What is Your Maternity Style?

Pregnancy has been dubbed as the time when women get fat and put their lives (and fashion style) on hold until the baby is born. Yet, why should that be the case? In today's day and age, fashion and style expanded to maternity wear. Gone are the days of mumus and shapeless wear. The modern pregnant woman has options, and can and should continue to be fabulous and stylish. What's even better, you can be fabulous and stylish without breaking the bank. Motherhood Maternity is no longer your only option. Here are some great options for your maternity wear needs.

If skinny jeans are your thing, H&M is a great place to stock up on maternity skinny jeans. Speaking from experience, they look great and are still very comfortable. I've found some great tops and dresses at ASOS. You can't go wrong with Target. In those last few weeks of pregnancy, when even my maternity clothes don't seem to fit, Target was my go-to place.

If you're lucky enough to retain the same shoe size throughout your pregnancy, shoe shopping is one thing you can indulge in, if clothing is not your thing. There is no better time like the present, with black Friday on our doorstep.

So, what's your maternity style? Share your favorite maternity wear stores and finds in the comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Until next time...

I Will Survive!

Or I should actually say, I barely survived...Almost two months back in the working world have been full of long days and late nights. Work, naturally providing a heavy load of stress, was compounded by the stress from endless illnesses, courtesy of the offsprings. For the past month and a half, every weekend, and a lot of the work days, consisted of one, or both children being sick. The month ended with myself and subsequently, the hubby, being on antibiotics. I really, really hope this is the last weekend we're spending at home, passing germs back and forth.

To cheer myself up after all the above-mentioned fun, I decided to treat myself. After about a year and a half, I ordered a new Fix. My new Fix arrived just as I was too sick to even be excited. The box lay unopened for a day (very unusual for me). Finally, I broke the tape and peaked inside.

Things did change a bit since I last ordered. You can actually request specific items (if you follow StitchFix on Instagram). The note from the stylist was quite personal, and let me know that the particular sweater I requested wasn't available in the color I wanted. However, the stylist selected a different color that she thought I might like, which I did. She paid attention to the types of pieces I pinned to my fashion pinterest board and selected additional pieces based on that. I thought this was very considerate. Even though this fix provided a very positive customer service experience, I have to be honest, the actual pieces left a bit more to be desired. Everything fit well, from a size perspective, and from a style and color perspective, most of the items hit the spot. However, the quality of the materials wasn't quite there. Even though this was a bit of a disappointment, I am not giving up. The idea is that with every Fix, your stylist gets to know you better and better. So future fixes should only get better with time. I still think this is a pretty awesome and fun service. I'll be treating myself again soon. After all, another quarter-end is coming up soon :)

Until next time...

Adventures in Louboutin Shoe Shopping

This year marked my and hubby's 5-year wedding anniversary. So, five years, two kids and multiple not so subtle hints later, hubby suggested that I pick a pair of those red soles I've been coveting, as a gift to mark all these occasions.

Obviously, no time was wasted before the hunt for the perfect pair of Christian Louboutin shoes began. How does one choose just one pair? They are all so beautiful! I decide to go with the most versatile design and color. A very practical decision for a very impractical purchase.

First choice...Iriza Glittered Flocked Red Sole Pump

Photo Courtesy: neimanmarcus.com

Initially, it seemed like the shoe was on pre-order. I decided to wait until it became available to give myself the opportunity to check it out live. Unfortunately, the shoes were not waiting around, and came and went quickly, without giving me the opportunity to try them on. In fact, when I contacted the company directly, I found out that they were no longer being sold in the U.S. With this sad news I started looking for my next favorite pair. 

Nude is a great, versatile color and the So Kate style is a beautiful shoe. So, option #2...

Photo Courtesy: christianlouboutin.com

Unfortunately, I soon found out that the minimum height requirement on the So Kate heel is 120mm (~5 inches). Since my adventurous spirit doesn't venture past 100mm (~4 inches), this option wasn't going to work. At least I narrowed down the color and material: nude, patent leather. So the quest continued.

After much searching and debating, and visiting the local Neiman Marcus twice (by the way, the selection was disappointing), I finally decided on the patent leather Iriza Half d'Orsay pumps in nude. The selection seemed simple enough. I figured it should be no issue getting these from the local high-end department store. Yet again, I was so very wrong. 

I finally found what I was looking for at Saks online. I searched for the brand, I refined my search by color and heel height. There they were, in the size and color I needed. Only to find out that they are expected to ship in February of 2015. I mean really, why is it so difficult to purchase a pair of Louboutin shoes? Let me spend the money, I want to! 

It was suggested to me that the shoes usually ship faster than the date listed on the website. So I took a chance (a half size smaller is recommended in this style), without ever trying them on live, and placed the order. Low and behold, I was notified that the shoes shipped, a mere 3 weeks later. Glad I listened.

Finally, I had what I was looking for! The half size smaller fit like it should. As per the advice of Helena of BrooklynBlonde.com, I made sure to protect the bottom soles before ever wearing them. Red rubber soles keep the color red, and they make walking in these beauties, slightly more comfortable.