Designer Fashions from the Oscars

Oscar night was Sunday night. I watched from the comfort of my couch in sweats and a huge bun on top of my head (oh, so chic... right?).

I had so much fun tweeting with people from all over the place about the fashion hits and misses. I absolutely loved many of the Oscar Night Fashions... there was lots of beautiful gowns on the red carpet, glitz and glamour!

The red carpet is always a fun place to watch... !

Here's my Oscar Night Video Recap (please don't mind the stuffy nose!):

Trend Alert: ENK Children's Show

I love getting the scoop on fashion trends for moms.  Last night it was the Oscars, today it was walking the aisles in NYC at the ENK Children's Club Trade Show.  Hundreds of the best children's brands were showing off their fall fashions.

A few trends jumped out at me as I scanned the racks.
Felt. This fabrication was added to tees and onesies and all over accessories.  It's colorful and retains a hand-made feel.
Rosettes.  Right now roses are all over women's handbags and fashions.  For fall the trend extends to pint-sized fashions.
Fleece.  The 80s lives on and I thought the fleece dresses for girls look fresh and comfortable.
Vests. Boys will dig the biker vests, for girls it was all about faux fur.
Lace. More 80's. Look for lace embellishments and lace leggings. Hello Madonna!

And here are a few of my favorite fall looks:

Mack & Co Jacket--does it come in my size?

 

Hazel furry vest--so modern.

Meet the Mom: Jyl Johnson Pattee

There are so many things to love about Jyl that I hardly know where to start. This Utah-based mom started a fantastic business connecting brands with the moms who love them on Twitter.  She calls it Girls Night Out or #GNO as a twitter hash tag--those of us who attend the parties just call it plain old fun. Home base is the MomItForward site, where you'll find essays and tips from Jyl all infused with her wry sense of humor.

This summer Jyl is putting on a social media conference called EVO.  We say attending anything Jyl organizes is time well spent.

What one word best describes your current state of mind? Excited!!!

Tell us how you dreamed up the GNO? In mid-September 2008, a few of us jumped online for a girls’ night out to learn Twitter real time together. We had so much fun that we continued meeting, surprisingly drawing a crowd. In response, we formalized the party name a few weeks later with a hashtag (#gno), created a mission and a website (http://momitforward.com) a few months later, and started partnering with brands to bring expert information surrounding important issues, causes, or opportunities to women in the Twittersphere.

What term or phrase do you most overuse? Dude!

What is the best advice you would give a new mom? Focus on you and your love for your baby. Don’t compare yourself to other moms, your mom, or what you perceive to be the perfect mom. Don’t center on your inadequacies or anxiety about being the right mom for your child. Just love her. Do everything out of love for him with your whole heart. What you have to give and who you are to that child are more than enough! Be you!!!!

What 5 items do you think that new moms can't do without?  

I’d say the essentials are:
1. Support from friends and family, especially from spouse or partner.
2. Belief in herself and her ability to be a terrific mom.
3. Sleep!
4. Me Time.
5. Bonding time with the child.

What do you do in your precious down time to recharge your batteries? For me time, I read, play the piano, chop veggies (so stress relieving and yummy at the same time). I am such an extrovert so to totally recharge, I love to spend time with family and friends. Engaging in one-on-one meaningful conversations are the spice of life to me, but usually spontaneously happen and aren’t planned.

What are you currently reading? What I’m really reading are all the amazing recap posts from the www.mom2summit.com attendees. But, as far as books, I have both the Life of Pi and Linchpin on my nightstand. Huckleberry Finn still remains my favorite though.

What celebrity best describes your personal style? I love Audrey Hepburn, but I don’t know if she describes my style. In fact, I have no idea who describes my style. I may need you to help me with this one :)! 

Follow me on Twitter here:

@jylmomIF or at @momitforward

Current projects that have you engaged and excited: I am putting on a social media conference for women this summer in partnership with Rachael from www.todaysmama.com. You can learn details here: www.evoconference.com. I’m excited about the hands-on and holistic approach we’re taking as well as the opportunity to have a girls’ weekend out in the Rocky Mountains. Think of the fun.

I’m also engaged with a group of women and we are planning a trip to India this fall to couple social media and service in an effort to raise awareness, funds, and do some real time good for a cause important to mothers and children there. I’m passionate about this endeavor and can’t wait for it to roll out.

Spring Fashion Trends for Moms

It's MARCH! Finally! How good does that sound? I can exactly "feel" it in the air... but, I can really tell it's almost Spring by the fact that Little League sign-ups have begun, there's talk of Easter and I just got the notice that Spring break is the 3rd week of April. For some reason - I'm very, very (very) excited!

In being a fashion mom blogger... I have been researching Spring Fashions for Moms. We all want to look good and feel good... right?

So what are some upcoming SPRING TRENDS FOR MOMS?

Here are my some of my FAVORITE:

CHINOS - So easy to wear... you can dress Chinos up, you can dress Chinos down... and you can just have some FUN with them! I love doing a little roll on the bottom of my Chinos and pairing with some fabulous heels. It just really screams "SPRING!" to me.

Shirtdresses -I love Shirtdresses! I haven't owned one for a few years... but after seeing so many grace the pages of top fashion magazines, I'm definitely investing in one! I love how this look can go from work to play very easily by accessorizing. It's chic. It's a hip look. And it's a very classic look.

Ruffle, Ruffle -They're still in - RUFFLES! What I have been seeing a lot of is ruffle on the front of tanks... and I really think it's a delicate, yet trendy look that works. This tank could easily be worn with jeans, chinos, skirts and trouser pants. This gives an outfit some FUN!

COLORFUL Flips -Colorful flip flops seem to be a big trend! It's a little fun to mix and match things up a bit. I'm not usually one to go with any other color than black and white... so I think I am going to "liven" my flip flop selection up a bit with some yellows and pinks.

BIG and BOLD BAGS -Big and Bold Bags are going to be HOT this year! Moms need to stuff lots of stuff in their bags... so big and bold is a fun way to go! What I love about the bold colors is that it really screams SPRING and ENERGY and WARMTH!

Martha Stewart Show: Think Pink

One of the hottest trends for spring? PINK.  Yesterday at a taping of The Martha Stewart Show, I joined blogger Vera Sweeney (I'm Not Obsessed Mommy) for a pinkerrific afternoon. Everyone in the audience had to wear pink--a pleasure since I'm sick of winter coats and black boots.  Here are some pictures of the outing.  The show airs Monday, March 8th.

Martha and her Wedding Editor, Darcy Miller, take questions after the show.

The crowd was a sea of pink--even a few brave male fans showed up.

 

Peonies, and roses (all in pink) were the highlight of the floral segment.

 

Nicole (Totsy & Momtrends) & Vera (I'm Not Obsessed Mommy); pretty in Pink 

Want to attend a Martha Stewart Show when you are in NYC?   

Go here for information on getting tickets.

Green Week at Totsy

April is Earth Month... it's something Totsy is very excited about it!

Each month we have a "theme" week, where we have sales built around a particular theme. Last month was all about maternity. We were able to offer one week of some AMAZING maternity sales, and on top of that - host a fabulous Twitter Party. We just had so much fun bringing Totsy fans and customers the fun and excitement of some wonderful sales (with some of our favorite products) and a Twitter Party!

Well, March is all about GREEN. We chose March to be our GREEN month so you would have time to shop our amazing "green" sales and have the product by April for Earth Month! We couldn't be more excited or more proud of the sales we have been able to put together for Earth Month, starting NOW!

So what do we have up this week?

Hape Toys, Kate Quinn Organics, Hellolulu, Frenchy Baby Organics, Natural Mat and Little Green Star.

Hape Toys is all about bringing your child enchantment and excitement through the beauty of wooden toys. My sons LOVE to play with one of Hape's wooden planes. I'll tell you, Hape Toys products are amazingly durable, the highest of quality, absolutely adorable and (my fave!) so great for the environment. If you're looking for something oh-so-perfect to purchase your son or daughter, look no further!

Kate Quinn Organics brings such comfort, style and great fit to children's clothing. My sister-in-law LOVES Kate Quinn Organics for my niece. When I heard we were having a sale with them, I was ecstatic! Their clothing is superb and fun and just offers perfection in playwear for your children. (Not to mention AMAZING wear for moms, too!)

Hellolulu is exceptional for the tote shopping mom - which is essentially ALL OF US! What I love most about Hellolulu's reusable shopping totes and bags is that they are absolutely full of life and energy! The colors are bright and bold and oh-so-fashionista! If you don't have one, you gotta' get one!

Frenchy Baby Organics is the destination to go when you're looking for baby bedding. I cannot even begin to describe the beauty and elegance of Frenchy Baby Organics, they are incredible. All the bedding is made with organic cotton and is just the most exquisite and fabulous quality. This bedding will be the staple piece in your child's nursery, for SURE!

Natural Mat is a mecca for handmade mattresses made from organic and sustainable sources of raw materials. I have truly been addicted to Natural Mat's site, it's amazingly-amazing. (Is that a word!?) And that's not it! They have blankets, fleece, bedding, sleeping bags! It's truly unreal.

And our last sale this week is with Little Green Star! Oh, my... Little Green Star is absolutely adorable! They have the most beautiful and inspiring tees (all organic cotton) that help educate and teach your child about the importance of the environment! You can't go wrong with any of the amazing tees and sayings!

Enjoy our GREEN WEEK... and shop, shop, shop!!

Oscar Moms

Moms will be storming the Oscars this year. Between Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress there are five moms nominated for 2010 Oscars.

Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) is the stepmom to 5-year-old Sunny James. She and hubby Jesse James have custody of his daughter. 
Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia) has always been an overachiever--and motherhood is no exception.  Meryl has been married to Don Gummer since 1978 (hurrah Meryl for being a great actress and keeping a sane family life). This extraordinary talent also has four children and gets my vote for her amazing portrayal of Julia Child.

Also nominated:
Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)






The ranks of  Best Supporting Actress has even more moms on the list:

Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) and her husband Renn Hawkey have one son, Fynn.  Wonder if the men in her life got jealous of the steamy scenes with George Clooney? She gets my vote in this category.
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart) keeps her family life low key, living in Brooklyn, NY. She and husband/actor Peter Sarsgaard have one daughter named Ramona (born October 3, 2006)
Mo'Nique (Precious) is the mother of two children: Mark Jr. and Shalon (ages 13 and 9) I bet this hot mama opts for a metallic print and plays up her curves at the Oscars.

Child-free nominees:

Penélope Cruz (Nine)--no kids
Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)--no kids

Here's to motherhood and having it all! My picks go to Meryl and Vera--moms with talent and kids.