forever21 shirts – the Spiff

My son has pooped in a JCPenney three times now. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t like the place, or because he’s so relaxed.
Yesterday while the lady in the checkout line was oohing and aahing over him, he’s lying in the stroller straining. 

I’m just glad he got it all out because I was in a rush to put together an outfit. It was during that rush that I became thankful for two things…
One: I’m thankful he’s a good shopper and able to sleep while mommy drives his stroller like a bumper car (I’m still getting used to it).
Two: I’m thankful for plaid.

Sure the right kind of animal print makes me salivate and of course stripes are always a safe bet, but I was craving something new. Something fall-like but without the country feel (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

I needed a great pattern and I was pleasantly surprised to find that plaid has been given a makeover. Everywhere I turned there was an updated version of what can sometimes be a homely pattern. Whether it was incorporating new colors like the purple pictured above from Tommy Hilfiger or the orange and gray from Banana Republic, or by going bolder and wider with the stripes like Express has done, or maybe it was how The Limited printed it on a softer, flowy fabric – all of those upgrades made the pattern more appealing to a city gal like myself.

I tried with all my might to not title this post, “Mad for Plaid” but I have to say, the 21st century versions of this classic pattern and all the pattern mixing possibilities it brings with it, makes it hard not to go a little mad for a lot of plaid. ;)

Pick up any of these great options at West Town Mall!

For the past couple of weeks I’ve taken a break from the blog to recover from birthing a life into the world (I think that warrants a break, don’t you?) and to get in the swing of motherhood. It’s all been amazing and I’ll share the story in a later blog.

I will say that my love capacity has increased beyond what I thought possible, and I never thought I could stare at any one human face for so long without getting tired of it. I just moved my laptop over so that his little handsome baby face is in my line of vision so I could look from him to the screen without much effort. Let’s just say it’s going to take a while to get this blog typed out ;)

Now that I’m starting to get around and out more often, I’ve been focusing on items that I can wear comfortably and will make a quick, cute outfit. I’m certain these will be my goals for a large part of my motherhood and not just during the recovery period, so it’s a good thing I start thinking in this mode now.

I’m always up for a good clothing challenge, so this only excites me!

What I’ve found really helps are cheap t-shirts. I bought three at $5 each recently and they’ve been great for throwing together outfits that I can be comfortable in and yet feel put together.

These pictured are from Forever21 and ring in a little over $5 at $5.90, but it’s still cheaper than a footlong at Subway now as I think they’ve reached a full $6. So cheaper than lunch!

In fact, Forever21 has a great collection of basics for cheapity-cheap. Get in there and see what you can find. Even if you wear it twice, it’s a great cost-per-wear deal.

You can wear these with your complete jean collection and pair them with fancy sandals or cute sneakers. Add a long gold necklace to any of them or go with a multi-colored statement necklace to help make them look different. They’re perfect for running around in.

And if they stretch out too much, get sauce on them from your Subway footlong or become an emergency burp cloth, you’re only out $5! Or, $5.90. Close enough ;)

Plaid Got a Makeover

Basic Shirts for Less Than a Footlong