Ain't No Mom Jeans

Reader Q | Liberty Print Styling - Not Too Sweet, Please

Reader Question:

Hi,
I'm a new reader and instant fan of your blog :). I have a suggestion for a style challenge I'd like to see on your blog! Liberty prints are all over this spring, and while I love them as a print, I just can't seem to figure out how to style them so they don't look too sweet. Your style has such an edge I think you would know how to do it.

best,
Cortney

 

Answer:

Cortney - I totally get this.  Liberty prints are pretty fabulous, but can easily skew too preppy or sweet.  So....challenge accepted!  Keep reading for how I'm styling liberty prints this season....

Confession: I Hate Thrifting. (But I'm Trying To Change My Ways)

I've walked into thrift stores only a few times in my life.  The whole setup isn't really my thing.  I hate digging through huge piles of stuff, I have a bloodhound's sense of smell (mold especially kills me), and I find itchy clothing depressing.  I don't care who made it in what decade, I'll take a new jersey knit over vintage polyester any day.   

I do own some vintage pieces, though.  I'm not totally immune to their charms.  All of mine were passed down from my mom.  I wore Mom's old Calvin Klein cut-offs all through high school and college, her sexy red maxi dress when I was pregnant (the only time my boobs were big enough to fill it out), and you may recall seeing her sparkly prom purse on the blog from time-to-time.  But here's the deal:  They were my mom's.  I didn't have to go scrounging through bins, worry about smells, or wonder about a stain.  They all came with stories - familiar stories, stories that are now part of my family lore.

But thrifting...it's intimidating and impersonal and smells bad.  Yet it's cheap.  SO cheap.  And it's better for the environment.   

As a tree-hugger who is not independently wealthy...yet (snort)....if I'm really serious about reducing my own personal environmental impact (and saving some cash along with those trees), I need to take another look at how, and what, I consume.  I'm all about CPW (cost per wear) and buying fewer, better quality items...so how can you go wrong with quality at $3.99? 

I'm assuming, of course, that quality can be found for $3.99.  Because Yentine said so, more or less.  And she's pretty much the thrifting expert in my little online world.  

So keeping Yentine's first tip in mind (HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE, which may have been the root cause of my past failures)....I went thrifting.  At the Goodwill in my tiiiny hometown, population 25,000.  If you ever wanted to set a thrifting bar low, go to a small, isolated town with an overabundance of non-ironic Carhartt.  But unlike Philly, in my tiny hometown I can park without fear (the PPA is NO JOKE) and I have free babysitters (thanks, Mom!).  

My thrifting trip was....hunh.  Successful?  Keeping an open mind, I did end up trying stuff on, and even walked out with an item or two.  To prove I was there illustrate, I took pics.  

Fresh Ways To Wear Tall Boots

All last week, Superman, Raines and I were relaxing oceanside in Gulf Shores.  We had gone down to visit my parents, who, since turning sixty-something have become devoted snowbirds.  

My parents didn’t want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty, and that’s the law. - Jerry Seinfeld

Also?  Weather channel. To say I returned home well informed about the snowstorms swirling about the country would be an understatement.

Anyway, fearing the worst, I had tall boots on the brain, expecting that we'd all be tromping around in snow up to our eyeballs.  Nope.  None, nada, nuttin'.  

But still.  I haven't worn tall boots all season, and I was (shockingly) in the mood.  So here are a few tall boot outfits for early Spring/Late Winter:

Reader Q | How to Style a Long, Knit Vest?

Reader Q:

Hello! I look forward to your posts everyday and have gotten some great ideas from you site. I am having an issue with a new piece in my wardrobe - can you tell me how to style a long sleeveless sweater vest/cardigan for work and play? Thanks!  

FYI - like this one... 

 

Answer:

Mamas, this question had me stumped.  I couldn't come up with anything inspired, or fresh, or even all that good.  Even worse, I don't own a vest like this (though I do own a few cozy vests), so I couldn't even play around, waiting for inspiration to strike. Granted, my head has been elsewhere (Fall trends last month, leggings and  Clark desert booties this month)...but regardless, on the vest front I was totally, completely lost.

But do you remember, a month or so back, when I was featured on Life in Mod?  Well.  The blogger behind it, Camille, is a gorgeous Mama, and one of those incredibly creative, DIY sorts.  I emailed her, asking for her take on this reader question.  Thankfully, she came up three fabulous options.

Reader Q | How To Style A Navy & White Striped Knit Blazer?

Reader Q:

Hello!

I am 9 month postpartum with twins and your site has really helped me get styling ideas for my new lifestyle and new body (read - huge boobs and poochy belly).  I recently picked up this knit blazer at Land's End to help me look polished but be able to move freely to keep up with my now mobile twins...

...but everything I try it on with looks boring and predictable (like the model's outfit).  Do you have any ideas for mixing interesting colors or patterns or silhouettes with this blazer? 

Thanks for all your help!

- A

Answer:

Yeah...these blazers are surprisingly tough.  When they first popped onto the scene I was excited:  stripes AND a soft, sweat-shirty knit in a blazer?  Yessss!  But then...these blazers often look so darn preppy and, as you mentioned, predictable.  

The key, I think, is to pair these with slightly subversive pieces.  Which sounds scarier than it looks.  Here's three ways I'd style these babies up:

*Note:  In the collages, I'm using this Juicy Coture Blazer instead, simply because the pic was cleaner.  But the LE knit blazer will work nicely here too.

The Three Fall Transition Outfits I Can't Stop Wearing

We had a fabulous Labor Day weekend.  Saturday, we went to the shore (natch) and on Sunday?  It rained.  I mean the heavens opened and it poured.  Great, big, fat, sopping-wet raindrops.  And we loved it.  We splashed in puddles (Pax rolled in them) and then we all came inside for hot chocolate and pancakes.  A perfect way to welcome September.

Raines starts pre-school week after next, and already my mind is turning to cool nights, crunching leaves and that slightly smokey smell of Fall air.  Ooooo....so excited.

However, the temps are staying firmly in the 80's over here.  With cah-razy humidity.  So here's what I've been wearing to satisfy my Fall cravings, without drowning in sweat.  

Swap Cut-Offs For Cold-Weather Shorts, Add Booties

You know I love my cut-offs.  But on days when I'm really craving Fall, I swap 'em out for something more substantial.  Personally, I love faux-leather (mine were $15 from Forever 21), but a cool tweed short would also work.  Add ankle boots for a perfect early-Fall pairing.

My boys have suddenly turned crazytown.  They never, EVER, stop.

(wearing: tee from Anthropologie, faux-leather shorts from Forever 21, Clarks booties - similar here, fringe bag from Piperlime - similar here)

 

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:

Shop Your Closet: Shorts and Sweaters - A Perfect Mom-i-form For Spring?

(wearing: J.Crew striped cashmere sweater - now on crazy-sale in a different color, Madewell shorts, Salt sunnies)

I love so much about Spring - the flowers, the lush green, the fresh smell of earth and rain....but sartorially, it kinda drives me nuts.  I'm so amped up for warm temperatures, but I typically wake to 40-something degrees.  Only to dress for it, then find myself sweltering around 2PM as the temps climb near 70.  Denver was the worst, but Philadelphia can compete:  Hello, humidity.

But these are good problems to have, Mamas. If you haven't yet gotten around to voting for my nanny's Harambee Aquaponics Project in Kenya, please do so now.  At the time of this writing, they are only in the #4 spot...and they need to get to #1.  (Want more info?  Read our article on the project here.)

Ok.  Back to our silly little concerns.  

Shop Your Closet: Try The Monochromatic Trend....Mom-Style

Mamas, did you see this pic?  It's currently on the front of jcrew.com...

 

Monochromatic dressing at it's best.  The model is rocking shades of the same color, as well as different textures.  Awesome.  

But man...this look is a pretty big commitment to tangerine.   I'm willing to bet that most of us don't own five (five!!) pieces of clothing in matching-ish hues (black and gray do not count...nor does white or navy).

Madewell has a slightly-toned-down version:

"Start with our Garment-Dyed Midi Shorts, then pile on pieces in the same color family.  Voila!"  says Madewell.

So I surveyed my closet.  My momdrobe consists of a whole lotta cotton, cotton and more cotton (throwing "varying textures" out the window)...in mostly navy, white and gray.

So I expanded my search to include night-out pieces.  And I came up with this little outfit....which would be perfect for a moms night out:

(wearing: old Gap cowlneck top, J Brand waxed purple denim, purple heels by Kimel - similar here) 

Shop Your Closet: Layer Thigh High Socks Over Your Tights

Yup.  I'm still messing around with these things.  You first saw them here, where I used a little flash of thigh to distract from my post-partum tum and dark-circled eyes.  Pretty effective, actually.  And a thicker, less dressy pair here, when I channeled my husband's fourth-grade self (Wow - I just made Mike sound like a cross-dresser.  Just to clarify:  He was/is NOT.)  

In any case, I own a couple of thigh-highs, but they don't get used nearly enough to justify the enormous amount of room they take up in my sock drawer.  So I decided to mess around with the black pair, seeing if I could make them both daytime appropriate and mom-friendly.

Incidentally, thigh-highs (or over-the-knee-socks, if you prefer) always look spot-on peeking out over the top of over-the-knee boots.  

I do not own over-the-knee boots.  

So.  

I tried them on with my tallest boots:

(wearing: J.Crew cashmere v-neck sweater, Banana Republic scarf, Forever 21 shorts and tights, Plush thigh-highs, vintage Frye boots) 

Not bad, right?  But I hardly reach for my vintage Fryes on a daily basis.  So to keep this look mom-friendly, I tried black flats: