What I'd Wear Wednesday: Carolina Herrera Jr.

What I'd wear today if I could: a perfect outfit like the one Carolina Herrera Jr. is wearing in this photo from the holiday issue of defunct Domino magazine. This magazine was the only one worth flipping through on a recent OB/GYN appointment. (Yes, I said recent. The issue was five months old. My doctor's waiting room has replaced all the magazines with flat-screen TVs, apparently. Gah! I'm a magazine junkie, people! Where else am I going to have child-free time to flip through magazines I don't get at home? You're slowly killing me with an illiterate death!) I figured because the mag was so old, no one would care if I took it home. Then I scanned in this amazing photo of the famous designer's daughter.

What I think is so amazing about the photo is despite the grand home behind her, Carolina could be anybody's mom. That could be any woman in my town carrying a baby and holding the hand of her toddler, walking down the driveway to get the mail or paper.

Of course, for the purpose of WIWW, I love what she's wearing. Simple jeans. A basic white shirt. A necklace or maybe two. Undone hair. But she still looks put together. She could wear that outfit just about anywhere, for almost any regular-mom occasion. I imagine she even smells good. Maybe in a few years I will even make this my uniform, or at least my go-to outfit. Everyone needs something to aspire to.

Are there any outfits / looks / clothing or accessory items you aspire to?

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Wedding-guest wear

Today's What I'd Wear Wednesday comes from Lane at Mommylog, who just had a baby two months ago. (Check out the Bustin' out Babies list!). She shows you can be a new mom and have great style.

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I will be attending a wedding in Charleston, S.C. coming up in a week and half. We live in Minnesota and this is my first trip with 2 kids in tow. I am trying to think simple and polished. I have been looking at dresses, that travel well and I can easily nurse my 8 week old baby gal in. The wedding is taking place on a Friday night. I think black or navy would work for the occasion. Here is what I have found thus far.



This dress from Macy's seems like a good pick, it should cover up my "problem areas" and still is hip.



Dress by Shabby Apple. I love everything Shabby Apple! If you have not checked out their site or looks you are missing out. This dress is one of my favorites and called the tuxedo dress seems like a perfect pick for a special event.



Finally, because I really want a maxi dress, I had to find a cute one to possibly wear to the wedding. It is from forever 21.



In reality, I will end up wearing some pants and a cute top that I can lift up. I am in love with this ruffle top. I think it will be the best option for the circumstances.

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Stylish but lazy

What I'd wear today if I could: these scrumptious tie-dye sandals from Victoria's Secret.

I haven't had the time, desire or inclination to go looking for any fashion goodies lately. I am lazy. But when catalogs keep coming in the mail, I still can't tear my eyes away. Even when I know I won't be able to wear most of the stuff for months.

However, I have found myself staring at these shoes probably a dozen times. They make me crave rainbow sherbet. And I hate sherbet. With a four-inch heel, they're a bit out of my comfort zone right now. Priced at $125, they're also out of my budget. I wouldn't spend this much on a pair of shoes ... but a mama can dream.

The same VS catalog also had this tasty-looking tee:



I love everything about it: the spicy color, the fun studs, the perfect pleating, the loose sleeves and especially the loose middle. With about six weeks of pregnancy left, I am all about a loose middle (and actually will have a loose middle. Abs of steel? Right!)

The fun Alloy catalog also arrived and had me looking over these:



I could actually wear these seashell sandals. And they're $30.



The three-tier look of this necklace is so fun. It's the kind of jangly thing I couldn't possibly wear once the baby can start grabbing things like jewelry and hair ... I guess I figure it would be cool to wear something like this now while I can.

So even though I am lazy and -- ahem -- living large, it's fun to window shop.

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Blue

Today's What I'd Wear Wednesday comes from Tatiana at It Was A Very Good Year. She is a graduate of the Bustin' Out Babies list after recently having a beautiful daughter, and she has some great picks below. Enjoy!

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Since I just had a baby girl, my house is flooded with pink. Pink onesies, blankets, shoes, carseat cover, wall paint -- you name it, I've got it. So naturally, I'd wear... blue!

I haven't worn heels since somewhere in the middle of my pregnancy, an experience made harrowing by the fact that, you know, I had a baby belly... and it was raining. But if I were to put on a heel now, it'd be these adorable Gabriella Rocha "Chrisella" ones from Zappos.com:



This silky cami top from AE has me salivating:



I worry that the shiny fabric would highlight my post-baby belly chub, so I'd grab this great Nixxi ruffled top at Mudshark Streetwear:



What about a stylish bag? I love bags with silver accents like this Sabina O Ring Satchel from Urban Outfitters:



And you can't have blue without a sexy pair of jeans. I have curvy hips, so I'd balance them out with this great wide-leg style from Free People:

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Accessories

What I'd wear today if I could: this cute Mayan necklace from Eddie Bauer.

(I know. I said I wasn't going to do a weekly WIWW post unless I was inspired. I couldn't stay away this week.)

This catalog came in the mail, and my thoughtful JP flipped through it and tagged some items for me he thought I might be able to wear in a large size. Isn't that sweet? While looking for his tagged pages, I found this necklace, which shows the symbol for "spirit." "Fire" and "water" are also available. I'm not even sure why I like this necklace -- it just grabbed me.

Then I discovered this cuff cuff (my name for it) online, from Free People:



Once again, I don't know why I like it. I just do.

Guess I'm at the point in my pregnancy when I start looking at accessories instead of clothes!

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Bright sweaters

What I'd wear today if I could: a bright sweater like maybe this starfish sweater from Boston Proper. I love me some sea creature motifs. (My friend Missy went to Cancun a few weeks ago and brought me back a silver turtle pendant. Sweet!) It's been cool here the past couple of days, and it's likely my last chance to break out my measly stash of sweaters (which don't fit me anymore anyway) for the next eight months.

Except the lines on this sweater are going the wrong way.

I avoid horizontal stripes.

So BP has this other bright sweater:



Ah, bueno! The stripes are going the right way.

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After almost two and a half years of faithfully posting What I'd Wear Wednesday, I think I will take a break. If I feel inspired, I'll post, but maybe just not every week. If you'd like to guest post, please let me know.

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Chain halter

What I'd wear today if I could: a chain halter top like maybe this one from Michael Michael Kors, found at Macy's. It was hot today. In fact, Fly got hurt briefly by the metal buckle of his car seat because it was so hot.

I walked through Macy's this week (note: that is different from saying I shopped there, or I went to the store on purpose, because really I just had to pick up something at the mall really quick and the parking was good at Macy's, and besides the salespeople kind of hate us because Fly takes advantage of the store's good acoustics and high ceilings by squealing loudly), and I noticed a green-and-white-print chain halter on display near the front of the store. The top looked kind of loose, and I wondered if a large size would fit me.

I stopped at the wondering.

But the chain makes the simple shape of the halter interesting, and sort of acts like jewelry too, don't you think?

Here's another chain halter I found, by Milly, at Bloomingdale's (I think).



These tops are likely meant to be dressy-casual chic -- and for sure they have more style oomph than a regular tank top -- but I'd still wear them with shorts and sandals and just go on with my day.

What I'd Wear Wednesday: drapey

What I'd wear today if I could: this fabulous halter from Ralph Lauren. I think I could wear this even though I'm pregnant. The halter is full and drapey over the tummy. It's long enough to cover up the few dreaded belly-panel pants and shorts I have (for lack of nothing else to wear) or to cover up the under-the-belly-style bottoms.

I also like the colorful blooms. This halter looks tropical and makes me think of warm, carefree days. (Someone tell me carefree days do come back sooner or later, right? Right?) I'd wear it with white pants like the model or possibly as a swimsuit coverup.

If you'd like to guest post for WIWW, please let me know.

What I'd Wear Wednesday: tattoo tees

What I'd wear today if I could: a comfy maternity T-shirt with a cool design, like this one from Babies N Bellies.

There are some nice, flowy, non-maternity-sized blouses on my floor in my closet that still fit. And I love wearing them. But some days, I don't feel like being flowy. Sometimes, you just want to kick back and wear regular clothes along with the hoi polloi. Am I right? I have some non-maternity tees that do the trick, but, um, well, only two of them fit now. And they're closing in.

I like the tattoo-style tees because they look comfortable, but they have some attitude.

Here's one from Eva Lillian:



And a non-tattoo tee that's still very rockin' from Babies N Bellies:


Is this model even pregnant?!

Notice I didn't say much about bottoms today. My maternity pants and shorts are not friends....

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Spring

What I'd wear today if I could: Some fresh spring styles. By reading posts from around the blogosphere, some of you have been lucky enough to get a taste of spring weather already. But many of you have gotten extra helpings of Old Man Winter in recent weeks and can't believe you'll ever thaw out. Either way, spring does officially start in a couple weeks, so . . . there's something to look forward to.

As I did last fall, I thought I'd do a roundup of trends I've noticed. This isn't the complete spring trend list or some kind of fashion forecast like I know what I am talking about. Just some fun things to mention.

The thing that gets me every spring is I read somewhere that florals and soft/feminine/romantic looks are in style. Well, no kidding. They are every spring. They usually say nautical looks are in for spring too. Every single year.

With that in mind, it's true -- ruffles seem popular. They can be sweet:


Ann Taylor Loft ruffle top

Or sassy:


Bebe ruffle cami

Skirts are on the full side, whether just at the knee:


Charlotte Russe cutout skirt

Below the knee:


Lauren Ralph Lauren dot-print skirt

Or well above it:


Kensie watercolor skirt

But slim, tailored pencil skirts are also very big.

Speaking of big, the maxi is still going strong:


Victoria's Secret maxi dress


New York and Company maxi dress

Pants seem to run the gamut from really slouchy . . .


Victoria's Secret beach pant


Calvin Klein cropped cargo pants

To tailored, but wide-legged . . .


Victoria's Secret Marisa pant


Michael Michael Kors wide-leg jeans

To skinny, hitting above the ankle and paired with some substantial shoes:


DKNYC zipper-ankle pants


BCBGeneration ankle skinny pants

Speaking of shoes, they seem to have more substance to them -- like they're more there:


Anthropologie crowd pleaser wedges


Nine West papoose pump


American Eagle espadrilles

And I've seen a lot of drawstring bags, or at least bags that look as though they have a drawstring:


Michael Michael Kors satchel


Aeropostale drawstring bag

All-white outfits are popular in some stores, but bright colors really seem to stand out this spring -- even fluorescent colors, if you want to go that bright. (Hello again, 1984!)

What are you looking forward to wearing this spring?

If you want to be a guest WIWW poster in the coming weeks, please let me know!

What I'd Wear Wednesday: Umm....

What I'd wear today if I could: just some yoga pants like these from Target. With maybe an oversize cardigan.

Or anything. I am not sure if I care right now. I am trying to care. I really, really am. (I am trying to silence the voice of my friend in my head, which tells me, "There is no try -- only do." Hush, now.) But as I mentioned last week, I only want to be comfortable.

And I may or may not have worn the same outfit two days in a row because I knew it fit me, it was comfortable and was reasonably clean. I won't confirm or deny it. I am just a pregnant mom of a toddler whose back hurts, who is tired all the time and who might be coming down with something. So I think my fashion sins can be forgiven.

If you came here looking for eye candy, though, here's a silver bangle from Blue Nile similar to the one I rediscovered in JP's glove compartment that his parents gave me after Fly was born, engraved with his name.



I don't know how it ended up in the glove compartment.

And here is a dress I'd wear as a top over leggings or possibly the yoga pants up there, found in a Body Central catalog that arrived today:



(Covered with that oversize cardigan I was talking about, of course.)

You can get some more fun things there on the cheap.

I'm hoping my style mojo comes back soon, but I can't take any chances. If anyone would like to guest post a WIWW in the coming weeks, please let me know.

What I'd Wear Wednesday: One secret

What I'd wear today if I could: Comfort. Comfort, comfort, comfort is all I'm looking for these days. I'm at 23 weeks now and running out of regular clothes to wear. Some of my looser items still fit, thank goodness, but the pickings are slim. Er ... OK, they're not slim -- they're large, but you know what I mean.

Feeling uninspired, I thought I'd share a tip for one way I find items for my WIWW posts. It's a site called Shop It To Me, which I found out about some time ago. The site sends you e-mails featuring clothes and accessories on sale. You sign up for a free account, choose your size(s) and favorite stores or designers, and how frequently you want to be e-mailed. Then you just wait for the fashion eye candy to pop up in your inbox. So there you go -- now you know one of my secrets.

Here are some discounted goodies that showed up in my e-mail this week.

This Free People top, found at Bloomingdales:



A BCBG Max Azria dress, also found at Bloomingdales:



A sweet pair of Betsey Johnson espadrilles, found at Endless Shoes & Handbags:



A bowler-style bag by Prada:



And a pair of cropped cargos from Lauren by Ralph Lauren:



Shop It To Me has children's and men's sizes and stores listed as well, so it's a good resource for shopping for your whole family. And getting deals!