Sunday, January 22, 2012

Pregnancy Purge Continues...Anthro, Anyone?

Oh, well.  I might as well go out and just get all these pregnancy outfits out of the way.  Maybe I am nesting.  I spent two hours today clearing my closet for pregnancy clothing...all the while recognizing the items I was packing up were going to be coming out of hiding in May (I even marked the boxes "bring down in May 2012").  :)  I guess I just needed to do SOMETHING.  LOL.

So yesterday's post focused on a whole slew of outfits made from items I had either purchased at Pea in the Pod, Mimi Maternity, or Motherhood Maternity.  There were six of them.  Yeep.  Guess I was a bit behind.

Today I want to get three outfits published that I created using pieces from Anthropologie.  Amazingly enough, a lot of what I own from Anthro have easily seen me through the last few months.  I think it is a combo of some vanity sizing, general versatility of the piece, and the "flowy" nature of all of their clothing.

Anyhow, Desperate Housewives is on soon, so I am gonna make this quick.  ;)

Outfit #1:
I got out of the house for these shots.  I brought back the arty shot from the summer.  Let's just say I find it WAY easier to dress up and play "model" when it is warm.  I am a super wimp, I admit it.  The day was just warm enough that I didn't shudder at the thought of posing outdoors for five minutes.  How those big time fashion bloggers do it is beyond me.  Maybe they have steel for skin. 

Dress: Maple Mazzola Sweater Dress, Anthropologie, Fall 2008.  Oh, how I love this dress.  I totally fell in love with this dress when I saw it in the July 2008 catalog but since I was heavily pregnant with CW at the time I didn't think it would work for me.  Fast forward to this fall, ebay.  I saw it for sale and for an okay price in a size medium and was all, "screw it, I want that dress."  Turns out I could have worn it heavily pregnant with CW (although July and cotton/angora...not so much).  This dress is far more forgiving than I thought it would be!  I could go with a size small for the non-pregnant days, but since it is a sweater dress, the same stretchy material that makes it utterly perfect for those of us "with child," also make it beautifully flattering to non-pregnant curves.  :)
Tights: George Tights that recently bit the dust (sad!).  Read the last post for more on that saga.  LOL.
Shoes: Stacked Strap Heels, Anthropologie, Size 9.5.  These are by Schuler and Sons and I must say that I was thrilled to have them pop back in my size after missing them from the sale initially.  (Although I was a bit worried they wouldn't ship and worried the 9.5 would be too large--schuler and sons run large on me.)  Aren't they pretty?  And they were very comfortable.  I could have walked in these for hours.  Surprising seeing as they are really high!
Necklace: J. Crew, in store only necklace from Fall 2009.

I added a very unique Elevenses topper to this outfit.  This is the Neo-Houndstooth coat and after seeing it styled in the catalog last fall, I sort of fell for its mid-century modern appearance.

Having said that, I recognize its flaws.  I bought it on super-sale (it went down to $49 from almost $350) because of the flaws.  This is a size 4, which is one size down from my true Elevenses size of 6.  I may have been able to get away with a size 2 it runs that large.

Part of the problem is what you see here in this photo, the open back vent.  There is absolutely NO structure to the vent.  In fact the only reason there is structure to mine is because I added some.  I sewed up about an inch of the vent about halfway down the vent to keep it from flopping open and I safety pinned the bottom part of the vent so that it wouldn't fly open, either.  All in all that took me about twenty minutes, but I feel like the extra time was worth it for such a pretty coat.

I had fun with Picasa Picnik now that I have my new computer.  :)

Don't you just love the view of the barren trees and my neighbors?  I miss the full blooming trees!!!

The other problem with this coat is what you can see here, even on small shouldered moi, I look like I have actual swimmer shoulders (who did lots and lots of butterfly).  I don't mind the extra shoulder girth as I do have a fairly narrow upper body, but on someone who is broad shouldered, I think staying away from this coat may be a good idea.

CW was heading to ballet class.  Her darling Boden skirt was perfect for covering up her ballet costume.

Mazzola and Neo-Houndstooth.

Above is the polyvore of this outfit, just in case you are interested in any of the pieces.

Outfit #2:
Speaking of Elevenses, here is a spring coat that I wore about a month ago with a full on pregnancy outfit.  Didn't do up the buttons, but the rest of it felt great.

Coat: Elevenses, Size 6.  I wore it in this post a long while back.
Top: Gap Maternity, Size small.  Only Gap I wear is the maternity stuff.  The regular stuff just kind of looks bad.  (Sorry, Gap!)
Jeans: Mavi, Pea in the Pod, Size ??? (I honestly don't remember).  I literally wear these jeans to death while pregnant.  They feel awesome on and are fit perfectly for my body.  Plus they have a drawstring at the top of the belly band for an even closer fit.
Shoes: J. Crew, Salina Patent Flats.
Necklace: Bloomingdale's Aqua Brand, Multi-Strand Gold Necklace.

We were headed to a friend's house for the night.  This was dressy enough but also filled the bill of being comfortable enough, too.


Side view.  If this was a month ago, then I was about 26 weeks.  (I just turned 30-31 this week, so I am guesstimating.)

Outfit #3:
Alright, I admit this is a bit of a stretch on the Anthro front, but the shoes and scarf are Anthro.  :)

Top: Loft Starry Night Bubble Hem Top, Size Extra-Small.  Yum.  I definitely think I can make this one work non-pregnancy.  If I can't, oh, well, but I love the way this top looks.
Pants: Gap Maternity, Size 6/29.  These are awesome capri dark wash denim that I purchased a few months ago.  They fit as well as my Mavi jeans in outfit #2.  Definitely can't wear them on super cold days, but since we have only had a handful this year, I have been able to pull them out a lot more than I anticipated.
Cardigan: J. Crew, Size Small.  This is one of those infinity cardigans from a year or so ago.  I like how proportionally it works with the shorter pant and oversized blouse.
Scarf: Sketched Surrealism Scarf, Anthropologie.  I wanted this in one of the three prints in came in, didn't really care which one, but as soon as it went on sale (and with an additional 50% off), I bit.  I love the super-soft silk and the infinity styling (the loop makes it easy to style--here I have it looped twice).
Shoes: Miss Albright (Anthropologie), Anticipation Heels, Size 9.  Definitely wear these a lot.  LOVE them.  :)

The kids are in a selection of mini Boden (CW in baby Boden).  I got those not on sale, but they are currently in the clearance section (a lot of the sizes might be sold out, bear that in mind).  I plan to add these to the Boden Weekly Review Roundup this Wednesday, so if you are interested in their pieces, there will be reviews then.  :)

Okay.  Gotta catch up with Gaby, Lynette, Susan, and Bree.  Love those ladies.