There are things you can't fake

Hello everyone! Did you hear about the CFDA special shopping event going on on eBay?

Since 2011, the CFDA and eBay have been partnering to raise public awareness about counterfeit good through the event "You can't fake fashion". The idea is to celebrate original design by those working in the fashion industry by auctioning iconic totes and handbags bearing the declarative motto. These year the 90 designers called upon to the task include Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Rachel Roy, Prabal Gurung and Rag & Bone.

The event begun a couple of days ago with starting prices of 100$. You can check for yourself how far prices are now from this mark, but a girl can dream right? My favorites are the handbags with a subdued rendition of the declarative motto, like the ones pictures above (from the top: Prabal Gurung, Joey Gryson, Lauren Moffatt, and Ralph Lauren). I would be willing to make an exception just for BCBG Max Azria transparent bag (last picture above), which is totally on trend this spring!

The auction concludes at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET on March 25.

Are you into transparent bags?

Hello everyone! Thinking about a new handbag for spring?

Last year, canvas bags were all the rage. This year, it seems to be the time of transparent bags. They can also be beautifully crafted objects -- when I saw the picture (above) of Valentino Rockstud "Naked" one, my heart skipped a beat (and not just because I have a Rockstud obsession).

As much as canvas bags, however, they are quintessentially non-mom bags. Canvas is awfully delicate (beware, dirty little hands!). Clear plastic is excessively revealing, which begs the question: would you want to parade around the kid-induced mess of toys and half-eaten granola bars? I sure do not.

The beauty squeeze

Hello everyone! What was the biggest perk of your maternity leave?

For me, so far it has been to learn to do things in the moment. Take this afternoon. I went out to run a few errands (including returning the baby sling I recently got) and... well, the baby was sleeping so well that I decided to try and get my nails done. As the polish is drying, the baby is still sleeping. Bliss. I even get to write a new blog post :)

This attitude is a big step for me, because I am a planner by nature. Now, making it to that eyebrows appointment has become a complete random occurrence. You know what though? I do not actually care. This is the biggest step for me -- being a bit carefree. How wonderful.

It's a wrap

Hello everyone! Did you use a sling or a baby carrier when your children were little?

When I was pregnant with my older son, I purchased a Baby Bjorn carrier for 50$ at our local consignment store. I had no idea what to do with it until a friend suggested to use to rock my son to sleep, since he most definitely could not fall asleep in his crib. That Baby Bjorn became my best friend for the following six months.

Meanwhile I met other moms who swore by baby slings for the first few months of their babies' life. I did not give it much thought until, two weeks after my baby boy's birth, I had to go to the office for an important meeting. I then remembered Licia Ronzulli, and her flawless style -- sling included.

After some research, I ordered the Baby K'tan Baby Carrier on Amazon. It looked exactly like Licia Ronzulli's one, and turned out to be as comfortable as promised once I tried it on. The only issue? It maybe easier to put on than other slings do, but still requires a lot of fiddling. Too much for my taste, in fact. Perhaps, had I had my baby in the summer, I would have used it more than I actually did. So I am returning it, and I have already gotten my Baby Bjorn out of storage.

P.S. My best friend has rather opted for the Ergo Baby, which she says provides more back support than the Baby Bjorn. You can read a good review of it here.

The week in review

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Did you read all our new posts last week?

There have been many, as I was keeping up with my goal of catching up with blogging. I began with a retrospective on my pregnancy style, which is full of tips and tricks I hope you'll find useful if you are expecting. Fast-forwarding to after the baby's birth, I shared with you the realization that dresses are not breastfeeding-friendly. This has meant completely emptying my closet -- and discovering how difficult it is to fill it up again with something that fits me.

Since when you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up, this week I vowed to get back in sync with my closet and my body image. Last Monday, I did some thinking about the style I want to embrace (and some shopping, of course). On blogging Tuesday, I begun catching up with you readers. On Wednesday, I did a big round of returns, and finally found the jeans that fit me. On meltdown Thursday (I know, I don't want to talk about it) I had to cancel my beauty appointments, but on Friday, thank to my husband's help, I managed to get a haircut (and had some deep thoughts about feeling guilty as a mom that I hope you did not miss).

This week we'll talk about baby gear, so stay tuned!

Don't worry, be happy

Hello everyone! When was the last time today that you felt guilty as a parent? Or should I say how many times today you felt guilty?

For me, the last time was when I left the house an hour ago to go and get my haircut. Accomplishing such a task with a seven-weeks old baby is not straightforward. My husband, who is a saint, took the afternoon off to come with me and facilitate the situation (read: stroll the baby around until I was done, to hopefully keep him asleep and not screaming for mommy's milk right in the middle of the hairdresser's job). My older son had to stay home with my housekeeper because he is still recovering from a bad cold. Do I need to tell you why I felt guilty? I mean: strolling around for an hour a seven-weeks old baby in the frigid weather? Leaving home my older son rather than playing with him? Never mind that the hairdresser is around the corner, that I had not gotten an haircut in almost three months, and that my housekeeper can make real-looking roses out of Play-doh when she plays with my son. As my older son was waving kisses from the window to us leaving, I felt awful.

While getting my haircut I read Sarah's post. It evoked other posts, articles and discussions about parenting that I have read in the last few years (remember Tiger mom vs Chic Mom?). I then thought of my mom and my grandmother, and I wondered how and why guilt was not much in their vocabulary. Then I got it. Because nowadays talking about it does not mean whispering your daily frustration to your best friend, and hearing about her low moments. It is about reading and comparing ourselves to what millions of other moms are doing thanks to the Internet, and the easiness in information-sharing we now enjoy.

This is why I had a thought. Maybe we should stop talking about it. About how guilty we feel. About whether we should have used that half an hour of free time to help out at our children's school. About how Jane works 18 hours a day and still finds time to read her kids a bedtime story. About blogging rather than taking our kids to yet another after-school activity. It is not just about doing what we can, as Sarah suggests. It is going further, and being happy about what we do and who we are. Who knows? Maybe we'll start a revolution.


Photo: Note to Self.

The ugly muffin and the jeans that fit

 

Hello everyone! Just had a baby and looking for a new pair of jeans to wear?

As I discovered that dresses are not breastfeeding-friendly, and I am more of a pants than a skirt person, the first item on my post-pregnancy clothing check list was a pair of jeans (or two).

My first attempt in this quest was disastrous, because all pairs I tried on were too low on the waist and were thus awkwardly accentuating my baby belly (talk about an ugly muffin top...) Yet a few more outings since then have made me a pro of post-pregnancy jeans purchases -- and, more in general, anti-muffin-top jeans styles.

My main discovery is that what you need in this phase is a pair of mid-waist jeans. Here are my top choices:

1) J Brand 8112 mid-rise rail jeans, which I got in Eclipse (and are also available in Dark Vintage; top two pictures). This wash has a characteristically thick fabric that holds in your mid-section quite well.

2) GAP 1969 legging jeans (available in indigo, black, and blue) and boot-cut jeans (available in dark and light blue; bottom two pictures). These are the only two styles of mid-waist jeans available in the 1969 line, and the latter come in both regular (R) and ankle (A) length.

I have also learnt that not all mid-waist jeans are created equal, that is, hit at the right "mid" waist spot. This point crucially depends on your height, so I strongly suggest you try on these styles before clicking on the "purchase now" option for any of the styles above.

I am so happy to finally have jeans that fit me!

Monday style rethink

Hello everyone! Ready for the new week?

I felt so energized this morning, possibly because of my week-long commitment of getting back in sync with my closet and body image.

To keep with the goal of getting my diet under control, this morning I started by drinking a giant glass of water when I woke up. I limited the coffee intake to three cups during the whole day, and ate sweets only for breakfast. I cannot say I felt much less bloated in the evening, but I think it is a start -- considering I will not be able to properly diet as long as I am breastfeeding.

Today's larger goal was to rethink about how to dress. I realized my mistake is to think as if I am still a size 4, which is obviously not the case. The challenge is that I am a structured dressing kind of girl (a trait surely inherited from my mother and that Naj Oleari skirt suit she put me in for my 12th birthday party). Think tailored pants, structured blouses and dresses, tight-fitting jackets, and tailored pants. In order to cover up the overflowing bits around the waist and the hips I have right now, I need to rather embrace the laid-back style of flowy tops and relaxed pants, which I am not so good at. In other terms, I need to become one of those cool moms I often envy -- those women who can rock anything by Isabel Marant and whatever new French label they just discovered "on their latest trip to Paris".

This is my inspiration: the team of Vogue Paris as portrayed in net-a-porter's latest Edit. With it in mind, this morning I headed to Holt Renfrew, searching for soft silk blouses and mid-waist skinny jeans. I came home with a great pair of J Brand jeans, and a flowy cream Vince blouse I scouted at the back of the clearance rack. I also scored a great navy blue spring coat. The best part? Except for the jeans, everything else is in my usual size!

P.S. Although one would never guess today, Naj Oleari was an upscale clothing brand in the mid-eighties. I still regret giving away the suit.

Getting back on track

Hello everyone! Did you do anything fun this weekend?

I slept. The. Whole. Time. (I mean, when I was not feeding my baby boy every 2-3 hours) It seems the sleep deprivation of the past six weeks (I cannot believe he is already more than a month old...) caught up with me all together on Saturday morning, ignited by a completely sleepless night on Friday (damn you, cauliflower for dinner).

When I woke up at 6 pm today I felt pretty good though, so we went out for a nice walk and family dinner that cleared up my head and prompted me to make a decision. I need to take action to get back in sync with my (still overwhelmingly empty) closet and, more in general, body image. I decided to tackle one thing a day next week, that is:

1) getting my diet under control
2) find fitting clothes
3) figure out my nursing underwear situation
4) resume my beauty routine
5) catch up with blogging

All this preparation leading to my first (and probably only) major social outing this spring, the baptism of my husband's godson next Saturday and ensuing celebration on Sunday.

I will keep you posted on my progress!


Photo: Postit available on Fancy.

Getting nowhere

Hello everyone! Did you have a good week?

In the past few days, I have been going out more and more, so I had to start tackling the sticky issue of post-pregnancy clothing. I begun with a trip to newly-opened The Want Apothecary, one of my favorite nearby stores. I should say I actually ran there after reading Paula's post, which had me convinced that ACNE's Skin 5 jeans could have been my Holy Graal as well. Unfortunately that was not the case -- unless I had been willing to buy and tailor a pair four sizes larger than my regular one (and psychologically I could just not bring myself to do that). Trips to GAP, Zara, Club Monaco, Topshop, and TNT (the latter being another one of my favorite local stores) ensued as I continued searching for something that would fit me and my budget, and which I will not regret purchasing if (as I hope) it gets discontinued by the summer once I get back into my pre-pregnancy clothing.

These trips led to three bags full of knits and jeans, which I reviewed cool-eyed this morning. Club Monaco did not disappoint, and the two merinos round-necks I purchased will be one of my staples (and, since they are not too baggy in spite of being a size large, I may even be able to wear them after I shed the baby weight). Topshop was a let down, but I am utterly in love with this baby blue cotton oversize sweater, clearly inspired by ACNE's oversize sweater with zipped back, but less chunky and baggy (and much cheaper, obviously, all winning points for me!). Bottoms were a total failure, however. When I tried them on again I could not understand why I purchased the pair of AG jeans I came home with after a one-hour long session at TNT. The waist cuts my soggy baby belly in the wrong place, and creates an ugly muffin top. That turned out to be the problem with the jeans I got from GAP and Zara as well. 

I am actually considering to follow a friend's advice and turn my attention to skirts. I am awfully bummed that this Dries Van Noten plaid number is already sold out...

Photo: Topshop.

Are you done with winter?

Hello everyone! Do you feel like you want to be done with winter?

Yesterday Mara tweeted exactly that, and got me thinking. My first reaction when I read Mara's tweet was that I wish I could be done with winter, and start wearing pastel colors and sandals, but that it would be hard given that we are still covered under mountains of snow. It is obvious that spring is a state of mind though. The approaching spring break has put traveling at the top of the favorite topics list of a lot of blogs these days, especially if to sunny destinations. Influential women in fashion have been recently spotted at Milan Fashion Week wearing white and light colors even under the snow.

If only dresses were breastfeeding-friendly, I would invest in this combination.


Photo: Matthew Williamson dress at The Outnet; McQ handbag at Yoox.

Dresses are not breastfeeding-friendly

Hello everyone! Did you wear dresses when you were breastfeeding?

When I was pregnant, dresses have been the most comfortable clothing item I wore, no matter in what trimester (evidence here and here). It was also the item I have not felt too guilty to invest on because I thought that they were going to be the best fall-back option after the baby's birth, when my belly was not yet back to its usual size and shape.

Yet I had forgotten about breastfeeding. If you need to be able to nurse on the go, the last thing you want to do is to wear a dress, no matter how long your nursing cover is (like the one I recently purchased).

There are, of course, dresses made especially for nursing. I have tried several on and I have not yet found one that does not have a funny opening (I am looking at you side-opening dress), is not high-waisted (honestly, who wants to still look pregnant when they are nursing? Post-baby all you want is something that sucks in that baby belly, yes?), and more generally is not ugly looking.

Dresses are out for me, for at least three months. My wallet is thankful, because I would have never resisted the temptation of this Issa dress for Spring.


Photo: mytheresa.com

Pregnancy Style Diary: A retrospective

Hello everyone! What was your signature style when you were expecting?

Storing my maternity clothing last weekend has made me look back at my style choices while pregnant (in case you missed it, here is the complete "What I wore through my pregnancy" series of posts).

There are women such as Ferebee Taube who lived in Rick Owens separates and The Row stretch denim leggings. I have resembled more women like Rachelle Hruska though, who only bought three pregnancy items (a black dress, yoga pants, and J Brand maternity jeans), and for the rest relied on regular clothes that she either bought big, or transformed. For me, this meant especially knits and sweater dresses from Club Monaco and Zara.

If you live in the US, stylish maternity clothing may be more accessible to you than here in Montreal (I am looking at you Ann Taylor Loft Maternity). As maternity knits of good quality are the most difficult to find, if you are expecting in the summer you may sail through your pregnancy more easily than I did. Nonetheless, I hope that what I learnt in the past nine months will help you!

* With the exception of underwear and jeans, do not invest in maternity clothing too early. Pregnancy-related weight gain can be incredibly unpredictable, and you may be forced to discontinue new items just a few weeks after you took them home from the store (as it has been the case for me in this pregnancy, but not in my first one).

* When jeans are concerned, it is generally cheaper to have your own jeans converted into maternity style than buying maternity jeans right from the beginning of the pregnancy. Remember the unpredictability of pregnancy-related weight gain: those 200$ designer maternity jeans may not fit you anymore by the time you reach 24 weeks. Just saying.

* Dresses are a pregnant woman's best friend, no matter in what trimester but especially at the end (and right now you can even buy "that" Issa dress in its maternity version!)

* It is true that there is maternity clothing that can be good for after a pregnancy as well. From my own experience, however, as you start losing the baby weight the last thing you'll want to wear is maternity clothing (the main exception here being Hatch, as Joanna Goddard brilliantly demonstrates in a recent post). This is why I would recommend trying to stick to regular clothing for as long as possible -- also because regular clothing is returnable, and maternity clothing is not.

* But: beware of buying regular clothing a couple of sizes bigger, because the fit (especially around the shoulders for tops and jackets) can be awkward.

* Remember that buying a lot of cheap crap because is cheap maybe tempting, but what you end up with is just a bunch of cheap crap (I am looking at you, GAP maternity's clearance rack).

* Do not underestimate the usefulness of your husband's clothing. The two sweaters I have been wearing the most until the end of my pregnancy (and even now) are those I stole from my husband's closet at 20 weeks.

* Do not feel guilty to splurge a bit towards the end of your pregnancy, even though the lifetime of whatever you buy then can be quite short. Consider the psychological benefits.


Photos (from top): Pregnancy Style Diary week 11, week 17, week 22.6, week 29, week 33.

The cover-up

Hello everyone! Where you comfortable breastfeeding in public?

Even though I breastfed my son, I had a lot of health problems after he was born, so the issue never came up -- I was either at home or, unfortunately, at the hospital, and I had to start pumping just after a couple of months.

This time, however, things are going pretty well with breastfeeding, and I would like to continue for as long as possible. Being able to breastfeed on the go has thus become imperative. You should not be surprised that my first stop on my first outing with the baby was the closest maternity store in order to purchase a nursing cover. Thyme Maternity's nursing shawl from the new Luxe Mama collection seemed to fit the bill perfectly, especially because of its relatively low price (less than 50 CAD including taxes). Yet I was disappointed about the cheap and rough fabric, and the fact that it is quite long, perhaps too much, so that it keeps getting stuck into everything. (My best friend in Montreal, who has breastfed her first two kids for quite a long time, swears that the extra fabric will come in handy in a few months, to prevent the baby from getting distracted while feeding him).

Further research online did not lead me to any better place (although if you are a fan of bright patterns, Pirose's Fashion Nursing Scarf seems like a great choice). I realized, however, that a lightweight poncho such as this Missoni one could be perfect for the job, and would be a long-term investment piece if poncho-appropriate weather would last more than a few days around here. A fancier option along the same lines would be a Brunello Cucinelli's sparkly sleeveless sweater such as this one, which I have been considering purchasing since I came across it in spite of the steep price tag. Obviously, not just because I am sucker for the brand (remember this post?), but because next week we will be attending the baptism of my best friend's youngest son, and I would like to look good in spite of the extra 10 kilos of baby weight I still have to shed...

In the end the price tag had the best of me, and I ended up ordering Seraphine's nursing cover (pictured above), as I have become a big fan of the brand after discovering it at Mama Mia Maternity before Christmas. I received it after only two days, and it exceeded my expectations. The fabric is super-soft, and it can be stylishly worn as a poncho or scarf. The only downside is that, because it is a light color, it may get stained easily. I will thus keep it my Thyme Maternity shawl for everyday use, and save Seraphine's cover for special occasions.


P.S. Searching for nursing covers has made me realize how much nursing "etiquette" varies across countries. In Montreal, last summer a woman I met at the nail salon juggled her three-months old son latched to her uncovered breast while she was nonchalantly talking on her cell phone and getting a manicure. In Italy, women would never breastfeed in public, no matter how covered (my mom cringed when I mentioned that I got a nursing cover). What is your experience? I'd love to hear!

I retired my maternity clothing and I am not happy about it

Hello everyone! When did you retire your maternity clothing?

For me, that moment came last weekend. As you may remember, I have not gone out much since my baby boy was born. (In fact, I am glad I had prepared for hybernating in advance, as those home coffee deliveries have been a life saver.) Temperatures are rising though, and even if it is still winter and we are buried under the snow, at the end of last weekend I felt ready to leave the nest. My husband took me and our baby boy out for lunch while my son was in school, and that was an eye-opener. I felt I could do it. In fact, I had not felt so energized since before I got pregnant.

As my husband put it, I was on a roll. Later that day, the three of us went to a reception for the launch of a new research centre at nearby McGill University. On Saturday, we all walked my son to his science class, and then went to visit our closest friends for dinner and a playdate. Sunday was lunch and swimming at our gym, which gave me the opportunity to catch up on my fashion reading while the baby was sleeping.

This flurry of activities made it imperative to assess my wardrobe, which was not a happy experience. The main reason is that I have gained quite bit of weight during this pregnancy. I always thought that the maternity clothing I invested in towards the end would help me through the first few months, but it turned out I was mistaken. Maternity clothing is designed to accommodate comfortably a growing belly, and it is thus ill-suited to conceal your overblown bits after the baby is born. In fact, as I discovered, maternity wear may exacerbate the problem of larger-than-normal hips and soggy bellies. Bottoms, especially if equipped with a band, will let your belly stick out even more loosely, while the extra fabric of side-expanding tops will hang oddly once your bun is out of the oven.

Hence the search for appropriate post-pregnancy clothing is on...


Photo: Toast tin trunks via Babyccino Kids Blog.

The new-mom essentials

Hello everyone! Are you a first-time mom?

As a new mom, it is likely you need everything. I hope you find my advice useful when deciding what is really essential, aside from the obvious car seat-stroller-crib trio.

Clothes should be the first item on your list. Although it may be tempting, do not go overboard because babies grow really fast during their first year. You should have at least three bodysuits (short or long-sleeves, depending on the season) in a "infant" or "1 month" size. Even babies who are born full-term will generally be too small for larger sizes. With my son I had bought everything in a "0-3 months" size and he was swimming in them for the first month of his life. In fact, my mom had to run to the store to get something he could wear!

Blankets and burp cloths are not as essential as you would think, especially the latter. A couple of blankets could come in handy for swaddling...

Whatever your room decor, make sure you have a good diaper genie! It is one of those things that it is better not to put on your baby registry, because you'll need it right from the beginning :)

Last but not least, I would invest in a good sterilizer and in a set of baby bottles. This is not because I am advocating bottle- over breastfeeding, but for two important practical reason. First, breastfeeding may not work for you right away. (I know a lot of moms who had a rough start and pumped at the beginning, to then continue breastfeeding until their child was 2!) Second, the sterilizer will come in handy for pacifiers and other bits, and you'll need the bottles by the time you start weaning your child anyway.

There! Did I leave anything out?

P.S. Here is a brief history of baby basics, in case you are interested.