Haute Couture: Sesame Street Edition

Well, it's more pret-a-porter than haute couture, really, but still: Harper's Bazaar interviews a few Sesame Street style icons.

Side note/spoiler: I'm disappointed at the exclusion of Kermit the Frog. The omission of Miss Piggy is arguably forgivable in that she was specifically a Muppet Show fashionista; I don't know if she ever even made an appearance on Sesame Street. But Kermit? With current industry emphasis on eco-conscious "green" design and production, certainly Kermit is THE indispensable style icon of Muppetry, from Sesame Street to Carnaby Street to any rue in Paris.

Now the Face of BCBG Max Azria in Their SS 2010 Campaign!

And as a glamorous supermodel, I can now become a jet setter and escape my life of daily toil...

Just kidding! When in Austin with Elizabeth and Sara, we went to the outlet mall and found the most amazing dress in the BCBG MA shop. I tried it on and Sara took these pictures.

Midnight blue, great lines, great price (designer dress under $100)... I didn't buy it because I really had no reason to own it. Maybe someday!

Great for dancing!Am I fierce?!?!

Elizabeth also modeled the dress and it was fantastic on her, but sadly, my pictures of her did not turn out as well. She looked gorgeous.

Let it snow, let it snow!

Winter arrived with a vengeance some time last night, here in Buckeye Land. When I awoke this morning, there was a dusting of real snow over everything, and the temperature has been hovering in the low 20s F all day. Fortunately, I had an inkling (i.e. the weather report) that winter would soon be upon us, and so I'd prepared for it just two days ago. I went to the mall to purchase some items for someone else, and while I was there, I got a few items for myself:

Eddie Bauer coat (30% off), nearly identical to this one below, except that mine has fur lining on the hood. Warm, wind-resistant, relatively chic. I wish the coat was longer (full length instead of 3/4 length) but I have to admit, the Eddie Bauer folks totally know what they are doing when it comes to making cold-weather gear.

Bear Paw boots (40% off), very much in the style of the popular Ugg boots. I've always hated Ugg boots, but then I've always seen them worn in California with mini skirts or short shorts, which is just about as crazy a trend as anyone could find. I swore I would never wear boots like this, but then again, I also swore that I would never live any place that had snow. And with heavy denim trousers and a sensible jacket, these boots look great, utterly appropriate, and are water-proof, snow-proof, and extremely comfortable. Again, these manufacturers totally know what they are doing.

And never fear: Baby Bug also has his own cold-weather clothing, with a puffy down coat, a snow bunny suit from L.L. Bean (gift from Grandma Debbie), and water-proof baby Ecco boots (that cost, I might add, 25% more than a pair of my own boots).

...But where do the SKINNY women shop?

Yesterday, Jeff took me to Motherhood Maternity (which sells the only maternity clothing I have found to be acceptable) to get me a few more items of clothing, which were sorely needed at this point, because I can no longer fit into ANY of my pre-pregnancy clothes. We had budgeted for it, and it was nice to get cute clothes, even if I'll wear them for only a few more months. But our experience there had me wondering: "Where do really thin women buy maternity clothes?" I am not extremely slender--in fact, I'm just on the slim side of average. However, I wear size small trousers at Motherhood. I wear mostly small tops, too, although I have had to get a medium-sized sweater, thanks to some shifts in my weight distribution. So, basically, at 5'7" and 150 lbs, I am considered "small". And it's difficult to find clothes labeled with that essential S on any of the clothing racks (Maybe all the other "small" people got there before me?), but L and XL are plentiful.
Motherhood does carry petite sizes, of course, but anyone 5'5" or greater would be too tall for them.
Also of note: They do not carry brassieres, for maternity or nursing, in any size smaller than 34. Thus, any woman with a narrow back and/or small torso is probably out of luck.

So, the question remains: "Where do average-to-tall skinny women get their maternity clothes?"

Photographic evidence

This sweater is the famous Mommy Snug, made by Willow (the premiere designer/creator of custom knitted goods) over at Willow's Cottage.

When I first put it on, I said, "Oh, no!! This sweater is no good. It makes me look dumpy and pear-shaped!" It took only a few seconds before reality hit me upside the head, and I said, "Wait a minute, it's not the sweater's fault. I'm pregnant. I AM dumpy and pear-shaped!" The sweater is actually very flattering, and the color (selected by Willow) is perfect for me, although you can't see that as well, this picture having been taken at night in artificial light.

The picture was taken by Debbie in her living room, and Hobbes, usually camera-shy, makes a cameo appearance.