It's Been Too Long!

You guys.  It's been too long.  A lot has happened since my last post.  A lot a lot.  Re-reading my last post, my wistful remark "I hope to be a mother someday" turned out to be quite a fortuitous statement as the very next month, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Olivia!  She is everything I ever wanted and more.  I had been told over and over again that mothers experience this special kind of love for their children, but I never truly realized what that meant until now.  She is my heart and soul and for the past year, I have been living and breathing for her.  My beautiful miracle baby.  

If I'm going to be brutally honest, I didn't want to broadcast my pregnant belly on the blog.  After Olivia was born, I also didn't feel the need to dissect my fashion-forward wardrobe choices of sweat pants and baggy shirts, either.  So I took a break.  But now, almost a year later, I'm feeling ready to get back in to the swing of things again.  I even came prepared with a recent shopping spree to blog about!  So, here I am.  I'm back =)

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It's officially fall again in New England, and the trees are putting on quite the show!  Although it actually reached 80 degrees here today, the chilly nights hint of the colder weather that is looming.  I held off shopping for the most part until I was convinced I dropped the majority of my pregnancy weight, but recently I've been back at it again.  After my maternity leave I returned to work only part-time, three days per week.  I've been looking for wardrobe additions that will work hard for me.  They must be comfortable, flattering on my post-pregnancy body, and appropriate to mix and match for both the office and my days at home with Olivia.  That seems like a tall order, but I've found it surprisingly easy to achieve by returning to my old staple stores, like Banana Republic, and being slightly more selective with my choices.

Slouchy sweaters are huge again this season.  Literally.  I've found you have to be very careful with the cut and size you choose.  I tried on a couple that were absolutely swimming on me in both my usual size and the next size down, despite my curvy figure.  My advice is to be patient and DON'T SETTLE.  There are just SO many different options, and when you find the right fit, trust me when I say these sweaters work on any and all figures.  

Here were my favorites:

Extra-Fine Merino Wool Cocoon Pullover

Marled Zip-Hem Boyfriend Sweater

Both are from Banana Republic!  Quick note on the second one: the model in the picture looks like she's wearing a size down for a more fitted look, which is equally as cute!  I got mine in my usual size and it was slightly slouchy without adding pounds on me.  Perfection.

Where are you picking up some cute sweaters this season?

Happy Shopping!