Maternity Week Day 2: Rules of Conduct

Maternity dressing, historically, has not been a pretty sight.  It seems not much over a century ago women often went nearly into hiding to avoid going out and looking pregnant.

Here are some helpful tips on do's and don'ts, all working toward developing a great pregnant look!

DON'T

-Wear tops tying in front at an empire waist, especially in a bow- your belly is not a wrapped gift! Just throw that bow away, or even use a skinny belt in its place

- Sport shirts that are too short- showing the belly underneath 

-Give up and just wear pajamas and sweat pants every day

-Have a shirt with a slogan about the baby, being pregnant, or your hormones.  Not so much cute

-Cut your hair short!!! Resist the urge. Longer haircuts are universally more flattering and slimming.

DO

-Wear horizontal stripes... don't be afraid!

-Substitute some well constructed (non-see thru) leggings in place of sweat pants for comfort

- Incorporate contemporary styles into your look

-Shop non-maternity. When it fits, it fits! The size on the label doesn't matter, fit matters

-Have an all black look.  It is slimming after all, and very chic

-Wear fun, colorful prints

-Play up accessories. And best of all, accessories can be worn at all sizes! Layer with scarves when possible as well

-Wear pants that fit. Tops can look great oversized, but pants do not

-Belt a high waist.  Pull it in at your smallest point without the tired bow look.

-Incorporate (sensible) heels when possible

Maternity Week Day 1

Being the first day, I thought it only appropriate to highlight the most important element to a pregnant woman's wardrobe-- great jeans!  Great jeans can be used year round with any top, maternity or non.

My recommendation would be this: having at least one great pair, preferrably in a dark wash with a straight to skinny leg.  The tendency for most women is to choose a looser pair, but the jeans can add a slimming effect to almost any top, whether it billows or not, balancing out a growing tummy.  The key here is finding jeans that fit, and are not baggy on the back of the thigh!

(Asos jeans are pictured)

They can be found at:

Target
Old Navy
Asos
Gap
Loft
Lucky Brand
Piperlime

Another alternative to the dark denim is black denim, especially more feasible during the colder months.  It helps create the same, slimmed look that can easily be paired with any variety of tops.

These can be found at:

Motherhood Maternity
Asos
Pea in the Pod
Piperlime
Joes

Pretty in Prego: Week of Looks

Now that spring is in full bloom, it seems like everyone is pregnant!

I feel like we are so lucky these days to have such great alternatives for maternity fashion that did not exist 20 years ago.  We can wear more than just Muumuus or humongous parachute-like tops.

In honor of all things maternal, next week will be Maternity Week, featuring daily fashionable looks inspired by celebs and other trendy moms-to-be in, as always, an affordable manner.

Hair Do Review

Remember this post about the new updo attempt for church? Here is what I thought...

First of all, the greatest lesson I learned was that the look would be ideal for thicker hair, or even shorter hair. My long and then thin hair at the time made for thinner, longer braids than the tutorial pictured.

Also, I need darker bobby pins!

I really loved having my hair all up off my neck, and I loved the face-framing effect with the braids.  I would give the updo a 6 out of 10 for ease to make (I had to redo the braids and wrapping a few times, and it is always hard to see the back of your head), and a 7 out of 10 for total look. It did fall out a bit over the next couple hours, but I'm sure I could have sprayed it a bit more.

The main hang-up was the stringy hair, and since my most recent haircut last week I think it would be worth a second try!

Happy Readers, Happy Blog

I have been thoroughly enjoying the start-up of this new blog! Despite the busy holiday season and moving for what feels like months, I have been so happy to have kept up with posting, researching new ideas, and continually attempting to improve.

Now here is where you, the readers, be it casual or faithful, come in. Now that many posts have been done, I would love to know what you think!

What do you like, dislike, or hope to see more of? What would be interesting and helpful for you?

Easy Wardrobe Updates Vol 5: Stripes Are a Girl's Best Friend

A never-ending obsession of mine is stripes. They are classy, timeless, yet have the quality of style that always remains. Stripes add that ideal amount of pattern without overdoing the look and in an effortless manner.

Slip on a striped tee with jeans and your outfit is ready to go!

Super Stripes by pcordon featuring a button sweater

Prints, Prints, and More Prints

Today's post comes again from the ever-stylish guest blogger Courtney.


If there's one trend right now that I'm totally loving and obsessing over, it's mixing prints. It all started a few months ago when I saw this fabulous outfit of a J. Crew employee posted on Pinterest.

Love it. Love it. Love it. 

Inspired by this look, I thought it would be fun to put together some outfits that show off how to mix your prints the right way. Because, let's be honest, a bad mix of prints can look like you're back in middle school on clash day. 

There are a couple things I try to keep in mind when mixing prints - first, I usually mix a smaller print with a big print, and second, I look for items that have complementary colors or similar hues (not necessarily matchy-matchy, but you know, colors that go together).

Here are six examples I thought would be helpful in illustrating how to successfully mix prints. (Starting with the top left and working our ways clockwise...)

Combo #1 and #2 - this floral blouse is a slightly larger print, so I paired it with orange bermuda shorts with small white embroidered polka dots. If the shirt and shorts is a little too loud for you, another option would be to add the navy and orange striped v-neck sweater. The colors are not an exact match to the shirt, but they are similar hues. Additionally, the stripes on the sweater are small enough that they don't become distracting to the floral blouse. Hate florals? Why not pair the shorts and sweater together?

Combo #3 - using different prints, I again went for the one large/one small print combination, and stuck with two classic colors.

Combo #4 and #5 - using this navy and white polka dot cropped sweater, I first grabbed the striped tank to go with it. The prints are actually around the same size, but neither print is too bold that they distract from each other. The second option I paired with the sweater is this bird print blouse. Again, the print sizes are about the same, but the polka dot print is slightly wider than the bird print, making it so they don't compete too much next to each other.

Combo #6 - Stripes go with just about any print, in my opinion. I love this thin striped button-up with the paisley skirt. I would also pair stripes with leopard any day of the week.

Mixed Prints by courtneyjrich featuring printed tops

J Crew polka dot top
$88 - jcrew.com

J Crew vintage style shirt
$88 - jcrew.com

J Crew long sleeve top
$72 - jcrew.com

J Crew crew neck top
$70 - jcrew.com

American Eagle Outfitters slimming top
$30 - ae.com

Old Navy printed top
$37 - oldnavy.gap.com

Forever 21 polka dot top
$23 - forever21.com

Old Navy striped top
$15 - oldnavy.gap.com

J Crew paisley skirt
$98 - jcrew.com

J.Crew flat front shorts
$68 - jcrew.com

V Tee Week Friday

One of the great things about being a girl is being able to look cute any day you want.  I love style icons like Rachel Zoe, who say everyday is an occasion to dress up and look awesome... And why not!

Today's look highlights that philosophy of enjoying femininity and a little bit of celebratory feel as well.

Happy V Tee Week!!

V Tee Week Fri by pcordon featuring a boyfriend jacket

V Tee Week Thursday

Who doesn't like a little glamor? Today's look shows the more glamorous side of the easy V Tee!

V tee week thurs by pcordon featuring skinny leg jeans

V-Tee Week Wednesday

Below is a look that has great appeal in both comfort and aesthetics.  Pairing fun, bright colors make the look cheerful and sweet, easy for anyone to wear.

V Week by pcordon featuring loose t shirts