Category Archives: Fashion

A potpourri of things

Hello Kittens –

I apologize for my dead radio silence all week. Alas, Congress is back in session and my work load and stress level have been through the roof this week. Sadly, the idea that I will need to work all day long, every day, instead of goofing around online and blogging, will likely persist for the remainder of the year. Apparently working is what I’m supposed to be doing and we all know that I love to take little breaks here and there to entertain you. To give you an idea of the stress level here, I actually cried in front of my boss yesterday. C’est vrai. It’s the first time in about 4 years of working in my office that I cried at work – and cried in front of my boss. For the record – I’m really not a crier. So, let’s blame the man and be patient with me kittens and know that I will get to you as soon as I have a free second…..

With that, and because I am essentially brain dead today, I’m going to cover many of the things that have been on my mind this past week.

First – it’s September. Ahh….we can all breathe a sigh of relief and know that there WILL FINALLY be an end to this hideous summer heat. When that will be, I’m not sure, but at least we know it will happen. If you are anything like me, you are busily obsessing over your new fall wardrobe and what key items you might have to add to it. I’ve been OBSESSING over boots this week and keep reminding myself that it’s still 90 outside so I don’t need to rush into any purchases. A dear KT friend once pointed out that she thinks I dress my daughter how I would have dressed myself at her age. Naturally she’s right and while I’m anti-matching mommy-and-me outfits (kill me first) – I might co-opt the style I’ve already laid in place for daughter’s fall wardrobe: mini-skirts, fun tops and funky tights.

For myself, I’ll lose the funky tights and stick with solid patterns and instead add in boots. I’m thinking a pair of low heeled more casual brown boots is a more practical addition for my casual weekend wear seeing as how chasing after the toddler is much more difficult in thin 3 inch heels with pointy toes. Frankly, I’m a lot more Jenny Garner weekend-kid style than I am Katie Holmes.

Another item on my mind is Vera Wang’s new line that she’s debuting in Kohl’s this weekend. I will admitt, I am really intrigued. Kohl’s isn’t a store that really enters my repetoire when I think of places to shop. But it’s a brilliant marketing move on their part – and time will tell if it’s good for Vera – but I, for one, will make a point to visit a Kohl’s in the next few weeks to checkout this “Very Vera” line. Stay tuned on that.  OH – and the final thing is that due to my hellacious week, I completely forgot to DVR Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, which I am sure is going to be my new favorite show. If you tuned it, tell me about it!

So the other thing that’s been on my mind this week is a new appreciation and understanding for parents who have children that are total brats. NOW – let’s be clear – I will not tolerate this behavior in my household but you know they say you can’t really understand someone until you’ve walked in their shoes. Well, I have a deeper understanding of how it happens now. Example – darling daughter really loves popsicles. You know, the kind you make at home by just filling up some OJ and then freezing it? Yes well, she LOVES them. I often wish that I could be so happily satisified by 2 ounces of  frozen juice.  Recently, she has decided that she wants a “pop-cle” in the morning – in lieu of breakfast.

Well, we all know that we don’t eat “pop-cle” in the mornings, do we. And yes, I realize that it’s just a frozen version of the very small glass of juice she would otherwise receive but it’s the point. You can have a “pop-cle” after lunch or after dinner, but not instead of breakfast.

But see, screaming fits in front of the freezer demanding “pop-cle” repeatedly before you’ve as much as had a cup of coffee – isn’t fun. And the thing about toddlers is this – they are persistent and they don’t forget. You can think you can distract them and change the subject with a fun toy or “Diego” and the crying subsides.
But then think again – they just get that bee in their bonnet again a few minutes later – and bam. We’re right back to screaming in front of the freezer for a “Pop-cle.”

Meanwhile, over in KT’s head, I’m left wondering if someone can get me an IV pumped with some coffee while I dip into my vast well of patience, again point out that we don’t have “pop-cle’s” at breakfast, and ignore the fit.

My point – I get it now. It would definitely be EASIER to just cave in and give her the “pop-cle” but I can see how that is a slippery slope and once I put even a toe on it, down we go.

And finally, I really haven’t had time to keep up with celeb gossip to the extent that I like – but I was saddened to hear that Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger broke up. What will happen with their sweet little girl? And speaking of babies, how about Halle Berry getting pregnant? Love that.

That’s all for now kittens, I will do my best to give you more attention next week.

Plaid Shoes….can you ever have enough?

I know that I was trashing people that wear fall clothes before it actually FEELS like fall outside – but that doesn’t mean I’m not obsessing over fall clothes. More specifically, SHOES.

My feeling is, if I’m going to be working fulltime, then I’ve got a reason to continue to splurge on ridiculous and impractical things, like heels.  Sure, the minute I get home I’m chasing after a toddler and might look as ridiculous as Katie Holmes wearing heels on the beach but still – what’s the point of working if I can’t make myself feel better with high fashion items, right? Right.

So, my current obsession is plaid shoes. Totally impractical but they really hit the spot for me. Sort of like bags. You better believe I do not own ONE black bag. Nope. No thank you.

Orange? Suede or leather, I ask.

Red? Which one?

Green? You got it!

But black, over my dead body. Black bags are just SO BORING to me.

And so it goes with shoes. I rarely have a decent pair of black heels and I know we all need a good pair of black heels but again, snore. I get so bored shopping for them.

But leopard print flats? hell yes! Pink heels? you got it!

And now….now…plaid shoes.

I have one pair of plaid mules that I purchased a few years ago, they were a splurge at the Off Fifth outlet but worth every penny. And during the July Nordstrom half-yearly sale, I purcashed a pair of plaid, open-toed wedge heels. Again, not really that practical of a move because plaid implies cold while open-toed implies WARM..but again…this is moi and sometimes impulse buys really wet my whistle.

Oh – and in case you were wondering, yes, I did order them online, along with two other things, both of which I returned. And don’t tell my husband but I’m pretty sure the plaid shoes that I kept will rub and give me a blister but I couldn’t part with them…and I couldn’t admitt that ONCE AGAIN I was returning everything I bought online. So here are the newest plaid addition to my footwear collection (mine are in brown):

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2940825/0~2376778~2372808~6004875?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6004875&P=2

I will wear them and secretly cringe at the pain but they are fantastic shoes.

And then..the other day…what did my wandering eye see but THESE:

 http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2956164/0~2376778~2372808~2372940~2376188?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2376188&P=2

Be still my beating heart.

Are they not beautiful and gorgeous?

But see….what I’m left wondering is (as I add them to my online shopping cart and leave the screen up all day), how many plaid shoes does one really need?

Or rather, can you really ever get enough?

KittyTime True Confessions

I don’t have it in me to bang out a full entry – so to kick-off your weekend, I thought I’d just tick through some things I’m thinking about lately, deep thoughts by KittyTime:

1. I can’t wait for Halloween and started obsessing over what my sweet girl will be dressed up as – about three weeks ago. I love that I can still decide what she’ll wear but I also love that she’s older now, so I will pick something I know she’ll love. Yes, I know it’s like three months away.

2. I am OBSESSED with Christmas cards and you better believe I’ve already started thinking about ours this year. Trust me. I have. And yes, it was 120 degrees this week with the humidity but I was still thinking about Christmas.  Bet you thought it was strange that I was obsessing over Halloween until you read this!

3. I cannot wait for fall clothes but despise people who bust out in fall clothes before it’s time for it. For example, short sleeve turtlenecks. We have record breaking heat in DC – why are people wearing them? It’s still August – though I still don’t find it appropriate in September until it’s cool enough. You might be able to wear white any time of year now, but I don’t want to see people in fall clothes until well after Labor Day.

4. I think I have an internet shopping problem. Who has time for real stores anymore? So I shop online. But I either fill up my online basket with like $2K worth of goods and ultimately never buy any of it – but really – isn’t there some satisfaction in going that far and actually believing you will buy those things? What would a shrink say about me?  Or I buy online and ultimately return 3/4 of what I buy. And yet still don’t learn my lesson that online shopping is not, in fact, the smartest way to go. There’s just something so satisfying about filling up those virtual shopping carts.

5. And finally, here’s the whopper. My husband claims that we can afford to live on just one salary and I could stop working any day – but as the rubber hits the road – I’m not entirely sure I’ve got the nerve to pull the trigger and instead have a host of reasons why now is not the best time for that. I’m also not convinced we could really afford to live on just his salary and maintain our lifestye.

So there you have it Kittens, deep thoughts of mine.

Velcro is a Mom’s BFF

Ok summer bathing beauties, gather round. With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, let’s talk swimsuit fashion for our little tykes today.

Caveat: The brightest among you might quickly notice that my links are taking you to girls clothing. That’s because I’m a mom of a girl. And frankly, let’s be honest, girl clothes are more fun.

But for those of you with sweet little boys, fret not. We are still linking to some of KT’s fav places for kids clothes, so you can just link yourself over to the boy section, I have great taste and have honed in on the best of the best, so really, you’re still in good hands.

Never doubt moi. So with that. First up, swimsuits:

I am a big fan of mini-Boden clothes. They are adorable, not everyone has them, and well, they hail from Britain. Everything is always cooler when they cross the pond. Here’s a link to a suit that I swooped up for darling daughter way back in March when it first caught my attention – we have it in strawberries and pink, of course:

http://www.bodenusa.com/col.asp?segname=Mini&styid=36024&segid=5&gpname=Swimwear&desname=Girly+Swimsuit&gpid=21&gen=1

JCrew also makes clothes for kids and I’ve noticed that they run really small. Darling daughter could fit into the size 2T back when she was barely 1, and well, at that time she was still just wearing 12-18 month sizes from Baby Gap. So caution – they run small. My biggest beef so far with the Crew Cuts clothes is that they are just mini-reproductions of adult sized clothes. And frankly, I think it’s a little weird to have a 2 year old wearing the same thing a 35 year old would wear, for the most part. So – I’m not loving most of their swim wear for girls but here’s a link anyway, I think it makes my point:

http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod88368381&catId=cat180957

Should my 18 month old really be prowling the beach, channeling her inner-sexy leopard?

Here’s where my inner-sleeping Republican rears its ugly head.

No. Quite plainly, is the answer.

Now, moving on. Baby Gap has always been a tried and true favorite. First of all, the quality is good and the price is right, particularly because it goes on sale really quickly. Secondly, the sizing is really well done. You can actually buy an 18-24 month size, for example, and it will fit your 18-24 month old. At least it does mine and always has. Sure I had to buy them a little bigger for a while when she was growing like a weed as a 6 month old, but more often than not, they are sized really well. I think this one is particularly cute:

http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=35362&pid=484217

Now for beach accessories for tykes. Hats are a must-do for all of us, particularly the little ones, every day of the year. We all know that most children rip the hats off their heads faster than you put them on. Oddly, my darling daughter loves an accessory and actually seeks out her hats in our house so she can wear one as much as possible, but she’s the exception. And even with her fierce love of hats, if it doesn’t have a Velcro attachment to keep it on the head, then forget about it.

It’s difficult to find the velcroe attachment but I’ve found Janie and Jack, also one of my fav places to shop, particularly for dress-up clothes, is good about the velcro attachment under the chin. Here’s an example:

http://www.janieandjack.com/shop/dept_item.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443452877&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374303716283&bmUID=1179840509119&productSizeSelected=0

Note the wide brim which is also very important. If you’ve ever tried to apply sunscreen to a toddler, you know it’s no small feat, so any added help you can get with a wide brim to block the sun from their precious face, the better off you are.

While we’re on the subject of wide brimmed hats, I’m particularly pleased with the Hanna Andersson selection. The only flaw is that you have to tie the string under the chin – no velcro.

Velcro makes a mom’s life easy.

But still the amount of shade this particular hat provides from the sun makes the extra pain of having to tie the strings together, worth the effort:

http://www.hannaandersson.com/Style.asp?from=SC|5|1|156|47|8||&simg=22568_D42&mwc=D42

Now the only thing left is footwear. This is an area where I could really get carried away. I mean, the options are endless and adorable. But again, the inner practical mom in me comes out as I feel myself moving towards the cash register at Nordstrom holding an adorable pair of $60 shoes for my daughter.

I remind myself the following:

a. it is impossible to get a pair of shoes on a toddler to begin with. If your kid isn’t walking yet, then you might still think shoelaces work. If your kid is walking, you know better. I’m here to tell you – shoelaces – forget about it. No matter how cute the shoe.

b. Velcro is again your best friend.

c. So are crocs.

And so, of course you could spot my darling daughter strolling down the beach in these this summer, if you’re on the Delaware shore by any chance:

http://shop.crocs.com/pc-21-4-kids-cayman.aspx?reqid=21&reqProdTypeId=41p&subsectionname=footwear&section=products

I can get them on her feet in a jiffy, they stay on, and they’ll protect her little toes from the burning hot sand better than sandals.

But, speaking of sandals, how adorable are these:

http://www.janieandjack.com/shop/dept_item.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443452874&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374303093469&bmUID=1179841826749&productSizeSelected=0

And note – no latch that you have to waste time trying to get hooked while your toddler moves a mile a minute.

And so, dear kittens, go forth and enjoy purchasing swimwear for your tyke. The beauty of it is this – they look good in anything. They don’t have to be tortured by glaring at themselves in changing room mirrors with unfriendly lighting. You can just buy it, go home, put them in their little suit, and melt when you see those chubby little legs moving around in their new summer 07 swimsuit.

But don’t forget – velcroe is your best friend.