wearing lately: new mom uniform

I've gone through several iterations of a "uniform" over the years, essentially basic outfit formulas that make it super easy to get dressed in outfits that might seem different but are essentially the same, like jeans + sweater with nice details, or dress + white sneakers in the summer. And I've gone through several versions of a "mom" uniform as well - here's the newest one: jeans + henley tee + machine-washable tailored cardigan. Not ground-breaking or anything, but it's all comfortable and conducive to parenting activities, but also makes me feel put-together and season-appropriate without requiring much thought!

Not only is this a new version of a mom uniform, but it's also a version for a new mom... If I'm going to wear a tee, it's got to be a henley version for nursing access - so I got a lot of use of these short-sleeved versions (I liked that the sleeves were slightly longer, to give it a little more class than your standard henley tee), but now that it's chilly I'm using this long-sleeved white one a lot. Now that I look at it again, it might actually be meant as a pajama top. Whoops, still loving it as my under-layer, so we'll just pretend

And since I'm getting back into the swing of things after maternity leave now, I thought I would pull out some cute flats just to make myself feel the part of working mom, even if I'm still not leaving the house. Have been a fan of Rothy's for a long time and finally tried out the square-toe silhouette. Tres chic! Especially with the fun details on the back, and the jeans-matching color.

wearing lately: zippers and buttons

I love a simple sweater with special details that take it up a notch - a zipper front and waffle knit, say, like on this one - but I had to laugh at myself in this outfit (much as I felt stylin' in it) because I'm basically a walking version of a toddler's busy board. You know, those learning toys to help them develop skills like tying and buckling and such? Here I've got zipper on the sweater, button-front on the jeans, and laces to tie on the sneakers - plus some buckles on the bag! All I need is to add in Freddie with his little shirt jacket, and we'll have everything covered with snaps too.

Jokes aside, this is a favorite type of outfit - so easy, but the little details on the sweater (and even jeans) make it a little more luxe and interesting. Not to mention nursing-friendly, unlike my existing collection of crewneck sweaters that are going to end up benched for the season. 

Oh and I didn't even really manage to capture well the details on the shoes! Love how Rothy's always adds some fun colorful piping or heel stripes, and the gum-colored soles on this pair make a (creamy) white sneaker feel perfect for fall, rather than my usual crisp white pair that I wore all spring and summer. A washable sneaker is a great plus too - highly recommend, and you can use my discount code if you want to trt them too!

wearing lately: 90s mom

I may have been born in the 1980s, but I don't exactly remember much from the portion of that decade I lived through - it's the 90s where my nostalgia is at. And though I sometimes am quite shocked at actually how long ago the 90s were, I guess it's not too surprising when the styles are coming back around again - like this ribbed cardigan.

Admittedly I can do without revisiting some 90s styles and didn't exactly pick this top for the nod to the times - but I like it! In general I feel like this is a very "mom" kind of outfit with the sneakers and high-waisted straight-leg jeans, and then the cardigan-as-top is perfect for nursing (button-front stuff is all I wear these days). So here we are... mom style for a girl who came of age in the 90s.

Speaking of 90s nostalgia and being a parent, have you seen the album Lullabies: When 90s Kids Have Kids? I can't remember where I heard about it, but I saw it somewhere when pregnant and bookmarked for when Freddie was born, and I love it so much - soothing versions of some radio favorites from the era like "MmmBop" and "I Want It That Way." Perfect thing to put on when Freddie is fussy, and fun how it brings me back to the days when I would record songs from the radio on my tape deck, and rewind and relisten to my favorites over and over... So this album has also inspired a general music nostalgia tour via any Peloton rides with 90s playlists I can find lately. Perfect for when the momma gets a little time to herself!

wearing lately: fall fake-out

I'm not one for the "no white after Labor Day" thing, especially this year, as I love my white jeans... but there was no possibility of fitting into them until after Labor Day had come and gone. So here they are, and I'm faking fall with them by adding a button-down with an autumnal hue on top.

Also kind of faking it in the role of "dressed-up mom of infant" - because while this looks really put-together and made me feel snazzy enough that I got my act together to snap some photos, it's actually sneakily easy. White jeans actually don't show spit-up (ha!), a button-down is a staple for nursing, curled hair masks the fact that it hasn't been washed in seriously I don't remember how many days, and sunglasses cover any sleepy eyes/dark circles. 

Even if I'm (sort of) joking here - there is something to feeling put-together that makes me feel good, even if I believe that sweats are perfectly fine for a day of maternity leave. Especially when I'm always dressing my baby bear in his cutest things to be constantly photo ready (my phone's camera roll would attest to my constant snapping!), it's nice to give myself a little of that attention too.

Speaking of cute little clothes, I had to really work hard to limit myself to just this outfit, because all of these options would have been equally snuggly baby bear perfection...

wearing lately: transitional

September is always that weird wardrobe transition time when the "back to school" mentality makes you feel like you should be done with your summer clothes, but the weather says not yet. Never quite love my closet this time of year, but another transition - from maternity to postpartum dressing - has provided me with a great seasonal solution as well, via my little capsule for this period:

A pair of lightweight wide-leg pants + coordinating tank provides the breezy materials needed, but without feeling super summery thanks to the dark color, and especially when you add in accessories like my olive diaper bag. I like how this matching set looks a bit like a jumpsuit when paired together, but you can still mix & match the pieces with other items - but I found a few similar actual jumpsuits, linked above, that would look really cute and do the trick as well! 

And of course the whole ensemble is perfect with a denim jacket (what isn't), which comes in handy when you do get the occasional blessedly cool morning in this early fall season. Actually, this day I turned on my seat heater to bring Hendrik to school in the morning, there was enough chill in the air... which leads to a whole new wardrobe transition issue of figuring out what to put on my baby! It's been a lot of onesies in the hot days, but now I guess I better start bundling a little for our bringing big brother to school outings.

Sharing on Trend Spin.

wearing lately: before and after!

While it didn't make it into the collage for my postpartum capsule post, this dress from the Nines by Hatch at Target collection is one of the pieces I most love. Partly because it's easy breezy for hot days and has good nursing access thanks to the button front, while still making me feel pretty (a nice break from elastic waists) and "in" on the tiered dress trend of the summer - but also because it was a great maternity piece to boot! And here you can see it in the before and after states:

Here it is at just about 39 weeks pregnant (3 days before Freddie's arrival!), and then again when he was about 9 days old (clearly he is super thrilled to be part of my photo shoot). I'm very glad he's here and overall glad to be done being pregnant, but seeing the "before" photos does make me kind of miss having him in there - so wild now that he's almost 3 weeks old to imagine he fit in there, but also kind of bittersweet to realize that special time and those unique sensations are only going to be a past experience now. But then that's time for you; he's never going to be this tiny again, we keep saying to each other every day.

So I better go back and get some more baby snuggles, or (most likely) start another feeding...