Tag Archive for what to wear

Wardrobe Overhaul: Flatter Your Figure

Wanna Look professional and maybe even a little sexy? I know I do. With my maternity leave coming to an end and my return to the office imminent I have been inspired to dump my frump. As a result I am currently on a mission to overhaul my professional wardrobe.

As part of this overhaul I recently bought the following three items from Ann Taylor:

These pieces completely flatter my size 12 four months post pardon figure and make me feel fabulous. If they can do this for me (a woman who has recently given birth to baby #2 and has been mistaken for still being pregnant), think about what they could do for you!

  1. Snake Print Cuffed Sleeveless Dress – Not only is this dress ultra-flattering as a result of being side-ruched it is also MACHINE WASHABLE.
  2. Seamless Ponte Pencil Skirt – This skirt is made of some type of miracle fabric that makes you look thinner. Tip: try it on a size smaller than you normally buy.
  3. Perfect Leather Pump – 3 1/4″ high heel makes your legs look amazing but thanks to the padded leather footbed they are actually comfortable.

Okay ladies, don’t hold out on me, what flatter any figure type items are in your closet?

About Kelly Tirman

Kelly Tirman is the mom behind kellytirman.com and serves as Sr. Manager of Operations for Walmart’s Global eCommerce User Experience, Insights & Analytics teams. Kelly’s blog focuses on sharing ideas on urban living; including general lifestyle, raising multilingual children and organic beauty.

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Wardrobe Overhaul: Finding Your Signature Style

Tired of looking frumpy? I know I am. I realized recently that the last time I purchased non-maternity work clothes was 2008. With my maternity leave coming to an end and my return to the office imminent my professional wardrobe really needed a total overhaul. I hope you find these next few fashion posts not only entertaining (you are laughing with me and not at me right?) but helpful.

The goals for this wardrobe overhaul are the following:

  • Remove all ragged clothes from my closet. Heading back to the office wearing stained worn out clothes is not an option.
  • As an urban professional with very little closet space I need a low maintenance, somewhat minimalist wardrobe consisting of several interchangeable items.
  • Look professional and dare I say a little sexy.

First item up to bat are shirts…When you find a shirt that you love, is it okay to buy it in every color?

I recently bought the above shirt from Ann Taylor in all four available colors (two in the store and two online). Yep, I admit this might sound wacky but I am kinda a “uniform” type of gal. For example, I had always admired Steve Jobs for wearing the same combination of jeans and a turtleneck. It seemed convenient and the style became his signature.

I am eager to hear what my fellow mom and fashion guru Audrey McClelland thinks about me picking four of the same tops for my new signature style. I am hoping it will come off minimalistic, low maintenance yet classy. Since stylistic tops like these change slightly from season to season I am thinking finding an updated yet different top each season shouldn’t be that difficult. What do you think?

I bought this shirt from Ann Taylor in all four available colors because:

  • It was easy. As the overbooked crazy person that I am; I had exactly 90 minutes to work with an Ann Taylor stylist to refresh my outdated wardrobe (BTW – Anna at the Stanford Shopping Center Ann Taylor is awesome).
  • They were reasonably priced and on sale.
  • I loved the cut and it looked good on my body.
  • The material felt good. I can’t stand itchy clothes!
  • Although they are not “nursing” tops, I feel comfortable that I will be able to pump in them without an issue.
  • These shirts are MACHINE WASHABLE! Which is great because I don’t have time to go the the dry cleaners and I am pretty sure they will have toddler grease or breast milk spilled on them on a regular basis.

Considering the goals for this wardrobe overhaul; what do you think about these shirts?

About Kelly Tirman

Kelly Tirman is the mom behind kellytirman.com and serves as Sr. Manager of Operations for Walmart’s Global eCommerce User Experience, Insights & Analytics teams. Kelly’s blog focuses on sharing ideas on urban living; including general lifestyle, raising multilingual children and organic beauty.

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My Favorite Laptop Sleeve

Carry your laptop in style! SERIOUSLY, not a day goes by that I don’t get one or more (okay let’s call it average of 3) compliments on my laptop sleeve.

Usually, I just try to act cool, you know-smile and say, “thank you.” Try to pretend looking so fab comes naturally. Give them that shrug like, “yep, that’s how I roll.”

But really, I’m dying to strike up an lengthy conversation about how much I LOVE it, how much constant attention I get from it, and how FABULOUS I feel as I carry my laptop around in style.

What they would never believe, is that it only costs $27 bucks. Not bad considering it successfully protects my precious laptop that, let’s face it, contains pretty much my entire life.

So here’s the bottom line: This oilcloth laptop sleeve in Toile White (or any other color for that matter) is a high quality fashion item at a reasonable price.

cool_laptop_sleeve

Specifications:

  • fully padded interior
  • dimensions are 15″ x 2″ x 1″
  • zippered sleeve
  • outside pocket to carry extra papers, cords, etc.

Oh, and THEN, once you’ve received your sleeve… please comment on this post to let me know how much you love it too :)

About Kelly Tirman

Kelly Tirman is the mom behind kellytirman.com and serves as Sr. Manager of Operations for Walmart’s Global eCommerce User Experience, Insights & Analytics teams. Kelly’s blog focuses on sharing ideas on urban living; including general lifestyle, raising multilingual children and organic beauty.

Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+

Find the Perfect Little Black Dress at Shabby Apple


After years of not being able to find stylish dresses that covered enough skin to make you really feel comfortable, owners of Shabby Apple decided to do something about it. They visited trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios only to discover the problem was not that department stores weren’t buying the right dresses, but that designers weren’t designing them. They found a niche and began filling it with beautiful dresses that allow you to look fabulous no matter your age, shape or size.

Personally I am impressed with Shabby Apple and their little black dresses for the following four reasons:

Ethical Business Practices
In this global economy I appreciate that Shabby Apple donates 5% of its net dress sales to help women worldwide. These funds specifically support work in India where Shabby Apple has sourced many of its dresses and the textiles. I also love that each Shabby Apple dress includes a tag which features a micro-credit success story as it helps me mentally connect their global business practices to my specific dress.

High Quality Product
I was really impressed with the quality of the product. Too often  other manufactures at the same price point that have loose stitching or fabrics that will only last a season. This is not the case with Shabby Apple. The fabric and the stitching is high quality and suspect it will look just as great several seasons from now.

Selection and Flattering Fit
Their selection of “little black dresses” include multiple styles and cuts that would flatter a wide variety of body types. The styles are somewhat modest (yet fashionable) and extremely appropriate for the modern mom. My specific dress (called the “Tiery-Eyed”) which meant to be snug, was amazingly flattering due to tiers of soft frills that bedeck the simple silhouette of the stretch cotton dress. These frills are important because they essentially made my post baby belly virtually disappear.

Several Easy to Clean Options
Clothes that can be washed in cold and line dried has always been my preference since this is more environmental friendly than dry cleaning. As mother, easy to clean clothes that can be quickly washed and air dried has become a necessity. Shabby Apple has a surprising assortment of dresses that meet both these needs.

Discloser: Shabby Apple  was kind enough to provide me with a Tiery-Eyed dress in black for review purposes.

About Kelly Tirman

Kelly Tirman is the mom behind kellytirman.com and serves as Sr. Manager of Operations for Walmart’s Global eCommerce User Experience, Insights & Analytics teams. Kelly’s blog focuses on sharing ideas on urban living; including general lifestyle, raising multilingual children and organic beauty.

Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+

What to Wear: Typical Tuesday

I know most people wouldn’t be caught dead in maternity clothes post pregnancy but honestly, this pencil skirt from Japanese Weekend is one of my favorite wardrobe staples.

I am not sure about the scarf I wore today and I wonder if I should have worn the Athleta Burn Out Scarf I wore yesterday instead.

Do you think this outfit works?
How would you modify it to match your style and personality?

About Kelly Tirman

Kelly Tirman is the mom behind kellytirman.com and serves as Sr. Manager of Operations for Walmart’s Global eCommerce User Experience, Insights & Analytics teams. Kelly’s blog focuses on sharing ideas on urban living; including general lifestyle, raising multilingual children and organic beauty.

Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+

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