My new maternity maxi

If we're buddies on Twitter, you'll know that last night I had a bit of a wardrobe conundrum. For you see, I'm already up 50 pounds at 31 weeks pregnant, and none of my maternity clothes fit. Yes, friends, I am now bigger than I ever was while pregnant with Jude... and *gulp* I still have at least nine more weeks to go.

Not fitting into maternity clothes may not seem like a big deal (that's what stretchy tank tops and elastic waist athletic shorts are for, right?), but it does present a problem when you're 12 hours out from a photo shoot! For the upcoming issue of a local lifestyle magazine, a little opinion piece written by yours truly will appear, and the editor set up a shoot with renowned photographer Michael Thad Carter. Drat! I had nothing to wear! I had already scoured thrift stores and vintage boutiques but nothing quite worked with this massive bump.

Zoom! A late night trip to Target to secure a maternity maxi* was in order. Mixed with a funky robe and a vintage animal belt (strategically placed to ensure I look pregnant and not just chubby in the photos), I felt this was somewhat indicative of my style and would photograph a little more fun than a plain black dress:

date: 2 August 2012 | occasion: photoshoot, lunch with Rachel
 dress: Liz Lange Maternity | robe: thrifted from Savers, Halston | sandals: Old Navy | clutch: vintage, Texas Thrift | belt: thrifted, Goodwill | earrings: c/o Wild Gems
A little note about the robe: Chris did see me trying on this entire outfit last night and inquired, "Are you just wearing that robe around the house or is that going to be a part of your outfit for tomorrow?"

"It's a part of my outfit!" I then shot him dagger eyes so he knew not to say anything else about my interesting choice.

Robe in public aside, I'm excited to see how the published photos turn out. I'm sure by the time the issue comes out, I'll have gained even more weight, and fifty pounds will just be a fraction of the total weight gained by the time Little Lady Bird makes her debut. But let's not blame the baby for that, okay? Let's attribute that to Freebird's steak burritos / kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Giveaway [closed]: Win $50 to VINCA

I first saw VINCA at StyleX this year. I was like, "Whaaaat? Reasonably priced animal jewelry designed and manufactured here in Austin? That's my jam!" Okay. Maybe I didn't actually utter "that's my jam" but I sure thought it. Since then I've seen VINCA on Fab.com and on the fingers and lobes of some of my favorite local bloggers (Hipstercrite, Austin Eavesdropper, Austin Slave to Fashion, Keep Austin Stylish).

I myself have been rotating through my three pairs of VINCA earrings pretty much non-stop. I have the gold mirrored deer (last seen here), the silver mirrored bunnies, and the white seahorses, and I love them so much! In addition to their signature laser cut jewelry, VINCA offers hair clips and wall art and takes custom requests. Pretty awesome, huh?

I'm really excited to be able to offer one lucky Adored Austin reader a $50 voucher to spend at VINCA and two other people their choice of any animal earrings. That's three winners!
If you want this to be your jam, too, all you have to do to enter is surf on over to VINCAusa.com, pick out your favorite items and fill out the form below by this Sunday:

[entry period over- form removed]

Be sure to follow VINCA on Twitter because one of my all time favorite bloggers and social media socialites runs the VINCA feeds (ahem!). For serious. Go go go!

[official rules]

Little Black Dress / Big, Big Belly

Do you have a piece of clothing that is a food magnet? My best friend Bee always spills stuff on her chest when she's sporting a white top. As for me, it seems like I always spill salsa or spaghetti sauce on my protruding midsection while wearing this dress. This is a problem because I wear this dress (and eat!) all. the. time.

I had this dress for about one hour when I decided to put it on and have some lunch. That's when the first salsa spill occurred. Please know that these are not minor spills, mind you, These are the "oh, crud, I better go throw this in the wash immediately" type of disasters. The next day it happened again but with a heaping forkful of pasta. Suffice to say, I've had this dress for one month and have worn it at least twice a week with every intention of taking an outfit photo, however, nearly every time I get near food, -SPLAT!- onto the stomach I drop it.
date: 3 July 2012 (and many, many more!) | occasion: Macaroni Grill to satisfy a pasta craving

dress: c/o Go Fish (handmade, fair trade) | hat: c/o Pac Sun (similar- last seen here) | necklace: c/o Moorea Seal (handmade- last seen here) | shoes: Shoemint (similar 1, 2- last seen here) | earrings: c/o VINCA (USA made, ATX designed)

I can now tell you with complete certainty that this dress washes beautifully and easily. I really love this dress. It's not a "maternity dress" but the shirred top assures that it will be flattering up through those final pregnancy months when nothing else seems to fit well.
I am 29.5 weeks along in this pregnancy today and up an astounding 44 pounds! I'd love to tell you that I'm feeling awesome, but alas, my SPD is getting worse (now my hip keeps popping out of place) and although I did total bedrest on Sunday, yesterday my left knee decided to not work without yelp inducing pain. I want Birdie to stay in until her due date, but truth be told, I am so over being pregnant. But let's not blame the leopard print booties for any of my hip and knee pain, okay? I know they don't seem very practical, but I'm still relishing the fact that so far I have not had to endure the same type of feet swelling as I did while pregnant with Jude. I think Jude disagrees about the practicality of these shoes, though. When I was getting ready to go out to dinner with Chris and lacing up my boots, Jude brought me over the above (flat) sandals to wear instead. Hilarious! I am still very thankful that no matter how much weight I gain, statement making necklaces will still fit. And of course animal jewelry.

I dye (maybe)

Here I am, half way through my second pregnancy, and --I don't want to jinx it or anything-- but so far, my feet haven't swollen. The same cannot be said of my stomach, my face, and my butt, but let me take a moment to rejoice that thus far, my shoes are still fitting. Woot! I feel a bit unsteady on heels, but I can still rock a sky high wedge with the best of 'em.

In addition to my Blowfish Timo wedges (last seen here), these new(ish) leopard wedges of mine have been in heavy rotation:



And rings still fit, too!

date: 1 May 2012 // occasion: thrift store shopping

skirt: c/o Peacock Plume (similar // previous) // tank: Calvin Klein (previous) // ring: Noir via GILT (invite) // shoes: Sole Society (invite)

I've been thinking about dying this skirt a different color because in the last 19 months of being a mom, if I've learned anything, I've learned that white clothing just isn't as practical as it used to be... especially white skirts and jeans. I found a great fabric dye called iDye, but unfortunately the polyester dye only comes in basic rainbow colors and black and brown. It'd be awesome in coral or neon yellow or even pale, minty green, but alas, if I'm going to dye it, it has to be either red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black, or brown. What color should I attempt... or should I just leave it as is?

For the record: I prefer a front bump to a back hump

As you guys may know, I'm the first pregnant woman, ever. Since none of you have ever seen a baby bump before, since I'm the first pregnant woman, ever, here's a photo of me in a cute dress showing off my large breakfast my second trimester womb vessel:
You know what other animal sports a fatty bump? CAMELS!

And although it's early, I am already preparing for the Fat Feet Fiasco of 2012:

date: 9 April 2012 | occasion: Easter service with ACL, lunch with friends
dromedary dress dress: Charlotte Taylor for Anthropologie scored on eBay | belt: Target (similar & cheaper) | bracelets: JewelMint | sandals: ShoeMint

As usual, here are some Instagram photos!

I got this dress a while ago, but only wore it once to an impromptu fancy dinner date to the Olive Garden. The front of the dress includes a nice pleat section for my ever-growing midsection and the top of the dress has some nice venting for my lethal armpit and chest sweats. In short, it's pretty much a pregnant lady's dream dress if she can, in fact, deal with bright pink camels on a bright orange backdrop...

And I got dressed, finally.

Yesterday the horror film I shot two years ago screened at the Alamo Drafthouse. Since I was in labor with Jude during its Austin Film Festival premiere in 2010, I just had to get down there to see the final edit. That meant that I got dressed for the first time since January 24th. You know, since I always take pictures of what I wear every day and never, ever skip days, you can surmise that for well over a month, I've been completely nude.*



date: 29 Feb 2012 | occasion: I Didn't Come Here to Die screening at The Alamo Drafthouse
blazer: Here J | necklace: Here J (both scored via Refinery29 Reserve, which is still live until March 6) | tank: Old Navy | jeans: AG (via a Hem Jeans Groupon) | bangles: c/o InPink | bag: Missibaba (gift bought at Ecetera Etc by my friends at Poshmark) | wedges: Shoemint

*When I say I've been nude, that really just means I've been nude underneath my flannel pj's and Slanket. Chris informed me that Slankets are not approved for public wearing, so in case that's true, I've ordered this bad boy from Urban Outfitters. 1- it's on sale, 2- hello, it's an ANIMAL, and 3- did you read the description? "It's a blanket AND an oversized poncho". I cannot go wrong here, can I?

Sales! Sales! Sales! Oh, my!

Because I'm such a fan of online shopping, I'm going to scour my sale notices and update my "Sales Alert" page late tonight while tomorrow's rolls are baking. Already I've taken advantage of some online sales:

1. Refurbished Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens | 2. Zig Zag dress (USA made) | 3. fox ring
I don't know if you've noticed, but my photo quality 'round here has gone way down in the last couple of months and my videos aren't as crisp. Jude pulled my camera down from the entry table a while back and busted my plastic nifty 50 lens, which I absolutely loved (I really can't recommend it enough for anyone with a Canon SLR). It was my fault for not having my camera in my bag, but no way was I going to get another plastic $100 lens. I saved up to buy the f/1.4 which has a full metal casing, and I can't wait to use it! I rented one from Precision Camera a couple months ago and while I can't really tell a big difference between it and my first lens, I'm happy to be able to have a 50mm fixed lens again.

As for the dress and the ring, oh, man. They're from this online shop that I have never heard of called Edge of Urge. Those purchases were not at all necessities, but I had some Refinery29 Reserve credit burning a hole in my virtual pocket, and I wanted to use it. I hate when deal sites say "Get $80 of credit for $40" when nothing in the shop is under $80. That's why I was so excited that there were plenty of things to buy for under $80. Truly it was one of the best Refinery29 Reserve deals I've seen in a long time, and they even have a ton of crazy Jeffrey Campbell's in stock. I almost got the $150 for $75 deal, instead, because I've been contemplating some spiked loafers and some Litas (okay, not really) but I used a little restraint. This time. (By the way, this deal is going on until Monday if you want to get on it and maybe try some Jeffrey Campbell's).

Speaking of crazy shoes, one of the things that I'm most excited about is the ShoeMint launch on Friday:

Did you see those leopard print wedges in the video?! I'm already a member of both Kate Bosworth's JewelMint and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's StyleMint (my tee shirt review and giveaway is coming on Friday!), and since I'm such a huge fan of Rachel Bilson's personal style, this ShoeMint collaboration is just what my closet needed. Anyway, if you haven't signed up for ShoeMint yet, get on it. Anyone who enters by Friday is signed up to win a year's subscription of ShoeMint shoes. The drawings are daily, so you've still got three chances to win. Go >>>

Now that I've dropped a nice chunk of change this week already, I'm going to take it easy on Black Friday. Instead I'll be shopping on Small Business Saturday and checking out the Austin Vintage Style Fest. What about you guys? Will you be shopping on Friday at all?

Outfit overload!

Two necklaces, two watches, three rings, five bracelets, two shirts, tights, a mullet hem skirt, heels, a belt, and a clutch. Question: How many style blogger trends can one blogger possibly wear at once? Answer: all of them.



date: 17 Nov 2011 | occasion: Marie Claire LOFT fashion showskirt: Langford Market (similar) | sleeveless button-down: American Apparel | chiffon tee: American Apparel | lion necklace: Manic Trout | magnifying glass necklace: c/o JewelMint | gold watch: thrifted Michael Kors (same) | black watch: vintage Gucci (similar D&G) | bangles: Ten Thousand Villages & InPink | ring: Manic Trout | vintage clutch: Texas Thrift (similar)| textured tights: Target (similar) | heels: thrifted Seychelles via Savers (similar)
The only thing this outfit is missing is friendship bracelets, thick rimmed glasses, and a floppy hat.

I can't believe I own this...

The last time I went to Langford Market, the store manager Davina had this crazy jumpsuit waiting for me. Davina is an amazing sales woman. She pushes me to try things on that I wouldn't normally try on and she tells me the truth about how things look. Davina: "I love it!"
Me: "Does this... is this... a dropped crotch jumpsuit?"
Davina: "It is, but with some chunky shoes you could work it! Right?"

Me: "Maybe! And I think if I blur my eyes a little, these are elephants! Oh, Davina, you know I love animals..."
The details- date: 20 Sept 2011occasion: Buffalo Exchange and Savers runjumpsuit: Langford Market (made in the USA)Texas necklace: c/o Maya Brennersandals: Lulu*s

Indi and Indi

You know what's been missing over here since becoming a mom? MOM JEANS.

Oh, yes. I've been wanting a pair of high-waisted, flared jeans ever since having Jude. My theory is that the high waist covers up the paunch. It's probably not true, but let's all pretend that it is so that I'm not forced to join a gym and work on my fitness, okay?

I saw Indi Denim on Groupon a while back, and although they don't offer jeans with a patented front butt technology, they do offer custom jeans for about the same price as a pair of premium splurge jeans. I wrote them, and they graciously offered to go off the map for me a little by customizing me a pair of bell-bottoms:

The kind folks over at Alainn Bella caught wind of my new animal print obsessions and sent me a cute little tank with tiny prancing giraffes all over it:

date: 2 July 2011 | occasion: photo snapping, South Congress
jeans: Indi Denim (Groupon!) | tank: c/o Alainn Bella | wedges: c/o Wanted | watch: thrifted Michael Kors (same) | belt: Target | sunglasses: SoLa (similar)

I really dig these jeans. I want to wash them before giving them a full review, but at first try-on, these may be the best mom jeans, ever. They are exactly what I envisioned. Tina Fey, eat your heart out.

Gettin' tiki with it

Thanks to Who What Wear Daily, I feel completely justified in my recent desire for all things printed with animals. When browsing through Messes of Dresses, I had to have their Tiki Tiki Dress. I know what you're thinking... "A tiki head is not an animal, Indiana". I know! But look at this print, y'all! I think it resembles an owl. And my love for owls has been well documented over here, I think:
Plus, I love the cut of it, the little flippy flaps on the top, the adjustable straps (important!), and the fact that it's made in the USA:

date: 12 June 11 | occasion: church

dress: c/o Messes of Dresses | shoes: vintage, Texas Thrift (similar) | watch: Michael Kors via Denton Goodwill (same)

More like a tiki head or more like an owl? What do you think?

Horsing around

If there is one thing y'all can unequivocally say about me, it's that I'm a crazy animal lover. I have a panda bear on my debit card, a dog and cat on my license plate, and I've amassed quite the collection of animal jewelry. I'm also quite taken by apparel printed with animals, too. When I saw this dress at the central Austin Francesca's yesterday, I told them to stop pulling dresses for me to try on. If the horse dress fit, that would be the one I'd be taking home.




date: 2 June 11 | occasion: getting jeans hemmed, lunch with Bee
dress: c/o Francesca's credit (similar) | loafers: thrifted, Savers (similar) | BluBlockers: flea market in Seymour, Indiana (similar) | bib necklace: self-made (instructions to come tomorrow!)
When I was a kid, I lived next door to a family that kept lots of horses (bonus tidbit: I also lived by Wild Thang!). I'd beg to muck out the stalls, and my family went to the rodeo a lot. I love nostalgia, so naturally, I love horses!

Horsing around (outtakes) after the jump:

Pants on fire

I am trying out pants. Y'all know I'm not really into pants at all, but I've been drooling over pretty much everything Kim from Eat.Sleep.Wear. has, especially her red Zara pants (exhibits A, B, & C). I'm smitten with these ADAM bellbottoms from ShopBop (coming soon!), but I know that I'll never be able to afford them. So, red pants are on my list. And by "list" I mean my master wants list. Since I only shop from the list now, when I spied these red pants at Buffalo Exchange last weekend, I got them with my store credit.

date: 16 April 11 | occasion: blowout at Blo
pants: Buffalo Exchange (House of Dereon) | blouse: Strut | necklace: c/o Accessorize | wedges: Franco Sarto

Something else I tried out is my very first blowout. Blo opened an Austin location this weekend, and Intern Rachel and I got to be some of their first customers (video blog on Blo coming later!). My hair looked the best it has ever looked!

It made me realize that after Amp it up April, I'll embark on "Makeover May". I have to figure out how to get my hair to look that good at home!