style the bump – The Rachel Whatever…

May 21, 2014

My Emoji Outfit

You know that saucy little red dancing girl emoji? When I wore this outfit I felt like the human version of her. Saucy and ready to dance! Nevermind the fact that I was quite literally ready to pop at any moment. I just wanna dance!

TOP: H&M || SKIRT: CHARLOTTE RUSSE: SHOES: COSMOPOLITAN (similar here) || NECKLACE: C/O MANNER & MODE || RINGS: ROMAN LUXE, FRANCESCA’S (similar here)

My bump is so huge now it’s almost comical compared to how small the rest of my body is. When I was pregnant with Charlotte my stomach looked absolutely absurd but it fit the rest of my body, ya know? This is just silly.

I love the detail on this necklace! The little red roses remind of Alice in Wonderland and I swoon over the alternating gold and black chain. This is the perfect outfit to give you a little boost in confidence when you’re 39 & a half weeks pregnant, like I am here. No matter how small you are elsewhere, when you’re carrying around this much extra cargo in front, it starts to become a little…. depressing, ha. Dear feet, I’ll see you again soon. I miss you. Love, me. When you need a little pep in your day, do as I do, dress up! Wear what makes you feel good and go out and flaunt your bump. You’ll feel so much better.

May 15, 2014

Tres Chic!

You know that little, witty joke, “I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.” That’s not really a witty joke. I always find myself coming back to black. It’s the perfect color. Or…the perfect lack of color? Ponder that.

DRESS: H&M (similar here) || SHOES: CHARLOTTE RUSSE (similar here) || BAG: TARGET || SHADES: RAY BAN

I have to note, quickly, that all of the shoes I’ve worn on here from Charlotte Russe have been recent purchases, but they’re not on their website. Who knows why, but they are available in stores if you’re looking for my exact shoes!

I was not at all prepared for the weather to get as hot as it has while I’m pregnant. It’s only been a few days really, but I figured, I’m due mid May, it won’t be too hot, I’ll be good! I owned zero short dresses from my first pregnancy. As I’ve posted before, my body was WAY different with baby #1. I was huge. I was super self conscious so I never wore anything that showed my legs, leaving me entirely unprepared for this pregnancy. This is one of two items I purchased this time around that is short and wearable in this heat!

WATCH: MICHELLE || BRACELET: DAVID YURMAN

I bought this dress in the beginning of my pregnancy. I loved it so much I bought in a medium since they didn’t have it in my size. I knew I’d have to wait to wear it, one, for it to get warm enough, and two, for it to fit me, ha. Now that my bump is much bigger it fits much better. It’s still a little loose in certain areas but the drawstring helps a lot. Only 2 days left ya’ll! Well actually I had my last doctor’s appointment yesterday and they think I’ll go on or right around my due date, but not before. The suspense is killing me!!

May 13, 2014

Casual Days

This is probably the one and only time you will ever see my natural hair on this blog. I have been too lazy to keep up with it every day. And to be honest, it could probably use a decent break from all the torture I put it through to make it look even somewhat presentable. So here ya go, casual days with casual wear & casual hair.

SWEATER: A PEA IN THE POD (similar here and here) || TANK TOP: HOLLISTER || PANTS: A PEA IN THE POD || SHOES: ALDO || BAG: TARGET || WATCH: FOSSIL || BRACELET: SPARROW OF MONMOUTH BEACH || SHADES: RAY BAN

There were a few days last week when it got a little cool and rainy out, but it still had that warm summer feel to it. I thoroughly enjoy days like that. Not when they’re all rainy, but like, a nice warm day with a little rain to give you a break from the heat and then it clears up again. You know what I mean? BUT anyway, this sweater, which I bought the last time I was pregnant, is perfect for days like that. I seriously love this sweater, I wish I could wear it always!

Soooo a little update here… I’m due SATURDAY! Yep. 4 days. Anyone wanna place bets on when you think she’ll arrive, or how much she’ll weigh? haha! We actually did that with Charlotte. No one guessed her exact weight but two people came very close, it was kinda of fun. So if I go radio silent in the next few days, you guys will know where to find me! ;] Wish us luck!

May 7, 2014September 4, 2014

Feeling Blue.

Just kidding! Nothing but sunshine and smiles here. Seriously though, with this weather, I’m on cloud 9 over here! Perfection.

DRESS: MOTHERHOOD MATERNITY || SHOES: CHARLOTTE RUSSE (similar here) || SHADES: RAY BAN || BAG: CHANEL || EARRINGS: C/O MANNER & MODE

Ok, I lied. If you read my last post, this is the last maternity piece I’ve purchased! haha Again, very drawn to the print. It reminds me of a mosaic you would see in Greece or Italy, and it’s a flowy beautiful dress you’d wear in either country. So I decided to buy it and pretend I’m wearing it on vacation… and not just out to dinner for my dad’s birthday, HA. A girl can dream!

Aren’t these earrings so fun? They kind of remind me of sea glass, so this whole outfit is longing for a beach getaway apparently, haha. They are from Manner & Mode, which not only produces amazing and gorgeous pieces, they contribute to a good cause! This company is all about empowering women, and while dressing you up and making you feel fabulous, they donate a portion of all of their proceeds to different charities that are also focused on empowering women. And I mean, who doesn’t love that? (Read more about Manner & Mode and view all of their gorgeous jewelry here). AND! For a limited time, use code RACHEL20 at checkout & receive 20% off your order!

Well guys, this is it! I have exactly a week & a half to go before I am supposed to pop! I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when I can no longer blog maternity outfits… I feel like I’m losing my niche! haha I suppose I’ll just have to get knocked up again, won’t I? 😉 😉 Just kidding! We’ll wait a little while before that happens… I hope!

May 6, 2014

THE Quintessential Maternity Outfit.

This outfit is the epitome of everything I hate about maternity wear…. and yet, here I am, wearing it! UGH. I just feel like every pregnant woman you ever see has this outfit on: maxi skirt, tank top, denim jacket… like no matter the season, summer, winter, that’s what they’re wearing. And do you know why? Because that’s really all maternity lines will make! I tried to not ever wear an outfit like this in protest, but alas, here I am. Being THAT girl.

JACKET: H&M (similar here) || TANK TOP: A PEA IN THE POD || SKIRT: MOTHERHOOD MATERNITY (similar here) || SANDALS: TARGET || BAG: KATE SPADE (similar here) || SHADES: RAY BAN || NECKLACE: FRANCESCA’S This exact necklace is still available in stores, but not online. (similar here, & here)

This skirt is one of the last maternity items I have bought. I made a vow to myself to stop buying maternity clothes at a certain point because I really don’t need any more, ha! I was drawn to the print on the skirt, and even though I tried to stay away from wearing an outfit like this, the skirt sold me. It’s bright and fun and OH MY GOD, so comfortable! It’s not hard to see why all those pregnant women wear outfits like this.

A key styling tip if you’re going to take the easy way out & wear THE maternity outfit like I am: statement pieces! To avoid looking like every other pregnant woman, throw on a statement necklace eye catching enough to make people forget the rest of your outfit, haha! A bold lip doesn’t hurt your case either. Ok but in all seriousness, this outfit is so comfortable and being that I’m due in about 2 weeks, I’m really all about the comfort right now, ya dig?

April 15, 2014

That 70’s Post & a Pink Blush Maternity Giveaway!

I was recently approached by a company called Pink Blush Maternity to browse their collection as I am, obviously, very pregnant. I had never heard of their brand before and as I scrolled through their website I became giddy! I’m always complaining about the lack of affordable and stylish maternity clothes and I feel like I hit the jackpot with these guys! They have pretty much everything from sensible and basic every-day items, to colorful and fun eye catching pieces, to classics with a fun twist. There’s something for everyone, but more importantly, lots for me! I was instantly drawn to all of their colorful printed clothes since around here Spring is most definitely in the air!

My little boog was part of this shoot too! She is VERY into ‘modeling’ lately. Puts her hands on her hips and “poses.” It’s literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, ha. So expect to see a lot more of her on here. Maybe I’ll start blogging her outfits too! ;] Here she’s wearing a Target tunic, Baby GAP ‘jeggings’ and Oshkosh B’gosh slip ons. Oh and my hat.

DRESS: C/O PINK BLUSH MATERNITY (on sale NOW for just $22!) || SHOES: JIMMY CHOO (similar here) || HAT: EXPRESS (similar here) || NECKLACE: C/O ROMAN LUXE || RING: C/O ROMAN LUXE || SHADES: TOMS

So anyway, back to me here! I’m obsessed with this dress and as soon as it showed up I knew I was going to style it all 70’s like. Especially since it was 70 degrees out when I wore it! It just felt appropriate. The colors and pattern are beautiful, and it’s something so different for me. I’m constantly trying to push myself out of my comfort zone when it comes to my wardrobe and I decided it would be no different while pregnant!

I like this dress a lot because on cooler days I can wear it as a top as well paired with white skinnies. I think, technically, it is a top but all maternity clothes run really large and long on me, so I opted to wear it as a dress instead.

Now for the giveaway! All you have to do to enter is click on the link below and the follow the super easy steps! Nothing is mandatory, but you won’t get any entries unless you do SOMETHING! The more things you follow/do the more chances you have to win a $25 gift card to Pink Blush Maternity! ($25 will get you this top, and you’ll still have a few bucks left over!!) Giveaway starts today and ends next Tuesday! I’ll be announcing the winner on Wednesday, so get your entries in!!

Win $25 to Pink Blush Maternity by clicking this link!

DISCLAIMER: If you have already won a Pink Blush Maternity giveaway in the past 6 months you are, unfortunately, not eligible to win this time around.
The selected winner has 48 hours to claim their prize before I will pick another winner.

GOOD LUCK!

April 8, 2014April 8, 2014

The Iron Throne

My outfits this past weekend had really coincided with some events that I was completely unaware of while getting dressed, ha. Yesterday’s post was the Kurt Cobain tank top on the 20th anniversary of his passing, and with this outfit I wore a necklace I call “the iron throne” on Game of Thrones premier day! I used to wear a ton of silver jewelry, but in the last year or so I’ve incorporated a lot of gold into my wardrobe. I started to neglect everything silver and stopped buying it all together. I missed it, so since then I have been on the hunt for a metal-like silver necklace to wear with more casual outfits and this is it!

Doesn’t this necklace remind you of the iron throne? I love it! I love the color of the silver against the dark red dress. They pair so well together!

JACKET: H&M (similar here, on sale) || DRESS: H&M || NECKLACE: H&M (similar here) || SHADES: RAY BAN

It’s a little embarrassing that this entire outfit is from H&M, but what can I say? I just love that store. The jacket is from last spring, the necklace and dress are recent purchases. If I’ve said it once I’ll say it a million times, maxi dresses are your best friends when pregnant! This is not a maternity dress, but the fabric is stretchy and hem around the stomach falls perfectly so I can tuck it up a little bit without making it look awkward. It’ll work now and I can wear it well into the summer when my bump is retreating! haha

Days like this when it’s gorgeous out are wasted if you’re not outside. Spending a little quality time at the beach with my little one looking for shells, sand dollars, and sea glass makes my heart happy. The air was a little cool this day but the sand was so warm, it felt so good on my feet! I’m entirely too excited for Summer, but I’ll enjoy spring while it’s here!

REMINDER! Today is the LAST day you can enter my Hydroxatone giveaway! I’ll be randomly selecting one winner and announcing it on the blog tomorrow! Good luck! Enter here.

April 7, 2014

20th Anniversary Edition

When I put this outfit on and decided to snap a few pictures in front of the Iconic Stone Pony, I had no idea what day it was… but apparently my subconscious did! 20 years later… RIP Kurt.

I’m not the ultimate Nirvana fan, I believe that honor belongs to my husband, ha, but anyone who likes real music can appreciate what Kurt Kobain did for music today. And if you can’t, go listen to your skrillex and shut up. Nirvana also gave way to Dave Grohl, who is my spirit animal, so I mean obviously I love them.

SHIRT: H&M (old, similar here) || BRALETTE: VICTORIA’S SECRET (similar here) || KIMONO: FOREVER21 || LEGGINGS: H&M || BOOTS: JIMMY CHOO || BAG: H&M (similar style here and here) || SHADES: RAY BAN || RING: ROMAN LUXE
If you can’t tell, I’ve started the process of going blonde! I’m super excited about it. I’ve never been this light before! Especially my ends from already having an ombre, it feels fabulous!

It’s funny as I write this thinking about how going to the Stone Pony is literally no big deal for me but some people may be like ohhhh wow! hah. I’ve spent my entire life on the beach, no more than a 5 minute drive away no matter where I lived, (save for a few years after college when a momentary lapse in judgement made me think it was ok to relocate up north, never again). I used to spend my weekends at the Pony watching my now husband and friend’s bands play, now I live about 2 minutes from the venue. It’s pretty legit. Anywho! I dig this outfit… another band t-shirt, surprise surprise! Like I said, I have a plenty! I refuse to dress warm anymore, even if the weather calls for it. It is Spring and that is how I am dressing from now on, so there!

Don’t forget about my Hydroxatone giveaway happening now! There is still 2 days left to enter!! I’ll be announcing the winner on Wednesday, someone will win over $100 in Hydroxatone amazingness, so don’t miss out! Enter here.