girlymama

fashion friday: getting ready for disney

Well, I don't have a theme today. What can I say... I need more coffee this week. But here's just a few things to share!

1. Well, its supposed to RAIN while we're at Disney next week. BOO!!! So now I"m doing a serious re-design of the clothing plan. I may need to get this for me. Because I'm sorry, I REFUSE to wear a poncho.

2. I bought these shoes for Disney. They arrived two weeks ago and I have barely taken them off. These are the most comfy shoes I've ever worn!
Really!! I still love my pumas, though, and I'll bring those too. We just got these for Ellie and she loves them. Sneakers are a must for the kiddos at Disney!!

3. How much will Colin love this Cars shirt for our trip??  Gracie got a princess one and Ellie's has Lady and the Tramp. Disney store's graphic tees are only 3 for $20 -- doubt we'll find those prices in the parks! (Oh my word, I LOVE this mechanics shirt for Colin! Wish I has seen it sooner!)

4. For me, I'm still completely hemming and hawing about what to wear! Such a big decision, I know. Poor me! :-) The only thing I've decided on for sure is shoes (my privos and my pumas) and wearing my favorite jeans every day. With the weather, we're going to be layering up a storm. (Ha ha! Storm! Get it?) I'm probably end up in tshirts under sweaters under a raincoat!

5.I almost bought this today at Target. Isn't it cute? And LOOK AT THIS DRESS!! Too cute! I wish we had an excuse to wear a cute dress at Disney - I have the cutest dress that I snagged at LOFT in the fall for only $9.99 (REALLY!) and I've been dying to wear it! Can I just say "cute" again? CUTE!

That is all. Go shopping now - if you're not buried in snow, that is!

vera, you've done it again!

Now while I do like Vera Bradley, I am not as big a fan as some people I know.  I only have two Vera purses (one of which is a diaper bag) and I haven't really fallen in love with a design since Java Blue came out about 4 years ago. And while this new fall design definitely caught my eye, it didn't make my heart skip a beat.

But then, I got the new spring catalog.

And I saw this new color:

Another thing to add to my wish list!

Are you  Vera fan? What's your all time favorite pattern?

fashion friday: 25 cute tops under $25

Need some cute tops for not much $$? Don't we all! Enjoy and happy shopping!

1. Simply Vera Wang Abstract Floral Tunic - on sale for $20
2. Pique Polo - $10. Classic.
   
3. Modern Short Sleeve Jersey Scoopneck Inset Ruffle Top - $19.50 at Lands End. Love the cut, the detailing and the terrific color selection!!
4. Ruffled-trim Jersey Polos - $14.50 at Old Navy. Can you tell I love this shirt? Not only did I buy it,  but I've mentioned it in my last two fashion posts!
5. Double Flutter-Sleeved Tops - $16.50 at Old Navy. This is the perfect example of how little details can turn a regular top into something adorable!
6. Dobby Bowneck Shirt - just $15 at Lands End. This shirt is too adorable. Would be fabulous with boyfriend jeans or capris.
7. Draped Vest - $20 at American Eagle. I'm not a huge fan of the vest trend, but this is darling!
8. Chiffon Stripe Graphic Tee - on sale for $20 at Loft. Super cute.
9. Dolman Sleeve Tee - $7 at Target. I love how loose and drapey this is. Would look great on anyone!
10. Semi-Sheer Pleated Top - $15. Perfect for spring! I love the sleeves.
11. Cowl Neck Runched Top - for just $20, this looks much more pricey!
12. Raw-Hemmed Jersey Dress - $15. Okay, not technically a top, but with a belt and jeans, it could be!!
13. Runched Front Scoopneck - on sale for $20 at LOFT. I may have to buy this. Would look so cute peeking out under a unbuttoned cardigan!
14. Freelance Embroidered Yoke Top - $18. Gorgeous - and a killer deal at 70% off.
15. Runched V-Neck Tops - $16.50 at Old Navy. If you are smaller on top (such as me), the runched neckline if very flattering!
16. Elbow Sleeve Lightweight Cotton Tie-Neck Top - on sale for $13 at Lands End. LOVE the neckline!
17. Smocked Top - $15 at Kohls. Simply cute.
18. Striped Pintuck Tunic from Kohls - on sale for $28. Would be sweet with skinny jeans!
19. Split Neck Top - $22.50. I just love the bright blue and grey pattern.
20. Swirls Applique Tee - on sale for $24 at LOFT. SO CUTE!
21. Smocked Top in Red Paisley - $20 at Target. How fun with jeans?
22. Puckered Solid Camp Shirt - $24. This takes a button-down shirt to a whole new level.
23. Full Twist Tee - $20 at Anthropologie. Love the twist - great for hiding tummy issues.
24. Floral Smocked Top - $20. Casual enough for jeans, nice enough for black pants or a skirt. Love the bold pattern!
25. Medallion Smocked Top - on sale for $15 - what an awesome pattern and a unique cut. I love this!

fashion friday: what my wandering eyes have seen

This week, I'm just sharing a few little things on my wish list. I've been perusing the interwebby-shopping all week getting outfit ideas for the Disney Social Media Moms conference next month and I have found a few gems that I had to share.
Feel free to buy any or all of them for me. Just because you love me.

1. I am more than a little bit in love with this Painted Stripe Boat Neck Tee. It just screams "lounging around on a summer evening at the beach house!" You know, if I had a beach house. Or an evening to lounge around.
2. This adorable cropped rosette cardigan in peach makes me think of spring. So cute layered with a tank top and jeans or these distressed boyfriend khakis (which, by happy coincidence, are on sale for $17).
3. I know sweater season is almost over, but this is just about the cutest coat I've ever seen. EVER! Look at the ruffles! And the cut - its so feminine and cute and would look amazing over skinny jeans or black pants!
4. I just ordered this ruffled-trim jersey polo shirt from Old Navy for our trip to Disney and I am in LOVE! It has a great fit, cut just right, and is long enough to not reveal things that really shouldn't be revealed when I bend over. 
5. I am a huge fan of the sweater wrap and this one at Old Navy is gorgeous. It has a fine weave and is nice enough to wear to work (its a little too nice for walking around Disney, so I don't think it will make the cut. Speaking of sweaters, this Chiffon Trim Open Front Cardigan. Its not a wrap, but I am loving the detailing! And THIS is FABULOUS!!
6. Thinking spring... I spotted this little number in the window of J Crew last week and I think it is darling.  And the Scalloped Petal Top is adorable.
7. This silk top is amazing. But for a more budget friendly version, try this one from Old Navy  or this one from LOFT.
8. This. Is. WRONG. Thank you.
9. I bought a white button down tunic for Disney Moms (mine if from LOFT, but I can't find it online. I'm thinking with a fun brown belt and dark skinny jeans. 
10. And, just to sign off with a nice story, yesterday I stopped in LOFT to make a return only to realize that everything on sale was an additional 40% off. WOOT! And what did I find lingering on the clearance rack, but my absolute favorite jeans (Modern Boot Cut) in my size in my fav color (Dark Rinse). So I picked them up. For $12, thankyouverymuch. It was a good day.

Oh - and I must tell you that Jo-Lynne introduced me to Privos. They are AMAZING. I'm deciding between this one and that one or these for Disney. But these are too cute. And these. And THESE! If you're looking for comfy shoes, give them a try! They are totally worth the price - I was doubtful until I tried them on myself. Now I'm a believer!  (And check out 6pm.com - you can get cute Privos for 50-70% off!)
And speaking of 6pm.com, may I introduce you to this little beauty? And this little number?

fashion friday: looking cute and comfy at disney

Well, we decided to go to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference. Now comes the big question:

WHAT DO I WEAR??

A conference at Disney comes with a unique problem: you must wear comfy shoes.  Which can put a serious damper on cute outfit planning.  But we can push past this, Ladies. Let us begin.

1.  SHOES: You don't have to limit yourself to your chunky ol' workout shoes! I'm definitely bringing  my suede Puma sneakers which were one of my best fashion investments because they are at least 6 years old and still awesome (They look a little like this). I adore my Uggs, but they are not for 70 degree weather. So I'm seriously eying these little beauties.
Aren't these cute? I could even wear them with everything from skinny jeans to leggings or yoga pants. (Please tell me you know better than to wear huge workout shoes with skinny jeans? Please?) Plus, it looks like there are a few times when we're not in the parks that we can still sneak on our awesome shoes ;-)

2. LAYERS: Layering is key at Disney - for you and your kiddos. Its a little chilly in the morning, but by afternoon it gets quite toasty when you're waiting in the sun for Dumbo. Just remember that whatever you take off, you have to then carry. So leave the bulk at home. This is the perfect time to pull out a cute cardigan, sweater wrap or hoodie sweater.
I love this belted boyfriend cardigan - would look terrific with a ruffled t-shirt and skinny jeans. I'm bringing my go-to sweater this winter, the runched cardigan from LOFT. I have two and I wear them all the time.
For days in the parks with the fam, I'm all about sporting just a cute t-shirt and jeans with my Pumas.

Sidebar: I cannot begin to tell you how much these rompers disturb me. Sometimes researching fashion posts is scary.

3. DENIM: The no brainer at Disney: wear jeans, jeans and more jeans! I'm a little bit in love with these Dark Wash Boyfriend jeans from LOFT. Talk about something comfy to wear around Disney!  And my year-long premium denim search ended with LOFT's Modern Boot Cut Jean and the Modern Skinny Jean. (They are fabulous - and right now buy one, get one 50% off! Use code SAVE50.) For a cheaper option, hit up Old Navy or Target. The Diva Skinny Jean is very nice as is the Sweetheart Boot Cut.

4. CUTE & COMFY: A T-Shirt can be so much more than just a t-shirt, girls. Old Navy has these cute Jersey Cardigans and I love this Surplice V-Neck Top. Just the tiniest details, like runching or ruffles can turn an ordinary t-shirt into something cute.  
For the conferency-part, the cuteness possibilities expand! There are zillions of cute, lightweight sweaters to choose from. Tunics are also super comfy with jeans or leggings and are great for traveling or sitting in an air conditioned meeting room.  

Sidebar: Old Navy has adorable vintage graphic tees with Mickey and Minnie! Only $10.50! And I'm buying this Smocked Flutter-Sleeved Top - its a great color and its on sale for $10! Sometimes researching fashion parts is dangerous on the wallet. 

*****

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help girlymama get her fashion fix!

Where does Girlymama get her fashion fix? If you read this blog at all, you've figured out by now that my current favorite clothing store is LOFT as evidenced by:

1. Just about every single fashion post I've posted this year has at least one item from LOFT in it.
2. The first thing on my Christmas list is - and I quote -"Anything from LOFT, size Small."
3. I think every piece of new clothing I've bought this fall is from there.  Seriously. This is my closet floor right now:
   
4. I have loved several items so very much this fall and winter that I bought them for FULL PRICE. ME!! Paid full price!! I KNOW!!!!!

And its been noticed. By LOFT ITSELF. **faint**

Girlymama has been nominated in LOFT's Blog Wars for Best Place to get your Fashion Fix!!

Would you go vote for me? You can also vote on my actual blog now! (I'll give you TWO extra entries in my $100 Loft gift card giveaway!)

fashion fix: casual holiday looks **GIVEAWAY**

**The giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to comment number #134 - Lynn - who said "I would buy a new outfit for work - I just started a new job!" Congrats on the job, Lynn, and congrats on the win!**

Well, all my formal holiday parties are done at this point. (Philly bloggers, remember that cute little black dress I was wearing at the Holiday Party? LOFT! On sale! $10!) We've discussed 'festive attire' at length here on Girlymama. And now let's focus on those fun, more casual  parties and gatherings with friends and family we all have coming up.

So what are my favorite casual outfits for the holidays?

I wear this sweater all the time with a ruffled white shirt and my Modern Skinny Jeans! Love it! (And its on sale for only $20 - less than half price!)

Sweater dresses might sound a tad formal, but I wear them all the time with leggings and flat boots - its super comfy, but still looks terrific!

  And you can never go wrong when you dress up denim and a sweater with a cute scarf or necklace!

How cozy does this sweater look? Now  maybe some of you really do roll out of bed and open presents, but I prefer to look semi-decent in all those Christmas morning pictures. Can you just see yourself opening presents on Christmas in this cozy sweater over a cami and yoga pants? (Or what about this to-die-for sweater coat? Drool!!)

This would be perfect for my friend's annual Christmas party! It has one of my very favorite casual party outfits I've seen! I just love the dressed up denim look this season. And I LOVE LOFT's new premium denim line. Their Modern Skinny Jeans look fabulous - they have a great cut and have just a touch of spandex to keep their shape. I just picked up the Midnight Wash Modern Boot Cut Jeans (on sale for $30) and these are going to be a staple in my closet for years. They're a great color, great cut and look fantastic, if I do say so myself. Speaking of staples, I also wear this sweater and this top all the time. And I always recommend ruffles to dress up your casual look. You know how I love my ruffles. (And the ruffle scarf! Swoon!)

You may have noticed that all of these fashions are from LOFT. Did you hear that Ann Taylor Loft is now officially LOFT? And they have a fabulous new website? And they've started offering seasonal shopping parties hosted by their in-store personal stylists who can give you one-on-one styling attention??? (For free! Really!)

And to celebrate these big changes, the generous and stylish folks at LOFT are offering Girlymama readers a chance to a $100 LOFT gift card!!! Here's how to enter: 

1. Contest ends at midnight on Thursday, December 18. (Card will be mailed Friday, so you can use it for holiday shopping!)
2. Entry #1: Leave a comment saying what you would buy with your LOFT gift card!
3. Entry #2: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me that you voted for Girlymama in the LOFT Blog War challenge on Facebook as you favorite place to  get your fashion fix!
4. Entry #3:  Leave another comment telling me in what way you promoted Girlymama in the LOFT Blog War challenge (i.e., posting about it on your blog or Facebook, Tweeting about it, emailing  friends, and/or subscribe to my feed by email or in a reader).
5. Winner will be selected by Random.org, announced back here on this post, and notified via email

Good luck, my little fashionistas! Make Girlymama proud!

you're invited!!

Tomorrow night I will be hosting my very first Twitter Party!! And you're invited!!

Its Ubisoft’s Style Lab Games – Week of Style

Date: Wednesday, December 9
Time: 9-10pm
Host: @girlymamamel
Sponsor: Ubisoft
Location: #games4girls
RSVP by entering the link to your Twitter ID so we can follow you. 

I'm so excited to be partnering with Ubisoft to bring you this fun evening of fashion, make-up and games for girls!! We wants to know the thoughts, concerns and memorable moments that mom’s experience with their daughters (and in their own childhood) around style firsts. During our discussion, I will be giving away some fabulous prize packs with Style Lab: Makeover and Style Lab: Jewelry Design!

The Twitter party hashtag will be #games4girls. Any Twitter user who uses that hashtag during my party time (9-10 Eastern) – either to answer a question, retweet their favorite questions or retweet - their favorite answers will be eligible to win. 

We just love the Style Lab games in our house -- they are favorites of my two girls! I hope you can join me for some fun fashion talk and fabulous prizes!

disclosure: party prizes are provided by ubisoft. i also received copies of style lab: jewelry design and style lab: makeover to review.

defining "festive attire"

Every year, Husband's Company has  Christmas Party Holiday Party and the invite always says "festive attire."  And every year, all of my husband's co-workers' wives and I say, "What the heck does that mean?"  Unlike the guys, we can't just throw on a suit and be fine. The female wardrobe is MUCH more complex. Thank goodness.
So after 5 years of "festive attire" parties, I define it as "dressier than work, but not too formal." Here are a few of my suggestions:

1. The little black dress is ALWAYS okay. If you're worried about being too formal, try it with minimal jewelry and flats. Or go in a different direction: a little grey dress or a sweater dress.

2. A sweet cardigan with a hot necklace. (Oh, my word, I am in LOVE with this cardigan!)

3. A terrific pair of dark skinny jeans with heels or trouser jeans with boots can easily be dressed up enough to be appropriate for a party!! Pair your jeans with a silk top or a cute jacket or blazer.

4. The embellished top trend makes it super easy to dress up jeans or black pants! This one would look fabulous with a pair of wool pants or trouser jeans. And lets not forget MY favorite trend: ruffles! (Very. Festive. Indeed!)

My verdict? If I was going shopping with a nice fat gift card, I would buy this top. With black pants, heels and bangles. But I'm probably going with a plum wrap sweater dress (with ruffles!) that I picked up at Target this fall!

For more Fashion posts today, check out Musings of a Housewife, Big Mama as well as Blissful Style.

trends i swore i wouldn't wear but now love dearly

1. The Skinny Jean: I fought the Skinny Jean. I tried them on several times and always chickened out before I bought them. But this summer, I embraced the skinny jean and I encourage you to do the same because I'm in love. I wear them all the time - they look great with flats and terrific tucked into boots. And here's the scoop: anyone can wear skinny jeans - just make sure you get jeans with just the right amount of stretch in them, like the ones at LOFT. LOFT also has a slim cut jean that you can try if you don't feel ready for the full-on skinny! (I've had my eyes on these for awhile now, since I really could use more than one pair of skinnies.)

2. Uggs: I hated Uggs when they first came out. Hated, hated, made fun of, hated. Now I have TWO pairs! I KNOW! (One tan and one black, of course.) I bought my first pair while pregnant and wore them almost every day. And I haven't retired them as 'maternity wear' - still love them.  I was so excited for fall so I could pull them out again. 
SIDEBAR RANT: Men should never, ever, EVER wear Uggs. I don't care how famous said man is. Its just always a NO. Always.

3. Jeans tucked into Boots:  I swore I wouldn't. I HATED this look last year. Now I'm doing it all the time! With my Uggs, no less!  Y'all know how I love me some boots!! How gorgeous are these... yum! Of course, this trend is much easier to pull off with my skinny jeans. (Have you ever tried to tuck your boot-cut jeans into boots? Not easy. Or pretty.)

4. Blue and Black Nail Polish: I never ever imagined myself wearing black nail polish... Hellooo, Goth! Now I love it. LOVE IT. So chic. So sophisticated. And something besides burgandy in the winter. Not sure I can do the new dark green trend - I'm sticking to my navy blue for now.

5. Headbands. I wear headbands all the time now. And these embellished ones are just too fun to resist! Such a great way to dress-up that ponytail and feel cute  on days when you really just haven't managed a shower. Not that that ever happens to me. Ahem.

6. The Boyfriend Jean. I laughed aloud when Katie Holmes started wearing her baggy jeans rolled up. "Good luck with that," I said to her wondering why a normally stylish gal would choose to wear those. But over the summer, I took my baggy post-baby jeans, rolled 'em up, and gave it a go.  My verdict? Very cute in the summer, when pared with a tank top and loose cardigan and wedges. Not for cold weather, due to shoe issues. Try these if you're looking for a pair.

For more Fashion Friday posts, check out Big Mama, who is sharing her Nordstrom's semi-annual sale finds. (I accept no responsibility for yuo falling in love with any items she shares. Sorry. And Jo-Lynne, who is discussing fashion trends she's doesn't get. I agree with some, but some of her dislikes are on my like list. Oh, boy! Time for some rip-roaring debate that will be SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING then the debates on CNN today.