Preggo Style – Day 3

And we’re back, with Day 3 of the Preggo Style Project! We wanted this outfit to be a bit more laid back than the past two (see here and here), more like something you could wear if your office had casual Friday, or even just something to run around in on the weekend. This was probably the look that took the most time to put together, as the first two were quick and easy, and for some reason we couldn’t seem to get a feel for what we wanted to do next. But after a few additions and subtractions, this is what we ended up with!

{click on photos to see at larger size}

Day 3

From Katie, the oh so chic one: This is the part in styling where I became a little stumped. Megan bought about 6 million pairs of pants for $10 on eBay (ok, I lied, it was only 6 or something, but still) and I really loved a pair of grey corduroys, but we had a problem figuring out what to wear with them. She also had these wonderfully soft brown corduroys that went with more of the options we were looking at, so after trying and trying to make the grey work, we sighed and moved on. She did, for the record, tell me that the grey pair didn’t go with anything, but I love a challenge. #challengefail. Ok, so… we wanted something that you could wear to work, on say a Friday, but would be a great weekend, rove-around-town look. After we started piecing together different options, we came up with the outfit you see above, which mixes both cool and warm tones. I loved the grey striped shirt. The texture of the neckline and the fact that, yes, it is horizontal stripes, but it looks fabulous on Megan! I think the corduroys could be worn to bed they are so soft, so traveling in them wouldn’t be a problem. The cardigan adds another layer of color and texture. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing another pattern worn with the stripes if you have a patterned cardigan available.

From Megan: Strangely, as this outfit took so long for us to pull together, this is one that represents me and my style pretty darn well. I tend to lean toward preppy with my casual wear, especially when I’m in pants. My dresses and skirts tend to be more 50’s or 60’s vintage looks, but for some reason I love pants outfits right out of the J Crew fall catalog. The pants (as Katie mentioned above) were purchased on eBay. I bought a box of 6 pairs of “Gap Maternity Pants” for $10. Now, I usually don’t buy from eBay unless I have a good visual on what I’m getting, but hell, it was $10, so I made my bid and went on with my life. These are brown Gap Maternity Cords, with the “demi panel,” which is my favorite maternity waist style because you can wear it early on and later in your pregnancy. They retail for about $70, but I really recommend eBay, as you can get them for much, much cheaper. The striped, ruffle tank is Old Navy Maternity, and was a hand-me-down. They have a ton of cute, cheap options on their site of similar tanks, which are great for layering in the Fall. The cardigan is from Target circa 2007/2008 and is Merona brand.

Day 3 - Details

From Katie: The hat, as you can see on the ever smiley Megan, is a huge tie-in to the whole look. It worked out perfectly! Besides this super cute bucket hat, you could also do a head wrap , which I know, may be a bit ‘hipster,’ but it’s chic, easy and keeps the hair out of your face (ed. note: if you do a turban, a more structured jacket is needed), or a cloche hat. I found this hat online and I just LOVE it! Or if you want to keep the style super laid back, a flat cap/newsboy cap works as well. If you went in the flat cap direction, you could do something with a pattern/plaid/stripe to create more layering. (I love the Paul Smith Fall 2010 Collection!) Moving along, this look wouldn’t be complete without Megan’s watch, which she acquired last Christmas and I’ve been eyeing to steal ever since. With its swappable bands, this is an easy accessory you could wear with so many fall, menswear inspired looks. Top this look off (or bottom this look out, whichever you prefer) add a pair of comfy, bronze ballet flats and I think you are ready for a jet-set afternoon of running around with the fam.

From Megan: In the last year or two I’ve turned into a total hat freak. I would pick a hat over a purse any day, I love them so! I’m not a religious gal, but I swear, I’d join a church just to be able to wear a fancy hat every week. This one is from Anthropologie, and I got it on major clearance last Spring. The watch is definitely my most worn item (other than my wedding ring). If you check out any of the real time Preggo Style pics that we have posted over on Flickr, you’ll see this watch with almost every outfit. It’s a J Crew Men’s Military Watch, designed by Timex, and I received it as a Christmas gift from my ever generous in-laws. They also gifted me three different watch bands (deep olive, orange and black), so I can switch them out if I want to. I tend to stick with the green, as I like that it adds some weight and a masculine touch to a feminine outfit. (The updated version comes with a white face, which I love too!) The shoes are Old Navy, which is a great place to pick up several different colors of ballet flats on the cheap. Like I said yesterday, flat shoes are a preggo lady’s best friend, so I tend to stock up on them!

And there it is, Day 3! Now, although this look did contain two “maternity” pieces, I’d still say it was a steal. The striped tank was a free hand-me-down and the pants came in a box of 6 for $10, so I spent a grand total of $1.67 for maternity pieces for this outfit. Yeah, you can’t do much better than that. I’d like to thank Katie, her Yaris and that almost dead pot of mums for co-starring in this post, and you all for not laughing at me. You’re nice. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s outfit, featuring something I swore I’d never ever wear. And it’s not leggings…but you’re getting warmer….

{You can find Day 1 of Preggo Style here, Day 2 here, or learn about the project here}

Preggo Style – Day 2

It’s Preggo Style Day 2, people! We decided after our first day of monochromatic work attire, we wanted to spice things up a bit with some color. So our Day 2 outfit was focused on color and comfort, and an outfit we thought could work for a casual business day and for chasing after a four-year-old at the playground. So, basically, an outfit for every day of my life. This is what we came up with…

{click on photos to see at a larger size}

Day 2

From Katie, my own personal Rachel Zoe: I think Megan looked at me a little crazily when I said I wanted to see these two items together. First we have the leggings from the previous look, which as I said before are comfy regardless if you’re pregnant or not. Then, peeking out from under a couple of other sweaters and dresses was this slightly neon, bold none-the-less, purple, form fitted, turtleneck-ish shirt. She was a trooper though and tried it on. We were both happily surprised to find out that it was not only super comfortable but also a fun, not crazy, look that was stylish, not crazy, and easy, not crazy, to wear. Again, it highlights the silhouette and the beauty of being pregnant. Not a bad thing (!). If you are less likely to wear such a bold color because, I don’t know, you are afraid, let me say DON’T BE, but then I would suggest going bold (I’m talking hues from a Crayola Crayon box), but maybe not as bright. Gap’s Ts do this to give you an example of color. This look paired with the patent leather ballerina flats (again with the shoe envy!) make this extremely comfy for a pregnant mother of a four year old who is on the go constantly (I really don’t know how she does it, I have a hard enough time walking my dog).

From Megan: Yeah, so Katie is TOTALLY right about me thinking she was nutso for putting this look together. I love my leggings. I love this shirt-dress. But together? You all know I have some weird quirks, and one is my total disdain for people who wear leggings as pants. THEY ARE NOT PANTS! (I’m looking at you, Lohan.) But Katie convinced me to try this with the greatest line of all time, and I quote, “As long as your camel toe is covered, you’re good.” Yeah, awesome. Katie is the next Tyra. But I actually liked the way it turned out! The daring thing for me wasn’t the color, but the length of the shirt, which is a non-maternity Target shirt-dress and goes to about mid-thigh length when I’m not pregnant. I can’t seem to find it on their website, but I believe it was in the juniors section and its Mossimo brand. If I could add about 3 or 4 inches to the shirt, this outfit would be perfect. And I have to note, this is by far the most comfortable outfit we tried. Lightweight and stretchy + flat shoes = preggo awesomeness.

Day 2 - Details

From Katie: We got all “LC” on Megan’s hair to fully represent a look that will take you through everything a day could bring you and still look polished and fun. Again, the jewelry offered different textures (e.g. pearls to diamonds to silver plating), but all offered a balance through the tones of silver. The most recent glam girl I can think of that represents this mode of un-matching is Rachel Zoe (yes she has a jewelry collection that is reminiscent of 70s…big, over-the-top, yet laid back…which is SO not my style or Megan’s, but I like the idea). Finishing off the look are the ballet flats, which as mentioned above have an easy, comfortable style to them. I think every woman should own a pair of patent leather ballet flats, be it rounded or pointy toe; they are a must in every wardrobe because of their simplicity, elegance and can quickly spruce up any outfit.

From Megan: I have to say, I totally dig the LC braid that Katie whipped up, probably because LC and I are best friends. Truth. Not a lie. Anywho, I liked the idea of having my hair pulled back (for kid chasing mania and running around the office), but doing something a bit more unique then my usual ponytail. The earrings are from Target, purchased a million years ago. The silver bracelet is from Anthropologie and was a gift from my sister, as was the black pearl ring. I love simple jewelry, but like to try to bring in a statement piece, which is sometimes hard to do when your entire upper half is neon purple. This ring really does it for me because it’s bold, but the color neutralizes the boldness a bit so the entire outfit isn’t overwhelming. My other ring is my engagement ring circa 1920 from my great grandmother. It’s the most lovely piece of jewerly I own, for sure. I tend to buy shoes and then wear them until they fall apart, and these ballet flats are complete evidence of that. They are J Crew circa 2007, and I refuse to throw them away, even though they are obviously on their final leg (you should see the bottoms, oy). Like Katie said, black patent leather goes with everything, and every girl should own a pair they wear to death. Although mine seem to be discontinued, they have a great pair at Target on the cheap that are pretty similar.

Alrighty, Day 2 is done! The key word for this outfit is simplicity. And of course I have to point out that this is another day where not one piece is actually maternity. Cha-ching, more money in the bank for me! What do you guys think? Good? Bad? To purple? Too short? Too tight? Too legit to quit? Let us know, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

{You can find Day 1 of Preggo Style here, or learn about the project here}

Preggo Style – Day 1

Okay, here we go! Day 1 of the Preggo Style Project (note: I hate the term “preggo” but it somehow stuck during the development of this whole idea, and now my brain can’t seem to think of another title for this series…if you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments) is focused on work-appropriate attire. We wanted to find a look that would work for a business casual work environment, and could also carry over to after work activities. For this, I knew it had to be comfortable, especially in the shoe and torso departments, as long days seem about a million hours longer when you’re pregnant. So without further ado, here is our first look!

(click on photos to see at larger size)

Day 1

From Stylist Extrodinaire, Katie: For me, this look represented a work chic option for those days at the office where you might need to dress up a bit more, say for a luncheon or meeting. I love this look because it’s looks easy and comfortable, yet can keep up with you as you run around. Nothing beats the comfort of leggings – pregnant or not. If you do not own a pair of leggings, matte tights, textured tights or some knee high socks (that I absolutely love at the moment) would rock this look as well. The dress offers a bit of texture to the look, with its geometric pattern, while the cardigan ties everything together. We went for a monochromatic look, opting to stay within neutral tones, but you could “get all crazy” (Megan face) and add bits of color (say in an accessory, or the knee socks you could wear).

From Megan: This outfit pretty accurately represents how I’ve been dressing for work, at least during this last bit of my pregnancy. I apparently own way too many empire waisted / loose-fitting dresses, because most of my non-maternity dresses have been able to be worn throughout each trimester. The dress is a short-sleeved J Crew number I got two years ago on some crazy online sale (it is no longer listed on their website, boo). The sweater I bought at Costco last year when I was under-dressed during a Fall shopping day and needed something to warm up. I wear it all the time, so I’d say it was fate, even though I’m not a big advocate of buying clothing where you buy your bulk toilet paper. I’d tell you the brand, but I cut out the tag because it was super-itchy so I have no idea what the brand actually is. The leggings are from Francesca’s Colletions on the Plaza in Kansas City. The brand is Iris and I love them because they are non-maternity, but cut to somehow fit under the belly, rendering them totally useful throughout this pregnancy. I have two pairs and I wear them constantly.

Day 1 - Details

From Katie: What I love about Megan’s pregnant style is that she loves her figure. She doesn’t want to hide her silhouette and I think that is marvelous. So to tie in (literally) the dress and cardigan combo, we took her existing skinny belt and created an empire waist. The skinny belt was extra fab because of its hint of greenish-bronze that went along with the tones of the look. The jewelry, all separate and different pieces Megan owns, were also a perfect tie in. My belief is that it shouldn’t be to matchy-matchy. Choose one element that can tie all of the pieces together (in this case, we chose color) and let the different styles and textures blend together. The necklace is a perfect example of doing this (in one piece!). While we laid out various looks, I immediately started to scheme about how I could steal these boots (which I thought were Frye’s) without her noticing….but then, you probably shouldn’t steal from pregnant women…and then she told me they were BORN boots. BORN! (!!!) (…check out the knee sock/tight combo! <3 <3 <3) So, I just settled on being jealous of her awesome buy.

From Megan: The necklace was a gift from my sister for my birthday this year…in fact most of my jewelry comes from two places, gifts from my sister or made for me by my sister-in-law. When I first laid eyes on this piece, which she’d purchased at some random purse party sale thing, I thought it was a wee bit much for me. But when I saw it with this outfit, I really liked it. We shortened the chain length a bit so it hit at a more flattering angle, and I think it works. The charms all represent something about me and it even has two empty photo frames for pictures of the kids. (Awwwww!) The boots, as Katie mentioned, are Born’s and they are too awesome for words. My sister-in-law had them when I visited her last year and I coveted them so much, I tracked them down for myself. By that time, it was almost spring so I got a killer deal, at Dillard’s of all places (they retail for $180, but I got mine at $75ish if I remember right). They are easily the most comfortable shoes I own, so they have been go-to footwear this fall, as I’m carrying some extra poundage on my poor feet. The earrings and bracelet were both also gifts from my sister, I believe from Express, circa 2004. The skinny belt is from the J Crew sale bin.

My favorite part about this outfit, other than it’s comfort and styling, is the fact that not one part of it is maternity wear. Proof you don’t need to spend a ton on special maternity gear to get a classic look. Yay for saving money!

Up tomorrow….a bit more color and another, more casual, work look….

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