Maternity Monday: Belly Basics

A picture of me, in case you were wondering what I look like.

Hello, fashionistas! My name is Jenna (as Jae mentioned before). I am 22 and married to an awesome guy. We have a darling 2-year-old daughter and another baby (unknown gender) on the way, due in late March. I recently graduated from Brigham Young University in communications with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. Yes, it is the most fun major ever! No, you will not see me on television any time soon. For now, I am doing the mom thing and loving every minute of it.

Today, I am 15 weeks pregnant. Which, as all you mommas know, means I am going to have to start expanding my wardrobe a little bit. Quite literally.

Last time I was pregnant, I was a hot mess. At about this same gestation, I went to buy some maternity clothes and left empty-handed and frazzled beyond belief. At the time, I was a starving student and realized 1) maternity clothes are expensive and 2) maternity clothes are HUGE. Trying on all those tent-like tops and saggy-butt jeans pretty much had me in tears. I resigned to the fact I'd have to rely on my current wardrobe, at least until I packed on a few more pounds.

I quickly learned, however, that a few items can get you through the early phases of belly expansion while allowing you to wear your non-preggo clothes. I call them "belly basics", and here they are:

1) Camisoles/undershirts:

As your belly begins to expand, you'll find your normal tops getting a little too short. Stick a cami under it -- problem solved (at least for a little while).

Motherhood Maternity microfiber camisole

Plus, think of all the cute things you can wear over a cami -- a cute slouchy cardigan, a crop jacket, a tunic ... the possibilities are endless. My suggestion is to get into your closet and try on all your blazers/cardigans/jackets/shirts with your new belly. Most of those things will probably work for quite some time with the help of a camisole, much to your surprise. Don't make a trip to your nearest maternity clothing retailer just yet.

Also, Tilly's has regular non-maternity seamless cami's for just $7.99, and they make them in every color of the rainbow. They are one size fit's all and will definitely cover your belly.

If you're looking for more coverage, try the Wonder Tee from DownEast Basics. They sell them in both regular sizes and maternity (although, during pregnancy #1, I learned that the regular ones, purchased a size bigger than I normally would wear, lasted me the entire pregnancy. They are very stretchy and long. I even walked into the delivery room in one).

DownEast Basics Wonder Tee

I also love their 3/4 Sleeve Tee, which never got too small to cover my belly, either.

2) Bella Band/belly sleeve:

This lovely band of stretchiness will get you through the awkward "I can't button my old pants anymore, but maternity jeans make my butt look horrendous" phase. With this, you can keep wearing the jeans/pants/skirts you already have until you've got enough junk in your trunk to fill out maternity sizes. Leave your bottoms unbuttoned or even unzipped, and use this band to hold them in place, like so:

Motherhood Maternity belly sleeve

See what I mean? Genius. And if your shirt doesn't cover the band? Who cares! Layering is all the rage these days, anyway. It'll just look like you've got a cami sticking out underneath. Perfect.

Bella Bands themselves can be pretty pricey. Luckily, Motherhood (linked above) and Target carry sufficient knock-off versions. Belly bands for all!

3). Cute, comfy pair of flats:

Heels might be getting a little uncomfortable by now. If not, good for you. But if they are, then it's time to go shoe shopping! (Heck, go shoe shopping, anyway!)

Fall is the perfect time for flats, and they come in lots of varieties. You can get dressy flats, casual flats, or anything in between. Might as well get a pair of each, right?

Target Mossimo metallic flat

DC slip-on sneaker

American Eagle button flat

And come on, who doesn't need a new pair of shoes (or five)? Don't we all, pregnant or not?

Jenna regularly blogs at Mom the Intern.

YAY! Important News

So I love love love to blog about moms and bad fashion and good fashion and gladiator sandals, but some of you may not know that writing is also my day job. So I work a couple of hours for MONEY and then I'm like, oh yeah, I should also dispose of some advice on my fashion blog, and post pictures for my mom on my personal blog. (You guys don't know my mom... if she doesn't get daily grandkid pics, heads. will. roll.) So I've been a little burned out on the writing front, and I love my fashion blog the most because it's a creative outlet. But it doesn't pay the bills. It occasionally nets me free merchandise, but alas, no bills paid. So work comes first. And since I hate to disappoint my lovely fashion moms, I enlisted the help of another mom to do a Monday feature for me. Her name is Jenna, and she's pregnant, and you know what that means?

THE RETURN OF MATERNITY MONDAY! ONDAY! ONDAY! (That was an echo, okay? Let's pretend.)

So Jenna will be here on Monday, just so you aren't confused, to talk about dressing your cute little pregnant belly, as she is the current owner of one. I wished that I could be better with my original Maternity Monday, but when I was pregnant, I was in the hospital, and my fashion consisted of a Beatles t-shirt, some Abercrombie sweatpants and rainbow slippers. Really. So I was not in any condition to get all preachy about how to look.

So, when you log on Monday, as I know you ANXIOUSLY do, look for Jenna and her thoughts on dressing hot while shaped like a bowling ball. You'll still get me a couple more times a week. I have been thinking about being sneaky and snapping pictures of badly dressed mothers at the play area of the mall. How mean do you think that would be?

YAY.

Linky Linkerson

PLEASE read this hilarious article by a 17 year old girl who wants Moms to know what is okay and what isn't when it comes to getting dressed every morning. I might try and adopt her. Even though that would be entirely inappropriate. If I had a 17 year old kid, it would mean that I had a baby at age eight. People might say things.

Fashion 101: Putting Together an Outfit

There is a question that I get asked often. And it's asked in secret, shamefully. That question is "How do I know what looks good together?"

Even girls who were total foxes in their teen years forget how to put an outfit together when they become moms. The rules no longer apply. For one, no one uses AuquaNet anymore. But the issue is deeper. When you were a teen you dressed a certain way. If you dressed like that now, people would think you were mental.

For instance, in high school I wore shirts with fruit on them. Don't ask me why. There is a photo floating around on Facebook of me wearing a shirt with cherries on it, along with a thick bathtub chain necklace and a smug smile because I thought I looked pretty hot. I also carried an olive green canvas messenger bag. Yeah. In high school standards, I looked normal. Today's standards? Crazy person.

So you need to learn to adapt with the times. A girl who knows how to put an outfit together looks put together no matter what. Take a simple recipe for dressing success, and make substitutions as needed. We've talked enough about what to wear for certain occasions for to know what;s appropriate. Now, the true test is learning to put it all together. Here's the equation. Remember that this is BEGINNER stuff. If you feel like you're more advanced when it comes to fashion, feel free to move along. I am laying out the basics here. As you get more comfortable, strike it out alone and throw my rules out the window, please.

1) Take a NEUTRAL.

Choose a neutral. One neutral. Fashiony people will tell you it's okay to pair neutrals together, but I hate that. Why? Well, for one, it's boring. Just do the one neutral and fill the rest in with color. And for two, I don't care WHO you are, gray and brown don't look nice together. They look drab. Say it with me, COLOR! For the most part, in pants, neutrals belong on the bottom, or with a jacket. You are not advanced or young enough to wear neon jeans. SORRY. Skirts can be whatever color you want, just tone it down on top.



2) Choose an ACCENT. The accent will be the color that goes with the neutral. Luckily, any color goes with a neutral so it doesn't really matter. Focus in stead on fabric. What makes or breaks an outfit are the fabric pairings. Please don't do polyester and satin, k. Pair dressier fabrics with sturdier ones, ie: a satin shirt with menswear style tweed pants. Keep casual fabrics together so you don't look mismatched. Focus on fit and balance it out. Remeber if one piece is fitted, the other should be loose. Got that?




3) Add SHOES. Shoes are so great to make a plain Jane outfit look awesome. Consider first your level of activity. Are you walking or on your feet? Flats. Dancing or showing off? Heels. Then, consider the length of your bottoms. DO NOT wear heels with short pants. Please for the love of all that is holy, if you wear heels and jeans, the jeans should almost graze the ground. If they don't, get some flats and call it a day. Remeber not to be too matchy with your footwear. If you wear a pink shirt, don't wear pink shoes, it's too cutesy and it makes the outfit look clownish. Choose an accenting color instead. Brown and black are always acceptable until you get your feet wet.



4) Pick ACCESSORIES. Have you ever heard that old adage about "If you're wearing accessories, take one off before you leave the house"? Um, this is utter and complete hogwash. Accessories are your friend and you can wear as many as you want as long as you don't wear them too close together. Be my guest; wear a bajillion rings with huge earrings or an armful of bracelets and a long necklace. Pile it on. Accessories will ultimately make the outfit look like you. Stock up on them at cheapie places like F21, Wet Seal and Claires and you will be happy. Don't be afraid of quirky pieces like a huge ring or a peacock feather necklace. When it comes to accessories, you can pretty much do whatever you want.



5) HANDBAG time. Remember these: dressy=a clutch. Always. casual=handbag, whatever kind you want. Match a more structured style with a structured satchel, casual clothes with a slouchy hobo style.




And voila! Instant outfit. As you become more comfortable, you can branch out and try new things. The trick is to get out of your comfort zone/rut and try something else. Even if you are a total capris and Keds kind of girl, and think "Oh, well people will think I look ridiculous if I wear anything different", you have to at least do me a favor and TRY. Outfits are easy, but sometimes confidence is hard. Better yet, try it for a whole week. I personally guarantee it'll be enough to make a few people sit up and take notice. Plus, even if there are naysayers, they're probably just jealous. Remember folks, it doesn't matter what they're saying, as long as they're talking about you.

(Clothing is Banana Republic, accessories from F21 and DROOLWORTHY bag is Valentino... $2,000 but a girl can dream. Sigh.)

Fall Trend I Don't Understand: Booties

I have kept my silence long enough.

I. Hate. Booties.

I don't care who you are. Model or mom. These shoes look stupid. I know they are supposed be fashion-y and all of that, but oh my gosh, they are so not flattering. They cut your leg off and make you look stumpy. LOOK AWAYYYYYYYYY. They look so horrid on anyone. I don't know why people would be like hmmm, those regular pumps look nice, but you know what would make my calves look massive? These awesome booties. THEY ARE CALLED BOOTIES. Poor Keira Knightley up there looks like a weird school-marm. She's in her early twenties. Not cool.

Avoid.

K, sorry, I just had to get that out. I have been having booties being shoved down my throat here and I even had a moment of weakness where I was like "Maybeeee..." and them my common sense kicked in and I was like "GET IT TOGETHER JAE."

I feel much better now.

Fall Trend I Love: Metallics

I've been doing a fair bit of shopping lately, (Moi? Shopping?) and have been noticing pretty sweet trends that I love that are on shelves right now. Let's get one thing out of the way like, now. Trendy can be dicey for someone like an older mom. You can come off looking slightly desperate to fit in if you really pile it on are are a trend whore. In general, a sophisticated signature look is the way to go. However, you can add little trendy items here and there to update your more basic pieces and make them look new. I've been told before that I look like I never wear the same thing twice. In actuality, I just change up outfits so that they look constantly new. Don't get in a rut! Try new things here and there. If they work, great. If they don't, shelve 'em and try something else. Fashion is not a life sentence, you guys.

One of my favorite things that I've been seeing is metallics. I used to be a strictly silver girl. I felt like it was younger. But with new golds coming out in better textures and patterns, try it out! I bought a pair of gold earrings and have been wearing them nonstop because they are so much more unexpected.

The problem that most women have with metallics is TOO MUCH. You could end up looking like the tin man... or a pimp. Either way, not good. So instead of looking for like, gold lame blazers and other horrifying things, stick to accessories when it comes to your metallics. It lets you in on the trend without looking like you raided Elton John's closet.

I found some awesome, non-spendy items to add to your old standbys so that you can join in on the fun without committing yourself.

If you're thinking "But Jae! I don't know what things to match with metallics!" Well, you're in luck. New school metallics pretty much go with anything. But, if you're wary of that, here's some color combos to keep in mind that look awesome. For gold, do it with browns, red (I LOVE red and gold together) green, blue, purple or any other jewel tones. For silver, do it with cool colors like gray, pink, black and white. I prefer white with silver over gold because gold and white look a little cougarish to me. I'm sorry, but you've heard my story about my friend's cougar mom, right? She tainted many things for me; leopard print, gold and white, and sauce with wine in it. So you can thank her for my weird cougar phobias.



I love the knot detail on these pumps. I also love that they have a hidden platform, sop it looks like you're wearing ridiculously high heels, but it's really on 3". Total side note, I had the brilliant idea to buy my first pair of 5" heels. I wore them for five minutes and felt like sawing off my ankles. But 1) they looked REALLY good, and 2) I'll definitely be wearing them again.



I feel like doing a pointy gold heel cuts back on the gaudy factor that you might get with a more elaborate heel. These would be so so so good with dark jeans. So good. (Both shoes from GoJane.com for super cheap)




This Melie Bianco clutch makes me die a little inside. Love the snakeskin pattern, and it's such an update on your general black clutch.



How freakin adorable are these headbands for $9 at Target? I love little flashy headbands. They are perfect for kicking up an otherwise blah outfit. Also, very good for making a messy hairdo seem on purpose. I do this alll the time. Slick it into a ponytail and then slide the combs in so that you get a slick front and the back of the pony is poofy. Love.


There are people who will be all like, "Don't ever mix metallics!" But here is proof you can. Love this serious bracelet from F21. How awesome would it be with just a plain brown v-neck tee or something? It's like you're all plain Jane and then you're like KACHOW! Deal with it, sucka!




Another F21 find. Love the antique feel. Buy immediately.




I love the idea of a little silver brooch that you can pin anywhere to look a little chicer. Hair? Check. Bag? Check. Blazer? Check. I'd even pin it to tall boot. (Spiegel)

If you ever find some other awesome metallic accessories I would luh-hove to hear about them. So would my bank account. It hates having money in it, and I'm happy to oblige.

Guilt Free Attractiveness

So.

I was just thinking about how sometimes, when you're a mom, you show up all disheveled and then say annoying things about how you never get to shower since you had a kid and you don't bother to wear PANTS because that would be taking time away from precious Swayzie (can I just say a kid in my daughter's preschool class is named this and it makes me want to simultaneously throw up and dance? Like, I love Dirty Dancing as much as the next gal and love me some Patrick, but naming your kid after him? Weird.) So mom's generally use their kids as the big excuse as to why they don't take care of themselves.

Wrong.

Couple things. 1) Um, I'm pretty sure showering is a basic human right and 2) who said that your kid wants to look at his dumpy mom all day?

You should NEVER feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Really. Those women who are complete martyrs for their kids wind up crazy OR having to deal with their husband's wandering eye, if you know what I mean.

That's why you should streamline your process of getting ready to a few different points of attractiveness, so that you can plan accordingly. My three points are 1) Errand running attractiveness, 2) Lunch out or business attractiveness and 3) Super hot Friday night attractiveness. I know down to the minute, how long each of these will take me. For instance, if I am having lunch or meeting with someone important, I know it takes me exactly 30 minutes from shower to shoes to get ready. So, I plan my day accordingly. Half hour before I need to leave, kids are entertained by something or plopped in the tub while I do my makeup in the bathroom. You NEED to be able to carve out 30 minutes for yourself without feeling guilty.

I have a three year old daughter, and I bought her a set of brushes that she uses while I'm getting ready. I hand her a cheap compact of clear face powder and voila! 30 minutes of sanity while I get ready.

If you are the enterprising sort and REALLY feel guilty about taking time for yourself, try doing it first thing in the morning before kids are up. Not only are you not taking time away from kidlings, but you start the day off on the right foot, lookin' fine and stuff.

Find products and styles that work effortlessly, and I really mean effortlessly. I am addicted to Bare Minerals because it cut my moisturizer/foundation/poweder to one step and I am dunzo. If I don't have time to shower, hair is in a cute pony a la Jennifer Aniston (I just run a straight iron through my bangs and call it good.)

The point is, justifying to yourself that you don't look good because you have kids just isn't good enough anymore. Not to mention, um, why the heck are you blaming your kids? Look at their sweet l'il faces. You're a jerk.

As for clothes, just pick an easy style that you can pull off without trying on a bajillion things in your closet. If you need to, lay it out the night before, or do what I do and plan things on events rather than days, ie: lunch with the girls, Friday night date, day just hacking around the house not doing anything special other than trying to convince myself to do a Turbo Jam DVD and eating peanut butter on crackers instead. That way, no matter what is thrown at you on any given day, you're like oh hey, I'll be ready in twenty mins. And then everyone will be like "OMG, she is so put together. She must spend like three hours getting ready. Like, when does she even spend time with her kids?"

And you can be smug. Yay! I love to be smug!