you’ll have to excuse me if i look a little disheveled… these photos were snapped on a particularly hot and sweaty day, but i wanted to show you an example of a look that’s very similar to my last outfit, but that feels so much more “me” these days. the only real difference between the two looks is that this dress is much longer in length. just add some inches and suddenly it feels so much more sophisticated and grown-up, don’t you think? and i like the very simple elegance of such a luxurious silk dress paired with a crisp white t-shirt. i kinda wish i had three of this same dress in different colors and fabrics to switch out with different tops!

marlena midi dress and silk noil headwrap (worn as a neck tie) courtesy of elizabeth suzann
everlane box cut tee
peep toe high in black courtesy of swedish hasbeens
j.w. hulme legacy handbag
jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker

looking at this outfit, i can definitely say that it’s one of those looks that has really become a signature of my style. but putting it on this weekend, i noticed that it didn’t quite feel like “me” anymore. i looked at myself in the mirror and thought something that i’ve never thought before: i think this dress is too short for me! before my pregnancy, i always wore ridiculously, dangerously short dresses and skirts with little bloomers and pettipants underneath. i mean, i’ve worn this particular pinafore a million times and never thought twice about it! but for the first time in my life, i’m much more interested in longer hemlines. part of that is just the cyclical nature of trends; you can only bring your hemline up so far before you get bored, and then back you go to longer lengths before starting the cycle all over again. but a bigger part of it just has to do with what’s practical nowadays.

i’ve talked a lot lately about how my style has been changing and i’ve been rethinking my wardrobe, and looking at this outfit really drives it home. it’s interesting how it’s basically something that i still love, but a simple alteration, maybe a midi length hem, would make me feel much more comfortable and more like myself.

wearing: vintage pinafore courtesy of skinny bitch apparel, lauren moffatt daylily pintuck top, swedish hasbeens braided high, coach classics shoulder bag

i wore this outfit on a casual saturday in redlands visiting my family for the easter weekend. this lightweight velvet dress paired with a crisp white t-shirt felt so perfectly springy as it swished around my knees on an afternoon stroll around town. after some deliberation about what shoes to wear, i opted for the casual comfort of my white birkenstocks (which i’ve been wearing almost every day lately). but i think a simple pair of black flats and a little swipe of lipstick would make this look perfectly appropriate for a date night as well. in fact, i’ll probably wear it just like that the next time i actually get a chance to go out!

wearing: ivory vevlvet ballet dress courtesy of datura, white t-shirt, obey leather jacket courtesy of lulu’s, birkenstock arizona sandals, coach classics shoulder bag

i almost didn’t share this look because after i uploaded the photos, i noticed that my bangs were looking kinda crazy after a quick home trim, and my shirt wasn’t properly tucked in and i was making funny faces and… well, i was picking myself apart as is easy to do when you’re staring at pictures of yourself on a very high-resolution computer screen. and then i was like, fuck it! this is what i looked like that day and even if it’s not the most exciting, i still felt pretty good in it.

anyway, this is my uniform as of late. jeans and a button-up shirt. i have a several different pairs of jeans and shirts in varying colors that i switch out with different shoes and bags. sometimes i swipe on some lipstick when i’m feeling a little plain, or i throw my hair up in braids or a top-knot if my hair is dirty. you’ll usually find me in a look like this with my sleeping baby strapped to my front, strolling around los feliz, possibly with an iced coffee in one hand and my cell phone in the other. it makes me feel so stereotypically l.a., but it’s just part of my routine nowadays. daily chats with my mom are good therapy when i’m at home all day caring for a the babe, and getting coffee is a nice little indulgence and a good excuse to get out of the house.

wearing:
asos denim shirt in dark wash
asos farleigh high waist slim mom jeans in deep blue
swedish hasbeens woven super high in natural
clare vivier messenger tote
nars lipstick in heat wave

i know i’m just getting back into the habit of sharing my outfits again, but i can assure you, this is the first time i’ve worn a dress in quite a while! a lot of the dresses i own are a little too precious to wear while toting around a newborn, but this dusen dusen dress is actually quite practical. it’s made of a sturdy washable cotton and it has a button-front, two considerations that now dominate my post-maternity wardrobe. the issue of fit is still a bit of a challenge. not because of the dress, but because even though my body is pretty much back to it’s pre-pregnancy size, my bust line is now clocking in at an impossible 34i ( i mean, c’mon, is that even a size?!). but i’ve been told that i will most likely lose an inch or two in the coming months, so i’m ok if some of my clothes are a tiny bit snug for the time being. i’ve pretty much gotten used to the fact that my body has been constantly changing for the past year and will continue to do so for many more months.

i actually wore this look for an afternoon movie date. i figured i’d get a little fancy in my dress and heels to hang out in a mostly empty matinee which appeared to be reserved for elderly couples, families with small children, and new parents experimenting with how long they can leave their baby before getting an urgent text to get back home because he’s become inconsolable… ha! we actually made it through the entire movie and adam was fine. and it was fun to sneak away for just a little bit before resuming duty as the doting parents that we are. seriously, i am so obsessed with that little dude, it’s actually hard for me to leave him for even a couple of hours!

wearing:
dusen dusen black formica dress courtesy of emerging thoughts
swedish hasbeens braided high in natural
clare vivier messenger tote
double hoop necklace courtesy of giantlion
cuff bracelet courtesy of academy

can you believe it? an outfit post! it’s been a long time coming. i don’t really have much of a reason other than to say it’s amazing how having a baby can completely change your priorities. i mean, i think about sharing my outfits sometimes, but i just never seem to get around to actually snapping photos. but the seasons are changing and i’m starting to build out my new spring wardrobe, and when my new jumpsuit arrived from family affairs, i got pretty darn excited. i pulled it on right out of the package and wore it for the rest of the day just hanging out at home with little baby adam. and when brendan got home from work, he complimented my bright blue jumpsuit, and we proceeded to think of silly references for the look. i suggested april o’neil, he said blue luigi. it’s just such a fun piece, but it’s also totally practical. and there’s no way you can wear a bright blue mechanics jumpsuit and not have just a little more fun.

wearing: swanlake overall courtesy of family affairs, white arizona birkenstocks, clare vivier messenger tote

i’ll tell you what, i don’t know how some bloggers post outfits like a week after their babies were born. i was down for the count for six weeks after my c-section, and the past couple of weeks, i just haven’t found the time! i attempted to get some photos over the weekend on a walk with the baby, but he started crying before we got anything worthwhile. my outfit wasn’t that interesting anyway. i’ve mostly been wearing a uniform of jeans with an oversized button-up and then adding or removing layers and accessories as necessary.

the nice part about my little hiatus is that i’ve been spending a lot of time thinking more practically and strategically about my wardrobe. it feels really good to be unloading so many of the clothes that i’ve been hoarding in my shop, and to start thinking about my own changing personal style. i’m definitely moving in a different direction now that i live in a new place and have a baby!

wearing: asos denim shirt in dark wash, asos farleigh high waist slim mom jeans in washed black with busted knees, carven coat, rachel comey mars boots (similar), vintage coach bucket bag (similar).