Posts Tagged: denim

Working mom outfit idea: striped turtleneck + grey blazer + bootcut denim

By IN Personal Style, Try This Thursdays

Casual Friday

 

A great source of outfit ideas is adapting stylish combinations others have already created. One way to do this is to break the source down into outfit components, like this.

Try This Thursdays: A weekly series bringing you something new to try in your working mom style life.For February, I’ve picked outfits that all include a little red flat.*

This week’s working mom outfit inspiration pieces are

  • striped turtleneck
  • grey blazer
  • bootcut denim
  • red flats

[Outfit Level: casual Friday/3]

Try this today: Like this look? Try recreating it with similar items from your own closet. Or search Pinterest for other outfits featuring a striped turtleneck or red flats.

* Looking for red flats of your own? Try these, these or these.

This is your year to be more Fabulous and less Frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

Working mom outfit idea: red top + bootleg denim + red flats

By IN Personal Style, Try This Thursdays

 

A great source of outfit ideas is adapting stylish combinations others have already created. One way to do this is to break the source down into outfit components, like this.

Try This Thursdays: A weekly series bringing you something new to try in your working mom style life, like an item to wear or buy, a specific outfit combination to discover in your wardrobe, or even a thing to do.For February, I’ve picked outfits that all include a little red flat.*

This week’s working mom outfit inspiration pieces are

  • red top
  • bootleg denim
  • red flats
  • neutral or gold accessories

[outfit level: weekend chic/level 2]

Try this today: Like this look? Try recreating it with similar items from your own closet. Or search Pinterest for other outfits featuring red shirts and flats.

* Looking for red flats of your own? Try these, these or these.

This is your year to be more Fabulous and less Frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

Fab Fridays outfit set: Bright denim + leopard print flats

By IN More Fabulous Fridays, Personal Style

justification for red pant purchase

I love image collage site Polyvore as a tool for discovering your personal style–and also finding outfit ideas. Today’s More Fabulous Friday features a look to try from Polyvore.

More Fabulous Fridays: Wrap up your work week with a working mom style treatWho says blazers have to be serious all the time?

By combining a navy blazer with brightly colored denim, then adding in leopard print flats, this outfit punches up a typical Client Meeting outfit with a little more flair.

It works just as well as a Weekend Chic look, too. Brunch, here you come!

  • Fab mamas: Do you own colored jeans? How do you like to wear them?

This is your year to be more fabulous and less frantic! Sign up for the Style List to get more working mom style advice and a special bonus: 7 Days to Better Shopping, a daily series that will teach you how to shop smarter and save money.

Yes, skinny jeans make your hips look wider (and here’s why)

By IN Advice, How-To Tuesdays

“Do these jeans make me look fat?”

How-To Tuesdays: Style advice and answers for working momsIt’s one of those loaded questions we ask our friends, or ask ourselves when we look in the dressing room mirror. Does it even have an objective answer?

Let’s start by dropping that negative value word, fat. Weight has nothing to do with dressing your body to flatter it–and proportion has everything to do with it.

So let’s rephrase the question to one that’s related to body silhouette, not size: “Do these jeans make me look wider at the top (i.e. the hips) than at the bottom?”

And when it comes to skinny jeans, the answer is easy: yes. They do. So do leggings, jeggings and any other type of covering that fits snugly down the leg.

[illustration of two shapes with the same width at the top; one is a rectangle, the other an inverted triangle] Why skinny jeans make your hips look widerIt’s a basic question of shape and proportion. Look at the illustrations. Which shape looks wider across? Which one looks narrower?

(It’s a trick question: they’re both the same width at the top. The one on the left only looks wider because it tapers at the bottom. You know, like a pair of skinny jeans.)

Or try this: Have a friend take photos of you wearing skinny jeans and then some other style, like a boot cut or straight leg. Then compare the photos. Can you see a difference?

So yes, skinny jeans make your hips look wider.

The more important question is this: Does it matter?

The answer is yours alone. If you are looking for a longer, leaner body line, then it matters; skinny jeans aren’t the garment silhouette for you.

But if you want to balance out broader shoulders (the inverted triangle shape), or simply rock your curves, it doesn’t matter at all. Skinnies are a welcome part of your wardrobe.

Either way, you make an informed decisions by knowing how a garment affects your body proportions and choosing the ones that flatter you–and make you the most comfortable.

If you don’t love it, don’t wear it.

Want to learn more about how to build outfits–and how to find the garments for them that flatter your body and personal style? You can with No More Yoga Pants: How to Dress Better, Shop Smarter and Reclaim Your Style, a system that teaches you just that–and more. Sign up for my email list to be the first to find out when it’s available (and get a special insiders’ launch offer).

Gap Perfect Bootcut jeans really are [Level 1]

By IN Personal Style

Working Mom Weekend Casual outfit with Gap 1969 Perfect Bootcut jeans

My friend Jenn was the first to discover Gap’s Perfect Bootcut jeans. So when I went looking for another pair of this always flattering cut of denim, I thought I’d give Perfect Bootcut a try.

She was right!

The secret, I think, is in two things.

First–just as in premium brands costing twice as much–there’s just enough stretch in the soft denim fabric to act like shapewear where you need it most.

Second, the waistband is wide. It wraps around your middle section like a built-in belt, adding to the shapewear effect. And it also means that even though the top edge comes up to just below the belly button (a plus to those of us with non-flat bellies, which is 99% of us, amirite?)  the bottom edge starts where you’d expect the waistband on low-rise jeans to be, so they don’t look like overly high waisted mom jeans.

All of which makes them perfect for Fab Mom weekend wear, like this. Put on heels and a dramatic choker necklace and I’d be off to Date Night.

(And nope, this isn’t a sponsored post. I don’t write those. But if the Gap happened to see it and felt like sending another pair of Perfect Bootcuts my way, I wouldn’t turn them down, cough cough … :)

T-shirt: Gap (similar, $16.50, LOFT).
Denim: Gap 1969 Perfect Bootcut ($69.95).
Shoes: Kate Spade (similar, $137, 6pm.com)
Working Mom Outfit Level: 1/Weekend Casual

[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]

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How to give your jeans a Fab Mom Style Upgrade

By IN Advice

Fab Mom Style Upgrade: Jeans

Are there any pants we wear more often than jeans? (I know I have a bit of a denim habit.)

There’s good reason, of course. As I said last week, jeans + T-shirt = weekend uniform.

And depending on the Outfit Levels acceptable at your workplace, a good pair of denim can make a great office outfit, too.

The key word, though, is “good.”

That faded pair in the back of your closet that’s seen better days? The jeans that hit right at the ankle, or have wear spots at the knees? They don’t qualify as “good” denim.

Here’s what does.

  • A great cut. This is the hardest part about denim–or any pants, really. What fits on one woman’s body won’t fit on another’s. You’re really going to have to try a lot on, and once you find a brand that works for you, stick to it. How high a rise you choose depends on your comfort level, and the poochiness degree of your belly. (Mamas, you know what I’m talking about, right?) But the goal is not to look like your hips are swaddled in denim. And stick to a boot cut to start. The straighter the leg, the narrower your hips will look. It’s just flattering on everyone.
  • A dark wash. Especially if you’re going to pull off wearing these to the office, look for a dark rinse. It makes the denim look more expensive, and all the parts of you wrapped in it look smaller. Once you get the hang of it, you can branch out into different washes, or even colors.
  • The right length. Oh, this is a subject of much debate. There is a camp that declares all pants must be so long as to come within millimeters of grazing the floor. And there is a further subset that even goes so far as to hem some pants for flats and others for heels! I am not that strict, but you do want your jeans to be as long as possible. For the same reason you want a boot cut, the longer your leg line, the more flattering it is to you. If your jeans stop at the top of your shoe or just below your ankle, you’re visually cutting your legs shorter. This is once again a case where you will want to employ the services of your tailor, unless you are so lucky as to find a pair that fit you well *and* are just the right length.

None of the above requires you to go out and drop a lot of money on a premium denim brand, by the way. You can get a perfectly decent pair of dark bootcut jeans at the Old Navies of the world. You might even find them at the thrift or consignment store. And curvy girls might discover that Levi’s Curve ID jeans are their best bet.

If you do want to go premium, haunt the sample sale sites and Bluefly. You can regularly find pricier brands for about half off. I’ve scored Paige, Hudson and Habitual jeans this way. (Did I mention my denim habit?)

So here’s your (non-required) homework for this week: Go through your current denim collection. Do any of the pairs violate the above guidelines? Then toss ‘em or use ‘em for housework, but don’t make them your go-to jeans.

If none of them are quite right, then you’ve got a little shopping to do, no?

Coming next week: Fab Mom Style Upgrade for flats.

What to buy

 

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Outfit post: Level 1 weekend casual

By IN Advice, Personal Style

5 Levels of Working Mom Outfits: Level 1 outfit: Weekend casual

This week’s outfit post is a demonstration of Level 1 of the 5 Levels of Working Mom Outfits–also known as Weekend Casual. (What’s Level 1, you may ask? Just check out yesterday’s post for details.)

I started with a super versatile base piece of casual wear, the V-neck T-shirt. This one is Mossimo, Target’s line of sportswear. It’s been a great staple in my wardrobe.

I paired it with one of my favorite pairs of casual weekend jeans, dark wash boot cut denim from the Gap. I particularly like this pair because they have a little stretch in them for forgiveness, and the rise is sane; that is, it’s actually somewhere in the neighborhood of my waist!

I’ve had these jeans for a while now and they were a good 4 inches too long when I bought them. Originally I wore them cuffed, but I recently had them tailored to the proper length and I’m so glad I did.

The top layer is a simple gray hooded sweatshirt from Old Navy; for a piece this basic, there’s really no reason to splurge.

And the shoes are one of my all-time favorite pair, easy slip-on flats from Puma. I can’t find this exact style any more so when they wear out some day, I may have a good cry. (Although the Saba style is pretty close; maybe I should snatch some up?)

In fact, all of the items in this outfit have been in my closet for a while now–and that’s the power of finding classic, simple garments that fit and flatter. Don’t veer too far into trend territory and your Weekend Casual outfit can be your Saturday uniform for years to come.

T-shirt: Mossimo by Target. (Similar, $21, Bluefly)
Hoodie: Old Navy. (Similar, $45, Topshop)
Denim: Gap boot cut. (Similar, on sale for $39, Gap)
Shoes: Puma. (Similar, $70, Endless)
Outfit level: 1.

[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]

Your turn

  • What are your favorite pieces for a Weekend Casual outfit?

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