An Afternoon Walk

Mama Style

Tunic: Thrifted

Jeans: Anthropologie Sale

Shoes: Michael Kors via Buffalo Exchange

Scarf: Forever 21 Dress Sash via Buffalo Exchange

Ring: Hand Me Down from Mom

Earrings: Forever 21

Before becoming a mama 14 months ago, one of the things I feared about the upcoming change was how it would effect my style. Everyone from other moms to patrons at work (I work at a library) told me that I wouldn't be able to wear my favorite clothes, jewelry or shoes anymore. Some of them even seemed to relish the opportunity to inform me of these things. It seems like an odd thing to fear, but my personal style has become an important form of self-expression. 

What I've realized since my daughter was born is that my style is going to change no matter what, but that its still mine and I get to choose what works best in my life. I still wear vintage dresses and heels (mainly clogs because they are so, so dreamy and comfortable!) and I still wear makeup, but everything, for the most part, has become simplified. Most days I put on my lipstick before I get the chance to brush my teeth, but that's another story. There will be a time for complicated brooches and dangley earrings, its just not at this particular moment, so they sit and wait patiently in my jewelry box.

Which brings me to this outfit. I never would have been caught dead in something so voluminous and hardly ever wore pants before she came into my life, but they make sense now. I feel comfortable and stylish for the day I'm having. Some days I put more thought into it, but it just depends on my mood. I think, more than anything, my daughter's presence in my life has helped me to accept myself more, rather than changing me into another person. That's one of the wonderful things about motherhood that I wish someone had told me when I was pregnant!

Another Wednesday Inside

Goodness, am I ready for spring!

Gray Day

Today was such a gray, moody, cloudy, rainy day. I really enjoy days like today...when I can stay inside, hunker down with some library books and warm blankets, make myself chai tea, and let the baby scatter her toys across the floor for the entire afternoon. Its also a good opportunity to let a pot of beans simmer on the stove top and warm up the apartment. Not a bad way to spend a slow, easy day.

Hats

Does anyone else out there love hats? I've been slowly cultivating a collection, mostly from the stock of one vintage store that I visit with my sister every time I go home to Florida. Its called La France Vintage and its amazing, stuffed to the brim with vintage, local designers, costume jewelry, shoes, hats...etc, etc. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and most importantly not pushy, they play great music and, well, its just a joy to walk into the place every single time. I could really go on forever about how much I love going to this store. I can't wait to take my daughter there once she's old enough to appreciate it...and not try to eat the stock:)

Anyway, I have a small, but substantial collection of hats now, everything from berets and tams to wool cloches, a 70's style felt floppy, and a few beautiful straw numbers with wide and short brims. I've been trying to figure out how to incorporate them into my wardrobe for a while and now I have to figure out how to store them in our house. I haven't completely figured it out, but I recently got some great inspiration from Ashley Ording over at Fancy Fine. She's done a beautiful job of using her wardrobe as decoration in her apartment and has a whole wall of hats. 

After the last big straw lovely with a black bow joined the collection, I decided to put some of them on display. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the rest. Does anyone have any suggestions? 

If you love vintage style hats as much as I do, check out Behida Dolic Millinery on Etsy. Unfortunately, they're out of my price range, but such beautiful window shopping!

Everyday Outfit: A Trip to the Library

I've discovered that dressing for life with a baby isn't so very different from dressing for life before one. Once the pregnancy weight was gone and the round the clock schedule eased, I found myself reaching for the same vintage dresses, jeans and tunics, blouses and shorts that I'd worn before. More than anything, its more simple; more inspired by the 70's than before. Oh and I wear lower heels some of the time.

 The most different thing is my own perspective. I'm not as hard on myself about my style as I was before and I don't need to look or feel *perfect* in the same way that I wanted to before her birth. Part of that is just necessity and part of it is choosing how I want to influence the way my child thinks about self-image.

So this is what I often find myself wearing: funky layers, clothes that are relatively easy to nurse in, and chunky jewelry because she likes to play with it and it keeps her happy and occupied. (I got lucky, she doesn't pull on my jewelry or hair that much so far:)

Hat: H&M
Coat: Savers
Shirt: J Crew sale
Corduroy shorts: Anthropologie Sale
Purse: (Practically Ancient) Anthropologie
Necklace: Anthropologie Sale
Tights: American Apparel
Boots: Miz Mooz Sale

(missing is the giant burgundy MOOP bag that I carry with me everywhere now)


Sorry for the terrible selfie photos here. I seem to have lost a piece of my tripod in our last move. Hopefully it will turn up during spring cleaning.

Life Lately

Wow, its been a while. For the past few years, I haven't been able to commit to blogging, I'd just lost the interest and the time to give it. After a few false starts, I just decided to wait and see if the desire to post anything here arose....and it didn't. I started working full time, we had a baby, and we moved. So now I'm working part time again, spending most of my time at home with the babe, finding myself interested in posting again. 

The truth is that towards the end of my regular blogging, I didn't know what I wanted to post about, I didn't know if I would even want to read what I was putting out there. But then a few nights ago, I went through my posts and actually liked the different things that I'd put out there. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be writing about or how regularly, but its something I'd like to do again. Probably some outfits, probably some photos, and probably poetry and books that I find and love. One thing I won't be doing is posting pictures of the babe, I just don't feel comfortable doing that (even though I love reading blogs about families). Otherwise its just an open question right now, and that feels good. So if you'd like to follow along, I'd love to have you. If not, I understand. And if nobody's reading anymore, that's okay too. Its been a while.

So here are some photos of our quiet life lately.