Cozy Fall Dressing (and a great score from ON)

It's no secret that for my maternity wardrobe, I've stuck primarily with non-maternity clothing. I definitely purchased some maternity skinny jeans, leggings and shorts plus a few maxi dresses I love...but I've felt most comfortable primarily in stretchy and elastic waist dresses. Plus the summer heat just meant the less restrictive clothing, the better. I did buy some maternity tanks and a few tops but to be honest, they were more fitted and that's just really not me.

So I stuck with what I knew and loved! Many of those dresses I picked up at Gap (online sizing goes up to XXL & 18/20), Old Navy, ASOS, Target or I already owned and wore often. That was my style before baby and it will probably still be my style after baby! (isn't it great when you reach that age that you finally feel comfortable in your personal style and make no apologies for staying away from trends that don't work for you?)

As fall sets in (yikes was the hardwood cold this morning!) and my due date approaches, I've started to think about post-partum dressing and warmer layers. So when I spotted this dress on sale at Old Navy...I couldn't resist!

fleece sweatshirt dress: Old Navy

Why is this dress pure perfection? Let's start with the price...it's currently on sale for $25 and it's time to redeem your Old Navy Super Cash, so if you have a coupon stashed away in your wallet - you could get $10 off your $25 purchase until the 18th.

The fabric? Thick, soft, fleecy sweatshirt material...heavenly! Plus it comes in a light grey and a darker heather grey - both great neutrals to pair with a variety of other colours.

The fit? Super flattering. The drawstring waist eliminates that sweatshirt frumpiness, the curved hem is very cute and the slouchy dolman type sleeves make us all look good. Love that it comes in sizes XS to XXL. I sized up for extra slouchiness!

I'll be wearing this now (with the baby bump!) along with cute flats and layered necklaces. Soon, I'll be swapping in leggings and booties/tall boots plus a big printed scarf to stay warm(after baby!).

Have you started fall shopping yet? What are you most excited to add to your wardrobe this year?

Our Maternity Photo Shoot

It's almost time for this baby to get here! I'm 36 weeks and I can't even believe I'm only 1 week away from term...the due date of October 11th is fast approaching (eeek!). We have been in overdrive the last few weeks getting our renovations done (pics to come!), getting the nursery ready (more pics to come!), celebrating my baby shower (I have the most wonderful people in my life!), working full-time AND waddling around with this giant belly. It's getting real folks....Huck's coming.

One of the things I really wanted to splurge on with this pregnancy was a photo shoot to capture this crazy/incredible/awesome/difficult time in our lives. We chose local photographer Sunny S-H for the job and boy did she deliver...I love how they turned out and I can't wait to look back on these over the years and remember this special time. Thanks so much Sunny!

All images by Sunny S-H Photography

Navy Maxi Dress: RP by Rachel Pally

Cobalt Flats: Browns

Necklaces: Etsy and Silver Lotus

Despite the 33+ heat that evening, Sunny was able to make everyone comfy and get that vintage-y, outdoors-y vibe I really wanted. The family photo at the end is my fave - the pups look so cute! If you're looking to capture a special family moment, be sure to give Sunny a call. She'll be shooting Huck's newborn shots and I can't wait to see him laying in little buckets and baskets :)

Have a lovely weekend friends!

Bump Style Peek: olive maxi + guitar print button-down {17 weeks}

Hello friends! How is your week going? This pregnancy is progressing at warp speed and I'm feeling pretty good (knock on wood!). Jack finished painting and prepping the nursery (a pale creamy grey green - could I be more predictable?) and built a beautiful feature wall using old salvaged barn board we picked up for a project a few years ago. I'm loving the cozy rustic vibe and now I'm working on decorating ideas to keep with that theme. We also ordered all of our Ikea kitchen cabinets and Jack has been a busy bee assembling them all with plans to swap the old for the new in the next month or two. To say our household is a bit chaotic at this point is an understatement! But it's exciting to have the looming due date as a goal point to be ready for. We also went through our pre-natal classes and they were excellent (we took them through The Nest Family Centre - I love classes and workshops and constant learning so I feel more relaxed already knowing what's ahead!

I've officially popped which means I'm looking for comfort and ease every day without sacrificing frumpiness. Jersey maxis continue to be a go-to and this button down top was an experiment from my usual cardigan. I love my cardigans but I needed a casual work alternative. I like the look but I think next time I would do a thin belt on the empire waist...it's just missing a touch of definition I think.

guitar print button-down top - Old Navy (in-store only)

olive maxi dress - Old Navy (similar here)

necklace - Forever 21 (old)

bronze flats - Coach via Winners (old)

Would you believe that next week we find out the gender? Eeeek!! I'm so nervous and excited, I'm really a planner so I want to know the gender so I can do some more prep and also call them by their name and bond pre-delivery. 

(BTW - I'm actually 18.5 weeks but my blog posts are a little behind hence the timing difference. If you follow me on Instagram, you can get more current bump style updates :)

Hope you're all having an amazing week!!

ps: Google Reader is shutting down soon, so if you'd like to continue to get Lather.Write.Repeat. updates directly in your reader - follow me on Bloglovin'!

 

Bump Style Peek: apricot cardi + black maxi dress {16 weeks}

I think this apricot/dark peach colour may just be my fave of the season (watch for a few more items in upcoming posts!). I'm not in love with pastels overall as a spring/summer colour trend but I can get behind some bright sunshine-y shades! Last year I was really into the bright coral and I think if work within the same palette, you can mix and match without worrying about 'what goes together'. Case in point - my apricot cardigan, pinkish-coral necklace and bright coral flats. This is a good wardrobe tip as well,  if you love oranges or greens or blues...they often work well together - just give it a try!

Maxi dresses....oh how I love you. I always really liked you since I'm tall but being pregnant has me gravitating toward this easy piece on a daily basis. A soft, knit maxi dress that drapes and swirls around your body making you feel easy and bohemian, free and still covered up = awesome. Have you been feeling the maxi dresses lately? I love how mainstream they've become and how many selections there are.

apricot cardigan: Gap (buy here)

black maxi dress: Loft (old)

long beaded necklace: Stella and Dot (buy here)

coral flats: Hush Puppies via Shoeme.ca (buy here)

In other news, we are nesting big time! We've cleaned out the to-be nursery room and Jack has patched and painted it. I picked out a soft grayish-white and I'm thinking grey/cream/navy/coral for the colour palette...it's going to be 'rustic' themed and gender neutral. Any other ideas?

Plus, we bought out new Ikea kitchen last night! After 3 long trips working with the online kitchen planner, we finally pulled the trigger and now have...oh about 643 perfectly flat packed boxes sitting in our spare room. Awesome and overwhelming at the same time! 

What's new in your world? Hopefully you're enjoying this gorgeous weather we're FINALLY having if you're in Winnipeg.

Bump Style Peek: bright tunic + black leggings {week 13}

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you're having a good one. Things are good over here as I move into my second trimester. 

But can we talk about pregnancy dressing for a minute? Let's just say this is opening up a whole new style challenge for me. Everything is getting a bit bigger due to pregnancy bloating (yay!) and baby growth in general. My pants still fit but I can't handle the waistband pressure all day at work so I've made the leap to some comfier bottoms. 

After a day trip down to Grand Forks last weekend, I have a few new items to tide me over for a while. This Target tunic is not maternity but I bought it one size bigger and it's a gem: a nice comfy elastic waist and plenty of room for a growing tummy. The leggings are from Target as well and well....let's just say they were SUPPOSED to be full length but they've ended up more like crops. Oh well, hazard of being tall! I have a feeling this is going to be a bit of a uniform going forward....

turquoise printed tunic: Target

maternity leggings: Target

white cardigan: Gap (old)

suede loafers: J.Crew (last season)

leather braided belt: American Eagle Outfitters

Truth is, this is a lot of the types of clothing I usually wear - since I'm an apple body shape. I've been doing a deep dive into my closet this weekend to figure out what will work going forward and what needs to be packed away in hopes of fitting again one day!

Do you mamas out there have any advice or recommendations for me when it comes to pregnancy dressing? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!