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!

Triumphant Return

Why hello!  *GASP* yes I know - I'm back!  A reprieve from shopping as well as some traveling in the recent weeks has caused my negligence, but never fear....my eyes and wallet are always open for some shopping =)


So what drove me back after a 2-month break?  Let me show you, grasshoppers!


1)  Remember the Burberry Military Detail Shirt Dress I blogged in my last post?  I found it on sale for only $139.00!  This purchase alone gets me just an itsy bit excited for cooler fall weather again so I can break it out of my closest and wear it with knee high black leather boots.


One of the best shopping tips I can offer is...if you see an item you LOVE on the designer's website - don't settle and stop there!  Just by googling the item you'll likely find the same thing for sale at other locations (department stores, overstock websites, etc.)  You may even be surprised and find that the same item comes in other colors and prints not offered directly by the designer.  This simple trick has saved me money and heartache when I thought an item was sold out in my size.




2)  THIS!  While I've been away, two titans of the fashion world (Banana Republic and Trina Turk) have paired up to create a fabulous new collection inspired by "cocktails by the pool."  These two fashion brands could not be more perfect together, and it's leaving me wondering why it took them so long to get collaborate!  Available for sale at Banana Republic stores and online beginning June 7, here's a little preview of a few of my favorites.  I can't WAIT to get my hands on them!

The colors and fun prints just make me so happy and they're sure to be staples of my summer wardrobe.  

More where these came from but I will save them for another day.  Happy Shopping!

OOTD: Spring Has Sprung!

The 7-day weather forcast for my area doesn't show ONE day with temperatures below 60 degrees.  Is winter officially over?  You never know in New England, but this is looking pretty promising, my friends!  So what does this mean?  The ritual of slowly transitioning from my fall/winter to spring/summer wardrobe and the daunting task of switching over my closet.  I'm not ready to go at it full force just yet, but slowly and surely I find myself shying away from heavier winter sweaters in favor of lighter tops and flowy skirts.

So here is my outfit for today:

 

Sweater: Tory Burch.  $250.00.  100% cotton in a miracle blend that breaths when its warm yet keeps you toasty when it gets nippy (still a threat in Boston March weather). Found here.  Print mixing is a HUGE trend this season, and if you're like me and skeptical about too much pattern play, this sweater does all the work for you and still lets you in on the trend.  I opted to balance the pattern out with a solid color on the bottom rather than piling on more print as shown above.

Skirt: GREAT find at BR; 100% silk and bought during a promotion for 30% off $98.00.  Both work-appropriate and easy to pack and throw in with some beachy tops for vacation!  Found here.

Today, I am topping this outfit off with a pair of older grey cowboy boots.  But I am currently coveting these:

(Tory Burch, $295.00) that I think would go nicely as well, and add to the pattern play.)

At just about the time when I'm starting to get sick off all my winter garments, Spring has finally sprung!  (watch - I just jinxed us all and a massive snowstorm is on the way for next week now....)  Now to keep an eye on my tulips, daffodils, and crocuses who should begin to show their lovely faces soon all over my garden =)

Here's to spring fever!

Parade of Sweater Dresses!

I've found that a lot of women either love or hate sweater dresses.  I am on the "LOVE" side.  I find them warm for winter, work appropriate, comfortable and functional.   As it is, I am more of a dresses and skirts girl rather than pants just because I think they work better for my figure.  So for cooler fall/winter weather, sweater dresses paired with tights and boots or leggings is a smooth transition for me.  This past year (goodbye 2011!), Banana Republic had a great collection of sweater dresses in their winter line.


I'm loving this inspiration look with over-the-knee socks and boots rather than tights or leggings.  The marino wool is airy and soft and left me feeling chic and cozy all day.

This sweater dress is warm and SO comfortable when paired with some leggings.  The stripes of sparkle at the bottom of the dress also added interest and made it very festive for the holiday season.  

This dress was a great find for weekends.  It's adorable for walking around the city or lunch with friends.  

And finally, this dress is one of my favorites.  It is a soft, luxurious fine marino wool blend  that isn't too heavy to make you look bulkier than you are.  This is a main point for me when searching for a good sweater dress - I don't need any extra padding on top of my curves =).

The best part?  All four dresses were purchased on sale for a total of less than $250.00.  I almost never buy things full price at Banana - they seem to offer their 30% off promotions every other day and things go on sale very quickly there.  Many stores right now are aggressively discounting their merchandise well past the holidays and straight into the new year to stay afloat during tough economic times.   This means great deals in favor of patient bargain hunters.  They are all still available on the website RIGHT NOW!  Happy Shopping!

Declining Quality - This is Bananas =(

Since we didn't make it to Boston yesterday, Ivan and I went into the City today instead with Izzy our French Bull Dog (I'll be writing a post especially for her tomorrow!).  After getting a good walk in with her around Boston Garden and the Common, we headed over to Newbury Street for some window shopping.


For all you pet owners and lovers out there, a little known secret about Newbury Street is that most stores will allow dogs inside!  So we checked out Banana Republic with Izzy in tow.


The spring collection is out both in stores and online and while the styles, cuts and prints are great, I go back to my previous post where I mentioned a decline in quality across many brands.  Banana was no exception.  Instead of their silk or cotton blends, I found many otherwise adorable pieces like this ($79.50):

and this (both the skirt ($110.00) and top ($79.50):

that were sadly made of 100% polyester.  Such a disappointment!  Thank God I had a couple BR reward coupons to cash in or these prices would have definitely been too steep just for polyester.  

Two winners from the new spring line I actually would pay full price for are this ($130.00 - linen and rayon):

and this (($150.00 - 95% wool, 5% spandex):

As for the rest of the stuff....BR, I still love you.  I will just wait for them to go on sale (it never takes long for BR to change their lineup over anyway!)

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve celebrations are in store for later today - time to break out the party dress!  Hubby and I had plans to be in Boston for the festivities but due to the lousy weather we nixed it and will be going out to dinner with friends at a restaurant closer to home instead (restaurant review to follow!)

So we won't be at the official "First Night" celebrations in the city but I'm still ready to have fun with my outfit.  This year, I'm thanking one of my go-to places, Banana Republic for my dress.

The picture doesn't do it justice.  In person, the dress is covered in hundreds of rosy pink sequins which are rectangle shape rather than round.  Thankfully the dress is completely lined with soft fabric on the inside so there is no rubbing or irritation.  The cut of the dress - which I am always very picky about  - is also great and will flatter many body types.  I will be pairing this with a pair of black tights, grey booties, and a cropped pink cardigan to throw on if I get chilly in the restaurant.


Happy New Year Everyone!  Have fun and be safe tonight!