Pattern Play for Memorial Day: The Past and Present in Pictures

Dress: Sonoma, Kohl's; Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's

The old but still awesome (to me, anyway) Happy B-Day USA Barrette Brooch.  Because July is just a gelati away. 😏

Cherry barrettes: SHEIN; Bow: Carole, JCPenney

Bow bangle: Holiday Lane, Macy's; Red bracelet: Guess, Macy's; Ring: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Flag necklace: Michaels

Bag: Betsey Johnson

Sandals: Katy Perry Collection, Zulily

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Michaels

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Cherries from another time on one of the husband's timeless cutting boards.

Dress: So, Kohl's; Bag: Simply Vera, Kohl's

More Michaels.

Anchor necklace: Charming Charlie

BAND-AIDS and case: Target

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Modcloth

Sneakers: So, Kohl's

Top: Amazon

When I got pregnant, I said that I would never wear a body-con, i.e. tight, maternity dress that ostentatiously showcased my bump.  For me, it would be tasteful A-lines all the way.  And for the first eight months, it was.  But then I saw a form-fitting, blue-and-white-striped maternity T-shirt dress in (where else?) Kohl's, and all my carefully constructed resolve went out the window.  What can I say?  My wardrobe options were dwindling, and it would be nice to have something new to wear for Memorial Day.  So I got it.  I topped it with a red floral blouse I already had (also from Kohl's) and wore it to yesterday's family BBQ.  And everyone was like, oh, you look pregnant now!  In a nice way.  Because I do.  No shame in this bump game.

Then today it was off to Michaels to buy a photo album for the hundred plus prints I ordered from Shutterfly.  During one of my baby prep classes, the instructor told us how one woman brought horse posters and horse-shaped string lights to the delivery room because she and her husband ran a ranch, and horses were it for them.  (She also told us to buy a birthing ball from Dick's because Dick's has the best balls; I'm still proud of myself for not laughing.)  Naturally, I thought about what might be comforting for me to see when my time comes, and the answer was obvious: color.  Lots and lots of color, as captured in the pics I took for this blog.  So last Sunday, I went back through the years, picked the best ones, and made my order.  They arrived Saturday, and I love them. 

Lastly, I guess I should mention the BAND-AIDS.  As in, what's a pic of them doing here?  I got the case for free at Target a couple of months ago while stocking up on bandages for my glucose monitoring.  The design had such a groovy, '70s lifeguard vibe that I took a pic to post for the unofficial first day of summer.

So that's Memorial Day -- the maternity way -- in a nutshell.  

Specifically an almond shell, as almonds now make up most of my diet.  

Mostly Blue but Rainbows Too

Skirt: So, Kohl's; Boots: Style & Co., Macy's; Tights: Hue, Amazon

Bracelets: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Ring: Charlotte Russe; Fabulous Felt Fall Flowers Barrette

Top: So, Kohl's

Bag: Mellow World, Kohl's

Top: So, Kohl's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Kohl's; Boots: Penny Loves Kenny, Amazon

Butterfly Garden Necklace

Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's; Yellow belt: Belt is Cool; Chain belt: Worthington, JCPenney Rings: Mixit, JCPenney; Yellow bracelet: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Striped bangle: Target; Clips: Target; Turquoise bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Floral bangle: JCPenney

Tan Teardrop Earrings

Top: Nine West, Kohl's; Skirt: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Bag: Simply Vera, Kohl's; Yellow bangles: B Fabulous; Ring: Mixit, JCPenney

Headband: New York & Company

Red Hot Rainbow Necklace

Sweater: Zulily; Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Orange bangle: Strawbridge & Clothier; Ring: Michaels

Saguaro Safari Necklace

Clip: So, Kohl's

Boots: Jessica Simpson, Amazon

It's not winter without a blue or two.  So here are a bunch mixed with browns and yes, of course, brights.  My favorite piece?  The '90s-throwing-it-back-to-the-'70s blouse that I'm wearing in the first pic.  (And speaking of '90s-to-'70s nostalgia, I'm tempted to finally get Netflix just so I can watch That '90s Show!)  But the turquoise "flame" bag is a runner-up too, edging out its siblings in black and red.  You know what they say: if you love something, then get it in every color (also, set it free, but that's not happening here).  

Anyhoo, no earthy ensemble is complete without a cactus.  And the one that makes my blue sweater and brown boots worth their sand is not one but six saguaros.  Yes, it's leopard, snake print, and more snake print in this Saguaro Safari stunner.  (If it's wrong to call my own necklace stunning, then I don't want to be right.  Even if I'm doing it mostly for the alliteration.)  Because the only good snake is a dead snake . . . especially one that wasn't alive in the first place.

Thanks, pleather.  You make the world better.

Toadstool Cool: Skirts and Sweaters

Sweater and skirt: So, Kohl's

Bag: Amazon

Coat: Nine West, Kohl's

Shoes: Nine West, Marshalls

Lipstick: A Little Magic, Sephora, Kohl's

Red bangle: B Fabulous; Love bangle: Boscov's; Black and white bracelet: Mixit, JCPenney; Flamingo necklace: Ella & Elly, Zulily; Headband: INC, Macy's; Ring: Miami accessories cart; Necklace: The Tote Trove

Sweater: Jessica Simpson, Amazon; Skirt: XOXO, Macy's; Shoes: Nine West, Amazon

Colonel Cutie Necklace

Bag: Dancing Days, Banned, Modcloth; Yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Zigzag bangle: Strawbridge & Clothier; Green bracelet: Parade of Shoes; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target; Leggings: French Connection UK for Sears; Boots: Penny Loves Kenny, Amazon

Bag: Olivia Miller: JCPenney; Blue ring: Mixit, JCPenney; Brown ring: Charlotte Russe

Sweater: Volcom, Macy's

These outfits are all about the timeless -- yet eclectic and unexpected! -- combo of skirts and sweaters.  Also, a bag that looks like a mushroom.  Believe it or not, I've been waiting a year to bust it out of the accessory forest that is my closet.  Not that I wasn't wooed by its woodland whimsy (in one of these pics, I appear to be clutching it with the dreaminess of Gollum and his precious).  But there are a lot of carryalls competing in that closet.  Sometimes when I walk in, I imagine them chirping, "Choose me!  Choose me!  My dress is the prettiest!" like the mannequins in the Beverly Hills Teens cartoon my sister and I watched constantly on VHS.  (Hey, I had to balance out that Lord of the Rings reference with one from a show I actually like.)  Yet no matter how many bags I hoard, there's only one that makes me feel like Smurfette while also expressing my love for those mushroom cannisters that everyone and their mom (mine included) had back in the '70s.

So, as I always say about pizza, make mine mushroom.  It's the fungus that we want among us.

Unlike those maniac mannequins.

Fantabulous Fantasia: Cinderella in Sequins

Top: Candies, Kohl's; Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Shoes: Katy Perry, Amazon; Bag: Amazon; Socks: Amazon; Sunglasses: Betsey Johnson, Zulily; Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Black bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Coral bangle: Silver Linings, Ocean City; Pink and purple bangles: Don't Ask, Zulily

Top: TJ Maxx; Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Boscov's; Belt: New York & Company; Pearl necklace: Target; Yellow bangles: B Fabulous; Rest of bracelets and rings: Mixit, JCPenney

Sequins?  Check.  Pastel florals?  Check.  Unicorn?  Check.  It's official, Disney disco, these looks are for you!  Not, as far as I know, that there was ever a unicorn prancing around the Magic Kingdom or Studio 54.  But there should be.  Princesses and party people, you're welcome.

When you think about it, sequins are pretty amazing.  They're basically shiny pieces of trash, yet the easiest way to elevate any outfit to New Year's Eve or happily-ever-after.  Speaking of which, I was lucky enough to snag both of these out-on-the-town tinsely minis on clearance. 

As any shopper worth her change purse knows, glitzy getups go out the window with the last Christmas candle. In other words, post holiday is prime time to stock up on dress-up duds.  That's when I got the silver skirt.  I didn't get the rose one until a few weeks ago, when it was only $7.50.  Mama mia, that's a bargain for a Dancing Queen on a commoner's budget!

Next up, '70s Cinderella in -- polyurethane not glass, because why risk a bloody ankle? -- platforms.  

I can already hear the ABBA/Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo mashup hypnotizing cosplay-clad hipsters.