mom-style monday

So I decided to start doing Mom-Style Monday because 1.) I love clothes. A lot.  And 2.) I wanted you to see the different outfits that work for me in my new stay-at-home-mom job. Some days I stay in yoga pants. But if I am wearing yoga pants, I’m wearing a J.Crew. ruffle tee on top and a pair of Bernardos.

In this job, comfort is of utmost importance. When the baby is really little you’re not leaving the house much– at least I’m not. But it’s likely that you’re going to have a few visitors, so it’s important to get dressed and look as good as you possibly can. The challenge is finding the time between feeding, burping, changing, crying, and napping to squeak in enough time to make yourself look presentable.

My closet used to be organized by color and I loved that. Now my closet is organized by activity. I have my Monday-Friday outfits that range from casual at home, casual shopping, professional (now just for Todd’s work events), church, and date nights. It’s easiest for me to pull from the area with the category that fits my mood rather than sort through all of my black shirts looking for the one that’s going to work for me on that day.

Each week, I’m going to show you my favorite outfit in my online shopping cart. This week I’m focusing on pretty layers and manageable style.

Layers are crucial because, at any given moment, that precious baby boy could spit up all over my shoulder and I need to be able to take off a cardigan and be good to go without having to go home and find something else to wear. So here’s what I’m loving this week– all from J.Crew, of course.

jackie-cardigan

the Jackie Cardigan

I like the Jackie Cardigan because it’s cotton and can be worn with everything. I have it in four different colors and J.Crew has the Jackie in their collection every year. It never goes out of style. For this outfit, I like it in white or navy.

ruffle-tuxedo-shirt

the Ruffle Tuxedo Shirt

This shirt comes in four different solid colors and I already own the white one, but I love the stripe for my mom-style. It’s a little bit more casual, but has just enough flare to make a really beautiful outfit that appears to be low fuss. If I get hot, I can take off the Jackie Cardigan and if Hudson spits up on the Jackie Cardigan, I’m already wearing something beautiful underneath it with this tuxedo shirt.

stretch-bootcut-cord

Stretch Bootcut Cord

Stretch is key here. I’ve got to be able to get down on the floor and lie down, then get back up while holding a 15 pound baby. There’s lots of movement all day at the house, so I need something durable that can move with me. The Matchstick Cord is my favorite, but they’re not all that flattering on me, so I get the bootcut version. I like this color because it’s not going to show any dog hair and can be worn with lots of tops.

colleen-rose-flats

Colleen Rose Flats

Gorgeous. With two dogs and a baby, however, I wear my brown Danskos in the fall more than anything else. I’ve got to be able to get out with the dogs and not worry about messing up any shoes. If we are leaving the house to go shopping or to lunch, though, I would wear these Colleen Rose Flats with the above outfit.

gilded-tulip-earrings

Gilded Tulip Earrings

My hair ends up in a ponytail on most days. It’s so long and when I’m holding Hudson he always seems to wrap his little fingers around my hair and hold on tight. Ouch! So I just pull it into a loose ponytail. I cannot wear a ponytail without wearing earrings, but I can’t wear dangly earrings for obvious reasons. The shorter the better so they don’t get ripped out of my ears! I think these are adorable.

Next week I’ll show you what I look like on a day where I can’t find any time to get myself put together and show you some good options for loungewear that you wouldn’t mind your neighbor seeing you in!

what's getting me through the heat?

It’s oppressively hot. I’m not a fan of summertime anyway. I like the spirit that comes with summertime, but I don’t like the heat, and I generally don’t love summer clothes. I like jewel tones and layers and that just screams fall to me.

Fall in Central Park. Yum!

No, I don’t have plans to be in Central Park this fall, but I will play in the leaves and we’ll at least do a drive through North Carolina to see some nice leaves changing color and all that fun stuff.

I’ve vowed not to purchase fall clothes in August like I always do. Maybe I’ll wait until mid-September. Even though there’s no chance that it will get below 75 degrees until late October. Hopefully I can trick-or-treat with my baby boy and wear a sweater while I’m doing it!

Please take some time on this Friday afternoon to drool over these two gorgeous and obviously flattering pieces with me from none other than Anthropologie.

wrapped-in-ruffles-jacket

letizia-cardigan

maxi dress: the new mom jean

I’ve talked a little bit about the difficulty of losing the weight that has caused my hips to go up about three sizes. I haven’t started exercising yet, but will as soon as my doctor says “G-O.”

Just because my hips are significantly wider than my waist doesn’t mean that I’ve morphed into mom style and need to wear mom jeans.

mom_jeans

the hilarious ladies of SNL

Even though I’m just hanging out at home with my baby every day, I would like to try to maintain my “Erin” sense of style as much as I can. Thank goodness for the maxi dress, right moms? It accentuates the best assets of a new mom and camouflages the worst. Plus they’re super comfortable! Your body is still exhausted from 24 hours of labor and tight jeans or uncomfortable shorts aren’t the easiest things to wear around the house.

maxi-dress

The maxi dress is as comfortable as a moo moo, but looks much cuter. Your husband will also appreciate seeing you in a maxi dress over a moo moo when he comes home from work! And they’re not all as dressy as the options above. All of my maxi dresses are knit and it’s easy to wash spit up out of them. So God bless the maxi dress as it’s saving new moms every day.

my miracle shirt

Today I’m wearing this. In navy.

hattie-v-neck

The Hattie V Neck from Anthropologie

And I wish I could wear it every day because it’s amazing. Someone told me on Monday that I look thinner than I did before I got pregnant. And that statement is about 12 pounds away from being true.

So if you’re feeling a bit heavy in the mid-section, like I am and will probably be for the next few months, get this shirt. This shirt arrived just in time because I was beginning to feel like there weren’t anymore retailers that sold items that could work as good transitional pieces for me right now. Thanks, Anthro, for never letting me down.

p.s. I also got a couple of empire waist dresses that I can’t wait to wear at the beach next week. If you can’t get rid of the post-baby tum tum, then you’ve got to hide it.

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