mom style for spring

I am far from a style expert. And I would be very hesitant to ever offer fashion advice to someone else. But I know what works for my body. And I know how to shop for myself.

It’s clear that I have a certain style and that has become even more narrow and defined since becoming a mom. I need clothes that move and keep it easy for me to move. I have to be able to set up the stroller, get in and out of the car a lot, lift big boys, and sit on the floor.

I am not a fan of shorts. And skirts just aren’t practical in the summer time. I like some cropped pants, but I prefer to roll up a skinny jean.

But I love me some jeans.

So I put together some of my favorite items for the spring and summer. I have some of these things and some of these things are on my wish list.

We’ll be spending the summer at the zoo, the children’s museum, the beach, and just piddling around town. And when the temperatures reach 110, we won’t be going anywhere.

But let’s not focus on summer. I prefer to enjoy spring for as long as possible before even talking about summer. All the shopping information is under each set if you’re interested.

Mom Style Spring

Spring Mom Style 2
Spring Mom Style
Mom Style Spring 3
Mom Style Spring 4
Mom Style Spring 5
Mom Style Spring 6

Mommy Wardrobe Dilemma: an update

Hey, y’all!

I hope you’re all having a great week. Be sure to check out the Erin Condren giveaway and enter if you haven’t yet.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my mommy wardrobe dilemma. I was struggling to get dressed every day and struggling to find comfortable, practical and flattering pieces to fit my mommy role.

I challenged myself to take a picture in the bathroom of my outfit every day before 8:45 a.m. for one week. I have to have Hudson at school by 9:00, so we’re always out the door by 8:45 every morning. My goals were to 1.) not wear my pajamas and 2.) try to put together a real “look” every day.

So here’s how it all shook out.

As you can see, I have a bit of a uniform. I managed to only wear my white jeans twice last week. But I also wore open cardigans three times, a tunic twice, and a tunic-like blouse once. Not too bad. And on Friday, Hudson and I went to Little Gym and then when I got home, I went for a walk with both of my boys, so I’m in yoga pants and…. yep… an open cardigan.

Besides earrings, I’m not great at accessorizing in the morning. I need to work on that.

The combination of bathroom lighting and iPhone camera is just stellar.

On the way home from the beach, we stopped at the Tanger Outlet Mall outside of Charleston. Because of cranky baby boys, I only made it to the Banana Republic outlet. But I was able to find a gorgeous blouse that is appropriate for church and every day wear. I also found a few open cardigans (surprise, surprise) and a couple of more structured sweaters.

I went to Target one day last week (no, not for Missoni– I don’t “do” prints very much, so Missoni isn’t my style) and found a few great basic cardigans. Again, with the cardigans. Merona (a Target brand) also has my favorite long sleeve tee called the “Ultimate Tee.” I got a few white ones because I know I’ll be using them to layer all through the fall and winter.

The week that I took the OOTD (outfit of the day, for those of you who weren’t sure) photos, the only two new items were the cardigans from Monday and Friday. Everything else was already in my closet.

So based on what I have now, I compiled a wish list for the season. I would love a new pair of dark, flare leg, higher waisted jeans (not mom jeans, I swear). Flare leg jeans are the most flattering on me and dark denim is the most slimming.

I’ve also got a couple of basic dresses for church or for special occasions on my list.

Every year I buy all new black and brown tights. My favorite brand of tights is Hue. Nordstrom sells them and they rarely snag. But eventually they “pill” so I like to get new tights every year.

I’ve also got my eye on a couple of tunics from Boden and Ann Taylor Loft.

So, really, my wish list isn’t huge or extravagant. I really don’t need much. I was pleasantly surprised with my ability to hop on up and get everyone ready every morning. I found it helped me a lot to lay out my clothes the night before when I laid out the boys’ clothes.

Now my goal is to spice it up a little and accessorize a little bit more.

Details of my outfits for those that may be interested:

Monday: GAP Long and Lean white jeans, Banana Republic sleeveless top in navy and white stripe, Banana Republic cardigan

Tuesday: Milly top (via Gilt circa 2010), Citizens of Humanity Kelly jeans, Kate Spade earrings

Wednesday: Anthropologie white eyelet tunic, Citizens of Humanity Ingrid jeans, Handpicked earrings

Thursday: J.Crew purple cardigan, J.Crew gray ruffle tissue tee, Citizens of Humanity Kelly jeans

Friday: GAP yoga pants, Merona for Target Ultimate Tee, Banana Republic cardigan

Saturday: GAP Long and Lean white jeans, tunic purchased from cash and carry at America’s Mart in Atlanta

mom-style monday: the leggings bandwagon

I know leggings aren’t anything new, but they’re new for me. I was pregnant last fall and winter and wasn’t about to shove my big self into a pair of leggings. Now that I’ve had the baby, I’m still not thrilled about shoving my big self into a pair of leggings, but I’m doing it anyway.

That’s right. I’m on the leggings bandwagon. I ordered some J.Crew leggings a few weeks ago and they were on backorder, so while I was waiting for them to arrive, I decided to make a trip to Ann Taylor LOFT and try on their leggings that have gotten rave reviews from this source.

I tried them on and loved them. I also loved LOFT’s lounge section of the store. These items are perfect for a SAHM, wearing leggings, and trying to cover up her backside.

Yesterday, I trotted down to Starbucks wearing the following items and felt pretty good about it! My backside didn’t feel small, but I wasn’t self-conscious either. I’ll see if I can pull them off with boots.

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Ann Taylor LOFT V Neck Pullover Hoodie in Neutral Ground

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Ann Taylor LOFT Full Length Legging

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J.Crew Sally Pearlized Ballet Flats in Black

And it’s a little chilly here, today, so I’m wearing this other sweater that I got at Ann Taylor LOFT with the leggings. I just love that place right now!

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Ann Taylor LOFT Ribbed Draped Jacket

Are you on the leggings bandwagon? How do you pull it off?

p.s. Here’s a Halloween sneak peek for you! Look at my little Charlie Brown!

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Charlie Brown shirt purchased from Dove’s Nest Designs on Etsy.

mom-style monday: lounge wear edition

Let’s face it. There are days in the life of a stay-at-home-mom when you feel like you never get out of your pajamas. You’re woken up by the sound of crying at 6:00 a.m. and you fall asleep on the couch after you get your little one back to bed. You’re woken up by the sound of crying again two hours later and then your day gets started. Little one doesn’t go back to bed at that point. You find yourself stuck in your ratty high school powder puff football t-shirt (ahem, me this morning) and a random pair of white capri pajama pants.

Please don’t let anyone randomly stop by.

Please let mommy get upstairs and get a shower.

When a shower is not an option for lots of reasons,* you must be prepared with alternative outfits that still look great, but don’t require much effort.

*Hudson is not fooled by his bouncy seat. I appreciate the suggestions of putting him in his bouncy seat in the bathroom, but we’ve tried that. I know, I know. I can just let him cry for five minutes while I get my shower, but then I’m stuck with wet hair. I’ll do a “hair edition” of mom-style Monday so you know what my full hair routine is and how much time that requires. I just have to wait for him to take a solid nap before I can shower– or cook.

So here are some low-fuss, perfectly acceptable for trips to the post office or answering to the door to the nosey neighbor who just “pops by” every day.

I mentioned last fall that I’m in love with Gap’s Perfect Pant. Gap doesn’t sell the Perfect Pant anymore, unfortunately. But I found some good options to replace it.

I decided to incorporate some gym clothes with the lounge wear because Hudson and I like to go on walks and I don’t want to have to change clothes AGAIN to go on the walk. Once again, layers are key. All of today’s lounge wear options are from Gap.

flare-leg-active-pant

This is the Flare Leg Active Pant. It has just enough flare to balance out my hips, but not so much that they’re dragging around the floor and look too much like pajama pants. I like black pants because they hide flaws and look more streamlined when you go out in public. If you’re wearing black lounge pants you don’t look like you’re in pajamas. Unless you’re still wearing your slippers.

gap-tank

Now, this tank is a workout tank, but it has a shelf bra. Now, I can’t typically pull off the shelf bra without using a regular bra for reinforcement, but I love the empire waist on this tank and the slight flare that comes over the hips. This is great for my tummy that still hasn’t gotten back under control after stretching to ginormous proportions with a rather large baby.

sweater-hoodie

I just adore this cotton hooded sweater from Gap. It is so comfy looking, it’s machine washable (you know, because of the spit up), and it’s pretty. I think anything in winter white looks pretty. It’s perfect for just hanging around the house. Put on your cute little earrings, pull your hair up into a ponytail, and you almost look like you spent 20 minutes getting ready that morning. Only you know that you could only get 5 minutes to throw it all together.

Now for the shoes. Remember that this is about lounge wear today and staying comfortable. It’s also about being able to manage your babies and your dogs– meaning you possibly have to run down the street after your Golden Retriever when he takes off after another poor SAHM as she’s strolling her baby past your house. Yes, this has happened.

You’ve got to wear shoes that allow you to move and move without breaking a heel or getting a blister.

(I do like wearing pretty flat sandals with the above options, but those aren’t great for our 3 mile treks around the neighborhood)

These are my favorite options. They’re easy to get on and off– no laces. When your baby is crying and ready to get out the door for a walk and your dog is bouncing from room to room doing the pee pee dance you’ve just got to get out the door!

I love Merrells.

chameleon-arc-mary-jane

The Chameleon Arc Mary Jane

Nike also has a similar option that I had in college– so comfy!

encore-breeze

The Encore Breeze

What do you wear to stay comfy at home without staying in your pajamas all day?


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