Ladylike CosmoPrep

I have always wanted an hourglass figure. (Me and millions of other women!) This is what I do when I want to pretend that my bottom half is equal to the top.
Notice how the line of demarcation is where this trumpet skirt begins to flare out.
This is the first time I've worn these two pieces together. I enjoyed wearing it for Valentine's Day. I'll have to do it again.

So with only 7 more weeks to go before the big day and the weather turning quickly from spring to summer my maternity BFs and boot cut jeans make me sweat just thinking about putting them on. Where I live summer temps mean humid, sticky, stuck-to-the-couch kind of weather. So at least 1 or 2 pairs of maternity shorts are a must as my collection of dresses is small and does not provide a lot of variety.

Two weeks ago I went on an all out search for reasonably priced (cheap! - I admit it) shorts that would accommodate my belly (notice I did not say maternity).  Like most other things once you label an article of clothing as having some sort of specialty short-term function the price automatically increases by 100%. (Example: "wedding dress" and "maternity" anything) I searched high and low and ended up in the places I would normally shop, which I thought was hilarious since it goes completely against conventional wisdom. When shopping my normal haunts I simply looked for stretchy, comfy, no-fail, knit-jersey pieces in a much larger size. I also went with makers I knew provide generously cut sizes.

I was successfully rewarded with a combo I was NOT looking for or expecting -- A SKORT.  It's been so long since my last pair I barely remember them, nor was I aware that they still made them ;-) Anyway I found a pair in extra large white knit jersey with a draw string (perfect for a slightly smaller post-partum belly to finish out the summer).  What a perfect solution! So even if my shorts bunch in unflattering ways as I walk (as they did today) all anyone will see is a cute white skirt YAY!

I was also rewarded with a real skirt in black size XXL. Here are 2 quick pics of my finds. You'll probably see these a lot in the coming weeks.

Happy Monday!

I think maybe I've got the proportions right finally -- so regardless of what my tummy is doing from week to week I can get dressed without trying to reinvent the wheel.
#1 Skinny jeans just don't do it for me. They're nice but as the weather warms up this silhouette isn't going to be my most flattering
#2 I need tops that stop right about my crotch or slightly below fitted is better (snug would be a disaster ;-))
#3 Bootcut, boyfriend or wide leg jeans & trousers work best (pregnant or not). I am so glad I ordered a new pair of jeans from LOFT I believe it was K.Period. (Thank you!!!) who told me they offer maternity clothes. I had been putting off getting jeans because I was afraid the inseams would be too short and the hips would be cut far too wide. The 33" inseam is perfect and that is exactly what LOFT offers. I am in heaven. I'm wearing:

• ON cami in lavender
• ON cardi with gray cheetah print 
• LOFT maternity jeans 
• Vera Wang Lavender Ballet flats

How do you like my new boot cuts?

I love a black white gray and cognac color combo. For someone who adores color it is surprising that I love this near absence of color. Maybe because the neutrals allow the orange tones to really stand out.

So it's not quite low 60's and it will probably get cooler once the sun goes down  so I have 2 alternatives for today. Currently it's about 55 degrees so it's probably going to be warm in the car -- no need for a coat, but it's cool so I'm wearing a wool sweater. As for now I am leaving to run errands as soon as I post so ballet flats will rule for now. However the boots are a nice backup for the evening when the temps will drop. I was playing around in my closet yesterday (the effort was tiring so I did not make it out as I had intended -- growing a baby is hard work ;-)!)

(No maternity clothes in sight!) I'm wearing:

• BR wool open front cardi
• ON scoop neck stretch tee in black
• ON black and cream tribal print midi skirt
• 7 Hills braided leather belt
• Vera Wang silver snake print embossed ballet flat 
• Miz Mooz cognac boot 
• Kenneth Cole reaction orange tote

This outfit came together with little effort once I decided that I wanted to wear gray with yellow. I love this combination with white and I'm channeling my inner Angie with a half tuck and white belt. My pants are less than crisp as I snapped this photo at the end of what seemed to be an endless day. I'm looking forward to getting sworn in tomorrow morning. I'll definitely have my "real attorney" garb handy.
Let me know what you think.

So, I have a few events coming up and the weather has shifted from 90's to the 60's. I certainly want to break out with the fall attire but I am not quite ready for fall's moody color palette. I like soft gray because it's light and airy with white and lightens up black I decided to work with a few new items:

• Gray Old Navy Rockstar jeans
• Silver and beige Vera Wang Ballet flats
• Fit and flare black and white dress
• Blue & Gray sleeveless Simply Vera tee 

I also thought this would be a great exercise today because DH's birthday is Sunday, I am going to a party tomorrow night, and I'm attending an evening reception at the Art Institute in the next few weeks. These are my favorite outfits I came up with. I can't really call this a capsule as the inspiration for some of these outfits come directly from or were inspired by my Pinterest boards. No make up in any of the pics ( I hope I don't scare anybody ;-)) Let me know what you think.

BTW #16 is going to the party tomorrow. I twisted my ankle slightly earlier this week so standing around and dancing in heels is not going to work.

So I finally challenged myself to create a capsule that was for the way I really live my life. I've done them before for week-end trips, week-long trips, but never for just day-to-day life. I am so excited about this capsule because once the weather turns I won't spend an hour in front of my closet wondering what to wear every morning. 

Creating a capsule is not the easiest thing in the world to do. So why do it? This is what I wrote on Shannon's post and I don't believe there is a better way to sum up the way I feel about it, "Creating a capsule is akin to having the space and time to set your closet up like your favorite store with everything in its place and a place for everything. You can just grab what you like and go". It's SO satisfying!

I wish I could tell you that the creative process itself is satisfying. NOT! The entire process took 6 hours and at times messy and frustrating. My inspiration was a pair of mauve khakis that I love but rarely wear because the color is hard for me to work with. Ultimately I did not use them in this capsule but they did set tone for the tops I picked, which did not change through out the process. 

My first mistake was choosing all solid tops. Although the tops were different styles the colors were the same tones as the bottoms -- no pop. This meant I had to work hard accessorizing to make the outfit pop to my satisfaction (I love contrast). So back to the drawing board I went looking for higher-contrast printed tops. I really wanted outfits that didn't rely heavily on accessories because the best capsules seemed to be able to stand on the integrity of how the pieces were mixed and matched. Excessive accessorizing seemed like cheating. 

Other than the solid top mishap I had no trouble following Angie's guidelines to create at least 30 different outfits. 

I feel so silly saying this but I am so proud that I was able to put together a capsule that is polished enough to go to work (which I am sure will be coming soon!), sassy enough for date night, and casual enough for Saturday errands. I managed to use pieces that I loved but were not being worn enough. It fulfills my goal from January of integrating my "work" wardobe and my "off-duty" wardrobe into a cohesive style that represents my evolving aesthetic in every area of my life. I really believe everyone should do this for themselves at least once. 

I've posted a few of my favorites. I had to leave my head and face out of it because my hair and face were a complete mess from my efforts. Plus you really only want to see the outfits ;-) 

I thought Beth Ann's post about festival wear was interesting because it combines seemingly opposing forces comfort, function and fashion.  So I decided to use my go-to summer outfit and see if I could make it more functional using some of Beth Ann's ideas.

So I also wore this because of requests I had from forum members to wear the twin to this dress. I regret not adding a picture of me wearing my bronze cross body bag which came in very handy and added to the functional quotient of this outfit.

So what do you think comfy, functional and fashionable?

I'm wearing:
Old Navy, dress & cardigan
Converse All Stars in mint green

Deborah said in another post somthing I thought was interesting very interesting.  "... such a pretty look but not juvenile..does that make sense?" I think this idea completely makes sense because we've been trained to think of pretty as young, without substance or depth. I'm thinking the proverbial airhead. 

It wasn't until I joined YLF that I realized that pretty could be grown up and didn't need to be just ballarinas, pink tulle and sparkles. What do you think?

Well -- I admitted last night that I was a card-carrying member of team wear. I got my new shoes in the mail and promptly solicited YLF for styling advice. This is what I came up with after all the great suggestions. (THANK YOU!) I was pretty happy with this outfit. I just wish I had some cropped trousers (note to self) because the slouchy hem was not quite what I was looking for but I'm satisfied with this first attempt.

Constructive feedback is always welcomed.