The other day I met a girlfriend for coffee and we were discussing needing new wardrobes---and she told me she actually loves my style. Um, what? I just stared at her blankly and asked her if she realized I was wearing yoga pants and had no makeup on. She laughed but insisted I was still stylish and looked pulled together, and I was beyond flattered---and confused, as I thought I had been kind of resembling a cast member of The Walking Dead lately. I've never been one to look 'effortlessly cool' (maybe just the 'effortless' part), and I've always chosen comfort over fashion. A blogger I follow always posts the most gorgeous pictures of herself in amazing clothes and heels--and to be fair, she's more of a fashion blogger--but the thought of chasing or even walking with Syd in heels gives me anxiety.
This moment was cute, but this day---not so much.
However, I have always somewhat tried keeping up with what's on trend because fashion and style have always been an interest of mine (despite what the above paragraphs suggest, haha). I'm no fashion blogger, so bear with me, but since becoming a mom and having less time for myself, I've found what works for me and my current situation---situation being comfort to chase Sydney, an elastic waistband to eat the occasional donut, and a bit of style to let people know I haven't completely thrown in the towel yet. I don't know if 'athleisure' is a real term or something my spirit animal made up, but I sure as hell have ran with it. Below are staple pieces in my wardrobe I continuously rotate through and mix-and-match with other pieces in my closet.
1. Yoga Pants/Running Tights: Obviously. What did moms do before yoga pants were invented? What do people wear at schools where yoga pants are banned? These are the questions that keep me up at night, and these are the questions my husband answers with, "Sweetie, I don't think as many people wear yoga pants as you think." Umm...FALSE, JORDAN. Everyone wears yoga pants---or at least everyone should. They've come such a long way, though, so it's not like I'm running around in ragged sweatpants. My favorite brands are:
- lululemon - My favorites of theirs are the Inspire Tights and the Speed Tights, but I'm willing to bet the All the Right Places Tights and Tight Stuff Tights are pretty solid choices as well, given their names. Well played, marketing department at lulu.
- Athleta - Their Chaturanga line is amazing! The pants come in all lengths and so many fun prints, and their material is incredibly soft and durable.
- Lucy - Their Perfect Core legging is by far, hands-down my favorite pair of pants, ever. The compression is super slimming without being too tight, and chances are if you've seen me in black lettings on Instagram or real life, I'm probably wearing them.
- Old Navy - Old Navy isn't just killing it at the toddler and baby game, their activewear is pretty awesome as well. I love their Go-Warm Compression pant, and their price points cannot be beat (lululemon--take note; $198 for a pair of yoga pants is insane).
Bonus tip: running tights generally have more compression than yoga pants (think Spanx as an acceptable form of pants).
2. Distressed Denim: On the rare occasion I want to go glam (glam being pants without an elastic waistband), I find myself wearing distressed denim. My favorite pair are from BlankNYC, which is quickly becoming my go-to brand (you'll soon find out why). The jeans linked are soft denim and super flattering, and the distressing stays put---major win. A couple years ago I bought an overly priced pair of AG distressed jeans, and the first time I wore them the holes ripped way bigger and looked so stupid. I also have a pair of Old Navy Destructed Rockstar jeans and absolutely love them! The fit is flattering, and the distressing is the perfect amount.
3. A Good T-Shirt: For years I kept buying inexpensive plain white tees, trying to find the perfect fit, until I realized my closet had about 10 of them that I never wore. I finally bit the (expensive, ugh) bullet and purchased Rag & Bone's Classic V Tee, and I can honestly say it's worth every penny. It's kind of a burnout tee (but not see-through) so it's super soft, and the slouchy fit is perfection. I also have heard amazing things about Z Supply's t-shirts, so I got this one to really change things up this summer. Plus, their price point is a little easier to swallow. ;-)
4. Leather Jacket: I'm obsessed with [faux] leather, black leather specifically. I throw my black leather jacket on over anything and everything to instantly make my outfit look a little more pulled together. For so long I had been on yet another clothing hunt for the perfect jacket; I wanted one that was slim-fitting but not tight, affordable but not cheap-looking, a little bit longer in length than most women's leather jackets but obviously not too long, and hardware that was trendy but not gaudy. I had almost given up hope when I stumbled upon this one from BlankNYC; it. is. AMAZING. It's so perfect that I want to get another one--same size, same color--just in case something happens to mine and they stop selling them. It's incredibly flattering and well made and under $100!
5. Sneakers: If you follow me on Instagram, you know I have a slight obsession with New Balance sneakers, style 574 specifically---they're my favorite and come in the most colors and patterns! (Not to mention they have matching toddler 574s!!) However, I recently got a pair of Nike Air Zoom Pegasus and have completely fallen in love. Not only are they comfortable and cute, but they're also functional and have replaced my running shoes entirely. Apparently the gray/silver and black ones I have are sold out, but I love all the new colors as well. I pair sneakers with almost anything and everything: yoga pants, jeans, shorts, even [faux] leather pants (yes, seriously---if you don't believe me, check out Becky Hillyard on Instagram).
I complete my 'ensemble' with a few pieces of jewelry, a good pair of sunglasses (sunnies hide everything), sometimes a baseball cap and painted nails, always. I don't know why, but even on the hottest mess of a day I feel more put together when my nails are painted than when I have a cute outfit on but my hands are bare.
As much as I joke about always looking disheveled, I actually just told my husband I was going to put forth more of an effort into my everyday appearance. There's definitely something about getting ready, doing your hair and putting on makeup that boosts your confidence and makes you feel like Beyonce, am I right?? The other day I ran to the mall for some eyeliner and lipgloss, and I began chatting with a makeup artist---and suddenly she was filling in my eyebrows and contouring my face, and I'm fairly certain I looked better on a random Wednesday than I did on my wedding day (sorry, Jordan!). She was a total day-maker, and I walked out of the mall feeling like a million bucks (and ready to go to a club). While my makeup will never again look that flawless, and while I recognize I most likely won't always have the time to get ready, do my hair and put on makeup, I'm going to start at least trying. Yesterday I felt better, I parented better, and I sent a zillion puppy dog selfies to my poor husband showing him what contouring is (he still doesn't know and/or care).
To round out my 'mom style,' a few of you asked how I curl my hair, and I'm actually so happy to share because it's revolutionized my hair-styling life. I used to use regular curling irons, every brand and every size, and never consistently styled it how I wanted to regardless of what I did. Curling wands use to freak me out until a trusted acquaintance (with amazing hair, obviously) recommended NuMe curling wands and swore up and down by them. On a whim, I decided to get a couple---and I LOVE them. It took me a few times to figure out how to use it correctly (and not burn myself), but they're a total game-changer. They retail for $139, but since I love them so much and bought them using a discount code from another blogger, I'm sharing the same deal for you! Running through the end of the weekend (Sunday, 5/15 at midnight PST), use code GETWANDS29 to get any of their curling wands for only $29!! I promise you'll love them.
What pieces of your closet do you love?? Any favorite brands or styles you love? Please share, as I'd love to change things up. (My husband would probably agree, haha!).
Hope y'all are having a wonderful Thursday---and mamas and mamas-to-be, check in tomorrow because I'm hosting an AMAZING giveaway you won't want to miss!!
xo,
Sarah
3. A Good T-Shirt: For years I kept buying inexpensive plain white tees, trying to find the perfect fit, until I realized my closet had about 10 of them that I never wore. I finally bit the (expensive, ugh) bullet and purchased Rag & Bone's Classic V Tee, and I can honestly say it's worth every penny. It's kind of a burnout tee (but not see-through) so it's super soft, and the slouchy fit is perfection. I also have heard amazing things about Z Supply's t-shirts, so I got this one to really change things up this summer. Plus, their price point is a little easier to swallow. ;-)
4. Leather Jacket: I'm obsessed with [faux] leather, black leather specifically. I throw my black leather jacket on over anything and everything to instantly make my outfit look a little more pulled together. For so long I had been on yet another clothing hunt for the perfect jacket; I wanted one that was slim-fitting but not tight, affordable but not cheap-looking, a little bit longer in length than most women's leather jackets but obviously not too long, and hardware that was trendy but not gaudy. I had almost given up hope when I stumbled upon this one from BlankNYC; it. is. AMAZING. It's so perfect that I want to get another one--same size, same color--just in case something happens to mine and they stop selling them. It's incredibly flattering and well made and under $100!
5. Sneakers: If you follow me on Instagram, you know I have a slight obsession with New Balance sneakers, style 574 specifically---they're my favorite and come in the most colors and patterns! (Not to mention they have matching toddler 574s!!) However, I recently got a pair of Nike Air Zoom Pegasus and have completely fallen in love. Not only are they comfortable and cute, but they're also functional and have replaced my running shoes entirely. Apparently the gray/silver and black ones I have are sold out, but I love all the new colors as well. I pair sneakers with almost anything and everything: yoga pants, jeans, shorts, even [faux] leather pants (yes, seriously---if you don't believe me, check out Becky Hillyard on Instagram).
I complete my 'ensemble' with a few pieces of jewelry, a good pair of sunglasses (sunnies hide everything), sometimes a baseball cap and painted nails, always. I don't know why, but even on the hottest mess of a day I feel more put together when my nails are painted than when I have a cute outfit on but my hands are bare.
As much as I joke about always looking disheveled, I actually just told my husband I was going to put forth more of an effort into my everyday appearance. There's definitely something about getting ready, doing your hair and putting on makeup that boosts your confidence and makes you feel like Beyonce, am I right?? The other day I ran to the mall for some eyeliner and lipgloss, and I began chatting with a makeup artist---and suddenly she was filling in my eyebrows and contouring my face, and I'm fairly certain I looked better on a random Wednesday than I did on my wedding day (sorry, Jordan!). She was a total day-maker, and I walked out of the mall feeling like a million bucks (and ready to go to a club). While my makeup will never again look that flawless, and while I recognize I most likely won't always have the time to get ready, do my hair and put on makeup, I'm going to start at least trying. Yesterday I felt better, I parented better, and I sent a zillion puppy dog selfies to my poor husband showing him what contouring is (he still doesn't know and/or care).
To round out my 'mom style,' a few of you asked how I curl my hair, and I'm actually so happy to share because it's revolutionized my hair-styling life. I used to use regular curling irons, every brand and every size, and never consistently styled it how I wanted to regardless of what I did. Curling wands use to freak me out until a trusted acquaintance (with amazing hair, obviously) recommended NuMe curling wands and swore up and down by them. On a whim, I decided to get a couple---and I LOVE them. It took me a few times to figure out how to use it correctly (and not burn myself), but they're a total game-changer. They retail for $139, but since I love them so much and bought them using a discount code from another blogger, I'm sharing the same deal for you! Running through the end of the weekend (Sunday, 5/15 at midnight PST), use code GETWANDS29 to get any of their curling wands for only $29!! I promise you'll love them.
Amazing curls brought to you by NuMe; everything else brought to you by an amazing Snapchat filter. (P.S. Snapchat filters are life, by the way.)
What pieces of your closet do you love?? Any favorite brands or styles you love? Please share, as I'd love to change things up. (My husband would probably agree, haha!).
Hope y'all are having a wonderful Thursday---and mamas and mamas-to-be, check in tomorrow because I'm hosting an AMAZING giveaway you won't want to miss!!
xo,
Sarah
I have the same BlankNYC faux leather jacket and I LOVE it! Lightweight sweaters from Zara ($19.90... ummm... for real?! Can't even leave Starbucks for that much money...) are my jam right now too. Loving your blog! xo!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing?? Did you see the new colors? Amazing! I've never bought anything from Zara for myself (only Sydney, ha!), so I will definitely have to check out their lightweight sweaters---sounds amazing, and yes, under $20 sounds like a dream! Thanks so much for reading, sweet mama. :-) xo
DeleteWhat size curling iron do you like to use the best?
ReplyDeleteIt totally depends on your hair length and thickness! My hair is really long and really thick and it takes to curl very easily, so I use the 32mm. I also have the 25mm, though, and I love it; I just use it when I want tighter curls. If you have longer and/or thicker hair, I would recommend the 32mm (if you want bigger/looser curls like mine), but if you have shorter or thinner hair, I would recommend the 25mm (and/or if you prefer smaller/tighter curls). Hope that helps!! :-)
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