Month: November 2014

Denim daze

I have always been a pants and shirt kinda gal. Even as a little girl I never liked to wear skirts and dresses. My mom likes to remind me of this when I wear them occasionally now!!

With my pregnancy I have started to take more interest in dresses and you will see more of them in future blog posts. I love the way they can camouflage or accentuate your curves depending on the style desired. There is a level of comfort and freedom with a dress that makes it perfect to wear during pregnancy.

I love this Gap denim dress. I liked it so much that I bought it in two different colors and patterns. You can see how I styled the other dress here. I have seen denim and plaid button down dresses in multiple stores this season and I think they are a great casual piece for anyone especially pregnant women.

I paired it with brown boots and a blanket scarf. I have had these boots for 6 years and I love their worn and vintage feel.

Dress: Gap (Similar here, here and here) // Scarf: Zara last season (Similar here, here and here) // Boots: Steve Madden (Similar here) // Bag: Louis Vuitton

With Love….

Andrea

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!! There is always so much to be thankful and grateful for and I love that we have a day where we can celebrate this.

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. I love the traditional Thanksgiving meal…and anyone who knows me, knows that food is always one of my top priorities. Today I am so appreciative for my family and friends. I feel so lucky to be doing what I love with my loving husband who is my best friend. I have wonderful supportive parents who have always supported and encouraged me to dream big. Life may not be perfect and there are always things we wish we could have but lets remember to be happy with the blessings we have.

I’m wearing one of my favorite Rails plaid shirts. I love the colors and the the inner lining. The quality of their plaid shirts are amazing and when not pregnant the fit is perfect. Since I can barely do up the shirt with my growing bump I opted to wear it with a simple gray tank. They are having their Black Friday sales online starting Friday with 30% off everything so be sure to check it out!!

Plaid shirt: Rails 40% off on sale (Similar here, here and here) // Tank: Forever 21 // Jeans: AG Maternity (Non-maternity here) // Sunglasses: Ray-ban // Espadrilles: Chanel (Similar here and here) // Bag: Goyard

Thank you to all of you who are reading this and sharing this journey with me.

With love….

Andrea

LA Tropical

The weather in Los Angeles has been all over the place. Most days this fall, it has still felt like summer. Thankfully these past few weeks we are starting to get cooler weather. I have been waiting for the crisp weather so that I can wear my plaids and fall layers. Unfortunately I think I will have to wait a little longer as this weeks forecast is in the mid to high 70’s ( 20’s for Celsius). I guess I can’t complain since back home in Toronto there is already snow!!

Todays look is a mix of summer and fall. This equipment shirt definitely has a tropical vibe. To make my outfit more seasonal appropriate I wore dark tones and layers.

I have had this cardigan for years. I love when you find something in the back of your closet and it was just what you were looking for to complete the outfit. Having classic pieces in neutral colors always come in handy.

Shirt: Equipment (Similar here and here) // Cardigan: Banana Republic old (Similar here and here) // Jeans: AG Jeans Maternity (Non-maternity here and here) // Hat: J Crew // Shoes: Repetto (Similar here)

Hope you all have a great weekend.

With Love…..

Andrea

Leopard and stripes & everything nice

The farther along I get in my pregnancy the harder I am finding it to dress the bump without wearing my usual leggings and baggy shirt. I am slowly learning how to style my changing body and I know this is only the beginning since I still have 19 weeks remaining and my belly will only get larger.

Thank goodness for a Pea in the Pod. I am so thankful I found their store in Beverly Hills. When I initially started looking at maternity wear I felt like a lot of the items were out of date and frumpy. Not something I would normally wear…so why would I want to invest and wear something that I wasn’t excited about?

As son as I entered A Pea in the Pod, I knew I had hit the jackpot. They had every brand of jeans you could imagine and all with the stretchy pregnancy waistband!! Other known brands were in the store as well, from dress pants, dresses, sweaters and more. I was finally excited to purchase maternity clothing.

Lately, my looks have been a mix of maternity and non-maternity wear. I am trying not to buy too many things that I will only wear for a few months. I have also bought some non maternity clothing that is looser or larger and will fit my growing belly. I make sure these are items I will still wear post baby. I have gone up a size or made sure the cut would work with my growing bump. Thankfully I love wearing oversized shirts so I can still stick with my usual style! I also have been finding it helpful to look at other pregnant fashion bloggers and instagrammers for inspiration.

Todays look is something I would wear prior to pregnancy. I love leather pants and thankfully with the belly band I am still able to squeeze into these. Something about leather that makes a woman feel super sexy.

Adding a blazer always makes a look elegant. I think its a good addition during pregnancy as its a way to feel sexy and chic with your growing body.

Leather Pants: JBrand (More affordable here, here and here) // Boots: Anine Bing (Similar here)

Black gray and white are my usual colors of choice. The mix of patterns brightens up the look and gives it some depth.

Shirt: A Pea in the Pod (Non-maternity here) // Blazer: Theory (Similar here) // Scarf: Banana Republic (Currently they have 40% off with online code CHEER)

Paradise Cove

Last week my parents came to visit me in Los Angeles. It’s always so nice to spend time with family even if its only for a short period. When I first moved to California my father and I stumbled upon Paradise Cove in Malibu. We were driving up the Pacific Coast Hwy to explore Malibu and enjoy the scenic drive. We noticed the sign for the cafe right off the Hwy and decided to try it out. Little did we know we were about to stumble upon a gem. The Beach Cafe is the only restaurant in Malibu right on the sand with its own private beach & cove.

During the summertime the beach and Cafe are packed with people, and its almost impossible to get a table. This past weekend was off season so we were fortunate to get a table right away and enjoy the beautiful view.

Even though we are well into Fall, the weather in Los Angeles has not been reflecting this. This past weekend it was in the high 80’s, so the beach was the perfect place to go. Since we were there for the sunset I brought some layers as California nights are always cool.

Purse: Michael Kors (on sale similar color here) // Shoes: Tod’s (Similar here and here)

Shirt: Zara old (Similar here, here and here) // T-shirt: Club Monaco old (Similar here and here and love this) // Jeans: A pea in the pod I also love these (Non-maternity here) // Hat: J Crew

California Casual

I am officially half way through my pregnancy…. 20 weeks!! I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown. Thankfully I have been blessed with an easy pregnancy. I have noticed that as the weeks go by and the larger my belly gets, the more I lean towards outfits that are comfortable. I think you can still be chic while dressing for comfort.

Leggings and an oversized shirt are the perfect pregnancy staple. I love this shirt because of the window pane pattern. Black and white are always my go to colors and you will see them a lot in my looks.

Adding the army green jacket gives my look a little life and color. I love the pocket and waist details of this coat. I think the cinched waist gives you some curves and helps to flatter the female figure.

I kept my jewelry minimal to compliment the casual look.

Jacket: Theory old (Similar here, here and here) // Shirt: Aritzia old (Similar here and here and here) // Leggings: A pea in the Pod Maternity // Espadrilles: The espadrille store in Spain // Necklace: Tiffany & Co

With Love….

Andrea

A day at the mall

In the first trimester of my pregnancy, the last thing I wanted to do was go shopping. For me, this is as rare as snow in Los Angeles. I could spend the entire day browsing through boutiques and seeing what the latest trends are. Most pregnant ladies get cravings or aversions to certain foods……my aversions were to coffee and clothing!! (My two favorite things). Not having coffee daily was a good thing, since too much caffeine is not good during pregnancy. My husband would also say that my aversion to shopping was also a plus…..I would disagree. Thankfully after a few weeks this aversion disappeared and I’m back to my normal self.

Many women loose weight or gain just a couple of pounds during their first trimester. Maternity clothing is not really needed until later in the second trimester. For me by the time I was 7 weeks pregnant I noticed that a lot of my pants already started to not fit me. This was difficult for me as I felt like it was too early for maternity wear and I was starting to look frumpy. (No obvious baby bump yet). I’m assuming the raging hormone changes and the thought of clothing not fitting the way it used to was making me avoid shopping. I’ve slowly gotten over that, but I still have a daily struggle to find what works for my changing body.

Maternity Jeans have been my lifesaver. I think I bought them earlier than most women do. I was tired of trying on all my pants and getting frustrated when they weren’t buttoning up. I was thrilled when I found these Adriano Goldshmit 5 pocket jeans. Buying a pair of nice pregnancy jeans is a must. I still feel like I’m wearing a pair of my old jeans but they are so much more comfortable. They have a perfect stretch and no button so I have a lot of room to grow. Getting dressed in the mornings is much easier once I finally took the plunge on pregnancy jeans.