What I Wore: Maternity Staples

We are THRILLED about the pending arrival of our little girl. That being said, I'm not one of those women who loves being pregnant. I'm just not. And while I love to dress and put together outfits, dressing for pregnancy is NOT easy. The challenge when you're tall and not super petite is that instead of getting a cute little bump you just get thick...everywhere. I want to walk around with  a sign saying, "I haven't been on a 4-month eating spree, I'm pregnant."

I thought I'd share some of my maternity staples for the first 22 weeks. You can't go wrong with a LBD and that's definitely true when you're pregnant. I love this dress from ASOS (as an aside, did you know it's pronounced a-sauce?). 

I've been pairing it with statement necklaces (History & Industry to the rescue), long vests and jackets.  Now the disclaimer...when I washed it (according to the instructions, without putting it in the dryer) it shrunk pretty significantly. ASOS has incredible customer service and they let me return it...but if you're tall, it could be an issue. This looks similar (unfortunately with long sleeves which aren't ideal for a DC summer) so I might order it as a replacement. There's no way I can go the rest of the pregnancy without a good black dress. Stay tuned for future posts about ASOS maternity clothes - I've got two dresses I bought early on before they sold out and am looking forward to wearing them. 

Gap has been my other go-to so far. Again, it's all about basics. These jeans fit great and with a 30% off coupon were a great deal. And there's no way I can go 40 weeks without a great white button down. The length on this is perfection for me. And, I'll definitely be able to get good use out of this after the mini's arrival too. 

And while I don't have a good photo, these black demi panel perfect trouser pants are a must-have for work. I'm hoping to not buy too many maternity clothes and with these great basis, I might be able to get away with it.

Do you have any favorites I should try?

So Many Choices

I'm on the hunt for a new chambray shirt to add to my collection. My +1 bought me one from Land's End Canvas a few years ago, but somehow it ended up with a permanent stain on it. While the spot is not large, it's still noticeable, so I feel like it's time for another one. 

Here are some of the shirts I am considering. 

 Gap $49.95

Lands End $59 

Anthropologie $88

J Crew $78

Ralph Lauren $79.50

So many choices. Do you have a favorite chambray shirt?

Second Chance

Remember way back in April when I posted these fantastic Ashton sneakers from ShoeMint (post here)?

I know a number of readers ordered them. Well, I did, and then I made the mistake of keeping them even though they were too small. My friend Amanda was the benefactor of my bad decision as she is now the proud owner of my shoes. Lucky lady. 

Well, it seems like I may have a second chance because Gap is selling a nearly identical pair for a somewhat reasonable $49.95

Snakeskin Textured slip-on sneaker

I'm really tempted to order the pink ones. Has anyone tried these shoes in the store? I would love to hear your thoughts. 

It's Hunting Season

Hunting season is quickly approaching, but let's be honest, I don't think many of our C&C readers are interested in hunting season. But, I know many of you are interested in the print associated with it: camouflage! 

So, if you are interested in hunting down some camo this fall, here are a few pieces worth tracking. 

Gap 1969 camo front-zip always skinny jeans $69.95

Gap printed Utility Jacket $78

Old Navy twill Pocket Shorts on sale $15

New Balance 501 Camo $65

Free People Camo Printed Thermal $58

Nixon Quad $125

And, the great news is that all of these items come from Gap companies (Gap, Old Navy and Piper Lime), so you can order from multiple sites and combine shipping! 

Splurge vs. Save

A denim jacket is a necessary staple in every women's closet. It can be worn in any season, and with a variety of outfits. The denim "tuxedo" is currently on trend, so for the time being you can even wear a denim jacket with jeans (gasp)! I had a J Crew denim jacket a number of years ago, but for some reason I never replaced it. There are lots of options out there....Gap, Levi's, premium denim brands, etc, but here is no jacket more traditional in denim than Levi's, so their Trucker Jacket is a perfect choice.

Levi's Authentic Trucker Jacket $78

That said, I didn't have to go to the Levi's store to get my new denim jacket. Instead, a friend tipped me off to Levi's denim jackets at Costco for $24.99! Score! I wore it earlier this week to barre3. Thanks Heather for taking this photo so I could show you what the jacket looks like, and don't mind the Mini behind me. P.S. I think I need an orange wall like that in my house for "what i wore" photos. It's a perfect background!

If you live in Portland, they have the jackets in two colors at the Costco in Beaverton and in Tigard!   Hurry before you miss out on this fantastic deal!

Falling for Floral

I've been thinking about floral a lot lately...I guess that's natural since the change of seasons is upon us. I can never decide if floral say to me "Spring" or "bad Easter pattern I wore as a kid in the 80s."

Nevertheless, flower power is back, and I'm thinking about how to incorporate it into my warm-weather wardrobe. One of the things I love about the suite of Gap.inc sites is that you can shop all of them with one shopping bag - and the floral abounds. Here are my favorite picks in a range of prices. 

Old Navy Mixed Floral-Print Cardi - $24.50

Old Navy Long-Sleeved Wrap Dress - $29

Banana Republic MonogramFloral Crop Pant - $89

Banana Republic Monogram Floral
Jacquard Pencil Skirt - $98

Gap Floral Sateen Dress - $69.95

Gap Shrunken Boyfriend Printed Shirt - $54.95

Piperlime Tinley Road Floral Print Blouse - $54

Piperlime RD Style Floral Blazer - $89

I'm seriously considering the Old Navy wrap dress and the Tinley blouse. Which are your favorites? Will you be falling for floral this season?

A Few Clicks Away

No matter where you are in the world, no matter how isolated, shopping is always only a few clicks (and a decent Internet connection) away. Last week I had some down time in Italy (between my husband's ski races), and I walked myself down the hall (to where the Internet actually worked) to catch up on some of my favorite blogs.

When I saw these photos from Kiley of A Sequin Dress at Breakfast, I had to find out more about those pants...and if they were still available.

Turns out they are from Gap, were still available, and they were offering a 30% discount online! Bonus! 

So just a few clicks, and these 1969 printed always skinny skimmer jeans were on their way to me! I can't wait to share some "what i wore posts"...assuming they fit!

P.S. Katie also ended up ordering a pair, so we'll have to see how we each choose to style them.

Black and White and Striped All Over

When I found this Baily 44 skirt at T.J. Maxx this summer, I knew I was going to get a lot of wear out of it. Last week with the addition of tights, a sweater, a blazer, and some suede pumps, it made the transition into winter.

J. Crew Blazer (old - similar on sale here) / J. Crew cashmere sweater

I've gotten a lot of inquiries from friends, readers, and instagram followers about where they can find something like it. While I haven't found the exact skirt, I did track down two really affordable, similar options.

If you buy this wool knit version today from GAP, you can get 35% off. Just use the code GAPGIVE.

And if knits aren't your thing, here's a cotton/spandex option from Old Navy that's on sale for $19. Tis the season for giving...to yourself. 

Don't forget to enter our Angela Caputi bracelet giveaway before Wednesday. We'll announce the winner on Thursday. 

Dress Like the Mini

On Friday I took this photo of the Mini Fashionista. Doesn't she have great street style? Truth be told, most days she looks better than I do. 

One of my friends (SB) commented that she would wear the outfit if it came in her size. Which, by the way, is a jacket from Old Navy, tunic and leggings from Carter's (all from the kid's consignment sales I blogged about here), cardigan by Crewcuts (ebay purchase) and her most coveted pony hair shoes from Zara (a gift). 

So for anyone else who likes the Mini's street style, I thought I would put together the adult equivalent of what she is wearing...with a budget in mind, of course!  

Let's start at the bottom with these Gap Leopard Calf Hair Ballet Flats for $49.95.

Zelda Colored Jeans from Express on sale for $49.90

Sashimi Utility Anorak $58

Asos Cardigan with bobble stitch $70.36

And finally, the patterned piece to pull the whole look together, Lands' End Canvas Pintuck Top $70!

We'd love to see your version of the Mini Fashionista's outfit. If you have similar items in your closet and want to share your look with us, email it to cardicouture@gmail.com or post to the C&C facebook page! 

Dressed to the Denim

For the first day of my freshman year of high school I wore a Gap denim dress that was short sleeved, ankle length and had mother of pearl snaps up the entire dress. It was in style at the time, but today it's been replaced with other styles of denim dresses, which is probably a good thing.

So what got me thinking about that denim Gap dress? Last week I had dinner with my friend and fellow fashionista AL. She was wearing this adorable denim shirt dress that she got from BP at Nordstrom.

The popularity of chambray has prompted a resurgence in the denim shirt and the denim dress. Here are a few other ways to dress yourself in denim this fall. All of these dresses are $80 or under. Which is your favorite?

Lands End Canvas Women's Chambray Weekend Shirtdress $80

Urban Outfitters BDG Chambray Shirtdress $69

Gap Chambray Shirtdress $59.95

Back to Basics

The GAP has been around for a long time...since 1969 in fact. I've been a GAP shopper off and on since I was a kid. They've definitely had their highs and lows. But recently the GAP has returned to its roots - great basic pieces that we all should have in our closet. Here are a few of my favorites currently available.

Solid Wrap Dress - $54.95

Crew Pullover - $39.95

Slim Cropped Pant - $49.95

Ponte Academy Blazer - $88

Gap + Clu Striped T - $49.95

Are you a GAP shopper? Which is your favorite piece?

Currently Coveting

Another week, another list of wants...

I am dying over this dress. For $68 I might just have to buy it! 

Belted Crochet Dress $68

You may find this a bit strange, but I sleep with a sleeping mask nearly every night. They get used and abused rather quickly, so I am always on the lookout for new and fun masks. This one from Shopbop is  on my list! 

I pinned this skirt months ago, and now it's on sale for $98 down from $164!

Boutique By Jaeger Color Block Skirt

Since I got the Tory Burch shorts at Consign Design, I have been more drawn to really short, shorts. These from Gap are super cute! And navy and white seems to be the theme of my summer purchases, so these are perfect! That said, $49.95 for Gap shorts? Seriously?

Printed Canvas Shorts $49.95