outfit #1: gap tee / j.crew shorts / steve madden sandals
outfit #2: nine west button-up / j.crew shorts / ann taylor cardigan / steve madden sandals
outfit #3: banana republic short-sleeve jacket / j.crew shorts / nine west wedges
outfit #4: ann taylor cardi / nine west button-up / ann taylor loft skirt / steve madden sandals
outfit #5: nine west button-up / ann taylor loft skirt / nine west wedges
outfit #6: ann taylor cardi / ann taylor loft skirt / steve madden sandals 
*all c/o thredUP

Yep, I did wear a cardigan backwards in that last outfit - fun and simple way to make an otherwise ordinary outfit more exciting and noticeable.

outfit #1: gymboree cardigan / old navy tee / tractor jean shorts
outfit #2: gymboree cardigan / old navy tee / gap khakis (brand new) 
*all c/o thredUP

The only way I could get Mads to stand relatively still for this was by bribing her with a ring pop - haha.
Hey, do what ya have to.
................

Yeh. So.

$100. Eight outfits for Spring.

6 for me and 2 for the tot. 

Incredible, right?

I could have employed my best sale shopping skills to score this much elsewhere, but...

I probably would have failed. 

Miserably. 

Take it from me. ThredUP is where it's at. 

They have flawless used clothing from top notch brands, all at a great price.  

Yes, you could scour your local thrift shops for Spring outfits, 

but I am telling you...

you won't find the quality and selection that you'll find at thredUP. 

Plus- you can shop on your bum, with coffee in hand.

I mean, win win. 

*click on over here to get $10 to spend*

You can see the last used clothing challenge I did with thredUP here. 

& I can't not include little buddy...I heart him so...

Ingrid & Isabel | shirred pencil skirt

THE LOOK:

scarf | BR, similar 

floral sweater | F21, similar - I wore it when I was pregnant w/ Moo too (wearing a size L)

shirred pencil skirt | c/o Ingrid & Isabel

cuff | F21

black riding boots | Steve Madden, similar

Life is starting to get uncomfortable- exercising, cuddling with Mads, eating, sleeping...everything is a bit ehh. I'm not at the get-this-baby-outta-me stage yet, but I'm definitely feeling...pregnant. Recently I haven't been dressing up much because of this fact. It just makes me feel more uncomfortable, want to give up and throw on my pjs (not usually a good look when leaving the house- ha).

This, my dears, is where Ingrid & Isabel's shirred pencil skirt has come in handy. It feels like I'm wearing pajamas, but doesn't look like it! Win. Not only that, but I don't think it has to always be dressy. I'm thinking I'll wear it with flats, an over-size graphic tee and denim jacket next time.

I've learned, through both of my pregnancies, the importance of having those basic clothing items that you can rock throughout your entire pregnancy (comfortably). This skirt is now one of mine. 

Happy Monday! Enjoy today. - I saw this pin, loved it...wanted to share with you. :)

thredUP used clothing challenge | outfit #3

Here is my ThredUP outfit #3! If you've been following along since Monday, you know all about the awesomeness that is ThredUP and the used clothing challenge I have taken on with them this week. If you missed it, you can get caught up here & here.  This was right after Moo locked herself in her room (for the 3rd time...I don't learn, apparently). She was crying on one side of the door, me on the other...it was a lovely scene. ha. DaDa came to the rescue (for the 2nd time). After that we decided it was about time to go and get anti-lock knobby things. They didn't have the ones we needed, so now I have resorted to covering our door locks with blue tape. Classy.  Oh, toddler times. Always keeps things lively :).   THE LOOK RL Jeans co. | c/o thredUP Gap tank | c/o thredUP Banana Republic shorts | c/o thredUP Nine West pumps | c/o thredUP

Maternityshmernity: J.Crew Edition

You know you really hit a nerve when VOGUE suddenly starts showcasing a few articles echoing your own "maternity wardrobe epiphany". Anna Wintour & Co still manage to stay relevantly aware of all grassroots trends, fashion and culturewise. This article was great, minus the caszh references to chokingly expensive designer labels. This other article  caused me to actually laugh out loud while reading, and then left me wanting to vomit. 
VOGUE's idea of "saving money" for your pregnancy wardrobe is, naturally, to spend $221 on non-maternity pants. And $4,000 on the handbag. Aware that I sound like a superbly arrogant ass, I have to say - I was unimpressed with their outfit ideas. 
I could do better. I did do better.
The next few posts in the series will showcase a few of my all-time favorite labels and how I am wearing them/making it work preggas. Starting with.... J.CREW!

(grey vintage cotton tank)
Why I Love J.Crew for Maternityshmernity Outfits:
1) Quality of the Fabric. This is key! Let's start with their Jersey. Shana over at Ain't No Mom Jeans perfectly shows the importance of quality fabric - its all in the drape! A really good Jersey Cotton will stretch beautifully, giving you ample room for comfort over your pregnant curves, but it will also drape well so that you don't look dumpy or figure-less. 

Black Kimono-sleeve Maxi  Green strapless (old-  it was an "Amie" dress, this is the only one available this year. Mine doesn't have a drawstring waist, so don't know if that would work) These two dresses I have included in my J.Crew lookbook here are both size Medium - but it works, not because I have some unrealistically perfect bod [I don't] but because they were not made cheaply. 
2) The Regularity of the Sales. The best part about both these dresses is I bought them on Final Sale. The green one I actually got two years ago (it looks nicer than clothes I get from Target after only two weeks) and it was around $20. It looks so much like a Hatch Collection dress, its just way way way way wayyyyy cheaper! And has the same amount of quality!
In fact, every item I have that I am using right now for my non-maternity-maternity closet was bought on super clearance. I haven't paid more than $20 for a top or $50 for a dress (and most of the normally $90 dresses were bought in the $20 range too!). Things just don't go on clearance like this if they have maternity labels. 
Yes, on sale they are the cost of full-price Target, but I find it to be worth every penny for how long they stay in my closet as favorites and staples. And withstand all the wear! (See point 1).

3) The Style. Oh the style! The most compliments I have gotten over what I'm wearing this pregnancy have been, predictably, when I'm in J.Crew. They are always so ahead of everyone else with their styles, and yet so timelessly classic, that you can wear things that are YEARS old and people will still ask you "Where did you get that?!"

My particular faves at the moment are the highlighter pink Vintage Cotton V-neck and the Graphic tee.  Covering my pregnant butt are the maternity essentials - shorts. I cut up an old pair of bootcut maternity jeans (think they were from Target) for the denim shorts, and bought the white and black shorts from Old Navy during a promotion. I have my eye on a few GAP pairs too - those will probably be my next Maternity purchase! :)
Thanks to my ingenuity with these outfits, I've been able to stash aside a little extra for shoes. I am a shoe-fetish girl, so this is an instant happy boost for this preggas. 
the shoes: Jack Roger's Navajo's TOMS BR Wedges, similar
-Kallah at Being Open to Life

maternityshmernity: business casual for the s.a.h.m

Outfit posts are hard. Seriously.  I was a fashion blogger virgin before this series, and I was all, "Get cute (high res) pics of myself looking my best and put them online a few times a month? psshhh. Doing it in my sleep!" And after just two of these suckers, I'm all,  "How do you people do it??!!?!" [Camille.]

My husband is getting his MBA, and last Friday evening he really wanted me to accompany him to a little get-together of his fellow classmates and a few of their professors.  It was a very lowkey event... everyone else was showing up at the bar just in their business clothes.  This was, however, more intimidating to me than if it had been fairly formal. Being a staying at home mom makes business caszh tough enough... throw in a growing bump and you have quite a challenge. Have you noticed that alot of maternity clothes are either yoga-style comfy/casual, or going-to-a-wedding-style formal? I didn't want to stand out too much...but I did want people to be able to tell without a shadow of a doubt that I am pregnant, not smuggling muffins.  (ok- I may been sticking out my little 4 month bump a bit in these pictures)

my outfit: blazer- thrift find! // short sleeve top (sm.)- *anthro. // white Blanqi (reg. length) // 7 for All Mankind denim- on sale at Nordstrom Rack (duh) // jewelry- J.Crew + Banana Republic //  diaper bag- Ellington Handbags

*anthro runs pretty boho roomy in some things, so it makes it ideal for our series! this will probably only fit me for one more week lol, but then it'll make for a great transition time when I have that weird post-partum jellybelly going on

These pictures are not what I had envisioned when planning this post. 

For one, I had no control over the fact that the weather dropped from 60 on Thursday,

to 40 degrees on Friday night, when we went out. 

40 degrees and wet. And windy. And chilling to the bone.

I had planned on wearing some cute heels with this outfit but it was just too cold and wet, 

so these Banana Republic black boots had to do. 

(no longer available - these are not similar because they have a heel and I am anti-tall-boot-heel)

Ya'll like my diaper bag? Yeh, diaper bag.

Diaperbagshmiaperbag. 

This bag made me feel lux and confident among all those MBA girls. More details coming in the next post ;). 

Fashion bloggers: clap clap clap. How you make it look so easy beats me. 

my little Valentine creeper

my Valentine's Day outfit: pink polka dot scarf- Cottage Chic // white tee w/ neon pink accents- Cottage Chic // Joe's Jeans- Cottage Chic // *trench- BR ($40 on sale sale!)- similar // booties- Old Navy // DIY sparkle heart canvas bag 

My darling Madeline manages to creep her way into most of my outfit shots. I think it's hysterical...and totally my reality as a mama. I have tried to keep her out of the pic on several occasions, but I soon gave up....b/c why should I really? This is my real life and I want to share that with you. No pretending here! lol. I hope you enjoy my little creeper, b/c I think she'll be sticking around for a long while ;).  B-t-dubs, if you'd like some further Valentine's outfit inspo...head on over to my post on Scoop Charlotte!  ps. have you seen my new and improved 'About me' page yet? It only took me a year. 

*the beautiful trench was an early b-day gift and the lovely person that gifted it knows how very much I appreciate it :). Thank YOU!

Maternityshmernity: a Night Out

Hey! I'm here with my FIRST EVER FASHION POST.  Please be forgiving. 

I lovvvvve dressing up. I love playing with my huz's Nikon D40. Handing said Nikon to someone to have them take pics of me, posing, dressed up? Not so much love for that one.  But what's a maternity style series without real-life illustrations? 
I am doing this for you people. This past Monday night, I went on a little Moms Night Out for the Mothers of Toddlers group (MOTs) at my Church. We went to a cute little restaurant near the NoDa side of Charlotte, The Peculiar Rabbit, and as its hipster name would suggest, it was super cool and the food was uh-may-zing. I had just scored some loot from Ann Taylor the day before at the mall... this gorgeous coral (looks bright red in these pics, but its really tangeriney-coral) silk button down was originally $98, but I paid $20 for it! I also found some pretty bracelets. Trying to vamp up my accessories this pregnancy.

I had gone shopping this past weekend in search of transitional tops  - I have already outgrown all my tops. They are so uncomfortable. I read somewhere that it isn't uncommon for women in their second pregnancy to feel like their breasts get bigger way faster than they did in the first pregnancy... anddddd that has definitely been the case for me! 

I'm hoping it means they, um, stabilize, at the size they are now though. That would be appreciated.

Because the shirt is silk, it drapes really nicely, despite the sheer size of it. (I got it in a 12... we'll see how long it'll last... but it'll definitely be an awesome transition shirt for now and the month of August that I am postpartum with that gross, puffy jelly belly!).

And I felt pretty darn attractive in it, which is most important!

These black leggings are the Topshop maternity ones I showed y'all in my Basics post. They are thick enough to cover all and sundry cracks, and super comfy. Plus I love the length - I hate when leggings bunch up at the bottom. Too 80s.

The bracelet (Banana Republic) really makes me  happy. I never accessorize, so this is a big step for me. I'm growing up. These flats are my absolute favorite things - they are J.Crew "Cecilia"'s, and I am surprised by how much I love them, since I usually never go for patent leather shoes. But something about the black trim w. the leopard print goes well with the patent. Classic yet unexpected. I love it.

Oh and, okay, one "belly" pic. Though its so embarrassing.  My belly is just poochy right now!

Yep. Not a fashion blogger. Written all over my face.

(those were the alternate shoes - from Nordstrom Rack - that I ended up feeling too shy to wear. Not when I won't be drinking!)

Moral of this post: when in the end of the first slash beginning of the second trimester,  balance maternity comfort (the leggings)  with drapey tops that will be kind to your awkwardly changing body, and be a little adventurous with the fabric and accessories. And if you are not born a fashion blogger yet have fashion blogging thrust upon you...  try not to make such awkward faces.  The End. Kallah