My Texas Wardrobe

Living in Texas has its advantages - the best tex-mex food around, mouth-watering barbeque, and the heart-clogging-but-slap-yo-momma-good chicken fried steak.


So…food. Texas has food.


I know, I know… there are other fabulous things about Texas but its dinner time and I’m hungry, so bear with me.

What Texas, more specifically Houston, does not have, however, is cold weather. Some of you may be like Awesome! I’m more like how do you spell frowny face?

Growing up in Ohio and the Northeast assured me ample time in snugly sweaters and worn in jeans, parkas, mittens and…psst…Ugg boots. They may be a fashion crime people, but DAMN do they feel good!

Living in Houston has required a major adjustment to my closet and my mindset. Just because the calendar says December does not mean you can put away the flip flops. Parkas are brought out every 5 years or so when we have a cold snap. You know, when it gets down to 42 degrees out. Brrr….

Here are a couple of my favorite adjustments I’ve made to my Texas wardrobe.

Obviously, no wardrobe is complete without several pairs of jeans (of which we only wear 1, am I right ladies?!!). I wear them in the summer as well as winter here but to be honest, I’m sweating my buns off. So I’m delighted when I can throw them on and not worry that I’m going into early menopause.

Eddie Bauer Boyfriend Jeans Worn In




My new favorites are Eddie Bauer Boyfriend Jeans. Slouchy and comfy with super soft denim. Throw on a t-shirt, a cute pair of flats and you have you an easy weekend look. I really want to try these with a pair of low cut boots (my favs below) like something Gwyneth Paltrow would wear but I don’t know if I have the guts. We’ll see!

Confession time…I used to never wear skirts, like at all. There was a watershed moment in first grade when the teacher didn’t see my raised hand during a video and I had an accident. It was incredibly embarrassing. The ensemble I was wearing that day was a very preppy pink skirt and matching polo shirt. As if the skirt jinxed me, I vowed to never wear skirts again.

Fast forward 24 years, some serious re-thinking about that skirt jinx and tights. (I know they’ve always been around but apparently not in the land of me.)

Spanx Tight End- High Waisted


Spanx are my new favorite. A wee bit pricey but they really last. All sorts of colors to choose from too!

So I’ve already confessed that I have worn Uggs. I love them. My first year in Texas I bought a pair of grey knee high suede Uggs. I wore them exactly .5 times. It almost broke my heart that no one was going to see my beautiful new boots because it was just too darn hot. Thanks to Ebay a lucky (and stylish) chica is now wearing them.


Thankfully, someone in the fashion world heard my cries and the ankle boots are now everywhere. Here are a couple from my private collection that I can’t wait to pull out of the closet.

These are Steve Madden super sale last spring. While i cant find the actual boot, I found a few elsewhere:

Nine West

Mia

My Jennifer Aniston circa Justin Theroux boots. LOVE 'EM!

These are from Nordstrom Rack & there isn't a tag or identifying feature on the inside so I don't know who made these.

Here are a couple of choices for those moments when you want to kick someone's butt this winter.

Steve Madden

Ugg

 

Technical note: I apologize for the wonky fonts. Im working on my ipad tonight.

Also, I'm working on the comments section... Ever since I got the website a makeover I haven't been able to respond to comments. Sorry about that! I've read every onethough and appreciate all of your thoughts!

 

Body After Baby, Part II: The Clothes

A while ago I did a post on body after baby.  My point was that I was content with my size and shape after ballooning up for pregnancy.  It was worth it, and all that jazz.  I still have a sizable caboose and a soft round belly that protrudes when I sit and some bat-wing arms that jiggle when I wave.  I don’t want that to stop me from living my life and it shouldn’t stop you either. 

I noticed that I could look past my “flaws” if I felt confident and sexy in what I was wearing.  And all of a sudden it didn’t matter what the scale said, I felt good.  When you look your best, you feel your best.  So I went on a mission recently to find some crush worthy clothes.  These are a few of my favs:

Land’s End Boat Neck Dress – The boat neckline is so in right now.  It flatters all shapes.  Throw on heels and a nice necklace for the office or cute sandals for the weekend.  The comfy poly/rayon/spandex blend fabric has enough heft so it hugs in just the right places but doesn’t suction.  Both sides have ruching, which minimize the pooch.  And at 69.97 (on sale) it’s a steal – I will wear this for years to come.

 Ellen Tracy Peplum Blouse- Macy's calls this shirt a peasant shirt but I think it falls into the peplum category so that's what I'll be calling it.  I so loved this shirt that I bought it in yellow as well.  This is a silky, machine washable (Yah!) blouse.  It’s light enough to wear in Houston’s miserably muggy weather.  It has cute detailing at the neck and sits at the waist.  I love this because you don’t have to tuck it in but you still look polished. 

The Wrap Dress – Oh my gosh, do I love the wrap dress.  It’s sexy, elegant, and easy and always makes you look sophisticated and fashionable.  I own 5 wrap dresses – different colors, different prints etc.  These dresses play up your assets (Hello Ms. Boobalicious) and can camouflage that little round belly.  The best part of this dress is you can find these in every price range.   And for those nursing mothers out there it’s easy enough to pull over so you can nurse.

You can go high end, a la Diane Von Furstenberg, who I love.  Too bad I didn't hit that super jackpot last weekend!

For those not with the wallet to support a DVF collection - Christin Michael's on Zappos has amazingly cute wrap dress for terrific prices and a wide range of sizes.    

Old Navy T's:  For the weekend, I'm all about comfort but yet I want to look pulled together.  I've recently stocked up on Old Navy T-shirts in a myriad of colors -blue, black, white, red, striped and different styles - ballet neck, v neck, side ruching etc.  For $10-$15 a pop you can't go wrong.  Since I'm tall I ordered the tall version so they are long enough to camouflage my tummy area and skim my hips.  Pull on a pair of white jeans and sandals and you're ready to rock the weekend!

These are some of my favorite body after baby clothes.  I'd love to hear your favorites!

The Old Women in the (Size 11) Shoe

So I bought these the other day.  I loved them with the intensity of a thousand burning suns from the minute my eyes alighted on them at Nordstroms.com until the minute I tried them on.  I lunged at the UPS man when I saw the truck pull up (who doesn't track their packages so they know the exact minute they are going to land on the doorstep?)  He, reasonably, took a double take.  It probably had nothing to do with my manically gleaming eyes and weird pajama outfit plastered with baby cereal goo. 

However, something happened in that second I tried them on.  They were a bit short.  Not squish my toes into them short but just a bit where you notice something is a little off.  Now they are sitting in the box waiting for me to make up my mind.  Do I still love them? Or am I just waiting to print out the return shipping label?  Either way, I'm not wearing them and I'm a bit depressed about it. 

I have a weird relationship with shoes.  I love shoes.  I get really giddy when I go into a shoe store, like I’m about to find a real treasure.  But more often than not I come out disappointed.  I’m a size 11. I’m lucky to even see one box that says 11 much less find that ever elusive *perfect* pair of shoes that will make me feel powerful, sophisticated and glamorous (I know it’s a tall order!).  I have, however, found some online stores that cater to the girls with big feet but who still want classy, girly shoes.  Sorry – no Crocs allowed!  

As in my Tory Burch dilemma above, the only bummer with online is that you can’t try then on.  Most online retailers, however, have really good return policies.  Zappos and Endless are the best I’ve seen so far – it’s free to ship and to return! Best deal EVER!    Here are my favs:

1.       Zappos  - Every single shoe imaginable.  Free shipping and returns! Woo-Hoo!

2.       Endless – has oodles of cute shoes for those of us with slightly larger than normal feet and also, ladies…free shipping and free returns!

3.       Long Tall Sally – stylish shoes for those with feet size 9 through 13! Wowza!  Drawbacks are they run out of sizes pretty quickly and they do charge for shipping.   I’ve been pleasantly surprised every time I’ve ordered.

4.       Barefoot Tess – I’ve personally never ordered from here but I have been tempted many times.  They carry sizes 9.5 to 15.   The prices seem a little steep but when push comes to shove and you need a size 15 I’m thinking you’ll pay a little extra.  Hmm?! 

Other brands that I love that usually make size 11’s:  

Sam Edelman – find them here, here and here (among other retailers).

Tory Burch – find her shoes here, here.  They run a tad small, as I mentioned.

Bandolino – find them here and here.  I have several pairs of their heels and can wear these ALL DAY LONG.  Perfect heel height, and padded inside foot bed.  Highly recommend!

Nine West – here.  I see Nine West in almost every shoe store I go into but can never, ever find my size.  Online is the way to go here. 

I'm sure there are more out there that I'm missing.  If you have a favorite, please fill me in! 

Happy Shoe Shopping!