Maternity

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.

Jacket: Aritzia // Tank top: Anine Bing // Jeans: A Pea in the Pod (AG Jeans) Non-maternity here // Shoes: Steve Madden // Sunglasses: Karen Walker

Animal instincts

I love adding animal inspired pieces to my looks. You can pair them with a basic outfit to add depth and texture, or add them to a more colorful look as a neutral.

My style is most often very casual. My go-to look is usually a button down shirt and jeans. Especially during my pregnancy it’s getting harder to experiment with outfits. I kept my look sleek and simple, and added two animal inspired pieces to enhance my outfit.

The first look included an old Zara leopard coat. I don’t think you can go wrong with leopard. I usually wear it in the form of a scarf or shoes but when I saw this jacket a couple of years ago I knew it was a must have. I don’t get to wear it very often, but when I do, I always get compliments. I think a good statement coat is an investment…especially when it’s not expensive! Getting a basic print like leopard, houndstooth, or a bold color will be something that can last for many years and will always come back into style.

Coat: Zara old (Similar here and here) // Shirt: Equipment // Jeans: 7 of All Mankind (Similar here and here) // Boots: Stuart Weitzman (Similar here and here)

For the second animal inspired accessory I added a faux fur vest. The vest adds volume, layers and texture. I bought this vest last year at Club Monaco during end of the season sales. I am very happy I did since this year faux fur vests are everywhere.

Vest: Club Monaco old (Similar here, here and here) // Sunglasses: Karen Walker

With Love…

Andrea

Gender reveal party!

I love the idea of a gender reveal party. As I had previously mentioned in an earlier post, I had gotten this idea form one of my best friends and was so excited to host this party. My husband on the other had just wanted to know the baby’s gender right then and there at the doctors appointment. He played along with me…after much convincing!! I only had one week to get it organized as he wasn’t going to wait much longer!

You can get information on both our looks on my previous blog post.

My sister-in-law Raquel was so generous and helped me organize the entire party! She has such a great creative eye and decorated our place beautifully. The most important party piece was the cake. I love Susie Cakes bakery and decided to have them bake my cake. At my 16 week doctors appointment, I had the radiation technician write down the baby’s gender on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. We then brought the envelope to the baker and had them put either pink of blue icing in the middle. When we cut the cake we found out what we were having.

I am unable to post the video of the cake reveal here but you can click on my Instagram feed/link to see the video there. We were both very excited and happy.

We are so pleased to announce that we are having a beautiful little GIRL!! We couldn’t be more thrilled. Its now time to decide on the name and get started on her nursery!!

Thank you for sharing this amazing journey with us. I look forward to sharing more with you all!

With Love…

ANDREA

Boy or Girl!!

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, other than wishing for a healthy baby, we were curious to determine whether we were having a boy or a girl!! My husband was especially anxious as he is already planning on painting the nursery and needed to know where we should begin.

One of my best friends who recently had a baby had a gender reveal party!! This was the first time I had heard of this and knew I had to do the same. Currently we are 17 weeks pregnant. Our gender revealing ultrasound was scheduled for week 20. On our 12 week appointment my OBGYN casually mentioned that it could be possible to see the baby’s gender at 16 weeks, and if the technician allowed us to sneak in the room, we could possibly find out then. My husband was convinced we were finally finding out!! At our 16 week appointment, we sweet talked and convinced our doctor and the technician to sneak us in the room and take a look. Although he was ready to find out right at that moment, I had asked them to write it down on a piece of paper and seal it. We brought this paper to our favorite bakery and had them put either pink of blue icing on the inside. Pictures and details of the party will be on my next blog post!!

Dress: Ted Baker Heels: Jimmy Choo Similar Here and Here

Husbands look: Jacket: Etro (old) Pants: Scalpers Tie: Scalpers (old) Shoes: Toms Similar Here and Here

As soon as I saw this dress I knew it was going to be my outfit for the party!! It has an A line cut with a front pleat that fits my growing baby bump perfectly. I love the embellished collar detail, it makes this simple dress complete with no accessories needed. I paired the dress with simple metallic heels. The dress is so bright I knew I needed something neutral to balance it out. These were my wedding heels and I guess are my go to special occasion pumps!!

Find out what we are having in my next post in a few days!! Thanks again for sharing this amazing journey with me.

With Love…..

Andrea

School girl inspired

Sweater: Rag & Bone (Similar here and here) Leather Shorts: Zara (Similar here and here) Boots: Stuart Weiztman (Also love these, these and these) Purse: Chanel

Use code FAMILY25 for 25% off purchases at Shop bop

As soon as I saw this Rag & Bone sweater on the runway last year, I knew I had to have it. Its perfection. It has a school girl/preppy vibe with a sexy low cut V neck. You can dress it up or down and wear it for almost every occasion.

For this post I decided to play up the school girl look and go with my leather shorts and over the knee boots. I love how sexy and fashionable these boots are. I had been on the hunt for the perfect over the knee boot, for about a year and finally took the plunge with these. I was debating between another pair that had a thinner heel and pointed toe. I opted for the Stuart Weiztman’s since I felt that the thicker heel and rounded toe would make the boots a little more causal. When I splurge on a pair of shoes I want to be able to wear them as much as I can. I figured the more casual pair would be perfect for my everyday style and would be more versatile for night and day looks.