Baby Shower Style | ASOS Maternity Dress

A pancake station ✔️ 

Baby succulents ✔️ 

A "Mom-osa" bar ✔️ 

A carriage made of cupcakes ✔️

...These are a few of my favorite things 

I must say, the gracious hosts of our baby shower (all 7 of them!) didn't miss a beat in personalizing the day just for us and our growing Family. I remember how early my Mom started plotting ideas for shower day...We shared the big news with our parents in December and a few weeks after Christmas, she was already making folders with ideas and inspiration. A few months later, she hosted the rest of the ladies in my Family at her house for an Italian dinner while they narrowed down options and delegated different tasks to be completed. All along, my Mom made sure everything was kept secret from us because she wanted all of the touches to be a surprise and more than that, didn’t want us having to think about anything since there was already so much on our plates. I’ve been involved in planning multiple different showers (baby and wedding) so I know how much work they are and I can't thank them enough for their time and efforts.

The shower was a few weeks ago and we are still overwhelmed with the love we were shown that day. There was so much joy and happiness spilling out of every little moment and we feel so blessed that our little man is already so loved. P.S. You should have seen our faces once we got all of the gifts into our house...oh my God. I just kept saying, babies CANNOT need this much stuff (though I'm told we'll be surprised how much of it we actually do use). We put everything in the dining room until we were ready to start going through it (many days later) and then napped on the couch for hours, the dog included. A tiring day for us all!

Here are few shots of my favorite details:

party favor succulents found here

cupcake carriage by smallcakes 

"mom-osa" station

As for the dress, I considered quite a few – I basically kept my eye on the rotating maternity styles at ASOS for a few months and closer to shower day, I ordered a few different ones. I was obsessed with this style online – It was out of stock for so long (and actually is again, but the maxi version is available!). I loved it so I waited for it to be re-stocked to try it on...unfortunately, it was still a little too big/boxy on me and I was really looking for something more body hugging. As I’ve mentioned previously, I prefer this when it comes to maternity styles…in my mind, there’s no reason we should hide our bump or the rest of our shape. With that said, I ended up choosing this half sleeve style (in light blue, of course!) and was very happy with it. 

SHOP MY SHOWER LOOK:

P.S. If you're still hunting for a maternity occasion dress, here are a few of the other runners-up I debated on and off...they're all so beautiful! 

SHOP OCCASION DRESSES:

And because this outtake is too good not to share...Damn wind! Would have been a fun shot :)

Overjoyed and overwhelmed, all at once!

Can't believe we're about to become Mom & Dad...Eek!!

Let the adventure begin... 

Wearing:

Dress: ASOS Maternity

Shoes: Splendid c/o ShopBop

Earrings: Francesca's (old), similar

Bracelet: Alex & Ani

Lipstick: Butter London - Loved Up

Layers of Love

This is one of those moments where I feel a little late to the party. I recently visited Nordstrom Rack for the first time in years...I was doing some last minute dress hunting for a friend's wedding and the store is close to my work so I figured I would give it a shot. Not only did I leave with a dress but the second I walked in, I asked myself why I had been wasting so much time shopping elsewhere. I love Nordstrom (who doesn't?), but I'm not always willing to spend $60-70 on a shirt so I was pretty pumped to see a lot of the same styles and trends for around half the price. 

I left with a few blouses which will be considered staple pieces for years to come and my favorite purchase of the day, this Free People turtleneck. Lisa wore something similar last year and when we swapped it, I fell in love so I jumped at the chance to secure my own. I like how much warmth a piece like this can provide without feeling overly bulky or stuffy. Plus, no sleeves means you can layer a jacket over this too for a triple layered look, much like Jessica did here...Fall is the ultimate time to combine textures like leather and knits.

Also, I get really excited to pull these LOFT boots out year after year...I had them on a birthday wish list a few years ago and I was so excited when they were given to me as a gift. If I can toughen up any feminine style just a bit, I'm a happy girl. How can you not love what is essentially a hiking/construction boot turned lace up heel? These are definitely my "I do what I want" themed shoes ;) Seriously, I'm obsessed BUT one downside -- the heel is SUPER high on these and at 5'9", I do not need any help with height so unfortunately, they only come out to play on seldom occasions. 

By the way, this post is in no way sponsored...I just felt compelled to share my excitement about reigniting this NR retail relationship and wondered, who else shops there on a regular basis?

I feel like it may be very similar to TJ Maxx where it's hit or miss and you have to be willing to put in a little time to find the hidden gems. Thoughts?

Wearing: 

Turtleneck: Free People via Nordstrom Rack 

Jeans: Forever 21 (old but similar pair here)

Boots: LOFT (old but they are currently selling a very similar style!)

Long sleeve shirt: Francesca's

Clutch: Just Fab (love this style in red too)

More Midi, Please

I still love dressing up for Easter...When I was little, my Mom would make sure I was in my Sunday best for Church and dinner at Grandma's house. I remember a few times, being able to pick out a new dress (likely pastel and poofy) and I thought of it as such a fancy affair, a time to break out my best patent leather mary-janes. As a little girl, it was just customary to be decked out in femininity from head to toe including lace bonnets on the top and frilly socks on the bottom. 

As I've gotten older, I've noticed that Easter is among many of the other holidays or situations where the art of "dressing for the occasion" has fallen by the wayside. Church is filled with jeans, some even holey and barely held together. Traveling is now considered a prime time to wear your comfiest pj's instead of a sophisticated look you can transition from day to night. Remember when riding by plane or train used to look like this? It was a privilege to be riding either mode of transport and therefore demanded a certain level of class and style. At least I know Manny supports my feelings about how lackluster everyone has become when it comes to dressing down all the time.

Even though our Easter morning has become a bit more casual (typically spent with the Family in my Grandpa's backyard), I still maintain it's a special Holiday and calls for something a little more upscale than everyday wear. I'm all for dressing casual in the workplace (especially in my world of marketing and design), but if we lose the notion of dressing up for everything in life, I feel it would be too easy to become complacent. To me, your style is your way of silently showing the world how you are feeling so for the most part, I like to keep it positive, confident and relevant to the moment.

Do you dress up on Easter (if you celebrate) and for various holidays?
How do you feel about jeans in church and pj's on planes? I'd love to hear!

Wearing: 

Top: Forever 21 (similar, I love this one for Spring!)

Skirt: Target (old but similar here)

Jacket: J. Crew

Heels: c/o Sole Society

Purse: c/o Sole Society

Headband: Francesca's (similar)

Necklace: Forever 21

Sunnies: Illesteva via DITTO (Get your first pair free using code SISTERSMARIE)
Nail color: Azure Wish by CND Vinylux (new favorite kind...Lasted a week, no lamp needed!)

Beauty & the Blog: Kaitlyn's OOTD

For our Lake & Country Magazine shoot, we were photographed in two different settings: Romantic daytime for the "ladies who lunch" theme and everyday, an invitation to share our personal style. 

The photos were shot in January so it was slightly difficult to find blush tones and Spring styles but my search came to an end when I consulted ASOS - I ordered two different dress options because I knew I would need a backup and of course, I ended up loving them both, but promised my husband I would stick to my word and send the one back that wasn't being used ;) 

Look 1:

Dress: ASOS (on sale!) | Shoes: Jennifer Lopez (similar) | Earrings: Forever 21 | Bracelet: Francescas

For our second outfit, we were asked to bring something that defined our style as bloggers - a look that we felt most comfortable in and served as a good representation of our daily life. I didn't think twice about this -- When it comes down to it, I am definitely and jeans and t kind of girl and in the cooler months, I almost always gravitate towards a leather jacket to dress things up (or down). This is a weekday look I would wear to work and with the necklace and booties, could be dressed up for evening drinks or dinner. 

Look 2: (photos by Anna Urban Photography)

Jeans: LOFT | Top: LOFT (similar) | Jacket: BISTM | Booties: Just Fab 

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Necklace: T+J Designs (on SUPER sale!) | Lipstick: Butter London

What do you think of these looks? 

What do you consider your everyday style?

Color Me Green

Blouse: Express (similar) // Jeans, Booties, Bag (similar): Just Fab // Sunnies, Necklace: Old Navy

 Belt: Michael Kos // Ring: Francescas 

I found this blouse in my latest swap bag from Lisa and fell in love with the color. I don't own many emerald green items but I wore it to the office recently and one of my co-workers pointed it out right away: "You should wear that color more often, it looks great on you!" 

I always notice when my Mom wears certain colors that complement with her platinum blonde hair and wonder what color works best with my skin tone and hair, but perhaps I've found it. Next on my green wish list? Just a little number from Elie Saab ;)

Do you know what "your color" is? 

Lucky Girls Confusion

Saturday night we attended the Lucky Boys Confusion concert at House of Blues. I have been in the same situation countless times in my life -- an all access opera box at one of the most amazing music venues in Chicago to see my talented brother and for this, I am so lucky. It doesn't matter how many times I go back, I can never get enough. 

We started the night with a delicious dinner at Crossroads where we listened to a great blues band and dined on cornbread that was straight out of the south. Followed by drinks (and a few memorable moments with Fireball), we sang at the top of our lungs with great family and friends. As always, the guys played an amazing show -- one full album with no stops and a crowd whose hands were permanently in the air.  

Top: Apricot Lane // Jeans: LOFT (similar) // Clutch: Just Fab // Shoes: Old Navy (similar) 

Earrings: Francesca's (similar)  // Bracelets: It's a Bling Thing, Target 

As for my #OOTN, I chose a top from one of my new favorite stores -- Apricot Lane is a boutique with many locations and ours has a wonderful buyer with great taste. The first time I walked in to check it out, I knew they had a made a forever customer out of me -- All the pieces are unique and on trend without being overkill…oh, and they constantly upload photos of new items to their Facebook page which is HIGHLY distracting to my productivity and savings ;) 

Do you have a favorite boutique? 

Let us know in the comments, we love learning about new stores!