Category Archives: Fashion & Style

Fashion Roundup: 5 Wedge Sandals I Love

April 23, 2014Fashion & Style, Style GuideShoes, Wedge SandalsAlicia

It’s sandal time! I am pretty tired of wearing close toed shoes. I’ve been wearing ballet flats and mary janes since the beginning of winter and my toes are ready to be free! That also means it’s time to get pedicures.. Mari.. are you reading this? 😉

I am a shortie (5’1″) and have never been a fan of heels because I feel unstable and oddly tall in them but in the last few years I’ve expanded my shoe collection to include a few pairs of wedge sandals and I love that they are comfortable and help me be taller if it is only temporary. I’ve suffered through a winter of flats and am ready to wear wedge sandals again. I almost bought a pair of TOMS wedge booties this winter but didn’t because it felt a little strange to have a close-toe wedge but I think when fall comes this year I’ll be ready. Lucky for me, wedges look good with everything from jeans to leggings to skirts, in my opinion at least. 🙂

Wedge Height

The higher the wedge, the dressier the shoe. I like to keep it casual and relatively low to the ground so I stick with a maximum heel height of 2.5 inches. So far at least.

Wedge Base Material

The most common wedges are wooden and cork but my favorite, the Born Maldives, are leather wrapped. The base of a wedge may be made of a solid piece of wood or cork or it may be hollow inside, which reduces the weight of the shoe, and wrapped in cork or wood. Other wedge base materials include rubber, plastic, leather and canvas. Wooden wedges are typically very cute but you might want to stay away from them if you need super comfortable wedge. Cork wedges are usually very light weight.

wedge sandals - cork, leather, and wooden wedge

1 – Sam & Libby Niles Wedge Sandals – $34.99 at Target.com
These wedges are available in tan and black. They are not sold in stores. From what I’ve read, these wedge sandals fit true to size but are a bit narrow so you should be safe ordering your size. If you have a wide foot, these might not be for you.
Heel height: 2½”
2 – Franco Sarto Doris Gladiator Sandal – $59.95 at DWS.com
This sandal with a 2½” stacked wedge heel is rated “very comfy” by customers on DSW.com and appears to be true to size.
Heel height: 2½”
3 – Born Maldives – $110 at Zappos.com
These are my favorite wedge sandals ever and well worth the price. I have Born Maldives in black and tan and have worn them for two years. The wedge heel of the black and tan pairs are leather wrapped but there are other colors that are cork wrapped which I think look pretty cool.
Heel height: 2½”
4 – Mephisto Minoa – $265 at Zappos.com
Shoes from this tried and true brand are sure to be comfy but Mephisto’s style hasn’t always been my favorite. I do like these sandals though. A bit of glimmer makes these wedge sandals dressy but the cork and latex footbed dress them down a bit. These sandals are available in four colors.
Heel height: 2″
5 – TOMS Canvas Wedge Sandal – $68 at Nordstrom.com
These win the top prize, but there really isn’t a prize, for wedge sandals.. for this post at least. 🙂 You can’t beat $68 for a pair of comfortable wedges especially knowing that when you buy a pair, TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child in need.
Heel height: 4″

Happy wedge shopping!

4 Children’s Sneakers That Will Add Color To Your Child’s Step

February 7, 2014Fashion & Style, Shoes, Style GuideChildren's Sneakers, Fashion, ShoesAlicia

Sometimes a kid’s outfit needs to be jazzed up with a little color and style.

These four children’s sneakers adorably colorful and super in every way!

1 Burberry Tom Check Hi-Top Trainers
Don’t let ‘trainers’ fool you. These Burberry sneakers are available for infants and girls up to size 35 (U.S. 3 1/2 girls)
– $195

2 Melissa Shoes Mini Polibolha II Jelly Sneaker
Does your child need a little more tread on their shoes.. everywhere on their shoes? How adorable are these jelly sneakers? They come in other colors. These are available in toddler sizes 5 through 10.
– $55

3 TOMS Colorblock Botas Shoe
These colorblock canvas shoes are sure to be comfortable and easy to wash, a plus in my book! With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.
– $44.00

4 Nike Girls’ Air Max 2013 Running Sneakers
If you are looking for a more traditional shoe these colorful Nike sneakers would be a great fit. These are available in sizes 6 and 7 now.
– On sale now for $109.98 from $139.

Would your child wear a pair of these sneakers?

Fashion & Style Guide: 6 Beanies Under $50

November 22, 2013Fashion & Style, Style Guidebeanie hatAlicia

If it is below 50 degrees outside, you’ll find me bundled up. About the only thing I enjoy about winter is wearing cozy clothes. I don’t like not getting to go outside the with the kids without having the bundle up, looking out the windows and seeing leafless trees, and getting into a cold car. Enough said about that.

This year, because I guess we really do get smarter as we age, I am adding hats to my winter wardrobe. I suppose pulling my coat over my head and covering my ears with my hands isn’t the smartest way to not freeze. I saw a woman wearing a beanie yesterday at my daughter’s Thanksgiving Feast as school and thought about how cute.. and warm she looked. Maybe I ought to give that a try. Beanies are the ideal winter hat because they slide on, fit cozily, and there’s not so much of a risk of them being blown off by the wind. I also love how compact they are. I could easily put two or three beanies in the glove compartment of my car and never be without one!

Beanies come in a lot of styles. You could have one for each day of the week and every dress situation. A casual beanie, a dressy beanie, a fun beanie, a boring beanie.. I could go on and on.

A few things I have been looking for on my search for a few perfect beanies are neutral colors, a loose fit style (so I’m not left with a red line on my forehead when I take it off), and a tight-knit would be good so the cold air doesn’t seep in through the holes.

Here are a few beanies I love that are under $50

1 – Echo ‘Milk Made’ Slouchy Beanie – $35 at Nordstrom.com
Available in 8 colors!

2 – Mossimo® Beaded Beanie Hat – $12.99 at Target.com
This knit beanie is studded with glittering silver beads for a bit of sparkle and shine.

3 – Perfect Slouchy Knit Hat – $48 at NeimanMarcus.com
Hat Attack’s Perfect Slouchy hat caps your casual look with a cozy, chunky knit.

4 – Flecked Pastures Beanie – $32 at Antrhopologie.com

5 – Crochet Beanie Hat with Flower – $16.99 at Target.com

6 – Beaded Spiral Rib Beanie – $48.00 at Shopbop.com

Do you have a favorite beanie or are you looking for the perfect beanie? Let me know if I can help you find something!

A 7-Year-Old Girl’s Dream Shopping Trip at OshKosh B’gosh + 25% Off Coupon!

November 9, 2013Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Fashion & Style, Holiday, Shopping, Style Guidegirl's clothes, holiday clothes, Oshkosh B'goshAlicia

*I participated in an Influencer Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for OshKosh B’gosh. I received a gift card to facilitate my shopping trip and to thank me for participating.

As strange as it may sound, I rarely take Madelyn with me when I buy her clothes. I’d rather buy a bunch of clothes and bring them home for her to say yay or nay to and try on at home, than deal with the potential whining about trying clothes on and me taking too long. On that note, last week I was brave and took Madelyn to the OshKosh B’gosh store. I expected whining. I expected chaos. And I got it. Not because she didn’t want to try clothes on. It was the opposite this time. She wanted to try on everything! We were at the store for 2 hours.

When we arrived at OshKosh B’gosh, two employees greeted us. One asked what we were shopping for and one told us about the amazing doorbuster items. My jaw dropped when she told me that the fleece pullovers were just $9! If I wasn’t there to buy outfits for school, I would have grabbed a dozen pairs of fleece pants and pullovers and been done with our shopping trip.

After perusing the doorbuster items we made it to the racks of clothes. Madelyn put three outfits together in a matter of minutes.. then five.. and more and more. Oh my gosh they were cute outfits too! I quickly got down on my knees and explained to her that while I would love for her to have a velvet dress with an adorable turtleneck to pair with it and tights, my goal with this shopping trip was to buy her a couple of outfits she could wear to school. While I was talking to her, I saw her eyes focus on something behind me. Boots.. “the most super-adorabalist boots EVER” she said…sort of like that new word she came up with earlier this week; fancasual. She’s on a roll with the interesting new words. That was the end of that conversation.

While she tried on the boots, I found jeggings. I have bought Madelyn several pairs of jeggings in the last year and she’s worn holes in all of them. When I picked up a pair of OshKosh’s jeggings, I realized that the jeggings I had bought were not nearly as good quality as OshKosh B’gosh’s. Their jeggings are thick and seem very durable.

Madelyn paired a knit cardigan from OshKosh B’gosh that she had with one of the outfits we bought, creating this adorable outfit. This is my favorite of the outfits she picked. It is practical for school and it will also make a cute holiday outfit.

Oh, and aren’t the boots adorable? The boots are regularly $50. I initially told Madelyn she couldn’t get the boots but when she put the effort into putting them on with every outfit she tried on and I saw just how freakin’ cute they are with everything.. I caved. I was sure the boots were going to put us well over our $100 limit.. but seeing as how our entire purchase was just $96, they didn’t!

I could not believe how many items we were able to get with our $100 gift card at OshKosh B’gosh! Seriously. I took a photo to show you just what we bought with $96!

This is what we got for $96!

2 pairs of jeggings
1 fleece pullover
1 long sleeve embellished tee
1 long sleeve tunic
2 pairs of jersey yoga pants
1 pair of microfleece pants
1 pair of sherpa ankle boots
1 pack of cotton tees
1 star belt
1 bracelet

Pretty great, right?

OshKosh B’gosh Coupon!

Because I want you to get the same amount of stuff that Madelyn did for just about $100, here is a coupon for 25% off your purchase of $30 or more!

OshKosh B’gosh has offered a special coupon for 25% off a $30 purchase for The Mommy Insider readers! This coupon can also be redeemed online or in your local OshKosh B’gosh store.

It was tempting to use my gift card to buy holiday clothes for Madelyn but she can make any outfit look festive with accessories…she’s better at that than I am.. so we refrained on buying ‘holiday specific’ items and went with fun, functional, and comfortable everyday clothes. We’ll be back soon (we got a coupon with our purchase) so maybe we’ll stock up on holiday clothes next time! Here are a few cute pieces that would be great for holiday outfits.

Connect with OshKosh B’gosh on Twitter and Facebook!

5 Fancasual (Fancy + Casual) Dresses For Little Girls Sizes 4-14

November 6, 2013Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Ages 10-13, Fashion & Style, Style Guidedresses, Fashion, little girl fashion, styleAlicia

Madelyn, my 7-year-old, informed me a few days ago that she is ready to clean her closet of any dresses she hasn’t worn in a few days. A few days? She said that if she hasn’t worn them in a few days they aren’t a favorite and should be given to a little girl who will appreciate them. Seriously, I thought.. she actually heard something I said?!

So, we went through her closet and took out a bunch of stuff most of which was too small and she took out a few dresses that were not too small but she hasn’t worn more than once or twice. I had to accept that we were getting rid of relatively unworn pieces but we will deliver them to Goodwill and I’m sure there’s a little girl who will love the dresses as much as I did when I bought them for Madelyn.

girl's dress wishlist

I asked Madelyn to come up with a list of what she wants and doesn’t want in “fancasual” dresses. That ended up being quite the project. She got a whiteboard and dry erase markers and asked me to make ‘want’ and ‘don’t want’ columns then she spouted off a list of characteristics she’s looking for in a dress. Maybe she should be a dress designer after all. I have always thought career choice was an odd one but now that she’s getting older and better able to share her thoughts with me, I see it.

Here are the columns. I was a good listener despite some of her strange requests like ‘gross, uncomfortable stuff’. I wanted so badly to ask what dress she’s owned that was gross or had uncomfortable stuff on it? Really?

Two more questionable characteristics in her ‘don’t want’ list are blah and ugly sleeves. As we went through her old dresses I asked if each was ‘blah’ or had ugly sleeves. What’s an ugly sleeve anyway I asked? She said “it’s one that’s puffy or has things dangling from it”. Ok. We didn’t come across a dress with ugly sleeves so apparently I haven’t made that mistake yet.

Here are 5 dresses that Madelyn hand-picked that meet most of her ‘want’ requirements.

You’ll notice that blue from the ‘don’t want’ column was ignored when it came time to actually choosing dresses. 🙂

1 – Splendid ’Sparkle Lux’ Dress | Available in girl’s sizes 7-8, 10, 12, 14 – $68

2 – Soprano Beaded Peter Pan Collar Sleeveless Dress | Available in sizes 7-8, 10-12, 14, 16 – $42

3 – Ella and Lulu Striped Floral Dress | Available in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 – $38

4 – Truly Me Stripe Hooded Dress | Available in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 – $54

5 – Ella and Lulu Colorblock Dress | Available in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 – $38

Madelyn was a little concerned about the beaded collar on dress #2 but when she saw that it is called a Peter Pan Collar, she agreed that might be the best dress ever!

What is your daughter’s dream dress? I’d love to know what she says if you ask her! It might be different that you expect. I didn’t expect unicorns and no ‘ugly sleeves’… that’s for sure!