Jacket Week Day 4: Outdoor Casual

Yay! We've almost made it through jacket week. And we're on my favourite day, the casual/fun outdoor jackets. I have to confess, I own a mother lode of jackets. They are totally my favourite way to make an otherwise totally normal outfit of say, jeans and a white t, totally cute. So I have the back corner of my closet completely reserved for jackets. Which is yet another reason I don't like summer. I can't wait for fall, so I can delve in and start bringing them out. Of course, I'm pregnant so none of them will button, but it'll have to do.

Anyhow, when looking for jackets to just throw on, really look at fit and detail. They're going to go a loooong way. I have a few favourite kinds. I love a leather biker jacket, military jackets, and of course the age-old jean jacket. I own each (Although I have my eye on a new leather jacket that I am slowly talking my husband into buying me.)

Oookay, let's start with a denim jacket. Everyone has one, right? Of course, not everyone has a good one. I remember the first denim jacket I owned was purchased by my dad sometime in high school, and I wore it with the sleeves rolled up all through grade 10. With jeans. Shudder. See? I didn't always know fashion. That didn't kick in until I turned 16 and discovered dating. So, you can thank my grade 11 secret boyfriend for this website today.

ANYWAYS, the problem is, there are good denim jackets, and then there are really, really bad denim jackets that are reminiscent of Degrassi High and Depeche Mode, etc, etc. Observe.

Sigh. I am underwhelmed. This is a bad denim jacket. Why? Check the shape. It's square. Are you a square? I really, really hope not because that would be really, really unfortunate. This jacket will look bulky and awkward.

(Old Navy, of course) Hopefully you can see the difference. If you still want an old school denim jacket, this is the way to go. It has a longer silhouette, and see the actual denim it's made out of? It's thinner, meaning it will lay closer on your body. Adorable. BUT, if I can talk you into trying something different altogether, how about this?

YAY! A denim blazer instead! I promise you, this is going to be so much more flattering than the old school jacket. It has all the great characteristics of a blazer that we talked about earlier this week, but with the versatility of denim. I love this so much more.

Now, a note about denim jackets. DO NOT WEAR THEM WITH JEANS. Every so often I come across an article in my Glamour that says that you can. You cannot. I don't care what shade or what shape, you WILL end up looking like a cowboy. Unless that is your goal, in which case be my guest.

Alright. My next fave is the military style jacket. I love these because although not new, they feel fresher than a regular blazer, and look crazy cute with some jeans and (*cough* over the jeans *cough*) boots. K SO I LIKE BOOTS OVER JEANS!!! DEAL WITH IT.

Love this one from Shop.com. Its slightly asymmetrical, and it's details are so cute. And the piping? Love.

Another Shop.com find. This is pretty true to the military genre. The double breasted buttons and wide collar are exactly right. Not to mention the color is pretty adorable for summer or spring. I own this almost exactly in army green and it is SWEET.

Lastly, leather jackets. DROOL. Leather jackets are pretty much the anti-mom jean. K, yeah, you expect to see a mom with one of those plain collared leather jackets from like, Chadwick's (I'm not knocking it, I am just saying I don't hear Chadwick's and think EDGY!!!) paired with her chunky ankle boots feeling all hip. But it's a farce! If you're going to do leather, do leather, k? Respect the cow.

Scuba collar, booyah! Love this, it's a tailored version of a biker jacket. It's a nice baby step to looking like a Harley mama. And it kicks a normal leather jackets butt. Can I also explain to you how much I love a scuba/ motorcycle collar. Its the way a leather jacket should be. None of this plain jane nonsense.

One more step, this cropped motorcycle jacket. Pair it with a blousier, more feminine top and you have this wicked hard/soft thing going on that is totally gorgeous. This one is from Bebe and oh how covet. I will be looking for this come fall weather.

Anyhow, HAVE FUN with this stuff. A jacket is an awesome way to change up a look. You don't ACTUALLY have to be a biker to wear leather, nor be in the military to pull of the army green. Play around with it and then find your signature go-to look for days when you don't want to look like the edgiest thing you deal with is a butter knife.

Jacket Week Day 3: Outdoor Jackets; Functional

I know we are a ways off from winter weather just yet, BUT it's jacket week and this is totally worth addressing. Living in a winter wonderland, I see SO MANY bad jackets. You are grown up. You should not be wearing jackets that look like they have matching snow pants like your children. Please try something just a little more sophisticated.

Now that it's almost fall, it's a good time to remind you that every woman should have a basic trench coat. EVERYONE. Even you. They are so nice for fall, and they go with everything. Any time you don't know what to wear, throw on a trench coat and you've pretty much got it dead on. It's a great idea to invest in a basic one, and a trendy on that you love. One should be in a neutral, while the other can be a "new" neutral: red, plum, green, I even have a buttery yellow one that is adorable in the spring.

Here's a classic from Nordstrom. It's length is a little shorter than usual. which makes it updated and less Dick Tracy.

New style from Guess. BELTS ARE GOOD!

As the weather gets colder, I know we are tempted to go and dig out our warmest jacket from 1985.

Please don't.

There are so many more modern options than a huge bulky ski jacket. Please. PLEASE! try them.

Now my be all and end all in winter jackets is a pea coat. Rewind back to 2001, I was merely 17 and it was Christmas and I BEGGED and BEGGED my mother for a pea coat. She obliged, and I was the only kid at my school with one. But I knew that ski jackets were not my only choice. See? Even back them I was looking for other options. Anyhow, I still have that very pea coat today, which is a testament to it's quality and longevity. How often can you say you own a piece that has stayed consistently in style for 7 years? Not to mention, it is the warmest jacket ever. I have since added a few more to my wardrobe, in red, and I still wear them every winter. Traditional pea coats will be double breasted, but they are updated every season and totally worth checking out. They look good on everyone and they don't add unwanted puffiness.

Victoria's Secret. Not gonna lie, I'm probably going to buy this one.

Winter is such a good time to break out some red. It's so pretty.

If you're not completely sold on the pea coat idea, though I don't know WHY, I also love my fur-hooded jacket. Not real fur of course, it's a really urban update on a regular winter jacket. The hood is detachable, and even alone the jacket is super sleek. Great for just casual running around.

Hollister.

Finally, if you are so deeply set in your ski jacket ways, please please take a look at the new style ones out now. They can actually be very cute and not scary and puffy. Try the jacket on. Puffy does not automatically equal warmth. Sometimes it just equals heft. Heft is scary.

See the styling on this? Interesting clasps, longer length to hit down on your hips, it's actually pretty adorable.

I know we've been conditioned to think we need one, good sturdy jacket to last us all winter long. Why should jackets be any different from our regular clothes. You need some that are more formal, some that are more casual. I cringe when I see a girl in a dress with a puffy ski jacket over top. Silliness. A trench or pea coat would be better suited.

So let's put some thought into our outerwear, shall we? I know it can be cold. But cold is not an excuse to look like the stay puff marshmallow man.

Jacket Week Day 2: Casual Jackets

K, when I say casual, I mean something you might wear shopping, running errands, etc, etc. I love a jacket. I could wax poetic about the jacket for hours, but it would make for a very boring blog. They are super versatile, and great for doing some major undercover camouflage work when it comes to tummies. And awesome for layering without bulking.

The fun thing about casual jackets is that you can totally experiment with color and pattern, because they aren't stuffy office jackets.




Love this in green. See that nice band around the waist? That'll nip you in.






Can I tell you that not everyone knows that I am pregnant yet? And since I am still in an awkward tummy stage, I totally wore my blazer with a bow to church and tied to bow right over my belly? Genuis!



Love this color soooo much. Wear this with dark jeans, perhaps even boots over top? Ooh!!



Now, this jacket in theory is very cute. Red and cropped. Problem is, the only way to wear this is with a tight shirt underneath, and if you have a tummy at all, it'll definitely call attention on it. Better to wait and wear something like this when you ARE pregnant, when you actually do want to show off your big belly.



Love the pattern of this, and it's actually a sweatshirt type material, which makes it super comfortable. I wish they made everything in sweatshirt material.



I love the shape of this jacket, and the kind of private school styling. Look for interesting details, like a patch or big buttons. They are SUPPOSED to be fun.



Casual jackets are awesome, and you should have at least 3 in your wardrobe. Throw them on next time you want to look put together but still fun, styled but totally laid back. It looks effortless, not like you just spend ten minutes reading about them on the internet at all!

Jacket Week! Day 1: Work Jackets

K, so this week is jacket week, due to the questions I get all the time about jackets. We're going to focus on four different types: work wear, casual, outdoor functional and outdoor fun. See how CONVENIENT that is? And we'll still have time to finish out the week with ugly clothes. YAY.

So, work jackets I love. Know why? Because they aren't just for "work" anymore. I know this because I used to work in an office. And I had the most fantastic work wardrobe. Like honestly, I salivate a little at all the cute outfits I used to wear. If I ever consider going back to work outside the home, the only thing that convinces me are the clothes. Now, I work from home, and more often than not, my "business casual" wardrobe revolves around yoga pants. Oh, if my colleagues could only see me now.

Anyhow, so I had this great wardrobe, and then I quit working in an office to telecommute, and then what do I do with all of it? I reassigned it, of course. My work wardrobe became my exceedingly cute girl's night out wardrobe, church wardrobe, etc. I just broke up the pieces, paired it with trendier stuff, and voila! Hotness.

I prefer a bit of a shrunken blazer to a traditional "jacket". The difference? Take your hand and place it directly on your hip bone. DO IT! Did you? K? Remember this while shopping. A shrunken blazer will not fall below that bone. The nice thing about them is that you can pair it with a longer, flowier top to balance out the structure of the jacket. (PS, according to spellcheck, 'flowier' is not a word. Psshhhhhh obviously spellchecker as never been on a quest to find a GNO outfit utilizing his office wardrobe, am I right?)




Take this super cute jacket here. It's all structure-y and heavy. Take the belt off, and pair it with this:


OR! If you're feeling wild, this
(All from Forever21)

Then add dark wash jeans, pointy heels, and you will be the hottest chick at your next GNO/date night/PTA meeting. Kidding about the PTA meeting. When I was a kid, one of my friend's moms used to wear leopard print to the school functions and people had ideas about her. And rightly so.

If you do happen to enjoy a longer blazer, I totally recommend you keep it super simple underneath, with a plain tank. Just because the blazer is going to be enough on it's own.






Girlfriend has this right. (Victoria's Secret)

And if your jackets are a little more mens-wearish and don't lend themselves to flowy tops very much, never fear.


Swap the stuffy shirt for some much needed cleave (and by cleave, I mean boobs.) And call it a day.

K, a couple of don'ts when it comes to work/office type blazers.
-Make sure they have some kind of seaming from under the bust vertically to the pockets or hem. This means it is structured, which in turn means you look skinny.




-Jackets should always be worn with DARK jeans. Otherwise you'll totally look like some redneck who shows up to his wedding with a jacket on, but still his stonewashed denim because HE'S READY TO PARTY!


So dust off your work wardrobe and give it some new life. Unless you happen to have last been in the workplace in 1985, in which case, you should probably just donate it to a secretary with a HEART OF GOLD! And buy something new.

Freaky Friday Don'ts

YAY! Another round of ugly clothes I found and laughed at, then posted for you to see why I hate them. My favourite! Here we go...


What an awkward shirt. It's so weirdly short and stumpy. Repeat after me: If it is unflattering on the MODEL, it will probably do the same to you, but worse. I think I can see her belly button.


The only time a sweater this homely would be acceptable would be if you're a nurse. Even then, a little questionable. It conjures up images of 23 cats and Hungry Man dinners.


Sausage shirt!!

Why hello, Carol Brady. Nice to see you again. Off to your PTA meeting, are you?

Wear it with this ill-fitting, weird length skirt for extra points.


Boxy-est jacket EVER. You are not a square. Do not dress like one (I am totally going to do jackets some time next week. I love jackets but then there are ruiners like this out there. And some mom is like "ooh! A red jacket! How hip!" Oh, honey no.)



I saved the best for last. Hands down the scariest, least flattering dress I've ever seen. I don't even know where you would wear this? Formal soccer game? Upscale camp site? Anyone?

Stay tuned!

Answer to a Question

So the question arose today (from Mel... thanks Mel!) Of what to wear this fall.

Can I just preface this by saying I LOVE FALL! I am not a summer person, I'm from Canada for pete's sake. You know? The Great White North? I live for snowy days and warm blankets. Good thing I moved to the desert eh?

Anyhow, I love going into my closet and yanking out all my lovely sweaters, and wearing my jeans! And boots! Ugh, now I am just wishing for fall. Luckily, in the fashion world, fall is already upon us, and there is an abundance of sweet stuff out there. I am going to say, if you are going to reinvent your mommy wardrobe, NOW is the time. Tons of good designer previews and you can totally experiment with layers and jackets and all the fun stuff. Then, next summer you shall emerge as a beautiful butterfly, fully knowing what looks good on you.

So, for Mel, here are some awesome things for fall.

The first thing I love about fall clothes are the textures! I love a good menswear gone feminine outfit, and fall lends itself to these awesome fabrics and patterns without looking too stiff.

Argyle sweater - New York and Company

Plaid sweater - Juicy

Oh boo, this is fuzzy. But houndstooth!! I love houndstooth! Here is a picture of me wearing it, whilst biting my arm (I have what my family affectionately calls manatee arms, which will be the first to go in the event of starvation and subsequent cannibalism. They love me.)

Plaid dress. MUST HAVE IT. Why? Why oh fashion gods did you release this when I am pregnant? Cruel. Nordstrom

I am leaving my husband and marrying this Anthropologie sweater like, now. Don't you just want to crawl into it?

Then, on the flip side, I love really vivid, saturated jewel toned colors this season too. Especially if you have darker skin and hair, these will look amazing. When I say saturated, I mean nothing light or worn in anyway. Pristine, pure forms of a color. Think "plum" and "turquoise", even "jade".

Perfect color here. Nordstrom.

Also Nordstrom. Imagine this under my lover/sweater and you get the heavier texture with the newer color and you've pretty much hit a home run.

What shoes to wear? Welllllll you could wear black, but so does everyone else. Jewel tones look SO MUCH richer when worn with a) brown or b) a contrasting jewel tone. For the plum, these boots are gorgeous (Sorry, I love boots for fall because by this time I am itching to dust em off.) With the turquoise, those wine shoes are fantastic. It may seem totally counter intuitive to do a bright color up top with one on the foot, but you have to trust me on this one. Like I am ----- this close to running out and buying it. PLUS! Wine color shoes with that plaid grey dress? Love.

K, I am like having a fall fashion-gasm here, so I'll wrap it up. My eyes are peeled for more awesome fall stuff. I could have a whole post dedicated to fall jackets!!!! Is that sad?

For the Full Figured Gals

K! Story time!

So once, my father in law was out and about, and he saw an acquaintance that he'd heard was pregnant a few months back. So he went to go talk to her, and just as they parted way, he patted her belly and said, "So, aren't you going to have that baby yet?"

She had. A few months ago.

Awkward.

So, they both learned a valuable lesson that day. He never says anything to anyone ever about pregnancy, and she learned to rethink the way she dressed.

I have four brothers, and if there is anything I learned from them growing up is that wearing bigger clothes does nothing but draw attention to the fact that you've got something to hide. I remember them mocking relentlessly the girl who would show up to the pool in full shorts and t-shirts. It was like a big sign: INSECURITY! INSECURITY!

The truth is, you work with what you have. If you happen to be plus size, stop wishing for a smaller body and stop punishing yourself by not buying clothes until you're a size 4.

There are some ADORABLE things that I turned up, courtesy or Torrid and Lane Bryant, the latter which I don't usually love, but after some hunting, found to be pretty adorable.

I love layering, but it can be tricky if you're full figured. However, this piece was made to look like two, so you can get the effect without the bulk.

K, I covet this dress so very much. So VAMPY! And not ordinary- You'd have to have some serious curves to pull it off. Buy it.

These pants are fantastic in their fit and proportion. See that thicker tab waist too? It'll flatten out and look super svelte.

K, patterns can be tricky with plus sizes. Don't choose anything too big or too contrasting, they are going to emphasize everything you don't want them too. This linear shirt is just about perfect. The stripes are running vertically, making you look longer.

See the difference with the pattern on this shirt? It's bigger, and what's worse, the pattern is ROUND. Not good.
"
Boo.

And you don't always have to do flowy shirts. Check out this super cute structured one. The frill down the middle detracts from any problem areas, bringing your eye right to the center instead.

Finally, this is pretty much the perfect dress for a fuller figure. Nips in at your smallest part, and then flares out in an a-line. And the square neckline adds a bit of interest using a faux shrug. LOVE.

K. Bottom line? These are not your grandma's plus sized clothes. I better not catch you in your husband's basketball shirt EVER. AGAIN.