I’m back from a bachelorette trip in Miami celebrating one of my loveliest friends, Carolyn (who happens to be extra tall so we make quite the duo together)! Some of you actually remembered her from this “building confidence in the workplace” blog post from my earliest blogging days. I couldn’t be more thrilled for her, and thoroughly enjoyed the getaway with an awesome group of gals! It was my first time traveling without my laptop and DSLR in an effort to take a real vacation. And then my phone came inches from taking a dive off our boat, which I would’ve accepted as an omen to truly “disconnect” ; )
I was anxious being away from Nori for the first time, but Nick held down the fort with the help of her Lola and Lolo who came to visit. Also, as a breastfeeding mom, pumping on the road (and airplane, and boat) and transporting my milk back home went more seamlessly than I could’ve hoped for! For those interested, check my Instagram story highlight labeled “pumps & nursing” for more info.
White on white
Attire themes for the weekend were white and animal print, which we decided on as a group to surprise our leopard print-loving bride! Here’s the white top and shorts from my recent blog posts re-styled. I’ve heard from a few of you that you liked this cropped blouse so much you also got it in black! The label says hand wash and lay flat to dry, but I’ve put my blouse in the machine on the delicates cycle and hung it up to dry with no issues (for any wrinkles, I use my steamer instead of iron). This BP hat is an old favorite that I added a black ribbon to freshen it up.
Party Animal (print)
I’ve often recommended ASOS for on-trend swimsuit and coverup options. Their in-house “ASOS” brand makes lots of mix and match style in extended (including very small) and fuller bust sizing! Just be warned their bottoms tend to have a “cheeky” level of coverage in the back, and I usually size up. My leopard top (love the strappy back) has adjustable shoulder straps and no padding, but you can add inserts. You don’t really need any though due to the camouflaging print! These high waisted bottoms are very flattering and comfortable as well, after I sized up to a US 2.
I found a few other spotted options prior to the trip, and my friends looked incredible in them! I linked their suits above per your requests on DM. Unfortunately the two swimsuits in more generic S, M, L sizing are a little big on someone my size. I did like the squared neckline and padded cups on this one below, but a S was loose on me around the bust and rear (so I would say it runs TTS).
Bride Gift
Since a few of you asked about bachelorette gifts, Etsy is a haven for all things personalized and bridal related! We got the bride this monogram pom hat with her soon-to-be initials (will also be great on the honeymoon and beyond), cute favors from this Etsy party shop, and this grey leopard print caftan. I had ordered a couple of swim coverups from Amazon and this was the clear winner, in a nice lightweight woven material and tiny grey tassels!
Where did u get the inserts for your swimsuit?
Lol. Love your journey in Miami. Bring me so much fun by reading
Isn’t it amazing sometimes how hard it is to disconnect even when you want to? I do my best of not taking pictures all day because I feel like I missed out on all the fun if I did. Then I kick myself for missing out on taking any photos! Can’t win right? Love the animal print swim suits. I am a big fan of it and love that your friend also is obsessed with it!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Love your sunglasses! I’ve been looking for over-sized sunglasses but most of them slide down my face. Do you know if these would fit someone with a lower nose bridge?
Looks like you had so much fun <3 🙂 In love with this print – it's perfect for the summer!
XO, Elizabeth T.
I really like the white look!
All your looks are so perfect!
I love all of these! My favourite is the white on white outfit! ❤️✨
Oh my gosh looks like you girls had an amazing trip – and you all looked gorgeous! It’s nice to hear thaat you were able to disconnect a little, even though that would have been a nightmare to drop your phone into the ocean haha! I like the bride gifts, you are a very thoughtful friend.
xx Janine
Thanks for the great post ! A while back you shared a blog post on your IG story about managing a job versus a career and what feedback to provide up to a manager versus solve yourself. Do you know where the link to the post is? I’ve been trying to refind it to share with friends but don’t have the link anymore.
Hi Jenny! It was on my friend Abra’s blog. Here you go: https://theworkedit.com/capitol/2019/03/27/realworktalk-work-vs-job-part-i.html
Such a little lovely get away with friends and touch up on old times. Love ♥️the swimwear outfit looks just parfait for the occasion too!
You all looked great! I like the skirt of the gal in the center of the group photo who’s wearing the black top. Any information on the brand or where to find it?
Hi Hong – She said it’s the “waist knot leopard skirt” from Shein!
I love this post! So great to see some many women looking gorgeous! It’s refreshing to see lots of beautiful body types on your blog! Seems like you all had a great time!
Thank you, Ann! I agree about everyone rocking their bodies!
This looks like so much fun! I love it!
Hello Jean – you look great! I was wondering if you could share how you lost your baby weight? We had babies around the same time and I still don’t feel quite like myself and seemed to actually have gained weight rather than lost weight while breastfeeding.
Hi Jo, thank you! Hope the first year of new parenthood has been treating you well! Honestly I wish I had a better answer for you, but I think a lot of it is genetics. My weight fluctuates quite a bit over the postpartum months, but in general I try to eat nutritiously, eat multiple smaller meals across the day instead of fewer larger meals (supposedly this helps with metabolism and digestion but I’m not sure…), and I’ve been committing myself to working out at least once to twice a week but it’s so hard to prioritize that!
Hi Jo…I have to second Jean’s comment that a lot of this is genetic. I happened to bounce back mostly to my regular size , but I am 100 percent convinced that this was just luck of the draw. I’ve seen friends work their butts off and adopt strict diets to lose the baby weight…sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. I have a friend who is smaller now than before she got pregnant. I have a friend who is a good 15 pounds heavier since having kids, despite being in phenomenal shape before pregnancy (interestingly, she doesn’t really care). I also know women who held on to some weight until they eventually stopped breastfeeding, while others gained as soon as they stopped. It honestly makes no sense to me. If you want one stranger’s advice, I’d say eat what tastes good, try to get sleep, stay hydrated, and go on lots of walks with that baby. Our bodies went through a trauma — an amazing thing, in many ways, but it was still a trauma. We can’t make them go back to exactly how they were or make ourselves love how we look, but we can respect our bodies for what they did and try to nurture them. Best of luck.
Nice reply. Kind words and true.
Jean- do you have a source for the bride’s suit? She rocks it!
Thanks!
Hi Christina! Her suit is the Onia Natalia reversible suit purchased from Bloomingdales.
Jean! What fun! I love the Party Animal theme. You guys… too much fun. There’s that top again, Codexmode. I love it. I want it. I’m waiting. Great post Jean. Love, Val
Ps. Super fun to see the older blog posts. Thank you.
Hope you are having a great week, lovely!
Absolutely love your outfits and style….very classy and chic. I myself am petite (4’11) but still trying to lose baby weight. I would love to get some ideas on how to accentuate waistline and look slimmer.
Thank you for the kind words! I find that high rise bottoms with tucked-in tops are the most flattering for me to accentuate the waistline. I also love wider waist belts which I think also help visually.
You posted about wearable breast pumps on your instagram stories but forgot which brand you ended up liking better (I think you looked at the Elvie and the Willow?) Tried searching for a post but can’t seem to find anything. Can you remind me what your thoughts were on the ones you tried?
Hi Jess, I received both the Elvie and the Willow for press purposes and after giving them both a fair try, I personally prefer the Elvie for many reasons. It’s lighter, smaller, uses reusable bottles instead of special one time bags, and it was easier for me to learn how to use. That being said, I have friends who love the Willow and have success with it and find the bagging system to be more convenient. If you click on the “pump / nursing” peach colored circle on my Instagram profile I saved comparison info about both.
Great post. I love the suits! I also really appreciate your older post about looking professional in the workplace — highly relevant to me!
Do you have any posts that lay out wardrobe essentials or must-haves? What to buy first when re-building from scratch on a budget?
I’m 5’2 and 85 pounds, so I’ve always had trouble finding clothes that fit. I’m glad I found your blog! I am in law school, and am building an affordable wardrobe from the ground up. It’s overwhelming trying to decide what to prioritize.
Hi Rachel! I don’t think I’ve done a post dedicated to that topic, but for me, essentials include slim navy pants for the workplace, high waisted skinny jeans in dark blue (as well as black and white), a trench coat, a fitted navy blazer, and a few pencil skirts in the color schemes that you tend to wear the most often (for me it’s blush, navy, white, camel brown). For footwear, I wear my skin-toned block heel sandals and pumps the most. Hope that helps provide a little guidance!