Ain't No Mom Jeans

Mom Street Style: Katie and Batman Rock The Playground

 

Mama's there's so much to love about Katie, I don't even know where to begin.  Those sunnies?  Her backpack?  BATMAN???

 

And let's not forget those shoes. 

We ran into Katie at Clark Park.  She was there trying to run Batman before his nap.  We were doing the same with Superman.  As one would suspect, the superheros sized each other up, then decided to join forces.

But I think Pax was jealous of Batman's mask.  Which I get - I was dying for Katie's sunnies.  Which, it turns out, are a kid's pair from H&M.  Genius!

Katie is wearing a combo of thrift/Old Navy (love that), her scarf is handmade by an Etsy seller I couldn't find (this one has a similar vibe), and her backpack?  It was a gift, so she doesn't know!  I KNOW!  Luckily, the shopping enabler thinks that this backpack is a dead ringer and that this one is pretty close. 

And once I start referring to myself in third person it means it's time for bed.  Katie, it was a pleasure meeting you! Thank you for being such a good sport!

xo,

S

Reader Q | How To Style A Basic Nursing Dress For A Wedding (And Stay Warm)

 Reader Question:

LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog - you have helped me a TON! Now, I have a big favor to ask. I'm headed to a wedding in Duluth, in April....which means there could be a blizzard or it could be balmy. I'm going to be chasing a three year old and carrying around (and nursing) a ginormous 9 month old. Thanks to your suggestions on other nursing/maternity items, I picked up this Isabella Oliver nursing dress in French Navy.  It does a good job (with Spanx) of holding in my about 4 months pregnant looking pooch....I feel comfortable in it, but I need shoe and accessory suggestions.

 

Did I mention I am standing in this wedding, and there are NO suggestions in terms of color, etc.? The bride likes my dress.....where do I go from here!? All I have figured out is dangly earrings are out, cause I have a grabber, and maybe wedges would be better for toddler wrangling...Thank you thank you!

 

I've even attached a photo of myself in said dress, so you can see what we are working with ;)

 

Holly

 

Answer:

Holly, you look seriously fabulous.  4 Months Post-partum?  WOW.  

So you need a few options to work with crazy Duluth weather, while toddler wrangling and standing up for the bride?  Gotcha.

The most important one, I think, is the standing up for the bride part.  While there may be no suggestions from the bride in terms of color, I think we should be careful.  While your dress may look great with, say, a hot red pump for date night, I think that's the wrong choice for wedding photos - you don't want your bright pumps competing with the bride in pics.  Know what I mean?

Holly, I came up with a couple of possible looks for you.  They include some subtle accessories, and a way to stay warm(ish) if you find yourself in the middle of a blizzard (which seems likely....Marquette, MI just had a snowday last week).  Warning:  I said warm-ish, not warm.  But you'll look amazing, and won't totally freeze.  Which is the best you can hope for as a bridesmaid, I think. :)

Friday Fun (And Reader Finds!!)

WOOT WOOT Weekend, Mamas!  The last two weeks have been very, very long.  I have been inexplicably sick (with a cold!  It's just a cold!) for over two solid weeks.  This nasty virus has robbed me of motivation, sucked me of enthusiasm, and taken my patience out for a looong vacation.  Grrrrrrr.

Even my kids have been attempting to cheer me up.  "Mom, it's OK!" Raines said to me yesterday.  "You're the best mom EVER EVER...even if you're always grumpy!"

Awesome.  Let's put that on a mug for Mother's Day, shall we?  "World's Greatest Always-Grumpy Mom!"

(NOTE:  Mike, you had better freaking NOT.  Just so we're clear.)

So.  For this issue of Friday Fun, I have exactly ONE find.  Happily you, lovely Mamas, have been doing a little shopping while I've been sniffling, and have been emailing me all sorts of fun finds.  

Stephanie is pregnant and is wondering if this pair of silky, printed, elastic-waist pants from Anthropologie would be rad, or bad?  Call me crazy....but I kinda love them.  Add a white tee and flat, metallic sandals, and WOW.  Summer perfection.  Either color is gorgeous, but I'm leaning to...pink?   

Helen writes:

After moving to New Jersey from LA in January I was looking for a long sleeved dress that is relatively warm, nursing friendly and pretty enough for a date night.   I stumbled upon your post about affordable dresses on Zappos, and that's how I discovered the Patagonia brand dresses. I ended up buying two of them!

Helen ended up with Patagonia's Bay Laural Wrap Dress in black (currently on sale for $36!!), and the sleeveless Margot dress (also on sale for $36).  They are both nursing friendly, and Helen reports that they can also help disguise a small pooch, as well.

Belinda's been on the hunt for the perfect boyfriend jean, and thinks she found them.  I agree!

Heidi makes a pretty convincing CPW (cost-per-wear) argument for this gorgeous maxi dress:

I really, really loved your style resolutions for 2013 article a few months back, and thanks to you I have the beginnings of a decent wardrobe that's not full of things that sort-of-but-not-quite-fit for the first time in five years!

I love, love, loved the gray maxidress you featured two years ago, but couldn't find it anywhere when I started looking for something to wear this summer. I live in Jordan right now, and it's already 80 here most days so summer starts a bit earlier for me. A few years ago I would have bought a couple of dresses that I sort of liked from Old Navy and never have felt good about them...but I remembered your point about cost-per-wear and held out until I found something I loved. And I did! This maxi dress from Shopbop is exactly what I was looking for: beautiful drape, pooch-hiding blouson top, modest enough that I can get away with wearing it here in the Middle East, but still sexy thanks to the V-neck and the drape of the skirt.

Instead of a half dozen crappy dresses, I have one that I truly love and that makes me feel beautiful.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for encouraging women like me to find what makes us feel good about ourselves and giving us pointers as to how to get there!

Yay, Heidi!  Love this!

Jenny found a fleece moto jacket in taupe.  Yessssssss!  Only smalls are left, but they're on sale for $40!

Patricia has me dying for this scarf....so Lem-Lem-ish, yet roughly half the cost...

And lastly...my one lone contribution:

I love this shirt.  Pooch-hiding, nursing-friendly perfection.  Sadly, I did not buy it.  Yup - too grumpy.

 

Here's to a weekend without tissues, red noses or phelgm!  

Wow.  And here's to never having to hear the word 'phelgm' on this blog ever, ever again.

Now I'm off to find my Kindle.  My sister got me hooked on Game of Thrones during my long two-week lie-in....and I'm totally hooked.  (Although, I may never sleep peacefully again.)

What are you doing this weekend?  Something fun, I hope?

xoxo,

S

 

 

Mom Street Style: Annika's Perfect 10 for Late Winter / Early Spring

Remember this?  Where we get to peek into a reader's closet and see her top ten most-worn, hardest-working pieces?  Here's Annika's...

Hello!

Can I just say I love you guys...a LOT?  I can't tell you the inspiration that you have been to me since I had my baby girl, Mia, 17 months ago.  My clothing challenge is two fold: 1) Being a SAHM, and 2) Being a native Southern Californian trying to survive looooong, cold Seattle winters.  All I want to do most days is curl up with a cup of tea in the warmest sweats I can find!  There is a reason flannels and coffee have been so popular here...

 

Mom Street Style: Yay for Puffer Vests in Pregnancy and Post-Partum!

Goodness.  Could Grace get any cuter?

 

After our recent article on puffer vests, Grace wrote:

I was SO excited to see your post on puffers following your post on maternity coats because vests have been a wardrobe staple/workhorse for me all winter. I had my third baby on December 30th and didn't want to buy a maternity coat (so I didn't) but lived in a slew of vests (some puffy and some faux furry) that I found on eBay (all for less than $10!). Hopefully I'm not the only pregnant lady that looks pregnant around the lovely handles (which is why I was so convinced I was having a GIRL .... not the case!) but a vest really helps that situation out so very nicely.

Um.  Wow.  Pregnancy induced love-handles?  Yeah.  I knew them well.  You make a really, really good point, Grace.  

Sooooo....Are Leggings Pants?

I hate to bring this up.  But I've noticed that the line between leggings and pants is becoming blurry.  I mean YES:  college-age girls have been strutting around in their leggings and Uggs and not much else for years.  But I'm starting to see...uh, others (*cough* me *cough*) blurring the line between leggings and pants.

(wearing:  faux-leather leggings, Mike's v-neck sweater, cozy sweater-poncho - similar on crazy sale, old plaid scarf - similar,  target mittens - similar, DV Java booties, Makr Farm Rucksack)  

 

My bum, you guys.  Is right there.  Is this OK?  IDK.

Shop Your Closet: Pile on the Plaids (Even if they don't match)

Trying too hard almost always backfires for me.  Like when I try to match.  In any way.   I end up looking too matchy-matchy or just...off.  And feeling horribly uncomfortable.  My best outfits are often the ones I just threw together.  So when I came across the following Gap ad...well. 

Unknown Gap Stylist, thank you for saving me from myself.

I love this idea.  And really, with all of the mixed prints lately...why not?  Especially when you can anchor the look with rockin' black denim.

 (wearing: Stylemint Waverly Shades, $30, and Lola skinnies in black,$60, J.Crew flannel - similar style, J.Crew men's wool plaid scarf - similar, MIA Buckaroo boots, now sold out, but here are ones with a similar fold-over for only $109)

 

Throwing a plaid scarf over a flannel is obviously taking the easy way out.  So this past weekend, when shopping with my mama (yay!) I doubled up on plaid flannels:

Skinny denim haters, this outfit is for you

(wearing:  J.Crew flannel - similar style, Cropped plaid from Vintage Havana - similar here by LNA, Mother Denim "The Drama' High Waist Flares, $220, Dansko Rhianna boots, a few sizes are available here for $107, or try the Nakita boot, $195 for a similar heel and studded toe, my fringe bag is old...here's a similar one from Threadsense.)

So in summary, when it comes to super-soft cozy flannel...more is more?  Yeah, baby.  Color me plaid.

xo,

S

Mom Street Style: Erin's Ankle Boots and Skinnies

Mamas, reader Erin sent in this shot of herself rockin' the ankle boots. Erin wrote:

Thank you for your post on skinny jeans and ankle boots! I have been trying to figure out how to make this combo work for awhile and it never seemed to work right. But Yes! cuffing the jeans totally works! Just sharing my fall momiform: skinnies, ankle boots, dolman-sleeve sweater, and scarf (photo courtesy of my 5-year-old). Thanks for the awesome blog!

Erin, thanks for the awesome pic.  You nailed it.  

Mamas, if you are crushing over her denim as badly as I am (I've been on the hunt for the a pair of not too light, perfectly worn blue skinnies...and WOW.  Search is over.)...the are J.Brand's 910 skinnies in songbird.  Her boots are the BP Trolley boots in black ($99 and almost sold out at Nordstrom's), her sweater is Trouve's Oversized sweater, $68 and her gorgeous blue scarf is also from Nordstroms, although Erin couldn't quite remember which one it was (Halogen, maybe?).  Here's a pretty turquoise scarf ($28) that is similar. 

Erin, thanks so much for sending this gorgeous pic!!  I love all of your picks...don't be surprised if I blatantly copy this outfit.  

xo,

S

 

ps.  Mamas, I'm not sure what the rest of our week will look like.  At this point, we're right in the path of Frankenstorm.  Most predictions for the Philly area are not when we'll lose power, but for how long.  Crazy!  So we're all stocked up on water, flashlights, batteries, and organic junk food (if we have to eat popcorn and chips for three days, it might as well be, uh, sort of healthy?)  Although, I don't trust us to stay out of our Halloween candy stash.  At this point we're not expecting many trick-or-treaters....

Stay safe, Mamas!!  I'll update you when I can...

pps.  Happy Birthday, Mom!!  I love you!

Mom Street Style: Jess' Headscarf and Vintage Clip-On Earrings

Mamas, meet Jess.  A dear friend of mine.  She an artist, and therefore, is always coming up with something clever.  The latest?  She chopped her hair, and showed up for dinner with her sassy do wrapped up in this scarf.  Adorned with vintage clip-on earrings.

And we wonder where Jess' daughter gets her propensity for crowns.

Hello, Esme

But isn't Jess' headscarf trick gorgeous?  She simply wrapped it around her head, tied it in place, and tucked the ends.  The clip-on earrings are used to keep the knot tied down. lovelovelovelove

xo,

S

Fall Trend: Ankle Booties (And How To Wear Them)

Mamas!  The easiest way to give your old standbys a modern spin?  Yup - the ankle bootie.  These guys aren't new...in fact, two years ago, a very pregnant me wrote an article called The Short Boot Dilemma...where I tried to figure out how the heck to wear the various short boots that were popping up.

Well.  Two years later, I'm happy to say that I've figured it out.  Feel free to applaud.  Two years in the making, baby.  TWO.

Ok.  Here's what's working for me: