What I Wore | Bon Voyage

WhatIWore: Good morning everyone!  I’m putting together what I think will be my last maternity (and outfit!) post of the year. Even though I’ve been through this rodeo before, I swear I might be going into labor every night around 9 o’clock. It’s exhausting! I still need to pack a hospital bag and install the car seat, but otherwise I think I’m ready. I’m also ready to hang up my blogging cap for a while so I can savor these last days and weeks with just me and Felix and…it’s the end of my sitter’s semester so I won’t have the extra help!! All fine by me! I have so many things I want to write about, so I might start some drafts to publish here and there. We shall see! (You can also keep with me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter in the meantime.)

When: December 8, 2016

What:
Hat: Self Made
Coat: Vintage
Sweater: Motherhood Maternity
Maternity Jeans: Jessica Simpson at Destination Maternity
Over the Knee Boots: Halogen at Nordstrom

Where: Coffee Shop

In today’s post I’m wearing a sweater that I’ve put on repeat plus maternity jeans and my over the knee boots. These were such a good purchase - I feel like that take any outfit and update the look. The coat is a vintage piece I picked up three or so years ago at an antique furniture store believe it or not! The boxy cut still gives me room to button at least the top buttons, which is great! 

Finally, as cliché as it feels to write, I wanted to end the year with a note of thanks to the warm group of readers who have really felt like friends to me this year. Over the many years of blogging I’ve had my share of trolls and hurtful comments, but this year feels different. I’ve felt supported and encouraged and during a time when I’m so emotionally vulnerable with my pregnancy, all of those comments and emails you’ve left have made a positive impact on me.  I hope you’ll return after my maternity absence and between now and then, Happy Holidays!! 

What I Wore | Cheetah!

         

WhatIWore: Nothing makes me feel warm like a faux fur animal print coat! Ok, not completely true (would rather be snuggled under a million covers in bed, but…life). Ok! So this is a pretty basic outfit but made many times more fun via the animal print coat. This is my second vintage version which I found at an antique shop at the end of the season a couple years ago and got for a really great price. My first one had ripped a huge hole in the lining and yes, although I can sew, replacing the lining was going to be a procrastination project. You know the kind… the ones where you could do that instead of paying someone else but it just never gets done because starting a brand new project would be 100x more fun. 

When: January 19, 2016

What:
Shades: Karen Walker ‘Super Duper’
Coat: Vintage ‘Safari styled by Fairmoor’ (I believe this is the same coat for sale on etsy, and this and this are similar the same brand)
Gloves: Vintage
Chambray: J.Crew
High Waisted Flare Jeans: Frame Denim
Booties: Rag + Bone

Where: Coffee Shop Laptop Sesh

I’ve partnered my coat with a classic chambray and denim combo, a pairing I’ve loved for years. I like how these high waisted flare jeans balance out the volume of the coat and I just sort of feel like a late sixties vintage babe today. It’s also my first morning back in the groove with regular babysitters and getting out of the house and it feels great! 

Ways to Wear | Denim + Leopard

WhatIWore: I’ve got a long diatribe about my views on fashion blogging and it’s future, but I’ll save that for another day. I bring it up because one of my new personal goals is to look more to my own closet, and the pieces I’ve collected over the years, for inspiration. And what’s a daily outfit blog good for if you can’t scroll through your archives for ideas? You guys know I love a repeat outfit and these photos from seasons past have given me a fresh dose of inspiration. 

Denim and animal prints are such a great pairing. Some would call both a neutral and in a high fashion world, I suppose that’s true. Neutral in the sense that they both will match 95% or more of the other things in your closet. But when you pair the two together, the leopard (or cheetah) gets to take center stage.

Animal prints are nothing new, but maybe you’re the kind of gal that’s been on the fence about adding something spotty to your wardrobe. Maybe a leopard vintage coat isn’t the right place to start, but a pair of flats or a bag could be a great way to play around with it to see if it’s for you.  If there’s one thing that’s important to me with this blog, it’s embracing personal style, and that’s not something that’s in or out as the calendar pages turn. Personal style is personal to you! 

The pieces featured in this post are from past seasons or vintage, but find more options that might work for you below. Or to see all of my leopard/cheetah ensembles, click here.

What I Wore | Back to Back

WhatIWore: For all of the days I am a total hot mess at home with the baby and in pajamas and unwashed hair, sometimes I really get my act together. I wore this to have breakfast out with a girlfriend and as I walked with my carseat in tow into the restaurant, I felt like a million bucks. I’m finally figuring out how to get myself ready on my own (as in, watching the baby and doing my makeup at the same time) and although it might seem silly, it feels like such a major accomplishment.

When: December 2, 2014

What:
Hat: Nordstrom Rack
Sweater: J.Crew
Coat: Vintage (similar)
Jeans: Target
Booties: Rag and Bone
Quilted Leather Backpack: Vera Bradley, gift

Where: Breakfast date

So a backstory on the backpack… there aren’t many brands I can say I’ve worn for 20+ years, but Vera Bradley is one of them. You might know the company for their bright quilted duffle bags and wallets. My first piece was actually a little printed pink dress in what I think was one of the first patterns when I was 7 or 8 years old.  When I was ten, I really wanted a Vera Bradley mini bag but my two dollar a week allowance wouldn’t cover it so I cut up the dress and made it into a bag myself. That was my first ever sewing machine project believe it or not! Ten years later, I scored a summer job working at the Vera Bradley factory (they’re based in my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana). 

So fast forward to now. The brand has launched into leather goods with updated interpretations of their classic quilting. It looks so street style chic! I’ve been carrying my mini backpack nonstop since it arrived. As a mom, I love having both hands free to wave a rattle, grab a burp cloth or plop in a pacifier, but i also take it with me out of the house when I have a rare moment solo. 

Heads up! This post was made in partnership with Vera Bradley. Thanks for supporting the brands that help make What I Wore possible!