Little Black Maternity Dress

Maternity Dress (love this casual dress or this dressier option if you aren't pregnant!) - Amazon / Coat (also available in other colors/sizes here - how pretty is the green?!) - J.Crew / Scarf - J.Crew Factory / Flats (these are my fav, so comfy!!) - Sam Edelman / Bag (similar here and here) - Sezane / Earrings (I couldn't find anything similar, but love these little bow studs!) - Charming Charlie

Okay, so you know how I said I wasn't going to buy any maternity clothes?

Yeah, I lied.

I was trying to decide what to wear to the baby shower my sister and mom hosted for me last weekend, and while I had a few shift dresses that would have worked, they didn't really show the bump! I mean, really, the point of a shift dress is to skim over your midsection, and when I wear one I barely look pregnant. Which, you know, is so not the point at your own baby shower!

So I decided to head to Amazon to see what I could find on the cheap, and landed on this dress! It was black, so it's super versatile, and the side ruching really shows off that baby bump. I initially was anti ruching on pregnancy clothes since they're so obviously maternity (i.e., harder to wear after baby) but really, they just make that baby bump look good! Plus I somehow still have a waist with ruching - it's like magic. I recently stocked up on a few ruched maternity tees too, and I love that they make me look actually pregnant! Unlike the oversized sweater I wore to the doctor two weeks ago where two different nurses didn't realize I was pregnant.

I thought I'd just wear this dress just for my shower, but I've already ended up wearing it a couple other times too - it's come in so handy for all of the holiday events we have this month! The styling options are basically endless too since it's such a simple black dress - you can pair it with a scarf, a cardigan, a faux fur or sherpa or puffer vest, a wrap, or even a flannel button up! No one will ever know that you're an outfit repeater. Well, except for me ;)

Maternity Dress (love this casual dress or this dressier option if you aren't pregnant!) - Amazon / Coat (also available in other colors/sizes here - how pretty is the green?!) - J.Crew / Scarf - J.Crew Factory / Flats (these are my fav, so comfy!!) - Sam Edelman / Bag (similar here and here) - Sezane / Earrings (I couldn't find anything similar, but love these little bow studs!) - Charming Charlie

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Striped Spring Blouse

Top and Sunglasses - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Bag (similar here and here) - Ann Taylor / Heels - J. Crew / Bracelet - Jet Set Candy / Earrings (similar here and here) - handmade by my sister's friend! 

Yayyyy for white jean season!! Anyone else?

I tend to wear my white jeans year-round, but spring is when I tend to get the most use out of them. They just take any outfit with a springy top or shoes and really make it pop. I got this shirt on the mail on Friday afternoon (sorry sorry sorry for not managing to do try-ons on Instagram yet - I've got a lot of stuff coming at you soon!) and pulled it out the next morning to wear to my friend Sarah's baby shower! I've been in all baby showers, all the time mode between the one I hosted for my sister last weekend (hoping to share some photos this week!), Sarah's on Saturday, and my friend Emily's in two weeks. 

With all of these showers, I've been dying to pull out all of my pretty spring dresses, but unfortunately Chicago hasn't quite cooperated weather-wise yet. My tip for you if you're wondering what to wear for a shower when it's 50 degrees out is to pick one warm-weather item to get you into the warm-weather mindset, but to pair it with warmer pieces. In this case I went with sandals, but added in pants and a blouse so I wouldn't freeze to death. Thank you always to white jeans for looking more formal than regular denim! For my sister's shower I chose a pretty spring dress, but paired it with over the knee boots for warmth. It was actually just this exact outfit - I'm definitely an outfit repeater over here! Anyone else?? 

Anyway, back to this blouse! I love it, I love it, I love it. I mean, the sleeves! Those buttons down the back!! It's so cute with white jeans, but could definitely also work tucked into a skirt, and I'm looking forward to pairing it with shorts this summer. It's really light and breezy fabric, so it'll be great for really hot and humid summer days. The only thing I'm not loving is that it wrinkles pretty easily. I ended up wearing it to the shower, which included smushing it into a coat and then sitting in a car an hour there and back, so when I got back to my house I ended up steaming it again before heading out for the rest of the day. The light fabric steams really easily though, so really it just depends on how much that would bother you. 

Oh and I would be remiss not to mention the sandals - how freaking cute?! I freaked out and bought these the second they were included in a sale and they initially sold out, but I just checked and it looks like they're back in all sizes! The heel is a tinge higher than I would normally go for, so they're definitely not a walking heel. For an event that I drove to though, they were surprisingly comfortable! Oh and those bows? Dying!! For shoes like this that are lighter colored suede, I definitely recommend using a protective spray. I hosed these down with Scotchguard, which has been my go-to for years - since I wore knock-off UGG boots from Target back in college (hahahahahahahahahaha - oh those were the days). It keeps even that cheapo fake suede looking great. Jeff was just making fun of me because I bought a new bottle for these sandals, only to discover we already had three! Anyone have any shoes they need to protect? 

Top and Sunglasses - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Bag (similar here and here) - Ann Taylor / Heels - J. Crew / Bracelet - Jet Set Candy / Earrings (similar here and here) - handmade by my sister's friend! 

Linking up with How I Spring, Style Me Wednesday.

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Pretty Little Spring Dresses under $50, $100, and $150

Do you have any fun spring events you're going to have to dress up for in the near future? Between Easter, wedding showers, baby showers, and weddings, there are a few special occasions I'm going to have to dress up for this spring! I've worn all of my fancy dresses a bunch of times, so I'm definitely on the lookout for a new dress or two to add to the closet.

As much as I love to splurge, for special occasion dresses, sometimes it's best to shop on a budget. After all, you won't wear them as often as a great pair of jeans or the perfect blazer, so the cost per wear is pretty high. So here are some options, under $50, under $100, and under $150. So you can look good and not feel bad about it!!

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A Little Ikat

Dress (similar) - The Limited Factory / Heels and Bracelet - Michael Kors / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Necklace - Stella & Dot

I saw this dress during my outlet mall binge a couple of weekends ago, and it was so cute I had to have it. One of the sales people asked what occasion I was buying it for, and I said I didn't know but I was sure I'd find a reason. So far in two weeks I've already found two reasons - first a work event, and then this weekend for a baby shower tea party. I hadn't been to a tea party since my American Girl dolls were also invited, and frankly the last time I was a bit more concerned about what my girl Molly was wearing than my outfit. I was a little worried about what to wear when I first got the invite, but the prim and proper cut of this dress definitely fit the bill. In an ideal world I would have paired it with nude pumps, but I somehow don't own those (?) so they're definitely on the shopping list for next time! 

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Previously on KDTI - coral bag:

 

Linking up with Mix It Monday, How I Spring, Flashback Friday, Friday Fab Favorites, What I Wore to Work, Style Me Wednesday, Confident Twosday, Style Sessions.

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For a Rainy Day

Dress (similar) - Bar III / Booties - Adrienne Vittadini / Sweater (similar) - Banana Republic Factory / Necklace - c/o LovelyWholeSale / Bag - Kate Spade / Bracelet - Michael Kors / Belt - Ann Taylor

My thought process for buying dresses is to always get one if I find one I like, and save it for a rainy day. That way I'm never at the store the night before an event, panicking because I have nothing to wear. Or, say, have something to pull out of the closet when I've forgotten I have a baby shower to go to.

I bought this dress years ago, but it's only managed to make it out of my closet once before. You see, the tweed always makes it feel a little more business-y, but the fit-and-flare shape feels more like a party dress, so it feels a little weird for most occasions. I actually mixed the two last time I wore it, and dressed it up for a work holiday party. I was looking for a last minute outfit for a baby shower last weekend and decided to top it with a sweater to make it feel a bit more casual.

At the moment the only dressy occasions I have coming up are another baby shower and a wedding in the fall, so I don't need any new dresses, but I might grab a new one or two anyway - there are such cute ones in stores right now that I'm having a hard time resisting! Here are a few of my favorites:

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Previously on KDTI - blue cardigan:

 

Linking up with What I Wore to Work, Style Me Wednesday, Style Sessions, Mix It Monday.

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