Fall Clothes are my favorite

 

It's pandemic fall and I'm barely leaving my house as the case counts in the US break records. But we did get out a few times and thus, wore some clothes. I am swamped with work and the kids' school but I desire to catalog these moments. Above was on Halloween when we went to an outdoor gathering for the girls' virtual dance classes with the Hope Academy. 

Above, I am wearing a child's cloak (size L) from the Boden x Harry Potter line. Rosie is too (size S)! She didn't want to wear a costume but the prospect of matching helped. Emilia has one of these cloaks too! When we got the catalog she immediately fell in love. Then she read the books soon after. While they were not inexpensive for such a fanciful piece, I know from the Roald Dahl line that they will retain value on the resale market and the girls can age through them. I also rationalized it because I like them way better than the ones they sell at Universal Studios (where we will eventually go post-pandemic). They sold out so quickly that I didn't have a lot of time to think about it but I had a big account credit to spend, thanks to a Boden focus group I did. So... long story short, we have capes! `

The marital entity of Chris and I turned 10 about a month ago. We watched our wedding video as a family! It was so fun to revisit it and share with the girls. Here, I'm wearing a Boden dress I bought during the last sample sale I worked (December 2019). 

Had we made it to a pumpkin farm, the girls would have worn these fall themed looks I think. Dress available still from Nordstrom here. 

And finally, a Zoom look from last Friday for my digital media literacy class. I taught to black boxes so I couldn't even see if they grinned at my witchiness. I hope you and yours are well! 

Happy Halloween 2015!

Thank you for the condolences and kind words regarding Speck. Losing a pet leaves such a hole in the routines of everyday life. I didn't consider how the absence of those tasks would have us confronting this loss with such regularity. But we are doing ok. Emilia seems to understand and is processing it well. We even went out to march in the neighborhood parade last night and wore our first family themed costume. It was fun! I hope you have a Happy Halloween weekend!

I will be drawing the winner of the Kushyfoot giveaway shortly. Thank you to all who entered and to Kushyfoot for providing the prize!

Mickey Mouse OOTD (not kidding)

When I imagined parenting before I was a mom, I expected that it would be pretty great. And I was right, on the whole. The highs are indeed high and you will go to great lengths in the name of your child's happiness and joy. But I (perhaps selfishly) didn't foresee parenting significantly influencing my sartorial choices beyond the logistics of maternity and postpartum wear.

And yet here I am, wearing a sequined Mickey Mouse sweater to correspond with Emilia's Minnie Mouse costume on Halloween. I've never felt comfortable describing Consume or Consumed as a "fashion blog" so I won't offer any apologies over broken stylish promises. But I still feel the need to explain myself so I will just say, "the things we do for love?" :)

Outfit details:
Sequined Mickey Mouse Sweater on sale now from Kohls
J. Crew Factory dress layered underneath
Spanx tights
Sam Edelmen Petty Boots (on sale now)!

Halloween and my very pregnant (potentially borderline) costume

As much as I love it because of candy and fall and all things spooky, Halloween can be challenging due to the pressure to concoct a creative and/or clever costume. And when you're 34 weeks pregnant, the costume options narrow considerably. Although I am not a person who practices a particular faith, I was raised Catholic, most of my family is Catholic, and I continue to feel a strong affinity for its history as well as its iconography.

With some trepidation (after all, despite my lack of practicing religious affiliation, I do believe in being sensitive to others' articles of faith), I decided that my very pregnant costume would be the Blessed Virgin Mary. I consulted with numerous practicing Catholic loved ones to ensure this choice wouldn't be inadvertently hurtful and found a "one size fits all" costume online that I hoped would fit a pregnant body. It was... snug. But it was also stretchy and all I had. So I wore it Saturday evening to a party and it seemed to be a big hit.

Chris was having costume block so I suggested he consider being Steven Tyler. Lots of scarves. Layers. A mic stand. Scatting. Big lips. Etc. He loved the idea! I did my best to help him execute it and it turned out way better than my own costume. Homemade costumes usually do...

Finally, I wanted to send my thoughts to those along the eastern seaboard who have been effected by Hurricane Sandy. It is hard to fathom the losses but I hope for a speedy and efficient recovery. You can contribute help for those in need through the Red Cross website.

Happy Halloween!

My last minute costume

Chris and I went as Revenge of the Nerds-themed Greek geeks. These costumes were not much of a stretch for bookish academics. But this semester has been crazy and we have had little free time for costume brainstorming/creation. Going as a Tri-Lamb was Chris's idea entirely. My own laziness led me to co-opt it by going as an Omega Mu. Judy was my inspiration and Chris already resembles Anthony Edwards, the actor who played Gilbert. I realized when I got home that I forgot to finish cutting out the bottom of the Omega symbol. Oh well! Here is Judy:

We went to a Halloween themed punk show where local bands covered full sets of Joy Division, Kiss, the Misfits and more. It was great fun. The fog over Pittsburgh Saturday night was exceptional. It was also pretty creepy! I live very close to the oldest cemetery in the city, which added additional spookiness to our walk home. Chris looks like a zombie here.

 

What was your costume?