karen walker

Working with what you already have!!

How many times have you walked into your closet in the morning trying to decide what your outfit of the day will be and think “I have nothing to wear!!” I feel like this is the story of my life. I am constantly aimlessly staring at my hanging clothes thinking I need a new wardrobe because nothing is right and there is nothing for me to wear.

This is becoming worse now that majority of my clothes are either too tight or too short to cover the belly. I have a limited amount to work with, and it has forced me to get creative and think outside my comfort zone. It has also pushed me to look deeper in my closet and pull out those items that have been there for years and I have forgotten about. I have obviously bought maternity clothing….I think there are multiple items that are essential, especially jeans (as stated in my previous post). I also don’t want to splurge too much on an abundance of maternity items since I will hopefully get back to my pre-pregnancy shape in a few months. (This is my goal….lets see how that works!)

All items in this post are at least 2-4 years old, other than my sunglasses!! I tend to lean towards classic pieces rather than trendy ones. This works to my advantage because I can still wear them years later.

Take a peek into your closet and pull out a piece you haven’t worn in a few years. You may be surprised and a whole new look may come out of it without breaking your bank account.

Cardigan: Aritzia old (Similar here, here and here) //

Dress: Twin Set Simona Barbieri old (Similar here, here, here and here) //

Boots: Sergio Rossi old (Similar here and here) //

Clutch: L.A.M.B old (Similar here and here) //

Sunglasses: Karen Walker //

A Touch of Lace

One of my pregnancy staples is the sweater dress. I have always been a fan of them, especially with over the knee boots. There is something about that look that I find so sexy. The weather in LA has not been very conducive to wearing my OTK boots so I had to resort to my second favorite, the ankle boot.

As soon as I saw this dress I knew I had to have it. I love the translucency of the sweater and the lace slip that peeks through from the bottom hem. It is dainty and feminine which is in contrast to most sweater dresses.

I paired the dress with my Anine Bing ankle boots. I think the studs give the look a more edgy vibe!

Dress: Free People (Similar here and here) //

Glasses: Karen Walker //

Boots: Anine Bing (More affordable here) //

Bag: Celine //

Heritwine Maternity Giftcard Giveaway

As soon as I got pregnant I started to worry about many things. One of my worries was, what am I going to wear as my baby bump gets larger? You barely see maternity clothing stores when you are out shopping….or at least prior to pregnancy I never took notice. I decided to do some research and found some department stores that had maternity sections. I was so excited to start looking for my “new wardrobe”, I already went shopping when I was only 8 weeks pregnant. To my dismay I was horrified.

The maternity section was stashed away in a corner, with items I would never be caught dead in. I’m talking about those horrid “mom” jeans, and floral shirts with empire waists etc. I can’t even remember anything else, I was so traumatized I must have blocked those memories. I was not going to let my fashion sense disappear just because I’m pregnant.

Thankfully I had come across other online maternity stores. One of those boutiques is Heritwine Maternity. I love when I can find affordable clothing that will make me look good. The Cardigan I am wearing is from this shop. We have teamed up to give one lucky reader a $25 gift card just by posting a comment below on why you would like to win. For an additional entry refer to my Instagram account (@withloveandrea) and follow the instructions there. With this gift card you have more than 60% off most items in the store. Many items can be worn for non-pregnant readers as well.

I love when Items are shipped with cute packaging!!

Cardigan: Heritwine Maternity on sale & an additional 60% off with the gift card //

Pants: A Pea in the Pod Maternity (non-maternity here) //

Boots: YSL Black Friday sale purchase (More affordable here, here and here) //

I have always worn a lot of black and neutrals. With my growing figure black always seems like a good idea. This Grey/gold cardigan is a perfect addition to add a little festive sparkle to my simple look. The best part about it is that I can wear it post pregnancy as well. I love when I find versatile maternity items.

Don’t forget to comment below for your entry. Contest closes Monday Dec 22nd 12pm PST.

With Love….

ANDREA

The Oversized Cardigan

I have always been a fan of the oversized cardigan and skinny jeans look. Its a way to dress comfortably without feeling overly frumpy. Keeping the colors dark and monotone gives an added slimming effect.

You can see the baby bump popping out in these two photos, but once you close the cardigan you can barely tell I’m 6 months pregnant.

I love the gold detail on these smoking slippers. I wore a gold necklace to complement the shoes and add some detail to the all black look.

Shirt: Equipment old (Similar here, here and here)

Cardigan: & Other Stories

Pants: J Brand Maternity (Non-maternity here)

Shoes: Guiseppe Zanotti (Similar here and here)

Glasses: Karen Walker

With Love….

Andrea

A day at the Library

I can’t mention enough how my growing body is making me venture out of my usual classic style. I love button down shirts and large sweaters. As the weeks go by and I am approaching my 3rd trimester I am slowly not able to button up my shirts, and I’m also starting to feel huge in my oversized sweaters.

Looking in my closet, I’m trying to put together some of my looser fitting pieces so that I don’t have to invest too much money on new clothes. There are obviously some maternity items I need to purchase, and I am happy to do so.

I found this cute summer dress in the back of my closet, and since LA weather has been so warm, I was able to wear it in December while giving it a fall twist. I added an oversized cardigan with over the knee socks and my favorite black boots.

I felt cute and flirty in this look with the added bonus that it was very comfortable and flattering to my changing body.

Dress: Brandy Melville summer (Similar here, here and here) //

Sweater: Small shop in Italy (similar here, here and here) //

Socks: Free People //

Boots: Sergio Rossi old (Similar here and here) //

Sunglasses: Karen Walker

I suggest pregnant or not, take a look in the back of your closet and pull out that piece that’s been sitting there for a while and try to incorporate it into your next look. Its like getting a new item all over again.

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

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