dress: vintage, thrifted | sweater: vintage, estate sale | belt: thrifted | shoes: ASOS | earrings: Etsy | bracelets: thrifted
Needless to say, this is one of the last of my truly vintage dresses that fit (thankfully, most of my blouses and sweaters still do!). That little person in there has been busy growing the past week! Which of course means my belly is growing. I have been so hungry lately too (a welcome change from the previous 2 months), so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a little plumping-up going on. hehe!
But more on this 1940s dress: I thrifted it years ago and could never part with it despite that it’s always been too large. The fabric is so charming as is the handmade nature of the dress. It’s still a bit big pretty much everywhere except my belly, but because it “fits” it works! Belting helps a bit too since I have to hike it up over the bump. I think I may have gotten my seasons mixed up a bit with this dress though: it’s far more spring-like than autumn! But the weather is being finicky right now–low 70s one day and mid 80s the next. Frustrating with an already limited closet… (Thank goodness for lots of cute sweaters like this 1950s era beaded estate sale find.) Hilariously, not 15 minutes after I took these photos, I sneezed and broke the belt. Lesson learned: vintage belts that have seen better days are not the best choice when you’re wearing them over your ribcage atop the bump (and are prone to rather violent sneezes anyway). lol.
Oh, and the title of this post? Pistol Packin’ Mama has been going through my head (don’t try to understand why; things randomly come to me in the wee hours and stick for the next day!). lol. But it is one of my 1940s favorites.
I knew it was coming, but somehow I was still squeezing into my more fitted dresses up until about a week ago. Suddenly the baby bumpy really popped out, and my “waist” started inching north. Which means that all my dresses, tailored to fit my (pre-pregnancy) waist pretty closely, suddenly will not zip. Period. Not to mention drinking the amount of water I do daily, occasional bouts of bloating and whatnot make wearing anything that doesn’t stretch a bit uncomfortable. For the first time in my life, I really (really!) love elastic waists and knits.
I’ve been trying to thrift every week lately in hopes of amassing some sort of pile of maternity-friendly clothes, or at least ones I can alter. Most actual maternity clothes leave me a bit cold style-wise, and I’m not falling all over myself to start sewing quite yet (since I know the bump is going to get really big soon, and some other areas have rounded out a bit; I’m waiting a few weeks). So obviously the old “make do and mend” is coming into play! I have been pretty pleased with the few things I’ve found and redone a bit to work within my wardrobe. I’m having a bit of a style crisis at the moment though: one day I want to dress very girlie, vintage inspired. The next I’m itching to wear long, hippie skirts and bohemian jewelry. This outfit is some weird in-between stage. Is this what all these hormones are doing to me? lol.
So all this to introduce you to the first of my maternity outfit series. I’m hoping to document an outfit a week, up until the little Blueberry makes his/her arrival. This is my week 13 outfit, and one I cobbled together with a new-to-me thrifted skirt and pieces I already had. I have a black and white polka dot skirt (this one is navy blue), but can a girl ever really have too many polka dots in her life? I think not! I find it really comical how different the bump already looks in just a little over a week (the announcement photos we taken the day I officially hit 12 weeks)! I feel so big at this point, and yet I know it’s only the start! hehe. Dressing this is going to be a challenge, but one I’m up for! That and posing for outfit photos… I suddenly don’t know how to position my “new” figure anymore! lol.
And because what outfit post would be complete without a Maverick photobomb? The perspective is throwing his size off a little bit, but he is pretty big at this point! (Like around 70lbs big… I have a horse for a dog.)
top: thrifted | trousers: made by me | handbag: made by me | shoes: ASOS | belt: thrifted | bracelets: secondhand and gift | Navy sweetheart pin: vintage, gift | scarf: estate sale
(Apologies about the messy fireplace hearth… But it’s hard to keep the floor clean for more than 5 minutes with the puppy! lol.) Most of these pieces you’ve seen before on the ol’ blog, but to be honest lately I’ve been relying on many of my favorite pieces to get my summer wardrobe started. I’ve been wearing a lot of bright, poppy color combinations of late, and this outfit was a rest from all that color. (Though truth be told, I had to change later that day and picked something with a bit more vibrancy!) It’s simple, but fun with the scarf and record handbag–and was nice and cool to wear that day!
Obligatory puppy shot! He was being particularly wild and fidgety that day, so the fact that I even got this slightly-blurry picture was a miracle. Maverick has gotten so big–over 45 pounds! Hard to believe he still can do a lot of growing since he’s just coming up on 6 months old. He’s pretty inseparable when SH or I are home; and honestly I can’t imagine not having him around at this point!
dress: made by me | belt: thrifted | shoes: ASOS | handbag: estate sale | scarf: thrifted | earrings: thrifted | brooch: antique fair
I did a double take the other morning when I checked the weather forecast and saw it was going to be in the range of 85°F–just over the weekend I had been chilly and wearing my wool sweaters. I know I talk about it insistently, but this oddball weather has me all mixed up! lol.
I haven’t shown this dress on the ol’ blog since I made it nearly a year ago–despite it being one of my favorite summer frocks and getting a ton of wear last year! Plus I made it a bit big, which is a plus right now since someone has been at the sweets a bit too much. *ahem* It was perfect for the weather the day I wore it–until Maverick got into a mess and got it all over me. Ah, the joys of having a hyper puppy… At least it’s washable! lol.
(I think I was incapable of being serious the day I took these… lol.) I added a few touches of green with the accessories for this outfit. I wanted to carry a green handbag Gina sweetly sent me last year, but it was packed away deep in the spare room closet and I was too lazy to get it out. So the trusty telephone cord bag did the job! But I think a little green bag would look cute with this dress–I need to remember to pull it out next time I go rooting around.
I hope y’all are having a splendid mid-week! I have a fun post for you on Friday, so be sure to stop by to take a peek Friday morning!
Thank you all for your insightful comments in yesterday’s post. I have read them all and am hoping to respond to a few a bit later. I really appreciate your thoughts–even if you didn’t fully agree with me. While I certainly try to keep this blog a place of inspiration and relaxation, I do not want to feel I can’t offer an opinion of my own. Sometimes when blogging it’s easy to get caught up in this idea of “people pleasing” and feel that you can’t say something that may be a bit too opinionated. I do attempt to keep interaction of this sort polite though, because while I may not agree with someone’s viewpoint that doesn’t give me the right to be rude! So thank you–I really just wanted to clear up some of the misunderstanding and questions I had gotten regarding this event. Hopefully now we can get back to the fun stuff–cute outfits and puppies!
shirt: thrifted | trousers: made by me | belt: thrifted | handbag: Coach (gift from SH) | shoes: Muffys | sunglasses: Urban Outfitters | bracelet: family heirloom
I thrifted this shirt about a week ago–it was on the $0.99 rack at one of the local shops. It has a brand name embroidered on one side, but it’s rather unobtrusive and I’d been wanting a lightweight red plaid shirt for the spring! I’m pretty excited I got it for so little–and I may have worn it three times in the past week. lol. I paired it with one of my tried and true combinations: my blue Smooth Sailing trousers (I really need to make more once my current projects are wrapped up!) and my Muffy saddle shoes. Perfect!
On another note: Maverick decided it would be fun to get in on these photos. (Isn’t he getting big?!) So lots of puppy silliness ensued! Including trying to bite my handbag (a really sweet and unexpected Valentine’s Day gift from SH right after he got back from his deployment! I’d been eyeing it, but when it went on super-clearance, he snapped it up for me–which makes it even more special!). Such a cute little guy–even when he’s bad! hehe!
Any great finds of late that you’re really excited to wear this spring?
