Feb 10, 2014
Can you believe it’s already been four weeks of daily style? I’m really loving this new feature because it’s challenging me to make the most of what’s in my closet. I’m pulling out pieces that I haven’t worn in a while and finding new ways to pair them up. So although this was your idea, it’s really benefiting me. 🙂
The great thing about posting these pics on Instagram first is that you guys get to ask questions throughout the week that I can answer in my Monday recap post. This past week you asked a lot about the tunics I’m wearing. With the exception of one day, tunics seemed to be the theme for the week!
MONDAY
Gray and cream stripes with leopard.
[Top: c/o Golden Tote/Scarf: Similar/Jeans: Forever 21/Boots: Frye]
This top got lots of questions, no surprise, it’s one of my favorites! It was one of the pieces in my Golden Tote so I can’t link to it, but here’s a similar option.
[ShopRuche: Striped Sweater]
TUESDAY
Ava had a doctor’s appointment on this chilly day. I layered a striped top under my tunic for some extra warmth.
[Tunic: c/o J. Jill/Scarf: c/o Leslia NYC/Jeans: Similar/Boots: Similar (On Sale!)/Striped Top: Similar]
The striped top I layered is from Target but I bought it last year. I LOVE the hem on this new one and may need to get it too!
[Long Sleeved Striped Tee]
WEDNESDAY
Strayed from the tunics and made a little extra effort to meet a friend for lunch.
[Henley Blouse: Loft/Scarf: c/o J. Jill (Similar)/Jeans: Paige/Boots: Frye]
THURSDAY
Snow day! A good excuse to get cozy and wear my Wellies.
[Tunic: c/o Subtle Luxury/Jeans: Similar/Scarf: Similar/Boots: Hunter]
This tunic also got a lot of questions. The one I’m wearing was gifted to me by Subtle Luxury. It’s gorgeous but it’s cashmere and has a high price tag.
Here are some more affordable options for a similar look
[Silk Cashmere V-neck Tunic – 50% Off]
[Sheer and Solid Tunic]
[Cowl Neck Soft Tunic]
FRIDAY
I love this striped tunic from LOFT. It’s one of my favorites and makes an instant outfit with skinny jeans and boots. It’s also on clearance! The necklace caused a commotion on Facebook, but mainly because of the high cost of shipping! This necklace is a great alternative that’s on sale and ends up being about the same price with flat rate shipping.
[Tunic: LOFT/Jeans: Kut from the Kloth/Boots: Similar/Necklace: Similar (On Sale!)]
LOFT is sold out of the color I have but there are three other options – hugely discounted!
[Striped Tunic]
P.S. It runs a little small. I normally wear a size small but went up to a medium so it would be longer.
LIFE LATELY
Snippets from our day to day.
- Bailey had WAY too much fun in the snow. She must’ve gone out to play in it at least 20 times in one day. She probably wishes she had owners in a snowy climate instead of Texas.
- Ava and I made a pit stop for some Whataburger on the way to her doctor appointment. She was extra hungry so ordered the big burger and was excited that it was as big as her head!
- Shay made my day with this super sweet gift for being the guest at her Pajama Party last week. Everyone leaves her parties with a favor. How can you not love her? The Velvet Sugar smells just like Valentine’s Day!
- It was cold and rainy on Friday night so we headed out for a big bowl of curry at our local pho restaurant.
- I’m taking my dad for carpal tunnel surgery on both of his hands today. Prayers for a successful procedure and quick recovery would be really appreciated!
Getting my pretty on with Fashion Friday, The Pleated Poppy, Monday Mingle, Totally Posted Tuesday and Style Sessions.
Jan 31, 2014
Casual chic.
Honestly, I’ve never thought of the word chic to describe my style. My goal has always been “not frumpy”. So you can just imagine how thrilled and surprised I was when so many of you described my style as casual chic. Over and over again in my reader survey, a lot of you said that’s why you’re here.
Here are a few of your answers to the question “What keeps you coming back every day?”
- “Alison’s casual chic mom style.”
- “You take casual up a notch to chic.”
- “I love your chic SAHM style.”
- “You add chicness to mommy-hood.”
Therefore it was a no-brainer to include the word chic in the title for my new Friday series Casual Chic Outfit Basics.
CASUAL CHIC OUTFIT BASICS | DARK WASH SKINNY JEANS
If you’ve been following my Daily Style Diary posts, then you know one of the building blocks of my daily style is dark wash skinny jeans. They’re universally flattering for all body types, they look great with any kind of footwear – sandals, ankle boots, ballet flats, riding boots, and you can easily dress them up or down for a day of errands or a date night.
Here are a few of my recent outfits featuring two of my favorite pairs of dark wash skinny jeans.
Repeat after me: Every woman NEEDS a great pair of dark wash skinny jeans.
Here are some of my favorite pairs of dark wash skinny jeans – at price points for every budget.
HIGH END
At the high end are my Paige Premium Denim jeans. I have the Skyline Skinny in the Carson wash. They are made incredibly well, fit perfectly and are worth every penny. When I want that perfect fitting pair of jeans that makes me feel like a million bucks, this is the pair that I reach for.
[Paige Skyline Skinny – Carson Wash]
MID-RANGE
A nice mid-range option is this pair by Articles of Society. They have 33 five-star reviews.
[Articles of Society ‘Lana’ ]
If you’ve been around here long, you’ve heard me gush about my Kut from the Kloth jeans too. They have a nice mid-rise, not too high nor too low. And I’m not their only fan, this pair also has near perfect reviews.
[Kut from the Kloth ‘Mia’]
Of course Gap always has some great skinny jeans. I have this pair and love them.
[Gap ‘1969 Always Skinny Jeans’]
LOW END
On the other end of the spectrum are my trusty dark wash skinny jeans from Forever 21. When I say these are dirt cheap, I mean it. I have a few pairs of them to swap out when they start to fade or if they’re in the wash. They are just an all-around great everyday jean.
[Forever 21 – Dark Wash Skinny Jeans]
Old Navy is also a good choice for bargain jeans. The Rockstar is a great mid-rise jean.
[Old Navy ‘ The Rockstar Mid-Rise Skinny Jean]
CHIC OUTFIT PAIRINGS
Here’s even more outfit inspiration. I might have to copy a few of these myself.
Casual with Flats
[1/2/3]
Plaid Dressed Up or Down
[1/2]
More Chic and Simple
[1/2]
Come back next Friday for the next installment in the Casual Chic Outfit Basics series.
Be sure to stop by on Monday because I’m invited to be the special guest at Shay’s Pajama Party for February! It’s seriously like getting invited to the cool girl’s sleepover.
Getting my pretty on withThe Pleated Poppy, Fashion Friday and Getting Pin-spired with Sheaffer , Shay and Mel.
Jan 30, 2014
Having a 14 (almost 15) year-old daughter in the house is actually pretty great for helping me dress my age. Every time I try a new trend, I ask for her input and she’s more than happy to give it. I do this not only because I want to look age appropriate, but also because I don’t want to embarrass her with what I wear.
You’d be surprised at what humiliates her these days. I can’t do the robot in the car anymore, she hates it when I sing in the aisles at Target and she was completely dismayed when I danced in a flash mob at her high school pep rally. OK, I need to defend myself on that last one. In all fairness, humiliation was the goal but her older brother was the intended recipient. The senior football moms wanted to do something really memorable for our sons at the last pep rally of the year. We chose maximum embarrassment by doing a flash mob. It worked really well.
At any rate, I won’t embarrass her or myself by dressing inappropriately for my age. That’s where I draw the line. But where is the line between looking on trend and dressing too young? It gets a little blurred especially when we sometimes shop at the same stores and share clothes.
But I’ve discovered that the key to keeping pieces age appropriate is really simple. It’s all in how you pair them up.
Let’s take this sweater for example.
[Back Hole Knit Sweater]
Mother/Daughter Style
Aubrey and I each styled it in our own age appropriate ways. I picked out more sophisticated pieces like plum jeans and a long necklace with ankle boots, while she opted for a youthful look with bright jeans, a scarf and combat boots.
[On Alison: Sweater: c/o Persunmall/Jeans/Necklace (Similar)/Earrings]
[On Aubrey: Sweater: c/o Persunmall/Scarf/Jeans/Boots]
[Bracelet: c/o Ettika – Get 25% off site wide at Ettika.com with coupon code EXCL25]
It’s Your Turn: How do you define age appropriate style? Share your tips in the comments.
I FEEL PRETTY
It’s the day of the week at GYPO where we celebrate what makes us feel pretty. Whether it’s a new outfit, hairstyle, or makeup, the I Feel Pretty link up is about anything and everything that makes your life prettier. Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still play along. Just tell us what made you feel pretty this week in the comments!
There are just a few simple rules:
1. Follow GYPO. (Bloglovin‘, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest)
2. Link up your pretty post.
3. Link back to my blog (using the button above or your own link).
4. Visit other pretty peeps.
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Getting my pretty on with Fashion Friday.
Jan 27, 2014
Wow, thank you so much for the overwhelmingly positive response to my daily style pics! It’s been fun documenting them on Instagram and sharing them here. I’m glad you like them.
A lot of you have asked what I’m wearing, so I’m going to start providing links to same or similar items under each outfit. Some pieces are last season or older but I’ll try my best to find suitable substitutes.
Without further ado, here are last week’s outfit entries into my Daily Style Diary.
Day One
A pleasant day in the 70’s! I wore a sheer polka dot blouse with a layering tank, my favorite skinny jeans from Forever 21 and leopard print flats to run errands.
[Blouse/Jeans/Necklace/Flats]
Day Two
Brr, it got cold quickly. For lunch with a friend, I wore this gray and cream sweater with a layering tank, plum coated denim skinnies and a long tassel necklace.
[Sweater/Jeans/Necklace]
Day Three
An afternoon at the horse barn called for a long sleeved tee, boyfriend cardigan, gray skinny jeans and Hunter Wellies. I wore the necklace to run errands but took it off before we went to the barn. Ava was so happy that I wore appropriate footwear for chasing horses in the pasture. I was too. 🙂
[Sweater/Shirt/Jeans/Necklace/Boots]
Day Four
Awards assembly at the elementary school. Gray cashmere sweater, white button down, blush jeans, statement necklace and riding boots.
[Sweater/Jeans/Necklace/Blouse/Boots]
Day Five
Took Chick-fil-a lunches to both of the girls at school. I wore my new beige sweater from Scissortail Clothing and scarf from Bindya NY with my favorite Paige jeans.
[Sweater/Scarf/Jeans/Boots]
Life Lately
Some snippets from our daily life.
- Still waiting to hear back from Devon’s first choice college. He’s gotten two acceptances so far and has a perfectly fine back-up plan…that’s also closer to home. 🙂 But it’s nerve wracking to check the mail every day. Tom Petty was right, the waiting IS the hardest part.
- Ava got three semester awards last week – one for A/B honor roll, one for Stellar Scientist and one for helping out in the office. Super proud of her!
- We’ve been trying to eat cleaner this past week. For the most part, it’s been OK but now I’m starting to feel like I will rip someone’s head off if I don’t get some Mexican food!
- Bailey, our golden retriever, got a trip to Petsmart for a shave down, nail trimming and teeth cleaning. She also got a big pink bow when she was all done. Good girl.
It’s Your Turn: What’s going on in your world this week?
Check my other Daily Mom Style outfits HERE.
Getting my pretty on with Fashion Friday, Totally Posted Tuesday and Style Sessions.
Jan 22, 2014
Last week, I sent out my very first reader survey. When the responses started to roll in, I got that same feeling that I used to get right before a performance review at my corporate job. The butterflies, the sweaty palms, the fear of finding out what you all really think of me.
The great news is, it wasn’t that scary after all. You guys are truly the sweetest, nicest, most helpful and BEST READERS EVER! Even when you did offer criticism or suggestions for improvement (which I asked for), you did it in the most constructive and helpful way possible. And the positive feedback? Well it completely overwhelmed me. I am so humbled and honored to be able to share this blog with you.
On to the results!
The top five pieces of feedback I got were the following:
#1 – You want more personal posts.
This was hands-down the biggest request. You have NO idea how happy this makes me! This was something that I had no clue you wanted more of. There are so many things that I wanted to share here but just skipped out on it because I didn’t know if you’d be interested. But I’ve been dying to tell you! Life is exciting right now – our son just got his first acceptance letters for college and we’re scheduling visits. We’ve had our challenges too – our daughter made the decision to quit gymnastics after ten years. Lots of changes and transitions going on. There are so many more things I want to share with you guys and I’m beyond excited that you actually want to hear about them!
#2 – You want less sponsored content.
A million times THANK YOU for being honest about this. The last thing I want to do is be inauthentic or sales-y. Yuck. I would totally suck as a salesperson, that’s why I’ve never been one. 🙂 Please forgive me if I turned you off with sponsored posts and most of all, thank you for sticking around if I did. I totally get it now and my goal is to strike a better balance.
I wish I could blog for free, I really do. For the most part I did up, until I got laid off last year. While I am first and foremost a personal blogger, I am also a digital publisher. I’ve had the privilege of being accepted into some pretty awesome publishing networks like BlogHer. They provide me with an opportunity to supplement our family’s income through blogging. The primary way my blog makes money is through sponsored content and ads. Affiliate sales are just a small percentage. Most readers are here for inspiration, not to buy anything, and that’s perfectly fine. But it does put me in a position where I have to post sponsored content sometimes. Otherwise, blogging can be an expensive hobby and I’m not in a position to have one of those right now. Especially with a kid going off to college in a few months!
Having said that, monetization is important but what good is it if nobody wants to read your blog? This has slapped me upside the head. Unfortunately some sponsored content is a necessary evil but I will try my hardest to only accept opportunities that tie in well with what you want more of. Much like flipping through the ads in a magazine or DVR’ing your favorite show and skipping the commercials, feel free to only read what you like here too. I won’t mind at all! Just don’t let it be something that keeps you away for good.
#3 -You like that I interact with you.
If not for this community, there wouldn’t be a blog! You truly are what makes this worthwhile. If you’re a reader who doesn’t comment because you don’t see me responding in the comments section, I want you to know that I respond to every single comment that I get through e-mail (or by visiting your blog, if you’re a blogger). My reason for doing it through e-mail is because I can get more personal and I know that you’ll read them. Not everyone goes back to a blog post to see if they got a response on their comment. I love connecting through the e-mails we send back and forth and have made many new friends through my comments section, some that have become real-life friends.
#4 -You’re here for the outfits.
By a landslide, outfit posts were the winner with 80% of respondents preferring them most of all. The runners-up were beauty, trend watches, home decor and health. I hear you loud and clear and will be giving you more of what you want and less of what you don’t!
#5 – You want casual, affordable, easy to put together, age-appropriate outfits, that fit your body well.
Amen sisters! My goal is to create effortless outfits that are affordable and on trend, yet completely age-appropriate. A lot of you also mentioned fit and dressing for your body type as challenges. I’ll be more aware of that and try to offer options and advice for fit when I can.
Many of you also mentioned wanting to see more casual outfits. So, on Monday I started a Daily Style Diary post of my photos on Instagram to show you my outfits I’m wearing for everyday. I can’t promise you there will be one every single day but I’ll try to post as many as I can. You can find the outfits I’ve posted so far by searching hash tag #dailymomstyle.
Again, thank you for your honesty and candor. Your kind responses were just simply overwhelming. The fashion and beauty challenges that you shared have given me so many ideas for future posts and I couldn’t be more excited to dig into them. I want this to be a place you enjoy coming to every day where we can be friends talking about style, beauty and all of the things that girlfriends love to share.
[Trench: c/o eShakti (similar)/Sweater: Loft/Jeans: Paige/Scarf: American Eagle (similar)/Boots: c/o Wallis/Watch: c/o Fossil/Earrings: c/o Zocorra/Sunglasses: Ray-Ban]
I FEEL PRETTY
It’s the day of the week at GYPO where we celebrate what makes us feel pretty. Whether it’s a new outfit, hairstyle, or makeup, the I Feel Pretty link up is about anything and everything that makes your life prettier. Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still play along. Just tell us what made you feel pretty this week in the comments!
There are just a few simple rules:
1. Follow GYPO. (Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin‘)
2. Link up your pretty post.
3. Link back to my blog (using the button above or your own link).
4. Visit other pretty peeps.
‘);
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Getting my pretty on with Fashion Friday, Fashion Informant, What I’m Loving Friday, Friday’s Fab Favorites, What I Wore to Work, Tres Chic Thursday, The Pleated Poppy and Shanna.
MONDAY
[Top: c/o Golden Tote/Scarf: Similar/Jeans: Forever 21/Boots: Frye]
[Tunic: c/o J. Jill/Scarf: c/o Leslia NYC/Jeans: Similar/Boots: Similar (On Sale!)/Striped Top: Similar]
[Henley Blouse: Loft/Scarf: c/o J. Jill (Similar)/Jeans: Paige/Boots: Frye]
[Tunic: c/o Subtle Luxury/Jeans: Similar/Scarf: Similar/Boots: Hunter]
[Tunic: LOFT/Jeans: Kut from the Kloth/Boots: Similar/Necklace: Similar (On Sale!)]
Snippets from our day to day.
