Three Haute Mamas

Bargains don't have to mean cheap

One would think I could peruse the J.Crew juniors line, crewcuts, sale and restrain myself.  One would be wrong.  However..I did use a little bit of my Yankee ingenuity,hit the sale and factored in the free shipping on all orders over $150.  And then I hid the receipts..

the Gracen tank, 7.99 plus..

girls crinkle bubble skirt 14.99.  One word.  Swoon.

splatter flower tee 24.99

the cotton pattycake skirt 24.99

  ballet flats 24.99 works with both outfits though..

flamenco top 24.99  Ole!

Giraffe print tassel top 29.99

As much as I'd love to pair the tops with white jeans, we all know what happens when you put a child in white pants..so as close to white as we can go.  Worn in vintage slim jeans 39.99

and a jacket for the chilly bus stop 34.99

and because every girl needs a first day of school dress..you may as well go big..

$54 and absolutely delicious.  And I can totally see my 4 year old rocking this with her hot pink cowgirl boots.  

I'd fathom a guess that I've accomplished my $150 purchase minimum (cough, cough), but what I've also accomplished is ordering all items that can work together.  All the tops can be worn with the jeans, the jacket can be worn over every outfit, the shoes can be worn with every outfit, the dress over the jeans..Catch my drift?  I could probably save a few bucks, and get a pair of less expensive jeans, maybe change out the jacket to another from Target/Walmart.  However because I'm I'm sticking with quality, timeless pieces, I don't need as many.  I want that jacket to hold up through the playground, the school bus... The jeans are already distressed.  If the knees blow out, so be it. Adds to the look. 

Also keep in mind that when I buy, I with three little girls in mind.  A Walmart jacket for $13.00 is fabulous, but it's only going to make it through one child.  A J. Crew 27.99 jacket will most likely make it through two, possibly, three children.  By that point we'll take that jacket and call it "vintage".  

Shop fast mamas.. Like summer, and lesser quality pieces, these prices won't last long..

xo Kate

Haute Mama Christina can sure throw a party!! It was Bananas!!!!

Hello Everyone,

 

Last night Kate and I drove to the Chestnut Hill Mall to lend a hand to fellow Haute Mama Christina as she was previewing Banana Republic's Fall line. 

 

Well I have known Christina since high school and since day one..... yes she was the new kid in 10th grade and arrived to school in a limo!! HA!!!! She always knows how to draw a crowd! Last night she did it again! Rockin' DJ, adorable bartender, dee-lish caterer ( her food was beyond..beyond..) and also got a top makeup artist from Laura Mercier and a nail tech from Bliss Spa!! What else could a girl want!!! Oh so much fun!!!

 
 

  

I worked retail for many many years and last night brought back many memories including aching feet!! I really enjoyed, as I once did years ago, talking to people and helping them find clothing that made them feel beautiful and in fashion! I had a very excited grad school student who kept saying to me...... I have to stop shopping!!! Oh sister I can relate!!! hahahaha!!!! I had some very funny women who had amazing style, very polished and put together and then there was the women who told me..... I do not wear gray!!!! hahaha!!! 

 

There were all different women, all different body types and we, along with the fabulous Banana Republic Staff styled them all!! There was not a lot of traffic in the mall last night all their clients came specifically for the preview event! It was a huge success!!!

 

  

   
 

Here is a preview of some of the hot sellers last night..

Contrast trim Cardigan $79.50           Racerback Vest $69.50             Stretch Colorblock Dress $130

Silk Pleated Shirtdress $130           Overdyed denim four pocket legging $89.50   Suede Bootie $140

My advice would be to a lot of retailers... this sort of event is the way to go, bring your best customers in and attract women who love to have a girls night out by having these types of events! We were laughing, dancing, eating, drinking, chatting and shopping!! We were......... living a Haute night!!!!!!!

 

XO Kimberly

Hi everyone

I have to second Kim's opinion on the night and we just want to thank everyone who came out to support us in our first big event since leaving the fashion industry.  Made me thankful a. I wore flats, and b. to just be back in it! And if you couldn't make it last night, stay tuned for more haute events to come... 

XO Kate

 

Halston, Haute and Hopeless Romantic!!!

Hello Everyone!! 

Well I needed to share with you my fabulous find and the fact that I am a hopeless romantic!! One of my favorite movies is Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle ( yes I would fly across the country to see a man who I thought I had a connection to by hearing his voice on the radio! ) Some would say that is a bit creepy but I am secure enough with myself to say that I am level headed and extremely romantic! Life is about taking chances!! :-)

On my recent trip out of town I had a chance to shop and I came across this White Halston Heritage gown!! 70% off!! It was so simple and elegant I had to try it on!! Well, the instant I put on the gown I heard Meg Ryan in my ear saying...  this is a sign! LOL!!!!! It is my size and I just happen to be thousands of miles from home!! This gown will have a story someday! So I decided to buy it!! 

 

 I have recently gone through a divorce and everyday I make an effort to keep looking forward and making my dreams a reality! It is empowering to make choices for yourself, as scary and as hopeless as you may feel sometimes I have learned through this experience that everyday you grow  and you get a bit stronger. This dress is a reminder to me to never become too cynical and remain the hopeless romantic I am!!

As I am typing this I can see the dress and ........ Sleeping Beauty is singing in my head..." I know you.. I walked with you once upon a dream!" 

It must be a sign ;-)

XO Kimberly

Haute(ical) Nautical-the Kardashian way

 I will admit to being a lover of the Kardashian style.  I think they hit it spot on in most cases and I love that even though Kourtney is a new mom, she doesn't have that new mom look that I sported for the first eight years eight months. I think the nautical look can be a little overdone sometimes but I am so in love this look I had to share. Simple, classic, yet haute. And by the way..the top and the skirt..H+M. 

 Well done haute mama!! 

material offspring

 

steven klein

So Madonna? Haute. Her offspring? Inevitably haute. 

Material Girl the collarboration between mother + daughter? Surely hautest of haute. 

 

And speaking of off spring here's mine three years ago at her 4th birthday party. Yes, she wore that throughout the entire party for no particular reason whatsoever. Fashion maven in the making? Perhaps.  

 Perhaps also an inspiration for another fashion maven. 

live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air

-ralph waldo emerson

At one point I left Florida for a reason.  I am still trying to figure out that reason.  Boston is my home town, but the weather leaves me grumpy and depressed except for July and August.  That's when I do my best work in the closet and that's when my friends notice my personality lighten up and I start getting invited out again.  Winter? Blehhhh...

Beach style, boho chic, nautical, whatever you want to call it, I'm all over it. Show me a sundress, and I get weak in the knees.  A rockin' pair of shorts? Drool.... And sunglasses? Love me some sunnies!! I may be beachy, but I am most certainly not running around in a pair of bermuda shorts and mock sleeveless top. Oh nononono. And capris? That's an island, not something I wear on my lower half* 

There are many mamas who have gone before me and represented the look I would gladly wear day in, day out, 365 days a year.  Later I'll link up to where you can get the same looks that work for you and make you feel like the Capri beach queen you meant to be.  Minus the short pants. 

*a look that just does not work on these legs, trust me on this one.  another post for another day..sigh..

"Clothes are but a symbol of something hid deep beneath." For this Haute Mama it would be my American Soul!!!

Hello Everyone!!

I hope you all had a great Holiday! Nothing.... I mean nothing like celebrating this great nation of ours! It got me thinking again about personal style.  I realized that I am classic with a bit of cheap chic added in. I love to have fun with Fashion but I must remain true to myself, my comfort zone, what works for my personality doing this allows me to feel beautiful and confident. However, what I am most proud of and what I wish to portray through fashion is that I am American. My wardrobe may be a melting pot of designers from all over the world but the core of who I am is American Style! I remember visiting Italy with my grandmother in 1990 and I remember walking down the street and everyone knew I was American! At 17 years old that made me proud! and still to this day it does! Because through all the revolutionary changes that took place through out history American  women remained true to the love they had for their country and paved the way for American Style! Their inspiring designs from past eras really do stand the test of time. 

 The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute hosts it's big summer exhibition! This year it is entitled: American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity (running May 5th- August 15th), the exhibition explores the fashion styles and trends that defined the first half of the 20th century in the United States. I smell Road trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The shows poster and book are available through the met store.  To see many of the images from this beautiful collection flip through the Museum's Virtual Fashion show enjoy!!

 The Gap... ( and you can't get more american than this retail chain) is sponsoring the exhibition. They designed a kid's t-shirt called 'Rosie to the Rescue" $30. 

Earlier today I was reading the July issue of Marie Claire magazine. 

and Lizzy Dunlap wrote... What we love about the USA. Barbecues, blue jeans, country music, Jazz, Rap, 4th of July fireworks, Lady Liberty. We invented the lightbulb, the hula hoop and the Superhero! Flip flops, route 66, Baseball. Corn on the cob. Tex-Mex. Lacrosse. Surfing. 2,584 Olympic medals. No metric system! The Hollywood sign. Literary Greats Emily Dickenson, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway and Toni Morrison. Our national anthem is set to the tune of an old drinking song. All-American style, from Levi's to Proenza Schouler. Ooooooo Love that!!!

 I feel the best way to portray American Style is to simply be American!!! God Bless the USA!!!

XO Kimberly