What I Wore | Fine and Dandy

SAHM style, Core Closet, Easy Outfit, Bob with Bangs

SAHM style, Core Closet, Easy Outfit, Bob with Bangs

SAHM style, Core Closet, Easy Outfit, Bob with Bangs

WhatIWore: Guys, I’m still crazy about these jeans! This is what I wore yesterday for an early morning work session and then errands around town with the kids. This is definitely on the short list for my most worn outfit combination - it’s so easy and still feels put together. The lighter chambray helps distance it from a cowboy tuxedo or whatever they’re calling denim on denim these days. I love all of these pieces because they’ll work with everything else in your closet too (see my guide to creating your core closet HERE).

When: Sept 27, 2017

What:
Shades: Karen Walker
Chambray: J.Crew (old)
Jacket: Old Navy (similar)
Jeans: Crafted by Lee
Booties: Clarks (gift from a previous partnership)

Where: Working at the Coffee Shop, ‘round town with my kiddos

If you were thinking about ordering these jeans, I still say go for it! At $24 you can’t lose! A note on sizing - I bought both the dark and light styles, both in a 4L (normal size) and the lighter wash did run smaller. These are only online, so I’d suggest getting two pair in different sizes and returning the ones to your local Target that doesn’t fit. Good luck! 

SAHM style, Core Closet, Easy Outfit, Bob with Bangs

SAHM style, Core Closet, Easy Outfit, Bob with Bangs

SAHM style, Core Closet, Easy Outfit, Bob with Bangs

Cultivating Your Personal Style | Gathering Inspiration

Creating Your Personal Style, Cultivating Your Personal Style, How to Plan a Wardrobe, Getting Inspired Making Mood Boards

Today I’m excited to walk you through how I’m working on cultivating my own personal style for the upcoming seasons. If you’re anything like me, you’ll fall into a style rut once in a while. Adjusting to being a new mom (or in my case - a mom of two!) pushed me into a routine of tee shirts and shorts, days without washing my hair and generally - not caring much about how I look. And that’s ok. We all will have times in our lives when what we wear takes a backseat. That said, I also know myself well enough to know when I feel good about the way I look it can carry over into the rest of my day. Simply said - I’m ready for that feeling again!! 


Whenever I approach a new season, I like to work with fresh inspiration to organize my shopping list and highlight what’s already in my closet. For today’s post, I’ll be sharing how I gather ideas and get my creative wheels spinning. Guys - it’s a lot of fun! I really encourage you to spend an hour or two playing around with ideas like this before you run out and hit the mall (slash Target/thrift store/whatever!)

I went out to you guys on instagram and asked if you had any personas you used for your closets and there were some great ones - Yoga teacher applies for a loan, Midcentury librarian, Old Lady Artist at craft fair (in all black with stunning statement necklace), and Sante Fe Gallery Owner. I’d love to hear more on my Instagram comments if you have one! 

70s style, 70s fashion, 70s mood board, How to Create a Mood Board

Part I Gathering Inspiration

The first thing I like to do is search for images that can take my initial ideas and branch them out further. This fall I’m playing with ‘70s Art Teacher’ as my early theme. Other search terms I’m using are bohemian, 70s style, 1970s fashion, Charlie’s Angels, High Waisted Jeans, and High Waisted Flares. I do this all on Pinterest and hello! rabbit hole! 

As you scan through your results, save anything you’re initially drawn to - you can go back and edit it out later if you want. Another feature I use a lot is the “more like this” whenever I find something I really like. It can take you further in creating your mood boards!

For my theme, I started pinning pictures like you see above - a palette of navy, rust, oxblood and orange. But I also felt drawn to weekend styling like retro style tees paired with high waisted jeans! There’s room in my life for both so I saved them all! And don’t feel like you need to copy anything head to toe (unless you want to!) I know that blue tights aren’t going to work for me, but I like the sweater, shirt and skirt combo, so on to the board it goes. And if you find photos that embrace the general mood - add those too!

70s style, 70s fashion, 70s mood board, How to Create a Mood Board

If you’d like to scan some other mood board ideas, I have an entire category of them here (like French Casual, Choppy Bobs with Bangs (should I get bangs again is my ever present question en route to the salon!) How to Style a Houndstooth Blazer, Ways to Wear Bandanas)

Later this week I’ll be posting Part II of how I cultivate my personal style - Shopping Your Closet. I’ll take my mood boards here into my own closet to see how I can use what I already have (like the faux shearling coat I made last year pictured above!) before I make a wishlist for this season’s buying! Until then, here are some more of the images that have me ready to embrace my inner artsy fartsy, flare leg loving, high rise (mom) jean self!

70s style, 70s fashion, 70s mood board, How to Create a Mood Board

70s style, 70s fashion, 70s mood board, How to Create a Mood Board

What I Wore | True Blue

Tucker, Ladies Love Tucker, Maternity Outfit, Maternity Style, 20 weeks pregnant, Pregnancy Style

Tucker, Ladies Love Tucker, Maternity Outfit, Maternity Style, 20 weeks pregnant, Pregnancy Style

Tucker, Ladies Love Tucker, Maternity Outfit, Maternity Style, 20 weeks pregnant, Pregnancy Style

What I Wore on Instagram

WhatIWore: Hello, everyone! I’m having a really nice day today! This morning we ran errands and took care of things outside of the house and when we got back, my son took a suuupper long nap, so I was able to cook for myself, relax and read a magazine and get a jump on dishes/laundry/etc. 

It didn’t hurt that I finally had a good night’s rest plus some me time this morning to shower and get ready. My friends at Tucker graciously gifted me this beautiful dress to celebrate my new silhouette, and even though it’s not made for maternity, it’s so flattering and fun to wear. All I had to do was remove the self fabric belt from the loops and shimmy it up a few inches! It’s my normal size (medium), so it won’t go to waste after baby is born. I felt so gorgeous for the first time in a long time. And any woman, pregnant or not, deserves to feel good about herself and the way she looks. It’s no secret this pregnancy has been hard on me emotionally, so a little self esteem boost really goes a long way. 

When: August 23, 2016

What:
Shades: Cactus Flower (old)
Necklace: Gift from Adam (he found on etsy)
Dress: gift of Tucker
Booties: LL Bean (older color, best match here)

Where: Out and About

What I Wore on Facebook

Tucker, Ladies Love Tucker, Maternity Outfit, Maternity Style, 20 weeks pregnant, Pregnancy Style

Tucker, Ladies Love Tucker, Maternity Outfit, Maternity Style, 20 weeks pregnant, Pregnancy Style

What I Wore | Blue on Blue

Second Trimester outfit, maternity style, maternity outfit, AG maternity jeans

Second Trimester outfit, maternity style, maternity outfit, AG maternity jeans

Second Trimester outfit, maternity style, maternity outfit, AG maternity jeans

What I Wore on Instagram

WhatIWore: Finally! A day we’re not being rained out! Not bright and sunny, but whatever - I’ll take it! I’ve been eager to do outfit photos because I’ve recently done a little maternity shopping and here are two of my new pieces - a pop over version of my classic fall chambray and a new pair of maternity jeans. I wish I would have tried on a pair of full panels with my last pregnancy - they are so comfortable!

When: August 16, 2016

What
Shades: Karen Walker ‘Super Duper’
Top: Liz Lange (Target)
Jeans: AG ‘Stilt’ $20 off, (non maternity here)
Bag: Frye (similar)
Sandals: gift from Clark’s last summer

Where: Appointments and errands

I feel like I have a good chance of wearing both of these pieces through the second half of my pregnancy. The top wasn’t too pricey, but the jeans were an investment (I took all of your advice with me to the dressing room, and these were by far my favorites). I also bought some less expensive pairs (also recommended) so I’ll be able to compare and make my own recommendations later!

What I Wore on Facebook

Second Trimester outfit, maternity style, maternity outfit, AG maternity jeans

Second Trimester outfit, maternity style, maternity outfit, AG maternity jeans