Review and Wear Wednesday: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

So I've decided that in order to get books reviewed on the regular, I need to incorporate them even more into my outfits. I've been trying to wear outfits that reflect a book for a while now--whether it's just wearing colors that are on the book cover, or trying to wear outfits that reflect a time period, or if a character is described wearing something, trying to replicate that. But now I'm going to try to do that more by having Review and Wear Wednesdays! Like Haturdays, I can't promise that I will do this every week, but having a dedicated day might have me review books more, like I wear hats more. Without further ado....

Necklace - Nordstrom, Top - Old Navy, Watch - Michele Watches, Dress (worn as skirt) - American Eagle, Sandals - Dolce Vita

Here's my outfit for The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

It features flowers!

That chartreuse green from the top looks familiar....

Not familiar with the cover? Guess what color it is.

Sorry for the crappy file, but you get the idea.

Never read the book? It's very well regarded among the YA crowd. And since I'm trying to get into Young Adult more than ever, I thought, I must read the cool cult classic.

And as I read and when I finished, I thought, I am way too old for this shit.

Purple leggings

Leggings are a pregnant lady's best friend.

Tunic - Arden B., Necklace - Arden B., Purple leggings - Forever 21, Sandals - Dolce Vita

I hardly ever wear these purple ones, but since I only have two breathable black ones and one brown pair, I need to take advantage of everything I own.

Including a tunic that barely covers my butt.

It's fun to infuse color in your wardrobe in unexpected ways. Maybe I should find some more fun colors and patterns?

Because we have three more months left in this pregnancy!

Roomy dress, little belt

Roomy dresses allow for my belly bump, but you still don't want to look like you're wearing a sack.

Yellow cardigan - Gap, Dress - H&M, Belt - Primark, Watch - Michele Watches, Sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

A fun selection of belts is a closet must. I love this leopard print one because it effortlessly combines the blacks and browns of your outfit.

Plus animal print is so darn sassy.

I saw some leopard print pants at Target yesterday that I really, really wanted, but it's not the best clothes-buying time for me obviously.

My body is different every day!

I'm going to have fun with my accessories in the mean time.

Good hair

Welcome to the blog my new maternity pants.

Shirt - Forever 21, Denim jacket - Gap, Bracelet - Stall in Honolulu, Pants - Destination Maternity, Boots - Jeffrey Campbell

I've actually had them forever but I had to get them hemmed.

Regular tailor visits are a must in my life.

Because I went more casual with my outfit, I spent some extra time on my hair. I have a theory that if your hair and make-up look perfect, it doesn't really matter what your outfit looks like--people will just think you're put-together anyway.

And let me tell you--the extra time was worth it.

I only wash my hair once a week, or even once every two weeks. Even though I lost some of the fullness as the week went on, overall, my hair looked darn good.

How much time do you spend on your hair?

Fave of the Week: April 21-April 27

My favorite outfit of the week was from Friday.

Here's a good general rule--if you're wearing an outfit that shows too much leg and too much up top, cover up one of them! That can mean throwing on a cardigan or blazer, or putting on tights when it's chillier outside. You want to have fun with your clothes and your look, but you also want to look like a lady.

Fun Friday

Ahhh, this Friday was a good day. I took off from work, so there's one good thing.

Purple cardigan - Express, Snood - Primark, Dress - Pac Sun, Watch - Michele Watches, Sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

It gives me a few more wardrobe options. Or at least makes me think I have more options. I originally put on this dress thinking, Whew, too short to wear to work!

Then I realized with the spaghetti straps, it was also not good to wear to Child's school event either. Whoops.

Adding this cardigan and scarf covered up enough to make it school or work appropriate!

Camera with flash this time. I can't decide which I like better.

I ditched everything but the dress because it got hot as the day went on. I went baby clothes shopping with Mom and that required a lot of walking! But before that, I was working in the kitchen.

Making crackle cookies! Or crinkle cookies? Also, brownie cookies.

Can you tell I'm still playing with the new camera?

From my head down to my toes

Did I mention that I got a new camera?

Silk blouse - J. Crew, Green cardigan - Gap, Necklace - Nordstrom, Belt - Primark, Black skirt - Old Navy, Shoes (not pictured here) - Sam Edelman

These pictures were actually the first outfit pics that I took with it, but I was talking too much about purses and books to mention it then.

Purse - Dooney & Bourke

I'm still trying to figure out the best lighting, best place to put the camera when Husband can't take the pics (I don't have a tripod...yet), etc., so sorry if the pictures are kind of crazy for a while. Like, say, if I cut off my feet...

...or the top of my head!

Divergent

Oh, my wardrobe, so surprisingly divergent. Maybe you think you bought a roomy tunic/shirt-dress situation, but then bam, you became pregnant, and it turned into the perfect business attire of a pregnant lady.

Pink tunic - Bebe, Belt - Primark, Leggings - Roots, Shoes - Aldo

Seriously, my closet amazes me. And I didn't even realize this was an option until I went fishing for something to work with the debut of my Christmas purse.

Purse - Dooney & Bourke

You're wondering why a green purse inspired me to wear bright pink.

That's why.

All together now!

Pink and green is also a fun, preppy combination of colors.

Speaking of the divergent nature of my closet, have you read Divergent by Veronica Roth? It's the latest young adult book to get tons of hype, a la The Hunger Games. Worth it? Keep going to see my super long review...

And now we return to our regularly scheduled program

Even though I'm still a month behind in outfit pics, I started taking more daily photos of myself in mid-April, so back to just one outfit per post!

Gray dress - H&M, Snood - Primark, Boots - Frye

There was a weird patch of cold weather in April that surprised everybody but that's NC weather for you. I was happy to wear this light sweater dress because it's one of the few things in my closet that is bump-accommodating but I haven't worn yet!

Ahhh, feels like new clothes when I can find something that works with the bump.

I've mused before on this blog that I need to get rid of this sweater dress because it's gotten pill-y, but now of course I'm glad that it's still around for me.

How did I get so big all of a sudden?

Do you have anything in your closet that you can't quite get rid of yet?

I'll support you if you want to keep it!

Fave of the Week: April 14-April 20 (and some daily outfit pics)

Here are some more pictures from my Chicago trip. This is what I wore for the trip home, and it's my fave of the week:

Headband - Nordstrom, Black cami - Express, Tunic - Arden B., Purple leggings - Forever 21, Boots - Frye

This is an example of a very comfortable travel outfit--roomy tunic, colorful but not fussy leggings, and boots that are easy to take off.

There's also plenty of room for my bump.

I will never be the sort of woman to wear stilettos to the airport. I think sturdy boots that you can walk a lot in are best. On the other end of the spectrum, I will never be the sort of woman to wear sweatpants, but man, leggings are still a comfortable and more stylish option for me.

What sort of outfit do you like to travel in?

Here's what I wore the day before, which actually got a lot of compliments:

Fave of the Week: April 7-April 13 (and some daily outfit pics)

Here are a couple of pictures from my last work trip for a while, guys. Keeping in mind that I normally do around eight trips a year, I'm kind of shocked. Oxford in January, Chicago in April...and done. (I was supposed to also go to Orlando in May, but a coworker has stepped up to go in my place, thank goodness.)

My fave of the week goes to my first full day in Chicago, Thursday, and it just kind of wins by default.

Black cardigan - Gap Outlet, Blouse - Express, Cami - Unknown, Black skirt - Old Navy, Flats - Sam Edelman

I didn't have any pics from earlier in the week, and Friday's outfit...well, it's going to look very similar to a recent fave of the week. Too familiar.

But until I'm ready to show that outfit, let's talk about this blouse!

Can you believe this top is not a maternity shirt? The amount of clothes that I've managed to keep on wearing from my regular ol' closet boggles my mind. Being pregnant and trying to stretch my wardrobe (um, figuratively, not literally, but yeah, sometimes that too) is kind of like the 30 for 30 challenge. Omigoodness, you guys, should I do a 30 for 30: Pregnancy edition? I think I should!

Obviously this top will crop up all the time:

Fave of the Week (Savannah-style!): March 31-April 6 (and some daily outfit pics)

Once upon a time, Husband and I were a new-ish couple, planning our first trip together. Something in driving distance, somewhere to create fun memories. Then we saw a newspaper article about Savannah--promoting it as a romantic, charming town, with a lot of food to experience and great for walking around. We went and had a wonderful time, going on multiple walking tours and eating our share of food. (Also, I had recently read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. It was before I was on Goodreads so I can't give you my assessment of it at the time, but I remember it being a fun, interesting read!)

Anyhoodle, Husband surprised me with a babymoon trip all planned--a return trip to Savannah!

Standing in front of the Georgia Queen!

We stayed right on River Street, spending our first night there just wandering around, eating, then back to our hotel to crash. And as simple as it is, my first day outfit on Sunday was my fave of the week.

Blouse - Anthropologie, Grape-colored purse - Marc by Marc Jacobs, Jeans - Destination Maternity, Sandals - Jeffrey Campbell

There's something to be said for keeping it simple--sometimes it just works. A crisply-white blouse with a ruffle detail to keep it interesting, jeans, strappy sandals, and a fun-colored purse: a chic, comfortable travel outfit.

Notice anything different, by the way?

Fave of the Week: March 24-March 30

I only have one outfit pic from this week, but it probably really was the best outfit, and it's at least from an important day.

Denim jacket - Gap, Bronze woven belt - Target, Dress - Jovovich-Hawk for Target, Shoes (not pictured, not remember, but I think...) - Jeffrey Campbell short boots?

Husband and I got to see Baby at our first ever ultrasound appointment. We've heard and loved Baby's heartbeat which we normally listen to when we visit the doctor, but actually getting to see the heart pumping and blood flowing made me feel very emotional. 

I'm a proud mama! Of a sweet, strong baby girl.

Fave of the Week: March 17-March 23 (and some daily outfit pics)

Wednesday's outfit for the win!

Cardigan - Nordstrom, Tunic - Destination Maternity, Leggings - Roots, Boots - Frye

Didn't I say you should expect to see this top a lot? It's a good fit, I like the ruffle details along the collar and sleeves, and the muted black, grays, and pinks are easy to work with (even if you're wearing black leggings, brown boots, and a cream cardigan!). Sometimes you just need a good solid workhorse sort of top in your closet, amirite?

Along with a bow hairstyle and a fresh pop of color on your face, of course!

How's the pregnancy going, you ask?