Posts Tagged ‘clothing’

One Skirt, Three Ways + Giveaway

April 1st, 2011
217 Comments

This post is brought to you by Ruche.

I’m feeling pretty good about my post-partum body even though I’m 15 lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight. Scales are stupid, you know that? Some days I’m really happy with where things are and other days I’m just miserable & prickly. The reason? I don’t always wear clothes that fit. Which leads to the post-partum clothing conundrum. . . Do I buy new clothes or do I wait until my clothes fit?

I always like buying new clothes; but if I’m going to lose the weight eventually, I don’t want to invest in a garment that won’t fit in the future. Then again, if I don’t buy clothes that fit me now, I’d just hide my unbuttoned jeans under an uncomfortably tight shirt and ultimately be unhappy with my body. It’d be great if I could get back to my pre-pregnancy size because I have a lot of clothes that I’d like to wear again. But they’re just clothes. For now, it’s more important that I eat right & like the body that I have right now. Not last year.

Since Felix, I’ve bought a few new things and kept a few pregnancy clothes in the rotation. This method has been pretty good thus far, but perhaps a bit boring with the only two pairs of pants that fit. Ruche offered to send me a little something last month, so when I was browsing their items I immediately gravitated towards their tiered lace skirt. It’s adorable, whimsical & has an elastic waist. It’s the perfect garment that will be able to fit me now and if I end up losing any weight. It’s adorable & super feminine. I’ve worn it a few different ways & thought I would share those with you:

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With the spring weather this week, I couldn’t help but wear this skirt with some sandals & a casual top.

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I love that this skirt is transitional. I’ve got the summer look at the top, then this above, more wintery look. I wore this to my friend’s wedding reception. I liked wearing the bold, dark tights with such a light & airy skirt. Contrast is fun.

undefined This is what I wore to church a few Sundays ago. It’s a little more romantic. I thought it’d be fun to wear it with all similar tones for a monochromatic look. I think the next time I’ll wear this outfit with coral lipstick and maybe a bright necklace for a little pop.

I’ve loved wearing this skirt. The soft elastic waistband is incredibly comfortable, which makes me feel good about myself. Thanks, Ruche, for sending it my way!

 

Non-Maternity Maternity

January 25th, 2011
287 Comments

This post is brought to you by Ruche.

I’m nearing the end of this pregnancy & I can proudly say that I have yet to buy any maternity clothes. I didn’t mean to do that at first, but I’ve been increasingly disappointed with what’s out there. Either it’s frumpy & inexpensive or sorta cute & expensive. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on clothes that I know I’ll want to burn after Felix comes.

It’s been pretty easy to avoid maternity clothes with the current trends of jeggings & belted tunic tops. I’ve been able to find most of these items at my favorite shops, which is great! I don’t want to limit my style just because maternity isn’t offered at all of my favorite stores.

Ruche is one of those shops that definitely doesn’t have a maternity line, but with their wide variety of clothing & accessories it’s easy to find something to suit any style/figure. Ruche kindly sent me a tunic dress that I just love. The elastic waist is meant to hit at the true waistline but is easily adjusted over my belly bump. I think it’ll also make for a great transitional top for afterward because of its hourglass structure. This tunic dress is SO comfortable! It’s lined & well made. I’m also impressed that it’s $30 (originally $40, but still!). If you’ve never heard of Ruche, think of it as the affordable Anthropologie.

This is one of the outfits I wore at ALT. Check out the fashion section for all of my Alt outfits. Thanks to Ruche for sending this to me! I LOVE IT!

Ruche has generously offered to give one lucky IS•LY reader a $50 gift certificate to their online shop! Best part? You don’t have to live in the US to enter. Here’s how you can win:

  • Visit Ruche & take a look around
  • Leave a comment on this post telling me  & tell me what item(s) is(are) your fave
  • Comment by 11:59pm (MST) Monday, January 31, 2011
  • This contest is open to everyone!
  • Only one (1) comment per person
  • No purchase necessary
  • One (1) winner will be chosen via random.org & announced Tuesday, February 1, 2011

I Refuse to Wear Maternity

November 1st, 2010
243 Comments

This post was brought to you by DownEast Basics.

 

DownEast Basics gave me a great sweater jacket to review & I have to admit, I’ve worn it every day since I’ve bought it. It’s made out of soft, hoodie-like material so it feels like I’m cozying up in my favorite hoodie, but it’s considerably more polished.

I’m particularly in love with the jewel tone of this coat. The product image on DownEast Basics’ site looks more cobalt, but the actual color has more indigo in it. That made a huge difference to me. I love the deep blue in this jacket!

Overall, I’m in love with this jacket. It’s not the kind of jacket I would wear when it’s below freezing outside, but it is surprisingly warm and perfect for this cooler fall weather. The fit is snug, so I would suggest going up a size if you plan on layering it with sweaters or cardigans underneath.

 

Hanes Sheer Tights

September 24th, 2010
138 Comments

This post is brought to you by Hanes.

I have all sorts of hang ups about texture & fit. Seriously, I’m crazy. I can’t touch microfiber unless I have lotion on my hands and I most certainly hate, hate, hate to wear a pair of socks that don’t fit or feel right. Just ask my mom. In the years & years I took ballet, every week it was the same struggle to find the one pair of tights that fit properly. When I say struggle, envision a 14 year old girl crying & screaming because her tights feel gross & like they’re on backwards. As soon as I quit ballet, I quit wearing tights or any sort of sock for that matter. I couldn’t do it.

Just in the last couple of years, tights have become a big thing in fashion. Wanting to participate in current fashion trends, I have given tights a second chance. While I have about 10+ pairs of tights, they’re not all created equally. Some don’t have a designated front or back (ANNOYING) while others might have a muffin-top-inducing elastic waistline. I hate both, but I typically sacrifice my sanity for the sake of fashion. Especially if it means just sporting them for a few hours on Sunday for church. I’m grown up enough to handle that. Most of the time.

When Hanes invited me to try a few samples of their new sheer tights, I was totally game. After all, they could be super comfortable. I am so glad I tried them out! They’re great! They have a label differentiating the front from the back. The material is silky smooth even on spiky I-haven’t-shaved-in-a-week legs. And then there’s the waistband. Ooooh, the waistband is heavenly. It’s smooth, flat & seamless. I’m a fan. Here’s how I wore my tights yesterday:

Outfit Details:

This outfit is sort of a transitional Summer/Fall outfit. I kind of like to call it the Peter Pan look because of the tights & the pointed booties. I’ve been seeing quite a few fashion blogs feature the blazer/short combo & I’m totally sold. I love it. The Sartorialist calls it transitional dressing. I think it’s brilliant & oh so chic.

Sweetheart Bow T-shirt Tutorial

May 28th, 2010
27 Comments

I’ve been slightly obsessed with bows recently in case you haven’t noticed. I’m really digging them. I’m seeing bows pop up in the most fashionable of places like Anthropologie, J.Crew, Ann Taylor Loft and Urban Outfitters. As soon as I saw this bow pillow tutorial, I knew I needed to have a shirt with a giant bow on it.

I bought two DownEast Basics v-neck shirts and transformed them into what you see above. The project cost a total of $5 and 45 minutes. Winging it and hand-sewing slowed me down a tad. The finished product is feminine & accentuates my tiny bust, so it might not be suitable for the well-endowed. I’ve included a tutorial on how I did it, if you’d like to give it a try. I sure hope you do!

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To make this t-shirt, you’ll need two shirts; one of which needs to be v-neck. I chose two of the exact shirts, in the same color. Feel free to get creative!

Grab the extra tee and set the good tee aside for later.

Fold the extra tee in half lengthwise and cut just below the armpit and about 3 inches above the hem. No need to be exact, just eyeball it.

Grab the middle section and align side seams together. Cut off about 2 inches of fabric.

Unfold the extra two inches and cut a 4×6 inch rectangle. I eyeballed it.

Fold both bow pieces in half lenghtwise with right sides in. Sew along open ends with a half inch seam allowance.

Turn fabric right side out and center the seams along the middle of the back side so they won’t show when you assemble your bow.

fold both bow pieces in half width-wise with the good side facing in. Sew along open ends with a half inch seam allowance.

Turn loops right side out and center the seams along the back side so they won’t show when you assemble the bow.

Turn big loop to the back(seam facing up) and accordion fold along the middle to create the pleats.

Anchor pleats by hand stitching the center together.

Slide small loop over the pleated bow and sew into place.

Snag your nice tee and lay it flat on the ground, smoothing out wrinkles. Place the bow at the base of the V and hand stitch into place. Stitch into place by anchoring undersides of the bow to the tee. Enjoy!

Click the button below to download the tutorial in PDF format.

This tutorial is free for personal use and should not be distributed without my consent. If you would like to use this commercially, please email me. Thanks!

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