Inspired :: Festival Flower Crowns

Lollapalooza is in two weekends, and I can't wait.  I've been dying to try this season's new trend, the floral crown, and Lolla is the perfect place to rock the flower crown.  Stay tuned for the DIY version next week, in the meantime here's the inspiration for next weekend's festival head gear.

 

 

{Photos Via: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6}





A Babymoon Minus the Baby

The Mister and I went on a "babymoon minus the baby" the week before I was supposed to return to work.  After many tears the night before about leaving my baby, we made our way to South Beach.  I should mention that I'm a South Beach frequenter  this was my 5th trip in less than 9 years.  But what's not to love, great weather, clean beaches, and you can drink outside...fabulous.  We stayed at the heavenly Dreams South Beach, I have a thing for boutique hotels, and their rooftop pool/bar, HighBar, did not disappoint.  And we got to try out a few local places and enjoyed some seriously delicious eats, here are our 'best of's:

Best coffee: Cafe con leche at David's Cafe
Best salads/sandwiches: La Sandwicherie
Best Drinks: Meat Market
Best Nachos: Cleevlander, although we were there watching the Bulls take a beating by Miami in game 2 of that playoff series.
Best Dinner: Casa Tua, amazing Italian food, and sooo romantic.  Honorable mention: Khong River House.

Style File: (please ignore the crappy iPhone pictures):  I'm obsessed with the combination of chambray and white (white jeans, white shorts, white skirts, white dresses, white bikinis....) | love this white blouse and navy shorts combo, with a pop of neon pink (but clearly not as much as I love that gelato that I couldn't put down for the picture) | more neon pink, this time a maxi skirt and a simple tank with an aqua necklace. 

Chambray shirt: TJMaxx
Fedora: Macy's
Wedge Espadrille: Target
White &  Navy Shorts: JCrew
White blouse: F21
White tank: JCrew
Pink Maxi: Old Navy

Memorial Day Weekend Ouftfit

Unfortunately, it's supposed to be potentially rainy and only in the upper 60's/low 70's this Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, not ideal weather.  Which of course proves problematic when deciding what to wear.  My solution: the cropped jacket, I love the look of a cropped denim jacket, it's both polished and trendy.  It's the perfect way to transition an out fit from day to night, and keep you warm when the temperature dips.  Here's my take on the cropped denim jacket, one jacket 2 ways...

Day:  Wayfarers, Navy striped boat neck tee, Coral jeans, Peep toe pumps, Crossbody bag, Monogram necklace, Cropped denim jacket

Night: Striped tank maxi, Sandals, Clutch, Necklace, Cropped denim jacket

Motherhood Mondays: Stylish Mamas

Vanity Fair recently put out their list of the 10 Best Dressed Pregnant Celebrities.  And it's no surprise, that the Duchess topped the list.  The other contenders included Hilaria Baldwin, Hally Berry, Penelope Cruz, and Margherita Missoni.

Soiree :: Fashion Show Themed Baby Shower, Part 2

When we were brainstorming for this fashion show/brand launch themed shower we knew there were certain elements we wanted to capture, so that guests felt as though they were at an exclusive event.  We transformed our friend's loft into a pink boutique oasis.  Complete with a backdrop and runway featuring the "brand" logo, goodie bags lining each side of the runway, and a designer chair for the guest of honor.  We transformed the fireplace into a baby boutique with pink, black, and white clothes hung with glittered clothes pins.  And framed "Vogue" magazine covers featuring our gorgeous mommy-to-be and the "brand" to create a feature wall.  We had guests take polaroids with the guest of honor that they then added to the guest book/ brand look book and left a message for the mommy-to-be.   The look book was completed with sketches of baby clothes, fabric and color swatches, and handwritten design ideas.  And as requested by the mommy-to-be the books that guest brought were featured on another table.  We also had stations where guests designed a page of a fashion themed alphabet book, so that the new babe could learn her fashion ABC's, as well as a design your own headband station.  In addition to the usual baby shower games, guests played the celebrity fashion version of  "The Price is Right", and the wining team took home pink nail polish.  And each guest went home with a reusable pink shopping tote, which fit the theme perfectly.  As a finishing touch we created event staff lanyards for all the ladies that were hosting the shower with an extra special one for the mommy-to-be, and encouraged guests to Instagram/Tweet using the hash tags we created.  It was such a fun afternoon, with everything coming together perfectly, all for a very special mommy-to-be!

Soiree :: Fashion Show Themed Baby Shower

Today we're sharing the foodie aspects of the fashion themed baby shower we threw our gorgeous friend.  With a pink, black, and white color palette and ombre accents this gorgeous shower came together perfectly, thanks to the hard work of several amazing ladies.    The food table featured a pink ombre balloon wall, which really popped off the exposed brick wall.  Mirroring the pink ombre balloon wall was the gorgeous cake, with ruffles, and the phrase "Little Toes, Meets High Fashion".   On the menu: mini cupcake push pops, cucumber tea sandwiches  yogurt parfaits, rosemary potato muffins, mini quiches, deviled eggs, a munchkin topiary, and the main event: a waffle bar.  The waffle bar featured fruits, nuts, honey, chocolate, maple syrup, caramel sauce, nutella, jams, and whip cream.   Hop over to rnlMusings to see the fashion week inspire invitations we created for the shower. 

Soiree :: Fashion Show Themed Baby Shower

I'll be sharing the baby shower we hosted for our adorable friend Payal tomorrow, but first, the fabulous invites.  As the fashionista in our group of friends, we decided to throw her a fashion/brand launch themed shower.  The brand, the nickname she gave her adorable bump.  Inspired by a Chanel invite for fashion week, we created these invites complete with VIP passes, social media hash tags, and a request for books in leiu of cards.  We created these invites using A7 half moon enclosures  and envelopes from Paper-Source.

Oscar's Best Dressed

I am in love with some of the stunning gowns that graced the red carpet last night.  Loving the trend of  column dresses with a slight train.  Some of my favorite looks were Jenna Dewan-Tatum, she is rocking that bump, and Amy Adams in that voluminous Oscar de la Renta. 

{photos via E Online!; Styleite; Marie Claire}

Baby Week: Dressing the Bump

It's week 2 of BabyWeek, and we're kicking if off with maternity style!  When I first started shopping around for maternity clothes, I realized a couple things.  First off, maternity clothes are expensive, secondly most of them are ugly, and lastly, if you're going to get pregnant aim for your second and third trimester to be in the summer, that way you can wear all the cute maxi dresses etc and still look chic.  As part of my "I'm not wasting money on clothes I'll only wear for 5 months" mantra, to date I've only purchased a pair of skinny maternity jeans, 3 tops, 2 dresses, and 2 bellybands.  Here are some of my favorite pieces to show off your bump in each trimester.

First Trimester: Is great because most of your your regular wardrobe still fits.  Unless it's your second, third, etc pregnancy and you might start showing sooner.
Key pieces: Bellyband as your work pants and skinny jeans will start to feel snugger.

Second Trimester: Congrats you've progressed from: "Is that a food baby?" to "Look at your cute bump!"  It's officially time to showcase the belly, wearing huge tops will only make you look frumpy, work the bump!
Key pieces: Bellyband, Maternity Skinny Jeans, Leggings, long side ruched tops, long tank tops, and button down shirts (chambray).

Third Trimester: It's all about comfort at this stage.
Key Pieces: Dresses are great at this stage, maxi dresses & skirts, loose tops & tunics, and long cardigans.

Favorite maternity stores: Asos Maternity, H&M, GAP/Old Navy, & TopShop.

Other suggestions: Accessorize:  Nothing distracts from a huge baby bump like a statement necklace, stacked bracelets, scarfs, and belts.  And while they can't always hide the bump, they will make the mommy-to-be look more glamorous.
Layering: Try cardigans and blazers over a fitted top.  It'll accentuate your smallest part and add some depth to your outfit.

Need more maternity outfit inspiration, here are some cute Maternity style blogs: MyChicBump; The Daybook; Tres Chic Mama; The Simple Swan

{All of these outfits were items I already had in my closet and not maternity specific: Pink Dress - Mango, Black Belt - Old Navy, Tights- H&M; Stripped shirt - H&M, Skinny Jeans - Express; Stripped Dress - H&M, Blazer - H&M, Necklace - JCrew, Boots - Steve Madden; White Shirt - F21, Belt - Old Navy, Necklace - BaubleBar, Tank Dress - H&M, Tights - H&M}

{Tulip Maternity Dress - Asos, Belt -Asos, Necklace - BaubleBar, Jacket - F21; Tank Dress - H&M, Tights - H&M, Sheer Black Dress - TopShop; Black Blazer - H&M, Layered Top - Limited, Maternity Skinny Jeans - GAP, Bracelet - BaubleBar, Necklace - Zara}

Monday, Monday

Happy Monday lovelies!  I hope you had a great weekend.  I'm still rocking the blowout I received at Blowtique this weekend, as part of our mommies-to-be date.  I can't say enough amazing things about this place, and at just $35 a blow out, looking gorgeous is so affordable.  Speaking of looking gorgeous, here are my favorite looks from last night's SAG awards & Jessica Alba's Elie Saab number from the Producers Guild Awards the night before:



{photos via Marie Claire & Riches for Rags}



Transparent Clutch

Inspired by Paris Fashion Week, this clutch is a stunner!  The best part making one for yourself is insanely easy!  I can't wait to try this DIY clutch makeover from Honestly WTF.

You'll need: a clear rectangular hinged box from The Container Store, a pretty knob from Anthropologie, a pair of pliers or a wrench, a heavy duty wire cutter, a drill & a pointed drill bit.

Directions: You’ll start by drilling a hole at the top of the plastic box. Use a drill bit that is one size larger than the diameter of the bolt on the knob, otherwise the plastic might crack. Open the lid and slowly drill a hole in the center of the box with very light pressure. Please wear protective eyewear and use caution! Once the hole is drilled, use wire cutters to trim about an inch off the bolt. You’ll notice that your knob comes with two sets of nuts and washers. Remove one set with your wrench or pliers. Push the knob through the hole of the box and replace the washer and nut. Tighten & voila you're done!