I do with the poop?" 

There are so many things I love about this picture.  The sand potty itself, Aubrey sitting there enjoying the view, and the fact that she is dressed in nothing but a tshirt and winter hat.  Welcome to summer in Marquette, MI.

Sarah and I were both born and raised in Marquette, MI, and try to get back there every chance we get.  It's one of the most wild, beautiful places in the world, but the 80 degree summer days are often tempered by a string of 50 degree days.  And once August hits, you can count on even cooler nights.  Ugg boots have always made perfect sense to me - it's COLD on the beach. 

So.  As the dog days of summer give way to chilly nights, what is the best way to show off your tan while avoiding goosebumps?  Try a paper-thin cover-up.  Ideally, you want a cover-up in a color and style that goes with most of your summer staples.  Throw it on over your tanks tops, shorts, summer dresses, etc.  My current favorites are below.