Spring Shopping at Old Navy

Spring Faux Shopping at Old Navy

The other day I went faux shopping for you all at Old Navy while I had some time at the mall before meeting up with friends for dinner and a movie. Mary wrote me and asked if I would consider going to Old Navy and taking some pictures for her of things that I like there right now. Of course I would! I found some really cute things that I wanted to share with you! Let's see what you think.

First, this jean jacket. It's comparable to the jean jacket that my husband got for me two years ago from Anthropologie, which means that it's stretchy without feeling flabby, it has great detailing and dark color, and it's fitted. 

I liked it with a few of the spring dresses they had (or anything light that you already own) for an outfit to wear now and then switch up later in the warmer months. This particular dress had a modern pattern and a flattering length for us shorter women. Sometimes maxi dresses are just too long!

You could even layer a cardigan (like this red pop of color) underneath if it's still chilly at night where you live, like it is here in Northern Virginia.

I also really like the idea of this jean jacket over a shorter dress, like this. See how the jacket feels a little tough and the dress feels soft and feminine? I love that difference. I also love how the sleeves can roll up on this stretchy denim jacket!

Speaking of jackets, I also really liked this military jacket. It's very similar to the Jcrew one of a couple years ago (although that one was waxed), but I think the cinched in waist is actually more flattering. The Jcrew also had HUGE pockets. I love the high neck of this Old Navy version, and it has gold buttons like the original one did. 

Ok, now on to dresses! Old Navy had a bunch of striped options, which are my weakness! The one above (and below) is a stretchy shift dress, which I think is the most flexible of all dress styles. I love a shift over a button down, for example. And no, they don't both have to be long sleeved.

This same style works really well with a sleeveless dress, too, and makes sleeveless dresses wearable even in the cooler months.

 And last but not least, this coral number. It is not my style, really, but I wanted to show you all an option with longer sleeves and a more full skirt. I think this would be gorgeous on many of you!

That's all! Thanks for the request, Mary, and keep them coming! 

Spring (Sneaker) Things I'm Noticing

Spring (Sneaker) Things I'm Noticing

Via

Do you know what makes the outfit above work? For me, it's the sneakers. I love the whole look, but it could feel totally different with this spring's brightly colored, pointy high heels. This is an outfit built for exploring a new city, heading out with a new baby, meeting up with friends, or going on a first date. The sneakers do all of that. And, if you agree, you're in luck. 

Liberty print Vans

Because OOOOOOoooo boy is this a good season for sneakers! I had a really hard time choosing favorites to show you here today, it's so good. Wherever you look, you're going to find cool sneakers in tons of colors. I promise. Here are a few favorites. 

Via Le Bunny Bleu

I'd wear any of these in the following way: for now, with jeans rolled up to just above the sneaker, whatever height that was, with something feminine like flowers and then a darker jean jacket. Then, with shorts and a button down shirt with bright lipstick in the early spring. Then with shorts and a flowy, festival-ish tank top in the summer.

Via Jcrew

Or with a great vintage-inspired dress because I love that contrast of soft dress meets sporty shoe. These two women nail it!

Via

Via

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jaxon

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jaxon

Dear Jaxon,

Happy Birthday! Today you turn two. I can't believe that you're so young still; it feels like you were always part of our family. I remember when you first came home, and I just stared at you. Who was this strange new dog in our home? You were already so different from your big brother, Cairo, and it took me some time to get to like you. I loved you immediately. So did your cousin, Sebastian!

Things like yogurt containers suddenly became fun in our house again! I took about 50 blurry pictures of that first yogurt experience with you because you just wouldn't stay still. There was so much you wanted to see and do!

Some of the names we have for you include Beefcake, Pig Pen, Munchie, Mun-Chi-Chi, Jax, Jaxy, Jaxy-Waxy, and Brudder. You are fearless, sometimes to the point of reckless. You love to swim more than anything, you still sit "in" my lap whenever I sit on or even crouch near the floor. You love to be dirty, love the snow, and love attention. You eat with wild abandon and drink equally loudly. You sleep next to the bed, along the windowframe, and then wake up in the night to go to your spot at the foot of the basement stairs. You love to run full speed ahead up on to the bed and our chests and bellies. You are a snuggle bug. You love to sleep on your back.

On the day we brought you home, you got tired at the end of our block, and I carried you in my shirt the rest of the way downtown. These days, you can go hiking for miles and still take a swim at the end of the trip. You love the car, especially if you can catch a breeze. You are the sweetest little brother, always cleaning Cairo's face with that tongue, which can't ever stay in your mouth. You are very smart, and I think you could figure out most things given enough time. You love kids and fun and are the life of the party. You have formidable mandibles and can make short work of any bone or stick.

You weigh 107 pounds, you've gotten stitches several times, you love food, especially carrots, meat, and fruit. You love to crunch and chew. And guess what? We love you.

The Best of StartCloseIn Closet Cleansing

The Best of StartCloseIn Closet Cleansing

Recently, I worked with a client to move her winter clothing to the side and focus her on spring and summer clothing. It struck me that many women keep all of their clothing in their closet year round, and I think that's not a great idea. In fact, I think it can be absolutely liberating to have less clothing in one place; it can save time, and it can make you feel refreshed and ready for the next season! 

So let's talk about how to cleanse your closet. I've written about this before, and I stand by my advice from this post where I advised you to first do the prep work before diving in to your closet, dresser, baskets, pile...wherever it is that you store your clothing. I use the word "closet" broadly here! 

In this post about switching from a summer to a fall/winter closet, I wrote "you should be able to fall into your closet in the morning and anything you grab will fit and feel like your best version of yourself." Here's what that could look like for you: try on everything in your closet. If it doesn't fit right now, get it out of your closet. That could mean donating it, selling it (I wrote about one of many sites that will buy your clothing in this post about doing a closet cleanse. I also love the site called Twice), giving it away, or just storing it somewhere else for a little while and pulling it out in a few months to see if it feels right for you then. 

Once you have eliminated anything that doesn't currently fit you, check out my tips for visually organizing your closet from this post:

Use all one color (preferably white or those black fuzzy ones) hangers. It makes the closet look more cohesive, more like a store. Since we're trained to like the way clothes look in stores, it helps our brains to be more excited about our closets when they're organized. That means more fun in your closet!

Organize your clothes in a way that works for you. I like rainbow because I wear too much black, and it helps me to realize how many other colors I do have. I put all of [client Hannah's]black clothing up top in her closet because it's an easy color to use and doesn't need to be highlighted. She knows it's there to grab if she wants it. Having colors coordinated helps you to dress effortlessly in monochrome as well as to mix colors and patterns in new ways.

Here, in a post about doing an end-of-summer closet purge, I shared my guidelines for preparing a professional wardrobe:  

1. First, look at the most influential person in the room. If what you and that person are wearing look like they are attending completely different events (she's in a suit that could go to the White House, you're in a tshirt or dirty jeans or very casual shoes), then you might not be dressing in your most professional way. 
2. Take a look at how to incorporate elements of how that person is dressing into your own style (if she's the only one in a suit, for example, consider wearing a blazer to work more often, echoing an element of her formality and the formality she perceives for your office; if no one else wears open toed shoes at your job, consider trading your sandals for a pair of closed-toe shoes, even a more casual pair).

I think these tips can make a huge difference in how you feel while getting dressed for the day. My hope is that spring will bring relaxed mornings and fun outfits to you! As always, if you want help, I'm here to come play in your closet any time!

Here's my client's closet when I first arrived...

And during the closet cleanse...(That's me!)

And after!

Of course I couldn't resist hanging up a few outfits for her there on the side! Doesn't it feel brighter and lighter?

For the Love of Cropped Pants

For the Love of Cropped Pants

On Monday, I wrote about bringing a little edge to the office. A key component to that look was cropped, or ankle, pants. I don't know why, but I just find that lately cropped pants are the answer to every outfit question that I have: how can I show off these cute new shoes? Cropped pants. What can I wear to the office to make this outfit feel less boring? Cropped pants. What can I wear to convince myself that it's almost spring? You got it. 

Via

I particularly like how a shorter length pant, preferably with a narrow leg, can go anywhere, with any shoe, on many body types. Here's what I mean.

Spring (Shoe) Things I'm Noticing

Spring (Shoe) Things I'm Noticing

Via

Pointy toes are here to stay for awhile, I've noticed. They were big for fall-winter, and they're sticking around for spring, especially in bright, bold colors or pastels. My tip is to buy a 1/2 size bigger if you go pointy. If you're not into heels right now, there are some gorgeous flat pointies, too. 

Via

And whether they're heels or flats, I really love pointy shoes with cropped pants, full skirts, and wide-legged pants. They're incredibly flattering since they make it seem like your leg is just so long and lean that it extended beyond your foot into a point. Or something like that...

Jcrew Fall-Winter 2015

My other favorite way to see a pointy heel is with rolled up peg leg jeans, a tshirt, and a blazer for a spring date night or with holey, worn out boyfriend jeans, also rolled. 

How to Bring A Little Edge to the Office

How to Bring A Little Edge to the Office

Happy Monday! Thanks for bearing with me as blog posts have been a little lighter lately. I'm working on a few projects that I can't wait to share with you, but they've been taking my attention away from this page. My apologies!

Today I'm off to a work conference, and I'll be wearing a suit. However, that's a rarity for me these days. Mostly I wear business casual, as I know many of you do. A look that I love lately for work is a little bit rock 'n roll.

What if you started with a bad ass jacket, something with zippers, something a little boxy or even with leather sleeves? 

Via

Then, add a little bit of edge on the bottom, maybe cropped pants with a pattern?

Via

Now that you've balanced out the boxier on top with a narrower bottom, add a great heel or wedge for a little height, and maybe a bright t-shirt to add some color? Jcrew Factory has some incredible color this season, too!

Via

To recap: consider adding one piece (like a jacket with leather or zippers, a leather skirt, or edgy shoes) that feels rock and roll in with classic pieces, bright colors, and neutrals. I think it's a fun way to think about office wear this spring, don't you?

Spring (Hair) Things I'm Noticing

Spring (Hair) Things I'm Noticing

I hardly try to keep up with every trend anymore, but I do look at a whole lot of fashion. So when something is becoming A Thing, I want to share it with you! Here are two things that I'm noticing happening for spring style. Take them--or leave them--as you like! I love them. 

Center Parts for All Hair Lengths

Via

Center parts for long hair have gone in and out of style, but I've seen a lot of them lately for shorter hair, too. What I think works about this length with a center part is having enough volume just to the side of the part. 

Then again...

Flat Hair Ruled New York Fashion Week in 2015!

The main thing I noticed from pictures from NYFW and also the Oscars is how flat all the hair was looking! (The first thing I noticed about the models with said flat hair was how painfully skinny they all are). From hair that's down and flat to hair that's slicked back, it was everywhere. And I say "YIP YIP YIPPEEEEE!" to that because my hair is naturally flat. Maybe this is my hour to be on trend with it? Indulge me, will you?

This we can do!

I find these photos liberating because they look a lot like my hair looks naturally. I also love the images I'm seeing because they (finally) give me some ideas of how to wear my hair. I'm aware of how interesting a statement that is as a caucasian woman, but there are few times when I've recognized my own hair in images. It's a nice feeling! 

I Didn't Read or Watch 50 Shades of Gray, but...

I Didn't Read or Watch 50 Shades of Gray, but Who Would Know the Difference?

Via

Warning-adult women not in their full clothing shown below. If that bugs you, tune in tomorrow for fully clothed women. 

The Perfect Nursing Top to Buy Now and Wear Later, Too

The Perfect Nursing Top to Buy Now and Wear Later, Too

This one is for my nursing friends and family members! I recently tried on a bunch of stuff at The Limited, and I found a light sweater that I think would be perfect for anyone nursing a baby right now. It is, of all things, from the Scandal line there. It's light enough to wear it in the spring weather, too. It would be perfect with leggings, jeans, or even to work. Just put it on over a nursing tank or tshirt. 

What makes it perfect is that it unbuttons at the shoulder. You could also easily lift it up, too.