Outfit details:
J.Crew Coat (almost sold out, similar here and here), J.Crew Sweater Dress, Dolce Vita Boots (size up a half size), White + Warren Hat c/o
Hi friends! Hope you had a great week. I swear that these Friday posts serve as the biggest reminder that I’m about to have another baby. Every Friday I’m another week into my pregnancy so lets just say I’m getting a tiny bit anxious with each passing “Coffee with Liz” post. 38 weeks today (and I had Charlie a week early!). Physically I am so ready to not be pregnant; mentally I am no where near prepared. But as mama’s are we really ever prepared? Nope. You just kind of survive until eventually everything falls into a smooth routine. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I am pregnant with Baby #1 (it’s a boy!) and my baby shower is in the beginning of December. I’ll be around 30 weeks pregnant. What ideas do you have for dresses to wear to a winter baby shower?
I personally felt like I found the cutest maternity dresses at ASOS (budget friendly) and HATCH (a little more of a splurge). I had been eyeing this dress throughout my entire pregnancy but never had anywhere special to wear it. I love that it can also be worn after baby. This dress is really pretty if you wanted to wear white (do people wear white to their baby shower? or just wedding showers?), this floral dress is simple and pretty for this time of year or you can’t go wrong with a pretty blush dress.
What are some Christmas gifts you and Dave are getting for Charlie? What are you telling family he would like for Christmas?
Is it sad that I’ve thought very little about this? The only thing on my list for him are these magnet blocks. He has so many toys that I usually try to ask family for things we actually need – like a new snowsuit, more socks, winter boots, etc. I also feel like he is still so young that he doesn’t really know the difference. I always ask for more books because I love building him a little library and otherwise that’s all I’ve got so far! Any suggestions?
I’ve noticed you have some great neutral rugs around your home. Could you share where you purchased some of these, or similar rugs you like?
Yes! Unfortunately the rug in our living room is no longer available (very similar here). We have this rug in our family room which is really great for kids (it is easy to clean and the print disguises stains well). We have this runner in our upstairs hallway. We have this rug in our new nursery. I love looking for rugs on RugsUSA.com, West Elm and Lulu & Georgia.
What do you think would be a good housewarming gift?
My go-to’s are usually the most typical house warming gifts you could guess. I usually opt for my favorite candle, a pretty hand soap/lotion combo, a cozy throw, a bottle of wine or if you have the time – something monogrammed!
I recently purchased the new Apple Watch for my birthday in gold aluminum with the pink sport band. I love the gold aluminum, since it is more of a rose gold, and was wondering if you had any suggestions for bands to pair with the gold aluminum model? I’m looking for something a bit more formal than the sport band for everyday wear.
This is a really pretty leather band! I just bought Casetify’s steel mesh band for every day and I love kate spade’s polka dot watch band!
I’m 23, and have been living with my parents ever since graduating college (about 1.5 years now.) My future roommates and I have decided to move into NYC in January, and I’m starting to panic about furniture. What would you say is the most important pieces to invest in at my age?
I can honestly say that I don’t know if I own anything that I purchased for my first apartment. Ha! Unless it is a few decor items that I thought were worth the $100 price tag at the time or items I found in antique stores. Our furniture consisted of lot of Ikea or hand-me-downs from our parents. Honestly, you’re at the beginning of your apartment/city living days. If I had purchased a nice couch or rug or anything else for my first apartment – they probably wouldn’t have made it to my second, third and fourth (not sure if you’re renting or purchasing?). Especially because city living can be small and dimensions of apartments are so different. I honestly don’t know if I would have spent the money at that age. I think it is easy to read blogs or follow instagram accounts of people doing these amazing makeovers on their apartments but I don’t think it is exactly realistic. If anything, I would say invest in smaller things that you feel are timeless and true to you. Accents that give character to a space! My favorite places to shop for these things are usually CB2, West Elm, Joss & Main, One Kings Lane and Home Goods!
Beginning to make my Christmas list and thinking of “investment pieces” to ask my parents for or maybe treat myself 🙂 I’m 25 and trying to wean myself off of fast fashion! Any items you suggest (jewelry/home/handbags/shoes/
A few of my all time favorites are this cashmere travel wrap (seriously it is the prettiest scarf, I have three colors and the first one I bought was almost 5 years ago), a classic cashmere sweater, a pretty pair of stud earrings to wear every day or a classic pair of ballet flats.
Did you ever get to attend NY Fashion Week? If so, what was it like and how do you get to go to the shows? Do you ever meet up with other bloggers and have blogger events for a company/brand during Fashion Week to show off their products?
Yes! I went to four seasons of fashion week in New York over two years (the last one being two years ago). Access to the shows is provided by the brands. They send you invites beforehand and seating assignments once your arrive. The main reason bloggers attend fashion week is to help the brand gain more exposure for their new collections. My main reason for going was to see my blogger friends and visit with brands that I love/work with frequently.
In all honesty, fashion week is not for me. I end up feeling homesick the entire time I’m there. I guess as I grow up I am less interested in the fashion show aspect of fashion week. It’s a very competitive environment. I’d much rather schedule a time to visit New York when it isn’t fashion week so I can visit with friends, catch up with brands/PR agencies and not stress so much about the shows, events, etc. I am always honored to be invited (I still pinch myself when invited come through) but at this point in my life, I’d rather be at home with my family.
I am on the shorter side (5’4) so I have a hard time finding sweater dresses that are short enough to wear with my Stuart Weitzman OTK boots, but at the same time that aren’t body con super tight and too short of dresses. Any suggestions on good dresses to pair with OTK boots?
I’m 5’4″ too! And I have to say that every sweater dress I’ve worn this season has been the perfect length for my boots. I would highly recommend this and this. I’m also eyeing this one, this one, this one and this one! It may help to browse petite options, too?
I’m sure that you have many clothing items that are lay flat to dry. Do you have a compact and not hideous drying rack you love? There isn’t enough room in my house for all the tops I have to lay flat and dry all weekend!
Ugh I feel you. I usually end up laying a few items on top of our washer and dryer and then spreading them out throughout our basement (coffee table, built ins, bathroom floor). I don’t like a lot of the drying racks because your clothes end up hanging and I think it can sometimes alter the way they look once dry (for example, it can stretch out a sweater in weird spots). A lot of the flat drying racks out there don’t have a ton of space for numerous articles of clothing. Maybe this one? But it is pretty intense!
I’m going to my ten year high school reunion over thanksgiving weekend! I’m looking for a cute outfit that isn’t too dressy. More of a going out to the bars outfit. Now that I’m a mom, that’s not my forte anymore! What do you recommend?
I swear my go-to cute outfit is a sweater dress and boots lately! It’s a comfortable and cozy option without feeling overly thought out. I love this dress paired with these boots (which I wore here and seen again here). Add a plaid or a printed scarf!
I’m looking for a new cosmetics case. I usually like larger options because let’s be honest I’m a girl and I have a lot of products 🙂 I especially like cosmetic cases that you can personalize with a monogram. Do you have any recommendations or favorite brands?
I have and love my Pottery Barn cosmetic case! I love that it comes with a larger and smaller size.
Have you ever ordered from Shein or online shops from overseas? I occasionally see clothing on blogs from these sites but I’m worried about the quality and how long it takes to ship.
Yes! I love Chicwish. They have the cutest sweaters and dresses. I always recommend sizing up a size (I typically think their styles fit more like a junior style) and expecting at least 2-3 weeks for delivery. In all honesty, the quality isn’t AMAZING but it gets the job done. A lot of their pieces are trendier and I don’t usually end up wearing my trendier pieces all that often. After a few washes or trips to the dry cleaner, they start to see some wear. But for $40, sometimes that’s ok!
Why did you decide to find out the gender of Baby #2 and did it have anything to do with Charlie?
We didn’t! It was a complete accident in the ultrasound room. Dave, Charlie and I all went to my 20 week ultrasound together. We said that we wanted to be surprised and the technician said that she would have us look away when the time came. She was trying to measure some of the organs but the baby was asleep and not moving one bit (so different from Charlie’s ultrasound which took almost 2 hours because he was bouncing off my uterine walls and they couldn’t catch any measurements – ha). After trying to wake the baby up a bit, with no luck, she moved to one of the legs to measure his bones. All of a sudden he spread eagle and you could not un-see his little penis. I even blurted out “oh! that was a penis!” and the technician got so nervous and said “oh no, no that was the umbilical cord!” It wasn’t. At the end of the ultrasound Charlie was getting a little antsy so Dave was super close to the TV screen playing head, shoulders, knees and toes on the baby. The technician wanted to confirm that we wanted to be surprised (and at this point, we both knew it was a boy) and Dave told her to scroll by the butt one more time. It was confirmed!
Honestly, holding out for the first was so hard and now that I am a mom to a boy, I would be happy being a boy mom forever. Do I wish we were surprised? Yes. I recommend that everyone try it once! It’s pretty amazing to be in the hospital room and not know if you’re having a boy or a girl. But, being able to picture two little brothers together is pretty special too.
Can you suggest come cute pants that have the same silhouette as skinny jeans but are dressier for holiday occasions? I love the look of skinny jeans but don’t want to wear jeans to Thanksgiving or Christmas parties. Looking to wear them with booties and either a cropped sweater or a long cardigan.
J.Crew makes this slim crop pant every year and it is the perfect skinny pant for what you’re look for! The Old Navy pixie pant is another cute option! How cute are these glitter dot pants??
I have been thinking about getting an apple watch, but am not quite sold. Can you share which version you have and color, your favorite things about it, and any negatives or things you wish it did?
Here is the link to the exact watch that I have. I love it! I probably don’t use it to its full capacity but I’m okay with that. They just released a newer version that is completely waterproof and you don’t need to have your phone by you to answer texts/calls. I honestly don’t use it as a phone very often since it is kind of awkward. I primarily use it for tracking my activity/workouts. You can set goals for yourself each day and it definitely keeps me motivated to keep up with my fitness. No negatives so far!
When your sister got married, you posted a video of her getting ready on your insta story and she was wearing the cutest romper. Do you know where she got it?
Yes! It is from Eberjey but sadly I don’t see it in stock anymore. Similar styles here, here, here and here.
I’d love to hear about how you guys manage the dog hair in your new home? I’ve tried it all! And it’s never enough.
Honestly, it is just inevitable. I manage it by vacuuming like a crazy person and using lint rollers but it just comes with the territory of owning a lab. Webster is currently shedding his summer coat so we try to brush him more frequently to avoid all of the tumble weeds of dog hair. My home will never be white (especially now that I have kids, especially boys!) and we really do make home choices with Webster in mind. I think you just try to control it to the best of your ability but after having Charlie, Webster’s dog hair doesn’t get to me as much anymore. It just is what it is after 8 years!
I am a mom of three and looking for a pair of booties that are stylish enough to dress up but also comfortable to wear everyday and chase toddlers in. I have seen some really cute ones but also worried about how to wear them in the brutal winter cold and still look stylish.
You just gotta go for it mama! Grab a pair of cozy socks, spray them with suede or leather protector and you’re good to go. I’m a sucker for a good zip up bootie because they are easy to take on and off and I love the low heel. This block heel style is a dressier option but would also look cute with a pair of jeans.
Can you recommend a good pair of snow boots? I have an active 2 year old and am really looking forward to snow play dates with him this winter. I have Bean Boots for daily running around, but I’m looking for something taller, warmer, and good for snow play!
I have and love the Sorel Caribou Slim boot. These are typically my snowy snow boots. On days when the temps aren’t FREEZING and the snow isn’t crazy deep, I usually try to get away with my Hunter boots and boot socks.
So many good questions this week! Make sure to submit your questions for next week by emailing me with the subject “Coffee with Liz.” xoxo!
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