Anchors Aweigh OOTD

I wore this to a backyard bbq at my friend's house the other week. By now, I'm a bit more round in the belly but still wanted to share.

I have a question about this dress. Will it be possible to style for fall or is it too summery? I do know that it might not fit me by the time it is fall. I am just trying to determine my wardrobe options in the future. What say you?

Details:
J. Crew Maritime Anchor Dress (available here or here)
vintage Alviero Martini leather bag (buy it new, here)
Purple canvas Keds (available here)

My first actual "maternity" clothing ootd

If maternity wear has ever been a genre of clothing relevant to your sartorial interests, you already know it can be pretty atrocious. Polyester reigns supreme, even within a few of the more "upscale" lines (Hatch Collection, I'm looking at you!). Garish prints are metered out often, perhaps to distract and disorient the pregnant body's onlookers. Outside of fast fashion retailers, prices tend to reflect manufacturers' awareness of the realities of a very limited marketplace and increasing consumer necessity. As your body grows, your options for "regular" people clothing narrow. Every day it feels like I try on a dozen things that used to fit (generously!). And each day as my choices diminish in inverse proportion to my waistline, I become increasingly desperate for comfortable but decent looking options.

I have had some luck with seasonal, summery, "regular people" pieces because of the ubiquity of stretchy cotton fabrics and maxi lengths. Earlier into things, I bought a few dresses that were sized up from my pre-pregnancy needs to help me get through the in-between. But I know I won't be able to do that forever. I didn't start off tiny and I doubt that my pregnancy will be one where I can wear "regular" clothes on a body that is adorably "all belly." I envy those women who start at a physical space and carry their pregnancies in ways that enable them to wear regular clothing through the third trimester. But I don't anticipate that I will be among them.

So I find myself browsing for research and my own impending sartorial needs. Overall, I feel really underwhelmed by the maternity clothing I've encountered online and in person. Granted, I have decided that temporary clothing is not where I prefer to invest my wardrobe budget, so I haven't seriously pursued the fanciest lines. I did buy the above dress in two colorways from ASOS*.

When I wear it I still feel like me. It has room to grow but doesn't scream "maternity." And I welcome more recommendations from the been-there-done-that and/or currently-there-currently-doing-that crowd!

Details:
ASOS maternity striped knit dress (in the other colorway here and here)
Chloé flats (current season double strap offerings here)
Alviero Martini bag (mine is vintage)

*a lot of the summer clothing (regular, plus, maternity, etc.) is on sale at ASOS and with code 10SALE you can get another 10% off (sale on sale!).

P.S. don't forget to enter the Apothica/SkincareRX/Skinbotanica giveaway! There are only a few entries and only a few days left to win!

P.P.S. you can follow my pregnancy musings by going here.

Family time OOTD

 

One of my favorite things about this time of year is that it usually involves a lot of catching up time with relatives. Between graduation parties, birthdays, and regular summer holidays, Chris and I spend a lot of time in the car shuttling between our folks' places and eating lots of delicious foods. We're lucky to live near our families but because we have three sets of parents it can be challenging to divide the time evenly and coordinate everyone's schedules.

I wore this outfit to go home and celebrate my dad's birthday. I've also worn it to shop with my mother-in-law for some transitional (stretchy) clothing. It's been my outfit for numerous doctor and dentist appointments. Honestly, it's become a go-to "nice" outfit so I've worn a bunch. It fits comfortably, looks pulled together enough, and still feels very me. I was lucky to find an ebay link to the dress in the Effortless Anthro trade market. It is still full price on the Anthropologie website. I  bought it in a size up from what I would wear pre-pregnancy and now I have something that is cute that will grow with me a little this summer. I might even grab it in ivory!

Can you spot the bonus Speck behind?

Outfit details: 

Anthropologie's Fluttering Flora dress

Anthropologie's Cartography cardigan (cool map print tee here; similar cardi here)

Gucci wedges (budget similar on sale here and here)

Vintage initial necklace

Recent Outfit of a Chilly Night

I wore this the other night to go out with some friends. It is useful that I can offer to be our regular designated driver when we go to restaurants or even bars but so much is already in my neighborhood that I do a lot of walking anyway. I'm all about comfort right now so flats are reigning supreme even more so than usual. Flats and stretchy clothes!

Outfit details:
Bailey 44 top from Nordstrom Rack (summery tank on sale here; sleeveless similar; ls similar here)
Off Fifth house brand skirt (used to be too loose in the waist and is no longer) (similar)
Spanx tights
MBMJ captoe flats (similar here and here)
Vintage Alviero Martini bag (current version here; budget map-themed bag here)

In the Navy OOTD

Thanks to those of you who commented so sweetly on my previous post! I promise to share more details in the coming weeks. I have a bunch of Anthro reviews to get through that I did before there were any significant changes to my figure. And I have been searching for maternity lines as well as regular but stretchy brands that can allow my to bridge my style comfort zone with being ... comfortable. :)

I wore this to run some errands and take care of business. It was simple and comfortable during a pretty intense May heat wave. I feel really sensitive to the heat lately and hope that the warm winter and early heat doesn't portend temperatures to come. If my home had central air conditioning, it would be less of a concern, but it is an older place with giant radiators and hot water heat. So the process of installing a forced air duct system would be expensive and invasive. I should keep more Popsicles in my freezer!

Outfit info:
Anthropologie top (similar here, here, and here; similar plus; similar maternity)
Anthropologie Drawing Parallels skirt (similar here, here, and here)
Chloé flats (this season's version here; similar but for less here)
Vintage Alviero Martini bag (similar here and here)

I'll be back tomorrow with a super exciting giveaway opportunity so be sure to check in!