Blue stripe streak

Outfit Info

Shirt - Old Navy (maternity), Cardigan - Gap, Skirt - Thrifted, 

Shoes - Target, Belt - J Crew, Necklace - Tiffany 

Highlights from this weekend

• Movies at the Hill Country Film Festival (Local and Searching for Sonny were my favs)
• Shopping at Red and getting a couple fun things for the house and lusting after much more
• Breaking in some of my new comfy maternity clothes (sorry, no pics; but I know I'll be wearing them all a ton so you'll see them soon)
• Finally getting two new pairs of shoes that I desperately needed from Root (they'll also be making appearances soon)
• A much-needed return to brunch at Congo

Lowlights from this weekend: 

• Sadly, my pregnancy cravings don't currently include German food and that's the prime offering in Fredericksburg
• Sitting in the same row as a couple teenagers who were clearly doing things that shouldn't be done in the movie theater, especially if there are other people in your row (especially if one of those people is giving you looks that say "stop that right now")
• The cats didn't clean the house while we were out of town (but Magnum P.I. did put in a solid 4+ hours of snuggle with me yesterday when we got home)

Pants

Outfit Info

Shirt - J Crew, Pants - Gap, Heels that are sinking into the ground - J Crew

Bracelets - J Crew and J Crew Outlet, Earrings - Target

It's so infrequent that I wear pants that one of my coworkers totally called me out on it today.  And while she said I looked great in pants, my response was "Yeah but if I gain/lose a few pounds, pants = not so forgiving".  Which is one of the many reasons I prefer skirts and dresses.  Gain a few pounds, pull that formally hip hugger skirt up into a high-waisted number.  Gain a few pounds in pants and there's just nowhere to go. 

And thus concludes Part 1 in my 234 part series of why skirts and dresses are far superior to pants. Stay tuned for the thrilling follow ups.  



Flower checks

Outfit Info

Shirt - Gap Outlet (I actually have this in multiple colors and I have have two of the gray one.  I blame Christian), Skirt - Ralph Lauren Outlet, Shoes - Stella Says Go, 

Bracelet - Banana Republic, Watch - Target

I love all of the beautiful greenness in our backyard.  We have french doors in our master bedroom so I can just lie in bed (one of my favorite activities) (let's be honest, my favorite activity) and take in nature (in between naps, of course).  

You know who else loves our backyard?  This neighborhood stray cat who loves coming up to our french doors and trying to start a fight with our cats.  That little bugger tried to come up and make friends with me while we were taking pics today.  No, sir/ma'am, you torment my cats and you've me up in the middle of the night far too many times for us to be buddies.  Plus, you probably have fleas.  

If we could even get a curtain rod and some curtains hung in the bedroom, that would help dissuade these kitty battles, but that will involve me picking curtains and that's not my favorite decor activity.  So I'll probably just continue to blame the cat who doesn't know any better rather than take any culpability for myself.  Yup, that's how I roll.  

Simple kick

Outfit Info

Sweater - Gap, Skirt - Madewell, Shoes - Michael Kors, Necklace - Anthropologie

As the weather gets warmer here in Texas, I tend to gravitate toward simpler outfits.  While I was trying to figure out last night what on earth I was going to wear today, I went to Sydney of Basic Cravings for inspiration.  She excels at keeping things simple but always looking perfectly stylist and put together.  So that's what I went for today.

I couldn't resist putting on that huge Anthropologie necklace, though, because it doesn't make it out of my closet enough even though it goes with a ton of things.

The other thing I love about this outfit is that I used that Gap sweater.  That baby has been around for years.  (And it still fits - yay!)  It doesn't seem like something I would hold onto for so long but the color is fun and it's such a good weight that I've never purged it.  Which I'm very happy for today since it found a new friend in my Madewell skirt.  Bringing the old and the new together on a Monday morning.  So sweet.

Color!

Outfit Info

Blouse - Jason Wu for Target, Cardigan - Gap, Skirt - Thrifted from hunt.gather.style

Belt - Old Navy, Heels - Stella Says Go

Oftentimes, when I get a new piece like this adorable Jason Wu top I end up just pairing it with something safe - jeans, a black skirt, etc.  So I'm a little proud (OK, a lot proud) of myself for pairing it with brightly colored pieces and a printed belt.  Score 1 for Julie and a vibrant Monday outfit.

Also, let me apologize in advance for my sporadic posting over the next couple weeks.  We're moving (yay!) plus things are super busy for both Christian and me work-wise so I'm not sure how much time we'll have to get outfit shots. 

Variation on a theme (Target )

Outfit Info

Sweater - Missoni for Target, Tee - Target, Pants - Gap, Heels - Calvin Klein, 

Necklace - Coatt (personalized with a special phrase by Christian at Mercury), Watch - Target

Sorry for the late post but we went to see Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert tonight.  Their show was super funny and their friendship plays well.

Back to the business at hand, though.  Jason Wu for Target yesterday, Missoni for Target today.  I'm on a roll.  I'd wear Proenza Schouler for Target tomorrow but sadly I grew out of all of that.  And by "grew out of", I mean my butt got too big.  But I think it's much more endearing to say I grew out of something like I'm still 10 years old and going through a natural growth spurt rather than a not-so-cute-growth spurt brought on by too many brownies and cupcakes.  

Black Tuesday

Outfit Info

Blouse - Old Navy, Pants - Gap (similar here), Shoes - Calvin Klein, Watch - Target

Nail polish - Zoya Megan (from Birchbox)

I'm not usually one for an all black ensemble so this is a little out of the box for me.  

You know what's more exciting than wearing all black, though?  That tiny little baby bun that I was able to coerce my hair into this morning.  With fewer than a dozen bobby pins.  

That's the Zoya polish I promised this morning to get a photo of.  On one thumb and ring finger I also layered on a coat of glitter polish from Sally Hansen.  

I know - all black, a bun and a little glitter - I better pace myself with all this excitement. 

What's black and white and looking for some outfit advice?

Outfit Info

Sweater - Gap, Skirt - J Crew (similar here), Pumps - Calvin Klein (similar here)

Bracelets (L to R) - Old Navy, Tiffany (wedding present from Christian), J Crew, 

Watch - Target, Earrings - Stolen from my mom

I adore this sweater from Gap, especially because I got it on sale and it's surprisingly warm.  But I feel like I still don't quite know the perfect way to wear it.  I was going to have to closed all day, I even made a makeshift broach out of one of my earrings but it didn't look right.  Honestly, as much as I like it, I feel like it makes me look heavier than I am.  Anybody have any ideas of a better way to wear it?  I'd love to hear them!  I thought a bright colored belt holding it closed might look good.  Haven't tried that yet, though... 

In the meantime, today I'm pairing it with this bright, super fun pencil skirt from J Crew and some fun bracelets.  

Monday blue

Outfit Info

Sweater - J Crew, Blouse - H&M, Pants - Gap, Pumps - Calvin Klein

Necklace - Anthropologie, Bracelet - Banana Republic, Watch - Target (reminds me of my grandma)

Like many fashion bloggers, I quite enjoyed watching the Golden Globes and the red carpet last night. 

You would think that seeing lots of gorgeous dresses would inspire me to vamp it up but instead I went the entirely different direction: buttoned up with a dose of grandpa sweater.  In the right light, my shirt is a little see through, though.  That's vampy, right?

As a side note, can Michelle Williams please stop rocking her short hair?  It makes me want to chop mine off again and I'm really trying to resist that urge.