My grandfather was bedridden for two years and suffered from dementia. He passed away peacefully with loved ones nearby. As I reflect on our relationship, I realized that my love for prints and patterns comes from him.

Grandpa was a dress cutter and pattern maker for Liz Claiborne and worked in the garment district in NYC. His specialty was stripes. If you’ve read my blog more than once, you know stripes are my favorite pattern.

I remember him bringing home sample dresses for my mom. When I was with him, he would always notice someone’s print and comment on the craftsmanship behind it. It was only a matter of time before I started paying attention to prints and falling in love with them.

I was very fortunate to be able to see him one last time a couple of weeks ago. Although he didn’t recognize me as his granddaughter, he noticed the embroidery on my shirt. Actually, his last words to me were about how pretty the shirt was and how well the embroidery was executed. He may not have remembered me, but he remembered his life-long craft.

I can’t think of more appropriate and proper parting words for us.

Thank you grandpa for instilling a love of fashion in my life. Wearing stripes will have even more special meaning to me now.

J9

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Hunter Denoyelles

Please take a minute and vote for her here.

It’s great to help make fashion dreams come true!

J9

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Although I mostly wore bathing suits and cover-ups while on my Keys vacation, this eShakti dress was my favorite outfit on the trip. This cool dress with convenient pockets was perfect for sightseeing in Key West.

Have you purchased any outfits from eShakti? Check out their summer collection!

J9

Other photos from the Keys:

 Our hotel at Isla Morada

At the southern most point of the US

Hemingway House

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This is what I wore last casual Friday to the office before I left. Memorial Day marks the “official” time to start wearing white again. Although I wear white year-round, I decided to kick off the season in tradition.

White Blazer: $24, Forever 21

Navy Striped Shirt: $14, Target

Navy Bauble Necklace: $8, New York & Company

Cropped Jeans: $19.99, DKNY from Marshalls

Pink Pumps: $32, DSW

Total Outfit: $97.99

Do you wait until Memorial Day to start wearing white or do you wear the controversial shade year-round?

Happy Friday!

J9

The post Pop of Pink appeared first on J9STYLE.

I needed an outfit that would work for both the office and then a night out since I wouldn’t have a minute to change.

Red Blazer: $19.99, Dots

Polka Dot Shirt: $14.99, Marshalls

Gold Earrings: $3.95, Burlington Coat Factory

Gold Belt: $6, Target

Flare Jeans: $8, Target

Cap-toe Pumps: $38, DSW

Total Outfit: $90.93

What is your go-to outfit to wear for day and night?

J9

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Although I have not faced this challenge yet, I’ve made a few observations on why when baby arrives, your style departs. First, your body changes. After years of fighting with clothes in the dressing room to figure out your body type, you’ll find that once reliable silhouettes and styles may no longer work.

Second, your perspective changes. Now that you’re a mom, you have a new sense of responsibility. You may think twice about wearing that low cut shirt or short skirt.
Most importantly, your priorities change. Scoring a pair of patent leather pumps on sale at Bloomingdale’s may not be as important as nap time.

Mom Jeans

Learn and accept your new body. Having a baby comes with stretch marks and unwanted weight. That may go away eventually, but your body won’t be the same as it was pre-baby. Take the time to try new sizes and silhouettes and see what works for you. If you have to go up a size, that’s okay. It can be disheartening, but you’ll look and feel so much better when your wardrobe fits you properly. Try getting re-measured to learn your new bra size and investing in a body shaper.

As women, we constantly compare ourselves to others and this doesn’t change after having a baby. Iva, fashion blogger and stay-at-home mom to four children, stresses the importance of not comparing yourself to celebrity moms.

One Chic Mom

“We are inundated with this celebrity culture that shows women ‘perfect’ after having children. Therefore, normal women end up feeling less than,” said Iva of One Chic Mom. “What they don’t know is that many of these celebrities have plastic surgery, stylists who pick out clothing and tailor everything they wear so it’s perfect and those interviews and beautiful pictures we see are airbrushed and none of it is real.”

Set a budget aside for your wardrobe. Along with joy, children come with a hefty price tag including diapers and college tuition. It’s easy to say “I’ll get some new clothes next month”, but that month never comes. Time goes by and meanwhile, you are looking like a hobo. Your resistance to spend $50 on a pair of flattering pants will lead to you to wearing ill-fitting clothes which will lead to low confidence, which will lead to you not feeling like you’re worth spending money on…and the cycle continues.

Image

How does this cycle start? With mommy guilt. According to a mom survey conducted by Baby Center , 57% of moms feel guilty whenever they spend money on themselves. Although finances are important, having a confident and happy mom is important too.

Make Yourself a Priority. Having style does take some effort. You do everything you can to make sure your children and house look great, but why not yourself? Unless you are headed to the gym, do not wear sweatpants and a t-shirt. Brush your hair. Find time to get dressed up even without a special occasion.

SIlvergirl

“I will tell you from experience, you need to get really dressed a couple times a week, especially you moms of little ones,” says Brett from SIlvergirl . “Don’t lose yourself and only focus on the kids.”

This tip is especially important for the estimated 5 million stay-at-home moms since they don’t have a “reason” to get dressed up. With an agenda full of errands and laundry, it’s tempting to don yoga pants and a hoodie every day.

Penny Pincher Fashion

“For stay-at-home moms, even if you are just going to the grocery store or staying inside most of the day, put some effort into your look,” says Kimberly from Penny Pincher Fashion.  “It only takes a few minutes to put your hair up in a bun, throw on some lip gloss or a quick coat of mascara.  Or change out of those yoga pants and into some jeans, a sweater & colorful scarf – you’ll be surprised at how much these small changes can affect your mood for the better.”

Determine what staple items you need and the fun items you want. Once you’ve determined your new size, set a budget and choose to make yourself a priority, it’s time to decide which items to keep and purchase. One of the biggest clothes shopping challenges is determining whether you will actually wear certain items.

Moms used to be revered as stylish and chic, but somehow, along the way, the image of mom has diminished to dowdy and frumpy.

Image

“You know what people say to me? ‘You don’t look like you have four kids!’” says Iva, One Chic Mom.  “I think that is sad. What does a mother of four look like?”

What do you think moms? Are you ready to regain your sense of style? Are you ready to bring sexy back?

What style tips do you have for moms?

J9

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For this work outfit, I paired the dress with a preppy striped cardigan and a cognac belt for a fun, bright look.

Pink Dress: $29.99 from Marshalls

Striped Cardigan: $16, Dots

Cognac Belt: $0, it came with another dress

Gold Bracelets: $15, from a boutique in NYC

Gold Shoes: $14.99, Ross

Total Outfit: $75.98

Did you have an aversion to a particular color or print that now you love?

J9

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I neither sail nor ride horses, but a girl can pretend right? I’ve searched TWO YEARS for a navy blazer within my budget and finally scored this one at Marshalls (surprise) over Christmas. I love the nautical feel and gold buttons. 

Navy Blazer: $25, Marshalls

Navy Striped Shirt: $14, Target

Gold Statement Necklace: $0, Christmas Gift

Skinny Jeans: $20, Old Navy

Cognac Riding Boots: $74, DSW

Total Outfit: $133

Do you like to combine different looks together? Which ones?

J9

Shop Navy Blazers:

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Let’s face it, the fashion world has not been kind to our feminine frames recently. With skinny jeans, bold color pants and peplum silhouettes (don’t even get me started on print skinny jeans), it seems fashion designers have forgotten about us.

But don’t fret, I’ve been navigating these treacherous fashion waters for some time and I have some tips and tools to share.

Pear-Shaped: Green Light

Pear-shaped girls always have the green light to wear flare and boot cut jeans. For the most flattering look, select dark washes and pair them with bold and print tops to draw the attention upward. Neutral heels and wedges add height and make up you appear longer and leaner.

It’s probably no surprise that A-line dresses and skirts are the most flattering. If you want to rock a pencil skirt, choose one that has a slight flare (like the navy skirt in the middle).

Pear-Shaped: Yellow Light

Pear-shaped ladies are not destined to wear flare jeans and A-line skirts all the time. We can rock some trends too with some caution. If you want to try the color pant trend, opt for cropped. A full flare color pant can border on the clown side and not flatter your figure. Also, if you want to try peplum, wear the trend as a shirt rather than skirt or dress.

We can also wear skinny jeans! I know many pear-shaped girls who refuse to do so, but if you select a dark shade and pair it with a busy top, you can totally rock them! Skinny jeans do accentuate the hips, so be sure to wear them with confidence!

A horizontal striped skirt is usually a bona fide no-no for pear shapes. However, if you wear the print with an A-line silhouette and pair it with a great statement necklace, this trend can be conquered!

Pear-Shaped: Red Light

Although the trends above are super cute, pear-shaped girls must tread lightly. Printed, skinny bottoms as well as peplum dresses draw all the attention to the hip and bum areas. On pear-shaped figures, it’s a lot going on. If you do decide to try these, make sure the items fit well and that the rest of the look is simple.

The most important asset (pun intended) for a pear-shaped girl to have is confidence. Be proud of your feminine figure and flaunt what you got! Plus, we’re in good company. Here are some other fabulous and gorgeous pear shaped ladies:

Kristen Davis, Michelle Trachtenberg, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Love Hewitt

Are you pear-shaped? What style tips can you share?

J9

The post Dressing For Pear Shape Body Types appeared first on J9STYLE.

Along the way, I have still documented my outfits and wrote some other fun posts that I can’t wait to share. Here is one of these outfits:

Peter Pan collar shirt: $23, Marshalls

Black Pencil Skirt: $50, LOFT

Gold Button Earrings: $8, Target

Cap-Toe Pumps: $38, DSW

Total Outfit: $119

I’m still obsessed with the Peter Pan collar trend. Are you?

Find Peter Pan Collared Shirts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J9

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