Ain't No Mom Jeans

Friday Fun

Guess who is missing the beach right about now?  I mean...it's not like I don't like biting, 30 degree winds, it's just tha--  Right.  The drastic change from a freeing beach week to waaay too much "indoor family time" is driving the boys and I nuts.  NUTS!  And we're only half unpacked, so the house looks as if a bomb has dropped.  Luckily, our new nanny started this week.  I say "luckily" because I like to break 'em in early.  I just wish I had a picture of her face when she first stepped in the door.  There's a good chance she thought we were hoarders.  It's a fine line, though.  You want just enough crazy to keep expectations low, but not enough crazy to scare them off for good.  The just-got-home-from-a-trip level of disaster seems to toe that line pretty well.  We'll see.

Here are a few Fun Friday links that I've been storing up to share...

The Sartorialist wanted to know if anyone was thinking about turtlenecks.  Ahhhh Scott.  You sly dog you.  I'm always thinking about turtlenecks.  [bats eyelashes]

Hot mama Lena from Quality Rivets recently styled her plaid pajama bottoms and looked AWESOME.  For realz.  

Refinery 29 styled a windbreaker three surprisingly glamorous ways.  And OK:  I think they cheated by using an insanely gorgeous Stella McCartney for Adidas windbreaker (*cough $500 *cough)...but still.  I'm 95% sure you could use a regular windbreaker and it would still work, more or less.  I like this one.

We've been talking about ankle boots, and whether or not curvy, short Mamas can pull them off.  Have you seen this picture of Drew Barrymore in her ankle boots and skinnies?  The girl is all curves and gorgeousness, and she pulls them off OK.  However, the black bootie does shorten her leg a bit.  I'll bet that a slightly lighter ankle boot would look great (or a slightly darker jean).  Perhaps that's the key?

Reader Julie picked up this adorable wrap cardigan / cape at Nordstroms and swears by it for both pregnancy and nursing.  It's now on sale for $39!  Thanks, Julie!

According to The Budget Babe (who is now pregnant!  Congrats!!)...H&M is now accepting used clothing for recycling!  You can find out what happens to your donated clothing here. 

Lastly, how cute is Pax's little Superman tee?  It comes with an attached cape.  The cape just velcros on/off at the shoulders.  He has been wearing it EVERY DAY.  I now wish that I had stocked up (it's just a Target tee, folks).  Superman appears to be sold out online, but Target has a whole line of cape tees.  Bam Pow is my favorite.

Happy Friday!!!

xoxo

S

Stylish Winter Coat Options For Pregnant Mamas (Hint: They're Not Maternity)

Each and every year we get a bunch of reader questions that center around maternity winter coats.  Are they worth the money?  Are there any non-maternity options that work?  Anything affordable?  It's a toughie.  So I went right to the experts:  our readers.

Here's what our very experienced readers recommended over & over & over again (and in some cases, with pics to prove it!).  

1. Try A Cape, Poncho or a Swingy Coat

This was, hands-down, our reader's most-recommended option (and also what I did with both pregnancies).  At first blush, it doesn't sound all that great - how much swing is needed?  And a cape?  Really?  Is it warm enough?

But here's the thing:  Pregnant Mamas get hot.  As reader Erin pointed out:  I just wore a poncho, I was too hot to wear a real coat - the best part of being preggers!

I agree.  Typically, I'll need a sweater in anything less than 82 degrees.  Yet while pregnant?  This is what I wore - even in WINTER:

 

 

I also had a 3/4 sleeve wool swing coat (that you can see here) for colder days, and I'd layer with a sweater underneath.  Long gloves were paired with the 3/4 sleeve coat.

But really, any coat with a bit of swing might get you through.  Go ahead and let your belly peek out!  For example, reader Paula was still using her pre-pregnancy coat in her last trimester:  My nonmaternity coat still buttons right above my baby belly - and I'm due in 3 weeks. With pregnancy I'm naturally so warm... and I always cover my neck to keep from getting cold.

Even a pea coat might be swingy enough.  Reader Sheena "just buttoned as many buttons as I could on my wool peacoat. Eventually I was down to just the top button, but so goes it!"

This option makes sense for Mamas who hate to burn their hard-earned dollars on something that won't go the distance.  Reader Samantha "refused to buy a maternity coat (seemed like a waste as this is our last baby), so I found a swing coat at Macy's. It's a perfect cut, and plenty of room around my growing belly. Plus, it will work for me even after the baby arrives (due in April)."

 So.  If you happen to be in the market for a winter coat, it might make sense to buy one that will work for pregnancy, post-partum, baby-wearing, and beyond!  Try a non-maternity swing coat like Samantha...or find a cape.  Nicole chose "a cape from Isabella Oliver with gloves, scarf and hat or a larger peacoat. I was always so hot- this worked!"  Good choice, Nicole.  Even maternity capes can have a life post-pregnancy.  (Isabella Oliver no longer makes a cape, but I'm loving Hatch's.)

As examples, I've found three capes/ponchos that would look gorgeous whether you are pregnant, baby-wearing, or headed to the office post-partum:

Wearing Rainboots: Inspiration Through the Seasons (And $100 Giveaway to Bogs!)

This post is an update to our original How To Wear Rainboots - For Moms article, originally published in March of 2009.  It was in dire need of an update.  Especially since it remains as one of our top-hitting posts.  Crazy.  

When I wrote it, rainboots were being worn everywhere by celebrities and just starting to be embraced by the general population.  But rainboots still seemed a bit out-of-place unless it was actually raining.

Since then, rainboots have come into their own and are now considered a valid boot-about-town.  And while I still think they look silly on a sunny day walking down a dry sidewalk, I've amended my original "rules" (which were totally annoying anyway).

When Moms Should Wear Rain Boots

1. When it is raining.
2. When it is wet -- meaning puddles are on the ground.
3. When you might be wading in a stream, mud bed, or pond.

Let's just summarize things into the following statement:  Wear rainboots whenever you feel like it.  I'm going to guess that most moms will probably feel like it when it's raining, snowing, generally wet, muddy, or on a cold, gray, day.  Or during a cool summer downpour.  

What Kind of Rain Boots Moms Can Wear [Again, from the original article]

1. Tall plain ones - hunter green, dark gray, bright yellows, red, etc.
2. Tall black patent leather ones -- the sheen of these boots will look a little more sophisticated.
3. Some patterns are OK for the brave -- but proceed with caution on this one.  Skip the Hello Kitty boots, skip the ladybugs, skip anything with rainbows or anything that you think an 8 year old would want to borrow.  If reading this makes you nervous, stick with plain.

I'm actually OK with this advice.  But I'd also add that rainboot styles have exploded in recent years.  If you aren't a fan of the typical wellie, there are now rainboot wedges, booties, rubber motorcycle boots and, one of my personal favs, duck boots.  Here are some super-cool, non-wellie rainboots:

No She Didn't!! Leather Pants (...aaaand an alternative for the rest of us)

Mamas:  Have you ever tried leather pants?  I have - years ago (long before Raines came around).  It didn't end well.  The knees stretched out, I couldn't bend (Somebody help!  I dropped a pencil!), and I found my thighs either sweaty (which previously had only happened in Bikram Yoga class) or freezing.  I also walked funny - ramrod straight and uncomfortable.  The soundtrack to my leather-pant-walking would've sounded something like  ernh-ee-ernh-ee-ernh-ee.  I'm sure some girls can carry them off with aplomb....but these are probably also the girls who look cool smoking.  Me?  Not only am I leather-pant-challenged, but I'm afraid of the fire at the lit end of the cig.  Sigh.  Hopeless, I know.

But I LOVE the look (of both leather pants and smoking - yeah, yeah, bad for you, yeah).  But I LOVE it.  Such an awesome rocker/cool-french-girl kind of look.  And while I'm totally over the smoking thing, I'm still craving leather pants. Luckily, faux leather options are everywhere.  From J Brand's waxed skinny jeans (cute, but not that comfy) to faux-leather leggings that do, surprise!!, feel a lot like leggings. 

BTW?  I ran across a pic of one the French Vogue editors rocking her leather leggings at 6 months pregnant. 

(photo credit: Jak and Jill)

Mamas, that's some serious dedication to leather leggings.  Yay, Geraldine.

Encouraged by Geraldine's pic...I bought some faux-leather leggings.  Just, you know, to see.  Strictly for research, Mamas.  We do serious research here at Ain't No Mom Jeans.  But my expectations were very low, so I bought the cheapest pair I could find.  Then rounded up a couple of pics for leather-legging mom-drobe inspiration (which sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but indulge me for a sec).  Anyway, here's my inspiration board for mom-friendly leather leggings:

7 Style Resolutions for Moms in 2012

Ok Mamas, whether or not you are a resolution person (and I am...in a big, obnoxious way)...I've put together a list of my top 7 mom-style resolutions for 2012.  

So repeat after me:  I, Mama... 

(See? I warned you about my obnoxious thing)

1.  ...will buy one pair of fabulous everyday shoes (or boots).  

And wear them - everyday.  Because shoes matter.  Shoes make the outfit.  But these will not be sensible shoes, oh, no.  These will not be shoes that "match" everything in my closet.  They will not be black because I already have a black bag.  They will not be brown simply because I already have black.

They will be whatever color makes my heart beat fast (and that might be black or brown, but I vow to think outside the shoebox).  They will have gorgeous details.  They will make me happy.  And I won't even think about bringing them home unless they are also comfortable.  I will be incredibly picky, and wait (all year if I have to) until I find the perfect pair.

Mamas, to illustrate, look how even Garnet Hill figured out that gorgeous footwear is the chic-outfit cornerstone.  Both outfits are cute on their own, but the footwear makes them amazing.

 

(photo credits: garnet hill) 

Reader Question: What To Wear With Oxfords?

Reader Question:

I love love love your web site. It's incredibly well written, topical, helpful, inspirational, practical... the accolades go on. My husband is a little worried because I've been reading it obsessively since I came across it a few weeks ago after Googling "wearing flats with flares" and found your post with that almost exact same title (BTW, after reading your article I bought a pair of Banana Republic flares to try out the style -- waiting for them to come back from the tailor. I lost quite a bit of the flare by shortening them so much bu
t I think they're going to look great).

My question: I bought this pair of lace up oxfords from Madewell last spring and I'm not sure what to wear them with. I don't wear a lot of flowy/girly type dresses -- I prefer tailored (I'd say 75% of my wardrobe comes from J. Crew) and more body conscious (despite remaining pooch 5-years post -- the rest of me is in good shape, I swear!). I also am extremely conscious of dressing age-appropriate. They are super comfortable and super cute so I'd like to make them work with a few options. Any ideas?

 

 

- Jodi

Mom Street Style - Catherine's Parisian Chic

 

Catherine had me at "Our family recently relocated to Paris...."

Green.  With.  Envy.   

Catherine writes:

Our family recently relocated to Paris from Austin and I was really sweating the style shift from laid-back to Parisian chic - especially as a mother of an active 18 month old. My friend (and mother of two) shared your blog with me and I think I put together a pretty good Mom uniform for the park and errands. The raincoat has a full silhouette (Joe's Jeans, very useful while I was pregnant) and skinny jeans with a high waist so I am covered bending over (Paige Premium Hidden Hills).  I paired them with some printed converse high tops and a pair of wayfarers.  My friend snapped the photo at a picnic on the Champs de Mars.
Love your blog. The information is really useful. One of my favorite posts is what to wear to meet an ex-boyfriend.
Thanks for the inspiration!

Catherine, you look ah-mazing.  What a spot-on, perfectly Parisian-chic mom-uniform. C'est la perfection, no?   And printed converse high tops?  Lovelovelovelove.  Funny....converse sneaks, trench coats and scarves where my uniform of choice the last time I was in Paris.  Nice to know that I'd still fit in. 

Catherine, thank you so much for taking the time to send in this pic and your charming note.  Pas mal, chérie, pas mal. ;)

xo,

S

ps.  My favorite french phrase is still "mon petit chou".....or "my little cabbage".  Such a charming thing to call a baby or little one.  

Want To Win A Whole Workout Outfit? With Pooch-Control Shaping Panels? Of course you do. (Sponsored Post)

Things are lookin' up, people.  I mean YEAH - it's been raining virtually non-stop for the last few weeks.  And YEAH - I'm still livin' over here in Philadelphia where I have no friends or family and YEAH - over half of our stuff is still in boxes in the basement which flooded two days ago....but UP.  UP is where I'm looking.

It must be this runner's high of mine.  

If one, can, in fact, get a runner's high from 8 minutes of running.  Which is all I managed the last time I ran.  I'm just so. darn. tired.  But still - it was 8 minutes of running.  So I'm going to call myself a runner, eat an extra brownie (I've grown fond of my pooch anyway), and keep on keepin' on.  And looking up.

Wanna join me?  'Cause I think winning a pair of shaper pants with a shaper tank and this cute little jacket would easily qualify as a runner's high and earn you a nice big brownie, too.  

We talked about Champion's fabulous shaper workout pant and tank here.  And I styled up this little jacket here.  Now all you have to do, if you'd like this entire outfit in your size, compliments of our friends at Champion, is the following:

Share or like this article on Facebook, then leave a comment telling us about your favorite brownie recipe (feel free to leave links).

psssst - to share, look for this icon at the bottom:

Winners will be chosen at random on Thursday night, September 29th.

 

What?  M is pregnant and I'm....well, I'm not.  But still.  It's been a tough few weeks people.  I needs my chocolate.

My fav brownie recipe is here, with a little of this cocoa powder mixed in (black onyx).  Only for the serious chocoholic. (Thanks, J!!)

xo,

S

*******THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***********

Congrats to TheRingChronicles!!

Thanks to all who participated....and left the drool-worthy brownie recipes....YUM!

 

5 Fall Basics That "Work" for Work and Play?

Readers, we've been receiving more and more emails from moms about to go back to work.  While we've been meaning to do a back-to-work article for quite some time, we've been putting it off.  However, we received this lovely email from reader Cathy a few weeks ago:

Hi ladies!

First of all, I absolutely love your blog!  A friend passed it along, and I’ve gotten so many other mom-friends hooked!  And as a mainline mom, I often wonder if I might bump into Shana at the playground or other fun spots around town.  I live in Wayne with my 2 year old little girl, husband, and westie dog.  Hopefully some day our paths will cross – would love to meet you!

 

Anyhow, I’m writing in with a wardrobe question as I’m thinking ahead to fall.  I have been working from home for the last five years, and a new job includes a little more office time (2-3 office meetings per month).  I’ve been really enjoying getting out of the house a little more, but I haven’t had to think about a work wardrobe in such a long time.  I have lots of summer skirts and dresses that I’ve been able to wear to work this summer, but I need to do some serious updating for fall.  I’d like to invest in some good cross-over pieces ... things I can wear at the office, during the week when I’m working from home, or on date nights with my husband.  When in doubt, I tend to buy black work clothes (black suits, black wrap dresses, sheath dresses etc.) so I’m looking to add a little more color.  My office is business casual so it’s pretty flexible in terms of dress code.

 

Ooooo....what a challenge!!  What could one buy to spruce up their work wardrobe, add some spice to date night AND still run around with the kiddos?

Well.  After thinkin' and thinkin'...I have 5 ideas.

Wearing Workout Gear Beyond the Gym (Sponsored Post)

We're all for stretching our wardrobes, here at Ain't No Mom Jeans, and we're all about mixing things up.  So it seems only natural then, that we should also bring sportswear into the mix.  I mean, aren't yoga pants a tired new mom's best friend?  In this department, moms seem to be ahead of the curve.  FabSugar (via Lucky Mag) is reporting sportswear to be a major trend on the Spring 2012 runway.  As part of our partnership with Champion, I'm stylin' up a few key sportswear items for everyday wear. 

Yoga Pants For Running Errands

I do this trick more often than I'd like to admit.  Throw on your basic black yoga pants with cute, non-sneaker-y shoes, a sweater and add a cute scarf.  

(wearing:  Champion shaper yoga pant c/o Champion - we covered this pant here, J.Crew shawl collar sweater, Me Too ballet flats, Echo scarf)