This dress is everything! As soon as it arrived via FedEx I tore it from the box, threw it on, and basically didn't take it off for a few days. I wanted to wear it everywhere! My Kelly green cardigan was a perfect match for the belt, too! The fabric on the dress is way different than I imagined. For some reason I was expecting a cotton dress but it's 100% polyester. While it may not be the best choice for the humidity in Tennessee this Summer, I was so pleasantly surprised at how nice it felt. And it's fully lined which is always a good thing. It's super lightweight and I don't feel bogged down by it at all. While it was totally a courtesy of dress, I would definitely buy it if it hadn't been. I'm a little bit obsessed with it. I don't care how trendy fruit prints are right now, I'm a huge fan! I also really love how the black background and white polka dots help give definition to the fruit. I love the illustration style. The cut and fit of this dress is so flattering too, even at almost 7 months pregnant. Though if we're being honest, I'm starting to notice a huge difference in the girth of my natural waist these days haha As this baby gets bigger and bigger, everything is getting pushed higher up on the internal side of things and my fit and flare dresses are starting to get a wee bit tighter. I know you can't really tell how big my bump is in this outfit, but this photo should give you an idea haha! I have a feeling I'll be living in those Liz Lange and Old Navy dresses during the warmer months anyway. You know, when I'm not submerged in the pool to escape the heat.
And now a little diddy on "maternity style"... I've tried writing this like three times but every time it comes out like I'm whining so I apologize! Totally not my intention as I really just wanted to open up a discussion about things haha It's been brought up that many of my maternity style posts are really just regular ol' outfit posts with the word "maternity" added in, and that's totally true. I've been thinking about writing a post about "maternity" style and things like that, but honestly I couldn't really wrap my thoughts up into a nice little package, so instead you'll get a paragraph or two instead haha! I can't speak for any other pregnant lady, but I know that when I first found out I was expecting, I was incredibly nervous about how I was going to be able to dress my growing figure. I mean, my current wardrobe has supported weight gain in the past, that's no problem. But dressing myself while one particular area of my body is growing at a much more rapid pace than the rest of it... yow, that sounded scary! I was afraid I'd be left with a closet full of clothes that I couldn't wear, and I'd have to shell out mad cash for a whole new wardrobe I'd only wear for a few months. Luckily I've been able to transition a lot of my clothing into this new phase, even if it is getting harder and harder to do. (Shoutout to fit and flare dresses!) And the pieces of maternity clothing that I have purchased have all been very in line with my personal aesthetic and style. I mean, why would I all of a sudden do a 180 with my style in order to dress my bump? Granted I've tried new silhouettes (and totally loved them!), but all in all I'm still a dresses and cardigan kind of girl.
When I did a thorough Pinterest search for maternity-friendly outfits, most of the results were jeans and a blouse, or something that really wouldn't flatter my figure (pregnant or otherwise!). When you're already curvy, adding a basketball under your top can be intimidating haha. Again, I can't speak for all pregnant women, but I'm so glad I haven't had to give up my personal style just for the sake of this bump (at least so far). Isn't that something a lot of us hope for? To be able to stay true to our styles and likes while experiencing something so rad, yet new? Eh, I don't know! Maybe my brain was just over thinking it - that tends to happen a lot haha What do y'all think? Is it fair to label something "maternity style" if it's really just an extension of your everyday style, but you just happen to be pregnant? And do you aim to retain your own personal style while you've got a baby on board? I think it's an interesting discussion to have and I'd love your input!
In other news... we got Toby all registered for kindergarten this week! It's so crazy to me that he'll be transitioning into the elementary school in just a couple of months. Where did my teensy little 3 year old go?! Tonight he has a double header baseball game and I'm crossing my fingers they do as well as they did on Tuesday. Toby got two amazing base hits (a double and a single!) and even scored two runs. Don't tell Mike I told you this, but he totally teared up when Toby crossed home plate. It was his first time making it all the way around the bases and it was definitely one of "those" moments for dear ol' Dad. My heart swells when I see Mike interact with Toby. I feel so incredibly fortunate to share my days with that sweet fella. I love that our boys are going to grow up with such a strong male influence to look up to. Annnnd that's my mushy bit for this post! I can sometimes get carried away...
We're getting started on planting our herbs and veggies this weekend and I'm so excited. I just need to track down a cilantro plant somewhere. Homemade salsa, here I come! We're spending the day gallavanting around Nashville tomorrow in hopes of finding some stuff for the nursery, and maybe even some outdoor furniture or accessories to help set the mood of our back deck. It's so crazy to me that we're already having weeks in the mid-80s around here! I mean, that's totally normal for Tennessee, but it feels like just yesterday I was whining about how cold it was haha I'm also crossing my fingers that I'll see a few of my favorite lady friends tomorrow, too! I hope y'all have a great start to your weekend. Be sure to pop back by tomorrow for a super fun Rad Gal, Rad Gig! If you're a Harry Potter fan, you won't want to miss it! xo
Fresh Farmer's Market dress c/o ModCloth
Charter School cardigan c/o ModCloth
Body Central necklace
Urban Expressions purse (via WWDMAGIC)
ShoeMint flats (c/o - last year)
This dress is beautiful! Usually the problem with maternity clothes is that are boring at least at my side of the planet (Greece). Have a lovely weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love everything about this outfit, the dress has been on my Modcloth wish list ever since it appeared online. You look fab!! x
ReplyDeleteso beautiful ♥
ReplyDeleteSO adorable!! I hope I look half as cute as you when I have kiddos in the semi-near future!
ReplyDeleteThat dress looks incredible! It has such a fun print for the summer.
ReplyDeleteI love your maternity style. In some of this pics you don't even look pregnant.
ReplyDeleteOh Kaelah your paragraph about Mike and Toby made me tear up too! So cute! As always loving yet another one of your dresses!
ReplyDeleteSophie
x
I love this dress and as always, love your style! It's also great to see someone staying true to their style instead of feeling like they have to wear maternity clothes.
ReplyDeleteI kind of understand people pointing out that your "maternity style" isn't really much different than your "regular" style... but i don't think that invalidates the post titles at all. Part of being pregnant IS figuring out how to work with it; bloggers who pop a bump at 15 weeks and replace their entire wardrobes aren't really doing something that's realistic for most of their readers, I think. The vast majority of pregnant women simply can't afford to buy all new stuff to accomodate their changing size - and your way of simply adjusting what you already own is, in my opinion, a bit more inspirational!
ReplyDeleteI haven't really been so lucky - I've written a little bit about the ridiculous nature of trying to shop for maternity clothes:
http://stressandstars.blogspot.com/2014/02/tomboy-style-of-sort-lazy-days.html
http://stressandstars.blogspot.com/2014/04/5-weird-things-about-pregnancy.html
but my biggest problem has been that I am a hardcore jeans-and-casual-top kind of woman, and I'm long-waisted in a big way. So I was already fighting to find shirts long enough BEFORE my stomach started to stick out, and now nearly all my pre-prego shirts just don't work. I wear a LOT of cardigans to my (thankfully air-conditioned) workplace, because you can easily find cardigans long enough to cover to my hips and make it less obvious that my shirts are basically flashing belly button.
And finding new shirts has been its own battle - because you're always looking for stuff that NOT UGLY and it is shockingly difficult to find it, unless you're also willing to take out a second mortgage on your house. I own a white V-neck tee and a black V-neck tee I got from Target, and a pretty gray shirt from Gap, but otherwise... everything is ruched on the sides which drives me nuts. I JUST WANT SOME COLORFUL TEE SHIRTS, WORLD. Life is hard ;)
This would be easier, definitely, if I was a dress kinda person. I've been told maxi dresses will be my salvation in the coming Southern Summer. But I'm never comfortable in them! So we'll see what breaks first; my tomboy nature or my ability to put up with 90% humidity in jeans.
I got off topic there, haha. Basically I don't see nay problem with your maternity style matching up so far to your pre-maternity style, and you should keep doin' you. I find your maternity style posts a lot more interesting, seeing you adjust here and there to deal with the changes as they come, than I would if you had simply bought yourself a whole new wardrobe entirely. I like how the 'maternity' series of progressing quite a bit, and I'm interested to see how your adjust later as you get bigger!
I can totally feel you here. While our styles are totally different, I can see it being a way harder sell for a jeans and tee kind of girl. I'm amazed at how many cute maternity dresses there are out there (that look NORMAL), but I do think the market is lacking in nice tees, blouses and bottoms... but I guess I've been lucky to miss that sector. But yes, the PRICES! Oh my stars, insanity! I'm already allowing myself to live in my jersey dresses once I get even bigger because I can't stomach the thought of shelling out so much money for stuff! And I doubt I'll want to be sporting clingy, jersey knit fabrics on my postpartum body haha!
DeleteGood luck to the both of us this summer. Oof, it's going to be a doozy!
The jeans were the easy part - I just had to pay $70(!) for a decent pair of bootcut jeans from the Gap. But it's been insane; everything seems so threadbare! I don't want to pay $25 for a T-shirt i can see through!
DeleteClearly, what I've learned from this is that if you want to find really nice pregnancy clothes, be rich first, haha.
Part of my problem too is there's a dearth of "business casual" work clothes for pregnant women. It's either Lilith-on-Cheers-smock-tops and shapeless sacks or high-quality, expensive, professional business dress working attire. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground!
Ugh. I could rant about maternity clothes all day! Please don't let me. I'll try to stop myself.
peoplewhomakematernityclotheshatewomen
okay, now I'm done.
You're pregnant, therefore it's a maternity style....even if you're not wearing 'maternity' clothes and just larger dresses than you'd normally buy, it's still maternity because you're growing a baby...no?? I've never once been like "Well....she's not wearing jeans with a band around them soooo it's not reallllly a maternity post" haha...what? That makes no sense. People have actually 'called you out' on that? So weird!! I think it's so freaking great that you haven't had to result to maternity clothes or styles that you don't like. It's amazing that you can still dress how you want to, even though you're almost all the way through your pregnancy. Maternity dressing should just be an extension of your everyday style, literally an extension haha :) You shouldn't be dressing differently just because you're pregnant. My goodness, people are silly...you just keep doing you Miss Kaelah Bee <3
ReplyDeleteHaha no, no one has "called me out" on it or anything like that - mainly just mentioned it in passing in relation to my blog. It's a totally valid observation and obviously each person is going to feel differently about it. But I'm totally with you (and maybe I'm just biased haha!) that dressing a bump, regardless of the "type" of clothing, is maternity style. At least to a certain extent! :P
DeleteGreen is definitely YOUR color. Like holy moly it looks REALLY good on you!
ReplyDeleteGod, I haven't visited your blog in ages cus I couldnt find it anymore after you changed the name. So glad to see that you're still as amazing as I remembered you to be! :)
ReplyDeleteYou look adorable in this dress and cardi combo! And (I'm probably reeaally late with this, but:) you are pregnant, wow congratulations!! :)
Ah, so sorry you couldn't find it! Both of the old URLs should still work (honeybeeinthecity.blogspot.com and kaelahbee.com) but then again I haven't tried them in so long I have no idea! :P <333
DeleteIf you're pregnant and wearing clothes, it maternity style :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's great to see someone using clothes they have and making it work! I've been a reader for a long time, but as I'm hoping to be in your shoes sometime in this next year I've been really enjoying these posts.
I love your thoughts on maternity style! I'm about 4wks ahead of you on the pregnancy timeline (also with a boy! Hi-five!). I was also concerned about having to drop a lot of cash on maternity clothes, but I've found I only needed a handful of items overall. Now, I'm a pants-and-tee kind of girl, and I'm also really short, so YMMV on my approach if you're taller or into different stuff. I've found that basic black boyfriend tees from Target have worked throughout my pregnancy (which is good, b/c they're basically all I was wearing beforehand, too). I've had to get a few pairs of maternity pants, but I've found eBay and my local Goodwill to be excellent sources for this - I didn't want to pay full price for pieces I know for certain have an expiration date. I've also tried out some different silhouettes (bodycon/maxi, like your stripey dress), but for the most part I've just kept wearing what I always wear.
ReplyDeleteIs it fair to call it maternity style if it's just your reg style but now you're pregnant? YOU BET. Seeing other women not have to drastically alter their style and/or invest in an entirely new wardrobe is helpful! Pinterest &etc give this idea that Maternity Style is something specific (generally I end up seeing maxi skirts with Maternity Tops and lil jean jackets, which... cute, but not me) and something you have to go Buy New Things for.
Also, I love the fruit-and-dots print on you and I *don't* envy you the heat/humidity in Nashville. I'm in Portland and EVER SO GRATEFUL that it's cloudy and chilly until basically July around here.
From one preggo to another - enjoy the last few months of pregnancy, and I'll look fwd to seeing your little bundle when he gets here :))
HOLD UP - are you talking the boyfriend tees that aren't even a little maternity? How long are those on you? I am going to shamelessly ask you for advice on those. You say you're short - like super duper short?
DeleteIf I can make those tees work I am going to go dig myself up to my ELBOWS in them, haha.
I am, indeed, super duper short. 4'11", which is why I say YMMV. On the other hand, Target has those "long & lean" tanks that layer nicely under tees, and since they aren't specifically maternity come with a somewhat lower price tag!
DeleteOld Navy is a good place too. I'm 5'2" and pretty much lived in their tank tops when I was pregnant and still wear them now post baby. They're super long.
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ReplyDeleteI think it's SO much better to keep to your own style when pregnant. My style is very similar to yours (as in, I wear a flared dress and cardigan EVERY day!), and it makes me so happy to see that you've managed to keep your own style whilst pregnant. I think it's even better to label it "maternity style" whilst keeping your own style, since it can inspire others who aren't into the whole wrap-around blouse and maternity jeans thing.
ReplyDeleteYeeeeee thanks for the little shoutout at the end, I'm so excited!!! And hah, I think it's super awesome that you've been able to convert most of your wardrobe - I know I'd be completely at a loss if I had to try and do that!
ReplyDeleteI dressed so horribly while I was pregnant! haha yoga pants and band tees everyday. You look so cute and comfortable though. That dress is adorable.
ReplyDeletethat dress is so perfect!!
ReplyDeleteannabelandlee.blogspot.com
Love the dress and being as you're pregnant it's definitely 'maternity style'!
ReplyDeleteI still love your style posts.... they are indeed maternity style because you are indeed pregnant.. and adorable :)
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