What's Old is New Again

I love the transformative power of accessories. The way a statement-making necklace can take wardrobe staples and dress them up (or down). The way a belt can change the shape of a jacket or dress, giving those items new life (and the illusion that you have the tiniest of waists (not possible anymore post-twins, believe me)). Accessories are, to me, miraculous. And even though I now go days at a time and don't even leave my house, I'm still amazed at how much better--more confident, more happy, more ME--I feel on the days I take the time to throw on a pair of earrings or a stack of bracelets. (That's right, I'm saying I'm a better mother when I accessorize.)

Take this outfit I wore last Friday to a lunch date with a friend. Each of the pieces of clothing are so basic. I've also owned them forever (the shoes are the newest, but were purchased two years ago). But by layering on some of the pieces from the Stella & Dot Fall 2011 collection, and a vintage belt and bag, the clothes felt new again. I felt fresh. And pretty (and that never happens anymore).

The lunch, the dressing up, the feeling of being out-and-about midday sans double stroller was a rare treat, and I reveled in it. I left the house feeling tired and disgruntled and came home ready to tackle dishes, dirty diapers, and five days as a single mom while S headed off on a fishing trip. If that's not some kind of transformation, I don't know what is.

wearing: old navy vest, target tank, vintage silk skirt, dolce vita sandals, S&D soiree studs, S&D soiree trio ring, S&D graceful nomad necklace, vintage bag, vintage belt.

The Arm Party

Having babies has seriously cramped my accessorizing. I'm not complaining. I'm happier spending every day in grubby shorts and t-shirts than I ever was getting all dolled up to go sit in an office every day. But sometimes a girl just needs a little bling...bling that can't be hauled on by curious baby-hands. Hence my current obsession with the arm party. Since I can no longer wear my beloved dangley earrings or giant necklaces, why not throw on a massive pile of bracelets?

Sunday Morning arm party

Stella & Dot Renegade Cluster bracelet
Stella & Dot Pyramid Double Wrap bracelet
Bermuda and Cape Cod bracelets

Walk like an Egyptian arm party

Stella & Dot Renegade Cluster bracelet
Bermuda and Cape Cod bracelets
Vintage scarab bracelet and enamel cuff

Super Shiny arm party
Stella & Dot Devi bangles in silver
Stella & Dot Corso cuff
Bermuda and Cape Cod bracelets
Vintage Sarah Coventry bracelet

Belly Update: 23 weeks and counting...

Ever wondered what approximately 24 inches and 2.5 pounds of babies looks like?!

Wearing:
Vintage jacket - 1918 Vintage
Wife beater - stolen from the hubby
Jeans - H&M maternity
Turquoise and brass necklace - Stella & Dot
Turquoise enamel bracelet and ring - vintage

Wow. I've made it through 23.5 weeks, ladies!

We were at a little party on Saturday afternoon and someone asked me if I was enjoying being pregnant. My honest response was simply that I feel unbelievably blessed and thankful to be having this experience after thinking for so long that I wouldn't get to, but that no, "enjoy" is not exactly a word I would marry with "pregnancy." I'm totally jealous of those women who love, love, love being pregnant!

That said, my love for these little guys seems to grow in leaps and bounds every day as I feel them squirm and kick almost non-stop now. And I find myself having really funny conversations with them...like my left twin kicks really, really hard, so every time he does it I always say, "Good job, buddy! That was a good one!" Isn't that silly? Seth catches me and says, "Are you talking to the boys?!" He thinks it's so cute.

On Thursday we go back to our doctor for further testing to find out why our right twin has waaaaaay too much amniotic fluid. We're praying that the problem has just gone away in the last two weeks, but if it hasn't then I'll be tested for gestational diabetes. Considering having twins puts you at a much higher risk for g.d. and throwing in the fact that diabetes is rampant in my family, I'm guessing (hoping--because I cannot even let myself consider that it could be something wrong with him!!!) that is the problem. Please send good vibes our way!

'70s-ish Tiered Layers

I've been completely in love with long, layered '70s-inspired dresses for years, so naturally I think it rocks that they are "in" right now. It's probably the one spring look that I'm really sorry I'm missing out on (layers + pregnant belly = a VERY bad idea). Something about them just feels so breezy, yet luxurious...like something Jacqueline Bisset's character would wear to dinner in Bermuda in the movie The Deep.

Chloe just continues to kill me season after season, and this dress is no exception. I swear when I win the lottery I will wear only Chloe...

...but then check out how cute Kendra from LookBook and the blog If You Want a Piece of Me looks in this vintage number. Her ensemble reminds me once again that there's very little that comes down the runway that we can't find vintage--so why spend a fortune on our wardrobes?

Here I am in the one-and-only tiered frock I own. I wish I had a better, full-length picture of this dress. It's been a fave for 4 or 5 years now, and it's from H&M. It's got a wide tiered ruffle at the top, then a belted waist with a tiered just-below-the-knee length skirt--all done in accordion-pleated nude jersey. AND it ties at the shoulders, which is one of my favorite dress accoutrements ever. I WILL fit back into by next summer...I swear!!!

p.s. Isn't my bff so pretty?

p.p.s. Doesn't that champagne look soooooo delicious? I WILL be drinking that again by next summer, too! ;)

'80s Dress

About six weeks ago I came across an amazing dress from the '80s in one of our local vintage stores, Petrune. The combination of cornflower blue and coral was so striking and the silk fabric so luxurious, that I just couldn't leave it there...particularly after I tried it on with one of the handmade felt belts they are now carrying.

I've been so excited to wear this ensemble so I could share it with you, but haven't had any opportunity that felt special enough to warrant such a spectacular dress--until last Friday night. I thought Anthony Bourdain and dinner at Good Luck were definitely worth dressing up for! Sadly, we didn't take a photo until after dinner and apparently the Negroni I had completely went to my head, because in every photo, I'm making a wonky face and my belt is all disheveled (the hubby needs to learn to be a better stylist!).

Believe it or not, this is the best picture we got, but you can still get the idea. I mean, isn't that an amazing color combo? To tone it down a bit, I paired the dress with all black--an ancient velvet blazer from Old Navy, tights, slouchy suede boots, a vintage crocheted clutch from the '40s--and a vintage brooch and Stella & Dot earrings.

Here's a close-up of the inverted pleats on the puffy sleeves (and also a close-up of the Negroni starting to work its magic...note the glassy eyes!).

I'm just so in love with this dress! I think it's one of those very unique pieces that will hold a very special place in my wardrobe for a long time to come.

One Trick Pony

Wednesday was the first time I wore this little vintage jacket. It's one of those pieces that is almost too pretty to wear--pristine cream wool, amazing fringe-y twine (yep, twine) trim. When I initially bought it, I thought I'd go monochromatic and wear it over a plain camel wool mini-dress or a camel turtleneck, but in actuality, that looks really boring. I really like how this printed cami looks with it, but I hate having a piece I can only wear one way.

What else would you put with this jacket?

Style Icon: The Hitchcock Blonde

I'm very excited to say that on Sunday afternoon the hubby and I are going to our local independent theater to see Rear Window, one of my all-time favorite films. I've seen this movie at least 30 times, and it still scares me every time I watch it (Raymond Burr coming up those stairs and turning out the light bulbs....soooooo creepy!!!). As a little girl, I was very into Hitchcock movies, somewhat for the thrill factor, but mainly to watch those goddess-like, icy-blonde actresses in their exquisite wardrobes play against some of my very first crushes (What? At the age of 7, didn't everyone think they were going to marry Cary Grant?).

The thought of seeing Grace Kelly on the big screen has inspired me to create another Style Icon inspiration board, this time focused on The Hitchcock Blonde (click on the image to see it bigger).

Have a great weekend!

Orthopedic Chic

Today was a pretty crappy day. One bright spot: I was debuting my new DV by Dolce Vita sandals that I bought for less than half-price on Amazon. To me they look just like the sandals my aunt had to wear back in the '80s when she had her hammer toes operated on, but for some strange reason, I dig that.

Here's how I styled them up:

• Black puff-sleeve blazer - Gap (it's truly ancient, but a fave, just the same!)
• Silk "plaid" blouse - eight sixty
• Skinny jeans - Loomstate
• Adrienne mixed chain necklace - Stella & Dot
• Adrienne mixed chain earrings - Stella & Dot
• White gold and diamond ring - gift from the hubby

My day may have gone to hell in a handbasket, but I felt cute. And really--isn't that half the battle?

1 bag + 3 days

I travel a lot for work, so in the three+ years I've been in this position I have honed the fine art of packing light--particularly for shorter trips--and actually enjoy the challenge of seeing how stylish I can be with the fewest number of items.

I've found the key to packing light is to spend some time before a trip considering dress code, the events I'll be attending, weather, etc. Once I've taken these factors into consideration, I then begin assessing what outfits nicely coordinate so that I can take as few accessories and shoes as possible. For shorter trips I typically pack everything in a Vera Bradley duffle and, if necessary, a matching garment bag, which means I have lots and lots of pockets to hold underwear, electronic chargers, my exercise band, etc. I also have a small toiletry organizer that I keep filled with all the essentials (and I refill it as soon as I come home), so that all I have to pack are my glasses/contacts and make-up.

I recently spent three days in Chicago, and for a trip that brief I just couldn't justify packing anything larger than a carry-on (plus waiting at the luggage carousel would cut into the little bit of free time I had...so let's see...should I wait for my suitcase or hit the shoe department at Nordstrom? There's really no question, is there?). Plus the dress code for the training I attended was business casual, so that made packing a carry-on even more feasible since I didn't need to take bulky suits.

Here's the breakdown of the clothes and accessories I packed for Chicago:

• Wide-legged white jeans (Paper Denim Cloth Jayne)
• Yellow hammered silk cami (J. Crew)
• Tan short-sleeved cardigan (Gap)
• Brown bow tank (Gap)
• Olive soutache trim cropped jacket (BCBG Max Azria)
• Olive silk pants (BCBG Max Azria)
• Tan pleated dress (H&M)
• Khaki shirt dress (Bonton)
• Nightie
• Panties/bra
• Chunky tiger's eye necklace (Stella & Dot)
• Hammered gold hoops (Stella & Dot)
• Gold and cream enamel cuff (Vintage)
• Hammered gold and silver stacking rings (Stella & Dot)
• Gold hoops (gift)
• Green amethyst medallion necklace (Tracy Matthews Designs)
• Gold braided bangles (J. Crew)
• Green amethyst ring (gift)
• Cream woven belt (TJ Maxx)
• Green macrame belt (Vintage)
• Tank watch (gift)
• Gladiator sandals (Corso Como)
• Peeptoe wedges (Faryl Robin)

Here's the breakdown of how I wore the outfits: 1. Sunday travel to Chicago; 2. Sunday night reception at Navy Pier; 3. Tuesday training and travel home (these pants were the best thing I've ever travelled in!); 4. Monday night dinner at Cafe Riva; 5. Monday training

I hope these tips help you out after work tonight as you're hurriedly packing a bag for a fabulous long-weekend getaway!

Style Icons: A Series

I’m trying to hone my personal style (isn’t that always a challenge? Who says we have to have just one?!). I thought creating little inspiration boards highlighting some my style icons and the key components of their style would be a fun way to help me figure out what it is I like about them and how I can incorporate those pieces into my wardrobe (or to discover, in this case, that I have some of them already!). Enjoy this first submission…the girl who can turn the world on with her smile.

(originally published on Sassy in Trousers, 8.12.09)