January 24, 2013

Dressing for two OOTD


Lately I really find myself dressing for two: myself and my little one. As my body continues to adjust postpartum, my wardrobe options remain limited. Not only do a lot of things fit differently but much of my clothing is breastfeeding unfriendly. The hit of my closet has been a Missoni for Target spacedye dress with stretchy fabric and front button panel. Carol of In Pursuit of Pretty Things gave me the sage advice a while back that drapey cardigans would become really important to my nursing ensembles. She was totally right! not only do they help keep me warm but they offer some potential for additional modesty when I'm wrangling my cover, the baby, and my clothes on the fly.

Speaking of covers, I have two (from Udder Covers... one was handed down to me and the other was bought with a code where I paid only --admittedly exorbitant-- shipping) that are incredibly useful in helping me feel confident leaving my house knowing I can feed her whenever she gets hungry. You can see one of them below:


Here we are at a museum (notice the tiny legs draped on my lap). As an aside, I need to give a shout out to Nordstrom who has the most cushy, lovely set up for breastfeeding shoppers! I knew about their "Women's Lounges" from seeing them on my way to the regular ladies rooms but didn't realize how rare and useful they were until now. It's shocking how many public restrooms lack changing tables! So Nordstrom's plush couches, pillows, separate rooms for diaper changes, and quiet, private spaces make me want to give them my entire shopping budget! I guess some Macys stores also have separate nursing areas so I was really surprised to find nothing at Bloomingdales (who is owned by the same company that owns Macys). Maybe it was just that location? Although you don't always need an entire designated room, sometimes you want that separate space!

January 16, 2013

Larrivo Dress Review and Giveaway!!


Larrivo is an American brand specializing in maternity and nursing clothing. I was lucky to become familiar with them when I visited A Mother's Boutique back in October. I tried on two Larrivo dresses. The Ying Anytime and the Irene. Both of them were comfortable, vibrant, and stylish. In terms of size, I found that although I could wear a medium I preferred large to offer a bit more bust room. I chose the Ying Anytime dress because I am a huge fan of prints but the Irene was very flattering and pretty. For the price, I find this brand to be very good quality. These dresses are smart buys because you can wear the pieces during and after pregnancy. And for me, the biggest challenge of dressing a breastfeeding body is finding dresses. Tops and tanks are plentiful. Even big box stores carry them. But nursing dresses are a different story. I also appreciate that many of the Larrivo pieces can be styled for professional settings, making pumping at work less of a challenge.

A detailed size chart can be found on A Mother's Boutique's website.

As promised yesterday, A Mother's Boutique has generously offered one lucky reader of Consume or Consumed a chance to win their very own Larrivo Ying Dress (maternity AND nursing friendly!) in the color of their choice. The dress comes in electric blue print (as shown above), solid olive green, and solid hot chocolate.

The giveaway is open only to US readers. The winner will be chosen via random draw. A Mother's Boutique will arrange for the dress to be sent directly to you. 

Entering is easy!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Keeping Warm



This is the tenth winter that Chris and I have spent together as partners. His February birthday gives me the convenience of shopping post-holiday sales because in Pittsburgh there's always enough winter left after February. He'll make use of warm layering pieces, men's jackets and other cold weather gear. At this point, his coat collection rivals mine. I think this Paul Smith number is my favorite.


I've been browsing men's coats and jackets on Jacamo and other sites to see if anything could fill a hole in his wardrobe. But he's pretty discerning and at this point I prefer for him to give me guidance. He picked out the Rag and Bone sweater I already purchased. It's been challenging holding onto it until February because I know he really wants it.

January 15, 2013

Black and blue OOTD



Although it hasn't been included on the blog, I wore this Larrivo maternity and nursing dress (called the Ying Anytime Dress) a bunch over the last few months. I wore it to my second wedding anniversary dinner at Salt of the Earth. I wore it to a party when I was very pregnant. I wore it to teach. And most recently, I wore it to visit family. I love the graphic print and the very functional empire seaming that opens to enable breastfeeding on the fly (see below).


Larrivo is a fantastic, relatively affordable designer brand that offers versatile "wear during and after pregnancy" pieces. It is carried by A Mother's Boutique. I will be giving away a Larrivo dress from A Mother's Boutique in my upcoming review so stay tuned!

outfit details:
Ying Anytime Dress by Larrivo c/o A Mother's Boutique
Spanx High Waisted Tight End Tights
Streets Ahead bow belt (similar here and here)
Gucci wedges (similar)
Glass flower pendant necklace (anniversary gift Chris bought from Wildcard)
Target Neiman Marcus make up bag (worn as clutch... easier to throw into a diaper bag this way!)
Vintage bracelet; Kors watch

January 14, 2013

Hypothetically Shopping Fashion World UK


Count Fashion World as another in the growing list of great UK fashion retailers that offer strated and extended sizes of affordable, fashionable women's clothing. If baffles me that US retailers continue to drop the ball on this important niche. Fashion World carries women's clothes online with accessories, footwear, and even menswear. Although they don't ship to the US (yet) I hypothetically shopped the site and am especially into the feminine boyfriend cardigan in the bottom left. It would be the perfect layering piece to add to my nursing-friendly wardrobe. And purple is my favorite color!

January 11, 2013

Anthro Sale Haul



Until this week, it had been quite a while since I purchased any clothing from Anthropologie. Months, even! But when Roxy posted that the extra 30% off was working on Monday's sale that saw various second/third cuts I finally caved. Much to my surprise, every item in my order shipped and swiftly. The order arrived today. I didn't have time to try things on with proper foundation garments and styling accompaniments. But I did a quick "throw on and see what fits you" scan while E was napping. I'm sad to say it seems like everything will be returned. I just wasn't wowed by it. Or perhaps I wasn't wowed by how it looked on my current body? It's hard to tell. 


As an aside, I would love to find a Flared Carez dress in the darker blue/purple print at the second cut price. It isn't nursing friendly but I fell in love with it when I reviewed it toward the end of my second trimester here. If anyone sees one, let me know!

January 09, 2013

Spectacular Spectacles


Every November, Chris and I look forward to the Norman Childs sale at Pittsburgh's local chain, Eyetique. There are a bunch of locations in nearby neighborhoods and malls, but for the sake of East End convenience we tend to stick with the Shadyside store. The space is small but efficient, lined with mirrors, and a comfy bench seat. Its proximity to the Apple Store also means that when we make Genius Bar appointments, we fold in time to browse the selection of frames.

We favor the Norman Childs brand because of its commitment to quality. Sure, they are not as affordable as some brands, but each pair is carefully designed and made in the US. And it feels great to support a local designer who has had national and international success. 

I've worn glasses since second grade. I remember feeling pretty proud of my giant red plastic "Sally Jesse Raphael"/Becca from "Life Goes On" frames in the later years of grade school. And by middle school, I added contacts to my repertoire. I never stopped enjoying the process of shopping for new glasses. If anything, contacts made it easier to see how I looked in different styles, despite my bad vision.

On the day I ultimately went into labor, Chris and I decided to check out the sale. We had a fancy brunch at Meat and Potatoes, downtown. And we had a few errands to run before my mom came over to help me set up our holiday decor and organize the nursery. We stopped to check out the sale along the way. Chris and I both selected new glasses and didn't realize that when we would go to pick them up, we would have a new baby (who will likely need to wear glasses of her own some day)! Above is our in-store family photo. I'll never forget my "labor day" and my new glasses serve as a fun reminder of it.

January 04, 2013

Kate Spade Sale on Sale!



Across retail outposts, there are great after-holiday clearances happening. Above are my favorite Kate Spade items on sale for at least 50% (and up to 70%) off! Neiman Marcus in particular has some really good deals at the moment. And at KateSpade.com, you will find a coupon to take 25% off the lowest sale prices (use 25SALE). Watch out for final sale items as they won't be returnable. But great deals are out there if you are confident about sizing issues. Happy shopping!



January 03, 2013

Favorite Outfits of Pregnancy

For me, 2012 was most memorable because of Emilia. Even before her arrival, my life began changing in ways both large and small. Dressing a transitioning body was just one of the mundane aspects of change.

Outfitting my pregnant body was challenging because I couldn't rely on emphasizing my waist... at least not in the same manner to which I was accustomed. Here are some of my favorite pregnancy ensembles:


As I look at some of my belly photos (see them on my pregnancy and parenthood blog) and pregnancy ensemble posts I feel a lot of amusement and nostalgia. I think it's very funny that I legitimately believed I was visibly pregnant at like 16 or even 12 weeks. Unless outsiders were scrutinizing my body with the same level of intensity reserved for female celebrities, I just looked like I had a big lunch. Sure, my body was changing. But visibly pregnant to strangers, I was not. And my wardrobe reflected that. Until I got to the third trimester I could mostly avoid maternity clothes because stretchy fabrics and empire waist maxi dresses were everywhere last summer. Some of my maternity pieces became fast favorites and I already lament no longer having my prominent bump to fill them (as silly as that might sound...). I am still wearing a few of them particularly when they are nursing friendly. I will be writing about that soon enough. Nursing-friendly wardrobes might be even more difficult to assemble than maternity wardrobes!

Anyway, Happy New Year and thank you so much for reading in 2012!

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