A few of you lovely Mamas recommended LOFT's Sunwashed tees. I had been hearing good things about them...and Jordan (from Ramshackle Glam) swears by them. It turns out that the shape of the Sunwashed Tee is reminiscent of my current favorite - the Casual Tee by James Perse - so I thought it would be a fun little exercise to compare the two. Basically, we're comparing a $20 tee to a $50 tee.
Ready?
Continue reading "T-Shirt Showdown: LOFT Vs. James Perse " »
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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
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(wearing: shirt - from TJ Maxx or similar here...vest - J.Crew....scarf - Target....jeans - Banana Republic...boots - Macys or similar here...sunnies - Ray Ban)
Mamas. I ran into Paola at the playground a few days ago, and loved her take on a playground-momiform. You know how enamored I am of neon + army green....but with chambray? Genius!
Best of all? After I struck up a conversation, she revealed to me that she is a pretty die-hard bargin shopper. "You don't need to spend a ton of money," Paola shrugged. "Just choose the right pieces....carefully."
Even her small details were thoughtfully picked: pink lipstick, cool Ray-bans and starfish earrings (which are safe from grabby hands, but still blingy).
But don't expect to find Little Batman's gorgeous Mama in sneakers. "Augh! So many big sneakers....everywhere. Never! I cannot." She fixes me with a look. "You do not have to wear sneakers just because you have kids."
Luckily, I happened to be in my desert boots that day...rather than my usual Converse. But I'll bet Paola was really talking about actual running shoes - the big, soul-less ones that appeared to be the footwear-of-choice at the park. On that front, I'm with her whole-heartedly. My real running shoes aren't even all that comfortable unless I'm actually, you know, running. (And then I'm uncomfortable all over...but for a whole different reason.)
Paola, thanks for being such a good sport, and providing us all with some neon inspiration! I don't know about the rest of you, but I might need to make a Target run....
xo,
S
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I carry a little man around on my back. I am responsible for both providing food and wiping butts at regular intervals. I am - heavily - relied on by two tiny people who yammer at me all day. "Mum! Mum! Mum! Mumumumum!!!" until I hear myself echoing the empty threat of my mother: "No more 'MUM'! I'm going to change my name!"
They give me the same strange look that I used to give her. For all of these reasons (and more...so much more)...I am, officially, grown up.
Here's how this grown-up (who also happens to be ever-so-slightly color adverse) wears neon:
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Mamas! Quick! LOFT is having a Spring Cyber Monday sale (until midnight tonight, I think) that involves 50% off of everything and free shipping on every order. I don't always have the best luck at LOFT...but I was able to find some pieces I really, really liked.
1. Beach V-Neck Coverup, $60
It's hard to beat crisp navy and white in the summer.
2. Corset Tankini Top $50 andbottom, $40
I typically hate tankinis...but this one is downright sexy.
3. Side Button Cotton Caftan, $55
Or maybe I like this one better....???
4. Tiny Droplet Print Racerback Dress, $60
The cutest nursing-friendly dress I've seen in quite some time. It also comes in summery solid colors...like sea green or coral.
5. Geometric Woven Sleeve Sweater Tee, $50
What's happening here? This looks more like Marc Jacobs than LOFT. Nice.
6. Corded Dobby Striped Trench, $128
Wear this. Look chic. Done.
7. Talia Low Heel Sandals, $90
Orange, tan and a cool (low) heel? I'm intrigued. Plus the reviews claim serious comfort. Whoa.
Also? My next t-shirt review is coming up...and I think you'll like what I have to say about LOFTS' sunwashed tees. (I like mine two sizes up).
xo,
S
ps. Also? A gorgeous bracelt.
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Mamas!! This is our new monthly series called How We Wear It, where *we* show all of the different ways to rock a wardrobe basic. And by "we" I mean...all y'all. If there was One. Thing. our readers communicated LOUD AND CLEAR via the survey, it's this: You want to see a wider range of body types represented here on ANMJ.
So. I'll show you how I've been styling my old standbys, and so will Cam. And then, dear readers, we want to hear from YOU. You can play along via our Linky party at the bottom (you can sign up at the bottom of this article or on Cam's page), you can send us an email (send it to either Cam or I), upload a pic to ANMJ's Facebook page, or use Instagram with the hashtag: #howwewearit. As reader pics come in, I'll be keeping this page up-to-date.
Ready?
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Mamas! These quick little peeks into reader's closets are quickly becoming one of my favs. Here's Kristen's....
Hi Shana, thank you for ANMJ! It makes me smile.
I think I may have emailed before, but I could be completely making that up. I'm tired! [NOTE FROM S: Sing it, Sister.]
I'm a mom of 16-month-old twin girls. I work full-time but in a blessedly casual office. I gained 80 pounds through IVF hormones and then bed rest. Only have 10 to go, but still have the dreaded pooch.
Continue reading "Mom Street Style: Kristen's Perfect Seven For Post-Partum " »
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Mamas, the boys and I all got hit with disgusting, nasty colds this week. UGH. But I wanted to get this article out...based on your emails & comments, many of you are planning to do a little shopping this weekend. So in true shopping enabler fashion...here are my, uh, nineteen favorite sweatshirts.
*NOTE: While I did find some great options under $40....I have also included sweatshirts in the $100+ range. Why? Well...conventional wisdom may recommend only spending money on classic items like wool blazers, for example, but that's just not applicable to this stage of my life. By my own personal CPW (cost-per-wear) calculation, something like a wear-everywhere sweatshirt is a much better bet than a blazer. For those interested, I talked about this debate in the quality vs. quantity article.
1. Riller & Fount Raglan Sleeve Sweatshirt, $165
This is some serious chic, all wrapped up in a comfy sweatshirt. The sleeves are chambray. LOVE.
2. Billabong High Note Sweatshirt, $35
A more playful, younger vibe than the Riller & Fount, but just as cool for a fraction of the cost.
3. Quilted Faux Leather Shoulder Sweatshirt, $58
Yup. Still loving leather detailing.
4. Topshop Dip Dye Cutout Sweatshirt, $60
So insanely sexy. Have you ever heard anyone complain about "fat shoulders"? Me neither.
Continue reading "Shopping: Insanely Cool Sweatshirts (Including Nursing-Friendly Ones)" »
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Readers, meet Susannah. She wrote:
Hi Shana - Just wanted to say thank you for the Glam Up Your Momiform post. I am due to move from Sydney Australia to Hong Kong in about 4 days with my husband and two children… and so almost all of my clothes are on a big boat in the middle of the ocean. But a last minute surprise farewell at a moderately hip japanese restaurant necessitated that I find something to wear (that wasn't a t-shirt and shorts). I had read your blog that morning and managed to find jeans, shirt, necklace and pumps. It wasn't colourful and festive like your outfit - but it did the trick!
Thanks so much - your blog is really incredibly helpful for those of us who have ZERO interest in clothes shopping but like looking somewhat up-to-date. I have told countless friends and they have all gleaned something from reading your articles: better jeans, how to wear ankle boots and nursing friendly fashion.
Susannah
Whoa, girl. You look seriously amazing. And the nuetral pallette really, really works. I'm starting a round of the slow clap right now. Mamas, feel free to join in: clap.....clap....CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
Susannah, thank you so much for taking the time to snap a pic and sending it on. I love seeing how our styling tips get translated...and serve as a fresh dose of inspiration for all of us.
Mwah!
S
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A few weeks ago I was driving Raines to pre-school (he's 5). He was sitting in his carseat, a grumpy look on his face. "What's wrong, buddy?" I asked. He sighed. It was one of those dramatic, drawn-out sighs of the long-suffering. "I jus' don't understand what is happening in this world, Mom" he said.
Whoa. I'm not...how to even...begin with that? I waited, concerned, for him to continue.
"I mean...what the heck is going on with the Sun? Where is it? Will I always have to wear this jacket?" [pause] I'M NOT COMFORTABLE IN THIS JACKET MOM!!"
Exactly, kid. Sing it.
Ready to talk Spring, Mamas? Us too. Most of these picks (if not all) can be worn while chasing kiddos around a park, and some can be dressed up for date-night (or the office). All can be paired with pieces you already own for a fresh, easy update. These are the new Spring Basics...101.
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