The Next Step

I mentioned yesterday that I had submitted a panel to of mamas and bloggers, to get some of their insight into how to dress post postpartum for my business casual settings... because honestly that is what I feel most comfortable in. I like to have a pj or sweat day as much as the next girl, but honestly I can only wear those types of clothing for so long during the day/ all day before it starts to negatively impact my mood. I was so excited to read all of the ladies responses to the question as well as the responses from their readers. While I am barely dipping my toe into mamahood via the newborn stage (as in we are waiting for baby to arrive and are still patient enough for that to happen)it is good to keep strategies dealing with tantrums or picky eaters in the back of my mind. I think this series will open up a lot of opportunity for dialogue amongst mommies... because honestly Mompetitions: "Nobody ain't got time for that!!" "Where does this sage advice go from here?", you may be asking yourself. I started looking at the recommendations and started doing a little bit of online window shopping. While my mind is fairly clear and not sleep deprived! I haven't bought anything yet, because obviously I haven't had the baby yet, and I will want to wait a little while before purchasing clothes. Here are some things that I have come up with from the Must Ask Mama series and from Ain't No Mom Jeans to get some ideas of what I am looking for and what will mesh with my personal style. Gray Knit Plaid Skirt Black Calf A-Line Skirt I do love skirts and I do think that wearing skirts would be appropriate not only with the transition my body will inevitably be going through, but also with the transition of seasons. Spring is cray-cray up here in the upper midwest. We have 80 degree temperature swings within a 24 hour window of time. Wrap dresses are definitely popular with the postpartum dressing crowd, and it is easy to see why. They mask poochiness, they can be great for nursing and I personally believe that it is a very classy shape! I have a red and beige printed wrap blouse that I am excited to be wearing again after baby comes. I was so sad when I couldn't make it work anymore. I did find this lovely wrap dress though! You may or may not know about my love of animal prints. Leopard Print Faux Wrap Dress I personally think that this would be fun with a blazer, which brings me to the my next tip.. Find a boyfriend blazer. I will be honest I have personally had a hard time understanding what all of the hype about "boyfriend" styling clothing is all about... it wasn't my style, because I prefer my clothes more fitted. But I can see how this would be appealing while working on getting your body back into shape. I found a couple of blazers that I love right now, which would be great for right now, but won't break the bank either. Because here we are all about thrift and quality! Black Boyfriend Blazer and there is also this option from Target Color Block Draped Front Blazer (Black & Blue) I feel like I this particular blazer might be a little bit too much, but I can' help but love it! I think the draping is what sold me. It is hiding the belly without looking like it is intentionally trying to hide the belly. Black Pants: I do love my maternity black pants, they fit really well and were super comfortable... which I can wear until I can fit back into my NY & Co wide leg black pants. Those pants seriously are my favorite ever! Comfortable stylish and I could wear them halfway through my second trimester... man I miss those pants so I should be able to wear them again after I get back tot he five month pregnant looking stage. ;) I also bought myself a pair of maternity skinny jeans in black that will work out great while transitioning. I almost didn't buy my skinny jeans in black, but I am so glad that I did! I love them, and would seriously wear them everyday if it wasn't for the fact that someone would notice and totally call me on it. These are definitely a possibility, black skinny jeans. Tunics are another popular on postpartum dressing, as they should be! Tunics are awesome... I have some that are a little bit shorter that I think will work great again. I wore them also half way through second trimester... But I was also looking for some extra inspiration- Coral Tunic and Floral Tunic Some other tops that I adore the shape of and think would be great are: This Lace Chiffon Tank and the shape of this Anchor Print Tank Top. I am not sure I could go for that exact print, but I thought the shape was really nice. I really like this whole outfit from anthropologie The top is roomy and would hide s poochy tummy and the jeans just look really nice. Some other flowy tops that I just love are these: a pattern peplum, a pretty button down (though I wouldn't wear something see through or that low cut), great ideas from aint' no mom jeans. I have found that I tend to go for sleeveless because I get so stinking hot! It is way easier to where short sleeve or sleeveless and through over my jean jacket or a sweater! Another thing that I am loving are these cardigans and super chunky knits. They are very versatile for work and home. I am cardigan obsessed. They can be found at very reasonable prices and can be worn mostly all year round depending upon the weight of the fabric. I have worked in some deep-freeze air conditioning locations ;) When I was doing my search I was looking for interest pieces that would jazz up basics like tank tops and t-shirts and other fairly neutral pieces that could be worn with skirts or pants. Here are my top 3 choices from everywhere: a sparkly drape cardigan the amount of sequin/sparkly tops that I wear are steadily increasing. This is more ore less a personal style thing. If you don't like sparkle I am okay with that! a drapey houndstooth cardigan, a cable knit poncho This looks super cozy to me on the days when I am feeling more chilly and can do light layers, This cardigan jacket/ hybrid (I actually like all of these tops, the leggings just aren't my style),love this cardigan (once again I love this whole outfit concept.) New purchases: The last t-shirts I bought pre-maternity are x-small,so I might as well get some comfy t-shirts in the meantime. These Old Navy t-shirts come highly recommended across several blogs, it is also hard to argue with the price. They have very basic colors which would mix and match nicely with everything else. Old Navy's Vintage Style V-Neck Tees There are a lot of things that I haven't been able to control throughout pregnancy, and honestly that is sometimes the hardest part about it. Though, my attitude is something that I can control, so taking the time to think through this and get advice from other mamas makes sense now. Right now is when I am able to fully reason through everything because pre-baby I have been able to sleep through the night! I will be shopping my closet as my body changes once again, and I will probably still be wearing some of my maternity clothes, but I was expecting that. I found items of maternity clothing that I could wear afterwards that don't scream maternity at me. I will once again have to navigate a constantly changing body, but this time I feel a little more prepared for it. My plan will be to shop my closest, consignment shops, and invest in pieces that will go the distance. My maternity wardrobe is neutral dark wash jeans, black skinnies, white jeans, navy blue cords, black skirt, navy blue dress, and a gray and mint dress. I made sure that there were a lot of coordinating pieces so that I could get the most out of what I wear... I also wore a lot of my scarves and jewelry. I have a lot of jewelry-- mostly costumy that livens things up. Tootles xoxo Mrs. Bookworm