Pregnant in Paisley

Now 5 months pregnant, I'm starting to not only show... but the struggle to dress myself is real. I've clung to my pre-maternity clothes for as long as I could... but the reality of waiting till next year to wear my many of my winter dresses is setting in. 

I purchased this paisley print dress when I was pregnant, knowing that it would give me some room for a couple of months. I ended up wearing it to a family function, and surprisingly, it wasn't strangling my stomach. The cardigan I'll get plenty of use out of, but those purple tights - no way. I haven't really seen many stores carry traditional "maternity pantyhose", so I've bought size Large in some cases... 

If I'm being honest - shopping for maternity clothes is kind of a bummer. Tops are fine, but pants, especially jeans - there aren't that many options. I wear a lot of black and grey, which is making me feel limited. I think this is why I'm trying everything I can to be as bright as I can with my outfits before I reach the point where I can give a s^&* about style and am more concerned with my comfort.

Regardless, I have to say it's really crazy to watch all the changes your body goes through when pregnant. These pictures are a couple weeks behind what I currently look like, but still, you can see my twin bump making its way out. I miss my waistline... and not seeing my feet when I look down has finally happened!

Outfit details:

Paisley Print Dress - Forever 21 / Knit Cardigan - Forever 21 / Purple Tights - H&M / Grey Wedge Booties - MIA Shoes / Rebecca Minkoff Bag (won it 2 years ago at a South Moon Under opening) / Gold Necklace - South Moon Under / Alex and Ani Bracelets

To The Moon and Back: South Moon Under Hits NJ

I love it when new stores that aren't anywhere else in New Jersey pop up. South Moon Under came to New Jersey during the summer, and brought with them copious amounts of fashion goodness a la shirts, tops, shoes, jewelry, handbags and even adorable housewares and gifts. I've been drooling over their clothes ever since I stumbled upon the store... Take a visit for yourself, and you'll see why.

Lucky for me, their grand opening was just down the road from my job, so I headed over on Thursday to celebrate the newest store to hit the artsy section of Montclair, NJ - one of my absolute favorite areas to shop in!

To help kick off festivities, the Rebecca Minkoff team and Nylon Magazine was there to give the party some extra love while customers got their shop on in style.

Take a peak at some of my snaps from the night!

Not sure how I used restraint to not by these Sam Edelman leopard print booties.

Customers had the chance have their Rebecca Minkoff Mini M.A.C.s personalized with their initials or name. Love the look of the gold letters!

Spikes and studs in full effect: The collection of Rebecca Minkoff bags at South Moon Under makes it hard choosing just one... How adorable is this Alex carry-all! Wish list anyone?

This sign is so right. 

DJ Julie Twinkle doing the "Play my jam, DJ!" thing behind the turntables.

Q&A with South Moon Under

I absolutely love finding new stores to shop at.

While I was walking around Montclair, in New Jersey, I was excited to find an adorable new store called South Moon Under. I'd never seen or heard of the store, which automatically peaked my interested - and once I stepped inside, I couldn't stop ogling at all the cutes dresses, chic jewelry and adorable housewares.

Check out my Q&A with South Moon Under's Marketing Coordinator Taylor Schlette!

House Of Jeffers: The first South Moon Under store in New Jersey recently opened in Montclair! Give us a little background about how South Moon...
Taylor Schlette:  Our Montclair store is our 16^th South Moon Under store location and it’sour first in New Jersey. It’s hard to believe that we started as a small surf shack in the summer of 1968 have since evolved into a sophisticated, upscale clothing retailer with 16 stores in VA, DC, MD, PA, NJ, NY.  Still privately owned, South Moon Under offers a unique mix of fashions while remaining true to its laid back and free spirited mindset instilled in the founding store over forty years ago.  The name was inspired by our owner, Frank Gunion’s favorite book by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings!

HOJ: You offer a stylish collection of clothing, jewelry, home decor and more! How do you narrow down what to carry in the stores?

TS: To narrow down what we carry in the stores we look at what is going to make our shoppers feel the most fabulous and totally confident in the place that they live. We really like to bring them something great and different from what they are used to seeing in every other store around!  By providing an ever-evolving, carefully hand picked collection of fashion presented in a fun, comfortable, high-service environment we give our customers the opportunity to experience the excitement of successfully and confidently expressing their individual style.

HOJ: I love how South Moon Under has a beach-chic theme to it, and things like books and gifts have a special place on shelving or displayed in such a cute way. What do you want customers to take away from the store's setting/vibe?

TS: The vibes of all of our stores stays consistent with that relaxed, cool and trendy feel that the very first South Moon Under had. We like our customers to have a unique and wonderful experience when they shop in our stores right down to the ever changing awesome visual decorations.  It’s pretty cool that as South Moon Under continues to grow we are mindful of the impact our business has on the environment!  To counter this impact we have built our stores from the floors to the bags with recycled and environmentally responsible materials so that is always something unique with our vibes!

HOJ: What trend to you think will be big for Fall 2012?

TS: A trend that I think will be HUGE in the fall is spikes.  We are already absolutely obsessed with them here at SMU and we cannot wait for them to be all over our trendy style in the fall.  Spikes on bracelets, shoes and pretty much anything else are definitely awesome!  If you’re a little weary of the look of them, you can tone down the spikes or completely embrace the trend, like we do!

HOJ: Where else can we expect to see more South Moon Under stores in the future?

TS: South Moon Under is growing fast and we are totally getting excited about it!  This year we will be opening up two new stores in Yonkers, NY and another in the DC area!  South Moon Under has so many fabulous things to offer and we couldn’t be more excited to have more fashionistas shopping SMU all over the coast!